The inaugural Brooks PR Invitational took place Sunday afternoon in Seattle, bringing in many of the top prep track athletes in the country to compete in a unique and exciting championship-style event. With so much talent in one location, Brooks treated the athletes like royalty, flying them in, putting them up at a nice hotel, showcasing new Brooks products, bringing in the Seattle Seahawk cheerleaders, and so much more.
Even with all the fancy frills, the main event was easily the competition on the track. Across the board, many of the top performances of the 2011 indoor track season occurred at the Dempsy Indoor Track on the campus of the University of Washington. Leading the way were exciting boys and girls mile events, which saw first and second place separated by less than a quarter second in each race.
On the girls side, Ajee Wilson (NJ) used her speed to overcome Amy-Eloise Neale (WA), crossing the finish tape 4:49.48-4:49.58. Wilson and Neale led nine girls under the 4:55 barrier. On the boys side, Californians Jantzen Oshier and Elias Geydon battled all the way to the line, with Oshier finishing a half stride ahead, 4:07.52-4:07.58. Six boys finished at 4:15 or faster.
While the mile races were close, the 800m races were a little bit different. Iowa senior Shelby Houlihan won by nearly two and a half seconds, breaking 2:10 and running a tremendous indoor mark of 2:08.59. In the boys race, Canadian Keffri Neal showed why he might just be the next big middle distance runner in Canada, edging Nick Kaiser (MI) 1:50.92-1:52.25, while leading six athletes under 1:54.
The two mile event on the girls side came down to the final strides of the race. Sophomore Wesley Frazier (NC) battled with Kayla Beattie (IL) from the gun, with Frazier winning by less than half a second, 10:17.47-10:17.93. On the boys side, pre-race favorite Ammar Moussa (CA) showed his strength, besting the field by nearly two seconds, finishing in 9:00.62, while Maryland standout Matt Jablonski finished in 9:02.51. North Carolina junior Thomas Graham turned in an impressive performance to finish third in 9:04.14, as eight athletes total dipped under 9:10.
Despite being a first year event, the Brooks PR Invitational handled itself like a seasoned pro, celebrating the athletes, putting on a show for the fans in attendance, and building excitement around a non-championship event.
Event Coverage: MileSplit / Dyestat-ESPNRise
Brooks PR Invitational Results
