Top Moments of the Meet (3): Steele Picks Off an 800 Meet Record
It looked going in as if the 800 might be a Colorado-dominated event. And, in this case, looks were not deceiving.
But, in the middle of a race bookended by Colorado leads, Nevada star Alexis Gourrier seemed to have things in control. Gourrier had patiently let MaLeigha Menegatti set a stiff pace on the first lap, then took over the lead when Menegatti pace started running on fumes.
And, as Gourrier started turning up the heat on lap three, it was only Chantae Steele who answered the challenge. Steele boldly made the pass with about a lap remaining in the four-lap affair, then made it stick with an assertive final lap.
Meanwhile, both Emily Gallegos-Francksen and MaLeigha Menegatti took advantage of a spent Gourrier and made it a solid 1-2-3 finish for the Colorado delegation.
Steele's 2:19.88 was the first sub-2:20 effort in meet history, which seems a little on the side of odd. But, now that the water is over the dam, who knows what happens in years to come...