12 relay teams earned All-American honors last weekend at the Nike and New Balance Indoor National Championships. Imhotep Institute Charter's boys led the charge, winning the Championship 4x400m Relay and finishing 5th in the Championship 4x200m Relay at Nike Indoor Nationals.
Page 2: New Balance Indoor Nationals
The Imhotep Institute Charter (IIC) boys took care of business, winning the Championship 4x400m Relay and finishing 5th in the Championship 4x200m Relay.
IIC took the 4x400m title in 3:21.04, matching their season-best from the PTFCA Indoor State Championship. Samir Vereen opened the race with a 51.66. He handed off to Chase Temple, who split 50.86, followed by Nasir Gordon in 51.82. Individual 400m National Champion Jayden Horton-Mims dropped an incredible 46.69 (fastest team split) to gap California's Tristan Collins (Cathedral) and New York's Brady Danyluk (Newburg Free Academy).
Horton-Mims kept the momentum going with a 21.91 (fastest team split) lead leg in the 4x200m. Temple acted as the second leg, running a 22.07. Isaiah Prater kept the team in All-American contention in the nine-team final, splitting 23.04. Jamair Bull sealed the deal for the team's 5th-place finish, running 22.95. New York's North Rockland took the title in 1:28.95.
Moving up in distance, Penncrest averaged 4:25.35 per leg to finish 4th in the 4xMile Championship, clocking an overall time of 17:41.40.
Brendan Hefferan got the action started with a 4:23.35. Freshman Rowan Carr split a 4:22.37 (fastest team split), handing off to Edomias Mulugeta, who ran 4:28.51. Nick Fante finished the race in 4:27.16 to secure the team's All-American finish. Florida's Buchholz HS won the race, clocking an impressive 17:25.44.
Two PA teams had All-American finishes in the Emerging Elite category. Hatboro-Horsham placed 5th in the 4x200m, and West Chester Henderson placed 5th in the 4x800m.
Hatboro-Horsham's Kyle Sergio, Owen Nugent, Luke Weiss, and Christian Patelmo ran 1:31.87 in the 8th heat of the timed final. Owen Nugent (second leg) ran the team's fastest split in 22.38. California's Cathedral finished on top with a 1:29.56.
West Chester Henderson's Aaron Varghese, Dermott Hogan, Evan Kurdziel, and Ben Pentz ran 8:07.85 in the 2nd heat of the timed final. Ben Pentz (anchor leg) ran the team's fastest split in 1:59.47. New Jersey's Elizabeth HS took the title in 8:05.15.
The Girls
Friends' Central's Sprint Medley Relay (SMR) was the national runner-up team in the Championship race, clocking 4:03.93.
Jade Nicholas and Jaya Adams took the 200m legs. Nicholas split 25.04, and Adams split 29.20. Adams handed off to Neenah Trusty for the 400m leg. She ran 56.46, the second fastest 400m leg in the entire field. Quin Stovall clenched the 2nd place finish with a 2:13.23 800m leg. The Friend's Central girls finished 0.18 off of New York's Scarsdale in 4:03.75
Cheltenham and Downingtown East went 4-5 in the Championship 4x200m.
Amirah Nesmith started strong for the Cheltenham girls with a 25.10. Kira Murray took over in 25.38, handing off to Kendall Nelson, who split 26.10. Michelle Jorsah closed down in 25.05 (fastest team split) for the team's spot on the podium in 1:41.63.
Meanwhile, Downingtown East's Nia Massey opened in 25.10. She handed off to Julie Zajac, who went 25.83, with Olivia Dever following up in 26.20. Fatih Fuqua anchored with a strong 24.75 (fastest team split), bringing the team's time to 1:42.61.
Maryland's Woodlawn High School won in 1:39.90.