New Jersey high school sensation Athing Mu will be chasing another title at The Armory, this time the women’s 400m; Justyn Knight will headline the men’s mile; and New York neighbors Katelyn Tuohy and Mary Cain will have The Armory crowd cheering with anticipation for the women’s 3,000m. Photos by John Nepolitan.

New York, NY (January 16, 2020) – The third annual Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge takes place January 23-25 at the Armory New Balance Track & Field Center with the final day showcasing 12 professional events, in addition to elite high school and NCAA competition.

Honoring the memory of Dr. Norbert Sander Jr, the beloved founder of The Armory Foundation, the event is the perfect preview for the 113^th NYRR Millrose Games, which will take place February 8 at The Armory.

“Doc, as many referred to Norb Sander, loved bringing together high school, college and top pro athletes,” Armory Foundation Co-President Jonathan Schindel said. “The mixing of these age group and performance levels is an inspiration to everyone involved.  These hard-working athletes will put on a show for the crowd on The Armory's `Fastest Track in the World.’”

Added Dan Ireland, Director of Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field at Columbia University: “Columbia’s track & field program is very excited to once again partner with The Armory and the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge. This is our third year with this meet, and it has gotten better and better each year.

“We are looking forward to many of the top collegiate and professional athletes competing in New York City for what we think will be the best track meet held anywhere during the last weekend in January.”

Many of the best athletes in the United States will be competing at The Armory, including several Olympians and World Championship medalists. Here are just a few of the exciting athletes and events:

● American 800m record holder and two-time world medalist Ajeé Wilson will lead the field in the women’s 800m. She will face 2016 Olympian Chrishuna Williams and NCAA champion Danae Rivers, among others.

● Current and former high school phenoms will face off in the women’s 3000m, as three-time reigning Nike Cross Country Nationals champion Katelyn Tuohy will battle 2014 NYRR Women’s Wanamaker Mile champion Mary Cain, now on the comeback trail after rewriting the high school record book several years ago. They both must contend with last year’s winner Amanda Eccleston, as well as former NCAA champion Emily Lipari.

● The men’s 800m will feature former 1500m national champion Robby Andrews, World Championship semi-finalist Isaiah Harris, and world indoor bronze medalist Erik Sowinski.

● The women’s 400m will star a pair of 4x400m relay gold medalists, as world indoor champion Courtney Okolo, who led off for Team USA at the Rio Olympics, faces Wadeline Jonathas, a 2019 breakout star who finished fourth in the 400m at the World Championships before running a leg on the winning relay. They both need to look out for high school superstar Athing Mu, the American 600m record holder.

● The men’s 400m showcases Nathan Strother and Wil London, who both won gold medals in the 4x400m relay at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar.

● Nikki Hiltz will compete in the women’s mile after a breakout 2019 season when she qualified for the World Championships final.

● Justyn Knight, 2018 NCAA 5,000m indoor champion and 2017 NCAA Cross Country champion at Syracuse University is also a two-time 5,000m world finalist for Canada and will headline the men’s mile.

● The women’s shot put will feature three of America’s best throwers: Chase Ealey, Maggie Ewen and Raven Saunders.

In addition to Saturday’s spectacular track & field lineup, the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge will spotlight many of the nation’s premier college programs, including Columbia, Brigham Young, Penn State, Wisconsin, UCLA, Princeton and many more. Please visit armorytrack.com to reserve seats for the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge.

Meet times are 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m. on Thursday (Jan. 23), noon-4 p.m. Friday (Jan. 24) and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday (Jan. 25). Please click HERE for a schedule of the meet.

Follow the Dr. Sander-Columbia Challenge at www.ArmoryTrack.com. The meet can be seen on Saturday, January 25 during the 12 p.m.-2 p.m. window live streamed by NBC Sports Gold. Coverage of the event outside the broadcast window will be live on USATF.TV+Plus.

Follow The Armory on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @armorynyc, or go to ArmoryTrack.com or Armory.NYC.

About The Armory Foundation

The Armory Foundation is a New York City non-profit institution, with the mission of "Keeping Kids on Track." Each season The Armory – the proud home of the NYRR Millrose Games – hosts more than 100 track & field meets and welcomes more than 220,000 athlete visits. Among its many youth sports and educational programs, including the acclaimed Armory College Prep program, The Armory runs the leading collegiate indoor track meet with the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge, and also hosts the largest high school indoor track meets with this year's 26th U. S. Air Force Hispanic Games, The New Balance Games, the New Balance Nationals Indoors, the Energice Coaches Hall of Fame, Marine Corp Holiday Classic and the Colgate Games.  The Armory also runs the Columbia & NewYork – Presbyterian Indoor Marathon presented by New York Road Runners, which is the world’s largest indoor marathon relay. The Armory is also the home to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame and dozens of very large education-focused events. For more: Please visit Armory.NYC and ArmoryTrack.com.