Maryland Highlights From New Balance Nationals: Taye 10:35 & Asfaw 9:11 In 2 Mile!


Daily highlights and updates from New Balance Nationals of the performances by Maryland's best athletes competing at the Armory in New York. 

Interview with Beth Taye - EE Girls 2 Mile Champ (US #2 10:35.04 Meet Record)
Interview with Rohann Asfaw - EE Boys 2 Mile Champ (9:11.08 Meet Record)

Friday Highlights

  • Franklin sophomore Nyjari McNeil nearly won the emerging elite girls 800 title from the slowest section of 3 as she rolled to an impressive personal best time of 2:12.15. She was edged by only a hundredth of a second by a Canadian for fastest time overall in the final heat of the girls 800. 
  • Nearly 3 Maryland squads under 3:25 in the emerging elite boys 4x400 with CH Flowers taking fourth place in 3:24,52, Digital Harbor in fifth at 3:24.93, and Bishop McNamara in sixth at 3:25.19. CH Flowers had been the previous state leader at 3:25.79, so all 3 squads bested the previous MD #1 time. 
  • Three girls from Maryland were among the top 8 in the emerging elite triple jump competition with La Plata senior Lillian Reese leaping to a third place mark of 38'00.25", Baltimore Poly senior Deja Stevenson in fifth place at 37'8.50" and Col. Zadok Magruder senior Keila Robertson in eighth place at 37'4". 
  • The C.H. Flowers girls ran a new season best time of 1:42.35 to finish fourth overall in the emerging elite girls 4x200 meter relay, which moves them to a MD #4 ranking in the event.
  • James Hubert Blake sophomore Jabari Bennett improved upon his state leading mark in the shot put with a fourth place toss of 55'3.75" in the emerging elite division. Bennett now ranks #2 in the country among all sophomores in the shot put indoors. 2A state champion Alex Devine of La Plata also recorded a new personal best in New York with his eighth place mark of 52'4.50". 
  • The Gilman boys nearly became the first sub 8 minute 4x800 of the year for the state of Maryland as they won the slow section of the emerging elite 4x800 at indoor nationals in a state leading time of 8:00.48. The time actually placed them third overall out of the 3 sections. A consistent lineup with 3 two flat legs and 1:58 third leg by Wolfgang Drake. 
  • Loyola-Blakefield boys ran a time of 1:31.86 to place 8th in the emerging elite boys 4x200 meter relay. Just off their season best time of 1:31.55 earlier this season on the same track at the Armory for the Eastern States Championships.
  • In the girls 5K, Annapolis junior Maria Coffin ran in second place from virtually start to finish in the unseeded girls 5K section hitting 1600 meters in 5:28 and 3200 meters in 11:01 before finishing with a time of 17:21.22 to best her outdoor 5K PR of 17:23 from last June's New Balance Nationals Outdoor.
  • The Walter Johnson girls improved upon their MD #1 time in the 4x800 meter relay knocking 4 seconds off their season best in 9:33.21 to place 7th overall in the emerging elite 4x800. 
  • In the emerging elite boys 400, 3A state 500 and 800 meter champ Jason Tyler of St. Charles finished 7th overall competing in the fast heat with a time of 49.68. Cameron Burgess of C.H. Flowers was the next best performer in Maryland with 20th fastest time overall at 50.28.
  • Middletown's Rosie Cicmanec cleared 5'3.25" to finish 10th in the emerging elite girls high jump competition. If Cicmanec had matched her 5'6" season best clearance for the high jump, she would have won the event with the winning height ending up at 5'5.25".
  • Maryland boys had several solid times in the prelims of the emerging elite 200, but no qualifiers for the finals with Oxon Hill's Henry Forson as the fastest at 11th overall in 22.43. James Huber Blake's Nathan Phillips (16th, 22.49) and Milford Mill Academy's Jonathan Johnson (17th, 22.52) were the next fastest from the state in the trials.
  • Richard Montgomery junior Rohann Asfaw followed up Beth Taye's meet record run in the emerging elite girls 2 mile with a similar jaw dropping performance. After going thru the mile in 4:34 behind Delaware state champ Kevin Murray, Asfaw rallied against some late challengers to win the boys emerging elite two mile in 9:11.08 meet record! A huge PR and the fourth fastest 2 mile time indoors in Maryland since 2000 behind only the likes of Matt Centrowitz, Matt Jablonski, and Solomon Haile. More outstanding PR's times were produced by Maryland runners Jack Wavering of Good Counsel in 9:13.52 and Matt Bennett of Northern-Calvert in 9:25.83. All three will be the fastest times of the season for Maryland in the two/3200.
  • Bethlehem Taye of Paint Branch won the emerging elite girls 2 mile in a 10:35.04 meet record time! The time is US #2 for the year as well and the fastest 2 mile time by a Maryland girl indoors since Arundel's Christy Nichols ran 10:09.75 at the 1996 indoor nationals.
  • Bowie's Tajh Gilchrist, 4A state champ in the 55 meter dash, won the opening heat of the emerging elite boys 60 meter dash prelims with a 6.95 clocking. Xavier Williams of Bishop McNamara and Brian Nelson of CH Flowers just missed making the finals with both turning in times of 7.05 each. In the finals, Gilchrist improved upon his prelim time to win with a meet record tying of 6.88 for third victory of the day for Team Maryland!
  • Riverdale Baptist had a pair of girls individuals grab top 3 finishes in the emerging elite division with Stephanie Davis leaping to a 18'7.25" for runner-up in the long jump, while D'Nia Freeman won her heat of the 400 in 56.96 to finish 3rd overall in the event. The pair teamed up later with two other Riverdale teammates to finish third in the emerging elite 4x400 with a season best time of 3:57.56, which ranks them MD #3 in the event. 
  • Delia Sipe of Urbana recorded a big PR of 40'7" in the girls shot put to finish 6th in the emerging elite division. The recent 3A state runner-up had a previous personal best mark of 39'7" to make for a full foot improvement at nationals!
  • 2A state champ Mary Foday of Central-PG just missed making the finals of the emerging elite girls 60 dash with her 7.80 runner-up finish in her prelims heat on Friday. Another PG County sprinter in Pharist O'Neal of CH Flowers was just behind her as the 13th fastest overall at 7.81. 
  • Digital Harbor's Stephon Torrence wins his preliminary heat of the emerging elite 60 meter hurdles in a 8.26 clocking. Good Counsel's Ian Davis also competed, but was unable to advance from his heat with 8.32 performance. Unfortunately in the finals, Torrence false started and was unable to see how he could have faired against the other finalists. 
  • Alexis Postell of Bullis School takes first in her prelims heat of the emerging elite girls 60 meter hurdles with the 4th fastest time overall at 8.85. Taylor Grimes (11th, 8.90) of Bishop McNamara, Lindsay Lewis (22nd, 9.13) of Bullis School, and Deja Stevenson (25th, 9.18) of Baltimore Poly all competed in the prelims, but were unable to advance. 

Saturday Highlights


Sunday Highlights