Record Watch On High Alert For New Balance Nationals Indoor In Boston

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Photos by John Nepolitan

New Balance Nationals Indoor will stretch over four days, March 7-10, starting at the Reggie Lewis Center and concluding with Sunday's finale at The TRACK at New Balance in Boston. 

Thousands of athletes from across the country are making their way to Boston to take part in a four-day schedule, including middle school, rising stars, freshman and championship divisions. 

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Here is a breakdown by event group:

Distance

American Fork UT senior Daniel Simmons chose to enter only the 5,000 meters, which is an indication that he might be focused on breaking Tyrone Gorze's one-year-old national high school record achieved at this meet last year. Gorze ran 13:56.82 in a race in which Simmons finished three seconds back in 13:59.96 for second place and No. 3 all-time.

So that separates Simmons from the Foot Locker cross country national champion, Drew Griffith of Butler Area PA, who ran to a US#1 2-mile time of 8:38.67 on the oversized track at Notre Dame on Feb. 17. 

Griffith can secure the national record in the 2-mile on a standard indoor track, which belongs to Edward Cheserek (8:39.15), if he can summon the same effort he took to Notre Dame. 

JoJo Jourdon from Olympus UT, who won the high school boys mile and becoming Utah's first sub-four prep miler (3:59.87) at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, announced that he would not be making the trip to Boston this week due to illness. Clay Shively from Trinity Academy KS surely wants to improve on his 4:00.70 personal best and Griffith is also entered. 

Ventura CA junior Sadie Engelhardt entered in the 800 and mile. She is the defending champion in the mile and ran 4:38.65 last year. 

Real Training of Colorado (Niwot) sophomore Addy Ritzenhein, the Nike Cross Nationals champion, will make her 2024 debut in the 2-mile. That race is loaded with big names from the last cross country season: Ellie Shea, Allie Zealand, Abby Faith Cheeseman, Emily Bush, Samantha Humphries, Hanne Thomsen and Isabel Allori are all in the fast section. 

Shea, from Emerging Elite MA, is the meet record holder in the 5,000 and is back to defend her crown against the likes of Bush and Cheeseman, who are also doubling.  

Sprints/Hurdles

Adaejah Hodge of Montverde Academy FL was one of the headliners at last year's event and her national high school record 22.33 in the 200 finals last year was one of the most jaw-dropping moments of the championship weekend. 

Hodge is back and is entered in the 60, the 200 and two relays: the 4x200 and the 4x400. Hodge is US#2 in the 60 meters with 7.24 and her best in the 200 this winter is US#2 23.47.

Hodge will face US#5 Brianna Selby of Indian River VA in the 60; Tyler Lowe of IMG FL is US#4 in the 200. 

Another star returner is Bullis MD sophomore Quincy Wilson, who is back to defend his national title in the 400 meters and may be, already, taking aim at Elzie Coleman's national high school record of 45.92. Wilson has raced hard in over-distances and under-distances, but now can concentrate on the 400. His outdoor best from last year is 45.99.

Wilson and his Bullis teammates will be looking to make additional history in the 4x200 and 4x400 relays.  

Dominick Corley of Spokane Speed (Mead WA), one of the top sprinters in the country, will try to become the second male sprinter from the Northwest to win a New Balance Nationals Indoor title in the 60 in recent years, joining Micah Williams of Portland, who did it in 2019. 

Jumps

The top three boys pole vaulters in the country will sort out the national championship in Boston. Bryce Barkdull from Andover Central KS is the national leader at 17-6.50, but right behind him on the leaderboard are Caelan Harlan from Macon MO (17-6) and Dyson Wicker from Rockwall-Heath TX (17-6). 

US#2 and US#3 in the boys long jump, Walker Norris of North Raleigh NC and Sterling Weldon of Nolensville TN will go head to head in Boston. Norris has a best jump this season of 24-6.25 and Weldon has jumped 24-4.25.

Sophomore Aiden Bryant from Midlakes NY jumped 49-0.50 to win the New York state indoor title last weekend and at US#4 is the top entry in the boys triple jump.

Cooper Williams from BC Athletics in Canada is the returning champion in the boys high jump and cleared 6-9 last year. 

Veronica Vacca of Mt. Saint Joseph Academy PA, US#2 in the girls pole vault at 14-3, will face the best competition in the country this winter. Ella McRitchie from Washington US#4 Kourtney Rathke from Colorado and US#6 Mya Strahm from Illinois will vie for the title. 

Cali Bryant from Texas Elite Track and Field, the No. 2 high jumper in the country at 5-10, will go for the title against Danah Nembhard from APEX (Georgia), the Georgia 7A champion last spring with a 5-10 clearance.

Throws

Dillon Morlock of Norwayne OH threw a US#1 mark of 67-11 on Feb. 11. He will face US#2 Joshua Huisman from St. Rose NJ and US#3 Luke Himes of Heritage Christian IN.   

A deep weight throw lineup includes top entry Tahir Hines, US#2 Morlock and US#5 Aidan Ifkovits from New Paltz NY.

The girls shot put, Lauren St. Peters from Aledo TX and Camryn Massey from Ashbrook NC are the top entries and both ranked in the top eight in the country. 

US#6 Mary Ella Brooks from Colorado is the top entry in the girls weight throw. 

Relays

Montverde Academy barely missed the national high school record in the 4x200 relay at the 116th Millrose Games, and with Hodge, Michelle Smith and Alivia Williams in the lineup, this group could take another run at Bullis' 1:34.75 from 2018.

Montverde already broke the 4x400 national record and may be in position to lower it again from 3:37.63. Bullis, Union Catholic NJ and Motor City MI are all likely to give chase. 

Impulse TC (Padua DE), the national leader in the girls 4x800, will face Carolina Cavaliers (Cuthbertson NC) and US#5 Glastonbury CT.

Real Training (Niwot CO), Kinetic (Saratoga Springs NY), Carolina Cavaliers, Union Catholic NJ and Flower Mound TX are all entered in a loaded 4xMile girls relay field. The same groups are also entered in the DMR.

The Bullis MD boys hold US#1 rankings in the SMR and 4x400 relays and are US#5 in the 4x200.

Ridgefield CT, led by Steven Hergenrother, leads the field in the boys 4x800 relay and is US#1 with 7:47.62. Ridgefield is also one of the top teams in the DMR, along with Westfield NJ and Union Catholic NJ.

Simmons and his American Fork UT teammates are set to go after the win in the 4xMile relay.