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Photo: Chris Langford/MileSplit Texas
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The first weekend of May racing brought the heat, as Justin-Northwest's (Texas) Cooper Lutkenhaus and Onsted's (Mich.) Emmry Ross held their own in the 800m when the stakes were the highest.
During his second trip to the UIL State Track & Field Championships, the best half-miler in the country kept the good times rolling, winning the 6A 800m title and finishing runner-up in the 400m. Lutkenhaus clocked the fastest time of his life in the two-lap contest, clocking a casual 1:47.04, lowering his state record. The sophomore now sits No. 5 all-time and is just four-hundredths of a second away from being the fifth high schooler to run sub-1:47. The sophomore's 400m performance was just as special, as he took over seven-tenths of a second off of his previous best to run 46.30.
Out in 'The Big Apple', the future Michigan Wolverine toed the line for a two-battle at Track Night NYC at Icahn Stadium. The stopped the clock at 2:02.3, her second-fastest time this year. Ross prevailed over a field that saw 10 other girls break 2:10, winning by a second-and-a-half. Ross' lifetime PB is 2:01.42, which she ran a few weeks ago in Hillsdale, Michigan. Throughout her outdoor campaign, Ross has won all 10 of her races across the 400m, 800, 1600m and 3200m. For now, Ross sits No. 10 in high school history, and has the chance to become the ninth girl to ever break 2:01 in high school.
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