Photo by Sam Chandler
Drew Williams
Drew Williams eases up after winning the Class 7A 1,600 meter state title at the 2016 AHSAA State Indoor Track and Field Championships.
The Mountain Brook boys 4x800-meter relay team entered New Balance Nationals Indoor projected to finish outside the top 10.
On Saturday evening in New York, New York, Charlie Slaughter, Griffin Riley, Gram Denning and Drew Williams exceeded expectations.
Lowering its season-best time by more than 12 seconds, the Spartan quartet posted a second-place finish in the event to capture All-America honors.
Their time of 7 minutes, 45.58 seconds is the fastest mark in Alabama high school track and field history.
Smiths Station set the previous record of 7:48.77 in 2007.
Averaging a fraction over 1:56 per leg, Mountain Brook won its section—the slow heat—by more than four seconds. Due to its entry time, the relay did not qualify for the second, faster section.
Dublin RC (Ohio) clinched the national title with a time of 7:45.27.
Slaughter ran the Spartans’ opening leg in 1:58.90, followed by Riley’s 1:55.86. Denning, a freshman, split 1:58.2 before Williams blistered the anchor leg in 1:52.62.
The 2016 state runner-up at 800 meters, Williams’ time was a personal record by three seconds.
But he didn’t stop there.
Williams came back Sunday and posted a two-second personal best in the Boys Championship mile, crossing the line in 4:13.4 to nab a 12th-place finish. Earlier this season, he set the state 1,600-meter record with a mark of 4:15.84.
Denning also doubled back on the final day of competition, running 4:39.42 to place 20th in the Freshman mile.
Frances Patrick, the reigning indoor 1,600 and 3,200-meter champion, posted a fifth-place finish on Saturday in the Emerging Elite division of the girls mile. Her time of 5:02.72 bested her previous indoor record by over five seconds.
