800 United Clocks 8:37.20 To Achieve Record; Thorvaldson (9:47.95) and Brown (9:51.00) Move Up To Nos. 2 and 3 On All-Time Indoor 2-Mile List

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

A one-of-a-kind assemblage of relay talent ran the fastest U-20 women's 4x800-meter relay in history Sunday at The Virginia Showcase in Virginia Beach. 

Running as '800 United' in in an elite high school meet comprised of clubs and unattached individuals, four talented half-milers from four different states joined together to run 8:37.20. That's faster than Jamaica's Vere Tech (8:37.71) ran outdoors at the 1991 Penn Relays and stands as the age-group world record. 

Roisin Willis (2:05.97), Bailey Goggans (2:20.49), Juliette Whittaker (2:05.25) and Sophia Gorriaran (2:05.49) all share a piece of the new record. 

Willis (Stevens Point WI) started it off with a blistering pace. 

PHIL BOND PHOTOS | RESULTS

Goggans fought through a strained tendon in her left foot. The injury occurred a couple of weeks ago while practicing starts in blocks. It began to flair up mid-way through Saturday's race and she backed off to make sure she could race Sunday. Despite some pain in the morning, Goggans had the foot taped by a trainer and was determined to be part of the record-setting effort and blitzed through a fast first lap of 28.3 seconds before the pain in her foot slowed her down. 

Whittaker (Mount de Sales MD), who ran 2:02.07 to win the invitational 800 on Saturday, righted the ship. And Gorriaran (Moses Brown RI), just 15 years old, brought it home. 

The collective time would rank 10th on the all-time collegiate indoor list if they were all running for the same school, and 12th on the all-time U.S. women's list. 

Gorriaran came back later to win the invitational girls 500 meters in 1:12.95. She also took second Saturday in the unseeded section of the 300 in 39.78, in addition to her runner-up finish in 2:03.96 behind Whittaker in the invitational 800.

The 2-mile matchup between Sydney Thorvaldson (Rawlins WY) and Brynn Brown (Denton Guyer TX) produced one of the fastest distances races in U.S. history. 

Thorvaldson tore through 16 laps of the track in 9:47.95 for the full two miles, which is faster than anyone in prep history besides Mary Cain, who ran 9:38.68 in 2013 for Bronxville, N.Y. Brown ran 9:51.00 to move ahead of Katelyn Tuohy (9:51.05), a recent graduate of North Rockland High in New York, for No. 3 all-time. 

Six runners finished the race in 10:20 or faster, tied for the most ever. The 2017 New Balance Nationals Indoor final, won by Brie Oakley of Grandview High in Colorado in 9:56.06, also had six athletes under 10:20.

Marcus Reilly, a freshman at Northbridge High in Massachusetts, set the national freshman class indoor record by placing second in the 1,000 meters in 2:31.43, taking down the 2019 mark of 2:32.35 set by Myles Plummer of Union Catholic NJ.

Reilly also eclipsed the national freshman class 1,500-meter record en route to his fourth-place finish Saturday in the boys invitational mile, where he finished in 4:15.51. Although he just missed Lukas Verzbicas' freshman indoor mile record of 4:15.43 from 2009, he went through 1,500 meters in 4:00.05 to  eclipse the 4:01.09 effort from 2016 of Sam Toolin of North Kingstown RI. 

Avery Lewis of Run U Xpress, a freshman from Pennsylvania (Friends Central), beat Autumn Wilson of St. Dominic Savio in Texas in the 200 meters, running 23.91 seconds to Wilson's 24.20. She became just the sixth freshman overall, and second from Pennsylvania (Kouri Peace, 2016) to run under 24 seconds. She is now equal to No. 4 on the all-time Pennsylvania list.

Lewis also won the long jump with an impressive sixth-round mark of 20-8 (6.29m) for a national freshman class all-time mark and age 15 national record.

She first broke the 2003 freshman record with a leap of 19-9.50 (6.03m) on her opening attempt. Lewis increased the ninth-grade mark again in the fourth and fifth rounds, before securing the 15-year-old record with her final jump, surpassing the 2012 standard of 20-5.75 (6.24m) achieved by Chyna Ries of George Washington High in Colorado. Lewis' mark is also a Pennsylvania indoor state record.

Justin Braun (unattached/Thomas Worthington OH) and Ashton Schwartzman of IMG Elite FL moved to No. 8 and No. 9 all-time in the boys 500 meters when both were timed in 1:02.67. Braun got the win in a photo finish, 1:02.662 to 1:02.670. 

Leonard Mustari of Dunbar TC (Dunbar FL) won a 55-meter hurdles showdown against Emmanuel Joseph of Mutlisport Workshop TC (North Rockland NY), 7.19 to 7.27. 

Eddiyah Frye (unattached/St. Thomas Aquinas FL) won the girls 55-meter hurdles in 7.81 seconds. 

In the dash finals, Udodi Onwuzurike from Prime Time Performance TC (Brother Rice MI) edged out Terrell Robinson Jr. from Run U Xpress (Mount Tabor NC), covering 55 meters in 6.25 seconds to 6.26. 

Wilson, representing Leander Spartan TC, won the girls 55 in 6.81 seconds. Shawnti Jackson (Run U Xpress/Wakefield NC) and Victoria Perrow (unattached/Archbishop Carroll DC) were both timed in 6.84.

Sam Rich (unattached/Lakeside Evans GA) won the boys 2-mile in 9:05.14. 

Laurenz Colbert from Blazin Athletics (Roosevelt MD) won the boys 200 meters in 21.14 seconds. Gavin Schurr (unattached/Fairview CO) was second in 21.32. 

Johnny Brackins (unattached/Lee's Summit MO) won the invitational boys triple jump with 50-0.25.