BRIGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS, March 13–16 — Bullis (Potomac, Maryland) senior Quincy Wilson got his career sweep in the New Balance Indoor Nationals 400 and a victorious ending in the meet’s 4 x 400 relay finale. But both races took every ounce of speed and strength he and his teammates had.
In arguably the meet’s best and most thrilling finish, Wilson lowered his own 2-lap HSR Saturday to 45.37, holding off by 0.01 a phenomenal breakthrough by Jayden Deleon (45.38) — who also preps in the DC area nearby at Montgomery Blair (Silver Spring, Maryland). Then less than 24 hours later, Bullis and their leader completed the double with prep history’s second sub-3:10 (3:09.62). Although the baton squad couldn’t quite surpass last year’s standard of 3:09.44, it held off Archbishop Carroll (Washington, DC) at 3:10.01.
“I believe in each and every one of these guys,” Wilson said of his mates afterward. “Each year is a new team and we continue the legacy.”
Wilson’s 2-lapper was one of three boys High School Records in Boston, to go along with three more for the girls. Carroll clipped its own 4 x 200 HSR from ’25 by 0.001 Saturday (1:24.26), while Union Catholic (Scotch Plains, New Jersey) took down the 17-year-old 4 x 800 mark in a spectacular victory over IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida).
The action also featured double national XC champ Jackson Spencer (Herriman, Utah) winning the 5000 (13:54.70) and anchoring the victorious 4 x mile team (16:58.10), with No. 2 and No. 3 all-time performances.
In the 60 hurdles, Zacchaeus Brocks (Central Catholic, Detroit, Michigan) sped to prep history’s No. 2 all-time performance, 7.44. Steffon Lyon (St. James, Springfield, Virginia) unleashed a 20.90 frosh class record for 200.
The meet also produced the year’s first sub-4 HS mile. Noah Bontrager (Westview, Topeka, Indiana) covered 8-plus laps in 3:59.48, the fastest-ever in an indoor prep-only race. His win completed an Indiana sweep of the 800, mile and 2 mile.
But the spotlight shone brightest on Wilson. After his stunning 46.67 as a yearling in ’23, he followed with 45.76 and 45.71 triumphs prior to Saturday. He now has 5 of the 8 sub-46s in prep indoor history (and is the only athlete with more than one).
No one, however, expected to see two sub-46s in this 400 final. Deleon’s PRs before NBIN were “just” 46.86 indoors and 46.33 outdoors. A 32.75 300 in January, though, was an indicator that more potential was there.
Wilson got off to his usual blazing start with a 21.31 from lane 5, cutting ahead of Deleon (lane 6), who moved quickly to maintain contact. The Olympian tried to pull away on the backstretch and final curve only to have Deleon close fiercely to almost tag him at the tape. Both leaned hard across the line and tumbled to the track.
It was several seconds before Wilson knew he had won. “I was so nervous, so nervous,” he told DyeStat.com later, with a wry grin, “but hats off to Deleon, he gave me a great run for my money. I knew he was ready, he’s been telling me all week he was ready … all year, actually; we went on some recruiting visits together.”
In the relay, Wilson took the stick trailing Carroll’s Austin Smith by a few strides. He quickly passed him on the backstretch, but Smith stayed close enough and then finished strong (46.01) as Carroll (3:10.01) nearly became the third school to break 3:10.
Saturday, Carroll had the 100th of a second they needed in the 4 x 200, as they led wire-to-wire to nudge their HSR off of another Smith anchor. They were pressured all the way by Bergen Catholic (Oradell, New Jersey), which crossed in 1:24.61 — No. 2 all-time had it not been DQed by an exchange zone violation.
The 4 x 800 was a highly anticipated rematch between Union Catholic and IMG. The two teams had already duked it out once at Millrose, with UC prevailing 7:37.96 to 7:38.44. Both had run in the 7:35s at New Balance Outdoor last year (with IMG in 3rd to UC’s 5th). Here, Union Catholic moved ahead late in the first leg, then blew it open on the third only to have IMG storm back in the final 200 for a nearly even exchange.
On the anchor, Catholic’s Ciaran Brosnan led until 150 to go, was overtaken by a long kick attempt by IMG’s Hayden Bearden, then stormed back in the final 50 to take it, 7:35.05 to 7:35.28. Both were under the 7:36.99 mark set in 2009 by Albemarle (Charlottesville, Virginia) at the Nike Indoor Nationals.
Sunday’s mile saw a deep attack on the 4:00 barrier by more than a-half-dozen in the final section. With 2 laps remaining, Jameson Pifer led at 3:00.66 with Brian Burns and Noah Bontrager less than a second back. On the next backstretch, Bontrager moved out and launched a long kick that continued unabated to the end.
While Bontrager is the seventh prep to break 4:00 indoors, he’s only the second (and fastest) to do so without any pros or collegians to key off. Burns nearly became the third with his 4:00.09 in 2nd.
The top field performance by a long shot was the stunning breakthrough by Kayden Hulet in the weight throw as he hit 86-9½ (26.45) on his final attempt — good for No. 2 all-time behind Conor McCullough’s HSR.
NEW BALANCE BOYS RESULTS
60: 1. Mekhi Prather (Westlake, Waldorf, Md) 6.68; 2. Wyatt Lee’ (Can) 6.69; 3. Rhoan Kaulder (IMG, Bradenton, Fl) 6.71.
200: 1. ***Steffon Lyon (St James, Springfield, Va) 20.90; 2. Anthony Boykin (Enloe, Raleigh) 20.96; 3. Miles Outerbridge (IMG) 21.14.
400: 1. Quincy Wilson (Bullis, Potomac, Md) 45.37 HSR (old HSR 45.66 Wilson ’25);
2. Jayden Deleon (Blair, Silver Spring, Md) 45.38 (2, 2 HS);
3. *Cameron Homer (Bullis) 46.95.
800: 1. Caleb Winders (North, Bloomington, In) 1:48.83; 2. Carter Smith (Mifflin, Lewistown, Pa) 1:49.93; 3. Cooper Jeffcoat (Oak Mountain, Birmingham, Al) 1:50.48.
Mile: 1. Noah Bontrager (Westview, Topeka, In) 3:59.48 (7, 8 HS);
2. Brian Burns (Bentonville, Ar) 4:00.09; 3. Jameson Pifer (Collins Hill, Suwanee, Ga) 4:03.75; 4. Smith 4:04.05.
2M: 1. *Calvin Seitz (Jasper, In) 8:44.99; 2. Hunter Robbie (Niwot, Co) 8:48.89; 3. Grady Lenn (DePere, Wi) 8:52.34.
5000: 1. Jackson Spencer (Herriman, Ut) 13:54.70 (2, 2 HS);
2. Seitz 14:21.23; 3. Alexander Mazzeo (Lower Merion, Ardmore, Pa) 14:26.37.
60H: 1. Zacchaeus Brocks (Central Catholic, Detroit) 7.44 (2, 2 HS);
2. **Avonte Earl (Worthing, Houston) 7.72; 3. Evan Williams (Lawrence Central, Indianapolis) 7.75; 4. Cyrus Saunders (Neshaminy, Langhorne, Pa) 7.75.
MileW: 1. Ian Britt (Mt Ararat, Topsham, Me) 6:34.37; 2. **Josh Fink (Aledo, Tx) 7:04.41; 3. Matthew Wombacker (Bainbridge-Guilford/Afton, Bainbridge, NY) 7:14.36.
Relay Events
4 x 200: 1. Carroll, Washington, DC 1:24.26 HSR (old HSR 1:24.37 Carroll ’25) (Gamble, Davis, Waller, Smith 20.88);
2. West, Downingtown, Pa 1:27.12; 3. La Salle, Providence 1:27.32.
4 x 400: 1. Bullis 3:09.62 (2 HS) (Wilson 45.46); 2. Carroll 3:10.01 (3 HS) (Smith 46.01); 3. Bergen, Oradell, NJ 3:13.79 (10 HS).
Mixed 4 x 400: Bullis 3:33.17; 2. West Orange, NJ 3:34.25; 3. Robinson, Fairfax, Va 3:34.28.
4 x 800: 1. Union Catholic, Scotch Plains, NJ 7:35.05 HSR (old HSR 7:36.99 Albemarle [Charlottesville] ’09) (McCoy 1:54.02, Kelly 1:52.40, Clemons1:55.40, Brosnan 1:53.23);
2. IMG 7:35.28 (2 HS) (Mancayo 1:54.02, Brighty 1:52.34, Dodds 1:55.16, *Bearden 1:53.44 );
3. Haverford, Havertown, Pa 7:43.93; 4. Hickory, Chesapeake, Va 7:44.53; 5. Trinity, Louisville 7:45.11.
4 x Mile: 1. Herriman, Ut 16:58.10 (3 HS);
2. Christ, Arden, NC 17:09.89; 3. Union Catholic 17:14.91; 4. Crater, Central Point, Or 17:14.92.
SpMed: 1. Union Catholic 3:25.41 (10 HS);
2. Hackensack 3:26.00; 3. La Salle 3:26.40.
DisMed: 1. Mifflin 10:05.09; 2. Gainesville, Va 10:07.34; 3. Lower Merion 10:07.39.
4 x 55H: IMG 29.70; 2. North Brunswick, NJ 29.88; 3. Hoover, Al 30.29.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Will Nohren (Shelbyville, Il) 7-½; 2. Ryan Buskey (Colonie Central) 7-½.
PV: 1. Jaxon Jerabek (IMG) 17-3½; 2. Jace Bennett (Utopia, Tx) 16-11½.
LJ: 1. *Jalen Moseley (La Salle) 24-1½.
TJ: 1. Elijah Harris (Central, Westerville, Oh) 51-4¼; 2. Aiden Bryant (Midlakes, Clifton Springs, NY) 50-8.
SP: 1. C.J. Williams (Heritage, Frisco, Tx) 67-4¾; 2. *Nicholas Askjaer (Cohasset, Ma) 65-5.
Wt: 1. Kayden Hulet (Sparks, Nv) 86-9½ (2, 8 HS);
2. Shamrock Thoun (Woonsocket, RI) 80-8¼; 3. Kenneth Ramdayal (Herricks, New Hyde Park, NY) 80-¼.
Pent: 1. Schroeder 4064 (x,10 HS) (24-1½);
2. Nathaniel Johnson (Jay-East Fishkill, Hopewell Junction, NY) 3932; 3. Marcus Myhan (Bentonville West, Centerton, Ar) 3918.
