Sammy Watson already owns the nation's best times for the 600- and 1,000-meter runs. Can the junior from Rush Henrietta (NY) add the mile to her impressive list?
Watson will be making her debut on Sunday in the Junior Mile of the New Balance Grand Prix at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center. While it may be a longshot, it's not out of the realm of possibilities that her first time will not only be a charm but a record-breaker at the Roxbury (MA) venue.
The meet record of 4 minutes, 44.02 was set last year by North Carolina's multiple national champion Ryen Frazier. The current US #1 is 4:43.09 by another NC runner, Nevada Moreno. Both times would seem possible for Watson with the right kind of race.
Due to fact that New York primarily runs the 1,500m, Watson has only run the mile twice in her career with her latest occurring at the Dartmouth Relays last month where she earned an automatic berth to this weekend's event with a leisurely PB of 4:59.84, a time the gifted runner is capable of improving on substantially.
Want proof?
At her outdoor state meet last year Watson ran 4:25.24 for 1,500m, a time that computes to 4:46 for the mile. She is also the defending indoor and outdoor national champion for 800 meters and this past summer captured the IAAF World Junior title with a best of 2:03.54. The gifted junior is undefeated this indoor season and, last week on back-to-back days at the Armory Track Invitational, won the 1,000m (2:45.31) and 600m (1:30:08) in nation best times. Did we fail to mention that she's also part of Rush Henrietta's national outdoor record-setting Sprint Medley Relay? Translation: Watson knows how to race in big-time events!
Who has potential to prevent her from becoming the first NY champion since future Villanova great Emily Lipari (Roslyn High) won it all in 2010? A few come to mind.
Nine-time Iowa state champion and elite triathlete Stephanie Jenks of Linn-Mar, who will also be making her debut to the Grand Prix race, boast the fastest time of the 12 competitors. She ran an all-time best of 4:42.16 to place seventh against a star-studded field at the Prefontaine Classic in May. She was also third for 1,500m (4:28.24) at the USATF Junior Nationals this past summer and ran her best for the distance of 4:27.76 at her state meet in May. Jenks also earned All-American status in 2015 by placing third in the mile at the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championships and was fifth at the NBNO meet.
Due to the fact that her Div. I state meet is held the same day, Massachusetts will be without its top miler, Lincoln-Sudbury's Ariel Keklak, who ranks No. 3 in the country with a 4:49 best. But the Bay State will certainly not be short on quality competitors capable of a high finish, beginning with Needham's Margie Cullen. The senior standout won the mile at the Div. 3 state meet on Thursday with the nation's fourth fastest time of 4:51.44. Three weeks earlier, she won the MSTCA Elite Meet with a 4:52.14 effort. Cullen was also timed in 2:50.14 (US #4) for the 1,000m this season. With the familiarity of Reggie Lewis and the talent on the line, she has the potential to break 4:50 at the meet, a time that could equate to a top-3 finish and possible victory.
Needham will also have senior Sarah Armstrong on the line, a 4:56 miler, who captured the All-State Outdoor title as a tenth-grader. Completing the Massachusetts' trio in the race is Bellingham senior Sarah Edwards, who has come on strong in her final season of track & field. Edwards earned her ticket to the race with an impressive victory at the East Coast Invitational where she pulled away from formidable opponent, Eliza Rego (La Salle Academy RI) with a lap left, finishing with a PB of 4:54.62 (US #9).
Speaking of Rego, the Ram standout will be making her second appearance to the Grand Prix race. She was eighth in 2014, the same year fellow Rhode Islander and current Stanford sophomore Maddy Berkson won the individual title. Rego comes in with one of the fastest times in the field with her 4:52.83 best, a time that earned her a meet record and victory at last year's New England Championship, also at Reggie Lewis. Just two weeks ago, the Harvard-bound runner clocked a 4:34 1,500m in a dual meet, which shows that she's ready for a fast time this weekend.
There's also senior Maegan Doody (Oyster River NH), who is certainly capable of running with the leaders. Doody is primarily a middle-distance runner. She currently ranks No. 3 in the country for the 1,000m (2:50.03) and is the 2014 New England outdoor champion for 800m with a PB of 2:10.80. But the New Hampshire standout has also run some competitive mile/1,600m races. She has a best of 4:49.82 for 1,600m and last June was fifth in the mile at the New Balance Nationals with a PB of 4:53.60. Doody will be joined on the line by fellow state rival, Leyla Salis (Bedford). Salis captured the 1,000m at the Dartmouth Relays. She won that event at her state meet this past weekend with a time of 2:54.59.
New York and Pennsylvania will also have two runners in the field. The Big Apple will be represented by senior Anna Flynn (Ursuline School) and freshman Kelsey Chmiel (Saratoga Springs). Flynn will be making her second straight appearance to the Grand Prix event. She was sixth last year with a time of 4:58.03. Chmeil was fourth at the Nike Cross Nationals in December and has done 4:35 for 1,500m on the indoor oval this winter. The Keystone State will have Aislinn Devlin (Downington) and Abbe Goldstein (Germantown) competing in Beantown. Devlin owns a 5:02 indoor best and Goldstein is a 5:01 miler.