VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (WTKR)- Last year, Bayside's Andrew Salvodon stole the show at the Virginia Showcase, upsetting Olympian Quincey Wilson in the 500 meter dash on his way to a national record.
The 2026 version saw another national high-water mark fall at Virginia Beach Sports Center, this time on the girls side.
Grassfield senior Sophie Rambo sped to a win in the 500m with a time of 1:10.07, setting a new high school indoor national record. Rambo took the lead shortly after the start and led wire-to-wire. Ataja Stephane-Vazquez closed the gap and was on the Grizzy senior's heels early in the last lap, but a surge on the final turn secured the victory for Rambo.
"Everything felt good," Rambo told News 3 after the race. "My whole training and warming up to this event, it was going really good, so I knew something fast was going to happen."
In an event that features more than 6,000 of the best high school athletes from 22 states, Rambo got the chance to showcase her skills just a stone's throw from home. The senior noted that competing in Hampton Roads at a showcase such as this one made her record-setting performance all the more memorable.
"It makes it way more special," she said. "Just being here, knowing everybody from Virginia is here supporting me and out here to watch me, it means the most."
On the boys side, Salvodon has moved on to the college level, but Wilson returned in hopes of taking his national record back. The senior, who grew up in Chesapeake and attended Great Bridge Middle School before heading to Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, ran away from the field and crossed the finish line first in a time of 1:00.56. It marked the second-fastest time ever run by a high school athlete in the event, bested only to Salvodon's mark from 2025.
"I was super excited," Wilson said. "I just came out here, executed my pace and I'm so thankful."
Wilson topped his nearest competitor by more than two seconds.
The Virginia Showcase resumes Saturday with events beginning at 7:30 a.m.
