Mount Tabor NC Runs US#2 In The 4x800 Relay; Michael Ferguson Leads Five Into US Top 10 In 1,600 meters

By Oliver Hinson of DyeStat

VIDEO/RESULTS

Over a dozen US top 10 performances went down over two days of action at the Mondo Elite High School Invitational in Winston-Salem, N.C., this weekend.

Mount Tabor NC kicked things off with a US#2 performance in the girls 4x800 meters relay on Friday, destroying the rest of the field with a 9:17.65 performance. Rachel Riley led off with a 2:07.9 split, which gave her team a lead of nearly ten seconds heading into the first handoff. From there, Evelyn Cromwell, Addyson Jarrett and Cecelia Davidson all ran sub-2:30 legs, putting the squad within a second of the national lead.

Elle Dawson (Ragsdale NC) kept the momentum going in the girls 3,200, running 10:19.70 for the win and a US#7 performance. Dawson’s time also broke the meet record and was the fastest ever performance by a high schooler at the JDL Fast Track.

Ethan Rich (Western Harnett NC) followed with a US#5 performance in the boys 3,200, winning with a personal best time of 9:05.09. 

Rich led three boys into the US top 10, as Adam Haggart (Charlotte Country Day NC) and Eric Gillis (Carson NC) ran 9:06.17 (US#7) and 9:07.11 (US#10), respectively. 

Kaitlyn Estep (Cardinal Gibbons NC) and Corban Cazier (Coastal Christian NC) both recorded US#9 performances to win the girls and boys 1,000, respectively. Estep broke the meet record with her time of 2:48.68, while Cazier came close to the record on his side with his winning time of 2:29.17.

On Saturday, the boys 1,600 saw five break into the U.S. top 10, led by Michael Ferguson (North Buncombe NC), who took the lead early on and closed with a 28.5-second final lap to cross the line in 4:11.37, the fourth fastest time in the country.

Owen Munn (Greensboro Gladiators Homeschool NC) took second in 4:12.19, good for US#6, followed by James Freeman (Myers Park NC) in 4:12.85, George Lawson (Forsyth Country Day NC) in 4:13.08, and Brooks Barbee (Christ School NC) in 4:13.12. The latter three were US#7, US#8 and US#9.