Green Hope graduate and North Carolina State national champion becomes only second female athlete in meet history to win both elite 3,000 meters and mile in same day, joining training partner Smith; British standouts Atkin, Grice also triumph, along with Wilson and Lopez Alvarez

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor/Phil Ponder photos

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Perhaps the best way for Elly Henes to prepare for the impressive challenge of running both the elite women’s 3,000 meters and mile an hour apart Saturday at the 10th annual Camel City Invitational was to train with the only female competitor in meet history to successfully achieve the daunting distance double.

Henes, an adidas professional and the reigning NCAA Division 1 outdoor 5,000-meter champion from her final season at North Carolina State, benefited from recent workouts with Rachel Smith – the married name of U.S. Olympian and HOKA ONE ONE athlete Rachel Schneider – in Flagstaff, Ariz., and the training paid substantial dividends at JDL Fast Track.

Henes, a graduate of Green Hope High in North Carolina, clocked 8 minutes, 57.83 seconds to prevail in the 3,000, and managed to have enough energy left in the final 50 meters of the mile to edge HOKA professional Emily Richards by a 4:38.66 to 4:38.68 margin, earning $13,000 for her achievements.

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Henes joined Smith, who swept the mile and 3,000 in both 2018 and last year, as the only athletes ever to win multiple elite races in the same year at Camel City. Smith is coached by her husband Mike Smith, the program head for reigning Division 1 men’s cross country champions Northern Arizona.

Henes also benefited from former Wolfpack teammate and current North Carolina State All-American Kelsey Chmiel challenging her throughout the 3,000, as they became just the fifth and sixth female competitors in meet history to eclipse the 9-minute barrier.

Chmiel, who ran 8:59.96, became the only college athlete among that group to achieve a sub-9 effort at Camel City, and was supported by teammates Allie Hays (9:05.12) and Savannah Shaw (9:06.22) finishing fourth and fifth, right behind Smith (9:05.08), who returned later to earn seventh in the mile in 4:42.11.

After New Balance athlete Hannah Segrave paced the first 800 of the mile in 2:22, Richards took the lead and held the advantage over Henes until the final curve. But Henes managed to pass the nine-time Division 3 national champion from Ohio Northern on the outside and hold off Richards at the line.

Cincinnati graduate student-athlete Ellie Leather took third (4:39.58), improving from 10th last year in 4:42.80. Leather became the ninth collegiate female competitor in meet history to run under 4:40.

A pair of British athletes produced impressive victories in the men’s elite mile and 3,000.

Sam Atkin dominated the second half of the 3,000 following an aggressive early pace from Campbell All-American Athanas Kioko and prevailed in 7:46.79, the second-fastest performance all-time at Camel City, trailing only the 7:45.49 effort in 2017 by U.S. Olympian Paul Chelimo.

Craig Nowak, last year’s winner, closed well to secure second in 7:48.95, and Virginia Tech senior Antonio Lopez Segura produced the fastest collegiate 3,000 time in meet history by taking third in 7:49.03. Kioko was unable to build on his early momentum and finished fourth in 7:50.46.

Atkin, Nowak and Lopez Segura, representing Spain, increased the number of all-time sub-7:50 competitors at Camel City to seven, with three athletes achieving the feat in the same race for the first time in meet history.

Grice followed his mile victory Jan. 29 at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., by denying Willy Fink a third straight Camel City win, edging Vincent Ciattei of Nike Oregon Track Club Elite by a 3:57.22 to 3:57.47 margin.

Crayton Carrozza of Texas produced the fastest performance by a collegiate competitor at Camel City, taking third in 3:58.96, joining Ciattei and another former Virginia Tech standout Patrick Joseph as the only three male college athletes to eclipse the 4-minute barrier at JDL Fast Track.

Fink, who denied Edward Cheserek his third career mile win at Camel City in 2020, placed fourth in 3:59.19. It marked the third-highest total for sub-4 marks in the same elite race, with there being six athletes in 2018 and five individuals in 2015.

Ajee’ Wilson followed her 800-meter victory Jan. 29 at the 114th Millrose Games with a triumphant return to JDL Fast Track for the first time since 2019. Wilson emerged victorious in 2:01.39, ahead of fellow adidas athlete and training partner Charlene Lipsey (2:03.03).

Wilson produced the fastest 800 all-time on a 200-meter flat track with her 1:59.26 effort three years ago at Camel City.

Lindsey Butler of Virginia Tech was third in 2:05.03, improving on her sixth-place performance in 2:07.78 in 2020.

Jesus Tonatiu Lopez Alvarez achieved the Mexican indoor national record in the elite mile, clocking 1:47.90 to prevail against U.S. Olympian Clayton Murphy (1:48.14).

Lopez Alvarez took down the 2011 mark of 1:48.43 established by James Eichberger in Arkansas.

Alex Amankwah of District Track Club took third in 1:49.58, with Yusuf Bizimana of Texas the top collegiate competitor in fourth (1:49.83).

Murphy returned to the track 35 minutes later to attempt to pursue the double in the mile, but dropped out of the race after three laps.

Cruz Gomez of Texas and Dylan Allen of Kentucky closed out the meet in impressive fashion in the unseeded men’s mile.

Gomez ran 4:01.69 and Allen clocked 4:04.06, both eclipsing the 2018 record in the same section of 4:04.86 achieved by Daniel Wallis of Queens University in North Carolina.

Anna Vess added to the strong performances by North Carolina State, winning the unseeded women’s mile in 4:45.84.

Queens teammates Jan Lukas Becker and Mathurin Boutte, representing Germany and Italy, respectively, took the top two spots in the unseeded men’s 3,000. Becker won in 8:12.69 and Boutte, competing in only his second career indoor meet, clocked 8:13.95.

Carolien Millenaar, competing unattached for Wake Forest, achieved the fastest time in the unseeded women’s 3,000 by clocking 9:33.87.

Chris Van Niekerk of High Point produced a meet-record 60-9.25 (18.52m) in the fourth round of the men’s shot put.

Janese Lynch helped Wake Forest sweep the top four spots in the women’s shot put with a third-round mark of 48-11.50 (14.92m).

Clarence Reeders, a Division 3 All-American from Christopher Newport in Virginia, won the men’s triple jump with a third-round performance of 44-8 (13.61m).

Tyson Adams, a junior at West Forsyth High in North Carolina, placed second at 42-3.25 (12.88m) after winning the long jump Friday with a first-round effort of 24-2.50 (7.38m).

Adams is scheduled to compete at JDL Fast Track again Feb. 12 at the North Carolina indoor state championship meet.

Arrieya Harper of North Carolina A&T emerged victorious in the women’s triple jump with a second-round mark of 39-3 (11.96m).