Cerake Geberkidane and Dior Hall made their presence felt with big wins in Saturday's Simplot Games finals. All photos by H. Michael Roberts/Roberts Imaging.
In a dramatic reversal of the trend of recent years, Colorado is moving forward into Simplot's finals in massive numbers.
The Simplot Games, arguably the best indoor track & field for high school athletes in the West annually, get underway on Thursday and lasts through the weekend at Idaho State University's Holt Arena in Pocatello.
Thursday action at Simplot is limited to 3200 and 1600 prelims, plus the weight throw, but it's been a successful evening for Colorado nevertheless.
Simply stated, the Simplot Games is the biggest high school indoor track and field extravaganza west of the Mississippi.
After a concussion forced him to give up the sport of football as a tenth grader, Daniel Haugh quickly found a new sport which he was the one doing the pounding in throwing metal implements great distances in the throwing events of track & field. In a two year span, Haugh has elevated himself to be the nation's best in the weight throw. Last month, the St. Pius X High School senior and member of the incredibly successful Throw 1 Deep club, launched a US #1 mark of 78'5" at the KYA High School Indoor Classic in Johnson City, Tennessee. MileSplit US interviewed Haugh as he gears up for his final month of competition this indoor season
Being the best distance runner in his state of Idaho as a sophomore and junior, Elijah Armstrong has often had to travel great distance to find equal or better competition. The expensive and long trips have been rewarding though. He ran a 3200 PR of 9:04 as a freshmen at the Arcadia Invitational in California. Armstrong won the New Balance Indoor Nationals title in the 5K last March at the Armory in New York City with a national sophomore class record time of 14:54. He achieved his 5K PR of 14:28 with a third place finish at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina. No plane was needed to get the Pocatello High School junior Armstrong over to Boise State University this past weekend when he posted a US #1 time of 9:08 in the two mile and came back the next day to win the mile in a new PR time of 4:16. A sixth place finisher in December's Foot Locker Nationals, Armstrong was interviewed by MileSplit US fresh off his distance double in Boise and starts to turn his attention to the big hometown meet that most know nationally as the Simplot Games in mid February.