New Balance Grand Prix 2012

Cayla Hatton will never win a Massachusetts State Championship.  Not because she lacks talent, to the contrary, an argument can be made that she is one of the most gifted distance runner in the state.  The reason she will never get the opportunity to compete for a state title is because her school, Phillips Academy in Andover, competes as an independent and is not a member of the MIAA.  The technicality has helped her remain a mystery to casual track fans in New England, but it has not deterred her from making a national impact.

Slide show of the pole vault competition at the 2012 New Balance Grand Prix where Jenn Suhr set a new indoor American Record in the Pole Vault of 16 ft. Also includes shots of Becky Holliday and Lacy Janson. There is also a slideshow of just the record jump: http://youtu.be/zOC0YlBuKiA

Sandwich TC 2012 NBiGP

Jenn Suhr set a new indoor American Pole Vault record of 16 feet at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston on February 4th, 2012. Photos available at photos.newtonsportsphotography.com

BOSTON (Feb. 4) – From a razor-close finish in the women’s 800 meters to a dramatic crash in the men’s Mile to an American Record in the pole vault, the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix offered something for every one of the 4,072 fans in the sold-out Reggie Lewis Center tonight. (via www.nbindoorgrandprix.com)

  Thanks to the hard work of Steve Infascelli, James Rooney, and Greg Zopatti, MileSplitMass will be bringing fans a series of candid videos from the meet.  This lighthearted look at life beyond the lines of the oval truly shows the passion and enthusiasm these three coaches have for the sport they love.  In this first set of videos we learn what proper wam-up attire is, get Super Bowl picks from the pros, and find out what position David Oliver would play if he was on the Patriots roster. 

The energy was palpable Saturday night at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, Massachusetts as a handpicked field of elite athletes from all levels of the sport thrilled the capacity crowd with photo finishes and mid-race drama.  But, you are bound to get some amazing races when you take a group of high school athletes, put them in a room with their idols, pack a building full of over 4,000 fans, and then turn on the TV cameras.

NBIGP- Marshfield Mile

Chris Allen & Stephen Robertson

Boys 4x800m Winners

Pembroke 4x800

Weymouth Girls 4x400m

Quick recovery as CBA goes 10:08.8 in the DMR just two days after a 7:41.52 4x8! Baird and Baisden US#7/9 All-Time for 300 meters! North Shore 9:04.99 4x800! Fri: Malone, Cain win fast 1000's. Boys & Girls, Wakefield take fast 4x400 titles! 

Ajee Wilson- NBIGP

Photos by Mike Lavers.

 (via www.greenfieldreporter.com)

A stacked field has been assembled for both mile races, and the addition of the boys 4x800m and girls 4x400m has given high school track fans even more to cheer for.  The Reggie Lewis Center track is considered a relatively fast surface, and if athletes get after it early, we may see some jaw dropping times.

New  York NY - The mile is a classic distance.  About 8 meters longer than the now standard 1600m, the mile recently has seen a movement encouraging its' return.  There is even a website dedicated to this very thing, petitioning high school sports to return to the classic distance.  And if there ever was any indication that the mile was still alive, the fields for the mile at the upcoming US Open and Millrose would be it.  See if your favorite made the cut. (via MileSplit New York)

Meet directors of the New Balance Grand Prix announced the high school fields on Wednesday afternoon, with the boys and girls mile races highlighting the prep action.  In years past, the race has focused on athletes from New England and the New York Metro area, but this year’s field has expanded to include athletes from as far away as North Carolina. 

Meet officials at the New Balance Grand Prix announced the Massachusetts teams scheduled to compete in the newly added 4x400m and 4x800m relays.  The format of the competition will pit six schools from New York against six schools from Massachusetts in a head-to-head competition for state bragging rights.  The New York teams will qualify from the CHSAA Conference Meet at the Armory. 

For sixteen years, New England track fans have come to expect the world’s best middle distance and distance runners to go head-to-head on the oval at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston.  This year those same fans will get an added treat.  On Feb. 4, the world’s top long sprinter, Kirani James, will take to the track at 400m at the 2012New Balance Indoor Grand Prix , organizers announced today.