2020 Texas A&M High School Indoor Classic
Freshman year, we saw a young Bailey Goggans open up her high school career in the 400m at the 2018 Texas A&M High School Indoor Classic. The Marble Falls freshman ran an impressive 56.99 in the finals as an introduction to the Texas high school track and field scene.
Ever since then, Goggans has been nothing less than impressive. Later that season, she placed third at the UIL 5A state meet in the 400m with a 55.43 SB.
It wasn't far into the outdoor season, that year, that we learned how dominant of a presence she was going to be in the 800m distance. Goggans ran a SB that season of 2:09.76 and won state in the event.
Last year, she further cemented herself as one of the best athletes in Texas as she improve and impress in both events. As a sophomore, she ran PRs of 54.71 and 2:06.61 and won two more state titles.
After this weekend, we now know that Goggans is much more than a speed based runner. There is no doubt that she has the qualities to run elite times in both the 400m and the 800m. But, we are learning how much range she has and her resume' is an ongoing amendment.
At the 2020 Texas A&M High School Indoor Classic, she put a big mark on her resume' with her effort in the Mile. Goggans ran a very fast 4:53.73 to break the previous meet record and set the top time in the country for juniors.
The mark was an improvement from last seasons, when she ran the mile competitively and had a 5:04 PR. Last cross country season, we saw the evidence of emphasis on endurance based running when she ran more competitively during the cross country season than during her freshman campaign. Her 5K times were good enough to compete with many of the top runners in the state (18:19.70) and she qualified to the state cross country meet.
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What does this mean for Goggans' 2020 path? Will she continue to focus on the 400m and 800m path or will she take a break from that and focus on the 1600/mile this season?
Goggans is a half miler at heart, but nationally, the girls 800m is currently in a historical ridiculously fast state. The event is one of the hottest events in high school track and field.
In 2018, the 10th fastest time was 2:09.73, Athing Mu (NJ) ran 2:06.59 for the top indoor time. During the outdoor season, the 10th fastest time was 2:06.13, With Caitlin Collier (Fl) running 2:00.85 for the top time of the season. Things remained fast in 2019 with Mu leading in 2:03. and the 10th fastest time of the indoor season was 2:08.58. Outdoors, the fastest was 2:01.17 and the 10th fastest was 2:06.27.
In the Girls 800m top ten All-Time rankings, seven have been added from the last five years and five times from the past six years have been added on the indoor list.
However, that isn't scaring or discouraging Goggans away from her event. She is still all in on being the best 800m runner she can be. Marble Falls head track and field coach Chris Schrader said, "We are still working on a base that will allow her to run 2:02 for 800m."
That means, there could be more 1600m and mile races for Goggans this season, but there will still be a fair share of 400s and 800s as well. "I would like to see her break into the low 53s," Schrader said. She will compete later this indoor season the 800m. The current plan is for her to run against the college girls at the Texas Tech meet and then again at the New Balance Nationals Indoor championships.
So, what does the 4:53 mile mean for Goggans? Just that she is a faster miler, but she is still an 400m/800m girl.