Can Middletown senior Riley McDermott recapture the magic he found last year at the John Hay Distance Festival when he ran one of the fastest open 800s in Maryland state history? His only loss in the event last spring was a third place finish in the championship section at outdoor nationals. (Photo by John Roemer)
800 Meter Run
| RANK | TIME | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:51.29 | Middletown High School | 2018 | |
| 2 | 1:52.62 | Oxon Hill High School | 2017 | |
| 3 | 1:53.26 | McDonogh School | 2017 | |
| 4 | 1:53.51 | Bel Air High School | 2018 | |
| 5 | 1:54.26 | Northwest High School | 2018 | |
| 6 | 1:54.67 | Northwood High School | 2018 | |
| 7 | 1:55.25 | Montgomery Blair High School | 2017 | |
| 8 | 1:55.44 | Mount St. Joseph School | 2017 | |
| 9 | 1:55.48 | Northwest High School | 2017 | |
| 10 | 1:56.10 | Howard High School | 2017 |
Six of the top ten half-milers from last year's class are gone, but the four that remain all ran under 1:55 as juniors. That class was led by Middletown's Riley McDermott, whose stellar 1:51.29 performance at the John Hay Distance Festival was the fastest by a Maryland athlete since Georgetown's Russell Hornsby ran 1:50.82 in 2011 (although Gary Ross, second on last year's list, did split a 1:50 leg at Penn Relays). This could be a golden year for Maryland 800 meter runners, as the McDermotts (Riley and Kieran, no relation - except that they are fast) lead the charge for 1:50.
800 Meter Run
| RANK | TIME | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:51.29 | Middletown High School | 2018 | |
| 2 | 1:53.51 | Bel Air High School | 2018 | |
| 3 | 1:54.26 | Northwest High School | 2018 | |
| 4 | 1:54.67 | Northwood High School | 2018 | |
| 5 | 1:56.76 | Fort Washington Knights | 2018 | |
| 6 | 1:56.82 | McDonogh School | 2018 | |
| 7 | 1:57.18 | Poolesville High School | 2018 | |
| 8 | 1:57.54 | Unattached (Club) | 2018 | |
| 9 | 1:57.81 | Severna Park High School | 2018 | |
| 10 | 1:58.34 | South River High School | 2018 |
Others to watch: Ryan Lockett has become one of Maryland's fastest indoor milers ever this year, and split a sub-2:00 800 in the mile at the AT&T Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational back in December... it may just be a question of whether or not he gets to run an open 800 this spring; after missing his freshman spring season, Richard Montgomery's Garrett Suhr roared back this winter, running a MD #2 1:56.60.