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Eliza Schwass is next up in track and field. The 14-year-old middle-distance runner ran the second-fastest mile of all-time for her age in soaking wet conditions at New Balance Nationals Outdoor.
She set the mark less than 30 days after she competed in the National Spelling Bee!
Schwass hails from Ludington, Michigan. Her eighth grade year will come to a conclusion later this month. She will begin high school in the fall. In the meantime, the multi-faceted 14-year-old competes for Oliver J. Dejonge Middle School in cross country, track and field, swimming and spelling.
The West Short Educational Service District sponsored Schwass at the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee but the word ‘Bartókian’ knocked her out in the first round. It was not the result she wanted but it is still extremely impressive to finish as one of the top 202 spellers in the United States.
What Eliza Schwass did on the track at New Balance Nationals is even more impressive!
Sadie Engelhardt set the fastest time in the middle school mile at 4:40.16 in 2021. The 18-year-old also set the high school school record at the Mt. SAC Relays last April.
Schwass is not far behind. The 8th grader went 4:44.88 to win the mile on Thursday night.
OH MY! 8th grader Eliza Schwass runs the second-fastest middle school girls mile in 4:44.88 to win at New Balance Nationals Outdoor.
— CITIUS MAG (@CitiusMag) June 20, 2025
Watch the meet LIVE and for FREE here: https://t.co/wMmVh9nrRD#NBNationals | #NBNO2025 pic.twitter.com/DNDcQlN22i
It was the second-fastest middle school mile in history behind only Engelhardt.
A four-second differential in track and field is not a small margin. However, the weather might’ve slowed Schwass from getting even closer to Engelhardt’s middle school record. The track at Franklin Field was soaking wet from recent rains. Puddles accumulated on the straightaways and the turns. It was wet.
I don’t think the track conditions stopped Eliza Schwass from breaking the record. Engelhardt likely had her beat regardless of the rain. But with that being said, I would be curious to see Schwass run the same race on a dry track. I think the time gap would’ve been a lot closer than four seconds!