Olympian Lolo Jones is Back on Her Feet for Great Feats At NYRR Millrose Games; Bills’ Goodwin Eager To Support His Claim as NFL’s Fastest Player

Olympians Lolo Jones and Marquise Goodwin are dual sport athletes with cross-over fan bases who are approaching the 2016 track and field season from vastly different perspectives. Their paths to Rio de Janeiro will intersect at the NYRR Millrose Games on Saturday February 20 at the New Balance Track and Field Center at The Armory.

Jones, who is recovering from off-season surgery for a torn hip labrum, will run in a 60-meter hurdles event that is loaded with top-flight competitors Queen Harrison, Nia Ali, Brianna Rollins and Jasmin Stowers.                                          

“I'm incredibly excited to be able to compete at the NYRR Millrose Games," Jones said. "If you told me two months ago that I would be competing in New York I would have said 'You're crazy.' I was just coming off my second surgery in less than a year and in my mind it was going to be close if I would even be ready in time for the Olympic Trials. So to be ready to race this early in the indoors is mind blowing to me."

Jones, who has represented the U.S. in both the summer and winter Olympics (as a member of the bobsled team) is a social media star who has shared her journey back from surgery with her 414,000 Twitter followers and 263,000 Instagram followers. 

“I have worked hard to get back," Jones said. "I was beyond religious with my rehab and I guess that work has paid off. I haven't competed at Millrose since I started (with) bobsled, so it will be great to be back competing in front of the passionate New York crowd."

Goodwin, who recently completed his third NFL season with the Buffalo Bills, was limited to two games in the 2015 season because of broken ribs. The self-proclaimed "fastest dude in the league" will compete in the 60-meter dash against World Championships bronze medalist Andre De Grasse, as well as in his specialty, the long jump.

Goodwin was a 2012 Olympian and finished 10th in the long jump final in London during his time at the University of Texas.

Goodwin does not shy away from his claim about being the NFL's fastest player.

“No doubt about it," Goodwin said. "For me being able to say I'm the fastest guy in the NFL is kind of like (New York Giants’) Odell Beckham saying he's the best receiver in the NFL. He has the numbers to say those kinds of things. My times compared to other guys in the NFL are better. Until you race me and beat me I don't consider you to be faster."

Goodwin ran 4.27 seconds for 40 yards in the 2013 NFL draft combine, which was the third fastest ever.

He made a big splash again in the long jump at the U.S. Track and Field Championships in Eugene in 2015 when he jumped a career-best 27-5.50 for fourth place. 

The opportunity to make another Olympic team holds strong appeal, even though it may encroach on the start of football season. 

“Words barely can describe the feeling of being at the Olympics," Goodwin said. "It was one of the best times of my life. I tried to treat it like just another meet, but it wasn't. I get emotional thinking about it."

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Kynard vs. Drouin, Wilson vs. Martinez Should Excite Armory with Familiar `Rivalry’ Anticipation

Facing the toughest competition and performing when it counts most is the goal of every track & field athlete in 2016, and the head-to-head matchups at the 109th NYRR Millrose Games feature clashes that could resonate all year. 

A handful of the top competitive rivalries in the sport will be on display at the New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory on February 20, including a men's high jump that features 2012 Olympic medalists Erik Kynard and Derek Drouin, and a women's 800 meters that features Olympic medal contenders Ajee' Wilson and Brenda Martinez.

Kynard and Drouin are the top North Americans in the high jump, an event that has been set ablaze globally by the arrival of young, supreme talents over the past several years. These two began a rivalry in college, when Kynard was at Kansas State and Drouin at Indiana University, which fueled them both.

“Derek Drouin is in fact my greatest rival,” Kynard said.  “We have been competing against each other since the Pan American Junior Games in 2009 where he took first and I finished second.  This rivalry continued into college and now into the professional and major championship realm.”

In 2012, Drouin denied Kynard a rare chance at an NCAA Division I three-peat. A couple of months later in London, Kynard of the U.S. took silver and Drouin of Canada earned bronze. Their back and forth battles have continued in the years since. In 2015 at the IAAF World Championships final in Beijing, Drouin won the world title and Kynard was eighth. 

The high jump has been a historical fixture of the NYRR Millrose Games since 1915. All-time greats such as John Thomas, Valery Brumel, Dwight Stones, Franklin Jacobs and Hollis Conway are part of the meet's fabric, a fact that will be celebrated on the eve of the meet at the New York Athletic Club. 

In the women's 800, Wilson, the NYRR Millrose Games defending champion, and Martinez, a world bronze medalist, both seek confidence-building victories in their build up to the Olympic Trials. Martinez, 28, won bronze at the 2013 World Championships. Wilson, 21, has been viewed as the future of the event. She ran the fastest time in the world in 2014 and is returning from an injury that curtailed her 2015 season. Wilson, who prepped in Neptune, N.J., has won the 800 meters at the NYRR Millrose Games the past two years. 

Martinez and Wilson have both run sub-1:58 outdoors, indicating Olympic medal potential. 

“I am so excited to participate in the historic NYRR Millrose Games,” Martinez said. “The amazing competition and spectators at The Armory's New Balance Track and Field Center make this a wonderful event to be a part of.” 

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Andre De Grasse, Molly Huddle highlight speed, endurance at 109th NYRR Millrose Games

North America's next sprint superstar and an American long distance runner with Olympic medal aspirations are two of the headliners at the 109th NYRR Millrose Games to take place February 20 at The Armory.

Toronto native Andre De Grasse, who recently signed an $11 million deal to join Puma, quickly rose to stardom in his one season at the University of Southern California. The new professional will make his NYRR Millrose Games debut in the 60 meters.

“I am definitely looking forward to the hype,” De Grasse said from his new training residence in Arizona. “I've heard good things about the Millrose Games in the past so I want to see how I match up against some of these fast 60-meter runners. This will definitely be a great test for me.”

De Grasse set the sprint world ablaze last year at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. where he ran wind-aided times of 9.75 seconds in the 100 meters and 19.58 seconds in the 200. Those performances ranked among the top 10 all-time under any conditions and immediately thrust him into the conversation of whether he could be the future heir to Usain Bolt's global dominance. 

He went on to claim two gold medals at the Pan Am Games at home in Canada before competing at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, where he tied for the bronze medal in the 100 meters.

Tickets are on sale now for NYRR Millrose Games, one of the touchstone events in the sport of track and field any year, but a critically important momentum-building meet in 2016. To purchase tickets for the 109th NYRR Millrose Games please go to https://tickets.nyrrmillrosegames.org/Tickets.

Molly Huddle, who grew up in Elmira, N.Y., is near the peak of her career and has become a dominant figure on the track and also the roads. With a great field assembled, the possibility of a new U.S. indoor record in the 5,000 meters at the NYRR Millrose Games is real. Huddle broke the outdoor record in 2014.

Huddle won the 2015 United Airlines NYC Half last March with a personal best 1:08.31, becoming the first American winner, male or female, in the event's history. 

After missing out on a IAAF World Championships bronze medal last summer by one step, Huddle is focused on making amends at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero. Following her fourth place in Beijing, Huddle swept the four U.S. road titles at distances of 5K, 10K, 12K and 20K. 

This year will be a truly unique NYRR Millrose Games. The nation’s most recognized indoor track & field meet will be the starting point of a spectacular 2016 lineup that will follow with  the 16th IAAF World Championships in Portland on March 17-20 – for the first time in nearly 30 years on U.S. soil – and the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro August 5-21. 

World’s Greatest Athlete Ashton Eaton Joins Many Top Commitments for 109th NYRR Millrose Games

The World's Greatest Athlete headlines a star-studded list of athletes that are committed to appear at the 109th NYRR Millrose Games on February 20 at The Armory.

Decathlon world record holder and Olympic champion Ashton Eaton, like so many of the other top track and field athletes in the world, is in the lift-off phase to a career-defining 2016 campaign that includes a World Indoor Championships on U.S. soil and a much anticipated Olympic Games. 

Tickets are on sale now for NYRR Millrose Games, one of the touchstone events in the sport of track and field any year, but a critically important momentum-building meet in 2016. 

“Both events will play a significant role in the Olympic year and all point to the World Championships on March 18-20 for the very first time in Portland, Oregon,” Armory Foundation President Dr. Norbert Sander said. "All roads will pass through New York City and onto Portland toward Rio 2016. This year is going to be a memorable track & field season.”

The season reaches a crescendo at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, August 5-21.

To purchase tickets for the 109th NYRR Millrose Games please go to https://tickets.nyrrmillrosegames.org/Tickets.

That stage is familiar to Eaton, who became the Olympic champion in 2012 in London. 

Eaton is expected to compete in two events at NYRR Millrose -- the long jump and the 60 hurdles. The last time he competed at The Armory he caused shockwaves throughout the building when his momentum at the end of the hurdles race carried him up and over the mats at the east end of the track. He flew over them, backwards, and managed to drop 10 feet to the ground unharmed. 

“I’m excited to be back at the Millrose Games which will be an integral meet in setting myself up for success at the World Indoor Championships and eventually the Olympic Games in Rio,” Eaton said. “The Millrose Games is one of my favorite competitions in the world. It's such an intimate meet with a crowd almost right on top of you creating an incredible atmosphere that brings out the best in us athletes.

“It is one of the top opportunities to compete against the best athletes in the world on U.S. soil, which is a privilege.”

Eaton recently was awarded the IAAF Athlete of the Year honor. He also placed third in the 60m hurdles last season with an identical time to David Oliver and only .01 behind Aleec Harris.

For Andre DeGrasse, the Canadian sprint star who recently turned pro after a stunningly successful season at Southern Cal, the situation is much different. DeGrasse, who some suspect may challenge Usain Bolt for global sprinting supremacy in Rio, will make his Millrose Games debut in the 60 meters. 

 New Jersey native Robby Andrews is also among the first entrants to be revealed in the NYRR Wanamaker Mile. Andrews is coming off his best season as a pro after making his first U.S. team for the 2015 World Championships. Chris O'Hare from Scotland, second at the 2015 Fifth Avenue Mile, is also entered. 

Canadian Derek Drouin, the 2015 world champion in the high jump, will be entered in his specialty. And fellow countrymen Cam Levins is returning to the building where he has broken national records in the 2,000 meters and 2-mile. Levins headlines the 3,000 meters. 

“Growing up in North America, Millrose was one of the few opportunities I had to watch my favorite track and field idols on a premier stage,” Drouin said. “Now I consider it a really special privilege to compete here and hopefully inspire the next generation.”

Aleec Harris will return to defend his title in the NYRR Millrose Games 60-meter hurdles. New York resident Lalonde Gordon, who won the bronze medal in the 400 meters for Trinidad and Tobago at the 2012 London Games, will go at his event.

Shannon Rowbury, the new American 1500m record holder, will defend her 2015 NYRR Women's Wanamaker Mile title against a much-anticipated superb field.

New pro sensation Jenna Prandini, who won the 2015 NCAA 100 meters for the University of Oregon and later won the U.S. title in the 200 meters, will make her NYRR Millrose Games debut. NCAA champion, Sandi Morris, formerly of Arkansas, headlines the field in the pole-vault. 

Queen Harrison, the 2015 Pan Am Games champion, will compete in the 60-meter hurdles. 

Ajeé Wilson, one of the brightest young stars in the sport and the fastest American over 800 meters in 2015, will return to Millrose.

"‎I am really looking forward to racing again at Millrose Games!" Wilson, a New Jersey native and former standout at Neptune High School, said. "It's one of my favorite meets as I can always count on great competition and high energy from the awesome fans!"

Molly Huddle, American record holder at 5,000 meters outdoors, will attempt the national indoor record at that distance. Kendall Baisden from the University of Texas, the 2015 Pan Am Games champion, will compete in the 400 meters.

Additional Olympic hopefuls Nicole Tully of NYAC, Oregonians Jordan Hasay & Eric Jenkins as well as Kerri Gallagher, a local favorite and up and coming star, will all compete at their specialties.

There Was Glory in it For Everybody That Day: 108th NYRR Millrose Games Recap

As one famed football coach once told a vanquished loser, "there was glory in it all for everybody today."

Change sports, change seasons and change speakers, but the message rang just as true at The Armory to the nearly 5,000 fans gathered for the 108th edition of the NYRR Millrose Games on Valentine's Day. 

As veteran track writer Frank Litsky, who'd covered the meet for The New York Times for decades and can be called president emeritus of the New York Track Writers Association put it, "It was marvelous. l love Millrose. The field in the Wanamaker Mile was sensational, and the race ended up sensationally, too. Now, I can't wait until next year."

Sensational events abounded, from the beginning of the meet to the big windup.

It was a wonderful-wonderful Saturday at The Armory for James Wreh II and Kcaysha Medas-King. They were the "fastest kids on the block" in the track and field spectacular many have called "The Indoor Olympics."

Young Wreh dashed down the middle of the Armory track in 8.11 seconds, the precocious Medas-King in 8.48.

It was a very big day for Jonah Gorevic and Lauryn Heskin, too. Gorevic lowered the NYRR Youth Boys 800-meter record to 2:18.20; Heskin led all Youth Girls 800 runners in 2:28.04.

There was plenty of glory at The Armory, as well for James Burke and Catherine Pagano. Port Jefferson, LI's Burke ran off with the New Balance High School Boys Mile in 4:11.25; Northern Highlands, NJ's Pagano outran all her girls high school rivals in 4:50.66.

Along with everyone else, the Syracuse Track Club quartet of 60-somethings had plenty to smile about. They took their Masters upper-bracket men's 4x400 relay in a stepping-lovely 4:27.67.

Thus, the bottom line to all of this was that, yes-yes-yes, the fourth edition of the NYRR Millrose Games to be held at the Armory (since moving from Madison Square Garden in 2012) was win-win-win for all cast members as well as the whole sport of track and field.

The internationally assembled pros of the open division understandably grabbed the bulk of attention.

Oh, for sure, the spotlight shined most brightly on men's Wanamaker Mile luminaries Matthew Centrowitz, Nick Willis, Pat Casey and Bernard Lagat; on women's Wanamaker Mile champion Shannon Rowbury; on Brycen Spratling, who demolished all records in the men's 500 meters; on Erik Sowinski and Robby Andrews, who delivered a down-to-the-wire 1000 meters; on college teammates Eric Jenkins and Will Geohegan, who led the way in the 3000 meters; on Lopez Lomong and Ryan Hill who ran 1-2 in a moderate-pace 5000 meters; and women's racing winners Phyllis Francis in the 400, Ajee' Wilson in the 800, and Sally Kipyego in the 3000.

The Schmertzes, dad Fred and succeeded by son Howard, had been the chieftains of the NYRR Millrose Games for long years going all the way back to the 1920s. But now the Millrose reins are in the capable hands of former mile star Ray Flynn and Armory Track Foundation president and CEO, Dr. Norbert Sander, and they're doing a masterful job of it.

"I was delighted," said meet director Flynn, the former Irish mile star. Gratefully delighted, you might say." 

"We had some great races," said Flynn. "We had some great performances by great competitors, who really engaged the crowd."

"Wonderful, wonderful meet," said Armory Track Foundation president and CEO Dr. Sander.

The classic Wanamaker Mile – first staged at Millrose in 1915, when it actually was a two-mile race – produced a 3:51.35 triumph. His second at Millrose – by local hero Matthew Centrowitz. 

Centro won it over Nick Willis, the Michigan-grad New Zealander (3:54.36), with Oklahoma State alumnus Casey (3:54.36) leading eight others under four minutes. But it was fourth-place Bernard Lagat (who was 40 in mid-December) stealing the show from all his younger rivals. His 3:54.91 absolutely mauled all records in masters miling.

Eamonn Coghlan's masters best-ever of 3:58.15 at age 41 in 1994 was good as gone before the race even started. 

Seven-time Wanamaker champion Coghlan was in from Ireland – where he is a member of his nation's Senate – to lead the cheering for Lagat.  

"All credit to Bernard," said Coghlan. "I had no doubts he was going to break my record, and then he went out and did just that." 

Lagat won his first Wanamaker Mile in 2001, added his others in 2003, 2005-6-7-8-9-10, but hadn't entered the Wanamaker Mile in four years, running the longer distances.

"Eamonn told me I was going to run 3:54. And it exactly happened."

Centrowitz's first seven laps went 29.52, 27.58, 29.09, 29.75, 29.72, 29.74, 29.15 and he kicked home in 26.84, thus regaining the Millrose title he'd won in 2012 at 3:53.94. 

However, beating the world record (Hiham El Guerrouj's 1997 3:48.15 for Morocco), the American record (Lagat's 3:49.89 at Fayetteville, Ark. in 2005) or the Millrose and Armory record (Lopez Lomong's 3:51.21 in 2013) wasn't happening.

"I wanted a faster time, but it was a big deal for me to win a second title," said Centro.

"Matthew hit another gear to hold me off," said Willis. "I always thought I'd catch him, but he was saving something for me."

Trailing back of Lagat were Evan Jager in 3:55.25; Englishman Chris O'Hare in 3:55.35, for the 100th sub-4 in history at the Armory; 2012 Olympic silver medalist Leonel Manzano, 3:56.05; five-time NCAA longer-distance champion racer Edward Cheserek of Oregon, fomerly of St. Benedict's Prep, 3:56.43; Lagat’s training partner Lawi Lalang in 3:57.15, and Columbia grad Johnny Gregorek, now of Oregon,10th in 3:57.47.

Spratling, the University of Pittsburgh graduate, raced to the fastest 500 meters in indoor track history, 1:00.06, holding off Michael Berry (1:00.43) and Bershawn Jackson (1:00.70), with Belgium's Jonathan Borlee fourth (1:00.76).

Duke grad Rowbury had run 4:22.66 in a flat-track meet in Winston-Salem, N.C. last week, but settled for a 4:24.32 win over Trenier Moser (4:27.39), as Bronxville's Mary Cain, now based in Portland and training with the Nike Oregon Project, wound up eighth (4:31.21).

Iowan Sowinski and New Jerseyan Andrews gave the fans an exciting 1000 meters; Andrews' huge charge around the final turn falling just short, 2:21.18 to 2:21.23.

Neptune, NJ's Ajee' Wilson had no real problem winning the women's 800 in 2:01.57, with Charlene Lipsey's 2:02.05 sufficing for second. 

Canadian Cam Levins was sizzling at the Armory Collegiate Meet two weeks ago (a 3:54.74 mile win followed by an 8:15.38 two-mile, just half an hour apart) but was unable to find his rhythm in the Millrose 5000 meters.

The race named for Finnish great Paavo Nurmi went to Lopez Lomong (13:28.60) over Ryan Hill (13:27.80), Suguru Osako (13:28.00), Donn Cabral (13:28.64) and Andrew Bumbalough (also 13:28.64), all just 64/100ths apart. Levins settled for sixth in 13:33.35. 

There's nothing like a hometown athlete to stir fans stirring and Phyllis Francis surely did. Cardozo High School of Queens grad Francis, the NCAA champion and record-breaker last year for Oregon, fought off Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross to win the two-lapper, 53.14 to 53.71.

Olympic decathlon champion Ashton Eaton placed third in the men's 60 hurdles (his 7.51 was just 1/100th back of winner Aleec Harris and Jason Richardson) and then grabbed another third (at 25-3 1/4) back of long jump winner Damar Forbes' 26-4 1/4. Oh, and he also did a disappearing act, leaping over the fence at the end of the mid-track straightaway, then leaping right back to message the fans that he'd not been hurt.

Jesse Williams, the 2011 world champion high jumper, won his specialty at 7-7 with Mike Mason also sailing 7-7, but on his third attempt, to Williams' first.

Kipyego, the Kenya Olympian out of Texas Tech, ran off with the women's 3000-meter title in 8:41.72, where NCAA cross country champion Kate Avery of Iona College was sixth in 8:53.12.

Susan Rudin 1-mile race walking titles went to Shore AC's Jonathan Hallman, with an eye-opening 5:53.58 win in the men's race over Olympians Trevor Barron and Andreas Gustafsson; and Olympian Maria Michta-Coffey, in a 6:34.47 breeze.

Hallman and his dad, Thomas Hallman, had driven all the way from Liberty, S.C. for the meet; soon as it was over, they drove right back.

Centrowitz Claims Second NYRR Wanamaker Mile At NYRR Millrose Games

With the near capacity crowd on their feet and the decibel level rising, Matthew Centrowitz claimed his second NYRR Wanamaker Mile title in dramatic fashion here at the 108th NYRR Millrose Games. Breaking the tape a step ahead of New Zealand's Nick Willis in 3:51.35, Centrowitz's performance capped off a jam-packed evening of exciting races.

Entering tonight's mile, Centrowitz had two things on his mind: take home the win, and attempt to set an American record. From the gun, Centrowitz went with rabbit Mark Wieczorek, passing the quarter mile in under 56 seconds, and the halfway point in about 1:55. The only one to stay relatively close with Centrowitz was Nike Oregon Track Club member Pat Casey.

"It was kind of hard to tell if anyone was behind me," said Centrowitz. "I just wanted to get out controlled. I wanted a faster time today."

As Wieczorek stepped off the track just past the 1000 meter mark, Centrowitz looked comfortable, right where he wanted to be in the pole position. While the pace wasn't quite up to American record standards, it was still fast, Centrowitz pressing on with the patient Casey hot on his heels.

Sitting in third was Willis, the 2008 Olympic silver medalist and current world leader. Lap by lap Willis chipped away at the gap up to Centrowitz and Casey, thinning it to less than a second with a quarter mile to go. Shortly thereafter he'd pass Casey.

As the bell sounded, Willis and Centrowitz were primed for a battle that would go down in NYRR Millrose Games history. Down the backstretch and around the final bend, Willis came up on the outside of Centrowitz's shoulder. Side by side, whoever got the inside around the bend would have a slingshot advantage.

"Once Willis came up on me on the backstretch I knew if I let him by me at that point then it was game over," said Centrowitz, who managed to gain a slight advantage as the crowd's roars grew louder. "I pretty much gave a hard effort there, I would say close to [being] all out just to fight him to the corner. I think at that point, the last 50, [between] him and I it was whoever could hold on at that point."

At the line it would be Centrowitz stopping the clock in 3:51.35, just off Lopez Lomong's 2013 meet record of 3:51.21. Willis took runner-up honors in 3:51.46, just topping his own national record.

"It's a big deal," said Centrowitz, moments after hoisting the winner's trophy, a large silver cup that bears a resemblance to hockey's Stanley Cup. "This is a second home to me, competing in front of my family and friends. Millrose is a big deal, it's a big race in the indoor season. To me it's kind of like the U.S. Championships for indoors."

Centrowitz drew inspiration from Eamonn Coghlan, the seven-time NYRR Wanamaker Mile champion who was on hand here tonight. Watching replays of Coghlan's wins before tonight's race, Centrowitz said he dug down deep hoping to recreate the magic Coghlan once brought to the track.

Despite running a personal best and national record, Willis was disappointed and frustrated.

"I really really wanted to win this race. It's a historic event, the Wanamaker Mile, and I've yet to come away with a win," said Willis. "I've gotten second twice and third twice, and this is the closest I've been. A really good race but Matt was too strong for me down the backstretch."

While the cheers for Centrowitz's performance were loud, they were just as emphatic when it was announced that 40-year-old Bernard Lagat had broken the indoor world masters record for the 1500m and mile. Finishing fourth in 3:54.91, Lagat eclipsed Coghlan's mile time of 3:58.15.

"I've never been in a race that was as stacked as that," said Lagat, whose 1500m en route time of 3:40.20 also broke the existing indoor world masters record of 3:44.12. "I am going home so content with what I did today. Really happy because I haven't done a mile indoors in a long time and coming back, doing 3:54 after four years of not running [the mile indoors], to me that is not bad."

Surrounded by media members, Lagat praised Centrowitz for his gutsy performance up front, and made a bold prediction: that Centrowitz would take home gold at the IAAF World Championships 1500m this summer in Beijing. Lagat also feels Centrowitz will break his American indoor mile national record next year.

As for his thoughts on Lagat, a mentor and friend, Centrowitz joked around.

"When I'm 40 I'll probably be bench pressing like 300 [pounds] in the weight room and I don't know if I'll even be running a mile at that point," he said with a laugh before offering his congratulations to his fellow Nike athlete.

University of Oregon teammates Edward Cheserek and Johnny Gregorek both broke four-minutes for the first time in their careers, running 3:56.43 and 3:57.47 for eighth and tenth place, respectively.

"I was dreaming about it all the time," said Cheserek. "I was like 'Hey coach can you give me a chance to go run four minutes.' It's a dream come true."

Sixth place Chris O'Hare clocked the 100th sub-4:00 mile at The Armory; he was timed in 3:55.35.

The Nike Oregon Project swept the NYRR Wanamaker Women's Mile titles, as Shannon Rowbury took home the women's crown in 4:24.32, though not without a little drama. Like Centrowitz, Rowbury got out strong, settling in right behind the rabbit, Melissa Salerno. Set to split 880 yards in under  2:10, the only athletes to go with the pacesetter were Rowbury, teammates Jordan Hasay, Treniere Moser, and Mary Cain, as well as Arizona State's Shelby Houlihan.

At halfway Rowbury found herself right where she wanted to be, powering each step out front with her eyes on the clock. Feeling strong, she'd begun to gap Hasay and Moser.

By the time the bell sounded, it was Rowbury against the clock, or so many thought. With 50 meters remaining, Rowbury's legs locked up. Slowing mightily, the 30-year-old reached her arms out a bit and gritted her teeth. For an instant it looked as if she may fall to the track.

"I tried to start moving and I think it just caught up to me in the end," said Rowbury with a chuckle. "I just had that elephant on my back the last 50 meters or so."

Rowbury remained calm and composed, shuffling across the line in 4:24.32, still managing to break the ceremonial finisher's tape.

"I knew I had an American record in me today, but, well, I thought I did," Rowbury said before assuring everyone she did not feel injured. "I'd love to have another opportunity to go after it because I know I'm capable. Just today wasn't the day."

Behind Rowbury, Moser moved up for second in 4:27.49, with Stephanie Charnigo finishing third in 4:28.02. Hasay and Morgan Uceny rounded out the top five in 4:28.27 and 4:29.39, respectively, with Cain a distance eighth in 4:31.31.

Whenever Bowerman Track Club's Lopez Lomong returns to his home state, he aims to put on a show for his loyal supporters. That he did in the men's 5000m, relying on a finely-timed kick to secure the title in 13:27.60.

While teammate Ryan Hill and Japan's Suguru Osako did most of the front-running, it was Lomong sitting in the catbird's seat biding his time. With a World Championships-qualifying time likely out of the picture, no one wanted to make too-bold of a move until the final 400 meters came.

It was Lomong's final 200 meter circuit that proved to be the deciding factor, as the two-time Olympian recorded a 27.45 second last lap, holding off both Hill and Osako.

"I grew up in this beautiful state, I grew up in Upstate New York, and this is my second time running Millrose Games in my professional life," said Lomong, saying the meet is like a trip to Disney Land. "I've always wanted to come and win [here] because this is the state that really supported me at a young age and all through my professional life."

Reflecting on Lomong's victory and Hill's 13:27.80 hard fought second place, coach Jerry Schumacher smiled and laughed.

"Lopez loves Millrose," Schumacher told Race Results Weekly. "It was a pretty exciting race, right? Eight, six guys in it with a lap to go, that's what racing is all about. Those are the best races."

Osako took third in a Japanese national record of 13:28.00. Two weeks after winning a pair of races at the Armory Track Invitational, Cam Levins placed sixth in 13:33.35.

In the women's 3000m, Olympic silver medalist Sally Kipyego and former Iowa State standout Betsy Saina battled valiantly over the final 400 meters, trading the lead at the bell. Coming to New York directly from training stints in their native Kenya, the pair exchanged surges before Kipyego gained an advantage around the final bend.

Finishing in a meet record and world lead of 8:41.72, Kipyego said the victory demonstrated a lot about her current form. She is building up for a half marathon next month.

"I was in Kenya for about seven weeks and it was fantastic," she said. "I think today, this is a good showing about where I am with my training because I have been doing a lot of strength work."

Eric Jenkins of the University of Oregon won the men's 3000m in 7:44.91, nearly the fastest time ever run by an American collegiate athlete. Sporting retro Oregon singlets, Jenkins and teammate Will Geoghegan took first and second ahead of Bowerman Track Club's Andy Bayer.

"It was a good race, I'm pleased with it nonetheless," said Jenkins, a native of New Hampshire. "It means a lot to come back East and run well... The training's been great and you can't ask for anything more than to train with the guys we've been training with."

In the men's 1000m, New Jersey native Robby Andrews surged hard with 150 meters remaining, giving Nike's Erik Sowinski a run for his money. Rounding the final bend step for step, it would take all Sowinski had to hold off Andrews at the line. That he did, prevailing by five-hundredths of a second 2:21.18 to 2:21.23.

"I was nervous, I mean that guy can close off a pace like that," said Sowinski. "I'm happy with the win, every time you get a win it's good. It's my third race [of the season] but I feel like it's the first where I actually got to race... It's the first race I got to sit in there and actually race at the end so I'm excited about that."

Ajee' Wilson earned her third victory of the season at The Armory, winning the 800m going away in 2:01.57. She is unsure whether she'll race the 600m or 1000m at the USA Championships in two weeks time.

The Boys and Girls High School miles were swept by athletes from New Jersey, as James Burke claimed the Boys win in 4:11.25 and Catherine Pagano the Girls in 4:50.66.