Shawnti Jackson vs Mia Brahe-Pedersen (100), Sadie Engelhardt vs Ellie Shea (2-mile), Simeon Birnbaum vs Daniel Simmons (2-mile) Among Many Elite Matchups; Ali Ince Aims For 3rd 800 Title

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

The biggest and brightest stars of the high school track and field landscape are set to return to the Pacific Northwest for the 2023 edition Brooks PR Invitational to kick off a highly anticipated week of national meets going down across the United States.

One of the nation’s most prestigious invitationals will be run Wednesday, June 14, at Renton Memorial Stadium, featuring 12 races in both sprints and distance events.

Here are the top athletes to watch for in each of the respective competitions.

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Girls 2-Mile - 2:17 p.m. Pacific

A mixture of middle-distance and long-distance talents are among this historically loaded field of competitors, including Ventura CA’s Sadie Engelhardt and Belmont MA’s Ellie Shea. 

The two will meet each other for the first time since racing the mile at New Balance Nationals Indoor at the Track at New Balance in Boston last March. Engelhardt took home the national title in 4:38.65 and Shea was third in 4:40.76,

Engelhardt brings in a 3,200-meter personal-best 9:51.49, standing at #2 in the country. Shea, who hasn’t raced anything longer than 1,500 meters this spring, has a 2-mile lifetime-best effort of 9:49.82, which she also ran at New Balance Nationals Indoor. The two will be eyeing Mira Costa CA’s Dalia Frias’ meet record time of 9:50.70 from last year’s meet.

The field also includes five other sub-10-minute runners: Colorado’s Emma Stutzman of Pomona (9:56:34); Our Lady of Good Counsel MD Leah Stephens (9:58.79); and Madison Central KY standout Ciara O’Shea (9:59.18).

Park Tudor IN’s Sophia Kennedy (10:00.56), Carol Stream IL’s Grace Schager (10:03.27) and Holland West Ottawa MI’s Arianne Olson (10:06.73) will also be in the mix for a sub-10 minute effort.

Boys 2-Mile - 2:33 p.m.

This year’s boys 2-mile will be a rematch of what was arguably the greatest high school boys 3,200-meter race in history from this year’s Arcadia Invitational with Rapid City Stevens SD Simeon Birnbaum, American Fork UT’s Daniel Simmons and Christ School NC’s Rocky Hansen slated in the lineup.

Separated by just 0.68 hundredths of a second, the nation’s top-three 3,200-meter runners delivered in big fashion in an all-time classic back in April, with Birnbaum taking the win in 8:34.10, Simmons in second at 8:34.14 and Hansen in third at 8:34.78. 

Birnbaum and Hansen enter this race off of sub-4-minute mile performances at the HOKA Festival of Miles a few weekends ago, with Birnbaum also taking the win in 3:57.53 and Hansen in second in 3:58.23.

Nathan Mountain’s 8:42.16 meet record is in serious jeopardy if this race is ran exactly like the one down at Arcadia.

Other competitors in the field include a cohort of runners from the same Arcadia 3,200-meter run: Connor Burns out of Southern Boone MO (8:41.67), who ran 8:45.52 last spring to win the Brooks title; Noah Jenkins of Herrmian UT (8:43.19); Zack Munson of Sehome WA (8:46.41); and Vincent Recupero of Bishop Blanchet WA (8:47.60). 

Two nationally recognized runners will be making their Brooks PR debuts in this race in Crater OR’s Tyrone Gorze (8:43.49) and Benzie Central MI’s Hunter Jones (8:52.28). Gorze and Jones won their respective national titles in the 5,000-meter this past winter, with Gorze taking the New Balance Nationals Indoor win and Jones taking the Nike Indoor Nationals win.

Girls 400m - 3:05 p.m. 

Freshman talent Skyler Franklin from Western FL makes the long trip to the upper northwest to challenge for the 400-meter title. 

Currently US#4, Franklin holds a personal-best 52.52 seconds and will have the top time amongst all eight competitors who will be making their Brooks PR debuts.

Texas 5A champion Michaela Mouton heads into this race off a personal-best effort of 53.21 at the Texas State meet. 

Lake Oswego OR’s Josie Donelson had had a career year in the 400, with her most recent effort coming at the Oregon state meet where she ran a personal-best 53.94 to win the 6A state title.

Chattahoochee GA’s Tyler Lowe hasn’t raced a 400 since April, but possesses a personal-best 53.92.

Edmond Santa Fe OK’s Emmanuella Njenje wrapped up her senior campaign with a state title in the 400, running a personal-best 54.07 to conclude her undefeated year.

St. Mary’s Academy CA Madison Mosby and Jack Britt NC’s JaMeesia Ford are tied for US#29 at 54.26. Mosby last raced a 400 back in April, while Ford recently just won a 4A state title at the North Carolina state meet.

Iyonna Codd from Centennial NV ran a personal-best 54.37 to win the Nevada 5A state meet.

Boys 400m - 3:10 p.m. 

It’s No. 1 versus No. 2 in this boys 400, featuring Mead CO’s Tavon Underwood and Westlake GA’s Sidi Njie.

Coming off a historic Colorado 4A state meet, Underwood is poised to be the early favorite after running a Colorado state record 45.36 seconds. However, Njie isn’t far behind.

The Westlake sophomore, who finished sixth in this event at last year’s Brooks meet, had a massive PR at his state meet, dipping under 46 seconds for the time in his career to run 45.46, winning the state title by almost a full second. 

Jayden Davis of Mountain Pointe, the Arizona state champion and record holder, is also bringing in momentum off a 46.24 effort at the Great Southwest Classic. 

Sophomore Jonathan Simms of Allen TX is among the mix of talented underclassmen in this field as he holds a lifetime best time of 46.35. 

Girls 800m - 3:35 p.m.

Two-time returning champion Ali Ince of Normal Community IL looks to bounce back in the win column to reclaim her Brooks title after finishing sixth in the girls mile at the HOKA Festival of Miles, despite running a personal-best effort of 4:43.67.

The junior is US#2 at 2:03.17 but has yet to run close to that time since the Arcadia Invitational.

Within a close second of Ince is another Arcadia competitor, Niwot CO’s Madison Shults, who finished third in that race in a personal-best 2:04.28, and Hannah Riggins of Del Norte CA, who finished fourth in 2:06.69. 

Park Tudor IN Gretchen Farley is peaking at the right time of the year following an Indiana state meet where she won the 800 in a lifetime-best 2:04.95 effort.

Lucas Lovejoy TX’s Kailey Littlefield, fourth last year, will be another to watch, featuring a personal-best 2:07.02.

Cicero-North Syracuse NY’s Kate Putman (2:06.50), Flower Mound TX’s Nicole Humphries (2:08.30), Sandy Creek GA Isis Grant (2:09.26i) and Newton South MA’s Amelia Everett (2:06.19) are in the mix as well.

Boys 800m – 3:40 p.m.

Last year’s boys 800 could be hard to top after five athletes broke 1:50. This year’s field could match that or perhaps go faster.

At the front of the pack are Hinsdale IL’s Dan Watcke and Red Mountain AZ’s Tyler Mathews. Watcke stands at US#2 following his impressive 1:48.59 to win the high school boys 800 race at the HOKA Festival of Miles. Mathews, on the other hand, is right there with Watcke at 1:48.72 from the Arizona state meet.

Another sub 1:49 runner to watch is Alex Leath of Vestavia Hills AL (1:48.46).

The name to really keep an eye out for is Tinoda Matsatsa of St. Andrew’s Episcopal MA. The New Balance Nationals Indoor champion in the 800 has been having a senior year unlike any other, with his most recent run being a sub-4-minute mile effort at the HOKA Festival of Miles in 3:58.70.

Making their return to Brooks in this race will be Hagerty FL’s Miguel Pantojas, fifth in 1:49.90, and Wilsonville OR’s Carter Cutting, seventh in 1:50.24.

Andrew Regnier of Wanuakee WI brings his talents back to the West Coast since racing at Arcadia, running 1:49.35.

Newbury Park CA’s Aaron Sahlman, who ran 1:49.07 at Arcadia, is entered despite dropping out of the mile at the Hoka Festival of Miles.

Donavan Brazier ran the meet record time of 1:47.55 back in 2015.

Girls 100m Hurdles – 3:55 p.m.

Redemption is what Somerset Academy FL’s Aleesa Samuel is seeking in the 100 hurdles.

As a freshman at last year’s meet, Samuel finished second to Jaiya Covington but has vastly improved on her times since. Now as a sophomore, Samuel ranks #3 in the U.S. with a time of 13.26.

Almost a year since qualifying for the U.S. U20 team, Akala Garrett of Albemarle NC looks to claim another title in the Pacific Northwest, with an opportunity to capture the Brooks crown in the 100 hurdles.

Garrett is first in the nation this season in the 300 hurdles at 40.26, but has run 13.47 in the 100 hurdles, sitting at US#10.

Just ahead of her on the nation’s list is Woodward Academy senior Olivia Powell. The Georgia 6A state champion ran a personal-best 13.44 a month ago and is currently US#8.

Lincoln CA’s Yvette Harris and Oak Park MI’s Nonah Waldron rank #12 and #13, respectively, nationally, with Harris running 13.53 to Waldron’s 13.54. 

Arizona natives Saira Prince of Williams Field, US#9 in 13.58, and Kori Martin of Hamilton, US#17 in 13.61, are in the mix.

Boys 110m Hurdles – 4 p.m.

Two of Texas’ best in Humble Summer Creek’s Donovan Bradley and Fort Bend Marshall’s Arveyon Davis will be tested with Tennessee’s best in Jakobe Tharp of Rockvale.

Tharp ranks US#2 after racing an impressive 13.32 seconds at the Tennessee Division 1 3A state meet, winning by over 1.2 seconds.

Davis claimed the Texas 5A state title in a personal-best 13.55 and Bradley, fifth at last year’s Brooks meet, was second in the 6A race but ran a 13.42 at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. Bradley and Davis are fourth and eighth, respectively, in the country with wind-aided times.

Months after healing a hamstring injury, Squalicum WA’s Andre Korbmacher has returned to race shape with a 13.55 wind-aided effort in May, ranking him ninth in the nation. The reigning Nike Outdoor Nationals champion will get his first crack at national competition since racing at the AAU West Coast National Championships last July. 

Girls 100m – 4:15 p.m.

Brooks has been known to field talented distance races, but this year’s girls 100 is the blockbuster event.

It’s a battle between the West Coast’s best and East Coast’s elite, with Lake Oswego OR’s Mia Brahe-Pedersen taking on South Granville’s NC Shawnti Jackson in what could be the greatest high school girls 100 race in history.

Jackson, the reigning Brooks champion, made headlines when she broke the high school national record in the girls 100, running a wind-legal 10.89 seconds at the Music City Track Festival in Nashville earlier this month.

Brahe-Pedersen, who ran 11.00 in the Oregon 6A state final, will look to dip under the 11 second barrier for the first time and perhaps take down the junior class record that was also the overall national record held by Brianna Williams in 10.94.

Bear Creek WA’s Braelyn Baker makes her Brooks debut week after setting the all-time Washington record in the girls 300 hurdles, running a US #7 time of 41.02. The junior has run 11.65 in the 100 this season.

Rachael Uvieghara from Palm Harbor University ran a US#15 time of 11.38 at the Florida 4A state meet.

Boys 100m – 4:20 p.m.

Underwood will make the turnaround from the 400 to the 100 in hope of capturing two Brooks titles in one meet. 

The Mead CO standout holds a personal-best 10.67 in the 100, but will be challenged by fellow Colorado Native, Lutheran-Parker Joe Ciccio, who defeated Underwood at the Colorado 4A state meet in the 100 in a personal best time of 10.53.

Pickerington Central OH’s Troy Lane and El Cerrito CA’s Robert Stitts are the top two athletes in the field, with Lane bringing in the top time of 10.28 and Stitts in second at 10.31.

Sanford Seminole FL’s Amari Turner is another sub 10.4 athlete with a time of 10.37.

Sehome WA’s Jake Andrews, reigning Nike Outdoor Nationals 400 champion, has signed up for both the 100 and 400, but will opt to run just the 100, which he ran in 10.47 this season. He was fourth in the event at last year’s Brooks meet.

Girls Mile – 4:49 p.m.

It goes without saying last year’s girls mile was the deepest field in prep history, featuring seven girls breaking 4:40, highlighted by Juliette Whittaker's meet-record 4:36.72.

This year’s field is just as talented, with Richland County IL’s Tatum David, Cornwall Central NY’s Karrie Baloga, Oaks Christian CA’s Payton Godsey, Air Academy CO’s Bethany Michalak and much more.

David ran a US #2 4:37.79 mile at the HOKA Festival of Miles to bring in the top time and both Godsey and Michalak have both run 4:44 for the 1,600.

Baloga hasn’t raced a mile since Nike Indoor Nationals, when she ran 4:39.96 to place second overall.

Flower Mound TX’s Samantha Humphries was in the mix of the girls mile at the HOKA Festival of Miles, finishing second overall in a US #5 time of 4:41.93.

La Jolla CA freshman Chiara Dailey brings in a personal-best 4:42.69 as the youngest competitor in the field.

Timpview UT’s Jane Hedengren and DuPont Manual KY’s Jessica Secor have taken the nation by storm this spring in the 1,600, with Hedengren running a US #7 4:39.53 and Secor running a US #10 4:40.41.

Dana Hills CA's Allura Markow (4:44.5, mile), Millennium AZ’s Landen LeBlond (4:42.84, 1,600), and Valley Christian AZ’s Lauren Ping (4:43.26, 1,600) round out the field.

Boys Mile – 4:57 p.m.

Who will be worthy of joining Birnbaum in the Brooks sub-4 mile club?

Last year’s historic race saw the first sub-4 in meet history as Birnbaum ran 3:59.51. While he dipped under that barrier, four other runners were within seconds of it, including St. Raphael RI’s Devan Kipyego. 

Kipyego ran 4:00.64 to place third at last year’s meet and will be eyeing sub-4 this week when he returns to Brooks, along with a handful of other top-tier runners looking to make a name for themselves.

One runner that has broken four this season is Dowling Catholic IA’s Jackson Heidesch. The senior ran 3:59.08 in that historically fast high school boys mile at the HOKA Festival of Miles. 

Orem UT’s Tayson Echohawk (4:01.07) and Trinity Academy KS’s Clay Shively (4:01.47) were among competitors in that field in St. Louis that were close to breaking four minutes. They will get another crack at it this week in Renton.

Delbarton NJ’s Collin Boler (4:04.05), Rocky Mountain ID’s Tyler Sainsbury (4:05.41), Carmel IN’s Kole Mathison (4:06.48i) and Central Catholic OR’s Wesley Shipsey (4:07.63) are all seniors aiming at that four-minute barrier before heading off to college this fall.

Mercer Island WA’s Owen Powell is the youngest athlete in the field as a sophomore with a time of 4:07.87.