Millrose Games 2012

Quick iPhone capture of the amazing finish.

Samantha Nadel and Zavon Watkins highlight the Millrose Mile fields.

  Photos by Kyle Brazeil of MileSplit New York     Announced after the New Balance Games on Saturday, January 21st, three girls from Virginia earned their way into the Millrose Games high school mile field with either top two finishes at select Armory races this season or on time. This year's Millrose Games will be held Saturday, February 11th in a new location (previously at the Madison Square Garden) at the New York Armory. Earlier this season, Ocean Lakes senior Audrey Batzel earned her spot with a fourth place finish of 4:58.07 at the Hispanic Games on January 8th. Meanwhile, Foot Locker finalists Megan Moye of Cosby and Sophie Chase of Lake Braddock visited New York City last weekend for the final qualifier race for Millrose. Moye nearly was able to run away from the field for a the win before Laura Leff of West Genesse (NY) was able to catch her down the final stretch for a 4:48.96 win. Despite not getting the win, her second place effort was the second fastest indoor mile time ever by a Virginia high school prep behind only Sarah Bowman (4:46.79) of Fauquier. Her mile time of 4:49.36 from the New Balance Games converts to 4:47.68 for 1600 meters. Taking third in the race behind Moye was her rival Sophie Chase, who had beaten Moye in all four of their head-to-head races in cross country season. The Lake Braddock junior qualified by time for Millrose with her VA #12 all-time indoor performance of 4:55.79 last weekend at the Armory. One-fourth of the 12 runner high school girls' mile field for Millrose will be from the state of Virginia with Batzel, Chase, and Moye accepting their race invitations.

Connor Rog has been garnering a massive amount of headlines this year, and with good reason.  The Fairfield Prep senior earned a trip to the Foot Locker National Championships in December, was named the Gatorade Runner of the Year for Connecticut in January, and was recently invited to compete in the prestigious Millrose Games Mile. Life is rapidly changing for Connor as the milestones of his senior year begin to accumulate in the rearview mirror.   Despite the hectic schedule required to be a top tier student-athlete, Connor has agreed to chronicle his experiences for MileSplit CT in a series we are calling the “Rog Blog”.    

  02/07 3A East Regional Championship   Landover, MD 02/07 4A Central Region Championship   Baltimore, Md 02/08 3A West Region Championship   Landover, MD 02/08 4A East Region Championship   Baltimore, Md 02/09 3A Central Region Championship   Landover, MD 02/09 4A West Region Championship   Baltimore, Md 02/09 Sweetheart Meet   Annapolis, MD 02/11 1A West Regional Championships   Hagerstown, Md 02/11 Maroon and Gold Invitational Kutztown University Kutztown, PA 02/11 Millrose Games New York, NY 02/11 Spire D-1 Indoor T&F Inv and HS Showcase Geneva, OH 02/11 UAGTCA Indoor Meet #3   Chester, PA

The Millrose Games, held for the first time at the New Balance Track and Field Center at the Armory, is one of the most prestigious meets of the Winter season.  It regularly compiles some of the East Coast's best high school middle distance talent to compete in the iconic Millrose Mile.   In anticipation of the event, Milesplit NY decided to ask each qualifier two specific questions:  What does qualifying for this event mean to you, and what are you doing to prepare?

Two of New England’s best distance runners were invited to participate in the prestigious Millrose Games Mile on Saturday at 9:14pm.  Mike Marsella (Chariho, RI) and Connor Rog (Fairfield Prep, CT) will battle ten other athletes from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania for regional bragging rights. 

Courtesy: Duane Henry Tariq Devore, Donte Holmes, Ryan Carter, Leslie Murray Great Interview with Ryan Carter - He talks about his high school career as well as Del State and what it's like to be on a nationally ranked 4x400 team!

The race will be the second for Centrowitz as a professional. (via The Oregonian - OregonLive.com)

Local racewalk stars Abby Dunn (Edward Little) & Nicole Court-Menedez (Lewiston) will compete in the Millrose games on Saturday in the USATF National Championship Mile walk. In the mile walk former Maine HS standout Lauren Forgues will also be competing.  

As some of New Jersey's top runners prepare tp compete in a new, hopefully revived Millrose Games at the New Balance T&F Center on Saturday evening, guest contributor Paul Schwartz (The Record) takes some time to reflect on the past glory of what was once the premier event on the "Inddoor Circuit"

Ed Cheserek 13:57 NR 5000 meters, Ajee Wilson 2:04.13 800 meters, Watkins/Nadel take HS miles! Bernard Lagat highlights the Elite action with an American Record 13:07.15 for 5000 meters! (Photo by Kyle Brazeil)

Former Broadneck star Matthew Centrowitz won the prestigious Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games on Saturday night, finishing in a time of 3 minutes, 53.92 seconds to break the New York City Armory record. (via baltimoresun.com)

Ajee Wilson takes on the Big Girls...Cheserek, Wow!...Myasia, CBA  and more!! A pretty successful trip to The Armory for some of New Jersey's elite.  

Photo by Kyle Brazeil   The state of Virginia was well represented in Saturday night's high school girls mile race at the Millrose Games with three Virginians competing between Cosby's Megan Moye, Lake Braddock's Sophie Chase, and Ocean Lakes' Audrey Batzel. The returning Group AAA indoor and outdoor state champion Moye established herself near the front at the start of the race and maintained a top 3 position throughout the race. The furthest which Moye fell back was to fourth place at the quarter mile around 73 seconds, but moved herself up after a 2:27 half mile split. While Samantha Nadel of New York was able to run away with a 4:46 win, the NC State recruit Moye battled with Nadel's North Shore High School teammate Brianna Nerud for second place in the final 400 meters after running just under 3:40 at the three-quarters mark. Moye edged Nerud at the line for a final time of 4:49.95, which was just off her VA #2 indoor all-time mile performance of 4:49.36 from the New Balance Games. Sophie Chase and Audrey Batzel got stuck in the back half of the field early on, but Chase was able to move up throughout to finish fifth overall in a time of 4:54.14, while Batzel made for three sub 5 minute milers from Virginia in the same race with her 8th place effort of 4:57.56. A mile PR for Chase, which converts to only a tad slower than her 4:52.06 1600 meter PR. Batzel improved her season best time of 4:58.07 from her Hispanic Games race which qualified her for the Millrose Games. The West Potomac girls competed in the 4x800 meter relay at Millrose and their quartet ended up running a time of 9:26.58 for 8th place.   Millrose Games High School Results

Benjamin Norman for The New York Times At the 105th Millrose Games, which were held at the Armory for the first time on Saturday, Matt Centrowitz showed why he is considered one of the rising stars of American middle-distance runners with an electrifying victory in the Wanamaker Mile. (via www.nytimes.com)