RunnnSphere

1 Middle School National Record, 1 World Record (U12), 4 High School National Records, and 59 Meet Records.

The 2024 New Balance Outdoor Nationals meet showcased the best middle and high school talent at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with notable names like Quincy Wilson, Skyler Franklin, Drew Griffith, and Sadie Engelhardt competing on the historic track.

Gunner Hammett Breaks U12 World Record Two Times In The SAME Week!

Williamsburg track star Gunner Hammett, ran 2:01.01 to finish fifth in the 800 meters against some of the nation’s top eighth-graders at the Brooks Invitational in Seattle. He was named the meet’s MVP.

Three days later, he ran a personal-best 2:00.39 to win the race and break the meet record by three seconds at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Philadelphia. Hammett, who is 12 years old, is the first sixth-grader to win the 800 at the meet. Hammett, who is heading to seventh grade at Queens Lake Middle School in York County, now has four age-group track and field world records.

Quincy Wilson Runs 45.13 For Another 400m Personal Best

The Bullis School (MD) star set a new 400 meter meet record on Saturday at Franklin Field, clocking a new personal record time of 45.13 en route to the win. Wilson’s run on Saturday makes him the second-fastest U18 athlete in history, only trailing Jonathan Simms’ 45.12 from 2023.

400m progression throughout the 2024 outdoor season:
– 45.19 at the Florida Pepsi Relays in March.
– 45.17 at the East Coast International Showcase in May.
– 45.13 at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in June.
– Next up: 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials 2024*

*Ranked 16th out of the 35 athletes participating in the 400m

Too Many National Meets In One Week?

Four national events took place across the country, with top athletes not all competing in the same location. The events were spread across the country, from the west coast to the east coast.

– June 12th: Brooks PR Invitational (Seattle, WA)
– June 12-15: Nike Outdoor Nationals (Eugene, OR)
– June 13-16: New Balance Nationals Outdoor (Philadelphia, PA)
– June 14-16: adidas Track Nationals (Greensboro, NC)

A number of athletes took on the challenge of competing at one of these events to then fly and compete at another one. The most popular duo was athletes competing in Seattle at the Brooks PR then heading over to Philadelphia to compete at New Balance. Here are some notable performances that completed this double:

Michael Swanson (Opelika, AL)
Brooks PR 400m: 49.24 (1st)
New Balance 400m: 49.60 (1st)

Drew Griffith (Butler, PA)
Brooks PR 2 Mile: 8:31.46 (1st)
New Balance Mile: 3:59.00 (1st)

Skyler Franklin (Montverde, FL)
Brooks PR 400m: 52.01 (1st)

New Balance Nationals
200m: 23.00 (2nd)
4x400m: 3:31.68 National Record (1st)

Sadie Engelhardt (Ventura, CA)
Brooks PR 800m: 2:03.99 (1st)

New Balance Nationals
Mile: 4:37.04 (1st)
DMR: 11:32.43 / 4:41.84 split (2nd)

Patrick Hilby (Aurora, IL)
Brooks PR 800m: 1:47.92 (2nd)
New Balance 800m: 1:47.55 (1st)

Anthony Waterman (Hyattsville, MD)
Brooks PR 110mH: 13.51 (2nd)
New Balance 110mH: 13.55 (2nd)

Kaitlyn Estep (Cary, NC)
Brooks PR Middle School Mile: 4:51.83 (3rd)
New Balance Middle School 800m: 2:11.68 (1st)

Marcus Reilly (Whitinsville, MA)
Brooks PR Mile: 4:03.85 (2nd)
New Balance Mile: 4:01.16 (3rd)

Charlotte Bell (Waxhaw, NC)
Brooks PR Mile: 4:45.21 (3rd)
New Balance DMR: 11:20.44 / 4:41.84 split (1st)

Some individuals participated in multiple national meets, and it is likely that there are many more who also participated. If you participated in two of these national events, drop the two you went to in the comment section.

Is it fair to ask these young athletes to travel across the country to compete at two separate events? How can this be beneficial at such a young age?

For example, Michael Swanson won the middle school 400 meters at the Brooks PR Invitational in 49.24 seconds. He then traveled to Philadelphia for the middle school boys 400m final, winning in a time of 49.60. As a native of Alabama, he had to fly across the country to Seattle and Philadelphia, jumping on multiple cross-country flights on back-to-back days. He won both 400 meter races in under 50 seconds. Reminder, he’s only an EIGTHTH GRADER.

Drop a comment on your thoughts on the various national events occurring within the same week. Should there only be one national event?

By Chris Cabret