Michigan Quartet Snaps Girls 4x800 Record To Close Incredible Weekend At The Armory

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

NEW YORK – A new crop of the country's most athletically gifted high school competitors delivered a Sunday session that felt like pre-pandemic times at an indoor national championship at The Armory. 

With a schedule heavily weighted with championship finals, winning moments and jaw-dropping performances built upon one another to a crescendo in a carnival atmosphere at New Balance Nationals Indoor. 

Sparks flew at times Friday and Saturday as elevated distance events – particularly in the relays – produced numerous high points and five natoinal high school records. 

Back-to-back distance medley relay records Friday were followed by Newbury Park's wholly expected and yet spectacular effort in Saturday's 4xMile. 

JOHN NEPOLITAN PHOTOS - DAY ONE | DAY TWO | DAY THREE

INTERVIEWS (65) | BIG BOARD - WINNERS, RECORDS, LINKS | MEET VIDEOS

On Sunday, after tremendous miles and and storybook 800s and entertaining sprints, the Purple Track Club crew of Sarah Forsyth, Emily Cooper, Cookie Baugh and Rachel Forsyth delivered a final jolt of electicity in the 4x800 relay. 

Two years ago, three of them had packed bags and boarding passes for the trip to indoor nationals when the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the meet. That group, hailing from Ann Arbor's Pioneer High, had high hopes and a superstar anchor leg in Zofia Dudek. 

But in 2022, and somehow better than ever, the team arrived looking to run – and win – three times in three days. 

On Friday, they broke the distance medley relay record, at least "officially," on a 200-meter banked track, going 11:32.68. But after running 11:21.95 on a 300-meter banked track already, Friday's moment didn't quite pack the same punch. 

On Saturday, they went after the 4xMile record, only to run up against an inspired team from Flower Mound, Texas, led by the unstoppable Natalie Cook, who powered her team to a national record with 19:37.78. Purple TC took third in that race, in 20:07.43, good for No. 7 all-time. 

For Sunday's 4x800, the girls said they just wanted to win. They didn't know what the record was, and weren't watching the clock. 

"We were thrilled after the DMR, maybe a little bit bummed after the 4-by-mile, still happy with it. We had no idea today was going to bring what it did," Sarah Forsyth said. "We were crying the whole (victory) lap, so it's very surprising and super exciting."

The time of 8:51.93, anchored by Rachel Forsyth's 2:07, smashed Boys and Girls NY's 2002 record to smithereens. 

The superlatives extended far and wide. 

Cade Flatt from tiny Benton (Marshall County) KY made a bold entrance in the boys 800 meters, running away from Newbury Park's Sahlman brothers, Colin and Aaron, to run the third-fastest time in prep history, 1:48.86. 

Roisin Willis of Stevens Point WI bookended her high school indoor track career by winning the girls 800 crown that she won as a freshman in 2019 – the last time that an indoor nationals occupied The Armory in mid-March. 

The mile finals were historic. Four boys chased after the finish tape in a mad dash that drove all of them under 4:03. Pennsylvania's Gary Martin fended off the handful of challengers on the final lap and refused the concede the lead and won it in 4:02.34. Martin, Zane Bergen of Niwot CO (4:02.64), James Donahue of Belmont Hill MA (4:02.66) and Gavin Sherry of Conard CT (4:02.69) go arm and arm into the record book occupying Nos. 8-11 on the all-time list. 

In the girls mile, Juilette Whittaker from Mount de Sales MD threatened to blow it wide open but the one runner she couldn't shake was freshman Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura CA. Whittaker spun her laps with a relaxed, easy gait but had to shift gears over the final 50 meters as Engelhardt came rushing after her. 

Whittaker managed to get to the tape first in 4:37.23, good for No. 4 all-time. Engelhardt broke Mary Decker's 1973 freshman class record (4:40.1) and moved to No. 5 all-time with 4:37.40.

In the sprints, Justin Braun of Westerville OH flashed speed in Saturday's 400 meters (46.21) and Sunday's 60 (6.65) to demonstrate a range of talent that marks him as one of the best this year in the U.S. His 400-meter effort is No. 4 all-time. 

Alyssa Jones from Southridge High in Miami got off a big mark in the long jump, feeding off the energy of the crowd to soar 21 feet and a half inch. That made her the eighth girl in prep history to achieve 21 feet indoors.

The drama brewing in the throws cage was over whether Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan could claim his fourth throwing title in three days, criss-crossing back and forth between Ocean Breeze and The Armory to compete in the weight throw and shot put events. 

After taking the first three wins, it came down to a final shot put contest against a rested and ready Max Klein of Newton North MA. Robinson-O'Hagan had the lead after a first-round mark of 65-2.50, but proceeded to foul his final five attempts. 

Klein stepped in for his sixth-round attempt and got the performance he was looking for, 65-3.50, to take the victory by one inch.  

In similar fashion, Trinity Franklin of Bullis MD on Saturday came up big on her sixth attempt and moved to first place with her first career 50-foot put (50-4). 

Valley Project Track Club (Ridge NJ) added a second relay win with a solid 7:42.89 to go with Friday's record-breaking DMR (9:53.40). 

The meet wrapped up wtih Seton Hall NJ winning the 4x400 relay out of the fifth heat (of six) thanks to a strong 3:18.76 that held up against the supposed faster squads. 

Bullis MD's girls pulled out a come-from-behind victory in the 4x400, with Sage Hinton anchoring the team to 3:46.47.

The meet's most memorable moments all seemed to derive from cross country and the team-oriented aspect of distance running relays. 

Newbury Park's murderers' row of Aaron Sahlman, Leo Young, Lex Young and Colin Sahlman shed 32 seconds from the high school record with Saturday's 16:29.31. That 4:07 average in a 4xMile will be hard to ever duplicate indoors. 

But special as that moment was, the meet kept offering up more and more. 

Avery Lewis of Phoenix Track Club PA ran No. 14 all-time 7.27 to win the 60 meters and she also took second in the long jump. 

Ramiah Elliott of North Central IN pulled off an upset victory over Shawnti Jackson of Run U Xpress NC in the 200 meters, blasting through one lap in 23.34, tying No. 7 all-time. Jackson was second in 23.50. 

Cook, on Friday, ran the second-fastest 2-mile in prep history with 9:44.44. 

Ellie Shea, a sophomore from Massachusetts, cruised through the girls 5,000 meters with the second-fastest ever 5,000 (15:49.47).

Motor City Track Club's Nonah Waldron (8.35) and Ready Set Go Club (Washington) standout Andre Korbmacher (7.70) won the 60-meter hurdles titles.