Hot 800 Saturday and a near school record for St. John’s junior Nia Holden, a graduate of Highland and transfer from American.
Holden ran 2:10.46 in the ECAC Trials in Boston, advancing to Sunday’s final.
Racing in the 4th and final heat, Holden needed to run faster than 2:10.74 to qualify for the final, so she needed a PR just to advance, and she came up huge with a nearly one-second lifetime best.
She was out fast in 31.21 and 64.11 and after a 33.43 she closed in 32.91.
Holden’s time is No. 2 in St. John’s history and fastest since Stephanie Van Pelt set the school record of 2:09.43 at the 2016 Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.
Holden spent her first three years at American University in Washington, D.C, where she ran 2:14.43 indoors and 2:14.76 outdoors. She ran XC this past fall for American, but two months after her last cross country race for the Eagles, she resurfaced at St. John’s, located in Jamaic, Queens.
It didn’t take her long to enjoy a breakthrough at St. John’s with a 2:11.90 at the Armory in January in her first 800 for the Red Storm. She lowered her PR to 2:11.03 at Boston University last month and then ran 2:11.06 at the Big East Championships two weeks ago in Chicago.
The women’s 800 final at the ECAC Championships is scheduled for 12:20 p.m. Sunday, and Holden will line up in Lane 4.
Here’s a look at the updated St. John’s all-time indoor 800 list:
2:09.43 … Stephanie Van Pelt, 2016
2:10.44 … Nia Holden, 2023
2:10.73 … Chandel Marion, 1990
2:10.82 … Olive Smart, 1998
2:11.42 … Marion Irwink, 1989
2:11.99 … Theresa Jaeger, 1980
2:12.06 … Marlow Shulz, 2015
2:12.57 … Veronica Thompson, 2014
2:13.09 … Dina Carpena, 1992
2:13.54 … Jasmine Barreto, 2006
Holden ran 2:18.00 indoors and 2:14.96 outdoors at Highland.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 