Reigning U.S. champion runs 4:00.77 at Jesuit High in final tuneup before national meet at Hayward Field; Akins, Dixon, Hassan, Meyer and Sprout also victorious, with future Duck Watcke clocking 1:47.70 in 800 for No. 12 in U.S. prep history

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

Photos by Kim Spir

PORTLAND – In an effort to compete with the world’s best in today’s era of racing, distance runners are learning week-by-week what it truly means to run uncomfortably.

For Sinclaire Johnson of Nike Union Athletics, it’s about testing her own limits.

The reigning U.S. outdoor champion in the 1,500 meters proved to be an aggressive racer from the gun Saturday in the women’s race at the Stumptown High Performance Meet, resulting in a victory in 4 minutes, 0.77 seconds at Jesuit High.

INTERVIEWS | PHOTOS by Kim Spir

Johnson clocked her second-fastest effort in the event, only trailing her personal-best 3:58.85 from last year’s Prefontaine Classic in May at Hayward Field.

Running tough with pacer Anna Camp-Bennett, representing adidas, Johnson hung with her through the first two laps, going through 700 meters in 1:54:13. Upon reaching the 1-kilometer mark, Camp-Bennett stepped off the track and left Johnson all alone to finish the race.

“I got a little bit out of my comfort zone by just going straight onto the pacer,” Johnson said. “Just seeing how long I could hang on for, and then when that pacer stepped off, it’s just me out there.”

Johnson closed in a 62.21-second final 400 to come away with the win by 10 seconds.

“I felt pretty strong,” Johnson said. “You’re definitely working I guess through that first 1,000. I felt like I had a couple more gears; that’s pretty exciting. I also think just the fact that I probably could have another gear if someone was right there.”

Johnson opened her outdoor season last weekend at Hayward Field with a solid double at Nike Outdoor Nationals, running 2:01.14 in the 800 and 4:05.79 in the 1,500 to pick up wins in both events. In 12 days, she’ll be back at Hayward at the USATF Outdoor Championships in hopes of competing for another spot on the world team. 

Brooks Beasts’ teammates Laurie Barton and Allie Buchalski finished second and third, respectively, in the 1,500 field, with Barton taking the win in the second section, running 4:08.68, and Buchalski finishing second to Johnson in the opening section in 4:10.21.

Johnson’s Nike Union Athletics teammate Raevyn Rogers stepped up to the 1,500 to run a personal-best 4:11.39 to finish seventh overall. 

Brooks Beasts athlete Devin Dixon outkicked Oregon Track Club’s Cole Hocker in the men’s 800 high performance, running 1:45.98 to hit a qualifying standard to compete at the USATF Outdoor Championships, joining teammate Isaiah Harris, who earlier Saturday, ran a qualifying time of 1:45.11 at the USATF NYC Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium.

“Panned out pretty well,” Dixon said. “I wish I would have started off a little harder…but the finish is always something I can count on. I just need to position myself third or fourth place and I’ll be solid.”

Positioning started out tough for Dixon, crossing the first lap in eighth place in 53.05 seconds. As the field began to fan out, Dixon and Hocker, who ran 1:46.32, started to pull away from the field with less than 100 meters to go. Both completed negative splits on the last lap, with Dixon running 52.93. 

Charlie Hunter, representing Australia, finished third in 1:46.52 after leading the field through the first lap in 51.86 seconds.

A little over a week after leading Hinsdale Central from Illinois to the boys 4x800 relay national title at Nike Outdoor Nationals, future Oregon Duck Daniel Watcke dipped under 1:48 for the first time in his career in the open 800, running 1:47.70 to place second in the second section.

Watcke achieved an Illinois all-time best in the event and elevated to No. 2 in the country this season, trailing only New Balance Nationals Outdoor champion Tinoda Matsatsa of St. Andrews Episcopal in Maryland at 1:47.61. Watcke also ascended to the No. 12 outdoor competitor in U.S. prep history.

Nia Akins made it a sweep for the Brooks Beasts in the 800, winning the women’s race in her second sub-2-minute effort of the season, running 1:59.76 to win by three seconds over Camp-Bennett in 2:02.92.

Boise State’s MaLeigha Menegatti finished third in 2:02.93.

Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands returned to Stumptown for the second year in a row, claiming another 5,000 win in the women’s race in a 14:55.05 effort.

The Tokyo Olympic champion in the 5,000 and 10,000 improved upon her time by 18 seconds after running 15:13.41 in July 2022.

Hassan opened her 2023 campaign back in the Netherlands in early June, running the 1,500 in 3:58.12 and the 10,000 in 29:37.80.

Stanford standout Cole Sprout, runner-up at the Pac-12 Championships in the 10,000, won the men’s 5,000 high performance race in 13:39.12.

Brett Meyer, a former NCAA Division 2 national champion at Fort Hays State, won the men’s 1,500 high performance race in 3:39.55.