Meet Records, State Leads Fall at KIL & Great Eight


Tennessee's two biggest meets happened on the same night.

180 miles apart.

And now the state leaderboards look very different.

The Great Eight Invitational produced six TN No. 1's from the state capitol on Tuesday night. Under the lights on Vanderbilt's mondo surface, Nashville's best obliterated personal bests and broke a couple of meet records in the process. It seemed the whole field was setting a personal best in every single race.

KIL wasn't much different. Austin-East senior Kiyontae Warren had one of the performances of the night with a 37.43 in the 300 meter hurdles. He was one of the many names who got a TN No. 1 last night.  

Many of Knoxville's best athletes and teams competed in the annual KIL Championships at Hardin Valley, and there were some incredible performances there as well. 

Here are a few storylines from last night's competitions.

TN's 800 Field Just Got a Lot Stronger

Gabriel Robinson, Jake RenfreeKensi Gray and Breja Hooks all had big nights at 800 meters. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Robinson ran a new TN No. 1 to win the Great Eight Invitational. He took the race from the gun (WATCH HERE) and never looked back, cruising to a 1:53.33. That's the second-fastest time in America for a sophomore boy this outdoor season.

Down I-40, Jake Renfree almost took the top spot right back from the underclassmen. The Knoxville Catholic senior ran a 1:53.58 to break the stadium record at Hardin Valley. And in the process, he sets up a fantastic duel in the D1-Large Schools 800 meter run should he decide to compete. 

Tennessee now has 18 guys under two minutes in the 800 after last night's races. There are lots of new faces to that top ten.

The girls weren't going to be outdone though. Gray took the top spot on the girls side with a 2:16.43. And like the guys, Hooks set up a fantastic matchup at state by running two-tenths of a second off the top pace. Hooks came in with a 2:16.67.

Four girls are within one second at the top of the leaderboard in that event. Gray, Hooks, Sofia Rutherford and Jenna Hutchins are all outstanding runners, and could finish with that top spot at year's end. 

This group of distance runners is deep.

Relay Rankings Get Major Shakeup

It's that time of the year when teams start to really throw together their best relay teams. 

And they put on a show in Nashville.

Let's start with the last race. McGavock cruised to a meet record and a new TN No. 1 time of 3:20.53 (WATCH HERE) to win the boys 4x400 at Great Eight. Brentwood wasn't far behind. They clocked in at 3:22.52, giving them the third spot on the state leaderboard. Father Ryan is now the fourth-fastest team in the state with their third place finish too.

Just one night after Maryville took the top spot in the girls 4x400, Ensworth stole it. The Tigers led from the gun, and behind a crazy fast anchor leg by sophomore star Kaiya Wynn (WATCH HERE), they broke a really fast meet record and got below 3:57. 

As usual, Pearl Cohn's guys had a big night in the 4x100 meter relay. The Firebirds cruised to a new state lead (WATCH HERE) and knocked Cleveland High School off the top spot by a hundredth-of-a-second. 

Those guys aren't done yet though. They'll be ready to knock off their 42.13 at state.

Mikele Vickers and Dominique Romain Put on a Show

Lipscomb junior Mikele Vickers was named the Great Eight girls athlete of the meet after winning the 100, 4x100 and triple jump. She soared to a new state lead in the triple jump, hitting 39-06.

Vickers continues to win every race she runs in the city of Nashville. Her 11.96 last night is a new career best, putting her No. 3 in Tennessee right now. She's got seven wins in individual events on the track this outdoor season.

Dominique Romain had a similarly good night out at Hardin Valley. The HVA sophomore set a new personal best, albeit wind-aided, with a 12.06 in the 100. She came back and won the 200 meter dash later that night with a 25.31. 

These are two young, talented sprinters who are far from done in their outdoor careers. Look out.

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