SEATTLE - All eyes were on Husky Track this Wednesday on the campus of the University of Washington for the 10th installment of the Brooks PR Invite, featuring the nation's best high school sprinters, hurdlers, and distance runners from this season.
Highlighted by two top-five performances in a very fast boys two-mile, Bishop Blanchet's Will Schneider and Sehome's Zack Munson finished in fourth and fifth place respectfully, running personal best times of 8:53.85 and 8:54.85 as Washington's top overall performers.
"I knew something big was coming," Schneider said. "I wanted to go put it out there and give everything I had and I'm just happy to be able maybe to snag a sub-8:50-8:52 (3,200m) conversion, so I'm stoked with it."
The junior standouts were right with the lead pack five laps into race and held on for another before eventual champion Connor Burns (8:45.52) from Southern Boone out of Missouri hammered the final 1,000-meters, opening up a seven second lead for the win.
Munson sat in third on the final 200-meter stretch before South Medford's (Oregon) Michael Maiorano and Lone Peak's (Utah) Jaron Hartshorn whipped around the bend to take the second and third positions, followed by Schneider coming down the homestretch.
"I felt like I executed it to the best of my ability," Munson said. "Got to share a pretty cool experience with a bunch of guys. Just this environment is really special and I'm happy with what I had today."
Blanchet freshman Vince Recupero took seventh in the field behind a personal best effort of 9:02.5, followed by Klahowya's Kelton Gagnon in eighth, running a personal best 9:05.81.
Bellarmine's Ella Borsheim hit her new home track for the first time before she puts on the Washington Husky uniform next fall as she took ninth in the girls two-mile, running a time of 10:25.88, just three seconds off her lifetime best set back at New Balance Indoor Nationals last March.
Mira Costas' (California) Dalia Frias took first in a national record time of 9:50.70 over Morgantown's (West Virginia) Irene Riggs 9:50.72, a junior national record.
Seattle Prep's Will Floyd was the lone Washington athlete to earn a spot on the podium stand, finishing in third place in a personal best time of 46.83. Woodstock's (Georgia) Will Sumner won easily in a time of 45.90.
Emerald Ridge's JaiCieonna Gero-Holt was the lone freshman in the girl 100 hurdles field but stumbled on the second hurdle to fall behind a fast field to finish in seventh in a time of 16.21. Houston Eisenhower's Jaiya Covington blew away the field, running 13.65 for the win.
The girls 800 saw a late addition thrown into the field as Eisenhower's Kara Mickelson made a quick trip over from Yakima the day of the invite. Just a week after racing down in Portland against the pros, Mickelson's legs were burnt out this time in the high school field, running 2:18.42 to finish in eighth place. Ali Ince from Normal Community (Illinois) repeated as champion, running 2:04.14.
Mickelson's future Arizona teammate and Federal Way's Esther Akinlosotu took fifth in the girls 100, running 12.30. Wakefield's (North Carolina) Shawnti Jackson ran 11.35 to finish in first place.
Sehome sprint duo Jake Andrews and Carter Birade lined up for the boy 100 as they finished fourth and fifth in times of 10.58 and 10.66. Auburn's (Alabama) Charlie Sexton picked up the win in a time of 10.41.
Kamiakin's Isaac Teeples ran 4:06.02 to finish in ninth in the boys mile, and Arlington's Aiden Emerson trailed behind in 10th, running 4:06.37. Simeon Birnbaum from Rapid City Stevens (South Dakota) became the fifth high schooler this season to run under the four-minute barrier, running a eight second personal best time of 3:59.51.
**Photos to come shortly after the conclusion of the meet**