Ollie Hoare, Geordie Beamish and Alicia Monson Deliver Three Big Wins For OAC Group

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

John Nepolitan photos

NEW YORK -- The famed Wanamaker Men's Mile offered two winners for the price of one Saturday at The Armory in uptown Manhattan. 

Ollie Hoare won a duel with Josh Kerr to win the showcase event of the 114th Millrose Games, coming through the finish line in 3:50.83 for a New Zealand national record. Kerr, who boldly went to the lead with 300 meters to go and then was caught, was second in 3:52.27. 

But the biggest roar of the night went up for ninth-place finisher Nick Willis, who logged his 20th annual sub-four performance in the mile to earn one of the biggest achievements of a storied running career. Willis was able to stick to training partner Hobbs Kessler and come through the finish in 3:59.71. 

Elle Purrier St. Pierre repeated as the Women's Wanamker Mile champion, running from the front and surviving a challenge from New Jersey local Josette Norris. Purrier St. Pierre finished in 4:19.30. 

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Olympic 800-meter champion Athing Mu received a warm ovation, appearing at Millrose for the first time since she was in high school, but she dropped out of the race after battling to stay in fifth through 1,200 meters. 

In one of the most highly anticipated races of the night, New Zealand's Geordie Beamish kicked past former Oregon teammates Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker to stab a victory in the 3,000 meters. Beamish ran a national record 7:39.50. Teare and Hocker, making their pro debuts, finished second (7:39.61) and third (7:39.83), respectively. 

The top 10 finishers in the race all secured new personal bests. 

Shawnti Jackson cemented her legacy as one of the best prep sprinters in history by placing third in a stacked women's 60 meters and breaking the national high school record, clocking 7.18 seconds. 

A year after being cancelled for the first time in more than a century due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a masked crowed filled the old drill shed at The Armory to take in one of the early track and field spectacles on the 2022 calendar. 

Mu was one of three Olympic champions from last year's Tokyo Games to compete Saturday.

Pole vaulter Katie Nageotte didn't have her best outing, but interacted with an appreciative crowd and placed third. Sandi Morris achieved a world-leading clearance of 15-7 (4.75m) and Emily Grove took second. 

Nageotte made one bar and went out at 14-7.25 -- the same height that Hana Moll of Capital High and Northwest Pole Vault Club in Washington made earlier in the day to break a meet record in the high school competition. 

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser and his cowboy hat made an appearance, though it might not go into the record book. Crouser had some good throws, but a malfunctioning laser measuring system proved to be the day's biggest foul. 

One of Crouser's throws went onto the scoreboard as 23.38 meters, which would be a world record, but Crouser knew it wasn't that big of a throw. As it turned out, the laser was not accurately measuring the throws on The Armory's makeshift sector in the middle of the arena. 

The best of Crouser's throws was measured with a standard tape to be 22.50m, which was a good marker to open the 2022 season. 

Alicia Monson began a string of three victories for the On Athletic Club, featuring a new spike, by running a world-leading time of 8:31.62 in the 3,000 meters. Monson ran stride ahead of frequent rival Weini Kelati but never conceded the lead. Kelati finished second in 8:33.72 for a a personal best. 

Monson's OAC win came first but was followed in the program by Beamish's victory and then Hoare's. 

Christian Coleman, making his return to competition following 18 months of a doping control violation that cost him a chance to compete in last year's Olympics, won a loaded men's 60-meter dash in 6.49, just ahead of Trayvon Bromell (6.50).