Jane Hedengren Remains Unstoppable As She Cruises To 2-Mile Victory in 9:54; Bozeman MT Pair Goes 1-2 In Boys 2-Mile; JaiCieonna Gero-Holt Crushes Soph Heptathlon Record

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Becky Holbrook photos

EUGENE -- When Kaleb Nastari won the Ohio Division 3 state final in the 800 meters two weeks ago, he won by four seconds and broke state's all-time record. 

There may be subtle difference to his approach, but Nastari's tactic is simple: Go the front and mash the gas pedal. 

Nastari won the Nike Outdoor Nationals 800 meters on Saturday at Hayward Field by going to the front and challenging some of the best runners in the country to keep up. They could not. 

The Penn State recruit went wire to wire to win in 1:49.25. 

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"It went out a little slower than I wanted today, but I came out with the win," said Nastari, who went through 400 in 54.38. "Once I got past the 500-meter mark I started to feel it a little bit. Just had to keep pushing."

Madison Shults of Real Training (Niwot CO) got a chance to race the 800 meters with fresh legs and won the national title in 2:06.94. She was 15th last year, but that was in no small part because she was part of six relay events, running in everything from the 4x200 to 4xMile. 

Shults beat Amelia Everett of Newton Centre MA by more than a second and Sorcha Shiu from Canada was third. 

In a highly competitive hepathlon competition that included three girls zooming past 5,000 points, JaiCieonna Gero-Holt of Washington Track Academy crushed the national sophomore class record with 5,481 points to win and move up a couple of spots on the all-time list, to No. 9. 

Rylee Lydon of TNT Track + Feld of Illinois, who closed the competition with a 2:12.63 800 meters, was second with 5,152 points. Arizona champion Catherine Littlewood was third with 5,097. 

In the hurdles finals, Alexander Chukwukelu from Forney, Texas (Major Impact TC) got a slight advantage on defending champion Andre Korbmacher of Ready Set Go in Washington and won 13.53 to 13.56. SIDEBAR

Micah Perry of Barlow High became just the second Oregonian to go under 14 seconds and was third in 13.95. 

Akala Garrett of Purpose Driven TC NC won the girls 100-meter hurdles in 13.37 seconds, beating Nonah Waldron (Michigan Racers MI), second in 13.50, and Saira Prince of Gilbert, Ariz., who was third in 13.72.

Bozeman enjoyed a big moment at the end of Saturday's session with a 1-2 finish in the boys 2-mile for Weston Brown (8:53.02) and Nathan Neil (8:53.77). 

Jane Hedengren of Timpview UT continued her fanstastic week and won the girls 2-mile in 9:54.38, leading two more runners under 10 minutes. 

Hedengren, who ran the sixth-fastest mile in prep history on Wednesday, smashed her second all-time Utah record with the 2-mile performance. It's also a sophomore class record.

Canadian Charlotte Sinke was second in 9:56.45. Elizabeth Leachman of Celerity Performance in Texas, a freshman from Boerne Champion who won the UIL 5A 1,600 meters, ran 9:57.65. 

Kyeese Hollands of Portland's Central Catholic (Albina Roadrunners) threw the two longest throws of her career in the fifth and sixth rounds to win the girls javelin with 164-5 (50.12m). The Oregon 6A champion added nine feet to her personal best. 

Jonathan Simms of McKinney TX won the boys 400 meters in 46.09 seconds. Tyler Floyd of GLS Speed (Seattle Prep WA) was second in 46.22. 

JaMeesia Ford from Purpose Driven NC Elite (Jack Britt High) cruised to victory in the girls 400 meters in 52.60 seconds.