Engelhardt First High School Girl To Run Full Mile Under 4:30 Outdoors, Running In Pro Field; Allie Zealand Wins High School Girls Race In 4:30.38
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By Keenan Gray of DyeStat
ST. LOUIS - It may have been one of the most exciting 10 minutes in the history of high school distance running.
All Sadie Engelhardt could do was watch from the side of the track at St. Louis University High School and see Allie Zealand snatch her high school mile national record away in the HOKA High School Girls Championship mile in 4 minutes, 30.38 seconds.
But Sadie being Sadie, she managed to counter Zealand’s act with another historic run.
Engelhardt became the first high school girl in history to dip under 4:30 for the mile outdoors, delivering a 4:28.46 performance in the Drury Hotels Professional Women’s field at an electric Thursday night of racing at the HOKA Festival of Miles.
The Ventura CA junior held her own against a talented group of veteran runners, finishing second overall just behind Jenn Randall, representing Oregon Track Club, in 4:28.23. Alex Teubel managed third in 4:29.00, with Eleanor Fulton taking fourth in 4:29.02 and Krissy Gear of NAZ Elite finishing fifth in 4:31.47.
Mary Cain remains at the top for the absolute high school girls record, running 4:28.25 during the indoor season of 2013. And Addy Wiley's outdoor 1,600 record of 4:26.16 converts to 4:27.72.
Engelhardt battled back from an early deficit, crossing the first 440 yards in 12th. Well within striking distance of the lead group, she continued to move up the next two laps, going from ninth to eighth.
“I just wanted to relax the first two laps,” Engelhardt said. “I didn’t want to be jostling or wasting energy. Not as much as I did last year at Portland Track Festival. I wasted so much energy trying to hold my ground in second place, and eventually got passed, so I just wanted to stick kind of towards the back and work my way through the third and fourth lap.”
“It kind of gave me motivation seeing those people in front of me,” Engelhardt said. “Most of the time I’m frontrunning in high school races, so I think that gave me more of a boost. I’m very happy with my positioning throughout that race.”
Engelhardt’s efforts were expected, but Zealand’s was an eye-opening experience.
The senior from Pacers Homeschool VA sent a big message to the nation with an enormous lifetime-best effort to take the crown in the girls championship race, besting her previous best by six seconds from the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix this past winter season.
“It’s been such a good season, every single thing I could hope for went right and better,” Zealand said. “So thankful for everyone who’s supported me, my family, my coach, my teammates. Every single race has been so fun.”
Zealand didn’t hesitate from the gun; it was a wire-to-wire run for the senior.
The future Liberty Flame crossed the line five seconds ahead of a field that saw five girls dip under 4:38.
Reigning champion Charlotte Bell of Cuthbertson NC ran well under last year’s winning time of 4:41.33 to finish second in 4:35.70. Ali Ince of Normal Community IL dropped nine seconds off from last year’s sixth-place effort to run 4:35.96 for third.
Isabel Allori of Liberty Common CO broke 4:40 for the first time in her career, clocking 4:37.32, with Mt. Lebanon PA’s Logan St. John Kletter doing the same in 4:37.44 for fifth.
A week after running the NFHS record in the 1,600 meters, Butler Area PA’s Drew Griffith can officially call himself a sub-four-minute miler with 3:57.72 effort to win the HOKA High School Boys Championship race. He's the fifth-fastest outdoors.
“I’m so hyped to be able to get out here,” Griffith said. “To have fans on both sides of the track, and they were just so hyped up, it was a great meet to be put on.”
Clay Shively of Trinity Academy KS gave everything he had to push Griffith all the way to the line as the future NAU runner crossed the tape in second in a near-sub-four time of 4:00.02.
Bozeman MT’s Nathan Neil was also on the brink of breaking four minutes, running 4:00.76 for third.
Tommy Latham of Marist School GA earned fourth overall in 4:01.74, with James Partlow of Governor Thomas Johnson MD finishing fifth in 4:03.21.
Former Indiana Hoosier Ben Veatch, representing Under Armour Dark Sky, picked up the first professional win of his career, winning the Drury Hotels Professional Men’s mile in 3:56.04 to lead 11 other men under four minutes.
Olin Hacker of NAZ Elite ran one last tune-up before the U.S. Olympic Trials, finishing second in 3:56.89.
Jason Clayton placed third in 3:57.06, Brett Meyer finished fourth in 3:57.28, and Ahmed Muhumed of NAZ Elite managed fifth in 3:57.32.
Watch more from the meet: www.runnerspace.com
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