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Hispanic Games Preview
Millrose mile automatic qualifying spots up for grabs
1/10/2009 NY Armory
by John Nepolitan
The sprinters and field event athletes have blown away the rust from the weeks of being off following the spring season, the distance runners have rested from a long cross country season and are now ready to start racing again, the holiday vacation is over and everybody is back to school and in a regular practice schedule and now the ’08-09 indoor track season in ready to kick into high gear with the Hispanic Games at the Armory track and field center in Manhattan. A total of 16 US #1 performers will be in New York along with 16 distance athletes who ran at either the NXN or Footlocker Nationals this past December all scheduled to take part in events that will start early in the morning and run deep into the evening.
 While there are many events that will surely bring the Armory crowd to their feet, two races that have a little extra excitement will be the boys and girls invitational mile each of which will reward the winner an automatic starting position on the starting line in the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden at the end of the month. Among those in the mile fields are:
Brett Johnson (Ocean City, NJ) – His 4:08 mile from last spring is the fastest performance of runners in the USA returning in 2009(photo left by John Nepolitan).
Joey Bubniak (Danbury, CT) – At the very end of 2008, Bubniak ventured to Boston University’s super fast banked track to record the fastest mile of the season at the time with a 4:17.25.
Tyler Udland (Milburn, NJ) – An upset winner in the NJ 3200 last spring he went on this past fall to be the top harrier in the Garden State and qualify for the Footlocker Nationals.
Phil Wood (Pennington School, NJ) – A 2008 Footlocker Finalist
Doug Smith (Gill-St Bernards, NJ) – A qualifier for the 2008 Millrose Games mile and after a disappointing cross country season and a change in coaching is looking to re-establish himself as one of the best in the nation.
Emily Lipari (Rosyln, NY) – a 2 time Footlocker Finalist and New York Federation cross country champion and the top 2 miler in the nation so far this year.
Brainna Welch (North Shore, NY) – A many time All American after a series of injuries last year seems to be back on track. Ran a swift 3:33 lead off on the North Shore USA #1 Distance Medley Relay.
Melanie Thompson (Voorhees, NJ) – the Eastern states cross country champion also went onto repeat as New Jersey champion this fall and then qualify for the Footlocker Nationals (photo right by John Nepolitan).
Claudia Francis (Benjamin Cardozo, NY) the US #1 1000 meter runner moves up to the mile and if the pace lags could be difficult to beat.
Other match ups and athletes to watch on the track include:
Miles Lewis (Middle Country, NY) – winner of the 55m at the Loughlin Games in mid December who will also be running in the 200 where he will face Ayo Isijola and Naquan Alexander from the powerful Sheepshead Bay (NY) sprint crew.
The girls 55 hurdles could be a preview of the New York state meet when Loughin Games winner Janice Jackson (Medgar Evers) faces NY outdoor champion Madalayne Smith (saratoga, NY). In the flat 55, US leader Dominique Booker (Immaculate Conception, NJ) leads the field and will be looking to add the 200 meter national lead later in the day.
John Thomas (Sheepshead Bay, NY) vs. Clatyon Parros (Seton Hall Prep, NJ) vs Terrance Livingstone (Great Neck South, NY) ,the USA #1 in the 800, will all square off in the 400 and the end result could be a new US leader.
 The girls 400 will feature one of the hottest runners in the early part of the season Charlene Lipsey (Hempstead, NY) who leads the nation in the 800. Moving up to meet Lipsey will be US 300 meter leader Chamique Francis (Cardozo, NY). A fast time could come from one of the unseeded heats where defending New York 600 meter champion, an event where she is the US
Leader, Phyllis Francis (McAuley, NY) (photo left by John Nepolitan) is entered to run. Lipsey and Phyllis Francis are also entered in the 800. Whichever match up actually happens is sure to have the Armory rocking. If Francis or Lipsey are off their game in the 800 it could open the door for Saratoga’s Michelle Riley
Joe Rosa who led his West Windsor Plainsboro North (NJ) team to a 5th place finish at the NXN Championships with a 4th place individual finish will face his twin brother Jim who ran 9:11.56 last year as a freshman, state rival Sean Pohorence (Morris Hills, NJ) who qualified for the NXN Nationals as an individual, and 2008 New York indoor champion Demetri Goutos (Saratoga, NY) over 2 miles. The girls will compete over 3000 meters where the national lead will be under attack from Samantha Nadal who anchored North Shore (NY) to the national lead in the DMR, the Saratoga pair of Cassie Goutos and Sydney King and Aisling Cuffe (Corwall, NY) now rested after her 12th place finish at the Footlocker Nationals.
In the field events the Lavong brothers of Methacton (PA) will look to continue their string of victories at the Armory. Carlton is once again looking to take gold in the long jump and triple jump, events that he won at the Loughlin Games and had the best performance at the Marine Corp Holiday relay meet. His brother Wesley also had the best performance at those two meets and is looking to remain undefeated at the New York facility. The girl’s field events are headlined by North Babylon’s Vanessa Stewart who has yet to lose a shot put competition.
The relays are always a highlight at a day at the Armory and when you bring together such powers as Sheepshead Bay(NY), Newburgh(NY), Cardozo(NY), Boys & Girls (NY), Morris Hills (NJ), Saratoga (NY), and Warwick(NY) to name a few, and the national leader board is sure to be under attack.
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