Holman achieves only meet record in girls 400 meters, with Brooks Beasts standouts Kerr and Mackey earning emotional wins in 1,500 races with #BraveLikeGabe tribute to Grunewald

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

SEATTLE – It was a magical day for three Michigan athletes Saturday at the Brooks PR Invitational.

And it was an emotional showcase for the Brooks Beasts Track Club in honoring the memory of Gabe Grunewald with their performances at the University of Washington’s Husky Outdoor Track.

RESULTS | PHOTOS | POST-RACE INTERVIEWS | PRE-MEET INTERVIEWS | WATCH REPLAY

Ann Arbor Pioneer teammates Nick Foster and Zofia Dudek closed out the day by sweeping the boys and girls miles, with Rockford High graduate Ericka VanderLende earning another victory for Michigan in the meet’s first marquee race with an exceptional effort in the girls 2-mile competition.

In between, Ziyah Holman of Georgetown Day School in Washington D.C. produced the only meet record in the girls 400 meters and Brooks Beasts professionals Katie Mackey and Josh Kerr triumphed in the 1,500-meter events, both proudly displaying #BraveLikeGabe on their racing kits.

Kerr achieved both the IAAF World Championship and Olympic standards by running a personal-best 3 minutes, 33.60 seconds, elevating to No. 6 in the world this year.

Kerr, the collegiate 1,500 record holder at New Mexico, produced British and Scottish U-23 records in leading five athletes under the World Championship standard, including fellow Brooks Beasts Henry Wynne (3:35.14) and Brannon Kidder (3:35.27).

Kerr eclipsed the British U-23 record of 3:33.66 held by Steve Cram since 1982.

Washington signee Samuel Tanner, an 18-year old from Bethlehem College in Tauranga, New Zealand finished 11th in 3:38.74, eclipsing the national junior record and elevating to the No. 2 World U-20 performer this year.

Mackey, who also won the women’s 1,500 when pro races were last part of the Brooks PR Invitational in 2016, was the only female athlete to secure the World Championship standard with her victory in 4:05.97. Former Notre Dame standout Jessica Harris achieved a significant personal best in her first post-collegiate race by placing second in 4:08.83.

Among 33 personal bests achieved by high school competitors, Holman celebrated being named MVP of the meet after clocking 52.62 seconds in the 400, eclipsing the mark of 53.06 achieved last year by Jan’Taijah Ford of Northeast FL.

Otherwise, the day belonged to Michigan, the only state to produce multiple winners, including future Wolverines teammates Foster and VanderLende.

VanderLende elevated to the No. 4 all-time outdoor prep 2-mile performer, relying on an impressive surge in the final 300 meters to pull away from Glenbard West IL junior Katelynne Hart and prevail in 9:53.00.

It marked the second-fastest time in meet history, trailing only the 2017 effort achieved by Grandview CO graduate Brie Oakley, who clocked 9:51.35, which remains the best outdoor performance in a 2-mile race in prep history.

Hart ran 9:56.13, an improvement from her 9:56.40 last year in Seattle, with Denton Guyer TX sophomore Brynn Brown placing third with a significant personal-best 9:57.53 to ascend to No. 9 all-time in meet history.

Foster ran a nation-leading 4:03.11 in the boys mile, improving from last year’s second-place finish to hold off Joe Waskom of Mount Si WA (4:03.73) and Leo Daschbach of Highland AZ (4:03.98). The trio combined to produce the Nos. 4, 6 and 7 performances in meet history.

Dudek pulled away from national 1,600-meter leader Taryn Parks of Greencastle Antrim PA in the final 250 to emerge victorious in 4:41.34, the third-fastest effort all-time at the meet.

Parks (4:42.37) managed to remain in front of sophomores Carlee Hansen of Woods Cross UT (4:42.86) and Allie Janke of North Central WA (4:42.91) in the final stretch, as all four individuals ascended into the top eight in meet history.

In the boys and girls 100-meter dashes, the second-fastest performances all-time at the meet were achieved in both races, with Langston Jackson of Henry Clay KY just missing equaling the all-conditions mark of 10.29 seconds produced in 2014 by former Our Lady of Mercy GA standout Christian Coleman.

Jackson clocked 10.30 to rally past Lakes WA graduate Dorien Simon (10.37).

Brebeuf Jesuit IN graduate Semira Killebrew won the girls race in 11.24, second only to the national high school record 10.98 produced in 2015 by Candace Hill of Rockdale County GA. Kenondra Davis of Fort Worth Trimble Tech TX took second in 11.36.

Stevens Point WI freshman Roisin Willis continued her impressive run in the girls 800 meters, relying on the same strength and poise that helped her capture a New Balance Nationals Indoor title in March to prevail in a personal-best 2:04.86, the third-fastest time in meet history.

Governor Livingston NJ junior Victoria Vanriele ran a personal-best 2:05.15, No. 5 all-time at the meet, to place second.

Valor Christian CO junior Cole Sprout, who took second in last year’s 2-mile race, left no doubt in his return by pulling away from the field in the final two laps to run 8:46.41, the meet’s No. 4 all-time performance.

Juniors Evan Holland of Ashland OR (8:50.29) and Graydon Morris of Aledo TX (8:50.52) produced significant personal bests to finish second and third.

Eastview MN junior AJ Green, who entered the meet as one of only two prep athletes this year to have run sub-1:50 in the 800, achieved the No. 3 mark in meet history to win in 1:50.71, with four other athletes finishing under 1:52.

Whitehaven TN graduate Emmanuel Bynum also produced the No. 3 effort at the meet in the boys 400, clocking a personal-best 46.24 seconds. West Ranch CA junior Solomon Strader took second in a personal-best 46.59, the sixth-fastest effort in meet history.

Stockton St. Mary’s CA junior Jamar Marshall won the boys 110-meter hurdles in 13.60 seconds, No. 2 in meet history, with Georgia athletes Eli Morris of Jefferson (13.78) and Myles Marshall of Lassiter (13.79) finishing second and third. Marshall entered the meet as the all-conditions national leader at 13.31 seconds, before Kurt Powdar of Oscar Smith VA won the New Balance Nationals Outdoor title Saturday in 13.27 in North Carolina.

DeSoto TX sophomore Jalaysi’ya Smith won the girls 100-meter hurdles in 13.66 seconds, with Valor Christian CO graduate Anna Hall placing second in 13.94 and St. Thomas Aquinas FL junior Emelia Chatfield finishing third (13.99).

Hall, who will compete in her first heptathlon of the year next weekend at the USATF U-20 Championships in Miramar, Fla., also ran in the 800 and finished 10th in 2:11.02.