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2014 Nike Festival of Miles Watch List
First Edition- The 800
Hey everyone- It’s that time of year again. Time to start recruiting our fields for the 2014 Nike Festival of Miles. That’s right, Nike is this year’s title sponsor, which means all high school all stars will be decked out in Nike uniforms and looking good under the lights in front of 1,200 plus fans!!
Last week we released our first Watch Lists for the Mile and the 100. Today we take a look at the top 800 meter runners in the Midwest. The 2-lapper is new to the Festival of Miles this year and we are super pumped about it. It’s one of the most exciting races in all of track and field and we can’t wait to see how fast these young men and women can go under the lights on June 5th!
For all the info on the high school all star races click HERE.
For the purpose of this watch list we’ve included top 800 meter runners from the following states; AR, IA, IL, KS, MO, NE, OK. That is where we typically draw from although the meet is open to athletes from any state in the country.
BOYS 800
Charles (CJ) Jones, SR, Cardinal Ritter (MO) – Can we just flat say that we are dying to see this young man race at FOM? The owner of a 1:49.78 PR, Jones was the nation’s top returner this year at 800 meters and has already gone 1:53 in 2014.
JD Lafayette, SR, Normal University HS (IL) – Lafayette leads a very deep list of half milers in Illinois with his 1:52.43.
Johnny Leverenz, SR, Danville (IL) – With a 1:53.14 to his name already this season, Leverenz is a serious contender to make the eight man FOM field come June should he choose to compete.
Ian James, SR, St. James (KS) – James tops the Kansas top times list so far in 2014, courtesy of a 1:54.57 at the Bishop Miege Invitational.
Matt Anyiwo, SR, Homewood-Flossmoor (IL) – The third Illinois runner on this list, Anyiwo has already gone 1:54.63 this year. He went 1:52.03 last summer though so we know he can get much faster.
Carl Klamm, JR, Evantston Township (IL) – The first junior on our list, Klamm went 1:54.67 at the Capital City Classic to finish third behind Lafayette and Leverenz.
Antonio Humphrey, SR, Douglass (OK)- Humphrey’s 1:55.46 tops the list in Oklahoma. We’d love to see him travel to Saint Louis in June and take on the best in the Midwest.
Anthonio Humphrey, Frederick (OK) – Not to be confused with Antonio Humphrey, this Humphrey has run 1:56.27 so far this season, but owns a personal best of 1:51.80 from last year’s World Youth Trials.
Derek Templeman, SR, Gretna (NE)- The Nebraska 800 list is led by Templeman, whose 1:56.09 is certainly a very solid early season time.
Noah Kauppila, SR, Marquette (MO) – Kauppila has not run an 800 yet this year, but he is the defending Missouri State Champ and owns a personal best of 1:52.19. He may be more likely to run the mile at FOM however.
Bryce Richards, JR, Mundelein (IL) – Richards has gone 1:56 this year, but he has a 1:53.60 PR from last year. We expect he’ll have a great chance to make the FOM field by the end of the season.
Other runners to watch: Alex Burson (MO), Zack Penrod (MO), Dylan Quisenberry (MO), Cyle Quick (MO), Bry Balenstein (OK), Matt Plowman (IL), Josh Hanna (KS), Ty Hansen (NE), Brendan Taylor (AR), Ben Ahlrich (IA)
* Did we miss someone? Let us know by emailing meet director Ben Rosario at ben@nazelite.com.
GIRLS 800
Kaley Ciluffo, JR, Pleasant Valley (IA) – Ciluffo has already run 2:10 this year and is currently ranked 10th in the U.S. Needless to say we’d love to see her race on June 5th!
Amanda Agana, SR, Fayetteville (AR) – The owner of a 2:11.06 PR from last year’s New Balance Nationals, Agana has already signed up for FOM!
Hannah Long, JR, Eureka (MO) – Long’s 2:11 (coming after a 4:45 1600) is second best among athletes on this list. Of course, she’ll have to choose between the Mile and the 800 at FOM.
Stephanie Jenks, SO, Linn-Mar (IA) – Jenks, our FOM Mile defending champ, has gone 2:12.38 so far for the 2-lapper this season. Like Long, she would seem more likely to choose the Mile at FOM.
Rebekah Topham, JR, Griswold (IA) – Topham, who we would love to see at FOM, was just over a half second back of Jenks in the 800 at the Kansas Relays.
Karina Liz, SO, Aurora Central Catholic (IL)- Liz’ 2:13.77 tops a very tough Illinois 800 list so far this season.
Molly Sughroue, SR, McCook (NE) – Sughroue tops the Nebraksa 800 list with her 2:14.21 from the Kansas Relays.
Morgan Schulz, JR, Cary Grove (IL) – Last week, in only her second 800 ever, Schulz ran 2:14.4. Yes, you heard that correctly, she ran 2:14 the second time she had ever run the event!
Sabrina Monsees, JR, Winnetonka (MO) – Monsees traveled to the prestigious Arcadia Invitational in California earlier this month and came away with a 2:14.64 personal best.
Alex Martel, SR, Lane Tech (IL)- Martel is second on the Illinois list courtesy of a 2:16.24 from the DGN Ritter Invitational.
Amber Decker, SO, Linn-Mar (IA) – The fourth Iowa athlete on this list, Decker ran 2:16.35 at the J-Hawk Relays.
Other runners to watch: Taylor Werner (MO), Belle Wallace (OK), Kelsey Lathrop (KS),
* Did we miss someone? Let us know by emailing meet director Ben Rosario at ben@nazelite.com.