Connor Lane shocked himself at the end of the 2016 Outdoor track season when he beat his middle distance oriented teammate, Connor Peeples, in a Mile at the NCRunners Tune-Up. After a strong cross country season where he took 8th at Foot Locker Nationals, he looks to kick off indoor season with a strong Mile debut. The race will certainly be fast up front with DJ Principe running a 4:00.97 just a week ago. Lane will look to take down Kenny Kneisel's North Carolina Indoor State Record of 4:10.24 that was set last season.
Lane becomes the 4th North Carolina boy to make this historic field joining Craig Engels (Reagan) who won the race in 2012 in 4:13.70, Thomas Graham (Cary Academy) who took 3rd in 2012 4:14.75, and Blake Williams (Northern Durham) who took 8th in 2011 in 4:20.93.
New Balance Grand Prix Junior Mile All-Time List
Boys Junior Mile Field
• DJ Principe (La Salle Academy, RI), ran the US#3 All-Time Mile Indoor last weekend against a professional field where he ran 4:00.97 against a professional field where he took 3rd place;
• Josh Hoey (Bishop Shanahan, Downingtown, PA), ranked #1 in the U.S. at 1500 meters and the 2016 Penn Relays Mile winner;
• Connor Lane (Cardinal Gibbons, Raleigh, NC), eighth in the 2016 Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships and the 2016 state champion at 3200 meters;
• Jack Carleo (Newburyport, MA), ranked #3 in the U.S. at 800 meters and the 2016 stat Division II cross country champion;
• Patrick O'Brien (Oyster River HS, Durham, NH), the 2016 state champion at 1500 meters and 3000 meters indoors, 1600 meters outdoors and cross country;
• Nicholas Dahl (Germantown Friends School, Philadelphia, PA), a top-five finisher at 2 miles in the 2015 and 2016 New Balance Nationals Outdoor and the 2016 independent schools state champion in the 1600 meters and cross country;
• Mars Bishop (Barrington, RI), 2015 state indoor champion at 600 meters;
• Alexander Korczynski (Windham HS, Willimantic, CT), 2017 Dartmouth Relays mile winner;
• Ben Kovacs (Saint John's HS, Shrewsbury, MA), 2017 East Coast Invitational mile winner;
• Sam Toolin (North Kingstown, RI), seventh in the 2016 New Balance Nationals Outdoor mile; and
• Brendan Balthis (Tatnall HS, Wilmington, DE), 2017 AT&T Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational 2-mile winner.
Two years ago North Carolina sent three girls, Ryen Frazier, Elly Henes, and Malia Ellington to the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. Frazier went on to set the meet record for the junior mile where she ran 4:44.02. Ellington took 2nd in that race running a 4:53. Mareno enters as the favorite to win this years Junior Mile, but will have some stout competition looking to take her down. Mareno holds a Mile PR of 4:43 as she will look to test her fitness in her 2017 indoor debut. She will likely be eyeing Ryen Frazier's indoor 1600 state record of 4:39.93 this season. Mareno currently sits at #2 on the North Carolina 1600 All-Time list.
Girls Junior Mile Field
• Nevada Mareno (Leesville Road, NC), Foot Locker National runner-up, #2 national returner in the outdoor Mile.
• Abbe Goldstein (Germantown Academy, Fort Washington, PA), ranked #3 in the U.S. at 1500 meters and #4 at both the mile and 3000 meters, as well as the winner of the 2017 Hispanic Games 1500 meters;
• Kelsey Chmiel (Saratoga Springs, NY), ranked #2 in the U.S. in the mile and winner of the 2017 Hispanic Games 3000 meters;
• Anna Juul (Unionville HS, Kennott Square, PA), #2 in the U.S. at 1500 meters and #3 in the mile,
• Grace Connolly (Natick, MA), the 2016 Division 1 state cross country champion who finished ninth in the 2016 Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships as a sophomore;
• Bridget Mitchell (Milton, MA), the 2016 Division 2 state cross country champion who finished second in the 2017 Dartmouth Relays mile;
• Jacqueline Gaughan (Exeter, NH), 11th in the 2016 Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships and the 2016 state indoor champion at 1500 meters and 3000 meters;
• Leya Salis (Bedford, NH), 2017 East Coast Invitational mile winner and 2016 state indoor champion at 1000 meters;
• Mia Nahom (New Milford, CT), fourth in the 2016 New England Championships at 1600 meters;
• Tiara Tardy (Mount Desert Island HS, Bar Harbor, ME), runner-up in the 2016 Class B state cross country championships; and
• Lily Flynn (Ursuline, New Rochelle, NY), winner of the 2017 Molloy Stanner Games 1000 meters.