Reebok Boston Indoor Games Jr. Mile Fields Set

Boys Junior Mile Field Set
Barbara Huebner, Boston Indoor Games

BOSTON (Jan. 16) – Sintayehu Taye (Ashburnham, MA), Craig Forys (Howell, NJ) and Steve Murdock (Clifton Park, NY) lead a field of 13 top middle-distance runners set to compete in the third-annual Boys’ Junior Invitational Mile at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games on Jan. 27, organizers announced today.

Since the Reebok Boston Indoor Games began in 1996, a total of 90 Olympic and World Championship medalists have competed in the event, which has also played host to four World Records and eight American Records. In addition, last year’s Boys’ Invitational Mile produced the fastest 2006 indoor time in the country (4:07.30) and six of the top eight best times for the season.

Taye, a junior at Cushing Academy, has the fastest early-2007 mile time (4:19.79) in the field, and holds the freshman national indoor record for 2 miles (9:16.65). He is a two-time Foot Locker Cross Country finalist. Forys, a senior at Colts Neck High School, is the 2006 Foot Locker Cross Country Northeast Champion and national runner-up, while Murdock, a senior at Shenendehowa High School, finished just a second behind Forys at Foot Locker nationals to take third. He is also the 2006 New York State Class AA and Nike Team Nationals cross country champion.

Joining them will be Matthew Centrowitz (Arnold, MD/Broadneck HS), the 2006 Penn Relays 3000m champion and 3-time state cross-country champion; Mark Amirault (Walpole, MA/Xaverian Brothers HS), 2-time state cross-country titleholder; Brian Rhodes-Devey (Slingerlands, NY/Guilderland HS), the 2005 NY State Sportswriter Assn. Runner of the Year; Evan Jager (Algonquin, IL/H.D. Jacobs HS), the 1600m state champion; and Brandon Burns (North Kingstown, RI/North Kingstown HS), 3-time state champion.

Also in the field are Duncan Phillips, (College Station, TX/A&M Consolidated HS), the 2006 1600m champion; Michael Chinchar (Kent, WA/Kentwood HS), state runner-up in both cross-country and the 1600m; Girma Mecheso (Lawrenceville, GA/Berkmar HS), the state cross-country champion; Kris Gauson (Scotland/Belgrave Harriers), 2006 World Junior Cross Country Championships team; and Patrick Todd (Dallas, TX/Highland Park High School), the 2006 Dallas Morning News “Newcomer of the Year.”

The field for the Girls’ Junior Invitational Mile will be released soon.

The 12th-annual Reebok Boston Indoor Games, the first stop in USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series, will be held at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College, 1350 Tremont St., beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 27. Information and tickets, at $60, $40 and $20, are now available on-line at www.BostonIndoorGames.com or by calling 1-877-TIX-TRAC. The Visa Championship Series returns to the Reggie Lewis Center Feb. 24-25 for the AT&T USA Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Barbara Huebner

Director of Media Relations

2007 Reebok Boston Indoor Games

Athletics in the News has no affiliation with TixTrac, The Reebok Boston Indoor Games, nor with the Reggie Lewis Center. This release is broadcast as an independent and unaffiliated public service annoucement for athletics fans. Any ticket purchases, flights, plans and other related activities made as a result of this announcement are done so at the full discretion of the user, with no indemnity in whole or part to Athletics in the News