By Elliot Denman // Photo by Karthik Adimula

"You know, I'm going to miss The Armory a lot, an awful lot," Rai Benjamin tells you.

"The crowds, the competition, the noise, the whole atmosphere.

"I've run a lot of races here; The Armory has become a big part of my life."

After winning the boys 200-meter final at the 81st Annual Eastern States Championship in spectacular fashion at the Armory Tuesday night, the Mount Vernon High School senior sees the finish line of his Armory career straight ahead – and it's an emotional vista.

He took Eastern States 200-meter final in 21.37 seconds, just 6/100ths of a second off the meet record of 21.31 set by his Mount Vernon predecessor, Michael Blake, in 2011. Also clocking a 21.37 – in the prelims – was Taylor McLaughlin of Union Catholic, who then sat out the final.

"I was hoping to get closer to 21 flat, but it just didn't happen," said the lithe and still-growing 6-foot-3 Benjamin, who hopes to reach Usain Bolt-size (6-5) stature once he reaches his college destination in the fall. 

That, of course, is UCLA, announced long ago. Of course, too, indoor track has been nonexistent in the Southern California area for long years – or since the demise of once-famed meets in Los Angeles and San Diego.

"That part of track, the indoor season, is something I know I'll miss," said Benjamin. "Then again, I hope UCLA comes back East for a meet like the Armory Collegiate. I sure hope so. It would be great to meet up with some of my old friends once we're running for different schools."

Benjamin was a star football player as a Mount Vernon freshman but said goodbye to the gridiron sport once his golden future in track and field was revealed. He's never looked back and it's a decision he never regrets as he plans for college. 

"At first, I wanted to be a pilot," said Benjamin. "Then, I changed my mind and said I'd go into law enforcement.  But now I'm going to be political science major. 

There are just two more indoor meets left in Benjamin's scholastic future. He'll run the 300 and relays at the New York State Championships this weekend at Cornell University and return to the Armory for the New Balance National Scholastic Indoor Championships (likely in the 200 and 400 and relays) March 13-15.

Armory fans will surely miss him, and he'll surely miss the Armory fans, who've elevated him to celebrity status with each of his standout performances.

The Michigan-bound Taylor McLaughlin came back from his own 21.37 in the 200 qualifying round to anchor Union Catholic to the boys 4x400 relay title in 3:20.41. It was Anthony Dawson-Greg Gibbs-Jakell Henderson-McLaughlin impressively over Paul Robeson (3:21.99) and Old Bridge (3:23.74.)

It was Sydney McLaughlin, Taylor's sophomore sister, who did get into the Eastern States record book.  After speeding the first round of the girls 55-meter hurdles in 7.87 and the semifinals in 7.75, McLaughlin blazed a 7.66 final to erase the 7.71 meet record set by Charmaine Walker of Plainfield in 1997.

An Easterns girls record-breaker, too, was Westwood shot putter Jessica Molina, with a mighty toss of 48-10 (bettering the 47- 4 3/4 meet mark by North Babylon's Vanessa Stewart in 2010.)

Elsewhere on the track at Easterns, boys crowns went to Sterling High's Davon Tucker (6.52 55-meter dash), Phillips Exteter's Marcus Polk (7.40 55 high hurdles), Rahway's Deshawne Bunion (48.62 400), Tappan Zee's Luke Gavignan (1:54.12 800), Seton Hall Prep's Hogan Dwyer (4:23.02 mile) and McDonogh School's Mike Singer (9:19.74 two miles.)

Other girls track champions were Medgar Evers' Brenessa Thompson (6.93 55-meter dash),Hope (R.I.) High School's Qashira McIntosh (24.50 200), Paul Robeson's Latoya Stewart (57.39 400), Cardozo's Emma Gallagher (2:13.90 800), Haddonfied's Briana  Gess (4:59.25 mile) and Ridgewood's Carleen Jeffers (11:03.22 two miles.)

Boys field winners were Delsea high jumper Ameer Banks (6-10), Iona Prep pole vaulter  Matt Fay (15-6), Blair Academy  long jumper Justes Nance (22-11 1/4), Piscataway triple jumper Eric Bethea (49-6 1/2) and River Dell shot putter Andrew Tummino (58-1.)

Taking other girls field finals were Bethlehem Central high jumper Grace Smith (5-4), Matawan Regional pole vaulter Nicole Macco (11-9), West Windsor-Plainsboro South long jumper Kathryn Schoenauer (18-3 1/4), and Freehold Township triple jumper Dominique Panton (38-6.)

Others boys relays victors were Hillhouse (1:28.57 4x200),  River Dell (7:58.32 4x800) and Fordham Prep (10:18.24 distance medley.) Claiming girls relay golds were Medgar Evers (1:40.22 4x200), Union Catholic (3:47.03 4x400), and West Windsor-Plainsboro South (9:21.74 4x800 and 12:01.87 distance medley.)

Find the meet's results, photos, videos and more at 

http://www.armorytrack.com/gprofile.php?do=view_event&event_id=1161&mgroup_id=45586&year=2015