2011 New Balance Nationals Indoor, Day 1: Stunning 5,000m records by Verzbicas & Neer! by Chris Lotsbom, note by Larry Eder

Waverly Neer, breaks girls 5,000m HSR,
New Balance Nationals Indoor, photo by PhotoRun.net.

The 2011 New Balance Nationals Indoor opened with a night of amazing distance running! While many would consider anytime Lukas Verzbicas races, that the possibility of a record is there, the girl’s 5,000 meter record was truly unforeseen.

Lukas Verzbicas, photo from 2011 NB Indoor Grand Prix, photo by PhotoRun.net.

Lukas Verzbicas, alone after the kilometer, put 43 seconds on his competitors as he broke his own High School record for the 5,000 meters, by eleven seconds! Verzbicas ran 14:06.78!

Waverly Neer, a freshman, broke the girl’s high school record by eight seconds, running a fine 16:35.15. What an evening-the continued crowning of Oregon bound Verzbicas as one of the greats of high school distance running and the revelation of a new girl high school distance phenom! Congrats to the New Balance 2011 Nationals Indoor for opening day 1 with such a night of records!

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TWO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL RECORDS SET IN DAY ONE OF NEW BALANCE NATIONALS
By Chris Lotsbom

NEW YORK CITY (11-Mar) —
Running all by their lonesome, two national high school records were set
in the opening day of competition here at the New Balance Nationals
Indoor meet in New York City. Lukas Verzbicas and Waverly Neer
established themselves as two of the best high school runners in the
country, winning the boy’s and girl’s 5000m races in commanding fashion.

Verzbicas, 18, lapped the
entire field on his way to claiming the title. Running all alone after
the first 200m, the Lithuanian born athlete passed the kilometer in
2:44. “Maybe I went out a little
fast, but at the beginning it felt very easy,” stated the confident
senior, who will attend the University of Oregon in the fall.

Slowing a bit in the second
half, Verzbicas eventually crossed the line in 14:06.78, 43 seconds
ahead of the next closest competitor.

“I wasn’t nervous at all,” said the confident winner, who will also compete in the mile and two-mile on Sunday.

Verzbicas’s time is eleven
seconds faster than the previous record, 14:18.42, his own which was set
when he was a freshman in 2009.

“There was nowhere in my mind that doubted I couldn’t get the national record. But I did expect a little more out of myself.”

Waverly Neer, 2011 NB Nationals Indoor, photo by PhotoRun.net

The surprise of the night
came in the girl’s 5000m, where Waverly Neer ran a near-perfect tactical
race to earn her own national high school record.

Waverly Neer, 2011 NB Nationals Indoor, en route, 5,000m HSR, photo by PhotoRun.net

Staying behind
Kathryn Fluehr for the first half of the race, Neer bided her time,
waiting for the right moment to move into the lead.

Neer, bidding her time, 2011 NB Nationals Indoor 5,000m, photo by PhotoRun.net.

That moment came with less
than a thousand meters to go. With a quick surge, Neer found herself in
front, all alone and a half mile from becoming the national champion.

Waverly Neer shattering 5,000m HSR, 2011 NB Nationals Indoor, photo by PhotoRun.net

Crossing the line in 16:35.15, Neer shattered Brianna Jackucewicz’s previous national high school record of 16:43.02.

“Never as a freshman did I
think I would be a national champion, let alone record holder,” said
Neer.The New Balance National Indoor meet continues Saturday and Sunday.

Waverly Neer sets 5,000m HSR, 2011 NB Nationals Indoor, by PhotoRun.net

Author

Larry Eder
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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