NBIN 2017--The WOMEN

And here's the ladies!
If you read my Men's report, you know I have some old news to give you!
So let's begin there!

SAFP--aka Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce--is Preggers!!
Yep, this 5 foot speedster is gonna have a baby!!
This summer!
That means that her Jamaican compadre Elaine Thompson will have things bit easier in the WC's this summer!!
But she'll return in 2018, she said!

In the marks department, we have---
Kelsey Chmiel ran the 3000 meters in 9:26.28, making her 8th A-T HS!
More significantly, she's the new Soph Class record holder!!
The old mark was Debbie Quatier's, dating from 1974!!
Gianna Rao improved her WT to 61-3, moving her from 11th A-T HS to 8th!
(See below for what she did at NBIN!)
Jessica Lawson ran 1500 meters in 4:25.66, moving her from 21st A-T HS to 17th!
Katelyn Tuohy finished 2nd in 4:25.86, making her 18 A-T HS!
Leya Solis ran 1000 meters in 2:48.25, making her 20th A-T HS!
Lanae Tava Thomas LJ'ed 20-7, moving her from 22nd A-T HS to 13th, where she's tied with 1 other!
In an OUTdoor meet in Australia, Keely Small ran an 800 in 2:01.46.
Nothing special, you say?
HA!
How about if I tell you she's just 15 years old?
FIFTEEN!!
She was born June 9, 2001!!

Now to the NBIN meet--the Women's side!
And what a "side" it was!!
FOUR High School Records bit the dust at The Armory!

And maybe none were better than Brie Oakley's 5000 meters HSR!!
For the SEVENTH year in a row, this historic meet saw the Women's 5000 HSR broken!
In 2011, it was Waverly Neer's 16:35.
Then came Erin Finn's 16:19.69 in the London Olympics year!
In 2013 came that crazy race where Erin Finn led all the way--She'd passed 3000 in 9:33!!--until the last INCH!!
That's where hard-kicking Wesley Frazier came from nowhere, and beat Finn, 16:18.01 to 16:18.02!
In 2014, it was another great race, with Anna Rohrer outlasting Wesley's sister Ryen, time of 16:12.
In 2015, it was Tessa Barrett's turn, when she took 2 more seconds off the Meet (And HS!) Record!
Lastly, tiny Weini Kelati ran 16:08.83 last year!

This year, NXN XC winner Brie Oakley--very new to running, as she played other sports!--CRUSHED Kelati's mark by 13 seconds, the largest margin since Finn destroyed Neer's record!!
And she did it the hard way---alone!!
While Sarah Platek attempted to stick with her, that idea didn't last!
In fact, Oakley LAPPED Platek later in the race--although Platek finished 2nd!!

Going through 3K in 9:31--similar to what Finn did in 2013!--she kept the pace going, though needed a hard final lap to keep the time under 16 minutes!!
Her 15:55.75 gets her the Senior Class record too, as well as the Meet Record!
Seven years of incredible distance racing!!
Will the streak continue in 2018??

Platek's time was 16:48.09, making her 22nd A-T HS!
Taken OFF my DDD was the venerable Cathy (Schiro) O'Brien, who is still the HSR holder in the Marathon, with her 2:34:24 from 1984!
O'Brien's 16:52.83 dated from 1983!!
BTW, O'Brien's mark was the LAST one on my Top 24 Performer's list remaining from the twentieth century!!

But Oakley wasn't finished!
She ran the Two Mile also!
The Meet Record is Melody Fairchild's 9:55.92, dating from 1991.
But the NB people say it's Aisling Cuffe's 9:56.85, dating from 2011, as that came when the meet was sponsored by New Balance!
But this meet had been going on---under another name!---for years before NB took over!
So the records that came during those earlier years should--IMHO--be accepted as MR's--if they're better than the ones established during the NB era!
Thus---long story short--Oakley did NOT get the MR---Fairchild's MR---but DID run faster than Cuffe!!
Confusing??

Her time of 9:56.06 took the measure of a fast field!
Oakley is 3rd A-T HS!
Jessica Lawson finished 2nd in 10:12.39.
She moves from 23rd A-T HS to 18th!
Kelsey Chmiel's 10:12.94 makes her 19th A-T HS!
But she gets the Soph Class record--by just 0.01 seconds!!
Allie Schadler was next, running 10:13.74, which made her 22nd A-T HS!
Maggie Farrell's 10:17.34 missed my DDD by 0.59 seconds!
And Clara Savchik's 10:18.00 misses the list by 1.25 seconds!!

Like with the Men, enroute times at 3000 were taken!
Oakley's 9:20.34 gives her 6th A-T HS!
Chmiel's 9:30.03 didn't match her earlier PR--see above!!
Schadler's 9:34.91 makes her 17th A-T HS!
Lawson's 9:36.41 leaves her 18th A-T HS!
And Clara Savchik's 9:39.01 makes her 23rd A-T HS!
BTW, over the 2 Mile distance, SIX athletes here ran faster than the WINNER of the Professional Women's race at USATF!!

Sydney McLaughlin did what she intended--break her own HSR for the 400!!
After a strolling heat of 52.83--She just walked away, like a sweet ocean breeze in Hawaii--after running the fastest time of the season!
What would she do in the final!

51.61, that's what!
And she made it seem easy--as every athlete who breaks records does!!
Her 200 meter splits were more even than normal for a 400, which are normally about 2.5 to 3 seconds apart!
McLaughlin's splits were 25.39 and 26.02!!
Besides the HSR, she gets the Senior Class record, her own Age 17 record, and her own NBIN Meet Record!
But the record breaking wasn't done!!

Karamah Davis sped 52.91 for 2nd, and 6th A-T HS!
But in 3rd came Britton Wilson, whose 53.25 FINALLY broke the Soph Class record of 53.45--which was run over 440 yards!!
While it's impossible to truly determine, I see the 53.25 time run over the metric distance as slightly better than the time run over the English measure!
She also becomes 8th A-T HS!
Sterling Lester's 53.92 was moved OFF the list, but then came back on--in 19th place!
Sometimes happens that way!
Strange!

As with the Men, the Women's Shuttle Hurdle Relay HSR was utterly smashed!!
From 31.22 to Western Branch's (VA) 30.63!!
The Men's HSR came down by 0.58, while the Women's was broken by 0.59!!

Another rarely run event---or in this case, WALKED!!--is the Mile Walk!
And Lauren Harris did it again--took down her own HSR in the time of 6:53.44.
Incredible as it might seem, she Walked her first 440 yards in 1:29!
The Men's winner, Cameron Haught, went out in--1:31!
Harris also gets the Senior Class record, and her own Meet Record!
In 2nd came an incredible young lady!!
Remember the name of Taylor Evert!
She Walked the Mile in 7:06.32.
And simply smashed the Frosh Class record by 18.35 seconds!!

Tara Davis ran herself ragged---or maybe not!
But she was ubiquitous!!
In three events, she won TWO of them, losing only the TJ!

The 60H has been her main track focus this season, and it worked!
While Chanel Brissett had sped an 8.14 to take over the season's lead from Davis's 8.22, Tara tied Brissett's former best of 8.16 in her heat!
This moved her from 9th A-T HS to 5th, tied with 1 other!
Brissett also ran a heat in 8.16, but it wasn't a PR!
Tia Jones, the OUTdoor HSR holder over 100H, ran 8.34, moving her from 22nd A-T HS, tied with 4 others, to 20th, tied with 2 others!
Another heat saw Caitlyn Little run 8.30, making her 15th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!

In the final, Davis--who has her long hair braided fantastically!--sped a PR of 8.14, simply passing her rivals like they were standing still!
This time moved her from 5th A-T HS, tied with 1 other, to 3rd, where she's tied with 2 others, including Brissett!!
Caitlyn Little improved her best from the 8.30 she'd run in her heat to 8.24!
She moves from 15th A-T HS, tied with 1 other, to 12th, also tied with 1 other!
Ms Jones also ran 8.30, moving her from 21st A-T HS, tied with 2 others, to 16th, tied with 1 other!
Brissett, meanwhile, had an off day, hitting only 8.33 on the watch!
Kaylah Robinson's 8.34 tied her PR!

Davis continued her rampage in the LJ, where her leap of 21-3.25 prevailed over a tough field!
It wasn't a PR for this HSR holder, but she managed to beat two solid opponents, Titiana Marsh, who reached 20-5 in 2nd.
For Marsh, it makes her 18th A-T HS, tied with 3 others!
Jasmine Moore, another who specializes more in the TJ--along with Marsh--, leapt 20-3.75, making her 22nd A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
Lanae Tava Thomas's 20-3.50 wasn't a PR!
(See above for more on LTT!)

ADDED March 14---Tara Davis's 21-3.25 ties the Meet Record set last year by Samiyah Samuels!
I somehow missed that!  Apologies to everyone---especially Ms Davis!  LOL

It was in the TJ where Davis finally met her match--in the guise of Ms's Moore and Marsh!
Moore improved her PR to 42-6.75, taking over the title of Soph Class record holder!!
She also moves from 14th A-T HS to 8th!!
Davis had her best TJ of the season, a mark of 42-3.25, moving her from 22nd A-T HS to 15th!
Jaimie Robinson measured out to 41-8.50, making her 23rd A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
Marsh was off a bit, leaving her out of the medals!!

Jill Shippee had a great day in the Weight Throw!!
Not since Shelby Ashe threw the HSR of 68-2.50 have we seen a throw land past the 65 foot mark!!
Ashe OWNS the top performances list, with ALL the throws over 65!
Not anymore!!
Ms Shippee's winning throw of  65-6 took care of that!
She moves from 13th A-T HS to 2nd!
Gianna Rao continued her fine year, throwing 59-7.75 for 2nd--though it wasn't a PR!
Sophie Walker took 3rd with her 59-2, which makes her 22nd A-T HS!
Makenli Forrest threw 59-1.25, but no PR for her!
The SP winner (at a mere 54-5.25), Alyssa Wilson, was next, but her PR of 58-8.50 misses the HS DDD by 3 inches!!
Wilson beat Kathleen Young's non-PR of 51-9 in the SP!

In other NBIN events---
Sammy Watson jogged the Mile in 4:48.30, disappointing those who hoped for yet another HSR from this talented athlete!
Jayla Kirkland took the 60 in 7.27--the season leader--making her 11th A-T HS!
Rachel McArthur took the 800, her 2:06.08 making her 10th A-T HS!
Katie Jones out-Vaulted Carson Dingler, both improving their PR's!
Jones got over 13-9.25, moving her from 17th A-T HS, to 10th, tied with 1 other!
Dingler improved by a quarter-inch, but it moved her from 19th A-T HS, tied with 1 other, to 18th, tied with 1 other!
Lynna Irby took the 200 in 23.62, but she'd run a faster time in the heats--23.58!
That latter time makes her 14th A-T HS!
Karamah Davis ran 23.67 in the heats, making her 19th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
Symone Mason also ran a fast heat, her 23.72 making her 22nd A-T HS!
In the final, Mason finished just 0.01 behind Irby, her 23.63 moving her from 22nd to 16th on the HS list!!
In the 4X400 Relay, Bellis School TC of Maryland got the NBIN Meet Record with their time of 3:39.70!
BTW, that took the record away from the Sydney McLaughlin-led Union Catholic team, which ran 3:40.28 last year, with Sydney anchoring in 51.65!!
In the DMR, Katelyn Tuohy anchored her North Rockland TC (NY) team to the win in 11:41.04 with her 4:50.26 split!
But Rachel McArthur ran the fastest 1600 leg of the day, her 4:42.99 not enough to get her team better than 5th place!
(Her time rates as faster than what Sammy Watson ran to win the open Mile!!)
Carlie Queen won the HJ with a good 5-10.75, but it misses my HS list by one-fourth of an inch!!
Finally--from this historic meet--comes the Pentathlon win by Anna Hall, who scored 3740 points, good for 4th A-T HS!!
She went over 5-10.50 in the Pent HJ!!

I know these reports have been long, but I must add what took place in the Gate River Run in Florida, which doubled as the USATF 15K Championships!
For the Men, it was a sweep by former Africans, now American citizens!!
Len Korir won it in 43:22, followed in quick succession by Shadrack Kipchirchir (43:23), Sam Chelanga (43:28), and Stan Kebenai (43:29)!!

The Women's race was entirely different!
Jordan Hasay took the top honors with her 49:28.
Emily Infeld was 2nd, time of 49:42.
Neely Gracey came next, in 49:47, which beat Laura Thweatt's 49:54 and Natosha Rogers's 50:01!

Well, that pretty much puts an end to this fantastic 2017 INdoor season---but not quite!
In the next few days, I'll do my Athletes of the Year selections!
I'm also planning an "extra" post, detailing just how wonderful---and record-shattering!!--this season has been!
And believe me, it WAS a RECORDS breaking 3-plus months!
I'll have all the "evidence" soon!!

Enjoy this & my other NBIN posts---and feel free to reread any or all of my other 350 or so posts!!