By Steve Underwood
The 14-girl field for the 2013 adidas Dream Mile is both talented and diverse. It includes current or former champions from the Simplot, Penn Relays, Mt. SAC, Arcadia, Millrose, Brooks PR, and New Balance Indoor and Outdoor miles. It includes the second-fastest indoor 800 runner ever and the current and former USR-holders of the indoor 5,000. It includes 10 seniors, two juniors and two super-talented freshmen. It includes three girls from Michigan, the first Dream Mile girls’ competitors ever from Canada, Texas, Utah, and Nevada, and a combined seven girls who have signed with either University of Michigan, Duke, or Vanderbilt.
The field is full of intrigue and should make for another assault on the 4:40 barrier, broken by three in 2012, so we break them down here (in alphabetical order):
Reagan Anderson (Tatnall H.S., DE)
Anderson is one of three returnees from last year’s race, when she was 11th, right behind her Tatnall teammate Haley Pierce – one of the favorites who finished just 10th. When Pierce, one of the nation’s best runners most of her career, graduated the Delaware powerhouse, Anderson was in line to lead the program. The senior has done an admirable job; an excellent leader under Coach Pat Castagno and with mostly excellent racing results. Indoors, she was 8th in the NBNI mile and 4th in the Brooks 800. Then in her second Penn Relays mile last month she was an outstanding runner-up in a PR US#4 4:50.66. Even better, just Tuesday this week, at her state Meet of Champs, she won the 800 in a PR US#8 2:08.58. Presuming she’s recovered, she could certainly battle for a top three spot.
College: Vanderbilt University
Sydney Badger (Centennial H.S., NV)
Solid improvement during her junior year has made Badger one of the better runners in the Western desert states and arguably the best female distance runner in Nevada since the great Marie Lawrence. As a soph last spring, she just dipped under 5:00 for 1600. This spring, she’s down to a US#10 4:52.16 for a full mile, that coming in a big Mt. SAC victory. She was also second in the Arcadia mile with 4:57.20, and added a 10:40.07 3,200 to boot. She won three events, including a 2:11.98 800 PR, and was on the winning 4x400 at state last weekend. While it may be a little much to expect her to contend for the win, a solid finish would help get her back here in 2014 and maybe vie for the top.
College: NA
Madie Boreman (Leander Rouse H.S., TX)
The field in this year’s girls’ mile is comprised of 10 seniors, two juniors, then there are two very talented freshmen that will try and mix it up. One of those is Boreman, who has been a revelation this in Class 4A this year. It started in cross-country, where she ascended during the fall to become the state champ in that class, following a 4th in the loaded McNeill Invite and District and Regional titles. This spring has been even better: A big 3,200 PR of 10:24.62 in March, a 4:59.99 1,600 for third in the Texas Relays a week later, then finally at state, a complete stunner: A blazing 4:48.16 4A 1,600 title that bounced her to US#7 with the Lone Star State’s best mark of the year. No freshman nationally has been better at 1,500, 1,600 or the mile.
College: NA
Carmen Carlos (McGill-Toolen Catholic H.S., AL)
A year ago at this time, Carlos’ junior season was rolling to a disappointing conclusion. She had run a 4:48.28 mile indoors and won the NBNI 2-mile, but outdoors she had topped out and by NBNO, she ran the deuce 30 seconds slower. 2013 has been a different story. Carlos has paced herself better in training and working up to her peak (she skipped NBNI this year) and was at PR level at state with a 4:48.23 1,600, highlighting a triple that also included a 2:12.18 800 and 10:32.02 3,200. Better yet, she rolled a 10:15.70 3,200 earlier in the spring, and has been consistent from beginning to now. She’ll join fellow Dream Miler Reagan Anderson at Vanderbilt in the fall.
College: Vanderbilt University
Sarah Feeny (Ogden H.S., UT)
Moreso than in the boys’ Dream Mile, there are several girls in this field who were relatively unheralded nationally before this school year began. Feeny certainly falls into this category. As a soph in 2012, she won the state 1,600 in 4:59.28 and was also 2nd in the Great Southwest 1,500. She reached a new level during XC season last fall, qualifying for Foot Locker and taking 32nd. Then she set about establishing herself nationally in track, helping herself with a Simplot 1,600 victory indoors and Arcadia mile 3rd-place finish last month. It was last weekend at state, however, where she really got her time down with a US#12 4:50.04 1,600, while also adding a 2:12.72 800 (2nd). She joins Shea Martinez as Utahans in the race.
College: NA
Erin Finn (West Bloomfield H.S., MI)
Detailing the story of Finn’s prep career, with some dramatic ups and downs, could easily be a long article of its own; it would be impossible to adequately cover it here. But for this meet, in a sense, it’s relatively simple: For a runner who will almost certainly race the 5,000 and 10,000 in college, there was really no pressure on Finn here to win last year. Yet she impressed mightily in 8th place with her 4:47.08, a big PR at the time. After a Foot Locker runner-up finish in 2011, Finn missed the meet after a bout with flu last fall. Then she followed with a stellar indoor season (including a Brooks 2M win), only to suffer a heartbreaking 5,000 loss to Wesley Frazier at NBNI (even while breaking her own USR). This is her first trip back to the national stage since March, but again, with less pressure at this distance. She’s one of three Michigan girls here and one of two that will attend U-M in the fall.
College: University of Michigan
Wesley Frazier (Ravenscroft H.S., NC)
Few female preps ever, and certainly none in this field, can match Frazier for national championship credentials. At distances from a mile to 5,000 meters, she’s won five New Balance indoor and outdoor titles during three different seasons. Adding in XC and considering her career as a whole, Frazier hasn’t always been consistent, but she really hasn’t had an off race since the beginning of indoor and, besides that 5,000(USR)/2M double at NBNI, she has the two best 3,200 clockings in the country this spring – led by a 9:57.70. THIS meet, however, is one she hasn’t conquered yet, struggling to 12th in 2011 and then in 2012 – despite a PR 4:42.78 – taking 5th. She and Edward Cheserek on the boys’ side are the only three-time Dream Milers.
College: Duke University
Stephanie Jenks (Linn-Mar H.S., IA)
Like Boreman, Jenks is making her debut on this big stage as a freshman and – like 2011 boys’ winner Lukas Verzbicas – she is an accomplished triathlete, having competed for Team USA at the Pan-Am Juniors. Racing in Iowa, her middle distance experience has come in 1500s – no miles or 1,600s on her resume. But her 4A state-meet-winning 4:31.14 last weekend should put her in the mix. She also ran 9:46.02 3k (1st) and 2:13.30 800 (2nd) PRs at state and racked up a 1500/3k double at Drake last month to boot. Last fall, she made NXN Finals as a frosh, taking 3rd in the Heartland Region and 41st in Portland. Fellow Iowans Katie Flood and Shelby Houlihan ran well here as seniors in 2010 and 2012.
College: NA
Shea Martinez (Davis H.S., UT)
You could argue that, first and foremost, Martinez is an 800 runner. She carries a US#6 2:08.48 outdoor best, but her calling card at the moment is that no one in the country has racked up as many sub-2:10s as her, the total having reached at least seven, indoors and out. Indoors, she was 4th at NBNI with her overall PR of 2:08.00 and anchored her winning Davis squad in the 4x800. Her top 1,600/mile credential is a big one, though: A US#11 4:52.39 victory at Arcadia. She also scored an 800/1,600 double at her state meet last weekend. Martinez and Feeny are the first two girls from Utah to compete in the meet, but Brad Nye was ninth in the boys’ race from Davis last year with a sterling 4:04.46.
College: Brigham Young University
Haley Meier (Grosse Pointe South H.S., MI)
It’s tough consistently being the bridesmaid half of a national class twin combination, and Haley Meier has born that mantle alongside sister Hannah for four years. Sometimes, Haley shadows Hannah, right behind her in some speedy efforts; other times – in part due to illness and injury – she is far behind as her sister has claimed state and national titles, and international team berths. Many other times, they work together on fantastic, nation-leading relays. Perhaps the best stretch of Haley’s career so far came this winter when she ran a PR 4:45.24 mile right behind Hannah during an in-state invite, then – with Hannah in the 800 – ran a very strong second in the Brooks mile behind Amy-Eloise Neale. Strong recent races in Michigan and her record in races like Brooks (a 2nd and 3rd) suggest this might be a good weekend for her.
College: Duke University
Hannah Meier (Grosse Pointe South H.S., MI)
It’s hard to believe twins Hannah and Haley Meier won’t be around the prep ranks after this spring, following long, successful careers at the state and national (individual and relay) level. And when it comes to national-level success, Hannah has few peers. Her list of accomplishments include two NBNI mile titles and Team USA berths for both the 2011 World Youth 1500 and the 2012 World Junior 1500 (she was 9th in the WY final). She was also 2nd to Elise Cranny at this winter’s NBNI mile –seen as an upset at the time (but no more), despite Hannah’s 4:40.97 PR – and 2nd to Frazier in the 2011 NBNI mile. The 2011 NBNI was the only time Meier and Frazier have met and there it was Frazier’s kick in the final 100 that did it after Meier tried to escape earlier in the race. Interestingly, the Meiers will join Frazier at Duke next year.
College: Duke University
Jaimie Phelan (St. Mary’s HS, Ontario, CAN)
Phelan has been building her credentials in the U.S. over the past year with frequent trips from Ontario down to the States for major races. In 2012, she was sixth in the Penn Relays 3000. Then indoors, she placed third in the NBNI mile behind Cranny and Meier with a 4:48.16. Finally, last month at the Penn Relays, she outkicked Reagan Anderson for the win with 4:50.60. Phelan reportedly has a 1,500 best of 4:24.04 during her successful career in Ontario, and represented Team Canada in the 2011 World Youth Champs. Phelan will join Finn at the University of Michigan this fall.
College: University of Michigan
Arin Rice (Canyon H.S., TX)
Rice may be three years older than her Texas Class 4A rival Boreman, but she had a similarly huge breakthrough in the state championship 1,600 two weeks ago. Rice was defending champ in the event, with a 4:55.75 best from last year, and had not beaten that time in 2013. But in finishing behind the freshman in Austin, she lowered her PR to 4:49.08. The senior also won the 4A 800 in 2:12.99. That was less than a second off her seasonal best, but she sports a 2:09.90 PR from 2012. Rice and Boreman are the first two Texas girls to compete in the Dream Mile.
College: Texas Christian University
Sabrina Southerland (Benjamin Cardozo H.S., NY)
Southerland came into 2013 with solid, state-level 800 and 1,500 credentials, but exploded to the national super-elite level during the winter. She qualified for the Millrose Games mile and captured the title there in 4:51.91. But then at NBNI, she really made eyes pop out with her 4:44 1,600 anchor during Cardozo’s winning DMR, then a monster 2:03.97 800 win two days later which made her #2 all-time. Outdoors, she has avoided over-racing, anchoring the winning DMR again at Penn, running a 4:26 1,500 against open/college competition, then ruling the 800 (2:06.97) and mile (4:47.23) – both US#2 marks – at the Loucks Games. It has been an incredible senior year for Southerland and she should be regarded as one of the top three contenders for the win here.
College: Georgetown University
