New Balance Nationals Outdoor
In Philadelphia at New Balance Nationals Outdoor, it appears five Missouri preps will compete. Rock Bridge sophomore distance phenom Andrew Hauser will look to improve on his 9:05.11 3200-meter PR he earned while taking 3rd in the Class 5 race at State. He'll run section #2 of 3 of the Boys Championship 2-Mile. If Hauser can finish in 9:03.00 or faster, it appears he'll become the first ever Missouri sophomore to break 9:00 for 3200-meters or it's 2-mile equivalent.
He'll also race in the mile. After claiming the 2021 Class 5 state cross country title in November, Hauser won his first track state title in the 1600-meters in Class 5 in May in a PR of 4:11.72. Hauser followed that up with an even faster 4:10.61 full mile at the Festival of Miles. After the 2-mile Friday night, Hauser will race in the 4th of 5 sections of the Championship Mile Sunday morning.
Zaya Akins is coming off one of the best seasons ever for a Missouri sprinter, no matter what level, high school, college, professional.
The Raytown South junior captured the 400-meter national title at the first year NSAF Nike Indoor Nationals at the Ocean Breeze facility in New York in March in 53.26-seconds. That clocking was a state record, faster than any other mark in the MileSplit database.
In April she ran a state record of 53.06 400-meters to surpass Missouri prep legend Alishea Usery of Berkeley in the record book. At the same meet, the Blue Springs Gary Parker Invitational, Akins also ran faster than any high schooler in Missouri history with a hand-timed, wind-gauge-less 200-meters of 22.94-seconds.
That converts to a 23.18-second Fully Automatic Timing conversion. That was faster than fellow Kansas Citian Anglerne Annelus' 23.30 late July/early August USATF Junior Olympic time of 23.30 from 2015. It also was quicker than the best wind-legal, school season time of 23.46-mark Alicia Burnett ran at Sectionals in 2019.
Akins captured the Class 4 100 and 400-meter state titles last month. Akins ran to a wind-aided 11.32 in the 100 and a 53.41-second 400, an overall state meet record. Akins will race for another 400-meter national title at New Balance before competing in the same event at the USATF Under-20 Championships next week in Eugene, Or. Akins trains with coach CB Cadenhead, the Palestine Track Club and St. Teresa's Academy coach.
Two superstar hurdler and jumpers from St. Louis will compete for All-America honors in Philly. Maya Anderson is an MICDS junior, who ran to a 1st-place finish in the Class 5 300-hurdles in 42.74-seconds, putting her in a tie for 5th in state history with former Pembroke Hill and Baylor star Tiffani McReynolds. Anderson also captured the triple jump crown at state with a best of 12.08m/39-7.45''.
Anderson was the runner-up in the best 100-hurdles competition in state meet history. She finished in 13.59, just 2/100ths of a second behind winner Genesis Dixon of Kirkwood, a few weeks ago in Jefferson City.
The 5th-placer in the race, John Burroughs sophomore Aaliyah Elliott, will also compete in multiple events at New Balance. Elliott, who looks the part of a multi-event standout and heptathlete, like her mother was at Mizzou and sister was at Ohio State. Elliott, like Anderson, will compete in the Championship 100-hurdles, which has prelims, semis, and a final.
Elliot is also scheduled to compete in the Championship long jump at Franklin Field. Elliot has PRs of 14.46 in the 100-hurdles and wind-aided long jump marks of 5.86m/19-2.75'' and 5.97m/19-7''. Elliott placed 2nd in the Class 5 long jump with the 19-2.75'' mark and 3rd at the Great Southwest Track Classic with the 19-7'' mark, which was slightly aided, being at 5,000' of elevation.
MICDS freshman Nicole Green will join her Ultimate Speed Academy track club teammates Elliott and Anderson in Philadelphia. Green will compete in the Girls 100-hurdles and the Rising Stars triple jump.