Strong runs by Oakley, Affolder produce national records

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

NEW YORK CITY -- Brie Oakley and Noah Affolder, two of the country's best high school distance runners, delivered terrific performances Friday that produced newly minted national records on the first day of competition at the 2017 New Balance Nationals Indoor.

Oakley, of Grandview CO, was racing at sea level for the first time since she won the Nike Cross Nationals in December in Portland, Ore. She tore after the 5,000-meter record with methodical efficiency and broke Weini Kelati's 2016 record by nearly 13 seconds to clock 15 minutes, 55.75 seconds. 

Oakley became the seventh runner in as many years to break the 5,000-meter indoor record in the New Balance Nationals Indoor championship race. 

"I had it in the back of my mind to go under 16, but I did want to break the record," Oakley said. "Coming from altitude down to sea level really helped me, too, because I got on the track and I was like, 'Wow, I feel like I'm not even breathing.'"

Oakley won the race by more than 48 seconds. Sara Platek of Ragsdale NC was next in 16:48.09. Annie Hill of Glacier MT was third in 17:07.26. 

Forty seconds has come off the record that Waverly Neer set in 2011 to set in motion a seven-year streak of successive improvements.

In the boys distance medley relay, Affolder took the baton at 5:51 knowing that he needed to run 4:08 or better for 1,600 meters to break the 2000 record of Gloucester MA, the only team that had ever broken 10 minutes indoors. 

Affolder split 4:04.95 to put his team well under the record with 9:56.18. His sophomore brother, Sam Affolder, got things kicked off with a 3:02.11 lead off 1,200 meters. Jared Griffie ran 51.71 on the 400 meters leg and Isaac Kole ran 1:57.41 on the 800.

"I wanted them to know they can rely on me to anchor them, but I didn't want them to just say 'Oh we'll just give it to Noah and let him run as fast as he can,'" Noah Affolder said.

Carlisle figured it could challenge the record. At the Pennsylvania state meet, Carlisle ran 10:13 despite it coming at the end of a long day. Affolder anchored in 4:22 that day (his fourth race) and knew he could shed more than 10 seconds from that.

"Noah ran a 4:22, so pretty much if everyone ran what they ran (at state), Noah just needed to cut down his time," Sam Affolder said. "So really it was all on him."

Brentwood TN's talented anchor, Brodey Hasty, split 4:09.59 and nosed ahead of Germantown Friends' Nick Dahl by .01 seconds for second place. 

Hasty was involved in an accident on the track during practice Thursday that sent a 15-year-old girl to the hospital. Hasty was practicing baton exchanges when he turned and blindly plowed into the girl and knocked her down. She hit her head on the track and suffered a seizure, resulting in an emergency call to 911.

Hasty, third at the NXN championship in December, was not hurt, but he was shaken by the incident. 

"I was worred for her," he said. "Honestly, when it first happened, I was just crying on the track because I didn't know what else to do, and that released a lot of my pent up stress about coming to nationals."

The girl, who was trying out for New York City's Stuyvesant High School team and was not part of the weekend's event, was taken across the street to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital where she was treated and released around midnight. 

"I'm glad she's alright," Hasty said.

Brentwood ran 10:12.54 and Germantown Friends PA was third at 10:12.55.

In the girls distance medley relay, North Rockland NY won its third consecutive national championship after sweeping the indoor and outdoor titles in 2016. With Alex Harris on the opening leg and Katelyn Tuohy on the anchor, the new lineup was nearly as strong as last year's record-setter. North Rockland ran 11:41.04 and beat Ann Arbor MI by more than six seconds. 

North Rockland's three straight DMR titles matches the achievement of West Springfield VA (2013-14). The back-to-back indoor DMR wins is the first since Rockford MI did it four straight years from 2000-2003.

In the boys 5,000 meters, Ben Varghese of Daniel Boone TN (Gray, Tenn.) won the race in 14:47.25. He won by almost nine seconds.

In a day filled with non-championship "emerging elite" competition, the only field event final was in the girls high jump.

Carlie Queen from Summit Christian Academy MO made a dramatic third-attempt clearance at 5-10.75 (1.80m) for a new personal best and a national title.