TANDEIH'S HISTORIC DAY IN THE PENTATHLON EARNED HIM ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
Meet Information
New Balance Indoor Nationals Day 2
March 13, 2025
the TRACK at New Balance - Boston, MA
RESULTS
BOSTON, MA - After day 1 of Nationals' weekend saw Ainsley Cuthbertson earn bronze in the weight throw, and the girls 4x8 run the fifth fastest time in state history, it was certainly going to be a tall order for LHS's athletes to follow that up on Friday. But, leave it to senior captain Simon Tandeih to deliver an all-time performance at the biggest meet of his career. Tandeih lined up in the most select event at Nationals, the pentathlon. Just 15 athletes began the grueling event, which sees athletes compete in the 60m hurdles, long jump, shot put, high jump, and finish it all off with a 1000m run.
While Tandeih became The Minutemen's first athlete to line up in the pentathlon at Nationals in recent memory, the captain did not just come there for the experience. He had one goal in mind. A top-six finish, and All-American honors. And so, just after 8:45am, Tandeih loaded into the blocks for the 60m hurdles, and blasted out. He cruised over the five 39-inch barriers on his way to a new personal best of 8.20 seconds. Not only did that performance land him in second place with 932 points, it broke LHS's 60m hurdle record held by Jon Cunha (LHS '05). Despite the stellar start, there was no time to celebrate, as Tandeih had to head over to the long jump runway to begin preparations for his three attempts. After he fouled his first jump, he was forced to take a very conservative approach on his second time down the runway. Tandeih delivered a legal mark of 20'5", which was eighth best in the field to that point. With the pressure to mitigate what would be a disastrous result on his shoulders, he came through like a champion on his final attempt. Tandeih charged down the runway, powered off the ground behind the board, and landed 21'8.25" in to the sand pit. That jump earned 723 points, which was third best in the field, and left him in third position overall as he headed over to the shot put. While he struggled to deliver in long jump, Tandeih wasted no time in shot. His first throw flew over three feet farther than his lifetime best. The 12-pound ball landed at 44'5.50", which him another 701 points, and put him in fourth place with two events to go. Back on the infield, Tandeih rolled through the early heights in the high jump. He was clean over 1.78m (5'10"), but with his chief competitors all over 1.90m (6'2.75") at the other pit, he knew every additional clearance would keep him in the hunt. At 1.81m (5'11.25"), Tandeih once again soared above the bar. His next attempt was at 1.84m (6'0.50"), and he nailed that on his first jump as well. At that point, the captain had already secured him at least 661 points, but he was looking for more. On his first attempt at 1.87m (6'1.50") things looked to really be turning out better than expected. He exploded off the ground, and got his hips way above the bar. Unfortunately, Tandeih did not hold his arch over the bar for long enough, and the it crashed down to the mat with him. Despite two more solid efforts, he failed to cleared the height.
After the event finally wrapped up, Tandeih clung to sixth place, with a lead of just 39-points over Mac Mcfarland of Middle Tennessee Athletics Club. In the pentathlon 1000m, each second that ticks off the clock subtracts about nine points from an athlete's total. Given Tandeih's lead, he knew going into the final event that he did not have to beat Mcfarland to secure the final All-American spot. However, he could not lose to him by more than four seconds. Armed with that knowledge, the captain went to work. Tandeih wisely laid back from Mcfarland's hot pace on the opening lap, but kept him within three seconds as they approached the second lap of the five-lap race. The LHS senior held that position through 400m, and then began to slowly inch closer to Mcfarland on the third lap. Then, as the two came to the bell, Tandeih was just one second back. While there was only 200m to go, the final lap of the final race in any multi-event is simply a test of will. As he barreled down the backstretch for the final time, Tandeih was aided by the roar of the Lexington fans chanting "SI-MON! SI-MON!" as they pounded on the barricades lining the track. With the last turn approaching, he put his foot on the gas to charge after Mcfarland. That charge led him down the homestretch, past the Tennessee junior, and carried him through the line in a new personal best of 3:03.90. With that, Tandeih secured 626 more points to bring his final total to a new LHS record of 3643. That performance shattered the previous mark set by Matt Hunter (LHS '11), who himself was an NCAA Division III All-American in the heptathlon. More importantly, with the sixth place position secured, he became Lexington's second athlete in as many days to earn All-American honors!
Other Highlights from the Meet
Up Next
The Minutemen will be back for day 3 of the New Balance Indoor Nationals on Saturday, March 14th. Tandeih will again lead off the action, which begins at 8:45am, as he will compete in the prelims of the 60m hurdles. From there, speed and power athletes will dominate much of the day. Senior Franz Schroeder and Cuthbertson look to make their marks in the weight throw. Junior Cayden "Showtime" Chambers and Haverly are set to compete in the 200m prelims, and Deardorf lines up in the 60m prelims. Then, sophomores Amelia Whorton and Ceci Kvaal will race in the 800m, before the 4xmile of Callie Glenn, Janie Conrad, Erin Ehmann, and Tyson cap off the night. Follow along all day, as all events can be livestreamed for free HERE.
New Balance Indoor Nationals Day 2
March 13, 2025
the TRACK at New Balance - Boston, MA
RESULTS
BOSTON, MA - After day 1 of Nationals' weekend saw Ainsley Cuthbertson earn bronze in the weight throw, and the girls 4x8 run the fifth fastest time in state history, it was certainly going to be a tall order for LHS's athletes to follow that up on Friday. But, leave it to senior captain Simon Tandeih to deliver an all-time performance at the biggest meet of his career. Tandeih lined up in the most select event at Nationals, the pentathlon. Just 15 athletes began the grueling event, which sees athletes compete in the 60m hurdles, long jump, shot put, high jump, and finish it all off with a 1000m run.
While Tandeih became The Minutemen's first athlete to line up in the pentathlon at Nationals in recent memory, the captain did not just come there for the experience. He had one goal in mind. A top-six finish, and All-American honors. And so, just after 8:45am, Tandeih loaded into the blocks for the 60m hurdles, and blasted out. He cruised over the five 39-inch barriers on his way to a new personal best of 8.20 seconds. Not only did that performance land him in second place with 932 points, it broke LHS's 60m hurdle record held by Jon Cunha (LHS '05). Despite the stellar start, there was no time to celebrate, as Tandeih had to head over to the long jump runway to begin preparations for his three attempts. After he fouled his first jump, he was forced to take a very conservative approach on his second time down the runway. Tandeih delivered a legal mark of 20'5", which was eighth best in the field to that point. With the pressure to mitigate what would be a disastrous result on his shoulders, he came through like a champion on his final attempt. Tandeih charged down the runway, powered off the ground behind the board, and landed 21'8.25" in to the sand pit. That jump earned 723 points, which was third best in the field, and left him in third position overall as he headed over to the shot put. While he struggled to deliver in long jump, Tandeih wasted no time in shot. His first throw flew over three feet farther than his lifetime best. The 12-pound ball landed at 44'5.50", which him another 701 points, and put him in fourth place with two events to go. Back on the infield, Tandeih rolled through the early heights in the high jump. He was clean over 1.78m (5'10"), but with his chief competitors all over 1.90m (6'2.75") at the other pit, he knew every additional clearance would keep him in the hunt. At 1.81m (5'11.25"), Tandeih once again soared above the bar. His next attempt was at 1.84m (6'0.50"), and he nailed that on his first jump as well. At that point, the captain had already secured him at least 661 points, but he was looking for more. On his first attempt at 1.87m (6'1.50") things looked to really be turning out better than expected. He exploded off the ground, and got his hips way above the bar. Unfortunately, Tandeih did not hold his arch over the bar for long enough, and the it crashed down to the mat with him. Despite two more solid efforts, he failed to cleared the height.
After the event finally wrapped up, Tandeih clung to sixth place, with a lead of just 39-points over Mac Mcfarland of Middle Tennessee Athletics Club. In the pentathlon 1000m, each second that ticks off the clock subtracts about nine points from an athlete's total. Given Tandeih's lead, he knew going into the final event that he did not have to beat Mcfarland to secure the final All-American spot. However, he could not lose to him by more than four seconds. Armed with that knowledge, the captain went to work. Tandeih wisely laid back from Mcfarland's hot pace on the opening lap, but kept him within three seconds as they approached the second lap of the five-lap race. The LHS senior held that position through 400m, and then began to slowly inch closer to Mcfarland on the third lap. Then, as the two came to the bell, Tandeih was just one second back. While there was only 200m to go, the final lap of the final race in any multi-event is simply a test of will. As he barreled down the backstretch for the final time, Tandeih was aided by the roar of the Lexington fans chanting "SI-MON! SI-MON!" as they pounded on the barricades lining the track. With the last turn approaching, he put his foot on the gas to charge after Mcfarland. That charge led him down the homestretch, past the Tennessee junior, and carried him through the line in a new personal best of 3:03.90. With that, Tandeih secured 626 more points to bring his final total to a new LHS record of 3643. That performance shattered the previous mark set by Matt Hunter (LHS '11), who himself was an NCAA Division III All-American in the heptathlon. More importantly, with the sixth place position secured, he became Lexington's second athlete in as many days to earn All-American honors!
Other Highlights from the Meet
- Senior captain Aubrey Deardorf (17'7") finished 30th in the long jump.
- The girls distance medley relay of sophomore Natalie Bielat (3:52.88), senior Felice Haverly (59.07), sophomore Mackenzie Callahan (2:23.20), and junior Alycia Charest (5:22.05) finished 32nd overall.
- Haverly used a 25.52 split to anchor the 4x200m relay of sophomore Sabina Green (26.7), freshman Abbey Kohut (26.3), and fellow classmate Julianna Mathurin (26.84) to a 59th place finish in 1:45.46.
- In the 2 mile, sophomore Ella Tyson (11.17.90) finished 148th.
Up Next
The Minutemen will be back for day 3 of the New Balance Indoor Nationals on Saturday, March 14th. Tandeih will again lead off the action, which begins at 8:45am, as he will compete in the prelims of the 60m hurdles. From there, speed and power athletes will dominate much of the day. Senior Franz Schroeder and Cuthbertson look to make their marks in the weight throw. Junior Cayden "Showtime" Chambers and Haverly are set to compete in the 200m prelims, and Deardorf lines up in the 60m prelims. Then, sophomores Amelia Whorton and Ceci Kvaal will race in the 800m, before the 4xmile of Callie Glenn, Janie Conrad, Erin Ehmann, and Tyson cap off the night. Follow along all day, as all events can be livestreamed for free HERE.