Alex Milligan crosses the line as his State College team wins the Eastern 4x800 at the Millrose Games (Photo by Steven Pisano)
For the select few, the Millrose Games brought big time performances, shaking up the state leaderboard with just a week to go before they lay it all out on the track and field at Penn State.
The State College boys brought it in the 4x800. After not putting together a really hard, fresh effort yet this season in the event they dominated a year ago, State College went after it against a great field at The Armory. The team of Owen Wing, Nick Feffer, Anthony Degleris, and Alex Milligan dropped a sick PA#1 and US#2 of 7:51.59 for the Millrose victory. They talked with MileSplit afterwards as they share their goals and plans for next week (Spoiler: they mention the state record):
Katie Jones of South Williamsport soared to new heights in the pole vault. She cleared 12-11.5 to tie her for second place. That's a huge PR and she extends her own PA#1. What more can she do next week?
Katie Jones just keeps getting better and better. She cleared 12-11.5 at Millrose for second (Photo by Steven Pisano)
Pennsbury's Dasia Pressley picked up a new PA#1 (beating her own) in the 55 meters. The race didn't include Jayana Webb of Norristown and Chanel Brissett of Cheltenham as once thought, so Pressley carried the torch for the Keystone State. Her 7.08 is slightly better than her time from the Poreda Invite last month. On Saturday, only Delaware's Daija Lampkin was faster, clocking a 6.91.
(EDIT: Brissett ran a 7.03 in the 55m dash, but was disqualified after the race.)
The Pennsbury 4x800 ran a new PA#3 with a 9:25.43. The Falcons finished fourth in the fast field. The girls on the team ran at the Meet of Champs the night before, so they weren't exactly fresh. Look for another drop next week at states if they decide to run it.
Gabrielle Wilkinson of Friends' Central was the top PA finisher in the Millrose HS Girls mile (Photo by Steven Pisano)
There was no new PA#1 in the girls' mile, but all four PA entries dipped under five minutes. The winner broke the meet record. That was Virginia's Kate Murphy, who ran an incredible 4:41.84. Friends' Central's Gabrielle Wilkinson was the top PA finisher, running a PR and PA#2 of 4:53.03 for fifth. Germantown Academy's Abbe Goldstein, who ran a 4:52 a week prior in Boston, was sixth in 4:53.68, just behind Wilkinson. Olivia Arizin of Cardinal O'Hara finished eighth in 4:55.68, while Cumberland Valley's Mady Clahane was 11th in 4:57.80.
The boys' mile was fast too, and both PA competitors walked away with personal bests. Jaxson Hoey of Downingtown West just kept rolling, dropping a PA#1 4:11.07. Up front, the field was fast and Hoey held steady with a big time. Nick Dahl of Germantown Friends was ninth in 4:17.18, a PR for him.
Ade Jones-Roundtree of Imhotep sprints for the line at the Millrose Games (Photo by Steven Pisano)
Ade Jones-Roundtree of Imhotep came away as one of the biggest surprises of the day, nearly taking a Millrose title! Jone-Roundtree ran a PA#1 6.40, the same time as the winner, Tajh Gilchrist of Maryland. It's a monster race for Jones-Roundtree, who has just made himself one of the favorites for gold in one week. Jahvel Hemphill of Bloomsburg was fourth in 6.53. Anthony Maurent of GAR, the previous PA#1, did not race as expected.
The Norristown 4x200 improved on their own PA#2 on Saturday (Photo by Steven Pisano)
In the girls' 4x200, the Norristown girls made a big statement. The ended up third in a new PA#2 of 1:40.97, not far off Cheltenham's PA#1. This should set up a great match-up in a week at states. Cheltenham did not race Saturday at Millrose. State College put down a PA#4 in the race.