NEW YORK CITY, March 08–10 — Elizabeth Leachman stole the show on the girls side of the Nike Indoor Nationals. The soph from Texas’s Champion High (Boerne) proved that she can win championship races on the track just as she did at Foot Locker last fall. In Friday’s 2M, she ripped a 9:44.16, the No. 2 clocking ever and a soph-class record. That topped the 9:49.95 of Jane Hedengren (UT), which made her No. 6 ever. Most notably, the effort came with a 5:03.40 first half and 4:40.76 second.
“The second half of the race was definitely hard,” Leachman said. “I actually turned it up a little more than I meant to — I thought we had two laps left when we had three.”
That was just the warmup. The next day, Leachman crushed the 5000 HSR with her 15:28.90, a feat that sliced more than 8 seconds from the 15:37.12 record that Katelyn Tuohy set in ’18. Running without pacing lights, she passed 1600 in 4:59.63 and 3200 in 10:02.63. Her final 1600 took just 4:49.22. Behind her, Maddie Gardner (VA) ended up No. 10 all-time with her 16:17.32. In 3rd, Sophia Rodriguez (WA) broke the frosh-class record at 16:22.72.
Said Leachman of her record-buster, “I just didn’t know what I could do, never having run it before. I think the times that mean the most to me are those closing miles, just knowing that I can close hard.”
In other highlights, a foursome from JSerra of San Juan Capistrano (CA) ran the No. 8 time ever at 4×8 with an 8:54.14. Jathiyah Muhammad (CA) won the pole vault at 14-3¼ and Meagan Humphries (CA) tallied 3813 in the pentathlon, becoming No. 8 ever.
NIKE GIRLS RESULTS
60: 1. Avery Lewis (Friends’ Central, Wynnewood, Pa) 7.31; 2. **Lisa Raye (West Warwick, RI) 7.31; 3. McKenzie Travis (Evangelical, Ft Myers, Fl) 7.37.
200: 1. *Elise Cooper (McDonogh, Owings Mills, Md) 23.49; 2. Raye 23.53; 3. Sole Frederick (Druid Hills, Atlanta) 23.66; 4. Lewis 23.69.
400: 1. **Skyler Franklin (Academy, Montverde, Fl) 53.44; 2. Braelyn Baker (Bear Creek, Redmond, Wa) 54.10; 3. Josie Donelson (Lake Oswego, Or) 54.39.
800: 1. *Dylan McElhinney (Hunter, NYC) 2:06.88; 2. **Gwen Hamilton (Wood, Warminster, Pa) 2:08.07; 3. *Sophia Bendet (Randolph, University City, Tx) 2:09.03.
Mile: 1. McElhinney 4:43.62; 2. *Chloe Huyler (Lakeridge, Lake Oswego, Or) 4:44.61; 3. **Lily Alder (Timpview, Provo) 4:45.69; 4. Reese Dalton (Covenant,…
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