By Elliot Denman // Photo by John Nepolitan

There was glory in it for all - the Olympians and international pros, the collegians, and the high schoolers - as the Armory Track Invitational raged over a two-day run of sizzling performances.

The Friday-Saturday spectacular, masterminded by the Armory's Jack Pfeifer, brought them all to the Armory as these best of the best battled it out in preparation for (a) the 110th edition of the NYRR Millrose Games, back at the Armory Feb. 11; (b) the array of upcoming collegiate conference championship meets just over the horizon, and (c) the numerous high school title meets which will serve as preps for the New Balance Scholastic Indoor Nationals, here March 10-12.

Originally named the Armory Collegiate Invitational at the birth of the the 21st century, the meet had attracted such undergraduate celebrities as Justin Gatlin (then of Tennessee), Muna Lee and Lolo Jones (LSU), Mason Finley (Kansas) and Jessica Beard (Texas A&M) in past years. And even Renaud LaVillenie, the world champion pole vaulter, then (when he competed here in 2009) of France's Clermont-Ferrand University.

Here's a short list of this year's most notables from the international cast drawn from USA, Canada, France, Great Britain, Kenya, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and lots more: Ajee' Wilson, Cecilia Barowski, Samantha "Sammy" Watson, Morgan Pearson, Mikey Brannigan, Charlene Lipsey, Andrew Butchart, Lalonde Gordon, Tyrese Cooper, Sage Watson, Zakiya DeNoon,, Amy Regan, Je'von Hutchison, Chad Zallow and DeShawn Marshall.

Wilson and Gordon are Olympic veterans and plan to be back at the Games in 2020.  The others are steadily building their portfolios as they travel (hopefully) the Road to Tokyo.

Neptune, New Jersey's Wilson was understandably disappointed when she fell just short of qualifying for the women's 800 final at Rio last August.  And ever since the start of this 2017 indoor season, she's been putting that resolve to do a whole lot better on the line every time out.

The Temple University graduate from the Jersey Shore rose to fourth place on the all-time charts for the women's indoor 600 with a rousing 1:24.48 win over Princeton grad Barowski (1:26.74) and Rush-Henrietta, N.Y. high schooler Watson, whose 1:27.13 was the quickest ever for a high school runner.

Wilson "took it out" from the gun and reeled off 26.7, 28.6 and 29.2 laps to breeze home impressively.

"I just wanted to see my fitness level," said Wilson.

Well, the whole Armory crowd saw it, too, as she zeroed in on both the world record (1:23.44 by Russia's Olga Kotlyasova in 2004) and the American record (Brenda Martinez's 1:23.59 in 2013.)

But she knew that Watson, like Wilson a World Junior 800 champion, was making a solid run of her own.  "I am super happy excited for her (Watson)," said Wilson, who expects the Rochester, N.Y. area youngster to be breathing down her back for years to come.

With meet competition divided into invitational, collegiate, open and scholastic categories, there were plenty more additions onto the ranking lists.

Pearson, who'd prepped at Delbarton School in Morristown, N.J. en route to University of Colorado stardom, came back to the Armory and registered a 7:49.46 win in the men's 3000 meters over Wisconsin's Morgan McDonald (7:51.19) with sub-4 2016 high school miler/new pro Drew Hunter third (7:51.90) and plenty more applause reserved for Brannigan. The Suffolk County (Long Island) Community College student's 8:07.64 in sixth place set a world Paralympic record.

Like Matthew Centrowitz in the Olympics, Brannigan had gone for the gold in the 1500 meters in Rio's Paralympics and claimed his spot atop the podium in Estadio Olimpico and achieved that golden, global ambition, too.

Lipsey turned the tables on front-running Kate Van Buskirk of Canada to win the women's invitation mile, 4:30.33 to 4:32.16.

Three events later, Scotsman Butchart took an early lead and was never seriously threatened, taking the men's invitation mile in the meet-record time of 3:54.23 with Monmouth University alumnus Ford Palmer second in  3:58.78.

Queensite Lalonde Gordon, the 2012 Olympic 400-meter bronze medalist for Trinidad and Tobago, continued his long run of Armory success by blazing a lap and a half in 32.37, with Miami Gardens, Florida high schooler Tyrese Cooper a close second with a quick 32.87 300 of his own.

"What an amazing experience this is for me, getting to run against all these veterans, all these greats," said the exultant Cooper, a sure bet for future major stardom.

Arizona's Sage Watson sped to a meet-record 1:08.40 win in the women's 500, with Monmouth's Tionna Garner her closest rival.

New Rochelle-based Monroe College athletes never hesitate taking on the best of the "big schools" and so it was in the women's 60-meter dash.  Monroe's Zakiya DeNoon took it all - but not by much - edging Oklahoma's Leya Buchanan, 7.324 to 7.327.

One of the Metroplitan area's most unsung stars is Amy Regan, Stevens Institute's (of Hoboken, NJ) two-time NCAA Division III cross country champion. The Stevens standout breezed to the women's 5000-meter title in 16:31.81.

Basketball isn't the only big-league sport at Duke University. Fresh evidence: The Blue Devils' Je'Von Hutchison lowered the men's 500 meet record to 1:01.96.  And a winning teammate was Stephen Garrett (14:39.89 5000 meters.)

The State of Ohio (home of Jesse Owens, Mal Whitfield, Harrison Dillard, Glenn Davis, Edwin Moses and a lot more) keeps churning out star talent. Youngstown State's Zallow blitzed the men's 60 hurdles in 7.61. And then there was The Ohio State University's Marshall, who dashed off with the men's 60 in 6.77, grabbed third in the 200, and (in 47.2) anchored his Buckeyes to the 4x400 relay title in 3:11.94.

Other men's and women relay winners: Toronto (1:28.25) and Duke (1:6.37, meet record) in the 4x200; and Duke (9:55.37) and Wisconsin (11:31.82) in the distance medley.

Texas-San Antonio's women raced a 3:45.73 4x400 and Monmouth a 9:03.46 4x800.  The invitation women's 4x400 went to South Carolina (3:36.72.)

Top men's field event marks included Justice Summerset's 7-1 1/2 high jump for Oklahoma; Nicholas DeMaline's 60-11 1/4 shot put for Ohio State, and Victor Perez's 64-5 weight throw for Texas-San Antonio.

In women' field event action, top performers included Southern California triple jumper Natasha Dicks (42-4), Oklahoma shot putter Jessica Woodard (53-11 1/4) and Ohio State weight thrower Sade Olatoye (68-8.)

Back on the track, Canada produced added women's winners in Madeleine Kelly (2:07.30 800 meters), Jenna Westaway (2:42.02 1000 )  and Kristina Popadich (9:29.03 3000.)  Southern Cal's Taranisha Taylor led the 60 hurdlers in 8.25 and Precious Holmes the 400 (53.57.)

USC's Wcincilili Titi claimed the college men's 200 title in 20.88, Toronto's Sacha Smart the 1000 (2:25.50), Oklahoma's Dylan Blankenbaker the mile (4:03.81), and Western Ontario's Jack Sheffar the 3000 (8:10.40.)

Find Armry Track Invitational results, photos, videos and news HERE.