Williams Clocks State-Leading Times at Redondo/Nike Invite

Despite running her two best races of the season, Palisades High senior Marissa Williams was more impressed with the performance of a future teammate at last weekend’s Redondo Nike Invitational.

Williams clocked a national-leading 10:25.93 in the 3,200 meters in ideal conditions Friday evening at Redondo Union High and followed that with a state-best 4:55.79 in the 1,600 meters.

“Breaking nine for two miles… that’s insane!” Willliams exclaimed, referring to the national-leading 8:56.69 two-mile effort turned in by fellow Cal signee Robert Brandt of Loyola. “I would die trying to run that fast.”

Williams won the eight-lapper  by almost a full 30 seconds over Burbank’s Candela Fernandez and was fractions off her career-best 10:25.02, which she clocked at the Arcadia Invitational last season.

In the 1,600 she separated from the field at the gun and ran the anchor lap in a blazing 70 seconds  for her third-fastest time. Her personal record in the mile is 4:51.19, which she achieved at the state preliminaries as a sophomore in 2013. She clocked 4:52.32 at last year’s state prelims and followed with a 4:53.64 in the finals the next day.

The impressive double in Redondo Beach qualified Williams for the Arcadia Invitational in April.

“I tied my two-mile time which is good because I was terrible [at state] last year,” Williams said. “In the mile my third lap was really bad, but the last one was good. That’s the best I’ve done solo without anyone pushing me.”

Palisades’ Natalie Marsh was 23rd in the mile in 11:37.29 and 38th in the two-mile (5:34.95). Freshman Jessica Agege was eighth in the varsity 400 meters in 1:01.10 and Nicole Figueroa was second in the frosh/soph 800.

For the varsity boys, senior Shane Brouwer was 30th in 9:49.71, sophomore Jakob Pollack was 40th in 9:55.58. Junior Connor Smith clocked 10:18.30. Pollack ran the 1,600 in 4:44.57.  Raynard Beckham ran 11.28 in the 100 and  Brandon Joseph  clocked 11.38.

Finn Cawley was 16th in the frosh/soph 800 in 2:13.17,  Kelechi Okoh was second in the frosh/soph triple jump (40’11.5”) and Bailey Jones was sixth in 38’07.”