NEW YORK, NEW YORK, March 13–16 — When Marcelo Mantecon won the Nike Indoor Nationals 5000 a year ago as a sophomore, then added a 4 x Mile triumph with his Belen Jesuit (Miami, Florida) teammates, he got a healthy taste of the top of the podium at the highest level.
Then, last fall, it was close-but-no-cigar despite great runs at both the Nike (4th) and Brooks (2nd) XC national championships. So it was special for him Thursday to defend his title in the NIN 5K and break the 14:00-minute barrier for the first time (13:57.04, No. 5 all-time) to boot.
But did anyone imagine he would get back to the apex of the awards stand not once, not twice, but three times more over the weekend?
At meet’s end, after closing in 56.40 to win Sunday’s mile (junior class record 4:00.66) Mantecon had created the rarest historical performance: An indoor nationals distance quadruple. Sixteen years ago on this same track, Lukas Verzbicas did what was then the unthinkable with his sweep of the 5K, 2-mile and mile.
Mantecon said, in effect, I’ll see your triple and I’ll raise you a DMR anchor victory — with a national record to boot.
The uber-talented Floridian said his final push to win the mile “came from absolutely nowhere. I pushed my body to its absolute limits and I am so grateful to come out on top.”
While the cumulative impact of the accomplishment makes that nearly sub-4 mile finale stand out, Saturday’s effort with his Jesuit teammates was the performance of the meet on the track. The Miami school’s 9:47.01 crushed the HSR by more than 6 seconds and is No. 3 all-time on the absolute list.
“A national record is something I’ve never done before,” Mantecon said. “It’s great that I got to accomplish it with my brothers.”
With Armando Cruz (3:00.03), Carlos Benitez (50.78), Jack Michalak (1:51.49) and Mantecon (4:04.73), there were no weaknesses, and the anchor — who had also won the deuce in 8:48.02 on Friday — didn’t have to go to the well at the finish, given their 9-second margin on runner-up Rangeview (Aurora, Colorado).
It wasn’t only Jesuit setting national records at The Armory. On the infield Thursday, Miles Nesmith (Central, Memphis, Tennessee) prepared to challenge Yevhen Zhmailo (Lake Washington, Kirkland, Washington) in the triple jump, 7 weeks after the latter had bounded to the top of the all-time list at 52-9½.
Zhmailo took the lead from Nesmith in the 2nd round at 50-6¼ (15.41), but the Tennessean came right back with a 50-8 (15.44). The record-holder couldn’t get a fair jump after that, while Nesmith hit his first career 52-footer in the third round to build his lead. When Nesmith came up for his final jump, victory secure, he let it all out.
When he landed, he had history’s first 53-footer indoors.
“The whole season, I’ve had the national record on my mind,” said Nesmith, who later placed 3rd in the high jump (6-10¾). “Being able to do it here at Nike Indoor Nationals was huge. It was a great opportunity to come out here and put my best out.”
The long jump also featured a major breakthrough by the champion, as Joseph West (Stony Point, Round Rock, Texas) surpassed 25 for the first time in a big way, soaring 25-9½ in the third round to win by more than a foot and match Marquis Dendy for No. 5 all-time.
Back to the track, the sprints received a lot of premeet hype with last year’s 200 HSR-setter Tate Taylor (Harlan, San Antonio, Texas) — who added the 300 standard this January (32.45) — leading a stellar group of mostly Texas sprinters in the 60 and 200.
The fields included super soph Dillon Mitchell (King, Houston, Texas), who had earned well-deserved plaudits for a sterling USATF meet against the pros, with his 6.59 World Youth Record in qualifying and 6.60 in the final. Also lining up: Chinweoke Onwuchekwa (Cypress Springs, Cypress, Texas), another 10th-grader who had set the class record at 6.60 before Mitchell’s feats; and Jake Odey-Jordan (Clemens, Schertz, Texas).
Odey-Jordan is Taylor’s new training partner, after moving to Texas from D.C., where he competed for Archbishop Carroll. He may have the best range of the lot with his 6.64 and 32.64 bests at 60 and 300.
In the 60 final, Mitchell proved he’s clearly the fastest dashman on the straight, hitting 6.61 to win decisively over Odey-Jordan (6.67) and Onwuchekwa (6.68).
The 200 shaped up to be all Taylor and Odey-Jordan, but the HSR holder was clearly not fully on his game. His training mate very much was. While Odey-Jordan didn’t quite catch his ’24 soph self (20.66 PR), he blasted a 20.72 that was just 0.01 off Eddie Bruner’s national lead and concluded a pretty good weekend. That left him a big 0.33 up on Blake Hamilton (Tompkins, Katy Texas) at 21.05 and Taylor’s 21.07.
Other highlights on the track came from a substantial 7.59 60H PR by Joshua-Kai Smith (Gar-Field, Woodbridge, Virginia), good for a share of No. 6 all-time, and a relay double by DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Maryland). Dematha’s 1:27.28 4 x 200 Sunday was a few ticks off the school’s season best, but a meet record 3:14.33 in the 4 x 400 the previous day elevated that quartet to No. 7 all-time school.
Outside the horizontal jumps, the best field marks came in the throws. Kayden Hulet (Sparks, Nevada), winner of the NBIN weight throw the day before at No. 2 all-time 86-9½ (26.45), completed a nationals double with another outstanding effort of 85-¼ (25.91).
In the shot, Chris Marcell (Marathon, Wisconsin) entered with a PR of 61-¾ (18.61) from last summer and had not competed this winter. He proceeded to beat that mark five times, including a massive 69-2 (21.08) to finish, beating heavy favorite (and NBIN champ) C.J. Williams (Heritage, Frisco, Texas) at 69-¾ (21.05).
With a discus PR of 220-8 from ’25, Marcell will enter the outdoor season as arguably the nation’s best combo thrower.
NIKE NATIONALS BOYS RESULTS
60: 1. **Dillon Mitchell (King, Houston) 6.61 (x,=7 HS) (6.17—=7,=7 HS);
2. Jake Odey-Jordan (Clemens, Schertz, Tx) 6.67; 3. **Chinweoke Onwuchekwa (Cypress Springs, Cypress, Tx) 6.68.
200: 1. Odey-Jordan 20.72 (x,10 HS);
2. Blake Hamilton (Tompkins, Katy, Tx) 21.05; 3.Tate Taylor (Harlan, San Antonio) 21.07; 4. Mitchell 21.09.
400: 1. Joshua Shelton (Pearland, Tx) 47.80; 2. Will Hollensteiner (Flathead, Kalispell, Mt) 47.87; 3. Brady Tse (El Cerrito, Ca) 47.87.
800: 1. *Joshua Cooper (Willow Spring, Fuquay-Varina, NC) 1:50.59; 2. Jayden Lloyd McKenna (Pearl River) 1:50.92; 3. **Jack Michalak (Belen, Miami) 1:51.32.
Mile: 1. *Marcelo Mantecon (Belen) 4:00.66; 2. **Abdinasir Hassan (Rangeview, Aurora, Co) 4:01.45; 3. Noah Strohman (Holliday, Tx) 4:04.88.
2M: 1. Mantecon 8:48.02; 2. Caden Leonard (Carroll, Southlake, Tx) 8:49.46; 3. Brody Clark’ (Can) 8:51.06; 4. Hassan 8:51.33.
5000: 1. Mantecon 13:57.94 (5, 5 HS); 2. **Ruel Newberry (Guyer, Denton, Tx) 14:04.33 (10, x HS);
3. **Dominic Matthias (Moore, Ok) 14:16.42.
60H: 1. Joshua-Kai Smith (Gar-Field, Woodbridge, Va) 7.59 (=6, x HS);
2. Andrew Jones (Collins, Spring, Tx) 7.67; 3. *Niyer Clayborn (Lutheran, Milwaukee) 7.67.
MileW: 1. Hansen Hsu’ (Can) 7:46.57; 2. Joshua Rothery (Urbana, Ijamsville, Md) 7:50.46; 3. Andrew Lam (Bangor, Me) 7:59.21.
Relay Events
4 x 200: 1. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md 1:27.28; 2. McNamara, Forestville, Md 1:28.08.
4 x 400: 1. DeMatha 3:14.33; 2. McNamara 3:15.79; 3. Haverford School, Haverford, Pa 3:18.76.
4 x 800: 1. McCallie, Chattanooga 7:46.73; 2. Calvert, Towson, Md 7:48.48; 3. Kellenberg, Uniondale 7:50.91.
4 x Mile: 1. McCallie 17:18.13; 2. Buchholz, Gainesville 17:32.80; 3. Jesuit, New Orleans 17:40.73.
SpMed: 1. Calvert 3:32.13; 2. Hereford, Parkton, Md 3:32.52; 3. Shabazz, Newark 3:32.72.
DisMed: 1. Belen 9:47.01 HSR (old HSR 9:53.40 Ridge [Basking Ridge, NJ] ’22); (Cruz 3:00.02, Benitez 50.78, Michalak 1:51.49, Mantecon 4:04.72);
2. Rangeview 9:56.61 (7 HS);
3. McCallie 10:00.44.
4 x 55H: 1. Irvington, NJ 30.83; 2. Bloomfield, Ct 31.01.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Jordan Randall (Community, Warsaw, In) 7-1¾; 2. Chase Hunter (Jordan, Durham) 7-¼; 3. Miles Nesmith (Central, Memphis) 6-10¾.
PV: 1. Victor Oleson (St Christopher’s, Richmond, Va) 16-8; 2. Luke Beattie (Warwick Valley, Warwick) 16-4.
LJ: 1. Joseph West (Stony Point, Round Rock, Tx) 25-9½ (=5, x HS);
2. Yevhen Zhmailo (Lake Washington, Kirkland, Wa) 24-7.
TJ: 1. Nesmith 53-0 HSR (old HSR 52-9½ Zhmailo ’26) (48-9, 50-8, 52-0 [=6, x HS], 51-11¼ [x, 9 HS] 51-7, 53-0;
2. Zhmailo 50-6¾; 3. Aiden Bryant (Midlakes, Clifton Springs) 49-11¼.
SP: 1. Chris Marcell (Marathon, Wi) 69-2; 2. C.J. Williams (Heritage, Frisco, Tx) 69-¾; 3. Hudson Sveadas (Signal Mountain, Tn) 66-5¼.
Wt: 1. Kayden Hulet (Sparks, Nv) 85-¼; 2. Ryan Evans (East Greenwich, RI) 80-7½; 3. Kenneth Ramdayal (Herricks, New Hyde Park) 80-6¼.
Pent: 1. Owen Proskin (Plum, Pittsburgh) 3816; 2. *Vantage Morrison (Wenatchee, Wa) 3590; 3. Caius Shakes (Elsik, Houston) 3482.
