Dr. Sander Invitational - Meet Preview
Formerly known as the Armory Track Invitational, the Dr. Sander Invitational will bring a select group of Pennsylvania individuals and relays to the Armory this weekend. Who made the cut? Check out the entries over at MileSplit NY and read our preview below.
Girls' Preview
A week after running a US#1 in the 1,000 meters in Virginia, Friends' Central's Gabrielle Wilkinson will return to that very event in New York. Wilkinson, who ran 2:50.35 for the win in VA, will look to retain her national lead, though the field is strong, including US#2 Nikki Merrill (RI) and US#5 Emily Philippides (CT).
In the 4x400 meter relay, Neumann Goretti will face some terrific competition. At the top is US#1 Bullis School (MD), who ran 3:39.60 in VA last week. Neumann Goretti comes in at US#4 and PA#1 on the season after a 3:52.07 at the Marine Corps Classic back in late December (US#1 at the time). US#5 Paul Robeson (NY), US#7 Medgar Evers (NY), and US#8 Christopher Columbus are also in this field. Look for the Saints to drop a seriously fast time here (the state record is 3:41.96 from 2005 by West Catholic).
In the 4x800-meter relay, watch for the State College Area girls. The Little Lions went 9:37.70 (PA#3) last week at their own invitational at Penn State, but that came in a full solo effort. They'll have no shortage of challengers on Saturday, including the US#1 squad from Padua Academy (DE).
Boys' Preview
Hill-Freedman's Armonte Paulk has had a very strong season so far in the sprints. He sits at PA#4 in the 55 meters and PA#2 in the 400 meters. But the senior is yet to contest the 300 meters in his career. He'll get his chance in NY on Saturday. The field is talented, but no clear-cut favorite, so we'll see how Paulk stacks up.
A pair of PA boys are in the field for the 1,000 meters. The last time Liam Conway of Owen J. Roberts was at the Armory, the future Stanford Cardinal won at the Millrose Games Trials mile. Now he'll drop down to the 1K. Collin Ebling of Pottsville Area is also entered. He sits at PA#1 after a great race at Penn State a few weeks ago. Look to see if he can continue that momentum into Saturday. Of course, last week Josh Hoey of Shanahan ran the fastest 1K in the state history. We may not see that, but expect some fast times from Conway and Ebling in a field that also includes VA's Sam Affolder, formerly of Carlisle.
In the 4x800-meter relay, Pennsbury is the lone Pennsylvania squad in the field. The Falcons enter the weekend at PA#2 and US#5 after a 7:57.41 at the Millrose Games Trials. The field is strong with Northport (NY) entering as the lone team seeded ahead of Pennsbury.