Real Training girls from Colorado repeat, The Dale Track Club becomes first Illinois boys program to prevail since 2007; Balazs, Garrett, Gero-Holt, Goree, Hogan, Korbmacher, Maley, Peters, Sirmon, Spooner, Watson and Wilson also win titles

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

EUGENE, Ore. – One great championship 4x800-meter relay deserved another at Nike Outdoor Nationals, and that’s exactly how Saturday’s schedule concluded at Hayward Field.

After the girls race showcased one of the great stretch runs in meet history involving Madison Shults of Real Training Track Club – representing Niwot High in Colorado – and Ashlee Gallegos of JSerra Track Club from California, the final lap of the boys showdown involving Daniel Watcke of The Dale Track Club from Hinsdale Central High in Illinois and James Kisker of Ridge High in New Jersey, competing as Valley Project Track Club, provided an equally thrilling conclusion.

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Real Training became the first girls team to repeat since Bay Shore of New York won three in a row from 2003-05, with The Dale preventing Valley Project from becoming the first boys program in meet history to win three straight in any relay.

Stella Vieth, Bella Nelson, Mia Prok and Shults clocked 8:51.75 to lower Niwot’s own Colorado state record and elevate to the No. 16 program in U.S. prep history. Real Training also became only the third girls program all-time in the meet to win back-to-back 4x800 championships.

Vieth and Shults returned to the track for Real Training less than two hours after contributing to a runner-up finish for Niwot in the 800-meter sprint medley relay in 1:46.97.

Anastasia Snodgrass, Georgia Jeanneret, Brooke O’Brien and Gallegos ran 8:52.68 to not only eclipse the 2003 California all-time mark of 8:58.00 established by Long Beach Poly, but ascend to the No. 19 program in U.S. prep history.

The two lineups achieved the Nos. 8 and 10 performances all-time at the meet, with the closest finish in the championship race since 2016.

Oregon lineups Mondo Track Club, representing Summit, and Forest Park Track Club – with athletes from Lincoln High – placed third and fourth overall in 9:06.57 and 9:09.79, respectively.

Colby Revord, Aden Badukwala, Michael Skora and Watcke produced the Illinois all-time mark of 7:32.14 for Hinsdale Central to edge Ridge’s lineup of Patrick Doran, Andrew McCabe, Jackson Barna and Kisker in 7:32.79 in the second-closest race in meet history.

Hinsdale Central became the first Illinois program to prevail since Glenbard South in 2007, along with elevating to No. 5 all-time at the meet and No. 7 in U.S. prep history.

Ridge, which won in 7:38.48 in 2019 and 7:39.06 last year, ascended to No. 6 all-time at the meet and No. 8 in U.S. prep history.

Mounds View Track Club from Minnesota took third in 7:36.72, lowering its own state record by more than three seconds.

There were also exciting finishes highlighting the 2-mile championship races, with seven athletes running under the 9-minute barrier in the boys field, and Kate Peters producing the fastest time in meet history in the girls final.

Peters relied on sophomore Ellie Shea of Belmont High in Massachusetts to establish a fast pace for the first seven laps, before the Lake Oswego junior covered the final circuit in 68.69 seconds to clock an Oregon all-time best 9:51.48.

Peters produced the fourth-fastest 2-mile performance in U.S. prep history and ranks No. 5 all-time, including 3,200-meter conversions.

Shea, last year’s 5,000-meter champion, secured second in 9:56.11 to achieve a Massachusetts state record and New England all-time mark.

Julia Flynn of Traverse City Central, already the Michigan state record holder in the mile, took third in 10:00.88 to ascend to the No. 2 all-time competitor in the 2-mile behind former Rockford standout Ericka VanderLende.

Riley Stewart of Cherry Creek High, the Colorado state mile record holder, ran a personal-best 10:06.75 to finish fourth, with Kaiya Robertson of Franklin High in Oregon (10:13.37) and Emma Stutzman of Pomona High in Colorado (10:17.32) earning the final two All-America nods.

Myles Hogan of Fordham Prep in New York held off Noah Breker of Robbinsdale Armstrong High in Minnesota by an 8:54.42 to 8:54.53 margin, with Charlie North of Franklin High in Oregon taking third in 8:54.86.

Luke Venhuizen of Traverse City Central was fourth in 8:56.92, Ku Stevens of Yerington High in Nevada finished fifth in 8:58.52 and Zach Ayers of Davis Senior in California also earned All-America honors by placing sixth in 8:58.75.

Akala Garrett, a junior at Harding University in North Carolina representing Purpose Driven Elite, became the first female athlete since Kendell Williams of Kell High in Georgia in 2010 to sweep the 100-meter hurdles and 400 hurdles in the same year.

After repeating in the 400 hurdles Friday with the fastest Under-20 performance in the world this year at 57.46 seconds, Garrett clocked a wind-legal 13.44 seconds to earn her first 100 hurdles title.

Texas swept the 100-meter championships, with Georgia-bound Autumn Wilson of St. Dominic Savio – representing the Leander Spartans Track Club – edging Mia Brahe-Pedersen of Lake Oswego High in Oregon by a wind-legal 11.33 to 11.36 margin.

Wilson became the second straight Texas female competitor to capture the 100 crown, following Jasmine Montgomery of San Antonio Reagan last year, and the fifth overall in meet history.

Pierre Goree of Duncanville High held off Jonas Clarke of South Hadley High in Massachusetts by a wind-legal 10.36 to 10.43 margin to secure the boys 100 championship. It marked the first title for a Texas male athlete since 2016 and the sixth in meet history.

It was also a memorable day for several Washington athletes, with Squalicum junior Andre Korbmacher improving his state record to win the boys 110-meter hurdles, Nebraska commit Dash Sirmon of Walla Walla securing the boys javelin championship and freshman JaiCieonna Gero-Holt of Emerald Ridge outlasting Emma Gates of Cascade High in Oregon and reigning high jump champion Cheyla Scott from Butler High in North Carolina to capture the crown.

Korbmacher clocked 13.44 seconds for the fastest wind-legal performance in the country this year, becoming the first Washington male athlete to win the 110 hurdles title. Carter Birade from Sehome High placed second in 13.57 to achieve a sweep for the training partners at Ready-Set-Go Sprinters.

Sirmon had all six throws over 200 feet, improving his state record to 221-1 (67.40m) in the fifth round to also become the first male athlete from the state to capture the javelin championship.

Brayden Platt, a sophomore from Yelm High, was second at 214 feet (65.24m), giving Washington a pair of 1-2 finishes.

Gero-Holt cleared 5-10.50 (1.79m) on her second attempt after making 5-8.50 (1.74m) on her first try, edging Gates and Butler based on fewer misses. Gates and Butler tied for second after both clearing 5-10.50 on their third attempts.

Timothy Watson of Simsbury High in Connecticut cleared 6-11 (2.11m) on his first opportunity to capture the boys high jump title, with AJ McGloflin of Central Valley High in Washington achieving a 6-9 (2.06m) clearance to finish second.

Watson became the first Connecticut male athlete to win the title since 2012, rebounding from tying for 15th place last year at the meet. He secured his first national outdoor crown after taking third at New Balance Nationals Indoor and second at Nike Indoor Nationals in March in New York.

Trinity Spooner, a junior at South Beauregard High in Louisiana, won the girls javelin throw championship with a lifetime-best 161-11 (49.37m) in the sixth round. Spooner became the first female athlete from Louisiana in meet history to capture the javelin title.

Saydi Orange of Kentridge High in Washington, representing Tahoma Track Club, placed second with a personal-best 157-4 (47.96m) in the third round.

Benjamin Balazs of Sunset High, just missed the Oregon all-time best, but still won the boys 2,000-meter steeplechase title in 5:47.14 to become the first competitor from the state to win the championship in the event since 1999.

William Carlton of Decatur achieved the Georgia state record, placing second in 5:51.40, and Marcelo Parra of Celerity Performance, representing TMI - The Episcopal School of Texas in San Antonio, produced a sophomore class national record by clocking 5:51.68 to take third.

Katelyn Maley of Basalt High in Colorado secured the girls 2,000 steeplechase title in 6:54.12, racing the event for only the second time in her career. Maley, representing Real Training, became the first Colorado female competitor in meet history to win the steeplechase championship and the first athlete from the state to secure the national crown since Bailey Roth of Coronado in 2013-14.

Mallory Grubb of Amherst Central in New York placed second in a personal-best 7:00.89, elevating from seventh in 7:06.84 last year.

Cathedral Phantoms Elite from Los Angeles became the first boys lineup since Smiths Station from Alabama in 2011-12 to repeat in the 800-meter sprint medley relay, with Tony Walton, Adonyss Currie, Ekene Onwaeze and William Mullins clocking 1:31.76 to improve on last year’s winning effort of 1:31.82.

Eaglecrest Track Club prevailed in a Colorado showdown against Real Training in the girls 800 sprint medley relay by clocking 1:45.75.

Favour Akpokiere, Bianca Gleim, Jaylynn Wilson and Haley Esser helped Eaglecrest become the first Colorado girls lineup to capture the 800 sprint medley relay crown in meet history.

Tristan Goodly of Westlake High in Louisiana prevailed in the inaugural boys long jump showcase, which matched athletes in head-to-head showdowns in the final three rounds. Goodly produced a championship mark of 22-9 (6.93m) to emerge victorious.

Evie Culbreath of Baylor High in Tennessee, representing KinderSport Track Club, secured the opening-day lead Saturday in the girls heptathlon with 3,033 points.

Jordan Koskondy of North Salem High in Oregon, competing for Valley Track Club, trails Culbreath with 3,018 points entering the final three events.