Sprinters Pyatt, Rose lead outstanding Bulldog Invite NSAF Select Meet

by Steve Underwood


Aaliyah Pyatt blasted to a pair of US#1s in a stellar 300m/500m double, while Cameron Rose made it a pair of national leaders at the shorter distance during an outstanding 2020 Bulldog Invitational this past Saturday at the Liberty Track & Field Complex in Lynchburg, VA.

The event, hosted and directed by Liberty Christian Academy head coach Halle Paauw and in its 12th year, celebrated its debut as an NSAF Select Meet by welcoming a record 116 teams from Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland. The total number of athletes competing was about 2,000, second most in meet history.

In addition to the three nation-leading marks – two by Pyatt (photo at right by Mary Ann Magnant, Milestat.com) and one by Rose – there were five other Virginia state leaders. Several others were very close, or were current state leaders who just missed their bests. Seven new meet records were set.

The meet was livestreamed by MileStat.com, part of the Milesplit.com and Flotrack network. Here are some key coverage links from the site:

Milestat’s Bulldog Invitational Home Page | Full Results | Meet Event Videos | Mary Ann Magnant Meet Photos

The meet’s biggest highlights included:

  • Twin US#1s and meet records 1:13.02 500m and 38.29 300m girls’ dashes by Aaliyah Pyatt (Massaponax, VA jr) – who is also part of Team NSAF for the upcoming Reykjavik Indoor Games in Iceland. She improved her previous US#1 marks of 38.29 and 1:14.49 and moved to VA #4 and #6 all-time. Two others went under 40 seconds in the 300m, including freshman Madison Whyte (Heritage, VA) at 38.99. Whyte already is the best VA frosh ever at 38.85, just 0.32 off the 9th-grade national record.
  • US#1 and meet record 33.79 boys’ 300m by Cameron Rose (Hickory Ridge NC sr), winning by more than a second and nipping Randolph Ross’s North Carolina state record by .01! Rose also won the 55m dash in 6.45. Last June, Rose was 3rd in the NBNO 100 and 4th in the 200 and, as a soph in ’18, he won the NBNO Emerging Elite 200.
  • US#2, VA#1 and meet record 23-10.5 boys’ long jump by Devin Daye-Schafer (Manchester VA sr), a PR by 22 inches and giving him the state lead in both horizontals.
  • US#1/VA#1 4:57.58 1,600m and VA#2 10:56.67 3,200m girls’ distance double by Bethany Graham (John Champe, VA sr) – both meet records. The 3,200 was just .09 off Ava Gordon’s state lead. Graham, who has 4 state titles in XC and track, was 3rd at the GAXC Nike ROC last fall and 20th at Foot Locker Finals.
  • 2:30.37 meet record boys’ 1,000m by Sam Rodman (Liberty (Bealeton) VA jr), nipping VA Episcopal sr Daniel O’Brien (VA/US#2 2:30.45) and Harrisonburg VA jr David Beck (VA/US#4 2:31.48). Rodman is already the state and national leader in the event with his 2:29.66 PR.
  • US#5/VA#2 7.36 boys’ 55mH PR by Michael Bourne (Cosby VA jr), topping Patriot VA sr Marcus Wilson’s 7.51 (VA#3). Bourne was 2nd in the NBNO EE 110H last spring.
  • 8.11 meet record girls’ 60mH by Zariyah Black (Eastern Guilford, NC jr), just off her US#5 8.00 PR from earlier this winter.
  • VA#1 and meet record PR 15-6 boys’ pole vault by Drew Philhower (Benedictine, VA sr), as three soared 15 feet or better. He was the VISAA champ last winter.
  • VA#1 and meet record 12-6 girls’ pole vault by Jamie Macecevic (North Stafford, VA sr). She’s already US#5 at her 12-10 PR from December and was 3rd last spring in the NBNO EE vault.
  • VA#1 18-8.75 girls’ long jumps for Mekhia McCounts (Maury VA sr) and Alaysia Oakes (Heritage VA soph), with McCounts winning on a better backup jump.
  • VA#1 56-5 boys’ shot put by Carlos Alexander (Hermitage VA jr), who was the outdoor 5A state champ last spring.
  • VA#3 1:30.83 meet record boys’ 4x200m relay by Norview VA, winning by 1.51 seconds.
  • VA#3 1:43.72 girls’ 4x200m relay by Highland Springs VA, just edging Oscar Smith VA’s 1:43.79.
  • VA#4 7.16 meet record girls’ 55m dash by Junyce Hunsberry (Maury VA sr), the defending 5A state champ in the event.

 

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