Mary Cain Wins 1500m Title, Leads Day 2 of USA's

By Elliott Denman

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Mary Cain’s run to track and field heights rolls right on. Albuquerque’s nearly-mile high altitude? No problem. 

A pack of a dozen talented pursuers? No problem. 

Her wunderkind status – she won’t be 18 until May 3?  No problem.

As all the others struggled, the Bronxville phenom raced on with a maturity far beyond her tender years and blazed to a 4:07.05 triumph in the women’s 1500-meter final at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

“I am super-duper pumped,” said Cain, a quote-smith as well as teen celebrity. "This was very exciting.  I was really happy it was a fast pace because it gives you confidence for the World Championships. I mean the world record was broken this year (Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba lowering it to 3:55.17.). That’s so awesome. 

“Now, it’s just a matter of seeing what I can do. I had no idea beforehand how this was going to turn out. Sure i was nervous. I knew I had a really great shot, but I stil knew I really wanted to make the team," said Cain. 

The footracing feature of the final day of the Indoor Nationals proved no contest. Cain broke out front early and was never threatened. 

Her 4:07:05 clocking was her ticket to the world stage, but not even her 2014 best – she’d run 4:06.83 in Boston on Jan. 24. 

How’s this for youthful recognition?  She’s the cover girl on USATF’s official rules book.

The front-runner left runner-up Treniere Moser, the former Georgetown star, a distant second in 4:09.35. So it will be Cain and Moser as America’s representatives in the 1500 at the IAAF World Indoor Championships coming up March 7-9 in Sopot, Poland.

No one in the rest of the field was even remotely close – Minnesota grad Heather Kampf (4:13.04), NJ-NY TC’s Florida Stater Amanda Winslow (4:14.38) and U. of Washington alumna Katie Mackey (4:16.24).

It was a big day for Armory veterans and Met area athletes. Neptune, N.J.’s Ajee’ Wilson won her second consecutive National Indoor 800m crown in 2:00.43, with a desperation homestretch run that caught Chanelle Price (2:00.49) in the final stride. According to the IAAFs’s stats-keepers, these were the top two women’s 800 performances in the world this year. Great Britain’s Laura Muir (2:00.94) had been the previous world leader.

The men’s 800m final was nearly as dramatic, with Robby Andrews of Manalapan, N.J., another product of New Jersey’s strong Shore Conference, mounting a furious last-lap sprint that brought him from sixth to second and only back of Erik Sowinski.

Sowinski won it in 1:47.86 over Andrews’ 1:48.44, but it will be Sowinski and third-place Nick Symmonds (1:48.48) composing America’s team in Sopot because Andrews hadn’t bettered the Sopot qualifying requirement of 1:47.00 this winter.

Biggest field event shocker was NYACer Mary Saxer’s pole vault win over Olympic champion and world indoor record-holder Jenn Suhr. Saxer cleared 15-05.25 to win but Suhr was clearly off-form with a best of 15-03.25, before two concluding misses at 15-07.25.

NYAC’s Amanda Smock led the women’s triple jumpers at 45-03.75; clubmates Michelle Carter (60-06.5) and Jeneva McCallwent 1-2 in the shot put; NYAC Olympic hurdler Jeff Porter snared a fourth in the 60 highs back of winner Omoghan Osoghae, the ex-Texas Tech star.

In brilliant two-lap racing, in a two-section final, Francena McCorory blazed a 50.85 400m win over Joanna Atkins (51.13) with Olympic teammate Natasha Hastings third (51.34.)  Seton Hall grad Jernail Hayes ran sixth overall and is a likely selection for the women’s 4x400 relay pool in Sopot.

Kyle Clemons was the surprise men’s 400 winner, running 45.60 out of the first (and unseeded) section to beat out David Verburg’s 45.62 in section two.  A likely nominee for the Sopot men’s 4x400 pool is fifth overall placer Clayton Parros (45.92), the former Seton Hall Prep and U. of North Carolina star out of Bloomfield, N.J.

“I had a rough time at North Carolina,” said Parros, the former schoolboy sensation.  “I never really lived up to expectations. It was tough from the beginning, when I had to deal with the death of my coach, Antonio Pettigrew. Finally, I’m beginning to run up to my ability.  I’m training in (Clermont) Florida. Everything’s working out. And this is a big step forward.”

Photo: Ross Dettman for ArmoryTrack