Varsity Indoor Track

BOYS INDOOR TRACK MVP: Fairfield Prep's Christian Alvarado '14

By Mike Pucci, April 28, 2013, New Haven Register

The mile has always been Fairfield Prep’s Christian Alvarado’s featured event during the indoor track season. So Alvarado surprised even himself by what he accomplished in the two-mile this season.

Alvarado, the 2013 Register All-Area Boys’ Indoor Track Most Valuable Player, won the 3,200 meter run at the New England championships, the State Open, in Class LL and at the Southern Connecticut Conference championship. “I wouldn’t have guessed at the beginning of the season that I would be a 3,200 meter runner and winning that at New Englands,” Alvarado said. “It definitely exceeded my expectation.” At the Class LL meet, Alvarado finished in 9 minutes, 42.07 seconds, breaking the state record held by Glastonbury’s Donald Cabral since 2006.

Alvarado, a junior, also eclipsed the meet record in the 1,600 but was the runner-up to Staples’ Henry Wynne, who won the event in 4:17.18. Alvarado finished in 4:17.84. “I was excited and surprised by my times at Class LLs,” Alvarado said. “In the 3,200, I was just shocked. I was just hoping to place well and get a big (best time). I kind of carried that through the State Open and at New Englands.”

Alvarado won the New England title in a personal-best time of 4:14.24. He opted to run just the one-mile at the National Championships and placed fourth in his section and 15th overall in 4:16.96.

It wasn’t until the SCC Western Sectional meet on Jan. 24 when Alvarado was informed by Jesuits coach Bob Ford that he would compete in the 3,200. Ford praised Alvarado’s commitment and work ethic. “Chris understands the broader concepts of training,” Ford said. “He consistently works at weight lifting, nutrition, sleep, alternative workouts, warm-ups and cool downs. We have never had a harder working runner.”

This past fall, Alvarado was named the Register’s cross country MVP. But Alvarado prefers the track over the trails. “I like track better than cross country,” Alvarado said. “I just think that running track is faster than running outdoors on the hills. I just like running on the track because I think I run better. It’s more exciting to be in the atmosphere of track and field.”

Alvarado said he’s received interest from Georgetown, Virginia, Notre Dame and Dartmouth. Alvarado is the reigning state outdoor champion in the steeplechase, and he’ll be a captain for the cross country team in the fall.

“He works hard in the summer when the coaches aren’t around,” Ford said. “We expect he will be a big help to others this summer when he will be involved in practices as one of our XC captains. We look forward to continued improvement in outdoor track and in the three seasons next year.”

Christian Alvarado '14 wins Track Championships

After winning the SCC and Class LL 1600 and 3200 meter Indoor Track Championships, Christian Alvarado '14 went on to win the State Open 3200 meter running away from the field in the last two laps. This advanced him to the New England Championships in Boston. Starting as the number-two seed Christian again ran away from a very competitive group in the last lap for a personal best of 9:15 in the full two-miles, bettering his state open mark by 9 seconds. He capped off his season by running the 1-mile at the New Balance Indoor National Championships, again in a personal best (4:16.96), finishing 15th nationally.

See video interview after New England Championship below.

Alvarado '14 is Steeplechase Champion; wins twice at SCC Western Sectional Meet

After winning the Yale Invitational Boys-Mile and then the SCC West-Sectional 1600 m and 3200 m, Alvarado '14 finished his week with a trip to the prestigious New Balance Games at the NYC Armory. Against a field of the best 1–mile Steeplechase runners in the northeast, Chris ran conservatively in 3rd and then 2nd place for most of the race. With 300 m left he passed the leader and stretched out his lead over the rest of the field winning easily at the end. Watch video of his race!

Source: CT Post, Jan. 25, 2013

NEW HAVEN -- Fairfield Prep's Christian Alvarado captured the 1600 and the 3200 meter runs Thursday at the SCC Western Sectional Indoor Track Championships at the Floyd Little Athletic Center.

Alvarado won the 1600 in a time of 4:31.22 and the 3200 in a time of 9:54.50 to help lead the Jesuit to fifth place with 50 points.

Prep's 4x800 relay of James Mulliken, George Crist, Raphael Kinney and Adam Vare was also victorious in a time of 8:35.06. Vare was also second in the 300 (37.38), while Mulliken took third in the 1000 (2:48.60).

Indoor Track Team set school records!

Congratulations to the Distance Medley Relay team for their 9th place finish at the New Balance Indoor Track & Field National Championship which took place March 9-11, 2012, at the Armory Track & Field Center in NYC. The team of Pat Corona '12, Adam Vare '14, Christian Alvarado '14 and Connor Rog '12 ran 10:17.95, again lowering their school record to one of the best in the US. This season the record has dropped almost 20 seconds.

Congratulations to Connor Rog for his 9th place finish at the 2 mile, a race featuring the best in the country. His 9:08 is a new school

Connor Rog cut short his warm up Saturday night to watch the records fall. The Fairfield Prep senior, the reigning cross-country state champion, was inside the Armory, the Mecca of indoor track-and-field located in upper Manhattan. He was about to compete in the 105th Millrose Games, which for the first time in a century took place outside of Madison Square Garden.

In a moment, Rog would toe the line against the fastest high-school milers in the Northeast. A longer-distance specialist himself, his 4:20 personal best for the mile -- an event considered "mid-distance" in elite running circles -- was the slowest in the 11-man field.

For a minute, that slipped from his mind. He watched the track as Bernard Lagat, the several-time world champion, sprinted home before thousands of roaring fans to break the American record in the 5,000 meters. On Lagat's heels, a collegian smashed the NCAA record by 10 seconds. A teenager from New Jersey then shaved six seconds off the high-school mark.

"Unbelievable," said Rog, shaking out his legs before climbing onto the track. "I just don't want to come in last." He needn't have worried. Rog led the pack of 11 through the first of eight laps. He looped the track five more times in second place, right behind his future teammate at University of Virginia, Mike Marsella, of Rhode Island. When the top milers ratcheted things up over the final quarter-mile, led by Zavon Watkins, of New York, and his furious finishing speed, Rog hung on to cross the finish line in 4:19.66, a new personal best. Seventh place.

"The Millrose Mile is the most prestigious high-school mile you can run in," he said, catching his breath and seeming content after the race. "I can't believe I was in it. I mean, it's just an honor." He added: "At least I didn't come in last place."