Millrose Games 1,000m one to watch
One of the many must watch match-ups of the 108th NYRR Millrose Games on Saturday, February 14 at the Armory’s New Balance Track and Field Center will be the 1000 meter race between American middle-distance standouts Duane Solomon, Erik Sowinski and Robby Andrews.
The NYRR Millrose Games, part of the USATF Championship Series, is scheduled to be televised live nationally by NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) from 6-8 p.m. USATF.tv will carry live from 4:30-5:30 p.m. ET and will . Tickets can be purchased at https://tickets.nyrrmillrosegames.org/Tickets.
Since running the second-fastest 800 meter time ever by an American to take fourth at the 2012 Olympic Games, Solomon has become one of the biggest names in the middle-distance world.
Sowinski rose among the middle-distance ranks after breaking the 600 meter American record at the 2013 Millrose Games. Solomon, who Sowinski overtook during that race’s final turn, was the record’s previous owner.
Though there is a bit of a rivalry between Solomon and Sowinski, the two teamed up last year to help break the 4x800 meter world record at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. Andrews was also a competitor in that race and led his team to a second-place finish that was also under the previous world record.
Of the three, Andrews has the most history with The Armory. The New Jersey native’s name can be found on The Armory’s record wall under the high school 800 and 1000 meter records as well as the collegiate 800 meter record. He also took second in the 2008 Millrose Games High School Mile.
Solomon, Sowinski and Andrews each have reported they’re in good enough shape to run under the Millrose Games’ 1000m mark (2:17.63), which is not too far off the American record of 2:16.76.
RunJumpThrow open to the public on Thursday, Feb. 12
Thursday, February 12 from 3:30-5 p.m., children of all ages will be invited to participate in USATF’s RunJumpThrow with athletes participating in NYRR Millrose Games at The Armory. RJT, a partnership between USATF and The Hershey Company, is a hands-on learning program that gets kids excited about physical activity by introducing them to basic running, jumping and throwing skills through track and field. Children from local area schools will be participating in the RJT experience. The RJT lesson plan, endorsed by SHAPE America, is designed to be accessible to all children, regardless of athletic ability or fitness level.
Millrose Games Walk fields announced
Jonathan Hallman, a young 21-year-old and already a two-time American champ at this distance, will lead the USA competitors at the NYRR Millrose Games. Also competing will be John Cody Risch and Trevor Barron.
The relatively unknown Risch, 24, is the all-time collegiate and NAIA record holder at 3,000 meters in 11:57.96. He will be racing the mile for the first time ever at Millrose.
Barron, U.S. Olympian in the 20k Walk at the London Olympic Games as a 19 year old, is making his return to Millrose after a three year absence. The 22 year old graduate of Colorado College last won the Susan Rudin Trophy and the USATF 1 Mile Championship when he raced the Madison Square Gardens 11 lap per mile oval in 2011. Barron holds the all-time mile record for HS boys when he walked 6:03.48 for 3rd place at the 2010 Millrose Games.
Men's Field:
1. Andreas Gustafsson - Gk Steget - Sweden
2. Jonathan Hallman - Shore AC - Liberty, SC
3. Rich Luettchau - Shore AC - Somerset, NJ
4. John Cody Risch - Q Elite - Grand Rapids, MI
5. Emerson Hernandez - Shore AC - El Salvador
6. David Swarts - Pegasus AC - Jackson, MI
7. Alexander Price - Pacific RWers - Mountain View, CA
8. Nate VanderWall - unattached - Grand Rapids, MI
9. Trevor Barron - NYAC - Bethel Park, PA
Olympian Michta-Coffey looks for second win
Maria Michta-Coffey gave the Women's American mile record of 6:18.03 a scare last year when she walked the mile in 6:19.0. This year, the newlywed will be looking for her second career Millrose Games win and the record. But the 2012 Olympian will have her challengers. Fellow New Yorker Miranda Melville and west coast transplant Katie Burnett will provide the strongest competition.
Three college women with New York ties are looking to step it up to the next level at this sprint race as they begin training for the 20 kilometer walk at the 2016 Olympic Trials. They are Alexa Kluepfel from Hunter College, Natalie DeQuarto from Connecticut College and Holly Lindoe from Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire.
Behind this trio a very young and talented group of high school athletes will give chase. Look for high school senior Ashleigh Resch from Beavercreek, Ohio, to be at the front. An Australian studying in the USA, Resch was 4th in this race last year. She also won last year's New Balance Scholastic Indoor Track & Field Championships held at the Armory in March.
Women's Field:
1. Maria Michta-Coffey - Walk USA - Nesconset, NY
2. Miranda Melville - NYAC - Rochester, NY
3. Katie Burnett - unattached - Issaquah, WA
4. Ashleigh Resch - unattached - Australia
5. Chelsea Conway - Shore AC - Rochester, NY
6. Melissa Moeller - unattached - Valparaiso, IN
7. Kayla Allen - Auburn P&R - Lewiston, ME
8. Holly Lindoe - Franklin Pierce U - Rindge, NH
9. Sydney Sirois - Auburn P&R - Greene, ME
10. Meagan Allen - unattached - Arlington, MA
11. Natalie DeQuarto - Connecticut College - Lake Ronkonkoma, NY
12. Alexa Kluepfel - Hunter College - Elwood, NY
13. Robyn Stevens - West End Flyers - Mountain View, CA