Hunter College Junior Sweeps The 800 And Mile; Jathiyah Muhammad Breaks Meet Record In Pole Vault; Riley Smith Wins Another Armory Mile

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

John Nepolitan photos

Dylan McElhinney knows the track at The Armory better than most. She can find her way up to 168th on the subway in her sleep. She understands the process for getting warmed up and the good places in the crowded building to relax. 

McElhinney's comfort with the sometimes dizzying atmosphere at The Armory must have played some small part in her unexpected double this weekend at Nike Indoor Nationals. 

The junior from Hunter College, a prestigious academic institution on the Upper East Side, enjoyed the best weekend of her running career with victories in both the 800 meters Saturday (2:06.88) and mile Sunday (4:43.62). Both were big PRs. 

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A week earlier, she had won a state title in the 600 meters at the NYSPHSAA Championships and finished third in the 1,500. But that wasn't at The Armory. 

Nike Indoor Nationals was her seventh meet at The Armory since December. McElhinney does some of her training in Central Park and also has a hill near her home where she can run in the bike lane, she said. 

"Yesterday, I said this was a dream come true, but this (Sunday) is so beyond surreal it hasn't even set in yet," McElhinney said. 

If the Armory is home for McElhinney, it's a home away from home for Riley Smith of Dreamville TC (Buchholz FL). 

Smith, who won the 116th Millrose Games high school boys mile and broke the meet record in February, won the Nike Indoor Nationals title Sunday in 4:06.68. It was his third eight-lap effort in three days. He anchored his team's second-place finish in the DMR on Friday with a 4:02.87 1,600-meter split and then brought his team home to a victory in the 4xMile Saturday with a 4:10.29 split. 

"I was definitely tired coming into this," Smith said. "I had to work out my entire upper body and lower body last night. I was tense."

Ethan Edgeworth from Cold Springs AL took it out fast and went through the half in 2:01. But Smith didn't get antsy. He got into position and trusted his kick.

Byron Grevious of Phillips Exeter NH edged out Will Conway of Floyd Central IN for second as both hit the finish line in 4:07.98.

Californian Jathiyah Muhammad, already No. 4 all-time in the girls pole vault, broke a meet record with 14-3.25 (4.35m)

"I haven't had practice all week, so I was kind of winging it with my vaults," Muhammad said. "I'm very excited about how it turned out. I kept staying positive to myself and telling myself that I could do it."

Her outlook for the spring is bright. 

"I'm really going for 15 (feet)," Muhammad said. "My coaches believe that I can do it; I believe that I can do it."

In one of the best races of the day, Joslyn Hamilton from Rams Elite TC (Rolesville NC) upset Aleesa Samuel of Southwest Ranches (Somerset Academy FL) in the girls 60-meter hurdles final, US#2 8.21 seconds to US#3 8.25.

The girls 60 dash final brought another razor-close finish. Avery Lewis (Friends' Central PA) got to the finish line .004 seconds ahead of Lisa Raye of West Warwick RI to win the race. It was 7.304 to 7.308. 

Elise Cooper from McDonogh MD won the girls 200 meters in a season's best 23.49 seconds after not advancing to the finals in the 60. 

In the girls long jump, Sydnee Burr (Cypress Park TX) jumped a personal best mark of 20-8, a US#2. 

Kendrick Jones Jr (Lake Belton TX) won the boys 200 meters title in 21.12 seconds, fending off the 400 meters champion, Jayden Horton-Mims, who was second in 21.28.

Horton-Mims quickly reset himself and led his The TEP (Imhotep PA) team to the 4x400 relay championship, splitting 46.69 for his team (3:21.04).