Lake Oswego OR Junior Starts Year with 7.42/23.43 Double In Sprints At Spokane High School Invitational

Story and Photos by Keenan Gray of DyeStat

SPOKANE – Everything was going right for Mia Brahe-Pedersen during her historic sophomore season. 

The Lake Oswego OR sprint star had a year to remember in 2022. She won two national titles in 200 meters, set records left and right for the state of Oregon and earned a spot on Team USA at the U20 World Championships.

Matching her efforts from last year would be challenging to repeat. But as a junior, she appears to be back on same trajectory after opening her indoor season over the weekend. 

RESULTS/VIDEOS

Brahe-Pedersen electrified the Spokane crowd Saturday and Sunday with her speed at The Podium, as she defended both of her individual titles in the girls 60- and 200-meter races at the Spokane High School Invitational Presented by Idaho Central Credit Union. 

In the 60, she ran a US#4 time of 7.42 seconds, besting her previous personal best effort of 7.44 from last year’s meet. In the 200, she ran a U.S. leading time of 23.43, a slight improvement from her Nike Indoor Nationals championship last March.

“Not as a fast as I wanted it to be, but I’m still working on my start and everything,” Brahe-Pedersen said. “Once I get competition, I think everything will come together.”

Brahe-Pedersen, along with Oregon City OR jump standout Sophia Beckmon, Mountainside’s OR Olivia Hicks and Tualatin’s OR Isabella Kneeshaw, led The Inner Circle Track Club OR to the 4x200 relay title in an invitational record of 1:37.92, breaking their club’s previous best time by three seconds.

“They did an amazing job getting the baton around,” Brahe-Pedersen said. “Last year’s team, I thought we were strong, but going into this race, I told them we were going to be U.S. No. 1.”

Beckmon, runner-up at Nike Indoors Nationals in the long jump, defended her long jump title with a US#1 mark of 20-3.50 (6.18m) to win the competition by over two feet. She also took second in the 200 in a time of 24.07.

Squalicum’s WA Andre Korbmacher, representing Ready-Set-Go Sprinters WA, took over the top spot in the rankings for the boys 60-meter hurdles after clocking 7.74 seconds to repeat as champion in the event. 

“I came off a pretty slow, for me, time last month in the 60 hurdles,” Korbmacher said, who ran 8.09 at the Spokane Speed Games in December.

“Really being able to get out here and run a 7.74, which was around my PR from last year in January, just feels really good and I think it sets me up to be really successful for the rest of my season.”

The Florida State University commit came within .04 seconds of his personal-best 7.70 seconds from last year when he went onto win the New Balance Indoor national title in the event, which he plans to run at again to defend his title.

Ready-Set-Go Sprinter teammate Jake Andrews of Sehome WA ran a US#4 time in the 400 meters with 48.18 seconds.

Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura CA made her way up back to the Pacific Northwest for the first time since competing at the Brooks PR meet in Seattle in June as she won the girls invite mile in 4:47.55.

JaiCieonna Gero-Holt from Emerald Ridge WA returned to the track for the first time since competing at U20 Worlds last summer. She won the girls high jump clearance of 5-8.75 (1.75m) and the 60 hurdles in 8.96 seconds and finished third in long jump with a mark of 17-11.50 (5.47m).

Clovis North’s CA Nickolas Miller, a CIF runner-up in the 200 last spring, ran a US#2 21.53 in the boys 200 meters for a personal-best time.

Mead’s WA Dominick Corley of Spokane Speed Academy improved on his indoor debut from December to run a US#6 6.80 to win the boys 60.

Ellie Heslam from Roosevelt OR opened her sophomore campaign with a 56.99 second effort in the girls 400.

Sandy’s OR Lander Marak came within a foot and half of a his PR to win the boys weight throw in 64-4.50 (19.62m). King’s’ WA Adrianna Coleman won both the girls weight throw (US#1 53-1.50) and shot put (38-7.50).

On Saturday night, East Valley’s WA Logan Hofstee won the girls 3,000 in 10:13.16, while Newberg’s OR Anthony Giesch won the boys 3,000 in 8:52.43 as it was a sprint to the finish with Emerald Ridge’s WA Conner Wirth.