Claire Stegall - 4:55.80
When I saw the entries for this event I knew it was going to be quick. The question was who of the Tennessee entries was ready to roll a fast Mile. Bella Guillamondegui came into the event as TN #1 with a 5:08 on this same track a couple of weeks ago bettering Ann-Marie Braese by five seconds in the process. The unknowns were the freshmen Abby Faith Cheeseman and Claire Stegall who made headlines during cross country season but had yet to debut during indoor but both had their reasons to not drive head first into it like others have to this point. Of all the runners in Tennessee, Cheeseman's season lasted the longest racing well into Mid-December as she qualified for Eastbay Nationals. Claire's season abruptly ended after only two races due to injury. The forced layoff appeared to be the winning formula on Saturday as Stegall and Bella were the only Tennesseans in the field to hold on to leaders heading into the final 400 with Stegall outkicking the field over the final 200.
Though Bella was not able to match Claire's kick, she still broke 5:00 which was a nine second improvement from this race two weeks prior. Not sure how much more is on Guillamondegui's plate for indoor but for Stegall, this appears to be the one and only time we'll see Claire racing this indoor season based on our conversation after the meet.
I believe her first outdoor meet will be March Madness at Ravenwood based on the calendar.
Tennessee Results
Girls 1 Mile Run High School
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Name Year School Finals H# Points
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1 Stegall, Claire Unattached 4:55.80 1 10
4 Guillamondegui, Bella Nashville Tr 4:59.94 1 5
9 Faith Cheeseman, Abby Unattached 5:08.67 1
12 Braese, Ann-Marie Unattached 5:11.54 1
14 Marsh, Zoe Unattached 5:16.19 2
16 Bowen, Lily Nashville Tr 5:20.40 3
20 Hamby, Emma Kate Unattached 5:24.11 2
23 Gregory, Ana Beech Senior 5:26.63 3
27 Mooney, Searcy Nashville Tr 5:31.73 2
31 Tilt, Zaely Beech Senior 5:37.28 4
36 Park, Aubrey Unattached 5:44.60 4
38 Harden, Clara Scott Nashville Tr 5:47.43 5
39 Farringer, Lucy Nashville Tr 5:48.68 4