The first installment of the Sundown Track Series on Saturday night in Queens Creek, Arizona, led to some fast times and some wild finishes on the track.
In particular, it included a furious late rally from a Newbury Park senior in the boys mile.
Colin Sahlman captured a big personal record time, an early US No. 1 effort and an impressive sub-4:10 peformance as he came through the finish line in 4:09.86, hammering down the final 200 meters with confidence.
Sahlman's mile was a little over a second off of Nico Young's school record od 4:08.82, which the current NAU freshman achieved in 2019 at the APU Meet of Champions.
Texan Judson Greer, a three-time state cross country champion from Melissa High School, was second overall in a new PR of 4:11.74, while Newbury Park senior Christian Simone was third in 4:15.89 and Wylie's (TX) Luke Lambert -- another Texas state cross country champion -- was fourth in 4:17.60. Pasadena's Isaiah Givens was the first junior to finish, claiming a time of 4:18.00.
The boys mile highlighted an impressive showing from a variety of high school standouts on Saturday night under the lights.
In the girls 3,200m final (above), Desert Vista sophomore Lauren Ping netted an overall win with a season-opening US No. 1 time of 10:33.84, while teammate Katie Sigerud was second in a US No. 2 performance of 10:46.64. Valley United's Payton Godsey was third in 10:51.03.
The girls mile, meanwhile, turned into quite the late-race theatrics, with three girls separated by just two seconds. Colorado-based Katelyn Maley, a sophomore at Basalt High School, finished with a major PR of 4:54.24 to win, edging second-place Sam McDonnell of Newbury Park (4:55.27) and California eighth-grade standout Sadie Engelhardt (4:56.96).
In the boys 3,200m, Arnold Beckman's Joshua Schuld won the field in 9:26.60, while teammate Zeid Hussain was second in 9:29.92. Agoura's Ethan Godsey was third overall in 9:35.04.
Elite Boys Results
Elite Girls Results
| event | time | name | school |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3200 Meter Run Finals | 10:33.84 | Lauren Ping | Desert Vista High School |
| 3200 Meter Run Finals | 11:10.45 | Stormy Wallace | Sage Creek (SD) |
| 3200 Meter Run Finals | 11:02.79 | Tiffany Sax | Valley United Track Club |
| 3200 Meter Run Finals | 10:51.03 | Payton Godsey | Valley United Track Club |
| 3200 Meter Run Finals | 10:46.64 | Katie Sigerud | Desert Vista High School |
| One Mile Run Finals | 4:54.24 | Katelyn Maley | Basalt High School |
| One Mile Run Finals | 4:55.27 | Sam Mcdonnell | Newbury Park High School (SS) |
| One Mile Run Finals | 4:56.96 | Sadie Engelhardt | Valley United Track Club |
| One Mile Run Finals | 5:00.49 | Anna Weirich | Harker (CC) |
| One Mile Run Finals | 5:06.03 | Sierra Bower | Basalt High School |
| One Mile Run Finals | 5:15.81 | Fiona Hawkins | Newbury Park High School (SS) |