Storyline #11: Will Alexa Efraimson's 4:38 Mile Meet Record Go Down?
When Alexa Efraimson dusted the field by five seconds two years ago to set a Meet Record in 4:38, it was just one of many marquee races that would establish the Camas, Wash. star before she left the prep ranks one year early to sign a professional contract with Nike.
In 2016, could that mark go down?
Kate Murphy (pictured on the right) headlines the field with her best of 4:41.84 this year, a time that ranks No. 9 on the All-Time List. The Lake Braddock, Va. junior placed second in the Two Mile here last year.
Her top competition includes Stephanie Jenks (pictured at left), a mainstay at these championships, who owns the No. 3 time in the nation this year at 4:47.48 and has a PR of 4:42.16 for the full mile. She outkicked the ferocious Sammy Watson to win the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, Katie Rainsberger (pictured at center) will make her debut at New Balance Nationals in her senior year. The Oregon commit has the fastest PR in the field at 4:40.92, recorded at the adidas Dream Mile last spring, and was undefeated this past fall en route to winning NXN. One strike against the Coloradan was a runner-up finish in the 800m at the Simplot Games in February.
Both Murphy and Jenks love to push the pace -- Murphy's 4:41 PR was set in a solo run at the Millrose Games -- so there's a strong chance they threaten the 4:40 barrier.
Watch Kate Murphy's Millrose Games post-race interview below: