Distance
Boys
Eighteen athletes under 4:20 for the mile, and some strong National Contenders at the top. The New England Mile Champ Maddox Jordan has run 4:11 twice this year, and is coming in fresh over NY's Matthew Schutzbank (Nyack) who has the 800m the night before. Of note, Union Catholic's Jimmy Wischusen is set to make his return to racing here, as an abbreviated senior campaign has only seen him race at Millrose (Indoors) and Arcadia (Outdoors). Still, with his 4:13 best, he is right in the mix. The field is deep, with NH #2 Indoors Jamie Lano (Coe-Brown) and plenty of CT talent to go around. This could be anyone's race.
The 3200m is always a key feature of Loucks, and a parity among the field should bring several under 9mins for the first time. Indoor State Champ Riley Hubisz (Ithaca) is back for another go, facing off against runner up Ethan Green (Arlington) is what should be a preview of Outdoor States. Peyton Shute (Woodbury NJ) comes in with a 9:05 best, while NY makes up most of the rest of the field. The 13th seed is Ryan Sykes (Greeley), who could use the fast field to crush the Freshman State Record of 9:20 set by Kevin Tschirhart in 2002. Sykes ran 9:14 indoors to set the record for that Season.
Girls
The Girls Distance Races is a story of doubles, and triples, and whether the entries hold up. On paper, the Girls Mile is the race of the meet. Entered are Dylan McElhinney (Hunter) at 4:40.82, Zariel Macchia (Floyd) at 4:41.37, and Sophia McInnes (Bayport-Blue Point) at 4:44.34. That trio would make the best mile matchup the State has ever seen, but all three are entered in other events, so it might just not happen. Ella Cohen (Hunter) is the only athlete entered in just this event, and with the fitness to launch a major personal best, after her 9:39 for 3k Indoors.
In the 3200m, Zariel Macchia (Floyd) is looking to come back off a PR in both the mile and 3000m in successive weeks, and drop her time below 10mins for the 3200m. She's gone 10:08 for the full two miles, but that mark is long outdated based on her current fitness. Sophia McInnes (Bayport) has a busy weekend, but is the best in-state challenger, with a 9:43 best in the 3K from last year.