Who needs an indoor season? Cranny needed just one race for US #8 all-time 2:06.47 800

No one really knew about Elise Cranny at last year’s New Balance Nationals. But the gifted senior from Colorado quickly made a name for herself by surprising the competition with a meet record of 4:40.62 in the mile run.  

Fast forward to a year later and among other impressive accolades, Cranny was the individual winner of the Junior 6K at the USA Cross-Country Championships in February, a race that featured some top-level Division I college freshmen.

Now you can also add another national indoor title.

Opting to compete in the 800-meter run instead of defending her crown in the mile at the New Balance Nationals, the senior from Niwot produced the same results inside The Armory with a winning and nation-leading time of 2 minutes, 6.47 seconds.

Cranny dictated the pace from the start and covered the first 200m in 30-seconds flat. She hit the opening 400m at 61.5, leading a tight pack that included Michigan’s Ersula Farrow of Gross Pointe, New Jersey’s Corinne Myers of Westwood and Rhode Island’s Maddy Berkson of Classical, last year’s third-place finisher.

“(The first 400m) definitely felt faster than I thought it was,” Cranny said. “I thought we were going to be a lot faster than 30 seconds for the first 200 because it felt a lot faster. After that, I kind of fell into a rhythm and it felt good.”

The Stanford-bound runner was solo by the time she hit the 600m (1:33). Placing second was Farrow at 2:08.92, while Myers finished third in 2:09.02.

Cranny, who placed second to Alexa Efraimson at the Nike Cross-Country Nationals this past December, admitted it was a little different competing at the NBN this weekend as compared to 2013.  

“Last year no one really knew about me so I kind of even surprised myself. I had nothing to lose,” she said. “This year was like a lot different. But I am glad I was able to change it up and run the 800.”

 

Championship Girls 800m (View Official Results)

F 800 Meter Run - Finals  
Place Overall Athlete Team Result Heat  
1 1 Cranny, Elise Niwot High School 2:06.47 4  
2 2 Farrow, Ersula Grosse Pointe South 2:08.92 4  
3 3 Myers, Corinne Westwood HS 2:09.02 4  
4 4 Harris, Jessica Mount De Sales Academy 2:10.25 4  
5 5 Lyle, Veronica Hewitt-Trussville HS 2:10.52 4  
6 6 Dodge, Blake West Carteret 2:11.21 1  
7 7 Looker, Aleta Ellsworth High School 2:11.58 4  
8 8 Fray, Jazmine Kellenberg Memorial 2:11.68 3  
9 9 Gallagher, Emma Garden City 2:12.21 3  
10 10 Dilandro, Deanna Ramapo HS 2:12.32 2  
11 11 Agana, Amanda Fayetteville High School 2:12.34 1  
12 12 Bendzinsk, Chrissy Rham High School 2:12.82 4  
13 13 McCabe, Molly Bishop Guertin High School 2:13.11 2  
14 14 Jaskot, Erin Tappan Zee 2:13.25 3  
15 15 Grove, Ellison Battlefield 2:13.42 4  
16 16 Walker, Sarah Germantown Friends School 2:13.59 1  
17 17 Holt, Rebeka Western Tech 2:13.88 1  
18 18 Berkson, Maddy Classical High School 2:14.01 4  
19 19 Flynn, Bridget Ocean City HS 2:14.64 2  
20 20 Livingston, Abigail Barrington High School 2:15.01 1  
21 21 Feist, Jackie Birmingham Groves 2:15.35 1  
22 22 Drop, Jessica Coginchaug High School 2:15.53 2  
23 23 Brown, Claire Villa Maria Academy 2:15.86 2  
24 24 Shupe, Alyssa Jefferson Forest 2:16.25 2  
25 25 Welzer, Christina Northern Valley HS - Demarest 2:16.54 2  
26 26 Wilson-Jones, Yazmin Port Richmond 2:16.77 3  
27 27 Beazley, Kennedy Saline 2:16.83 2  
28 29 Hughes, Kaleigh Needham High School 2:17.02 3  
29 30 Hergenrother, Laura Ridgefield High School 2:17.17 3  
30 31 Hefnawy, Erica Staples High School 2:17.62 3  
31 32 Greenwalt, Casey T.C. Roberson 2:18.07 2  
32 33 Manickas-Hill, Olivia Lexington High School 2:18.21 3  
33 34 Hardie, Sarah Elwood / John Glenn 2:22.42 1  
34 35 Hayes, Kelly Pearl River 2:23.13 3