By Elliot Denman // Photo by John Nepolitan

As the reigning IAAF World Under-20 800-meter champion, Samantha "Sammy" Watson is already a golden, global celebrity in her sport.

The talents of the 17-year-old Rush-Henrietta High School (Rochester, N.Y. area) senior have taken her around much of the track and field world and the sky seems to be the limit for the bright young middle distance runner who owns personal records that range from 2:02.91 (800 meters) to 4:22.09 (1,500 meters) to 17:53 (5k cross country.)

Well, you can add a 39.34 indoor 300 meters to that list now.

Touted as one of Uncle Sam's brightest prospects for future highest-level success, Watson checked in for her 2016-17 New Balance Track and Field Center at The Armory debut at the 17th edition of the Marine Corps Holiday Classic and proceeded to dish out a double display of her talents.

First (at 1:15 p.m.) came a 2:06.92 triumph in the Girls Invitation 800 -- demolishing the 2:09.48 meet record set by Hempstead's Charlene Lipsey in 2008.  And 55 minutes later came that 39.34 300 -- not quite a meet record but a dominating display nonetheless.

As expected, Watson won both her races in convincing fashion. 

Greenwich's Emily Philippides (2:13.39) was a distant runner-up in the 800. Oscar Smith High's Destiny Ward, who'd set the 300 meet record of 38.80 here a year ago, couldn't match that pace (settling for second in 39.51) and couldn't match Watson in the lap-and-a-half duel, either.

When Watson (an A-minus student who still hasn't declared her college choice) was named the Gatorade New York State Athlete of the Year last spring, Rush-Henrietta coach Mike De May, said "Sammy is a special kid and a special athlete; she's always striving to improve, to get faster, stronger. She never rests on her laurels and she's a great ambassador for the sport."

And quite an ambassador for the USA, too.

At last July's World Under-20 Championships (formerly the World Juniors), held in Bydgoszcz, Poland, Watson anchored her nation's team to the 4x400 relay title after winning the individual 800 gold. It immediately stamped her as a future threat to all of America's best -- all ages, all levels -- in the 800.

Stay tuned for more glory-filled Watson details as the season makes the turn from 2016 into 2017.

In this meet celebrating the legacy of the Marine Corps -- "the few, the proud" -- there were quite a few more eye-opening performances.

"Show us your fighting spirit," a Marine contingent at the meet urged, and the youngsters readily obliged.

Invitation Mile titles went to boys winner Dalton Hengst of Baltimore's McDonough School (4:21.54) and girls leader Katherine Lee of Shoreham-Wading River, N.Y. (4:53.05, a meet record.)  Both winners were immediately extended invitations to the NYRR Millrose Games, back at the Armory on February 11th, by scholastic coordinator Tim Fulton, and girls runner-up Rachel McArthur of Patriot School (4:58.04.) earned a coveted invite, too.

Lee's 4:53.05 erased Gabrielle Wilkinson's 4:57.75 in 2015 for Friend Central as the meet standard.

Hengst is already a poster boy for the Armory.  His photo, in action here last winter, adorns the big schedule board all Amory visitors see on the stairway leading to the competition level.

"Last year was kind of a breakout year for me," said Hengst, a junior. "I got to Millrose, ran seventh, and had a 4:14, but I know I can do a lot better this time.  Everything's clicking in. It's still so early season and I'm running well already.  I know my best is just ahead.

"I'm hoping to go under 4:06 indoors, then even better outdoors."

"I'm so happy with my time today," said Lee, who wasn't immediately aware she'd run a NYRR Millrose Games qualifier. "It's still December. February's going to be great."

Marine Corps boys and girls relay titles went to Clara Barton High (1:32.80) and Western Branch of Chesapeake, Va. (1:37.50, a meet record) in the 4x200; Western Branch (3:22.80) and Bullis (3:46.45) in the 4x400; Abington (8:07.79) and Cardozo (9:36.22) in the 4x800; Holy Ghost Prep (10:47.28) and Cardozo  (12:19.15) in the distance medley;  and Nottingham/Hamilton North (3:35.06) and Hempstead (4:19.22) in the sprint medley.

The steeplechase event -- overland, over barriers -- is made to order for this Marine setting and these 1-mile races went to Norwich's Ben Ericksen (4:54.78 to lead the boys) and West Islip's Klaire Klemens (in a girls meet-record 5:34.48.)

Other boys individual racing wins went to Bishop Loughlin's D'Andre Marriffe (34.73 300) and Hamilton North's Kenley Souffrant (1:56.70 800.)

If you were watching the sprints, you had to be bullish about Bullis. That's the Bullis School of Potomac, Md., of course.

Bullis' Eric Allen won both the boys 55 and 200 dashes (running 6.41 and 21.46, both meet records); Bullis' Alexis Postell claimed the girls 55 hurdles in 8.18; Masai Russell the 200 in 24.76, and Bullis teammates snared a heap of medals in the places behind them.

Oscar Smith High's Kurt Powdar lowered the boys 55 hurdles record to 7.44 and Rush-Henriett's Lanae-Tava Thomas sped to the girls 55 title in 7.06.

Western Branch sped off with the boys and girls 4x55 shuttle hurdles crowns, running 30.72 and 31.27, the latter another meet record.

Boys and girls jump crowns were claimed by Willingboro's O'Ryan Turner (6-2) and Osbourn Park's Sydney Banks (5-9) in the high jump; Westhill's Marc DeLuca (14-6) and Springside's Elizabeth Jefferson's (11-0) in the pole vault; Amityville's Kerron Gonzales (22-1 1/2) and New Rochelle's Kiana Stallsworth (17-8) in the long jump, and Mount Pleasant's Malachi Davis (45-7) and Valhalla's Olivia Bespolka (37-7 3/4) in the triple jump.

Winning tossers were Briarcliff's Jack Zimmerman (58-6) and Henry Lackey's Courtney Hawkins (39-10) in the shot put, and the North Pocono, Pa. sibling pair of Matt and Jessica Slagus in the weight throws. Matt muscled it out to a meet record of 66-43/4, Jessica tossed it 48-11.

The very impressive boys team trophies were captured by Bullis, 50-33 over Willingboro, in the Varsity Section, and Bishop Loughlin, 22-12, over Goshen Central in the Invitation Division.

Similarly classy girls trophies went to Bullis, 55-49 over Western Branch in the Varsity events, and Rush-Henrietta, 20-16 over West Islip, in the Invitation category.

Marine Corps Holiday Classic full results, videos, photos and interviews HERE.