Last weekend belonged to the sprinters in New Orleans and Memphis.
But this weekend was all about the distance runners.
Let's start in Brentwood, where we saw a number of elite times at the Brentwood Academy Early Bird Endurance Invite. This meet is always a strong indicator of everyone's fitness for the outdoor track season. It's a fantastic transition from indoor to outdoor. And it didn't disappoint.
Take a look at these results...
| BOYS 1600 METER RUN | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | ATHLETE | TEAM | RESULT | WIND | H# | |||
| 1 | David Ahlmeyer | 12 | Beech Senior High School | 4:13.94 | 1 | |||
| 2 | Silas Winders | 11 | Henry County High School | 4:14.06 | 1 | |||
| 3 | Aiden Britt | 10 | Lebanon High School | 4:20.08 | 1 | |||
| 4 | Gabriel Robinson | 10 | Ravenwood High School | 4:20.49 | 1 | |||
| 5 | Matthew Porter | 12 | Brentwood Academy | 4:22.24 | 1 | |||
| 6 | Miles Ally | 10 | Martin Luther King High School | 4:22.62 | 1 | |||
| 7 | Canaan Anderson | 11 | Siegel High School | 4:23.55 | 1 | |||
| 8 | Jacob Hatcher | 12 | Dickson Co. High School | 4:24.65 | 1 | |||
| 9 | George Payne | 12 | Brentwood Academy | 4:30.68 | 1 | |||
| 10 | Cole Davis | 12 | Henry County High School | 4:34.65 | 1 | |||
| 11 | Ethan Craig | 11 | Beech Senior High School | 4:35.24 | 1 | |||
| 12 | Jack Dellinger | 11 | Ravenwood High School | 4:35.98 | 1 | |||
| 13 | Eric Mitchell | 11 | Beech Senior High School | 4:38.05 | 1 | |||
| 14 | Connor Henson | 9 | Columbia Academy | 4:38.07 | 1 | |||
| 15 | Ben Tickle | 10 | Siegel High School | 4:40.05 | 1 | |||
| 16 | Eddie Lunn | 12 | Brentwood Academy | 4:40.08 | 1 | |||
| 17 | Hall Griffith | 9 | Montgomery Bell Academy | 4:40.14 | 1 | |||
Anytime you have 17 guys go sub-4:40, it's good.
But doing that in March? Incredible.
That's a new TN No. 1 for David Ahlmeyer, who continues to have an excellent senior season. And it was another chapter in his epic races with Silas Winders, who wasn't far behind at all. That duo is US No. 10 and 11.
The top eight boys mile times in the state all came this past weekend on that fast track at Brentwood Academy.
On the girls side, there were some equally impressive runs...
In the mid-state, Beth Donnelly moved to the top of the state rankings with a 4:50.71 win at the early bird invite. Donnelly continues to impress -- she broke the indoor state record in the mile in the winter. And it looks like she's not near finished yet either. Her teammate Sofia Rutherford is also in the state's top five with a 4:57. And she's still a freshman.
In North Carolina, Sasha Neglia and Niki Narayani took their talents east for the weekend. Neglia opened her season with a 4:53 to finish third. Naryani was 4th in 4:54.
Anytime you can break five minutes in your opener, you're doing something right. There's plenty of time and racing for that top trio. But how great will that Division I Large Schools 1600 be this May? Donnelly, Neglia and Jenna Hutchins? Sign us up.
US BOYS 1600 METER RUN
| 8 | 4:13.49 | 2019 | ||
| 9 | 4:13.91 | 2019 | ||
| 10 | 4:13.94 | 2019 | ||
| 11 | 4:14.06 | 2020 | ||
| 12 | 4:14.40 | 2020 | ||
| 13 | 4:14.45 | 2020 | ||
| 14 | 4:14.56 | |||
| 15 | 4:14.71 | 2019 |