Idaho athletes won two national track titles. One nearly set an all-time U.S. record
Recent Boise High grad Noe Kemper already had one national steeplechase championship under his belt. The Dartmouth commit added another Saturday, running one of the fastest times for a high school athlete in U.S. history.
Kemper dusted the field at the New Balance Nationals in Philadelphia, crossing the finish line in the 2,000-meter steeplechase in 5 minutes, 43.50 seconds. He finished 5.65 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher for the fastest time by a male high school athlete this year.
He also came within 2.78 seconds of the all-time U.S. high school record in the steeplechase, settling for the third fastest time in his age group’s history and his second national title.
Kemper previously won the steeplechase at the Nike Outdoor Nationals last year at 6:01.48. The Dartmouth signee chose to go to Philadelphia this summer seeking better competition.
“It’s pretty unreal,” Kemper said. “I didn’t expect anything like that going into Nike (last year). It’s so cool to have those two things to look back at with my high school career.
“I recognize the steeplechase is not quite on the same level of competitiveness as the 800 or the 1 mile or the 2 mile. But it’s a huge thing, and I’m excited to continue doing that in college where it’s a more respected and competed-in event.”
Idaho high school track meets rarely offer the steeplechase, giving Kemper fewer live opportunities to hone his skills. But he set his sights on the national record after winning the event at Boise Relays and the Oregon Relays in April, coming within 13 seconds of the national record in Eugene.
The race in Philadelphia got off to a slow start as runners eyed a late move, likely costing Kemper a shot at the U.S. record. But he took the lead earlier than planned on the water jump in the second lap, then turned on the jets and took down the meet record.
“I made the plan to put myself in a position where it could be potentially touchable,” Kemper said. “I executed the first part but didn’t quite have what was left. Races can go differently, and had the start been smoother, I could have been in contention.”
Kemper captured 5A state titles in the 800 (1:53.18) and 4x800 relay (7:52.05) for Boise this spring. He and the Boise coaching staff regularly dedicated time to hurdle work with an eye on summer steeplechase races. They couldn’t simulate dropping into a pool of water, often using a sandpit as a stand-in.
But that didn’t slow Kemper down.
“At this point, he’s done enough steeples to really practice and perfect the water jump,” Boise coach Aaron Olswanger said. “Once you figure out how to do it, it’s like riding a bike.”
ROCKY MOUNTAIN CROWNED AT NIKE
The Grizzlies’ 4x100 boys relay team set an all-classification record at the 5A state meet last month at 41.19 seconds. Rocky Mountain added to its title haul Saturday with a first-place finish at the Nike Outdoor Nationals.
Jacob Shade, Kaiden Kimble Turner, Parker Simmonsen and Braden Ankeny combined to turn in a time of 41.72 seconds at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. The quartet ran under the name Lighthouse Track Club and finished 0.22 seconds ahead of a relay team from Canby, Oregon.
Other notable finishes from Nike included incoming Highland junior Spencer Van Orden, who finished third in the 400 hurdles (51.94) and fourth in the 110 hurdles (13.87), and Centennial grad Kai Twaddle-Dunham, who finished fourth in the discus (58.51 meters).
Boise’s Nadia Kouskov recorded a pair of second-place finishes in the 1,600 (5:11.83) and 1 mile (5:13.33) in the middle school division.
This story was originally published June 20, 2024 at 11:15 AM.
