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Four National High School Records Fall On Day 2 of New Balance NationalsPublished by
Four National High School Records Fall On Day 2 of New Balance Nationals By Chris Lotsbom, ArmoryTrack.com and Dyestat.com NEW YORK (15-March) -- Four national high school records fell here on day two of New Balance Nationals Indoor 2014, making for a spectacular middle day of competition at The Armory. Hoover (AL) broke the girls shuttle hurdle relay mark, the boys of Christian Brothers Academy (NJ) shattered the 4xMile record with a time of 17:07.17, Raven Saunders (Charleston, SC) bettered an 11 year old record in the girls shot put, and Devin King soared over 17 feet, 10.25 inches in the boys pole vault. In total, more than 2,000 athletes took to The New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory on Saturday, competing for All-American honors and national crowns. Saturday's action kicked off with a bang as the Hoover quartet of Brittley Humphrey, Caitlyn Little, Errin Perry, and Sarah Sanford broke the national high school and meet records in the shuttle hurdle relay. Racing the event for the first time together, all four athletes knew they had a chance to come close to the previous national best of 32.02, set back in 1999. After Humphrey, Little, and Perry ran near flawless legs, Sanford anchored the team home. As soon as Sanford had crossed the line, 31.35 popped up on the scoreboard, signaling a national record. "I think I ran faster to them [to join in celebration] than I did in the race!" admitted one athlete, saying she was overcome with joy after the race. While Hoover earned gold, Western Branch (VA) took silver (31.46) and New Jersey's Winslow Township bronze (31.87), all finishing under the old meet and national mark. "It feels really good," said Humphrey. "We've never won [before], we've always got fourth or fifth. We've always been working really hard and we finally got it. I'm happy!" ----- Another national high school record came down in the boys 4xMile, as Brothers TC (Christian Brothers Academy, NJ) shattered the old mark by more than 13 seconds, finishing in 17:07.17. In a thrilling race, Brothers traded the lead with Gig Harbor of Washington multiple times before prevailing in the end. After three legs, Gig Harbor and Brothers TC were neck and neck, with Tommy Rooney and Wolfgang Beck serving as the anchor legs. Both would battle step for step, taking the bell with one lap to go together. In the end, it was Rooney making a move with 100 meters remaining, swinging wide and passing Beck around the final turn. Sprinting home to victory, Rooney broke the tape in 17:07.17, obliterating Chariho's national, meet, and facility record of 17:20.20 from 2012. "When Wolfgang got the baton in front of me I Knew I'd need to run a strong last leg," said Rooney. "Once I caught him, I tried to catch my breath a little bit and see what I had left... Coming around that last turn, I might as well go for it and it paid off." Joining Rooney on the winning team was Blaise Ferro, Mike McClemens, and Fran Bogan. "We've been talking about it all week, every single day, and it went exactly according to plan," said Ferro, the opening leg. "It's a great feeling. There aren't really words for it." ----- Records weren't just broken on the track. Charleston, South Carolina's Raven Saunders broke the national, meet, and facility record in the girls shot put, throwing a monstrous 56 feet, 7.5 inches (17.26 meters). Saunders achieved her best mark on her first throw, breaking Michelle Carter's previous record of 54 feet, 9.5 inches by nearly two feet. Carter's record had stood for more than ten years. "I knew I had it in me, to be one of the top," she said with a smile on her face. "What really motivates me is to be the best." Saunders, a senior, credits her success to recently transitioning to the spin technique from the glide. She won the competition by more than 2.5 feet, and three of her attempts landed beyond 17 meters. Now she's eyeing the outdoor season. "I've been working so hard since May when I first figured out that I had the ability to use the spin," she said. "I had to prove to myself that I could be up there." ----- With the crowd on their feet, Devin King of Kentwood, Louisiana flew over 17 feet, 10.25 inches to capture the boys pole vault title. With his clearance, King broke Andrew Irwin's national record of 17-9.75 from 2011 and Maston Wallace's meet record of 17-5 from 2007. "It feels great. I've worked so hard to get it, and now I've got it. It feels good to finally accomplish 17-10," said King, who will attend Southwestern Louisiana in the fall. King nearly cleared 18 feet, though grazed the bar just enough for it to come down. He is confident that he can go even higher sometime soon. "I was focused the whole meet," he said. "I thought I had it but I should have brought my standards up 3 or 4 inches. I'll get it one day... One day I'll get it." King also noted how The Armory's atmosphere, crowd, and fast runway helped him jump so high today. "It was great, the best," he said, sporting his gold medal and All-American crown. ----- Despite running with one shoe untied, Olivia Baker was able to lead Team FitFast (Columbia, NJ) to the girls sprint medley title in 3:57.19. The boys sprint medley crown went to St. Anthonys (NY) in 3:25.95. Winning the boys long jump with a leap of 25 feet, 0.75 inches was Nathaniel Moore. He'll return tomorrow with hopes of claiming the triple jump crown. Other winners included Blacksburg (VA) in the girls 4xMile relay (20:28.56) and Minnesota's Shaina Burns in the girls pentathlon, 3706 points. Flyers TC (Chaminade, NY) took the boys 4x800m in a new Armory high school record of 7:40.80. Sean Kelly anchored the team home with a 1:51.03 split; collectively, Kelly, Andrew Dorritie, Thomas Slattery, and Gunnar Nolan tallied the fastest time in the US this year. New Jersey's Keturah Orji won the long jump with a mark of 20 feet, 5.25 inches. More news |
