Schneider seeks third sweep of women’s 3,000 meters and mile in meet history, with Murphy also looking to double in men’s 800 and mile, the latter against two-time winner Fink; Wilson returns to race 800 for first time since best 200-meter flat track effort in 2019

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The most successful athlete in meet history, along with a pair of competitors who have produced the fastest all-time 200-meter flat track performances and three additional returning champions, highlight the 10th annual Camel City Elite schedule Saturday as part of the two-day schedule that begins Friday at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, N.C.

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Rachel Schneider, a HOKA ONE ONE athlete married to Northern Arizona coach Mike Smith, is a five-time elite winner entered again in the women’s mile and 3,000 meters. The U.S. Olympian in the 5,000 meters returns after sweeping both races last year following her first Camel City Elite double in 2018, in addition to a mile victory in 2017.

Ajee’ Wilson, an adidas competitor and another U.S. Olympian, is entered in the women’s 800 and is scheduled to compete at JDL Fast Track for the first time since 2019, when she produced the fastest 200-meter flat track effort in history of 1 minute, 59.26 seconds.

Two-time men’s elite 800 winner and Nike athlete Clayton Murphy, who achieved the all-time 200-meter flat track performance of 1:45.92 in 2019 and followed with another victory in 2020 in 1:47.59, looks to become the first three-time champion in the event.

Brandon Johnson won in 2015-16, followed by Middle Tennessee State athlete Eliud Rutto in 2017-18.

Murphy, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, is entered in the 800 and the mile, looking to become the first male competitor to win multiple Camel City Elite events in the same year.

Alex Amankwah of District Track Club, fourth in the 800 last year and runner-up in 2020, is also entered, along with Jesus Tonatiu Lopez, a HOKA athlete and Mexican outdoor national record holder at 1:43.44.

They are scheduled to compete against collegiate athletes Yusuf Bizimana and Brendan Hebert of Texas, Seb Anthony of Virginia Tech, Timothy Doyle of North Florida and Division 2 standout Titus Lagat of Lee University in Tennessee. Finley McLear of Miami (Ohio) won last year in 1:49.87.

Murphy is expected to square off in the mile against two-time defending champion Willy Fink, an Under Armour athlete who prevailed last year in 3:59.01. The fastest 200-meter flat track performance of 3:52.30 achieved by Irish star Frank O’Mara has stood since 1986.

Fink is looking to become the first three-time men’s mile champion in event history, with Edward Cheserek winning in 2018-19, following victories by Cory Leslie in 2013 and 2015.

The men’s mile is also scheduled to include Vincent Ciattei of Nike Oregon Track Club Elite, Graham Crawford of Reebok Boston Track Club and British athlete Charlie Grice, who won the event Jan. 29 in 3:57.39 at the Razorback Invitational on a 200-meter banked track at Randal Tyson Track Center.

Texas athletes Crayton Carrozza and Cole Lindhorst, along with Ahmed Jaziri of Eastern Kentucky, Nick Dahl of Duke, Ben Nibbelink of Virginia Tech, Gavin Gaynor of North Carolina State and Thomas Vanoppen of Wake Forest are also scheduled to race.

Wilson, a two-time World Indoor silver medalist and World Outdoor bronze medalist in the 800, was scheduled to match up against British athlete and New Balance professional Hannah Segrave, who won last year’s event in 2:04.70, but Segrave has instead decided to pace the mile and 3,000.

Wilson is also expected to be challenged by fellow adidas athlete Charlene Lipsey.

Megan Marvin of Furman is among four collegiate competitors entered in the women’s 800, in addition to Lindsey Butler of Virginia Tech, Valery Tobias of Texas and Isabella Giesing of UMass Lowell.

The first of Schneider’s expected races will be in the 3,000, with adidas professional athlete and reigning NCAA Division 1 women’s outdoor 5,000 champion Elly Henes also scheduled to return in the mile.

Schneider won last year in 8:57.01, after New Balance athlete Jenny Simpson ran the fastest 3,000 on a flat 200-meter track in history by clocking 8:51.49 in 2020.

Danielle Shanahan of HOKA Northern Arizona Elite is also entered in the 3,000, with several impressive collegiate competitors completing the field.

Kelsey Chmiel, Allie Hays and Savannah Shaw of defending Division 1 women’s cross country championship team North Carolina State are entered, along with Adelyn Ackley and Calli Doan of Liberty, Nicole Fegans of Georgia Tech, Bethany Graham of Furman, Margot Appleton of Virginia, Michaela Reinhart of Duke, Mackenna Curtis-Collins of Wake Forest, as well as Division 2 stars Celine Ritter of Lee and Fatima Alanis of Queens.

Lee produced the Division 2 indoor record on a 200-meter track last year by running 9:11.41. She will take aim at the all-time indoor 3,000 mark of 9:07.05 achieved by Caroline Kurgat of Alaska Anchorage in 2019 on an oversized track at the Dempsey facility in Washington.

Alanis finished third at the Division 2 cross country nationals Nov. 20 in Saint Leo, Fla., but the elite triathlete has raced only twice indoors during her collegiate career.

Along with Henes and Schneider, the women’s elite mile field also includes HOKA ONE ONE athlete Emily Richards, a nine-time NCAA Division 3 champion at Ohio Northern. They will all be pursuing the all-time 200-meter flat track mark of 4:22.66 produced by Nike competitor Shannon Rowbury in 2015.

North Carolina State teammates Samantha Bush and Sarah LaTour are also entered, along with the Kentucky tandem of Jenna Gearing and Tori Herman, as well as the Virginia Tech pair of Hannah Ballowe and Leigha Torino, plus Mia Barnett of Virginia, Ellie Leathers of Cincinnati and Kaley Richards of UMass Lowell.

The men’s 3,000 includes last year’s winner Craig Nowak, who triumphed in 7:50.89. He will be challenged by British athlete Sam Atkin, along with Under Armour competitor Casey Comber, all looking to eclipse the fastest 200-meter flat track effort of 7:42.29 produced in 1996 by American Bob Kennedy.

Athanas Kioko of Campbell, who took third at the Division 1 cross country final, leads a strong group of collegiate athletes in the 3,000, joined by Ian Shanklin of North Carolina State, Cameron Ponder of Furman and Ka’eo Kruse of Virginia.

North Carolina has Alex Ostberg and Parker Wolfe entered, with Texas teammates Yaseen Abdalla and Rodger Rivera also competing, in addition to Ben Fleming and Antonio Lopez Segura of Virginia Tech, plus Division 2 standouts Christian Noble and Carson Bix of Lee.

Noble set the Division 2 indoor record of 7:51.46 last year on a 200-meter banked track at the CrossPlex in Birmingham and went on to win both the 3,000 and 5,000 at the NCAA indoor final at the same venue.

Bix, who was runner-up in the Division 2 outdoor 5,000 final and seventh at the cross country championship meet competing for Adams State, is looking to eclipse the 8-minute mark for the first time after running 8:03.02 at the Dempsey facility in 2020.

Bix and Noble are also scheduled to compete Friday for Lee in the distance medley relay.

The men’s and women’s 5,000-meter races are also scheduled for Friday, with former North Carolina State competitor Ryen Frazier and current Wolfpack athlete Gionna Quarzo entered, along with Furman commit Jenna Mulhern of West Chester Henderson in Pennsylvania, the third-place finisher Dec. 11 at the Eastbay Cross Country Championships in San Diego.

The Pennsylvania all-time girls indoor best in the 5,000 is 16:11.85, achieved by Tessa Barrett of Abington Heights to win the 2014 New Balance Nationals Indoor title at The Armory in New York.

Caleb Eagleson, Silas Eckenroad, Dawson Reed and Hayden Judge of Lee are scheduled to compete in the men’s 5,000, in addition to High Point teammates Spencer Smucker and Hunter Steinau, plus former North Carolina-Pembroke athletes Jonathan Martin and Matthew Martin, as well as Brett Lucas of Emory.

Several sprinters and hurdlers representing North Carolina A&T, the top-ranked Division 1 men’s team in the country, are also scheduled to compete Friday.