The Millrose Games

[Nevada Hoya]

Hoya bball is not the only sport/event celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The Millrose Games in New York will celebrate its 100th anniversary this weekend. To celebrate this anniversary they are bringing back an old staple, the college 2-mile relay, this time converted into metric units the 4x800m relay. And one of those colleges involved will be the Hoyas, who starred in many of those previous Millrose Games. I still remember with awe Dr. Jack Reilly almost running down the entire field starting his anchor leg about 50 yards down. There has been some speculation among some on this board of the makeup of our 4x800 team. In an email from the Spiked Shoe Club comes the answer:

Hoyas To Compete at 2007 Millrose Games


The Georgetown University men's 4x800 relay team will be competing in the 2007 Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden in New York City on February 2, 2007. The team will consist of graduate student Stanley Lagrenade, redshirt sophomore Matt DeBole and freshmen Danny Harris and John Maloy, and the Hoyas will be competing against Villanova, Seton Hall, Boston College, Oregon and Cornell.


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Stanley Lagrenade
Lagrenade, a native of Nyack, N.Y., has posted a season-best time of 1:53.84 in the 800m at the Penn State Open, placing second. He also was fifth last weekend in the Penn State National Invitational 500m in 1:04.10. Lagrenade’s indoor personal record in the 800m is 1:51.06, run at the 2005 Meyo Invitational.

Matt DeBole
DeBole was a 2006 indoor All-American as an individual in the 1200m and as part of the Hoyas’ distance medley relay squad. Three weekends ago at Virginia Tech, he split 1:51.7 for the 800m carry. On Friday at the Terrier Classic, DeBole ran an NCAA provisional time of 7:58.16 in the 3000m, finishing sixth overall and fourth among collegians.

Danny Harris
Harris, who attended high school at St. John the Baptist and is from Deer Park, N.Y., won the 800m race at the Penn State Open two weekends ago, crossing in 1:53.81. This past weekend, he was sixth in the 500m, running 1:04.57. At last year’s New York State Indoor Championships, Harris split 47.3 in the 4x400m relay.

John Maloy
Maloy, a Loudonville, N.Y. resident and graduate of Shaker High School, qualified for his first IC4A Championship event this weekend, running 1:52.55 in the 800m at the Penn State National Invitational. He ran 1:51.51 in the 800m to win the New York High School State Championship last spring.

[Nevada Hoya]

I found out that Brandon Bonsey will be taking Matt Debole's place on the relay tonight. For those of you who can't go, the Millrose Games are on ESPN tonight at 7-9 pm EST.

[Nevada Hoya]

Also running at the Millrose Games tonight is Hoya alum, Chris Lukezic, in the Wanamaker Mile.
WANAMAKER MILE
Alan Webb USA
Bernard Lagat USA
Craig Mottram AUS
Ivan Heshko UKR
Chris Lukezic USA

If Chris finishes anywhere but last it is a moral victory - the field is top heavy with outstanding performers and Chris is not in the best shape right now.

[Nevada Hoya]

The times for the MSG track (11 laps to the mile) are notoriously slow. The 800m run tonight was won in 1:53 in a field of some of the best runners in the US. So the 4x800 relay should be about 7:40 to 7:45.

[Nevada Hoya]

Just in:

Smartwater College Men's 4x800m
1 American University 7:39.88
2 Villanova 7:40.01
3 Georgetown 7:42.75
4 Cornell 7:43.44
5 Boston College 7:43.49
6 Seton Hall 7:48.70
7 Oregon 7:50.90

Surprise to see AU do so well, but they have been sneaking up on people with their coach, former top American miler, Matt Centrowitz. Nova with Drew Eckman on the anchor leg and the Tully twins is a formidable foe in the 4x800. The Hoyas have a year or two before they are again dominant in this relay. Also a surprise to see Oregon last - I guess it was a matter of jet lag.

[Nevada Hoya]

WANAMAKER MILE
1 Bernard Lagat USA 3:54.26
2 Craig Mottram AUS 3:54.81
3 Chris Lukezic USA 4:01.48
4 Alan Webb USA 4:04.86
5 Ivan Heshko UKR 4:08.45
- Moise Joseph HAI DNF

Chris surprises and comes in third, although nowhere near the first two - very fast time on the slow Garden track. Surprised that Webb (3:55 last week) and Hesko (fantastic kick) were not in the hunt. We will have to wait for the first hand report from reformation.

[reformation]

Wannamaker Mile: Lukezic ran a smart race in the Wanamaker Mile, i.e., he held back while Webb tried to run closer to the pacesetter who set a suicidal WR pace @ 1:50 for the half mile. Lagat and Mottram are it another level and were able to hold on for a 3:54 on a very slow track-lagat unleashed a devastating kick to blow by Mottram on the last lap who was also flying. lagat and Mottram were in high season form, Chris definitely would be pleased with his performance, he looked a lot better than Webb--Heshko was never in it.

4 X 800: American went out aggressively and held on wire to wire--very smart running. Gtwn ran Harris, Bonsey, Maloy, and Lagrenade. Maloy was definitely the outstanding runner, making up serious ground on the leaders American + Villanova on the third leg. Lagrenade was the anchor, briefly turning over third place to Cornell before kicking at the end to get third place, he never challenged for the lead-, though he did aviod the embarassment of losing to Cornell. Harris lead off and stayed in contention until the very end of the lead off leg where he slowed down considerably and handed the baton to bonsy a good 10-15 yds back of the two leaders in fourth. Bonsey on the second leg was content to basically sit behind Cornell in fourth, did not seem to push himself. Maloy ran extremely well and smartly in third, passing Cornell and putting us at the fringe of striking distance --though it would have taken a real elite guy to get 2nd or third.
Good news: Maloy looks like a potential star, harris defintely showed some potential too. bad news:thought these guys would be more pumped and run a smarter indoor race.

[Nevada Hoya]

Thanks for the report, reformation. It used to give me goose bumps being at the Millrose Games (I saw the first 16 foot pole vault; the Russian woman almost made it 16 feet too - how times have changed). Saw the mile on TV today on tape. Lagat and Mottram are something; I think Chris is just bidding his time until outdoors for the Worlds at Osaka this year. Making the American team will be difficult with Lagat in the mix and almost guaranteed one slot. They said the rabbit went through the 400m in 56 s. If he went through the 800m in 1:50, he could have easily won the 800m last night won in about 1:53. I guess the difference between Webb and Lukezic last night is that Chris knew he could not follow that fast pace, but Webb throught he could (ended up he couldn't).

I wish GU were more in contention; it seemed they took it pretty conservatively - maybe they will be more agressive at Big East. John seems to have the same genes as his sister Elizabeth, both top runners. I am glad we held on to beat my other Alma Mater, Cornell.