Howard Runs 52.65, Moves To No. 8 All-Time; Sophomore Leah Starkey Holds Off Averi Lowen For 2 Mile Title; Cate Bryant Repeats Pentathlon Title

By Oliver Hinson of DyeStat

Photos by Evan Poulsen, Kylie Graham

RESULTS/VIDEOS | INTERVIEWS

NEW YORK -- Kaddel Howard got the fans at The Armory on their feet with a historic performance in the girls 400 meters championship to kick off Friday afternoon's championship races.

Howard ran 52.65, the ninth fastest indoor performance of all time, to earn her first national title. The Cedar Crest PA senior surged past Nicole-Taylor Overton (Vero Beach FL) in the second lap and put the hammer down in the home stretch, breaking the tape with a lead of nearly a second.

“I knew they were behind me, I knew they were coming after me,” Howard said of the last 100 meters. “I just had to keep pumping my arms, keep running strong.”

Howard said her junior year didn’t go exactly as planned; she remained undefeated through the Pennsylvania state championships in both the indoor and outdoor seasons but couldn’t put together a winning performance on the national stage. Changing that narrative this year was a milestone, she said.

“Knowing that I was able to prove myself this race… it’s amazing to me,” Howard said.

With a full outdoor campaign still ahead, Howard is taking this performance as a signal that better things are ahead. Her outdoor personal best is only a few tenths faster at 52.47; in a highly competitive race, she said, she’s certainly capable of a sub-52.00 performance.

“I want to try to go to one of those bigger meets outdoors so I know I have a lot of people to push me,” Howard said. “I want to strive for that 51.”

Meanwhile, Leah Starkey (Ocean Township NJ) set a massive personal best of 9:48.02 in the 2 mile, breaking the meet record and earning US#9 all-time status. Starkey's previous best was 10:19.85, and she was coming off an injury before racing this weekend.

"I went in with no expectations and just tried to have fun," Starkey said.

She and Averi Lowen (Bowdon GA) battled throughout the race, as Lowen tried to earn redemption from her runner-up finish in the 5,000 last night. The junior was able to hang with Starkey until two laps to go, but she wasn't able to answer Starkey's move in the final 400. 

Starkey dropped splits of 35.15 and 34.57 to close, pulling away and winning by four seconds.

Cate Bryant (Houston Memorial TX), the younger sister of reigning World Indoor long jump champion Claire Bryant, won her second consecutive pentathlon title, scoring 3,875 points, good for No. 7 all-time in high school history.

Other highlights From Day 2 At Nike Indoor Nationals:

- The Bishop McNamara Mustangs clearly have some depth in the sprints. McNamara's 'A' squad won the 4x200 meter relay in 1:39.03, while their 'B' squad took fourth in 1:40.98. All eight runners from both squads ran sub-26.00 splits on their respective legs.

- Haddonfield TC NJ went sub-21:00 in the 4xMile relay, winning with a time of 20:58.00.

- Jaslene Massey (Alisa Viejo CA) won the shot put, throwing 54-2.75 (16.53m). No one else in the field threw further than 52-0 (15.85m).

- 434 TC VA won the shuttle hurdle relay in a time of 33.43 seconds.

- Koala TC NY capped off the championship events with a win in the sprint medley relay, breaking the tape in 3:56.73.