Jamel Brown after running 2:00 as a 7th grader at AAU National
Freshman Jamel Brown, who competes for All-American Project and Southwest Guilford, shattered the North Carolina Freshman 800m State Record in 1:54.62 tonight at the Aggie Twilight.
Brown would take 12th overall in the collegiate field, however, he would win his section of the event. Coming into today's event, Brown held a season-best of 1:58.49.
Though only a freshman, Brown has well established himself as the next in-state 800m star. He had run 1:57.69 last summer as an 8th grader as well as 2:00.26 a year before as a 7th grader.
Today marks a substantial jump in his career where he became the fastest North Carolina freshman ever over 800m by over a full second over Dylan Ferris, who ran 1:56.17 in a third-place finish at the 2005 NCHSAA 4A State Championship. The performance also moves Brown to US No. 2 amongst freshman as well as NC No. 2 overall this outdoor season.
North Carolina All-Time Freshman 800m Rankings
| RANK | TIME | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:54.62 | 2024 | Aggie Twilight12th | |
| 2 | 1:56.17 | 2008 | ||
| 3 | 1:56.61 | 2014 | ||
| 4 | 1:56.74 | 2018 | ||
| 5 | 1:56.77 | 2020 |
Brown still has a ways to go in his outdoor campaign and is going to be a name to be familiar with over the next four years not just in North Carolina, but nationally in the 800m.