NATIONAL RECORD HIGHLIGHTS DAY ONE OF NEW BALANCE NATIONALS

By Chris Lotsbom, ArmoryTrack.com/Dyestat.com

NEW YORK (14-March) -- Five national champions were crowned here on day one of New Balance Nationals Indoor 2014, highlighted by Pennsylvania's Tessa Barrett, the 2013 Foot Locker champion, setting a new High School national record for 5,000 meters in 16:11.85. Teams from across North America traveled to The New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory, competing in the most competitive high school meet of the winter season. 

Barrett, a senior, immediately went to the front of the championship 5,000. Coming in with the goal of winning and setting a national record, the 18-year-old powered lap after lap in 38 to 39 seconds. Joined early on by Iowa sophomore Stephanie Jenks, Barrett went through 1,600 meters in 5:03.4.

The fast early pace startled Barrett just a bit.

"I was like 'Oh boy, the last two [miles] are definitely going to be uncomfortable,'" she said with a laugh.

In the middle mile, Barrett let up ever so slightly. While Jenks faded back in second, Barrett kept pressing, glancing up at the clock to gauge her pace. She passed 2 miles in roughly 10:15, a time that would be a new personal best. 

"All season it was my goal," she said of maintaining record pace through the finish. "Throughout the whole race I just felt really comfortable so I was like 'I may have a chance to do it.'" 

Coming off a national cross country title, Barrett knew that she had what it took to etch her name in the history book. Coming down the homestretch all by herself, Barrett broke the finish tape nearly seven seconds faster than Wesley Frazier's previous national and meet record from 2013 (16:18.01). For the fourth consecutive year at New Balance Nationals, a girls 5,000 national high school record had been set.

"I can't even, like, explain it. I was hoping to get my second national championship but to break a record is really unreal. It's just unreal," exclaimed Barrett, a wide smile across her face. 

As is tradition, Barrett got to pose next to the finish clock that showed her record time, a dream come true for the Penn State-bound student-athlete. 

"I've always seen the pictures of everybody with the clock so that was a really fun part," she said.

Also setting records were Jenks, who broke the sophomore class record (16:37.50), and Corning, N.Y. freshman Jessica Lawson, who broke the freshman class record with a time of 17:08.45. Finishing eighth overall in 17:16.82 was North Carolina's Kayla Montgomery, a senior who has multiple sclerosis. Montgomery's inspirational story has made national headlines. 

"It's really exciting to be able to raise so much awareness for MS, to just help people and be an inspiration for others," she said.

In the Boys 5,000, Conner Mantz of Utah powered away from Tennessee's Aaron Templeton for the title. While Templeton led early on, it was Mantz making a decisive move in the middle mile. Picking up his pace with 400 meters remaining, Mantz went on to clock 14:24.33 for the win, No. 5 all-time.

"It's finally good to have a great race," said Mantz, who was seventh at the Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships in 2013. "I just kept thinking I've done the training, I've mentally thought it out, I just got to go and do it."

Setting a meet record to win the boys Distance Medley Relay was Cardinal O'Hara of Pennsylvania. Kevin James, Isiaih Cooper, Nick Smart, and Jim Belfatto combined to time 10:00.75, the second best mark all-time for high school runners and fastest ever at New Balance Nationals.

Coming in, the quartet had the national record of 9:59.94 on their minds.

"We're pretty pumped. We knew at the beginning of the season that we could get close to the national record if everything went right. Everything almost went 100 percent right but we're pumped to just have a national championship. This is probably the greatest thing that's happened to our program," said James, the leadoff leg. 

After fast runs by James and Cooper, Smart and Belfatto secured victory thanks to FAT splits of 1:53.69 and 4:11.51 for 800 and 1600, respectively.

"It's exciting," said Belfatto, whose split is a personal best by about five seconds. Flyers TC (NY) placed second in 10:04.37, while Warrior TC (PA) was third in 10:04.45.  

The Girls Distance Medley Relay title went to West Springfield (VA), who held off Haddonfield Memorial (NJ) down the stretch, 11:43.39 to 11:43.94. West Springfield anchor Caroline Alcorta, the NYRR Millrose Games New Balance High School mile champion, crossed the line with an impressive 4:47.57 1,600 leg.

The final championship of the day was the Girls High Jump, won by Massachusetts's Ellen DiPietro. DiPietro cleared 5 feet, 10.5 inches (1.79 meters), defeating last year's champion Cyre Virgo in the process.

"I felt really energetic," said DiPietro. "I felt really fresh, really energetic, and I knew with my first jump I felt really good.

Friday's competition also included more than 20 Emerging Elite events, with many seeing new meet records. Julia Heymach of Pearland, Texas, established a new Emerging Elite meet record of 10:39.40 for 2 miles, while the Boyz-DC team bettered the EE Sprint Medley meet record by more than three seconds with their 3:31.79 winning time. 

Action continues Saturday with more than ten hours of track and field action. Among the highly anticipated events are the Boys Shuttle Hurdles and 4xMile relay, as well as the Girls Shot Put, Long Jump, and 4x800m Relay.

Stay tuned to the New Balance Nationals Facebook page all weekend for a free live webcast, photos and results.