A week prior to the MCTC, Station Camp's Brynn Balturshot placed runner up in the 1600m at the state championship with a 5:02.89. At the time it was a new best for the distance until Saturday where she ran 4:59.13 for the full mile converting down to 4:57.40.

Off By A Couple Years

In the lead up to the 2022 outdoor season, I wrote an article outlining the potential that spring had to be record setting for the four lap distance. A few years earlier in 2019, a total of ten Tennessee high school runners ran under the five minute barrier for 1600 meters and if you go back and read it, I made the case that 2022 could yield more. Well... it did not happen. In fact, only three girls in the state did. The following year, six did. It wasn't anything I drew much attention to but with all the talent in the state, it's always been something I've been mindful of. 

At the end of this springs' scholastic season, nine girls in the state had accomplished this feat between true 1600m races or full mile conversions: Claire Stegall, Abby Faith Cheeseman, Carolina Areheart, Zoe Marsh, Sadie Honeycutt, Morgan Bissonnette, Lia Banovac, Calysta Garmer, and Jazzlyn Garmer. So it had already been the second best year on record before any post season racing. 

On Saturday, my expectations for anymore joining them was low. Rain and wind affected most of the racing leaving many in the sprint and pro events leaving the track with long faces. It was a rare occurrence for someone to emphatically respond to their time. However, as the day drudged on, the conditions improved, when the A and B sections of the girls Mile took to the track, they were close to ideal. With a mix of in and out of state runners, a total of 10 girls ran faster five minutes on conversion with Hardin Valley's Maddie Archdale becoming the 10th girl running 4:55.52(c) tying the 2019 total and Harpeth Hall's Annamaria Bacchetta running 4:58.45(c). In the B Section, as mentioned above, Station Camp's Brynn Balturshot would make it a dozen. 

Here's a quick look at the rankings as they stand now: 

Continue To Full 1600m Rankings

Beyond these twelve, there are twenty more girls under 5:10 and there are still races left on the schedule to add more for this year. So congratulations to these twelve women on their record setting accomplishment. With only two seniors graduating out, we may be publishing a similar article next year.