Millrose Games 2014

A six-part series on the 2014 Central Bucks South girls 4x800 meter relay that made Pennsylvania history on Saturday, May 24th when they claimed the all-time Pennsylvania best clocking in the event in 8:51.49.

Elk County Catholic senior Kennedy Weisner enters her final year of XC with a champion's resume. Her best year to date was last year as a junior when she won her first state cross country title - this one in the inaugural Class A Championship. Weisner also qualified for her first Foot Locker Nationals. During indoor, she was invited to her first Millrose Mile, and also to the Brooks PR meet, an elite gathering in the Northwest. She came back in outdoor to capture two state AA titles, winning the 800 and the 1600 - a very tough double. She began her final XC season at PTXC-5, setting a course record of 17:49. An injury hurt her chance to repeat in Class A in XC, and sidelined her until December. She won the Millrose Trials Mile and finished 2nd in the Millrose Games. This is her third year qualifying for the Penn Relaya Carnival Mile - taking 5th as a sophomore and 3rd as a junior.

Abington Heights senior Tessa Barrett qualified for states in XC as a freshman and sophomore, and after an eye-opening 17:58 at the 2012 Tennett Invitatonal, she looked destined to challange for a state AAA title. But a mud-fest at the District 2 meet led to an injury, and the opportunity was lost. She bounced back in indoor with a solo 10:02 3k in February 2013. Her 3000 at PTFCA champs was an epic battle with Courtney Smith and Regan Rome - one she ultimately won in a state record 9:47.73. She would go on to take 4th at the Penn Relays 3000 in 9:40, and then 2nd (to Smith) in another battle at outdoor states, going 10:25 for 3200 meters. This year she opened with a stunning 17:26 at Cliff Robbins, and then not only won the Gold Race at PIAA Foundation, but set the course record for the Poop-Out Hill layout in 17:48. And then she followed in the recent spike-prints of Neely Spence and Angel Piccirillo, winning the Foot Locker Northeast Regional... then trumping all of the past Foot Locker finalists from PA by winning the championship at storied Balboa Park. But she was only beginning an incredible final high school campaign - resetting her state 3K record four more times - first at the Susquehanna High School Classic in late January; then again at the PTFCA State Championships on March 1, and then twice more at New Balance Indoor Nationals - both en route, first in the 5000 meter championship in which she set a national record of 16:11.85, and then two days later in (9:31.09) winning the two-mile title in a PA record and US#1 10:08.05. And we still have outdoor! WHEW!  

There is a bit of a mid-distance renaissance occurring this year in Pennsylvania on the indoor track circuit and it is incredibly exciting.  To most fans in the know this should come as no surprise as there are a host of talented runners in the state.  But the girls mile in particular now features 4 runners under 4:50, and that is pretty incredible for indoors.  

West Springfield senior Caroline Alcorta won the Millrose Games high school girls mile on Saturday evening in a new meet record time of 4:46.06.

Coverage of the high school events for the 2014 Millrose Games, set for Saturday, February 15th at the Armory in New York City.

NJ Attendance for the Millrose games. Warner and Cochrane are cut a break with the weather opening up a possible MOC run.

Russell, Weisner, Sheva, Clahane and Barrett at Millrose! Carnival is ON!

Senior Kennedy Weisner is a repeat Millrose qualifier and is coming off a win at the Millrose Trials in January.

Mady Clahane is a sophomore and is a first-time Millrose Mile qualifier, finishing 3rd in the Millrose Mile Trials in January.

Senior Tony Russell is two-for-two in major miles this indoor season, taking both the Yale Invite and New Balance Grand Prix. This is his first Millrose Mile invitation.

A first-time Millrose qualifier, senior Tessa Barrett has already broken her PA record in the 3000, and was 4th in the Millrose Trials in January.

Marissa Sheva is a junior and is a repeat Millrose Mile qualifier, and is coming off a strong 2nd place finish in the New Balance Grand Prix HS mile.

Tony Russell realized the first part of his vision for the 2014 indoor season on the biggest of stages.

Watch below the Flotrack race video in its entirely of the 9:00.16 3000 meter performance by Camas High School (WA) junior Alexa Efraimson from this past weekend's University of Washington Invitational, which is the fastest time ever run by a US high school female distance runner indoor or outdoor in the event. While the performance occurred on an oversized track at the Dempsey Indoor Facility in Seattle, Washington and thus cannot officially count towards an official high school indoor or US junior record with the high school 3K record still remaining with Melody Fairchild 17 seconds slower at 9:17.4 on a 200 meter track from 1991, the 2013 Nike Cross Nationals champion Efraimson did move ahead of another high school phenom in Mary Cain as the fastest high school runner ever at the 3K distance regardless of venue or conditions, who posted a 9:02.10 time last year as a junior at the University of Washington.

There will be new qualifying procedures for the New Balance High School Miles at the Millrose Games in 2014. There will be fewer automatic spots on the line during the season in an effort to expand the reach. (via Armory Track)