2012 U.S. Prep Milers Produce Greater Depth
Outdoor season continues U.S. trend of more top end Mile performances
By Bring Back the Mile
American prep Milers have had another banner year across the country as evidenced by the ESPN / Dyestat's Elite Rankings, which go back to 1999, and these rankings reveal for 2012:
- GIRLS: four who went sub-4:40, the most in one year
- GIRLS: 58 who dipped under 5:00 minutes, just missing last year's record high of 59
- BOYS: nine who cracked sub-4:05, impressively all in one race at the aptly named adidas Jim Ryun Dream Mile in New York City; the first time that has happened
- BOYS: 64 who ran under 4:15, topping 2010's high of 56.
For comparison we have provided a five, ten and 13 year chart of prep Mile marks:
| BOYS | GIRLS | |||||
| sub-4:05 | sub-4:10 | sub-4:15 | sub-4:40 | sub-4:50 | sub-5:00 | |
| 2012 | 9 | 15 | 64 | 4 | 11 | 58 |
| 2007 | 4 | 17 | 50 | 0 | 8 | 40 |
| 2002 | 0 | 6 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 33 |
| 1999 | 2 | 6 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 22 |
GIRLS
What a year it was for the girls with Mary Cain, a sophomore from Bronxville, NY leading the charge. Not only does she boast a blazingly fast 4:39.28 Mile, which she earned at the Penn Relays earlier in the year, but her recent 1500 meter title at the USATF Junior Championships in 4:14.74 was the second fastest by a prep, just .24 seconds behind Jordan Hasay's HS record.
2012 Top 4 Milers
- ESPN Rise / Dyestat complete 2012 Outdoor Mile Rankings
- Gatorade State Girls Track & Field Athletes of the Year
| MARK | NAME | CLASS | HIGH SCHOOL | MEET |
| 4:39.28 | Mary Cain | 2014 | Bronxville, NY | Penn Relays (PA) |
| 4:39.64 | Cami Chapus | 2012 | Harvard-Westlake, CA | adidas Grand Prix (NY) |
| 4:39.94 | Angel Piccirillo | 2012 | Homer-Center, PA | adidas Grand Prix (NY) |
| 4:39.98 | Alli Cash | 2013 | Shawnee Mission West, KS | adidas Grand Prix (NY) |
Story Lines
- 06/10/12 adidas Grand Prix: Montoya, Chapus Win Fast adidas Dream Miles (ESPN / Dyestat)
- 06/02/12 Athlete Profiles: Chapus, Weissenbach going the distance together (Daily News Los Angeles)
- 05/31/12 Nikki Hiltz Profile: Love on the Run (BBTM)
- 04/28/12 Penn Relays: At Penn Relays, Cain more than able in girls’ high school Mile (Philly News)
BOYS
The adidas Grand Prix Jim Ryun Dream Mile was certainly the highlight of the outdoor season where nine boys went under 4:05! While none broke the coveted 4 minute barrier, a new star was born in Bernie Montoya. The junior out of Cibola, AZ ran an incredible final lap to beat a deep field by more than a second, winning the Mile in 4:01.32, #3 all-time in a high school-only competition (FloTrack video here).
2012 Top 4 Milers
- ESPN Rise / Dyestat complete 2012 Outdoor Mile Rankings
- Gatorade State Boys Track & Field Athletes of the Year
| MARK | NAME | CLASS | HIGH SCHOOL | MEET |
| 4:01.32 | Bernie Montoya | 2013 | Cibola, AZ | adidas Grand Prix (NY) |
| 4:02.73 | Jacob Burcham | 2013 | Cabell Midland, WV | adidas Grand Prix (NY) |
| 4:02.98 | Josh Lampron | 2012 | Mansfield, MA | adidas Grand Prix (NY) |
| 4:03.12 | Brannon Kidder | 2012 | Lancaster, OH | adidas Grand Prix (NY) |
Story Lines
- 06/17/12 New Balance Outdoor Nationals: Bile, Burcham and Margey break through (ESPN / Dyestat)
- 06/10/12 adidas Grand Prix: Montoya, Chapus Win Fast adidas Dream Miles (ESPN / Dyestat)
- 05/30/12 Cheserek Profile: Cheserek to Chase History at the Dream Mile in New York City (St. Benedict's Preparatory School)
- 04/16/12 Brad Nye Profile: Elite Davis runners work to stay motivated (The Salt Lake Tribune)
