Follow along for updates and highlights of Maryland athletes and relays from day one of the New Balance Nationals Outdoor in Greensboro, North Carolina.
NB Nationals Coverage:
Entries - Results - Photos - Interviews
Maryland Medal Count At 2016 New Balance Nationals Outdoor
| Medal | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Silver | 4 | 4 | |
| Bronze | 2 | 2 | |
| 4th | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 5th | 4 | 4 | |
| 6th | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Totals | 8 | 12 | 20 |
Friday Highlights
Emerging Elite Girls 4x800m Relay - The Bethesda-Chevy Chase girls finished second in their heat of the emerging elite 4x800 with a season best time of 9:30.69 to place fifth overall in the event. Next top performing squad from Maryland was another Montgomery County school in Damascus, who placed 9th overall with a time of 9:34.05. Northern-Calvert girls placed 25th overall with a time of 9:46.54.
Emerging Elite Boys 4x800m Relay - The Oxon Hill boys, 3A state champs in the 4x800, led all Maryland squads in the emerging elite boys 4x800 with their time of 8:03.31 to place 10th overall among 43 schools. the 4A state champs from Montgomery Blair boys had a rough outing in 33rd place at 8:16.
Emerging Elite Boys 110m Hurdles Prelims - Bullis School's Eric Allen (20th, 14.72), North Point's Melton Campbell (33rd, 14.88), and Fairmont Heights' Michale Reyes (36th, 14.90) all dipped under 15 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles prelims for the emerging elite boys, but none will moving onto the finals next.
Emerging Elite Girls 100m Hurdles Prelims - Clarksburg sophomore Cierra Pyles ran an outstanding prelims race of the emerging elite girls 100 meter hurdles prelims to clock a personal best of 14.53 to qualify for the finals. Her time ranks her 7th overall for the finals. Pyles was third at the Maryland 4A state meet finals in the 100 meter hurdles last month. Also competing in the 100 hurdles prelims from Maryland were Bishop McNamara's Taylor Grimes (17th, 14.71), Northwest's Leondra Correira (21st, 14.76), and Bullis School's Linday Lewis (25th, 14.89).
Emerging Elite Girls Mile - Boonsboro senior Haley Wright finished off her successful high school career before she heads off to the University of Alabama finishing 17th in the emerging elite mile run with a time of 5:11.27.
Emerging Elite Girls 100m Dash Prelims - Frederick's Jaida Smith kept her sizzling sophomore year rolling into the summer clocking a 11.79 performance in the prelims of the emerging elite girls 100 prelims at New Balance Nationals. Smith won her preliminary heat with the 2nd fastest time overall to move onto the finals easily. Just missing out on joining Smith in the finals was 4A state champion Pharist O'Neal of C.H. Flowers, who finished 2nd in her heat with the 10th fastest time overall at 12.02.
Emerging Elite Boys 100m Dash Prelims - Milford Mill Academy's Xavier Logan (21st, 10.91) and Lackey's Tevin Thomas (31st, 11.26) were the state's two lone competitors in this event, but neither was competitive enough to challenge for a finals spot.
Championship Girls 1000m Swedish Relay - In the first championship race of the 2016 New Balance Nationals, the Elizabeth Seton girls were a few spots away and two seconds off All-American honors with their 9th fastest time of 2:13.40 in the rarely contested swedish relay event.
Championship Boys 1000m Swedish Relay - The Oxon Hill boys picked up Maryland's first All-American honors at nationals taking fourth place in the swedish relay with a time of 1:56.12. Two other PG County schools also competed in the event with CH Flowers in 11th place (1:57.09) and DuVal in 21st place (2:02.30).
Emerging Elite Girls 4x200m Relay - The Frederick girls, competing as Vector Elite, claimed the emerging elite title as Maryland's first big winner at the New Balance Nationals in the 4x200 meter relay. Anchored by state champion sprinter Jaida Smith, the Frederick girls were able to pull away with the victory in a time of 1:41.69. They knocked considerable time off their previous season best of 1:43.13. The Clarksburg girls also earned medals in the event with their fifth place time of 1:43.21, while Riverdale Baptist just missed out on top 6 while winning their heat in a time of 1:43.35 to place 8th overall.
Emerging Elite Boys 4x200m Relay - A pair of Maryland squads earned a spot on the awards podium in the emerging elite boys 4x200 meter relay. The Bowie boys, featuring Tajh GIlchrist, and the Baltimore City College boys, featuring Robert Miller, both finished among the top 6 in the event with swift times on Friday in Greensboro. Bowie boys turned in a time of 1:29.57 winning the fast heat, but bumped down to second overall with Raines from Florida edging them from heat #2. Meanwhile, Baltimore City College boys also were heat winners in heat #4 with a time of 1:30.74 to grab sixth place overall in the event and medals. The Springbrook boys just missed top 6 and an awards podium spot with their 7th place effort of 1:30.79.
Emerging Elite Girls 1600m SMR - Both Suitland and Paint Branch girls were able to secure top 6 finishes in the emerging elite 1600 sprint medley relay. Both Maryland squads won their heats and posted times fast enough to medal with the Suitland girls taking heat 6 in a time of 4:11.44 for fourth place overall, while the Paint Branch girls crossed the line first in heat 5 at a 4:11.84 clocking for fifth overall.
Emerging Elite Boys 1600m SMR - After a crazy fast section resulted in DQ's, DNF's, and slower times in the emerging elite boys 1600 sprint medley relay, it opened the door for the Nikolas Thomas anchored Suitland boys to claim the title with the fastest time overall at 3:35.96 from heat 6 of 8. The C.H. Flowers boys unfortunately DNF'd in the fast section.
Freshmen Girls Long Jump - Not to be forgotten on the infield, Sierra Leonard of the Bullis School was Maryland's first individual champion of the meet with her leap of 17'10.75" claiming the freshmen girls long jump title by nearly six inches on Friday. River Hill's Sydney Robinson just missed out on a top 6 medal finish with her mark of 16'8.50".
Freshmen Boys Long Jump - Bullis School made it a clean sweep of the freshmen long jump titles as not only Austin Allen claimed first in the boys competition like teammate Sierra Leonard did for the girls, but he also broke the meet record with an incredible leap for a ninth grader at 23'2.75"!
Freshmen Girls 100m Dash Prelims - Taylor Wright of Northwest finally got that sub 12 second clocking that she was looking for the 100 and she did it on the biggest state at nationals. Wright rolled to a 11.75 performance in the prelims of the freshmen girls 100 to set herself up as the top qualifier in the finals later in the meet.
Freshmen Boys 100m Dash Prelims - Shortly after popping his big mark to win the freshmen boys long jump title, Bullis School's Austin Allen strolled over to the start line of the 100 meter dash to post the second fastest time overall in the prelims of the freshmen boys 100 in a 11.00 clocking. His older brother Eric Allen last year won the freshmen boys 100 meter dash title at New Balance Nationals.
Freshmen Girls 400m Dash - Maryland had 4 girls in the top 14 for freshmen 400, but none among the top 6 for medals led by McDonogh School's Aleah Nelson in 10th at 57.71 followed by Bullis School's Sierra Leonard (12th, 57.86), River Hill's Sydney Robinson (13th, 58.07), and Western Tech's Jasmine Johnson (14th, 58.26).
Freshmen Boys 400m Dash - In one of the more exciting races so far for day one at the New Balance Nationals, DeMatha Catholic's Nick Wilson held off William Fleming's Tajai Jackson (VA) with the lean for the freshmen boys 400 title in a time of 48.77. Only one hundredth of a second separated the two.
Emerging Elite Girls 100m Hurdles Finals - Clarksburg sophomore Cierra Pyles followed up her strong race in the prelims earlier in the day with another solid race in the finals of the emerging elite girls 100 meter hurdles to finish 5th earning herself a medal with her 14.59 clocking.
Emerging Elite Girls 800m SMR - Bullis School girls (3rd, 1:51.14) and Tuscarora (6th, 1:52.01) both placed to earn medals in the emerging elite division of the girls 800 sprint medley relay.
Emerging Elite Girls 400m Dash - Franklin sophomore and multiple 3A state champ Nyjari McNeil just missed out on a medal in the emerging elite girls 400 with her 7th place overall time of 56.63 at New Balance Nationals. Current state leader Masai Russell of Bullis School didn't fare as well in 22nd place at 57.82.
Emerging Elite Boys 400m Dash - Milford Mill Academy's Jonathan Johnson, last weekend's 400 meter champ at the DMV Meet of the Elite and the 3A state runner-up, finished 7th in the emerging elite boys 400 with another sub 49 second performance at 48.87. Oxon Hill's Aaron Robinson, the 3A boys state champ, was the next best performer from Maryland in 11th place at 49.23.
Freshmen Girls 100m Dash - Northwest's Taylor Wright did it again with another incredible time by the ninth grader on Friday night in Greensboro clocking her second sub 12 race in the 100 meter dash with a 11.75 victory in the freshmen girls 100 meter dash finals.
Freshmen Boys 100m Dash - Austin Allen of Bullis School came up just short in keeping the New Balance Nationals freshmen 100 title running a close runner-up time of 10.82 in the finals to Jaheim Jones (10.81) from New York.
Emerging Elite Girls 100m Dash Finals - Frederick sophomore Jaida Smith one day could be a New Balance Nationals All-American certainly in the 100, but today she is an emerging elite champion in the 100 meter dash with a 11.67 clocking on Friday evening Greensboro.
Freshmen Boys 2 Mile Run - Calvert's Justin Diehl posted another sub 10 minute race, this time for the full 2 miles in the freshmen only event at nationals, finishing 8th with a time of 9:52.48.
Championship Girls 5K - Maria Coffin of Annapolis was seeking potentially that sub 17 minute 5K performance that she was coming close to at season's start at the Seahawk Invite, but was unable to stay connected with the top chase packs after Weini Kelati to do that and ended up finishing 18th overall in a time of 17:26.37.
Emerging Elite Girls Triple Jump - Busy first day of New Balance Nationals for Clarksburg's Cierra Pyles continued as she followed up her 5th place finish in the emerging elite 100 meter hurdles with a 10th place leap of 36'11.50" in the triple jump.
Emerging Elite Girls Discus Throw - Urbana's Delia Sipe recorded an outstanding mark of 138'1" to achieve a new personal best and improve upon her MD #2 ranking in the girls discus to finish 3rd in the emerging elite division of the throwing event.
Emerging Elite Boys Triple Jump - Gilman School's Ayende Watson reached out for a runner-up mark of 45'7" in the emerging elite boys triple jump competition.