Brown eclipses own San Diego Section boys pole vault record with 17-0.75 (5.20m) clearance; Bergen leads first three sub-9 performances in meet history in boys 3,200, with Borsheim holding off Fulkerson in girls 3,200; Hunter and Long both achieve meet throwing records, Chandler girls run 46.09 4x100

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

CHANDLER, Ariz. – Following a year away from being showcased at Austin Field, it didn’t take long for the host school to make a significant impact, running 46.09 seconds in the elite section of the girls 4x100-meter relay on the first day of the NIKE Chandler Rotary Invitational.

And what followed was one of the memorable nights in the prestigious history of the most celebrated regular-season high school track and field meet in Arizona.

From relays to jumps, distance races to throwing events, the return of the NIKE Chandler Rotary Invitational produced several meet records and an all-time San Diego Section mark by one of the country’s elite pole vaulters.

Garrett Brown, a senior at La Costa Canyon in California, demonstrated strength and endurance, as well as speed and efficiency, eclipsing his own San Diego Section record by clearing 17-0.75 (5.20m) on his second attempt in the open/unattached/club competition to match the meet record achieved in 2019 by Max Manson from Monarch High in Colorado, his future teammate at Stanford.

Brown, who had cleared 16-10.75 (5.15m) in August at the Vaulter Club Vaulter Magazine High School Nationals at the Big Red Barn facility in Sun City, became the 27th male athlete in California state history to surpass the 17-foot barrier and became the first prep vaulter to clear the height outdoors this year.

Tray Oates, a professional athlete representing Arizona Pole Vault Academy, won the open/unattached/club competition with a 17-8.50 (5.40m) clearance.

Brown wasn’t the only athlete in the field events to achieve a meet record, with seniors Makayla Long of Perry and Makayla Hunter of Chandler both surpassing 2017 marks held by former Mountain Pointe standout Kayleigh Conlon.

In a showdown of the nation’s top two prep shot putters, the Indiana-bound Hunter produced a fourth-round effort of 47-11.50 (14.61m) to rally past Baylor signee Long, who led the competition in the final round at 47-5 (14.45m). Both marks were beyond Conlon’s record of 45-8 (13.91m).

Long produced a split decision by later winning the discus with a throw of 156-3 (47.62m), ahead of Hunter’s 150-foot performance (45.72m). Long eclipsed Conlon’s standard of 150-7 (45.89m).

Although Chandler just missed the girls 4x100 meet record of 46.04 achieved in 2012 by Long Beach Poly, it was the second-fastest time in program history, with Eryn Garrett, Tara Sommerville, Erykah Garrett and Trinity Henderson giving the Wolves three of the top six all-time marks in Arizona.

In addition to Brown, the night belonged to a trio of Colorado male distance runners, who became the first group in meet history to achieve sub-9 performances in the open/unattached/club 3,200 meters.

Zane Bergen of Niwot High and James Overberg of Centaurus High, representing REAL Training, took the top two spots at 8:57.51 and 8:59.31, with Erik Le Roux of Cheyenne Mountain High, competing for Kokopelli Racing Team, clocking 8:59.75. Grayden Rauba of Niwot, also representing REAL Training, was fourth in 9:01.79, also under the meet record 9:02.69 set in 2014 by Cerake Geberkidane of Denver East.

Brennan Draper of Chaparral High and Kokopelli Racing Team achieved the fastest time by a freshman in meet history, securing sixth in 9:10.88. Draper also elevated to the No. 2 ninth-grader in Colorado history, trailing only the 9:08.87 achieved last year by Ty Garrett of Valor Christian.

Multiple athletes in the girls open/unattached/club 3,200 also ran under the previous meet standard, with Ella Borsheim of Bellarmine Prep in Washington holding off Princeton commit Lucca Fulkerson of Niwot, representing REAL Training, by a 10:20.49 to 10:20.73 margin.

Madeleine Burns of Durango High in Colorado had produced the meet record of 10:36.96 in 2019.

Harper McClain of St. Helena High in California, an Oregon signee, took third in 10:36.64 and Bethany Michalak of Air Academy in Colorado, competing for Kokopelli Racing Team, was fourth in 10:37.24, achieving the fastest time by a freshman in meet history.

Michalak ranks No. 4 all-time overall among ninth-graders in the state behind Fort Collins graduate Lauren Gregory and her 10:15.34 effort from the 2014 Arcadia Invitational, along with former Dakota Ridge standout Katie Vanatta and her 10:16.18 performance at the 2006 adidas Golden West Invitational.

California athletes also earned track victories in the open/unattached/club section, with sophomore Reign Redmond of Carson running a wind-legal 11.93 seconds in the girls 100-meter dash.

Upland produced a pair of wins, with junior Delaney Crawford clocking 10.89 in the boys 100 and sophomore Kai Graves-Blanks clocking 14.19 in the 110 hurdles.

Kimora Northrup of Niwot, representing REAL Training, prevailed in the open/unattached/club girls 100 hurdles in 14.70.

Connor Cagno, a senior at Catalina Foothills in Arizona, won the open/unattached/club boys 400 in 49.74, with Harvard student-athlete Sharelle Samuel securing victory in the open/unattached/club girls 400 in 55.69, followed by Niwot senior and Stanford signee Taylor James, competing for REAL Training, taking second in 56.47.

Melody Nwagwu of Grandview High in Colorado, representing Steadfast Academy, won the open/unattached/girls triple jump with a mark of 39-3 (11.96m).

Cheyla Scott, a sophomore at Butler High in North Carolina, cleared 5-7 (1.70m) to capture the open/unattached/girls triple jump.

In the elite section involving only Arizona athletes, Chandler’s Erykah Garrett not only won the 300-meter hurdles in 43.79, but contributed to both relay victories, teaming with Henderson, Somerville and Jocelyn Johnson to win the 4x400 relay in 3:54.07.

Hamilton won the boys 4x100 in 41.93, with Ousman Jagne, Cole Martin, Christian Anaya and Joel Gant competing for the Huskies.

Liberty clocked 3:21.72 in the boys 4x400, as Josh Anderson, Wesley Grim, Ryder McMillon and Jordon Guevara triumphed for the Lions.

Senior Dominick Brister of Centennial won the boys 100-meter dash and 200, clocking 10.58 and 21.56, respectively.

Kylie Wild, a sophomore at Salpointe Catholic, produced a program-record 10:47.76 in the girls 3,200.

Alyssa Colbert, a senior at Williams Field, ran a wind-legal 11.98 in the girls 100-meter dash, her first career sub-12 clocking. Colbert also took third in the 200 in 24.86.

North Canyon senior Ella Escobar, a Vanderbilt signee, won the girls 400 in 55.71 and placed second in the 100 in 12.05.

Agua Fria sisters Stacey Onyepunuka and Sabatiney Onyepunuka took the top two spots in the 200 in 24.07 and 24.76, respectively. Sabatiney Onyepunuka, a sophomore, was fourth in the 100 in 12.12, with freshman Stacey Onyepunuka taking sixth in 12.20.

Hamilton senior Madison Burciaga prevailed in the girls 800 in 2:17.93, following a quick turnaround from a fourth-place finish in the 400 in 58.96.

Taylor Lovell, a junior at Perry High, won the girls 1,600 in 5:10.10 and finished second in the 800 in 2:20.58.

Rahni Turner, a senior at Westwood High, clocked 14.29 to win the 100 hurdles and took third in the 300 hurdles in 45.02.

Tyson Givens, a Valley Vista senior, emerged victorious in the 110 hurdles in 14.30 and took second in the 300 hurdles in 38.34, just behind the 38.27 performance by Logan Hubler of American Leadership Academy in Queen Creek.

Millennium teammates Jaedyn Carpenter and Alexander Rafferty each earned victories. Carpenter clocked 47.96 in the 400 and Rafferty triumphed in the 800 in 1:55.63.

Chandler senior Kaleb Ross won the boys 3,200 in a personal-best 9:35.22, with Cactus senior Gilbert Olivas running 4:19.77 to take the 1,600.

Chandler junior Amar Elmore won the discus with a throw of 179-1 (54.58m) and took second in the shot put at 52-10.50 (16.11m).

Mason Hickel of Desert Vista surpassed 60 feet in both the elite and open/unattached/club boys shot put competitions, producing a top mark of 60-5 (18.44m).

Jagger Wilkes of Hamilton and Jacob Kauffman of Basha both cleared 16 feet (4.87m) in the boys pole vault, with Wilkes prevailing on fewer attempts.

Krew Jackson of Queen Creek won the triple jump with a 43-10 (13.36m) effort and junior Quinton Patterson of Desert Mountain triumphed in the long jump with a leap of 23-4 (7.11m).

Sophomore Brennen McHenry of Brophy Prep won the boys high jump by clearing 6-4 (1.93m).

Paris Mikinski of Salpointe Catholic prevailed in the girls high jump with a third-attempt clearance at 5-6 (1.67m).

Sophomore Catherine Littlewood of Queen Creek captured the girls long jump with a leap of 18-9 (5.71m), in addition to fouling a 19-foot effort, with Reagan Olson of Snowflake taking the triple jump with a 37-4.50 (11.39m) performance.

Rebecca Smith of Valley Christian and Ena McMahon of Corona del Sol both cleared 12 feet (3.65m) in the girls pole vault, with Smith earning the victory based on fewer attempts.