Armory Regulars Atop National High School Lists

By Chris Lotsbom, ArmoryTrack.com

It's that time of year again: championship season in high school track and field. Thousands of prep athletes have or will be competing in state meets, creating one of the most exciting points of the season across America. 

As the national leader list stands right now, a number of athletes and teams with ties to the New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory are atop the leaderboard, having raced, jumped, or thrown to US#1 marks in states from California to New York.

A number of high schoolers who frequently competed on The Armory's oval during the indoor season have notched national leaders.

Arlington, NY junior Zola Golden is fastest among girls for 400 meters, taking top honors with a time of 52.82. Golden brought The Armory's crowd to their feet with a stunning performance at the New York Section 1 qualifier, timing the 9th fastest 300m of all-time (37.91) then earned All American honors with a runner-up finish to Olivia Baker at New Balance Nationals Indoor in the 400m.

On the boys side, Boys and Girls junior Richard Rose is second on the national list, timing a season best of 46.38. ArmoryTrack.com and Dyestat.com's Doug Binder wrote a fantastic profile on Rose, who is looking to re-claim the top spot this season.

Others from the tri-state are with US#1 marks include Mt. Olive, NJ standout Keturah Orji (triple jump), and the 4x800m relays of Chaminade, NY and Columbia, NJ.

Orji, who set numerous records with her wins on The Armory's runway this year, lept 43 feet, 10.5 inches at the Penn Relays. She's the national leader by a whopping one foot, 7 inches.

Chaminade and Columbia were champions at nearly every invitational held at The Armory, including the Eastern States Championship, NYRR Millrose Games, and New Balance Nationals.

Both teams set their outdoor season bests (7:39.44 for Chaminade, 8:45.37 for Columbia) at Penn Relays. At Penn Relays, Columbia claimed victory by more than 15 seconds, with Stanford-bound Olivia Baker anchoring.

Mount Vernon, NY's Rai Benjamin, runner-up at New Balance Nationals, leads all athletes in the 400 meter hurdles, having run 52.42 at the Loucks Games last weekend.

In March, thousands of the best high school athletes in American and Canada congregated at The Armory for New Balance Nationals Indoor, with national records falling and thrilling performances turned in for every race.

Elise Cranny and Alexa Efraimson --who won the 800m and mile national crowns at NBN Indoors, respectively-- have had seasons to remember. Cranny is #1 in both the 800m (2:04.81) and 1500m (4:10.95), while Efraimson claims the best times for 3000m (9:23.24) and 3200m (9:55.92). Both will face off head-to-head at the adidas Grand Prix IAAF Diamond League meet on Randall's Island on June 14.

Dior Hall, Desiree Freier, and Raven Saunders each broke national records at The Armory indoors, and haven't missed a beat transitioning to outdoor track and field. Hall, a native of Colorado, ran 13.39 for the 100 meter hurdles, best in America. Texas's Freier cleared 14 feet, 3.25 inches in Texas, establishing a new high school record, while South Carolina's Saunders continues to reign supreme in the shot put, reaching 56 feet, 8.25 inches.

Other notables are West Springfield, Virginia's girls distance medley relay (winners at New Balance Nationals), who took the Penn Relays title with a 11:53.07 performance. Their quartet was made up of Katie Kennedy, Michelle Lipka, Reagan Bustamante, and Caroline Alcorta. West Chester Henderson, Pennsylvania tops the boy's distance medley with a 10:03.77 clocking.

Massachusetts native Garrett O'Toole traveled to Washington Heights to compete at the NYRR Youth Meet and New Balance Nationals during the indoor season. Now outdoors, he is first in the 1500m at 3:45.55.

Serra Garden, California's Adoree' Jackson, second at New Balance Nationals, leads the boys long jump at 25 feet, 5.25 inches.

In the coming weeks, watch for many of these marks to improve as we get closer to the conclusion of state meets. It is sure to be an exciting end to the season, all concluding at New Balance Nationals Outdoor, the USA Junior Championships, and World Junior Championships. 

Photos: John Nepolitan for ArmoryTrack.com