Boys Mile Preview: Can Fisher Do It Again?
Actually the question is if Grant Fisher can repeat on two feats. Can the 4-time national champion join Lukasz Verzbicas and become only the second high school athlete in race history to win two adidas Dream races (boys or girls, mile or 100). And can he break four minutes in the mile twice as well as it do it in a high school only field? Only Jim Ryun and Alan Webb, both who rank ahead of Fisher on the all-time list in the mile were able to achieve the feat more than once.
Conditions should be nearly as ideal as his first sub 4 minute mile performance last week at the Festival of Miles when he had a pro field of guys hovering with times just under or just above 4 minutes to pace him. He will have a pacer in 1:48 half miler and World Youth Games 800 meter champion Myles Marshall as a pacer along with a field of guys ready to dip much further under 4:05 including the likes of Carlos Villarreal, Drew Hunter, Austin Tamagno, Mikey Brannigan, and more. The plan is for Marshall to take the field through 1:58 at 800 meters.
The target has been on Fisher’s back with the rest of the nation’s top distance runners trying to be the first guy to take him down since his remarkable junior year run which included a Foot Locker National cross country title, New Balance Nationals Indoor mile title, an adidas Dream mile victory, and Brooks PR 2 mile win. He has only thrived in this role as a senior continuing his unbeaten streak to the point that he himself probably has a tough time remember the last time which he suffered a defeat to another high school runner.
His top challengers in this year’s race could be two of the favorites for next year's if they return for the 2016 adidas Dream Mile in juniors Drew Hunter from Virginia and Austin Tamagno from California.
Hunter as a sophomore last spring set the national sophomore class record in the 3K with his 8:17 win at the Penn Relays and nearly ran down Mikey Brannigan for the New Balance Nationals outdoor title in the two mile with a 8:53 time. This past fall, Hunter qualified and competed in his first Foot Locker Nationals which he finished fourth place for All-American honors.
Despite not having an official indoor season, Hunter won the New Balance Nationals Indoor two mile title in a 8:48 PR. His recent spring achievements include another win at the Penn Relays, but this time in the mile joining only Matthew Centrowitz as the only two athletes to win both mile/3K titles at Penn during their high school career. Hunter also had a strong 4:03 1600/1:52 800 double at the University of Virginia’s Dogwood Track Classic in early May.
Meanwhile, Tamagno is one week removed from being in the position that Fisher is in this weekend in having the bull’s eye on his back as he was able to navigate through an always fiercely competitive championship season in California. Especially coming from ridiculously deep Southern Section in California, Tamagno stayed unbeaten all the way through the California State Meet finals winning his first outdoor state title last week in a strategic effort of 4:09.
To qualify for the Dream Mile, Tamagno won the Azusa Meet of Champions in late March with a 4:06 PR in the mile. The Brea Olinda junior was a Foot Locker All-American as well in the fall just behind Hunter by a second in fifth place back in December at Balboa Park in San Diego. He was in contention for the win on the final lap of the Arcadia Invite 3200, but faltered in the last 400 and still managed an 8:54 PR.
The local favorite and maybe everyone’s favorite regardless if they are from New York or not will be Northport High School’s Mikey Brannigan. Brannigan, who was diagnosed with autism at birth, has been beating the odds all his life and continues to inspire all with his athletic achievements in running. He is skipping his final New York state meet this weekend in order to compete in this event.
Last month at the Loucks Games, Brannigan set a New York state record in the 3200 meter as well as take over the national leaderboard which he still owns with a 8:42 performance. He has stuck his nose in the front of some major races this year with a runner-up finish to Hunter in the Penn Relays as well as led the Prefontaine Classic mile down to the final strides until he was out kicked by Carlos Villarreal. Brannigan finished with an outstanding 4:05 PR in the mile at Hayward Field though as a result of his willingness to go for the win.
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Speaking of Villarreal, the senior from Rio Rico High School in Arizona is probably the lesser known nationally among all of Grant Fisher’s top challengers, but he might be the best. At least, he has shown that in a breakthrough 2015 outdoor season. Villarreal was a national qualifier prior to this season, but never a national contender like he is now. He opened his season in March with the nation’s first sub 4:10 performance of the spring in the 1600. Later in the season, Villarreal would break the Arizona state 1600 meter record with a 4:03 solo performance that ultimately be the reason for him to receive his adidas Dream mile invitation.
He competed in a stacked high school field assembled for the Prefontaine Classic two weeks ago and had a ferocious kick in the final 75 meters to overtake Brannigan to a new personal best time of 4:05. If he can replicate that same kick on Saturday at Icahn Stadium, watch out! He could pull off a shocker or at least grab runner-up behind Fisher.
Other darkhorses in the boys mile field include Minnesota 1600 meter state record holder Joe Klecker and Golden South Classic mile winner Avery Bartlett. Klecker. who also ran 8:50 for 3200 meters earlier this season, turned in a 4:06.54 solo effort last weekend for 1600 meters to help him earn one of the invites to the field. Bartlett has to be considered a threat to surprise and finish given his leg speed as he is one of the most feared kickers from the state of Florida and has run 1:52 in the open 800 and split 48 seconds on a 4x400 meter relay.
adidas Dream Boys Mile Field
1. AVERY BARTLETT (Chiles FL - 2015) - Golden South Classic Qualifier
2. MIKEY BRANNIGAN (Northport NY - 2015) - Invited
3. GRANT FISHER (Grand Blanc MI - 2015) - Invited
4. OLIN HACKER (Madison West WI - 2015) - Invited
5. PHILIP HALL (South View NC - 2015) - Raleigh Relays Auto Qualifier
6. ANDREW HUNTER (Loudoun Valley VA - 2016) - Invited
7. JOE KLECKER (Hopkins MN - 2015) - Invited
8. CONNER MANTZ (Sky View UT - 2015) - Invited
9. MYLES MARSHALL (Kingwood TX - 2015) - Invited/Pacer
10. MATT PLOWMAN (York IL - 2015) - Kansas Relays Auto Qualifier
11. JACK SALISBURY (La Salle Academy - 2016) - Invited
12. AUSTIN TAMAGNO (Brea Olinda CA - 2016) - Azusa Meet of Champions Auto Qualifier
13. CARLOS VILLARREAL (Rio Rico AZ - 2015) - Invited
14. LOGAN WETZEL (Saline MI - 2015) - Invited
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