Patrick Hilby and Ali Ince once earned silver medals at the Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle.
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Renton, WA- The Seattle area is a hidden gem and a great place to visit. The Space Needle downtown, the Pacific Northwest, has Mount Rainier and pleasant but temperamental weather. In the case of the Brooks PR Invitational, held at Renton Municipal Stadium, it was on a windy day, but it did not affect times as much as one would think.
It was another historic day for the distance area as the girls' and boys ' two-mile races all-time lists were laced. Allie Zealand of Virgiinia continued her winning ways, dropping a US#1 and #2 all-time 9:41.76. She clocked a blistering 2:15 over the final mile. For the boys, the wildly successful Drew Griffith of Pennsylvania dashed away from a talented field on the final lap in 59.70 and netted the second fastest time, 8:31.42. Only the 8:29.46 by Lukas Verzbicas of Sandburg HS from 2011 stands in the way.
Once again, Illinois produced a valiant effort in sleepless Seattle. Allison Ince was the first one up in the 800m. Against the toughest field she has ever faced outdoors, the newly minted prep mile record holder junior Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura, California, stood in the way of the recent graduate of Normal Community HS.
Ince, in her customary style, took command of the race, leading and pressing the pace on a windy backstretch. She hit the first 400 in 61.4 and appeared to be in control. Meanwhile, Engelhardt did not seem concerned, sitting just a few strides back. Bidding time, it seemed, and later, it was true. Engelhardt stormed past Ince with momentum and roared home for the win in 2:03.99. Ince denied her four-peat and took the consolation prize at 2:05.52.
Though the process differed, the boy's 800m race produced a fate similar to that of the girl. Tyler Mathews of Arizona led an honest 400 in 52.3 and through the 600m in 1:19.5. Enter Patrick Hilby of Aurora Central Catholic. His patience behind Mathews wore thin as he moved off the final curve and seemed to have the advantage toward another victory. However, the incredible kick from third place, Cooper Lutkenhaus, zoomed past a stunned Hilby. For Lutkenhaus, he is a freshman who copped the number one time in the country, 1:47.58. He also set another freshman record and put the venerable national record of 1:46.45 by Michael Granville on notice. It has withstood several attacks since being set in 1996. Not to be forgotten was Trey Sato of Grayslake Central. Sato produced the seventh fastest time in state history behind Hilby's #2 with 1:49.30, good for a medal standing third place.
In the junior high school
Patrick Hilby and Ali Ince once earned silver medals at the Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle.
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Renton, WA- The Seattle area is a hidden gem and a great place to visit. The Space Needle downtown, the Pacific Northwest, has Mount Rainier and pleasant but temperamental weather. In the case of the Brooks PR Invitational, held at Renton Municipal Stadium, it was on a windy day, but it did not affect times as much as one would think.
Patrick Hilby and Ali Ince once earned silver medals at the Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle.