Exciting Times! Brooks PR, National Championships This Week

There’s busy and there’s good busy.

This week is good busy. Good busy for our track & field athletes and good busy for us here at Bay State Running.

The Meet of Champions is over and the New England Championships this past weekend is now in the books. What’s in store now are some national competitions that should continue to showcase the incredible talent we have here in Massachusetts.

On Wednesday. Belmont’s Ellie Shea and Newton South’s Amelia Everett will be out in Seattle for the Brooks PR Invitational. Shea is among the favorites in two-mile run where she’ll match up against Ventura (CA) sophomore Sadie Engelhardt. The gifted junior clocked her all-time best of 9:49.82 to win the New Balance Nationals this past winter. Engelhardt has a best of 9:51.49 for 3,200m. Everett could be battling with the frontrunners in the 800m where her PR of 2:06.19 ranks No. 4 in the elite field.

Here links to LIVE RESULTS and LIVE STREAM for Brooks PR

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The Brooks PR Invite provides the perfect opening act for more track & field action with the nation’s best. Our athletes will be at one of three national competitions with the top choices being the Nike Outdoor Nationals at Oregon’s legendary Hayward Field and the New Balance Nationals at the UPenn’s historic Franklin Field. At both meets, held from Thursday to Sunday, a few of our athletes have a chance of making the podium, including the No. 1 spot. Bishop Stang’s Jacob Cookinham, the state and New England champion, is one of the top entries in the shot. His win against the region’s best this past weekend, produced a nation No. 7 and PR of 66 feet, 0.25 inches. In the two mile, we have our big three of Westford Academy’s Paul Bergeron, St. John’s Prep’s Nathan Lopez and Framingham’s Sam Burgess, who have all broken nine minutes. Bergeron ranks No. 2 national with his near state record of 8:51.88 from the Division 1 Championships a few weeks ago. Lopez was a multiple winner at the Meet of Champions with victories in the mile and two mile and his anchor on the first-place 4x800m squad. In the deuce he was clocked in 8:59.26, which is No. 6 in the rankings. Burgess has a season best of 9:03.45 from his runner-up finish at the MOC. He’s thrice has broken nine minutes for the 2M, including his triumphant 8:59.27 rom the MOC during the indoor season. Don’t rule out Uxbridge’s Aidan Ross, too. he got just the confidence-booster he needed at the MOC where he was third in 9:03.82.

The Lions’ Everett will remain on the west coast after the Brooks PR to compete at the Nike meet where she’s one of the favorites in an event she was third overall last year. She also entered in the seeded section of the mile where she brings her 4:47.97 best from our BSR Elite Scholastic Mile back in early May.