Recent Midland Christian graduate Caden Norris and Manvel rising senior Adam Mason had themselves quite the track meet this weekend at the 2020 AAU Junior Olympic Games.
Norris entered the 2020 season with a 1:59.56 all-time personal best wen he finished third place at the 2019 TAPPS State Championships. He ran a PR in his first 800m race of the season back on March 6th; little did he know, that would be his only race at the distance in his high school career.
COVID-19 struck in the USA and changed life as we knew it while ending the track and field season and Norris' senior year. However, he kept training with a purpose eventually traveling down to Satellite HS (Fl) to compete in this weekend's AAU Junior Olympic Games.
Norris began his 800m prelim in decent position using the final 200m to make a big move and push to the finish line for the heat win and a qualifying time of 1:55.79 and a new personal best. That best mark didn't last long as he returned for the final. Norris got out to a fast start with his 53 low 400m split and he used a big last 100m kick to improve his time by three seconds to a 1:52.31.
If two personal best times in two days and four seconds off the best time he entered the meet (which is an eternity in the 800m) isn't impressive enough, a runner-up finish in a national level event should be.
Mason also improved tremendously this weekend. He hadn't run faster then 1:57.66 entering the 2020 calendar year. During the indoor season, he ran 1:54.52 at the Texas A&M High School Indoor Classic and 1:56.10 at the Carl Lewis High School Invitational.
He used the AAU Junior Olympics meet to get back on the college recruitment radar by going 1:52.91 in the 800m finals for his third place finish. He also ran a 50.22 400m PR this weekend in the preliminary rounds.
Entering his senior year with a 1:54 indoor mark and 1:52 outdoor mark will make Mason a bigger recruit for the 2020 class.
