Twice before, Carlsbad High School Makenna Herbst ran faster than the section 800-meter record. Neither one counted.
When the Arkansas-bound senior scorched a time of 2 minutes, 4.72 seconds in Saturday’s Meet of Champions at El Monte’s Arroyo High School, however, she shattered the 2:06.51 standard set by Poway’s Tessa Buswell in winning the state championship a year ago.
Last summer Herbst ran 2:06.45 at the Nike Nationals, but because it was after the state meet, it could not count for the section best. Likewise, her personal-best 2:03.83 at the New Balance National Indoor meet earlier this month could not count for the record as she ran for her club.
This time, there was no doubt about the outcome of the race.
Herbst was more than seven seconds faster than runner-up freshman Grace Smith of Claremont (Southern Section), who recorded a personal-best 2:11.77.
It’s not just the No. 1 time in the state, it’s the top time in the nation, well ahead of the 2:07.69 by JSerra’s Anne Elise Packard.
Earlier, Herbst said she hoped to get the section record at Arcadia on April 12. She will now set her sights on the state record of 2:02.04 set by Harvard-Westlake’s Amy Weissenbach in 2011.
The meet was an elite competition, offering only 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter events.
Not to be outdone, Sage Creek junior Josiah Bowman ran the fourth-fastest time in San Diego Section history when he won the boys 800 in 1:50.39 — just in front of JSerra’s Alden Morales’ 1:50.80.
Those also are the two best times in the state this year.
Fast races were not restricted to the Meet of Champions as Makenna Herbst’s twin sister, Morgan, came within .06 of her own section record in the 300-meter hurdles, winning the Falcon Relays at Torrey Pines in 41.32 seconds.
Morgan Herbst, who is also going to Arkansas in the fall, won the state championship last spring, setting the section standard of 41.26.
San Diego High’s Anisa Bowen-Fontenot didn’t need an invitational as she zipped to a state-leading 13.70 in the 100-meter hurdles in a dual meet, just off her section record of 13.59. She is the only runner in the state under 14 seconds this season.
Del Norte’s Paige Echsner moved to No. 1 in the state in the pole vault when she cleared 13 feet in a dual meet.
All are expected to compete in Saturday’s Mt. Carmel Invitational.
