Robinson, Bertelsen Del Solar, Winning and Graham Dominate Championship Field by 19 Seconds To Lower Carolina Cavaliers National Record; DC Cadets Boys 4x800m Relay Inches Away From National Record; Tayvon Kitchen, Caroline Barton Win 5,000 Meter Races Convincingly 

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

Adam Parshall photos

INTERVIEWS|PHOTOS

BOSTON – New Balance Nationals Indoor’s, “Fastest party on the planet,” has already lived up to its own standard on day one of the four-day meet.

Anyla Robinson, Aurora Bertelsen Del Solar, Mackenzie Winning and Danielle Graham, all underclassmen, from IMG Academy FL averaged 2:12 per leg to collectively to run 8 minutes, 46.04 seconds Thursday night in Boston, lowering the Carolina Cavaliers’ previous national record time of 8:48.02 from the 2023 New Balance meet. WATCH THE RACE (RS+)

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“It started back in August when we went to altitude training in Colorado and they started to make their friendships at that point,” IMG Academy coach Bill Lawson said. “It’s been an unbelievable group of young women that have come together to support one another. Happy runners make great runners and I think we got a lot of happy kids.”

Graham anchored the fastest leg in 2:09 to guide IMG Academy to a 19-second win over Raleigh Catholic (Cardinal Gibbons NC), who ran US#3 performance this season in 9:05.01. Impulse Track Club (Padua DE) was third in 9:05.12, good for US#4.

“If you would have told me a year ago today I’d be in Boston with this incredible team, I would have not believed you,” Graham said. “It feels unreal and I’m so thankful.”

The DC Cadets (St. John’s College DC) boys 4x800 meter relay team of Karil Arnold, Caleb Rock, Keenan Frisby and Zion Omotesa were tenths-of-a-second away from breaking their own national record en route to winning the national title.

Omotesa anchored DC Cadets in 1:53.99 to run 7:37.52 for the No. 2 all-time indoor performance and beat out Bentonville AR, which clocked No. 3 all-time 7:37.95. Albermarle VA remains atop the all-time list, running 7:36.99 in 2009.

Tayvon Kitchen of Oregon Distance Project (Crater OR) picked up his first individual national title in the boys 5,000 meters championship race, running 14:01.14 for the sixth-fastest high school indoor performance. Kitchen’s former teammate, Tyrone Gorze, won the 2023 title in 13:56.82.

Oregon put three athletes in the top five with Hayden Boaz of Summit finishing second in a US#2 14:13.28 and Zafer Courcelle of Franklin finishing fifth in US#10 14:29.52.

Jackson Spencer of Herriman UT claimed third in US#5 14:15.97 and Jase Burton of Planet Hoth Track Club (Star Valley WY) earned fourth in US#9 14:25.65.

Caroline Barton of Carolina Day NC ran 16:24.15 to take an eight-second win in the girls 5,000 meter championship race.

Katelyn Rupe of Salina Central KS finished second to Barton in US#5 16:32.88. Jazzlyn Garmer of Webb of Knoxville TN took third in US#7 16:41.70.

Ian Britt of MERW won the boys championship one mile race walk in a meet record 6:57.64.

Gianna Mauri of Farmingville, N.Y., clocked 7:29.05 in the girls championship one mile race walk to claim the win.

Eighth-grader Mackenzie Skelley from Glenside, Penn., won the girls middle school mile in 4:48.97, besting Elin Latta’s meet and national record time of 4:51.19. It’s the second national record Skelley has broken this indoor season, running 9:37.69 for the 3,000 meters, also ran at the TRACK at New Balance.

Colby McCollum of Carolina Cavaliers (Cuthbertson NC) ran down Petra Gruendel in the last 50 meters to win the girls freshman mile in a meet record 4:52.12, lowering Addison Moore’s time of 4:58.00.

Michael Swanson of IMG Academy won the boys freshman 400 meters in a meet record 48.77.