* Padua Academy junior Anna Bockius moved up to No. 4 on the national leaderboard in the 800m
Photo: Derrick Dingle/New York MileSplit
Season debuts were made and records were broken over February's first weekend of competition. Some went head-to-head with Olympians and others were tested by talented fields of high schoolers, but all five girls stole the show and left their mark.
The National Performer of the Week poll will close at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, February 6, and the winner will be announced shortly after.
Take a look at five of the top-performing girls from last weekend.
This Week's Nominees:
Sadie Engelhardt, Ventura (Calif.): In her first race since foregoing the remainder of her senior season, the next great American miler clocked 4:29.34 at the New Balance Grand Prix, becoming the second-fastest in high school history. Engelhardt finished seventh in between Olympians and national record holders. The senior comfortably negative split the race, coming through the halfway point in 2:16.59 before closing in 2:12.75. The eight-time CIF state champion will toe the line again this weekend at the Millrose Games.
Paige Sheppard, Union Catholic Reg. (N.J.): In the latter stages of the Junior Girls' International Mile at the New Balance Grand Prix, the standout sophomore had quite a bit of work to do, but utilized her trademark kick to snag the come-from-behind win in 4:44.49. Sheppard moved up to No. 2 on New Jersey's all-time list after reeling in California's Hanne Thomsen over the last lap, now trailing just Michelle Rowen (Washington Township), who ran 4:43.16 in 1983. Thanks to her 68.75 final two laps, Sheppard is the fastest New Jersey girl since the Cold War.
Vanessa Jones, Toll Gate (R.I.): The Rhode Island junior had herself a day over the weekend at the RIIL Class Championships as she picked up her fifth-straight win, along with a PB of 57-0.25. For the first time in her career, Jones threw her way into the 57s, making her the top thrower in the country so far this season by nearly a foot. Jones moved up to No. 16 amongst juniors in the national record books and is now the eighth-best thrower in the event in New Jersey history.
Sianni Wynn, Pennsauken (N.J.): Another talented junior on this week's list is a familiar name, as Wynn has been competing at a high level for a while. This weekend at the Penn Relays Winter Showcase, Wynn broke Myasia Jacobs' (Paramus Catholic) 13-year-old New Jersey record of 7.34, stopping the clock at 7.32 in Philadelphia. Wynn is now the proud owner of both the 60m and 200m indoor state records and ranks inside the all-time top 40 in both events.
Anna Bockius, Padua Academy (Del.): In the 'City of Brotherly Love', the Delaware junior dipped below 2:10 for the first time in her career, winning 2:09.60 at the Penn Relays Winter Showcase. Bockius prevailed over a field of 31 and is now the second-fastest girl in state history, roughly a third of a second away from the outright record. The junior has become pretty familiar with PBs over the last few months, totaling seven-lifetime bests in nine races. Bockius joined a coveted group of high schoolers, joining the list of less than 125 girls who have ever run sub-2:10 while in high school.
NPOTW's Previous Winners: