By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

The Nike Outdoor Nationals are scheduled for June 15-18 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

 

WATCH LIVE WEBCAST JUNE 15-18 OF NIKE OUTDOOR NATIONALS

 

Here are 10 storylines to follow at one of the nation’s elite high school track and field competitions, hosted by the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation for the third year in a row at Hayward Field:

 

Deepest Boys Mile Lineup In History

It was a big deal when three prep sub-four milers went head to head in the elite boys mile field at the HOKA Festival of Miles in St. Louis two weeks ago. 

Strong as that historic lineup was, the boys mile field on deck at Nike Outdoor Nationals is even better. 

The same three sub-four guys, Simeon Birnbaum, Connor Burns and Rocky Hansen, will be joined by Newbury Park CA graduates Leo and Lex Young, who have both run sub-four equivalents for 1,500 meters. 

To that mix, there are several more who feel ready to join a prep sub-four list that has swelled to 20 members. Oregon trio Carter Cutting (3:46.18), Tyrone Gorze (3:48.67) and Will Heslam (3:49.36) are all looking for an opportunity to be in a fast race. So, too, are Hunter Jones from Michigan, Collin Boler from New Jersey, Wyatt Haughton from Kansas and Tayson Echohawk from Utah.

The meet record, incidentally, goes all the way back to 1999 and Sharif Karie of West Springfield VA, who ran 4:02.01. 

Unless the race becomes tactical, that record is sure to be trampled. 

Birnbaum has won all of the biggest races this spring, from Arcadia to Wednesday's Brooks PR Invitational, where he ran a No. 2 all-time 8:34.10 in the 2-mile. 

Lex Young owns the national record in the 5,000 after running 13:34.96 on May 27 to replace Burns' 13:37.30. 

 

Hana Moll Returns For Final High School Nationals

The first high school girl to clear 15 feet outdoors, Olympia Capital WA senior Hana Moll won this event two years ago as a sophomore and then finished second behind her sister, Amanda, last year. 

Moll ranks ninth among U.S. women this year with her 15-0 (4.57m) clearance at Arcadia more than two months ago. 

She may be looking at this weekend's competition as a rehearsal for the USATF Outdoor Nationals where she will have a chance to compete against the top pros, including Olympic and world champion Katie Moon. 

Amanda Moll jumped 15-1.50 indoors in January, but is taking a break from competition this weekend. 

Hana Moll jumped 14-7 to win her first Washington state title on May 27. 

 

Georgia's Sophomore Sprint Stars Coming West

Two of the fastest sophomores in the country, Maurice Gleaton Jr. from Lanston Hughes High in Fairburn, Ga., and Sidi Njie from Westlake High in Atlanta, are competing at Hayward Field this weekend. 

Njie, who placed fifth in the 400 at the Brooks PR Invitational on Wednesday, is the Georgia Class 7A champion in the event and also the state's all-time record holder at 45.46 seconds, breaking the 1982 record of Antonio McKay. (The national sophomore class record is 45.14 by Obea Moore of Muir CA in 1995). 

Gleaton ran 10.14 seconds to break the all-time Georgia record in the prelim of the 100 meters in the Class 6A meet before placing second in the final in 10.37. He won the 200 in 20.81 seconds but has a season's best of 20.52. 

Gleaton could meet future Oregon football player and California state champion Rodrick Pleasant in the sprint finals. Pleasant ran 10.20 and 20.67 to win the CIF Championship finals in Fresno. 

 

Oregon's Greatest Duo Set For Another Weekend At Hayward Field

Mia Brahe-Pedersen and Sophia Beckmon, best friends who live south of Portland and have achieved great things in the sport this spring, have a lot of history together at Hayward Field. 

They even races as a middle schoolers, before they had met, at the historic Hayward Field that pre-dates the new stadium. 

Brahe-Pedersen, a Lake Oswego sophomore, ran 10.993 (rounded up to 11.00) at the Oregon state championships. At the time, that was a US#1, but it has been surpassed by Shawnti Jackson. She also won the 200, which may be her better event, in 22.65. 

Earlier, Brahe-Pedersen won a 200 meters competing against the varsity boys at the Secure Storage Summit Invitational in Bend, in 22.61. It was hailing during the race. 

Beckmon, a two-time Nike Outdoor defending champion, enjoyed a tremendous day at the Nike Jesuit Twilight Relays, where she jumped 22 feet, 4 inches for the second-longest mark in prep history. 

Beckmon's sprint credentials have also taken a significant step forward this spring as she lowered her personal best times to 11.32 seconds in the 100 and 23.11 in the 200. Both of those times place her third in state history behind Brahe-Pedersen and Margaret Johnson-Bailes. 

 

Kaleb Nastari Headlines Loaded Boys 800

One of the most astonishing things about Kaleb Nastari's all-time Ohio record in the 800 meters in the Division 3 final on June 3 was that he did all of that work by himself. 

Nastari, who is headed to Penn State, pushed himself to 1:48.31, the nation's top time until Nathan Cumberbatch (1:48.20) and Dan Watcke (1:48.24) raced on Wednesday in Renton, Wash., and won he won by four seconds. 

Watcke is only racing in a relay this weekend, so Nastari's competition in the 800 will come from Tyler Mathews of Red Mountain AZ, the all-time Arizona record holder (1:48.72), and Charles Leath IV of Vestavia Hills AL, who ran an all-time Alabama outdoor best of 1:49.84 at Brooks. Leath also ran 1:48.46 indoors in March. 

Heslam, an Oregon-bound standout from Roosevelt High is another contender and has run 1:49.79, which he achieved at the Oregon Relays on April 22. He is the Oregon 6A champion in the 800 and 1,500 meters. 

 

JaiCieonna Gero-Holt vs Catherine Littlewood In the Heptathlon

The country's top two high school heptathletes are set to go head to head and it could potentially be one of the best competition ever in this event. 

JaiCieonna Gero-Holt, a sophomore from Emerald Ridge in Washington, broke the freshman class record while winning the USATF U20 title last year with 5,401 points. This weekend's meet is her first full heptathlon since then and she could be ready to challenge the marks achieved by all-time record holder Anna Hall and No. 2 all-time Kendell Williams. 

Gero-Holt won Washington state titles last month in the 100 hurdles (14.45), javelin (139-3), high jump (5-10) and was second in the long jump (18-11.25). 

Williams' sophomore class record 5,170 points should be toast as long as Gero-Holt makes it all the way through the competition. 

Catherine Littlewood, a Queen Creek AZ senior who will be entering Stanford in the fall, made significant improvement this spring and won the Arizona State Heptathlon Championships with 5,419 points, the 10th-highest total in prep history. 

Littlewood's strengths include the long jump, where she jumped 20-7, and the 100 hurdles, where she has run 14.25 seconds. 

 

Hurdles Showdown Between Alex Chukwukelu And Andre Korbmacher

Two of the best 110-meter hurdlers are set to go head to head this weekend. 

Alex Chukwukelu of North Forney TX won the Texas 6A title in 13.42 and also has an all-conditions time of 13.16 (+ 4.5 wind reading). His wind-legal best of 13.32 moved him into a tie for eighth on the all-time list. 

If Wednesday's result at the Brooks PR Invitational is any indication, Chukwukelu could have company in the late stages of the final. 

Defending champion Andre Korbmacher battled through injuries earlier in 2023 but arrived with a bang in Renton with a dominant victory and winning time of 13.40 seconds, which broke his own Washington state record. 

Kurt Powdar's meet record 13.27 from 2019 could be in play with Chukwukelu, Korbmacher and two more Texans, Donovan Bradley of Humble Summer Creek (13.42) and Jarvis Anderson of Taylor (13.64). 

   

What Will Jane Hedengren Do Next?

Coming out of Wednesday's big breakthrough performance by Timview UT sophomore Jane Hedengren, her next move at Nike Outdoor Nationals will bring a lot more attention. 

Hedengren sped to victory in the girls mile in Renton in a time of 4:35.69 that elevated her among high school legends and to No. 8 on the all-time list. 

At the Utah state meet on May 20, Hedengren tripled with victories in the 800 (2:09.62), the 1,600 (4:53.82) and the 3,200 (10:46.77). 

This weekend, Hedengren will test herself in the 2-mile and possibly go after a sub-10 clocking.

Sophia Kennedy of Park Tudor IN ran an all-time Indiana best 9:57.09 on Wednesday to take fourth in Renton. 

Gioana Lopizzo from La Costa Canyon CA ran 9:59.08 for seventh place in the 3,200 meters at Arcadia and Santiago CA sophomore Rylee Blade won the California state title in the 3,200 meters in 10:02.19. 

Paityn Noe of Ballard IA is another one who could stay up in the front pack. She won the Drake Relays 3,000 meters in 9:28.89. 

 

Big Throws Matchups 

The two best discus throwers in the country are from Wisconsin and they are both chasing the 2005 all-time state record of 215-7 by Sean Pruitt. 

Ben Smith of Hortonville WI, a junior, has a best mark this season of 209-11 and was undefeated in the discus until he met up with Bryce Ruland of Waterford, also a junior, at the state meet. 

Ruland threw 201-11 to beat Smith (198-10) in one of the best competitions anywhere in the country. Ruland's best this season is 208-10. 

Smith is also US#1 in the shot put with a best of 68-10.50, which did take down the Wisconsin best (68-7 by Andrew Stone in 2019). 

In the shot put, Smith will face Michael Pinones of San Antonio East Central, the Texas 6A champion, who owns a best of 66-6.25. 

In the boys javelin, U.S. leader Hayden Gorovitz of Desert Vista AZ will throw against Brayden Platt of Yelm WA. Gorovitz has a season-best mark of 221-7 and Platt has thrown 216-0. 

The girls throwing events are also deep. 

Carlie Weiser of Giddings TX is the national leader in the girls shot put with 53-2.25 and she is the Texas 4A state champion.

Gracelyn Leiseth of Hamlin SD comes into the meet as a threat to win both the shot put and the discus, with season-best marks of US#3 52-0.50 in the shot put and US#3 175-3 in the discus. 

Madeleine Fey of Midlothian TX won the Texas 5A championship in the discus with 175-8 and threw her best mark, US#3 182-4, the week prior at her regional meet.  

 

The 'Sydney Factor' Evident In 400 Hurdles

The longer of the hurdles races, whether 300 meters or 400 meters, has taken on increased significance in 2023 and one reason may be the attention brought to the event by world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. 

In one state after another, the records for the 300 hurdles were under assail from female athletes looking to emulate one of the world's best. 

The list this weekend starts with World U20 champion Akala Garrett of Charlotte, N.C. Garrett broke the North Carolina state record in the 300 hurdles this spring with US#1 40.26 seconds, tied for No. 6 all-time. 

Nonah Waldron of Oak Park MI smashed the Michigan all-time record in the 300 hurdles at the state meet when she ran US#2 40.37. 

Sidney Green of Allen TX won the Texas 6A title, but her personal best 40.63 came at the Texas Relays. 

Saira Prince of Williams Field AZ, who is only running the 100-meter hurdles this weekend, crushed the Arizona all-time record with 40.90. 

Braelyn Baker of Bear Creek ran a massive personal best of 41.02 to win the Washington Class 1A state title and broke the all-time state record. 

Then there's Kelsie Belquist of New Rockford-Sheyenne ND. She attends a high school with 100 students and trains of a 60-yard rollout of track surface in the school's main hallway. She ran a North Dakota all-time best 41.48 in the 300 hurdles at the state meet. 

At nationals, the distance is 400 meters, not 300. 

But the competition, led by defending champion Garrett, could be one of the best of the weekend.