* The JSerra girls pose for pictures after winning the 4x800 on Saturday
Photo Credit: Derrick Dingle/MileSplit
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by Cory Mull - MileSplit
NEW YORK CITY -- The second day of action at Nike Indoor Nationals was primed for some big moments inside the Armory.
It certainly got them.
From a national record in the 5K from Elizabeth Leachman to wild 4x800 and shuttle hurdle relay performances early in the day to fast 400 meters and some really exciting emerging athlete races, Day 2 did not disappoint.
We broke down every event and the top moments in the segments below.
Related Links:
Elizabeth Leachman sought perfection, and grabbed it over 5K
Converging plans, and a wild DMR race at Nike Indoor
A Day 1 recap from New Balance Nationals Indoor
A Day 2 recap from New Balance Nationals Indoor
A Day 3 recap from New Balance Nationals Indoor
STORY OF THE DAY
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The answer is Elizabeth Leachman. You can read about her conquest at 5,000 meters here. But if we're spreading the wealth, then our second-place honor goes to Buchholz, who followed up their epic performance in the DMR on Friday with a win in the 4xmile on Saturday in 17:25.44 and used a 4:10 anchor split from Riley Smith to claim the win -- and he went from third to first, taking down Herriman, which had a five-second cushion heading into the final mile.
STAT OF THE DAY
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A Win From The 2nd Heat
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McCallie School (Tennessee)
It's not often that you see a seeded section winner out of the 4x800 championship, but that's what happened on Saturday, with the Tennessee boys program winning by FIVE seconds over the fast section in 7:44.40. Five seconds.
That's incredible, and it was all made possible by the unit that consisted of Evan Simpson, Harry Carter, Henry Edwards and Jack Bowen. The (unofficial) splits: 1:57, 1:56, 1:56 and 1:55.
Day 2 Breakdowns:
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Championship 4x55 SHR Girls: After some back-and-forth deliberation from officials, Oscar Smith (Track 757) finally was named the winner here in 33.09, while Rahway (NJ) was second in 34.36 and Laurel Creek third in 34.59.
Championship 4x55 SHR Boys: The win was a culmination of a season for the Fordham Prep boys of New York. The national title win came in 30.15 seconds, taking down Scotch Plains in 30.97.
MS Girls 60m: Liana Wright of Team Quest scored the win here in 7.72 seconds.
MS Boys 60m: Kameron Bethea was just short of breaking seven seconds, scoring the win in 7.00.
Freshmen Girls 60m: Tamiya Swinson, a Georgia native, ran 7.76 seconds to pull away for the win. Rian Kinsler (7.89) and Kinley Gibson (7.90) were second and third, respectively.
Freshmen Boys 60m: Stanley Smart, a freshman from Georgia, ran 7.00 seconds flat to win. Javian Jones-Priest (7.18) was second and Jett Jerwers was third (7.19).
Emerging Elite Girls 800m: Kettle Run's Suzanna Mancini won the title in 2:15.54, which was just fourth-tenths faster than second-place Sofie Howard.
Emerging Elite Boys 800m: It was a career best effort for West Genessee's (NY) Michael Gomes, who claimed the title in 1:55.54, out-legging Ahijah Goins' 1:55.84 and Andrew Riley's 1:55.85.
Championship Girls 800m: It came down to a kick, and Hunter College's Dylan McElhinney was the one to have it, winning in 2:06.88. Gwen Hamilton was second in 2:08.07 while Sophia Bendet was third in 2:09.03.
Championship Boys 800m: Mercer Island's Owen Powell won a sprint to the line, winning in 1:52.29, just over a tenth separated from American Fork's Noah Nielson (1:52.43) and Old Mill's Tsedeke Jakovics (1:52.44).
Championship Girls 200m: The top time out of the prelims was Elise Cooper's 23.57. Six girls were under 24 seconds.
Championship Boys 200m: Kendrick Jones clocked the leading performance in the prelims in 21.35, while Jayden Horton-Mims was close. behind in 21.39 and Justin Stewart was third in 21.48.
Emerging Elite Girls 200m: Melanie Doggett, a middle-schooler from Georgia, ran 24.17 seconds to lead all athletes.
Emerging Elite Boys 200m: Maxim Rychkov and Robert Young tied for the top time out of the prelims in 22.15.
Championship Girls 400m: Montverde Academy's cruised to the finish line in a time of 53.44, earning the win and the only time under 54 seconds. Braelyn Baker was second in 54.10 while Josie Donelson was third in 54.39.
Championship Boys 400m: Imhotep Charter's Jayden Horton-Mims avenged his loss at the Pennsylvania state indoor championships, winning in 46.85. Ervin Pearson was second in 47.15 and Natanael Vigo Catala was third in 47.94. Those three were the only athletes under 48 seconds.
Championship Girls 4xMile: The Tatnall girls dominated in this one, registering a time of 20:14.42 behind a sub-5 anchor. Cornwall was second in 20:52.18 while Greenwich was third in 20:53.65.
Championship Boys 4xMile: The Buchholz boys got their national title, winning here in 17:25.44 behind a 4:10 final anchor from Riley Smith. Herriman was second in 17:27.47 while Coeur d'Alene was third in 17:39.66.
Club Girls 4x200: AP Ranch, a team out of Texas, won with ease in 1:37.96.
Club Boys 4x200: GLSP Speed, a group out of Washington, won in 1:27.17.
Championship Girls 4200: The Druid Hills girls initially were claimed winners, but later were DQ'ed. Which meant the Woodlawn Elite girls picked up the win in 1:39.90.
Championship Boys 4x200: North Rockland scored the championship win here in 1:28.95 while South Lakes was second in 1:29.52 and Ultimate Speed was third in 1:29.55.
Championship Girls 5K: Elizabeth Leachman scored a new national record in 15:28.90, which was the story of the day. But not to be forgotten was Maddie Gardiner's insane 16:17 for second and Sophia Rodriguez's time of 16:22.72, which was just three seconds off the freshman class record.
Championship Boys 5K: Patrick Koon became the fourth boy ever under 14 minutes indoors with his 13:59.69. Manny Perez was close and finished second in 14:01.61, while Byron Grevious was third in 14:12.66.
Championship Girls 4x800: The JSerra girls claimed the win in 8:54.14, taking down Dillard in the final leg. The Florida team was second in 8:59.73 while South Lakes was third in 9:07.73.
Championships Boys 4x800: The McCallie boys (TN) won out of the second heat! Which is kind of insane. St. Anthony's (NY) was second in 7:49.36, though they won the fast section. Hardin Valley, another heat two warrior, was third overall in 7:50.60.
FIELD EVENTS
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Emerging Elite Boys Weight Throw: Calvin Gutierrez claimed the win in a new top 20 performance of 20.79 meters (68-2.50), while Theo Joseph Seale was second (60-4.75) and Mike Dearie was third (60-4.50).
Championship Boys Pole Vault: Sixteen feet, eight inches was the winning mark, and it came from Victor Olesen. Kenneth Byrd was second on attempts at 16-8 and Kendric Curry was third in 16-4.
Championship Girls Pentathlon: Notching the seventh-best pentathlon performance in history, Meagan Humphries claimed the win with 3,813 points, getting top efforts from the 60mH (8.93) and the high jump (1.69m).
Championship Boys Triple Jump: Hitting 50 feet for the fourth time this season, Florida recruit Jaden Lippett won with a mark of 50 feet, 2 inches. Xavier Drumgooole was second in 49-3 while PA state record-holder Jordan Sowell was third in 49-1.75.
Championship Boys Shot Put: In his first meet of the season, Ben Smith came up with a national championship and a PR, hitting 68-4.25 on his fourth throw. Joshua Huisman was close, but was a foot short to place second in 67-4, while Trent Uhlir was third in 61-7.
Championship Girls Triple Jump: Skylynn Townsend claimed the win with a new U.S. No. 2 of 42-6. Alleah Krote was second in 41-0.5 and. Samantha Ennin was thir din 40-11.75.
Emerging Elite Boys Triple Jump: Yevhen Zhmailo took the win in 45-9.25.
Championship Girls Shot Put: Madeleine Fey won with a mark of 45-9.75. Lauren Kirby was second in 45-3.
MVP OF THE DAY
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Elizabeth Leachman, Boerne Champion (Boerne, Texas)
There's no debating this. Leachman took down a six-year-old 5,000 meter record on Saturday in an unfathomable 15:28.90, clocking a 4:59 split over the first 1,600 meters before she held on and rallied late for a 66-second final lap. What's more, Leachman is only a sophomore. She surpassed Katelyn Tuohy's national record of 15:37 from 2018 -- and the North Rockland legend was also a sophomore at the time. When you couple this with the fact that Leachman won the 2-mile on Friday in a meet record of 9:44, she will leave Nike Indoor Nationals over the weekend with arguably the single best performances of the meet.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
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"To break 14 is incredible. You look at the guys who have done it. Ritzenhein, Cheserek, Tyrone last year, Danny Simmons. It's incredible to join an elite high school club like that."
Patrick Koon, Tallahassee Leon
The Stanford recruit became the fourth high schooler to break 14 minutes indoors on Saturday, clocking a winning time of 13:59.69. The time was a new meet record and stands at No. 4 all-time.
PHOTO(S) OF THE DAY
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* Owen Powell won the championship 800m on Saturday in 1:52
Photo Credit: Joe Swift/MileSplit
Photo Credit: Derrick Dingle/MileSplit
Related Links:
Nike Indoor Nationals meet page
