11 National Titles & 5 National Records For Team VA!


Historic. This weekend has simply been historic as Virginia won 11 national titles with five national records. Let's start with the national records from the weekend. 

All week it was a heated competition between both the Lyles brothers and future teammate Grant Holloway for the most awards but Grant Holloway has to take home the title as MVP and was actually recognized by the NSAF as the meet MVP. 


Grant's weekend included a national title and US #2 all-time performance in the pentathlon. He then crushed the 60mH to win in a national record setting 7.53 time while also going 7.00 for 55mH. That means he not only got two national championships but also two national records!


His future teammates also had a huge meet winning the 60m dash, 200m dash, and 4x200. Josephus ran by far the fastest 400m in qualifying (47.71) but elected to skip out of it and we definitely now see why. He blazed the track in the 60 running a 6.65. En route to that he crossed the 55m line in 7.19 which equals older brother Noah's VA #2 all-time performance from last year. 

Speaking of Noah... He also put on a show this weekend going 20.63 for a new national record in the 200. This is his first national record and his second 200m indoor national title. 

Both brothers combined forces, which is a lot, to run a state record 1:26.21 which is US #2 All-time. That team was comprised of Tre'Kel Locket, Kai Cole, Noah Lyles, and Josephus Lyles.

VA had some long national records as well.


In the longest race of the weekend Weini Kelati put on a complete distance running clinic with her phenomenal 16:08 in the 5K. She couldn't have done it a more difficult way with her very grueling pace. She opened in 3:06 for 1K then 4:56 for a mile. If that wasn't enough she went 10:07 en route for two miles as well.

Of course 3.1 miles of running and 25 laps wasn't enough for the national record holder so she came back and ran a 10:02.71 Two Mile which means she also ran a 9:59.21 VA #2 all-time performance in the 3200. She wasn't alone on the podium though as E.C. Glass' Libby Davidson had a huge weekend and finished as the national runner-up in 10:14.97 which moves her to VA #4 all-time. Libby was also All-American in the 5K.


The fifth and final national record for Virginia this weekend was from the Chantilly quartet of Loh, Scopellite, Jeffries, and McGorty in the sprint medley. They opened in 45.63, Titus then went 48.86, and it was Brandon taking it home in 1:49.53 to total 3:24.02 for the record. 

On top of all these national records we had another three national champions who all ran all-time great times. 


In the 4x200 we had Team War (Nansemond River) break their own state record for a third time this season with their blazing 1:37.43. This team was comprised of Johnson, Carter, Richardson, and Towe. They also had some VA company with Grassfield running VA #2 all-time 1:38.69 in the prelims. Though Nansemond completely shattered the state record this year... Grassfield returns their entire team next year and it could be broken back to back. 

Brandee' also ran individually in the 60H finals and clocked a very fast 8.23 in the 60H good enough for 5th place. That time though is significant because it means she also went 7.660 (F.A.T.) in the 55H en route for an official state record. 


The Western Branch boys blazed a 1:28.59 in the 4x200 to finish as national runners-up but they were unstoppable in the shuttle hurdle relay where they took back the national title after a year drought in it. Their winning time of 29.58. 

Phoebus finished third in that race with their 30.48 performance. 


The final national championship for Virginia was actually run on Friday with Loudoun Valley winning the DMR in 10:03.42! This was a complete team effort from Bogucki, Smagh, Anderson, and of course national mile record holder Drew Hunter. 

Some other great performances were E.C. Glass finishing third in a VA #2 all-time performance 9:02.96 just fractions of a second off of the state record. Speaking of state records though, Kate Murphy (Lake Braddock) had a huge meet and broke her own state record running 4:39.47 in the mile with her second place finish. That time not only breaks the state record but it means she now holds the three fastest times ever in the state. 

Lake Braddock wasn't just Murphy though, they put together a very solid DMR good enough to finish a close national runner-up in 11:39.10 losing just by over four seconds to a team that broke the national record. They were also dealing with a quartet that was not 100% healthy meaning this record could very much have swung in a different direction. At the end of the day though, or at least on Friday nights, it is a matter of all four running good at the same time. Be on the look out for them down the road. 

The final event of the day featured the Western Branch girls in the 4x400. They finished 5th with a time of 3:45.99 which ranks VA #2 all-time behind their own state record set last year. 

VA All-Americans: Weini Kelati (1st - 5K), Libby Davidson (6th- 5K), Sydney Banks (6th -HJ), Lake Braddock Girls (DMR - 2nd) - Loudoun Valley (1st - DMR), Western Branch Boys (SHR - 1st), Phoebus (3rd - SHR), The 7 TC (6th - SHR), Western Branch/Oscar Smith/Nansemond River (2-3-4 Girls SHR), Loudoun Valley Boys (4th - 4xMile), Nansemond River Girls (4th - SMR), Chantilly Boys (1st - SMR), Grant Holloway (1st - Pentathlon), E.C. Glass Girls (3rd - 4x800), Libby Davidson (2nd - Two Mile), Weini Kelati (1st - Two Mile), Gary Williams (4th - Triple Jump), Brandon McGorty (4th-800), Kate Murphy (2nd - Mile), Western Branch Girls (5th - 4x400), Nansemond River Girls (1st - 4x200), Grassfield Girls (4th - 4x200), T.C. Williams-Western Branch-Bethel (Boys 1-2-4 4x200), Brandee' Johnson (6th - 60H), Grant Holloway (1st - 60H), Josephus Lyles (1st - 60), Lauryn Ghee (4th - 400), and Noah Lyles (1st - 200). 

Photos by: Mary Ann Magnant - Kyle Brazeil - Joe Swift - Steve Pisano