VIRGINIA BEACH -- Saturday was undoubtedly Archbishop Carroll's (DC) last chance at a national indoor boys record at the 4x200 distance.
They did not want to waste the opportunity.
Turns out, though, their follow-up to New Balance Nationals Indoor was just what they needed, as the Lions ran to a breathtaking performance in the 4x200 late Saturday night inside the Virginia Beach Sports Center, breaking the high school national record at the distance in 1:25.36, surpassing Bullis School's former mark of 1:25.60 from 2019.
Just a week ago, Archbishop won the race a national championship at NBNI with a time of 1:26.47.
The win wasn't enough. They wanted more.
Behind the stellar running of Dezmone Starks, Jake Odey-Jordan, Damill Bostic and Chase Dejesus, Archbishop Carroll hammered through the line, then celebrated as if they had won the lottery.
The splits went like this: 21.80, 20.42, 21.36 and 21.80.
Odey-Jordan, the reigning NBNI winner in the 200m -- he ran 20.66 and broke a sophomore class record last week -- returned with aplomb and threw down a ridiculous second-leg split of 20.42 seconds.
Only Odey-Jordna and Dejesus return next year.
But to know the history for this team would also tell the deeper story.
Just a year ago, the Lions had come up just short in this same race, running within a hair of the national record in 1:25.63. That team featured current-South Carolina football-track star Nyckoles Harbor.
Photo Credit: Jason Hart/MileSplit
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