Olympians help pull HS stars to records at ATI

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

It's difficult to underestimate the value of competition and motivation to the tip-top high school track athletes. 

On Saturday at the Armory Track Invitational in New York, young phenoms Tyrese Cooper and Samantha Watson had opportunities to model Olympians -- and both delivered record-breaking performances. 

Cooper, the 16-year-old sophomore representing Miami Gardens Xpress Track Club (he attends Miami Norland HS), was one lane outside of 2012 Olympic 400 meters bronze medalist Lalonde Gordon for a 300 meters showdown on NBCSN. The Trinidadian made up the stagger and went ahead of Cooper within the first 100 meters. But Cooper felt the rush of Gordon flying by and dug deep to keep from losing ground and found a powerful grooove over the final 100 meters to smash the world junior record in 32.87 seconds. Gordon ran 32.37, the seventh-fastest time in history.

Cooper admitted that Gordon helped him dig for the record.

"Yes, he did," Cooper said. "I figured if I could get out (fast) I could win, but I didn't get out hard enough. He pulled up on me (and went by) but I had a little fight in me and I fought to the end."

For Watson, the chance to go up against Wilson was even more special. People have been comparing her to the 22-year-old for a couple of years. 

And while Wilson sped away and sprinted through three laps to log the fourth-fastest time ever for 600, 1:24.48, Watson relaxed on the first lap and then picked it up on the second and third laps. 

"The pressure was off of me to go out and set a pace," Watson said. "It let me run my race and try and be competitive. I was nervous because I knew how fast (Wilson) was and how fast it would go out. I think that nervous energy helped me. I wasn't in as much pain and was just trying to catch up."

Watson broke the 600 meters high school record a couple of weeks back on a flat track in upstate New York, practically by herself. That day she went 1:28.67. On Saturday she trimmed that down to 1:27.13 -- a time that indicates that she could break two minutes for 800 meters before she graduates from Rush-Henrietta HS. Only seven high school girls have ever broken 1:30.

Wilson appreciated the moment. Just a few years ago, the role was reversed. Wilson competed in the NYRR Millrose Games as a high school star against the likes of Morgan Uceny and other top pros. Now, she's in the role of handing down encouraging words of advice to another young standout in Watson.

First-year pro Drew Hunter weighed the positives and negatives of a third-place 7:51.90 effort in the 3,000 meters. It was an eight-second personal best. But he didn't go with race leader Morgan Pearson and never gave himself a chance to win. Pearson ran 7:49.46 and Wisconsin's Morgan McDonald outkicked Hunter to take second in 7:51.19.

"An eight-second PR, when can you complain about that?" Hunter said. "I should have either stuck with Morgan the whole way or completely backed off and stayed with the other guys. I was sort of in the middle of those situations. The more racing you do on the pro level, you have to be a tactician. In high school, you just worry about running."

Hunter will be back at The Armory for the Wanamaker Mile next week at the NYRR Millrose Games. 

Mikey Brannigan, the Paralympic gold medalist in the 1,500 meters, smashed the listed record for his paralympic category in the 3,000 meters -- taking down an 8:39 record with 8:07.64. Brannigan was making his season debut in the midst of a long traing bloc and his fatigue showed in the final two laps. He was on pace for something much closer to eight minutes but closed the final 400 in 71 seconds.