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Springer and Roecker return to the track for wins. Springer adds another US #1
Connecticut sweeps sprints
Sam Roecker (Burnt Hills, NY) and Andrew Springer (Westerly, RI) walked away from Yale University’s Cox Cage track facility having just anchored their distance medley relays teams to victory and US #1’s. They would return to the track the next morning to once again record wins and for Springer another US #1 and a US #2 for Roecker.
Roecker would be first up and stepping to the starting line of the 3000 meter at 11:35am she would jump right to the lead and force the pace every step of the way. Tucked in right behind her was her team mate Molly Pezzulo. The pair would be joined mid way though by Samantha Nadal (North Shore, NY). The trio would pass by the 1600 meter point in a swift 5:19 with Roecker not willing to let the pace lag or anybody pass. Eventually Pezzulo would have to get go and the final few laps almost looked like a repeat of the night before when Roecker and Nadal were locked in the same position in the DMR. The hot pace would allow Rocker to hold off Nadal and cross the line in 9:51.18, believed to the US leader at the time. A few minutes before the start of the Yale 3000, Emily Lipari (Roslyn, NY) had run 9:50.21.
A little more than 12 hours earlier Andrew Springer had gotten the baton in 4th place and with a 4:10.1 1600 meter split brought his Westerly (RI) team home first in a new US leader. Returning to the track Springer needed to run faster than 4:16.9 to earn a spot in the Millrose High School Mile field. Wasting no time waiting for somebody else to set the pace Springer jumped right to the front and in zipping though splits of 30-61-1:32-2:04- 2:35- 3:08 a fast time and a performance that would gain him entry into the Madison Square Garden event seem assured. Springer would keep on rolling and finish in 4:10.61 for a 4 second win. Behind Springer two of his fellow Ocean State runners would move through the field to also run times that should get them an invite to Millrose. Coming on strong over the last lap Mark Feigen (East Greenwich, RI) passed his team mate Nick Ross to grab 2nd.
 The girls mile lost a little of its luster when Roecker pulled out to run the 3000, but the field was strong enough. Juliett Bottorff (Tatnall Academy, DE) would do the early pace work getting the field rolling through a 76 opening 440. Leading the field past the 880 point former 1600 and 3200 meter national leader Brianna Welch kept the pace moving at 2:32. At that point Shenendehow (NY) 9th grader Lizzie Predmore jumped to the lead and toed the field through a 3:09 split and was still in front at 1200 meters reached in 3:47. Down the back straight Bottorff moved to the front again and was in full flight at the bell reached in 4:25. Behind the leader Grace Rodriquez (Hanover, NH) had worked her way thought the field and had a lock on 2nd place. Bottorff (finish photo left by John Nepolitan) would be the only runner to crack the 5:00 barrier winning in 4:59.60 ahead of Rodriquez in 2nd in 5:00.60. With many of the top female runners splitting their attention between the Boston Indoor mile and the Millrose it is a very good chance that the pair will both be given invitations to the January 30th race.
Connecticut rules the sprints
The short sprint and the sprint relay belonged to the host state. Austin VonOhlsen (Ridgefield, Ct) had the 2nd  fastest time in the semi final round putting him in lane 5 for the final. From the first step Von Ohlsen(photo left by John Nepolitan) had a step on fastest qualifier Miles Lewis (Middle Country, NY) and pulled away for a 6/47 – 6.51 win. The girls final was supposed to be a match between two Connecticut runners with Catherine Milledge (Weaver) and Teyanna Green (Danbury) having the top two times in the semi final. The dual was ruined when Milledge false started in the final leaving Green to run to an easy victory over Klarissa Ricks (Holy Names, NY).
Milledge would return later in the day to lead her Weaver team to the girls 4 x 200 title with the team leading all the way. The boys team from Weaver was on top though the first two legs, but had other teams right on them. That was until Duandre Barnaby got the baton for the third leg. Barnaby would blaze a swift 21.7 split to provide his Weaver team with the gap it needed to the finish.
 Redemption and a double win
Coming to the final hurdle at the Brown Invitational Kyle Plante (Colonie, NY) was right next to Madalayne Smith (Saratoga, NY) when disaster struck and she hit the track. Once again the two lined up next to each other, but there was no trip this time as Plante had the best run in from the final hurdle of the two to record the meets closest finish 8.20 – 8.21 (finish photo left by John Nepolitan). Plante was not done and would return to the track to take the 400 meters in 56.00. The immediate reaction from most was that there could be a new name in the 400 hurdles come the spring season when the 9th grader attacks the event.
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