By Senior Correspondent Marty Ogden, Editing and Graphics by Ron Knapp
New Balance Nationals Outdoors – CT Results on Saturday
Saturday Photo Galleries by Ron Knapp, MSR
Connecticut has a couple of more national champions. Newington’s Kate Bohlke and Hillhouse’s Khalil Antione won the 2000m steeplechase and triple jump at the New Balance National Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Philadelphia on Saturday and several other athletes put up big performances in the second to last day of competition
Kate Bohlke came into the meet as a slight favorite with the US #1 time for 2024 and the 8th fastest high school time all time in the steeplechase. Her main rival, Lillie Bogdan from NY, took a spill over a hurdle in the 2nd lap and that allowed Bohlke to take over the lead for good. The senior, in her last race for the school she has represented so well these past four years, sailed to the win, breaking her own CT state record with a time of 6:25.93. She now has the 5th fastest high school time in history.
Earlier in the day Khalil Antoine broke 50 feet for the first time in the triple jump on his first attempt. The senior, who will attend Holy Cross, did not compete in the Class L meet which kept him off the radar for all the championship meets. On his fourth attempt he improved upon his previous PR by just over two feet, reaching a distance of 51-6 ¼ which secured the win and is the 3rd best jump in CT history. He is also currently ranked 2nd in the nation.
Another record breaking performance was turned in by junior Soheib Dissa of Newtown who moved up one place from last year, taking 2nd in the 2k steeplechase.in a new CT record of 5:49.15, The Nighthawk was either in or near the lead for the first three laps of the five lap race but in the end was no match for Noe Kemper of Idaho who broke the meet record with his finishing time of 5:43.50. Dissa, who still has a year left in high school, was exactly one second off Rhode Island’s Devan Kipyego’s New England All Time record in the event.
The sheer number of girls that are running fast in the distance events in our little state is just amazing. There were four girls who finished in the top 24 in the highly competitive mile with Glastonbury’s Brooke Strauss leading the way in 16th place with a time of 4:47.61, a nearly five second PR. The junior ran a steady race on the rail in the pack of ten runners who all finished within…
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