Breakdown: Bullis School (MD), is known for record-breaking relay performances, this time in the sprint medley relay. Cameron Homer and Matthew Goines opened with 200m legs, followed by Quincy Wilson on the 400m split, handing off to Colin Abrams for the 800m anchor. Abrams, with a personal best of 1:53.84, delivered under pressure, crossing the finish in 3:23.86 to secure a new National High School Record, breaking Chantilly (VA)'s 2016 mark of 3:24.02.
Continue reading...
- - -
Best of the Rest
January 6th:
Mason Schmitz, a freshman from Hamilton Southeastern (IN), made history at the KYA High School Indoor Classic, finishing second in the boy's 800m in 1:54.10. His performance set a new freshman class record, surpassing Marcus Reilly's 1:54.65 from 2021, while ranking U.S. No. 2 this season and No. 6 in Indiana indoor history. Schmitz held off a competitive field, including Chase McCallum and Keegan Smith, after being overtaken midway by Julian Carter, who won in a U.S. No. 1 time of 1:52.47. Continue reading...
January 12th:
Montverde Academy (FL) senior, Adaejah Hodge, made her mark in 2024 with a stunning 36.97 in her 300m debut at The VA Showcase, ranking U.S. No. 4 all-time behind Shawnti Jackson, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Francena McCorory. Breaking the stagger early, Hodge dominated the race, outpacing Sydney Sutton (37.39, U.S. No. 7 all-time) and Josie Donelson (37.89, top 20 all-time). This performance solidified Hodge's place among the year's best. Continue reading...
Quincy Wilson climbed the all-time rankings from No. 9 to No. 2 with a stellar 1:01.27 in the 500m at The VA Showcase. The Bullis School (MD) sophomore became the fourth high school boy to break 1:02, just 0.02 seconds off Will Sumner's national record. Wilson led aggressively from the start, holding off Tim Brown's late push to set a new meet record. Continue reading...
January 13th:
Montverde Academy's girls delivered a record-breaking performance at The VA Showcase, setting a new high school indoor 4x400 national record of 3:37.63, surpassing Long Beach Poly's 20-year-old mark. The team of Adaejah Hodge, Michelle Smith, Alivia Williams, and Skyler Franklin split 54.10, 53.79, 54.75, and 55.00. Coach Gerald Phiri credited Franklin, a sophomore anchoring for the first time, as the final piece to their success. Continue reading...
January 20th:
Zariel Macchia won her second U20 cross country title in three years at the USATF U20 Cross Country Championships, securing a 6K victory in 20:31 and qualifying for the World U20 Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. The William Floyd (NY) junior led most of the race, hitting even splits and finishing with a fast 3:05 final 1K. Macchia, who placed third last year, now joins four other high school athletes in the top six. Continue reading...
January 23rd:
Addison Ritzenhein was named Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Player of the Year, following a standout sophomore season. The Niwot High School runner became the third Colorado athlete to win the award, joining Brie Oakley (2016) and Katie Rainsberger (2015). Ritzenhein, who set a 16:44 5K personal best and won the Nike Cross Nationals title, was surprised by the honor but embraced the moment after focusing on her races. Continue reading...
January 29th:
Daniel Simmons senior was named Gatorade's National Cross Country Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after a campaign that saw him win 10 straight races -- including a Utah Class 6A title and an NXR Southwest title -- before a 13th-place finish at Nike Cross Nationals, which was the final race of the high school season. Continue reading...