NNHS Class of 2004's Liz Gleason, now a sophomore at Williams College, ran a personal best 17:11.38 for 5K to finish 2nd overall at the New England Championships at Boston University on Saturday, 2/25. Competing against Div I and Div II schools, Gleason came just 0.15 from winning the 5K outright. Her time is a provisional qualifying mark for Div III nationals, and just outside the automatic qualifying time.
Link to women's results of New Englands
Dan Chebot ran 9:02.75 for 3000m (a mere two seconds off his PR) at the New York State Championships on Saturday.
On Saturday, Chris Barnicle ran 8:16 for 3000m at the SEC Indoor Champinships. On Sunday, he came back to anchor the Arkansas distance medley team that finished second. Although he has run faster this season (he ran 8:10 earlier in the season), Chris was perhaps a little bit fatigued after running 24:03 for 8K XC six days earlier.
February 26, 2006
At the Mass All-State Meet
When I finally got home Friday night -- after shaking hands with the few remaining members of the Brookline boys team, the most surprised state champions I've ever seen -- I was emotionally and physically exhausted. I honestly think it would be easier to run two races, than to follow the meet the way I do, trying to watch every event, trying to tally and project scores, riding a roller coaster of hopes and trying to integrate everything that I'm seeing into a coherent picture.
The feeling persisted into Saturday morning, and not even a long quick run as the snow started falling was enough to bring my feet completely back to earth. It's only today that I feel like I have any amount of perspective on the meet.
It was a very tough meet for the Newton North girls. Having run very well last Saturday at the Div. I meet, nothing seemed to go right at the state meet. Alex Blenis had one very good looking jump to clear opening height in the HJ, and then didn't really have any goot attempts at 5'. Kat Chiong started slowly in her heat of the 600 and spent the rest of the race boxed in or tripping over the heels of slower runners. Jess Barton ran aggressively to lead a tremendous field through the first mile of the 2-mile, but was stricken with a side stitch with 7 laps to go and could finish only 6th in 11:11.70. North's other entrant in the event, Haleigh Smith, ran five laps on an injured ankle before dropping out when the discomfort became too great. Leah Weisman ran an excellent time of 9.03 in the hurdles, but didn't make the finals. In the final event of the meet, the 4x400 team (Chiong, Emma Kornetsky, Weisman, Lily Brown) fell behind early and ran well below its potential to finish out of the top ten.
Track is funny. When one small thing goes wrong, a whole race or even a whole meet can completely unravel. It doesn't mean the NN girls aren't good -- we all know they will come back and be a state contender next year, but even good teams and good runners have bad days. It's always unfortunate when that happens in the biggest meet.
The boys competition was remarkable both for some unexpected heroics, but mostly for the plethora of shocking mishaps and missed opportunities. After the Div I meet, I was convinced that Lexington couldn't lose the state team title. But there appears to be a curse on Lexington. Having already lost Darius Walker from the 55 dash (disqualified in the Div I meet for jumping on the HJ mats), the Minutemen saw a potential 16 points in the 1000 shrink to 2 points when an injured Willi Ballenthin could finish no better than 6th, and Bryan Longo failed to place. All-everything athlete Meikle Paschal had to leave the HJ to run the 600, and although he took 2nd in the 600, that killed any chance he had in the vertical jump, and he had to settle for 5th and another 2 points. Even after these disasters, Lexington was still in contention for the team title when their winning 4x200 team was disqualified for passing out of the exchange zone.
Lexington's misfortunes opened the door for Xaverian, but the X-men couldn't take advantage. Although Mark Amirault won the mile with relative ease, William Stillman, who has cleared 6'7", failed to place in the high jump or the hurdles (injury?), and Alec Bleday, seeded 4th in the 1000, finished dismally to score no points. Even Xaverian's 4x800 team with Amirault on anchor could muster no better than 3rd.
It looked like all it would take to win the team title was a score in the low 20's, and Newton North had a shot. David Polgar picked up a point in the mile, which was somewhat disappointing, but David Smith regained his mid-season form to place 2nd in the shot put. (Methuen's Cory Murray, who hadn't lost a shot put competition all year, could only manage 3rd, costing Methuen a valuable 4 points).
It turned out that 55 dash would be the strongest event for North, as Cailean Robinson placed second in a FAT school record 6.62, and Gordon Forbes placed 6th, giving Newton North 9 points for the event. The Tigers picked up another two points in the 4x800 relay, as Noah Jampol, Seb Putzeys, Peter Sun, and Dave Polgar ran 8:08.20, a very good time, and Newton North was in the lead going into the final relay with 20 points.
But right behind was Brookline, which had picked up 19 points in two events. The first 10 of those points came from Matt Stewart, who won the 600 out of the unseeded heat; the other 9 came from Robert Gibson and Adam Kaye who finished 2nd and 6th in the two mile. This was good fortune for the warriors as Kaye's 6th place was quite unexpected, made possible by the illness of Hopedale's Thompson Ogilvie, and the mysterious sub-par performance of José DePina.
The stage was set for the 4x400 relay, and with everything on the line, the Newton North quartet of Cailean Robinson, Abbas Watanabe, Alex Lee, and Avery Mitchell seemed to have pulled off a miracle running a season's best 3:28.74 to win the penultimate heat. They just needed to be faster than Brookline and they would win the State title for the 3rd year in a row. But Brookline didn't falter, and with Stewart running a 50.8 anchor, the Warriors recorded a time of 3:28.69 -- an excruciating 0.07 seconds faster than the Tigers -- and the state title was theirs by a score of 23 to 22 points.
Link to full results
A final word on the indoor season: congratulations to all who ran PR's won championships, and competed at the highest levels. And to all those athletes whose seasons ended too soon, or who came up short of the standard you set for yourself, there will be many more chances to show what you can do.
Some athletes will now prepare for the New England championships, some for the national meets in New York or Maryland, and others will start looking forward to outdoor. Good luck to all!
The feeling persisted into Saturday morning, and not even a long quick run as the snow started falling was enough to bring my feet completely back to earth. It's only today that I feel like I have any amount of perspective on the meet.
It was a very tough meet for the Newton North girls. Having run very well last Saturday at the Div. I meet, nothing seemed to go right at the state meet. Alex Blenis had one very good looking jump to clear opening height in the HJ, and then didn't really have any goot attempts at 5'. Kat Chiong started slowly in her heat of the 600 and spent the rest of the race boxed in or tripping over the heels of slower runners. Jess Barton ran aggressively to lead a tremendous field through the first mile of the 2-mile, but was stricken with a side stitch with 7 laps to go and could finish only 6th in 11:11.70. North's other entrant in the event, Haleigh Smith, ran five laps on an injured ankle before dropping out when the discomfort became too great. Leah Weisman ran an excellent time of 9.03 in the hurdles, but didn't make the finals. In the final event of the meet, the 4x400 team (Chiong, Emma Kornetsky, Weisman, Lily Brown) fell behind early and ran well below its potential to finish out of the top ten.
Track is funny. When one small thing goes wrong, a whole race or even a whole meet can completely unravel. It doesn't mean the NN girls aren't good -- we all know they will come back and be a state contender next year, but even good teams and good runners have bad days. It's always unfortunate when that happens in the biggest meet.
The boys competition was remarkable both for some unexpected heroics, but mostly for the plethora of shocking mishaps and missed opportunities. After the Div I meet, I was convinced that Lexington couldn't lose the state team title. But there appears to be a curse on Lexington. Having already lost Darius Walker from the 55 dash (disqualified in the Div I meet for jumping on the HJ mats), the Minutemen saw a potential 16 points in the 1000 shrink to 2 points when an injured Willi Ballenthin could finish no better than 6th, and Bryan Longo failed to place. All-everything athlete Meikle Paschal had to leave the HJ to run the 600, and although he took 2nd in the 600, that killed any chance he had in the vertical jump, and he had to settle for 5th and another 2 points. Even after these disasters, Lexington was still in contention for the team title when their winning 4x200 team was disqualified for passing out of the exchange zone.
Lexington's misfortunes opened the door for Xaverian, but the X-men couldn't take advantage. Although Mark Amirault won the mile with relative ease, William Stillman, who has cleared 6'7", failed to place in the high jump or the hurdles (injury?), and Alec Bleday, seeded 4th in the 1000, finished dismally to score no points. Even Xaverian's 4x800 team with Amirault on anchor could muster no better than 3rd.
It looked like all it would take to win the team title was a score in the low 20's, and Newton North had a shot. David Polgar picked up a point in the mile, which was somewhat disappointing, but David Smith regained his mid-season form to place 2nd in the shot put. (Methuen's Cory Murray, who hadn't lost a shot put competition all year, could only manage 3rd, costing Methuen a valuable 4 points).
It turned out that 55 dash would be the strongest event for North, as Cailean Robinson placed second in a FAT school record 6.62, and Gordon Forbes placed 6th, giving Newton North 9 points for the event. The Tigers picked up another two points in the 4x800 relay, as Noah Jampol, Seb Putzeys, Peter Sun, and Dave Polgar ran 8:08.20, a very good time, and Newton North was in the lead going into the final relay with 20 points.
But right behind was Brookline, which had picked up 19 points in two events. The first 10 of those points came from Matt Stewart, who won the 600 out of the unseeded heat; the other 9 came from Robert Gibson and Adam Kaye who finished 2nd and 6th in the two mile. This was good fortune for the warriors as Kaye's 6th place was quite unexpected, made possible by the illness of Hopedale's Thompson Ogilvie, and the mysterious sub-par performance of José DePina.
The stage was set for the 4x400 relay, and with everything on the line, the Newton North quartet of Cailean Robinson, Abbas Watanabe, Alex Lee, and Avery Mitchell seemed to have pulled off a miracle running a season's best 3:28.74 to win the penultimate heat. They just needed to be faster than Brookline and they would win the State title for the 3rd year in a row. But Brookline didn't falter, and with Stewart running a 50.8 anchor, the Warriors recorded a time of 3:28.69 -- an excruciating 0.07 seconds faster than the Tigers -- and the state title was theirs by a score of 23 to 22 points.
Link to full results
A final word on the indoor season: congratulations to all who ran PR's won championships, and competed at the highest levels. And to all those athletes whose seasons ended too soon, or who came up short of the standard you set for yourself, there will be many more chances to show what you can do.
Some athletes will now prepare for the New England championships, some for the national meets in New York or Maryland, and others will start looking forward to outdoor. Good luck to all!
February 21, 2006
All-State Meet - Team Previews
The All-State Meet is the culmination of the indoor track season, and there is a team title on the line, as well as individual titles. The team competition is, however, a little bit strange because it only takes one or two great athletes to win the title. That looks to be the case for the girls this year, as no team projects to score more than 22 points, and one athlete - Medford's Aranxta King -- is the heavy favorite to score 20 points all by herself. Yes, the team title could be won by a one-person team!
But more likely, one or two teams will get over the 20-point barrier. Wachusett seems to have an excellent chance, as Kim Shooshan is favored to win the 1000 (and another teammate is seeded 5th), and Wachusett's 4x800 team is also favored. If anything goes wrong for them, Newton South is poised to make a run at the title, with Bridget Dahlberg a strong candidate to finish 2nd in the mile (behind untouchable mile goddess Colleen Wetherbee), Anja Hergreuter a potential high scorer in the high jump with a chance to get points in the hurdles, and a very good 4x800 team, which could finish in the top three.
And, darn it, Newton North can't be counted out. I mean, if North could get 10 points in the 2 Mile, and then win the 4x400, all they would need would be a couple more points, which they could get from the 600 or the hurdles or the 2 Mile. It's a long shot, but it could happen.
In the boys competition, Lexington once again looks releatively safe for the team title. They have the first and third seeds in the 1000, the second seed (by 0.01) in the 600, a potential winner in the HJ, the top seed in the 4x200, and a very good 4x800 team. They project to 49 points, and no one else is close, not even Xaverian. As long as Meikle Paschal stays healthy, they should win.
The Newton North boys, alas, don't have quite enough potential scorers to overcome Lexington's depth. They do have excellent chances for high finishes in the mile (Polgar), the 55 (Robinson and Forbes), the shot put (Smith), and the 4x800. It's also possibe that their 4x200 team could score, but probably not high enough to get major points.
But more likely, one or two teams will get over the 20-point barrier. Wachusett seems to have an excellent chance, as Kim Shooshan is favored to win the 1000 (and another teammate is seeded 5th), and Wachusett's 4x800 team is also favored. If anything goes wrong for them, Newton South is poised to make a run at the title, with Bridget Dahlberg a strong candidate to finish 2nd in the mile (behind untouchable mile goddess Colleen Wetherbee), Anja Hergreuter a potential high scorer in the high jump with a chance to get points in the hurdles, and a very good 4x800 team, which could finish in the top three.
And, darn it, Newton North can't be counted out. I mean, if North could get 10 points in the 2 Mile, and then win the 4x400, all they would need would be a couple more points, which they could get from the 600 or the hurdles or the 2 Mile. It's a long shot, but it could happen.
In the boys competition, Lexington once again looks releatively safe for the team title. They have the first and third seeds in the 1000, the second seed (by 0.01) in the 600, a potential winner in the HJ, the top seed in the 4x200, and a very good 4x800 team. They project to 49 points, and no one else is close, not even Xaverian. As long as Meikle Paschal stays healthy, they should win.
The Newton North boys, alas, don't have quite enough potential scorers to overcome Lexington's depth. They do have excellent chances for high finishes in the mile (Polgar), the 55 (Robinson and Forbes), the shot put (Smith), and the 4x800. It's also possibe that their 4x200 team could score, but probably not high enough to get major points.
February 19, 2006
Barmicle 3rd at USATF Jr. Nationals
This just in - Chris Barnicle ran 24:03 for 8K this morning at Van Cortland Park in NYC to finish 3rd at the US Jr. National Championships. His place qualifies Chris for the World Jr. Championships in Japan.
Congratulations, Chris!!
Congratulations, Chris!!
Class A Meet Recap
Congratulations to the Newton North Boys and Girls teams on 3rd place finishes at the State Division I Championships (also known as the "Class A Meet") on Saturday. The girls were still in the hunt for the team title until the final event, and the boys were only bested by the two state powerhouses, Lexington and Xaverian.
There were terrific performances throughout the day, including two first-place finishes. In the girls 2-mile, junior Jess Barton led from the gun and finally broke away from Haverhill's Colleen McNaughton in the final 400m to win in a personal best 10:57.83. In the same race, Haleigh Smith ran an 11-second personal best to finsih 4th in 11:25.46. In the boys 55m dash, junior Cailean Robinson won his heat and semi-final in consecutive PR's of 6.67 and 6.66, and then equaled his best time to win the final in 6.66. Also in the final, Gordon Forbes finished 5th in 6.72.
The girls also got points from Kat Chiong and Lily Brown, who finished 2nd and 6th, respectively, in the 600, from Alex Blenis, who jumped 5' to tie for 5th in the High Jump, and from senior Leah Weisman, who placed 6th in the hurdles.
The girls 4x800 relay team of Emma Kornetsky, Nora Barnicle, Carolyn Ranti, and Jess Barton finished 6th in 10:00.10 for another point, and the 4x400 team of Brown, Kornetsky, Weisman, and Chiong ran 4:08.9 to finish 4th, just behind meet-winner Acton-Boxboro.
For the boys, David Polgar finished 4th in the mile in 4:23.63, and David Smith finished 4th in the shot put at 49' even. The Tigers' 4x800 relay team of Noah Jampol, Seb Putzeys, Peter Sun, and Polgar, ran a season's-best 8:07.68 to finish 2nd to Xaverian. Jampol's opening leg of 2:01 set the tone for the race, as Putzeys and Sun kept the Tigers in the top 3, and Polgar's 1:58 secured the team's place on the podium.
The boys 4x400 relay team also scored, finishing 6th in the penultimate heat.
The top five finishers from each event, plus the next four best performances from all the divisions advance to the All-State Championships to be held at Reggie Lewis next Friday night, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Link to full results
There were terrific performances throughout the day, including two first-place finishes. In the girls 2-mile, junior Jess Barton led from the gun and finally broke away from Haverhill's Colleen McNaughton in the final 400m to win in a personal best 10:57.83. In the same race, Haleigh Smith ran an 11-second personal best to finsih 4th in 11:25.46. In the boys 55m dash, junior Cailean Robinson won his heat and semi-final in consecutive PR's of 6.67 and 6.66, and then equaled his best time to win the final in 6.66. Also in the final, Gordon Forbes finished 5th in 6.72.
The girls also got points from Kat Chiong and Lily Brown, who finished 2nd and 6th, respectively, in the 600, from Alex Blenis, who jumped 5' to tie for 5th in the High Jump, and from senior Leah Weisman, who placed 6th in the hurdles.
The girls 4x800 relay team of Emma Kornetsky, Nora Barnicle, Carolyn Ranti, and Jess Barton finished 6th in 10:00.10 for another point, and the 4x400 team of Brown, Kornetsky, Weisman, and Chiong ran 4:08.9 to finish 4th, just behind meet-winner Acton-Boxboro.
For the boys, David Polgar finished 4th in the mile in 4:23.63, and David Smith finished 4th in the shot put at 49' even. The Tigers' 4x800 relay team of Noah Jampol, Seb Putzeys, Peter Sun, and Polgar, ran a season's-best 8:07.68 to finish 2nd to Xaverian. Jampol's opening leg of 2:01 set the tone for the race, as Putzeys and Sun kept the Tigers in the top 3, and Polgar's 1:58 secured the team's place on the podium.
The boys 4x400 relay team also scored, finishing 6th in the penultimate heat.
The top five finishers from each event, plus the next four best performances from all the divisions advance to the All-State Championships to be held at Reggie Lewis next Friday night, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Link to full results
February 17, 2006
USATF XC Nationals this Weekend at VCP
A quick note to remind everyone that this weekend is the USATF XC Nationals, being held at Van Cortland Park in NYC. This meet selects the individuals for the World XC Championships and World XC Junior Championships.
Chris Barnicle is entered in the junior (19 and under) 8K Mens race on Sunday morning.
Alan Webb is entered in the Senior Men's 12K to be held Sunday.
There is supposed to be TV coverage on ESPN2 from Sunday midnight to 1 a.m. Monday morning, Feb 20th.
Chris Barnicle is entered in the junior (19 and under) 8K Mens race on Sunday morning.
Alan Webb is entered in the Senior Men's 12K to be held Sunday.
There is supposed to be TV coverage on ESPN2 from Sunday midnight to 1 a.m. Monday morning, Feb 20th.
February 16, 2006
Div I Team Projections
Two days to go until the State Div. I Meet.
Every year I do a projection of team scores based ONLY on seed marks, not on what I think might happen. In some cases, I might adjust the projected scores if I know for a fact that someone listed in the top six in an individual event isn't running that event. But I find that these "naive" projections are often fairly close to the real scores. Without further ado, here are the numbers and a few comments:
Girls Teams
It looks like it's A-B's meet to lose, but actually their score will likely be lower. A-B has two highly-seeded relay teams, but their top 200/400 runner can only compete in one of the two.
It should be pointed out that some of the teams in the logjam of 21 points have significant upside potential and some don't. Cambridge is very unlikely to score more than 21 points, but Newton North, which has more people competing, could easily quite a bit more than 21.
Boys Teams
This is Lexington's year. Unless something happens to Meikle Paschal or Darius Walker, Lexington will dominate this meet. After that. Xaverian looks like the strong runner-up. Watch out for St. John's Prep moving up. My gut, as well as my memory of over-achieving SJP teams from past years makes me think they will do very well at this meet. Newton North is going to struggle to score 29 points, but great performances in the dash and in the 4x200 could make it happen. It's kind of surprising to see Brookline so high up there, but if Matt Stewart wins or finishes second in the 600, and if their two milers can score big points against what looks like a weak field, that's 22-26 points right there. Andover is kind of a mystery to me. I don't think they're quite as good as their projected score. A lot of their points come from the 300 (18 points - I doubt that will happen!) and the 4x200 and 4x400 relays, and if they have two runners who run prelims and finals in the 300, I would expect that will weaken their 4x200, 4x400 or both. I would guess they actually score closer to 25 points.
Can't wait for the meet!
Every year I do a projection of team scores based ONLY on seed marks, not on what I think might happen. In some cases, I might adjust the projected scores if I know for a fact that someone listed in the top six in an individual event isn't running that event. But I find that these "naive" projections are often fairly close to the real scores. Without further ado, here are the numbers and a few comments:
Girls Teams
Acton-Boxboro 50
Linc-Sudbury 33
New-Bedford 32
Andover 22
Bridge-Rayn 21
Cambridge 21
Haverhill 21
Newton North 21
Newton South 21
Medford 20
It looks like it's A-B's meet to lose, but actually their score will likely be lower. A-B has two highly-seeded relay teams, but their top 200/400 runner can only compete in one of the two.
It should be pointed out that some of the teams in the logjam of 21 points have significant upside potential and some don't. Cambridge is very unlikely to score more than 21 points, but Newton North, which has more people competing, could easily quite a bit more than 21.
Boys Teams
Lexington 61
Xaverian 37
Andover 35
Newton North 29
Linc-Sudbury 28
SJP 28
Brookline 27
Methuen 26
Brockton 23
This is Lexington's year. Unless something happens to Meikle Paschal or Darius Walker, Lexington will dominate this meet. After that. Xaverian looks like the strong runner-up. Watch out for St. John's Prep moving up. My gut, as well as my memory of over-achieving SJP teams from past years makes me think they will do very well at this meet. Newton North is going to struggle to score 29 points, but great performances in the dash and in the 4x200 could make it happen. It's kind of surprising to see Brookline so high up there, but if Matt Stewart wins or finishes second in the 600, and if their two milers can score big points against what looks like a weak field, that's 22-26 points right there. Andover is kind of a mystery to me. I don't think they're quite as good as their projected score. A lot of their points come from the 300 (18 points - I doubt that will happen!) and the 4x200 and 4x400 relays, and if they have two runners who run prelims and finals in the 300, I would expect that will weaken their 4x200, 4x400 or both. I would guess they actually score closer to 25 points.
Can't wait for the meet!
February 15, 2006
Can Anyone Beat Lexington?
Three days to the State Div I meet and I've been trying to analyze the team competitions. Without yet knowing who will be competing in each event, it looks to me like the Lexington boys have the best chance of dethroning two-time defending champs Newton North, and for the girls, any one of the teams from Acton-Boxboro, New Bedford, Newton South, Newton North, or Lincoln-Sudbury could win.
Boys Team Preview
Lexington seems to have the right mix of star power and team depth to overcome Newton North and Xaverian this year. Willi Ballenthin is the favorite in the 1000, while teammate Bryan Longo will score well in the 1000 or 1 Mile, depending on which he decides to run. Meikle Paschal will score points in the HJ and in either the 300 or 600, and the Minutemen also have Darius Walker, the State's 2nd-ranked 55-meter dash man. Finally, Lexington has two strong relays -- their 4x200 and their 4x800. I project them at around 50 points.
Xaverian will be strong, as always, with junior Mark Amirault pretty much a sure thing in whatever distance event he runs. The X-men should also get points from Bill Stillman in the HJ (and maybe the hurdles), from Alex Bleday in the 1000, and from their very strong 4x800 team. The mystery man for Xaverian is senior Chris Fox, who has not been up to his junior year standard. I project Xaverian at around 40 points.
Newton North could also put up a lot of points with David Polgar in the mile, Noah Jampol in the 1000, David Smith in the SP, Brendan Rooney in the 55 hurdles, and sprinters Cailean Robinson and Gordon Forbes in the 55 dash. The Tigers could also pick up points in the 4x200 and 4x800 relays. I project them at about 34 points.
New kid on the block this year is Methuen, which just might challenge the big three schools above. Not only does Methuen have the state's top-ranked shot putter, they have a very good miler in Chris Forbes, a decent 600 man in Erik Gonzalez, and depth for the 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams. I'm going to project Methuen at 30 points.
Girls Team Preview
For the girls, Acton-Boxboro is strong in the 55 dahs and 55 hurdles, has very good 4x200 and 4x400 relay teams, and the top long jumper in the state after Medford's Aranxta King. I project them scoring about 34 points, which could be enough to win the Division I title.
Newton South looks to get big points from freshman and Coaches Elite Meet Mile champion Bridget Dahlberg, while also having senior Anja Hergreuter score in the both the HJ and 55 hurdles. Newton South is always dangerous in the 4x800 Relay and looks to be in the top three there. I project them around 30 points.
New Bedford has the top-ranked 55 hurdler in Division I, a very good sprinter in the 55 dash, the 3rd-ranked long-jumper, and also a very fast 4x200 team. I project them at 28 points.
Newton North doesn't have the dominant team of last year, but Jess Barton is the favorite to win the two-mile and Haleigh Smith shuld also score points in that event. Kat Chiong has been closing the gap on the State's top 600 runners and should score in that event, and the 4x400 relay team looks very strong. Julie Blanchard is still questionable for running the 300 (which requires trials and finals), and might simply concentrate on the relay. Leah Weisman could finish in the top six in the 55 hurdles, but that still only projects to about 26 points for the Tigers.
Along with Newton South, Lincoln-Sudbury moves up to Division I this year and tries to make its mark right away. The Warriors have the top-ranked 4x800 team, scoring threats in the 55 hurdles, 4x200, and 2-mile. I project them at 22 points.
I'll update these predictions when the meet entries come out in Thursday.
Boys Team Preview
Lexington seems to have the right mix of star power and team depth to overcome Newton North and Xaverian this year. Willi Ballenthin is the favorite in the 1000, while teammate Bryan Longo will score well in the 1000 or 1 Mile, depending on which he decides to run. Meikle Paschal will score points in the HJ and in either the 300 or 600, and the Minutemen also have Darius Walker, the State's 2nd-ranked 55-meter dash man. Finally, Lexington has two strong relays -- their 4x200 and their 4x800. I project them at around 50 points.
Xaverian will be strong, as always, with junior Mark Amirault pretty much a sure thing in whatever distance event he runs. The X-men should also get points from Bill Stillman in the HJ (and maybe the hurdles), from Alex Bleday in the 1000, and from their very strong 4x800 team. The mystery man for Xaverian is senior Chris Fox, who has not been up to his junior year standard. I project Xaverian at around 40 points.
Newton North could also put up a lot of points with David Polgar in the mile, Noah Jampol in the 1000, David Smith in the SP, Brendan Rooney in the 55 hurdles, and sprinters Cailean Robinson and Gordon Forbes in the 55 dash. The Tigers could also pick up points in the 4x200 and 4x800 relays. I project them at about 34 points.
New kid on the block this year is Methuen, which just might challenge the big three schools above. Not only does Methuen have the state's top-ranked shot putter, they have a very good miler in Chris Forbes, a decent 600 man in Erik Gonzalez, and depth for the 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams. I'm going to project Methuen at 30 points.
Girls Team Preview
For the girls, Acton-Boxboro is strong in the 55 dahs and 55 hurdles, has very good 4x200 and 4x400 relay teams, and the top long jumper in the state after Medford's Aranxta King. I project them scoring about 34 points, which could be enough to win the Division I title.
Newton South looks to get big points from freshman and Coaches Elite Meet Mile champion Bridget Dahlberg, while also having senior Anja Hergreuter score in the both the HJ and 55 hurdles. Newton South is always dangerous in the 4x800 Relay and looks to be in the top three there. I project them around 30 points.
New Bedford has the top-ranked 55 hurdler in Division I, a very good sprinter in the 55 dash, the 3rd-ranked long-jumper, and also a very fast 4x200 team. I project them at 28 points.
Newton North doesn't have the dominant team of last year, but Jess Barton is the favorite to win the two-mile and Haleigh Smith shuld also score points in that event. Kat Chiong has been closing the gap on the State's top 600 runners and should score in that event, and the 4x400 relay team looks very strong. Julie Blanchard is still questionable for running the 300 (which requires trials and finals), and might simply concentrate on the relay. Leah Weisman could finish in the top six in the 55 hurdles, but that still only projects to about 26 points for the Tigers.
Along with Newton South, Lincoln-Sudbury moves up to Division I this year and tries to make its mark right away. The Warriors have the top-ranked 4x800 team, scoring threats in the 55 hurdles, 4x200, and 2-mile. I project them at 22 points.
I'll update these predictions when the meet entries come out in Thursday.
February 14, 2006
Who's Running What?
Yesterday was the deadline for the Mass. Class Meet entries, and that means athletes are now locked into their events through the State Meet. Until the performance lists come out on Wednesday or Thursday, we can (and will!) indulge in wild speculation about who's running what, and how those choices will affect individual and team chances.
First of all, let's talk about the boys distance events. The annual problem for good mile/2-mile types is that the 4x800 comes so soon after the 2-mile that it makes doubling almost impossible. That's why Chris Barnicle didn't run his signature event indoors until his senior year (when he was able to do the impossible). Who is in that situation this year? Well, it seems certain that Mark Amirault will run the mile, giving the top-ranked runner from Xaverian plenty of time to double back in the 4x800. Same goes for Polgar, and probably for Brockton's Kevin Gill, although after he ran a 9:31 (second in the state), Gill could conceivably be headed for the deuce. It seems very likely that Catholic Memorial's Matt Dewey will run the 2-mile, since he doesn't have a relay team to worry about.
Then there are the 1000/1-mile guys, and that would include Lexington's Willi Ballenthin (ranked 2nd behind Amirault) and Bryan Longo (ranked 4th). I'm guessing Ballenthin stays in the 1000 and Longo moves up to the mile. Then there's Whitman-Hanson's Eric Ashe, who is ranked 4th in the mile and 10th in the 1000. It would seem he has better chances in the mile, but the kid can drop a couple of seconds in the 1000 and be right in it for the top three. Haverhill's Pat Fullerton also has excellent chances in both, but with the state's 3rd best time in the mile, it would make sense for him to go there. Xaverian's Alec Bleday will stay in the 1000, I think, as well as Attleboro's Matt Brousseau and Reading's Sam Horn.
So is the mile going to be the stacked event? It looks that way, but then that kind of thinking might convince a couple of "sure-thing" milers to move up or down. For example, what if Methuen's Chris Forbes (ranked 8th in the mile at 4:23.22) moved up to the 2-mile in an attempt to steal some big points for Methuen? Would it kill their 4x800 team?
In the shorter events, what will Lexington's Meikle Paschal do? With the state's 3rd best time in the 300, he could choose that event, but then he has to run trials and (presumably) finals while squeezing in the high jump. If he runs the 600 instead, he might well be able to get his jumping done before the 600 final. That's what Jed Carpenter did last year. Furthermore, Paschal could actually win the 600. I think it makes sense to move him there, as Lexington maximizes points for the State Championship. Milton's Eric Wornum will probably opt for the 300, rather than the dash (where he's ranked 4th), opening things up a little bit for Newton North's duo of Gordon Forbes and Cailean Robinson.
In the girls distance events, there has to be a lot of head-scratching going on to figure out what to make of the mile. After 7 girls ran under 5:10 in one meet, the mile looks like a dangerous event. Let us assume that Colleen Wetherbee will run and win the 1000, her specialty. Then who stays in the mile and who moves up to the 2-mile? Or does anyone actually move DOWN to the 1000? I am going to guess that Emily Jones (Bromfield) and Bridget Dahlberg (Newton South) stay in the mile because both schools have a lot riding on the success of their 4x800 teams. I think Stephanie Pancoast will move up to the 2-mile, as will Brielle Chabot, who is clearly stronger at the longer event. Haverhill's Colleen McNaughton will probably stay in the mile to give Haverhill's 4x800 team a better chance. I have no idea what Winchester's Katharina Eidmann will do, but she might move up as well, making the 2-mile (not the mile) the stronger event at the State meet. One beneficiary would be Weymouth's Becca McDonald, who likely will stay with the mile.
It will be interesting, to say the least, to see how this plays out on Thursday.
First of all, let's talk about the boys distance events. The annual problem for good mile/2-mile types is that the 4x800 comes so soon after the 2-mile that it makes doubling almost impossible. That's why Chris Barnicle didn't run his signature event indoors until his senior year (when he was able to do the impossible). Who is in that situation this year? Well, it seems certain that Mark Amirault will run the mile, giving the top-ranked runner from Xaverian plenty of time to double back in the 4x800. Same goes for Polgar, and probably for Brockton's Kevin Gill, although after he ran a 9:31 (second in the state), Gill could conceivably be headed for the deuce. It seems very likely that Catholic Memorial's Matt Dewey will run the 2-mile, since he doesn't have a relay team to worry about.
Then there are the 1000/1-mile guys, and that would include Lexington's Willi Ballenthin (ranked 2nd behind Amirault) and Bryan Longo (ranked 4th). I'm guessing Ballenthin stays in the 1000 and Longo moves up to the mile. Then there's Whitman-Hanson's Eric Ashe, who is ranked 4th in the mile and 10th in the 1000. It would seem he has better chances in the mile, but the kid can drop a couple of seconds in the 1000 and be right in it for the top three. Haverhill's Pat Fullerton also has excellent chances in both, but with the state's 3rd best time in the mile, it would make sense for him to go there. Xaverian's Alec Bleday will stay in the 1000, I think, as well as Attleboro's Matt Brousseau and Reading's Sam Horn.
So is the mile going to be the stacked event? It looks that way, but then that kind of thinking might convince a couple of "sure-thing" milers to move up or down. For example, what if Methuen's Chris Forbes (ranked 8th in the mile at 4:23.22) moved up to the 2-mile in an attempt to steal some big points for Methuen? Would it kill their 4x800 team?
In the shorter events, what will Lexington's Meikle Paschal do? With the state's 3rd best time in the 300, he could choose that event, but then he has to run trials and (presumably) finals while squeezing in the high jump. If he runs the 600 instead, he might well be able to get his jumping done before the 600 final. That's what Jed Carpenter did last year. Furthermore, Paschal could actually win the 600. I think it makes sense to move him there, as Lexington maximizes points for the State Championship. Milton's Eric Wornum will probably opt for the 300, rather than the dash (where he's ranked 4th), opening things up a little bit for Newton North's duo of Gordon Forbes and Cailean Robinson.
In the girls distance events, there has to be a lot of head-scratching going on to figure out what to make of the mile. After 7 girls ran under 5:10 in one meet, the mile looks like a dangerous event. Let us assume that Colleen Wetherbee will run and win the 1000, her specialty. Then who stays in the mile and who moves up to the 2-mile? Or does anyone actually move DOWN to the 1000? I am going to guess that Emily Jones (Bromfield) and Bridget Dahlberg (Newton South) stay in the mile because both schools have a lot riding on the success of their 4x800 teams. I think Stephanie Pancoast will move up to the 2-mile, as will Brielle Chabot, who is clearly stronger at the longer event. Haverhill's Colleen McNaughton will probably stay in the mile to give Haverhill's 4x800 team a better chance. I have no idea what Winchester's Katharina Eidmann will do, but she might move up as well, making the 2-mile (not the mile) the stronger event at the State meet. One beneficiary would be Weymouth's Becca McDonald, who likely will stay with the mile.
It will be interesting, to say the least, to see how this plays out on Thursday.
February 13, 2006
Snow
The first major snowstorm of 2006 turned into a day for improvising a workout. What did you do on Sunday?
I ran at 6 in the morning -- the plows were out in force, but there were no other cars so I could pretty much ran wherever I liked. It was actually better to run in the shallow snow where the plows hadn't done their work yet. As you might imagine, it was a very slow, even relaxing run.
My friend Terry grabbed his skis and enjoyed skiing something more interesting than multiple 1K lops at Weston. He ran a few miles later in the day at Babson College where the roads were plowed and mostly traffic free.
On snowy days many people head for the treadmills at the Y or at their local health club. That's a perfectly good option if you don't actually enjoy the adventure of taking to the streets in a blizzard and having a kind of random snow experience rather than a controlled run.
On Dyestat, the Weymouth boys coach was recommending doing an indoors workout of strength work or calisthenics and getting off the roads - not a bad idea, but a bit tame!
So what did you do? Did anybody run in a parking gararge? Go snowshoeing? Do stairs in an office building? Sneak into an indoor track and get an interval workout in? Did you walk around your neighborhood shoveling out the driveways of your village elders? Let's hear your stories!
I ran at 6 in the morning -- the plows were out in force, but there were no other cars so I could pretty much ran wherever I liked. It was actually better to run in the shallow snow where the plows hadn't done their work yet. As you might imagine, it was a very slow, even relaxing run.
My friend Terry grabbed his skis and enjoyed skiing something more interesting than multiple 1K lops at Weston. He ran a few miles later in the day at Babson College where the roads were plowed and mostly traffic free.
On snowy days many people head for the treadmills at the Y or at their local health club. That's a perfectly good option if you don't actually enjoy the adventure of taking to the streets in a blizzard and having a kind of random snow experience rather than a controlled run.
On Dyestat, the Weymouth boys coach was recommending doing an indoors workout of strength work or calisthenics and getting off the roads - not a bad idea, but a bit tame!
So what did you do? Did anybody run in a parking gararge? Go snowshoeing? Do stairs in an office building? Sneak into an indoor track and get an interval workout in? Did you walk around your neighborhood shoveling out the driveways of your village elders? Let's hear your stories!
February 12, 2006
BSC League Meet
Bay State League Championships - Wednesday, Feb. 8th, 2006
In the finale of the Bay State League season, there were some impressive performances from young talent, and a handful of new personal bests. After the dust had settled on the Reggie Lewis track, the Newton North girls had produced two individual league champions, three all-stars, and the winning 4x400 relay team, while the boys had 3 league champiopns, 6 all-stars, and the winning 4 x 200 team.
For the Tiger girls, the three distance races produced three significant PB's: Adena Hemley-Bronstein came from 20 meters in the final 300 to catch two runners and place 7th in the mile in 5:49.43. In the 1000, Nora Barnicle beat her previous best time by a stunning 10 seconds to place 3rd in 3:12.26. In the 2-mile, Haleigh Smith broke the race open after a half mile and proceeded to run a personal best 11:36.67 to win by over 20 seconds.
Kat Chiong (1:41.63) and Lily Brown (1:43.12) swept the top two places in the 600 to earn all-star honors.
Leah Weisman ran a personal best 9.11 for the 55 hurdles in the prelims, and then matched that time in the finals to take third. In the 55 dash, Michelle Kaufman ran 7.86 in the prelims, and then turned in a fine 7.79 to place 5th in the finals.
In the girls high jump, Alex Blenis matched her season's best with a jump of 5' 2" to take third.
The girls 4x400 relay (Lily Brown, Emma Kornetsky, Leah Weisman, Kat Chiong) won the league title in an excellent time of 4:08.59.
---
For the Tiger boys, the sprints produced several outstanding performances. One of the best was turned in by Brendan Rooney, who ran a personal best 8.19 in the 55 hurdles to outlean Brookline's Andrew Malley by 0.02. In the 55 dash, Gordon Forbes ran 6.69, a personal best and what is believed to be the fastest FAT time ever recorded for a Newton North runner, placing second just ahead of teammate Cailean Robinson (6.70).
David Smith won the shot put with a throw of 50', his second straight Bay Satte league indoor title.
In the mile, Noah Jampol ran 4:32.76 to place second behind Brookline's Robert Gibson. Seb Putzeys ran an 8-second personal best of 4:41.70 to place 4th. David Polgar dropped down to the 1000 and ran 2:38.86 to win his race rather casually. For Polgar, it was his 3rd indoor title. In the 600, sophomore Jared Plotkin ran a PB 1:29.11 for 7th. In the 300, Avery Mitchell ran his first race of the season and placed 2nd in 37.23.
In the relays, the boys placed second to Brookline in the 4x400 and won the 4x200.
Results of Bay State League Meet
In the finale of the Bay State League season, there were some impressive performances from young talent, and a handful of new personal bests. After the dust had settled on the Reggie Lewis track, the Newton North girls had produced two individual league champions, three all-stars, and the winning 4x400 relay team, while the boys had 3 league champiopns, 6 all-stars, and the winning 4 x 200 team.
For the Tiger girls, the three distance races produced three significant PB's: Adena Hemley-Bronstein came from 20 meters in the final 300 to catch two runners and place 7th in the mile in 5:49.43. In the 1000, Nora Barnicle beat her previous best time by a stunning 10 seconds to place 3rd in 3:12.26. In the 2-mile, Haleigh Smith broke the race open after a half mile and proceeded to run a personal best 11:36.67 to win by over 20 seconds.
Kat Chiong (1:41.63) and Lily Brown (1:43.12) swept the top two places in the 600 to earn all-star honors.
Leah Weisman ran a personal best 9.11 for the 55 hurdles in the prelims, and then matched that time in the finals to take third. In the 55 dash, Michelle Kaufman ran 7.86 in the prelims, and then turned in a fine 7.79 to place 5th in the finals.
In the girls high jump, Alex Blenis matched her season's best with a jump of 5' 2" to take third.
The girls 4x400 relay (Lily Brown, Emma Kornetsky, Leah Weisman, Kat Chiong) won the league title in an excellent time of 4:08.59.
---
For the Tiger boys, the sprints produced several outstanding performances. One of the best was turned in by Brendan Rooney, who ran a personal best 8.19 in the 55 hurdles to outlean Brookline's Andrew Malley by 0.02. In the 55 dash, Gordon Forbes ran 6.69, a personal best and what is believed to be the fastest FAT time ever recorded for a Newton North runner, placing second just ahead of teammate Cailean Robinson (6.70).
David Smith won the shot put with a throw of 50', his second straight Bay Satte league indoor title.
In the mile, Noah Jampol ran 4:32.76 to place second behind Brookline's Robert Gibson. Seb Putzeys ran an 8-second personal best of 4:41.70 to place 4th. David Polgar dropped down to the 1000 and ran 2:38.86 to win his race rather casually. For Polgar, it was his 3rd indoor title. In the 600, sophomore Jared Plotkin ran a PB 1:29.11 for 7th. In the 300, Avery Mitchell ran his first race of the season and placed 2nd in 37.23.
In the relays, the boys placed second to Brookline in the 4x400 and won the 4x200.
Results of Bay State League Meet
Chris Barnicle - 2:57 for 1200m in Arkansas DMR
In all his years at Newton North, Chris Barnicle never ran a 1200 in a Distance Medley Relay (he did once run a 400, but that's another story). In 2005, when Newton North recorded the fastest H.S. time in the nation, David Polgar led off with a 3:05, and Chris anchored with a 1600 leg in 4:10.
But running in an unfamiliar position, the Arkansas freshman ripped off a 2:57 1200m opening leg, and Arkansas went on to win the DMR at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville on Saturday. The Razorback's time of 9:34.16 is the fastest in the country so far this year.
Tyson Invitational Meet Report
Next weekend, Chris trades the indoor track for the wilds of cross-country as he competes in the 2006 U.S. Junior 8K cross-country championships at Van Cortland Park.
But running in an unfamiliar position, the Arkansas freshman ripped off a 2:57 1200m opening leg, and Arkansas went on to win the DMR at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville on Saturday. The Razorback's time of 9:34.16 is the fastest in the country so far this year.
Tyson Invitational Meet Report
Next weekend, Chris trades the indoor track for the wilds of cross-country as he competes in the 2006 U.S. Junior 8K cross-country championships at Van Cortland Park.
BU Valentine's Invitational
The BU Valentine's Meet is a chance for open athletes, collegians, and occasionally H.S. kids to post fast times in anticipation of the final big meets of the season.
With one week left before the Mass. Division Meets, David Polgar decided he needed another fast mile to confirm his fitness. He returned to the BU track -- the same one on which he ran a nation-leading 4:17.83 back in December -- and set a new personal best of 4:17.53.
In the collegiate division, three Newton North alumni ran the 3000 meters. Liz Gleason, now at Williams, recorded a personal best 9:55.77 to take second in her heat and 13th overall. This is a tremendous breakthrough for Liz, who set an 9-second PR and broke 10:00 for the first time. Anna Schindler, a freshman at Wesleyan, ran 10:38.10. Dan Chebot, a freshman at University of Rochester, ran 9:12.05, despite being tripped during the race.
Other Newton North alumni running at BU included Josh Seeherman, now representing the Greater Boston Track Club, who ran the 800m in 2:00.49, and teammate Dave Cahill, who ran the 400m in 50.39.
B.U. Invitational - Men's Results
B.U. Invitational - Women's Results
With one week left before the Mass. Division Meets, David Polgar decided he needed another fast mile to confirm his fitness. He returned to the BU track -- the same one on which he ran a nation-leading 4:17.83 back in December -- and set a new personal best of 4:17.53.
In the collegiate division, three Newton North alumni ran the 3000 meters. Liz Gleason, now at Williams, recorded a personal best 9:55.77 to take second in her heat and 13th overall. This is a tremendous breakthrough for Liz, who set an 9-second PR and broke 10:00 for the first time. Anna Schindler, a freshman at Wesleyan, ran 10:38.10. Dan Chebot, a freshman at University of Rochester, ran 9:12.05, despite being tripped during the race.
Other Newton North alumni running at BU included Josh Seeherman, now representing the Greater Boston Track Club, who ran the 800m in 2:00.49, and teammate Dave Cahill, who ran the 400m in 50.39.
B.U. Invitational - Men's Results
B.U. Invitational - Women's Results
February 03, 2006
State Coaches Meet Preview
This weekend, the MSTCA hosts two meets at the Reggie Lewis Track. Saturday Feb. 4th is the State Coaches meet, and Sunday Feb 5 is the MSTCA Elite meet. What makes the Sunday meet "elite" is that competition is limited to the top 24 individuals and relay teams in each event. So for example, in the two-mile, 88 runners met the qualifying standard of 10:40 to be in the meet, but only 24 will compete on Sunday; the rest will compete on Saturday. The Elite meet is second only to the All-State meet in the quality of the competition, and often produces the best marks of the season.
(Quiz: Who is the only Newton North athlete scheduled to compete in individual events on both Saturday and Sunday? Answer below.)
In addition to giving individuals a chance to excel against statewide competition, the Elite meet also gives coaches a chance to determine final event entries and relay alignments for the State Divisional meets in two weeks. For that reason, the relays are especially interesting at the State Coaches meet.
Here is a link to the complete performance lists for Saturday and Sunday.
Here are some intriguing stories to follow on Sunday:
Boys Mile - North's David Polgar, currently ranked second in the state in the mile is seeded first in this meet. (Xaverian's Mark Amirault is running in the Millrose Games mile at Madison Square Garden Friday night and chose not to enter the Coaches meet.) Polgar will have his hands full with Kevin Gill, who has served notice in recent weeks that he is ready to run sub 4:20, a time Polgra has only achieved once. Gill ran a 4:23 on his own at a league meet, and then followed it up on Tuesday with a 2:33 1000. Look for Gill to push the pace in the middle laps. If Polgar can hang with Gill until the end, he should have the better kick.
Girls Mile - This is a rematch of last year's State Outdoor mile championship, in which Jess Barton beat Winchester's Katharina Eidmann. Neither runner has gone all out in a mile race this year, although Barton's 5:02 1600m split in the State Relays indicates she is ready to go very fast. Other runners to watch include Haverhill's Colleen McNaughton (Barton's victim at the State Relays) and Westford's Stephanie Pancoast. Two other Bay State conference runners are also bound to be in the mix -- Weymouth's Becca Macdonald and Wellesley's Brielle Chabot.
The boys 300m marks a return to the track for North's Avery Mitchell, who will run his first race of the year on Sunday. Mitchell is in the second heat. The first heat is going to be a dandy match-up between Foxboro's Dave Lint, and 2005 outdoor 200m champion Milton's Eric Wornum.
Boys 1000m - Noah Jampol's times this year have earned him a spot in the fast heat of the 1000m. Now, how will he fare against the iron of the State? This reporter thinks Noah can finish as high as 4th or 5th, if he runs aggressively and avoids getting boxed in lane 1.
Girls 1000m - Colleen Wetherbee, last year's state outdoor 800m champion and this year's top-ranked miler and 1000m runner, opts to run the 1000 on Sunday. After running the girls mile at the Millrose Games in New York on Friday night (see Amirault, above), Wetherbee avoids a showdown with Barton in the mile on Sunday.
Girls 600m - Kat Chiong is seeded 6th in this race, but many observers feel she can run faster, and perhaps move up. Only two of the girls seeded ahead of her are from Div I, so Kat might still be in a position to score big points at the Division meet.
David Smith threw very well in early in the season in the Boys shot put, but has had a couple of "off" meets. Seeded 2nd in the State Coaches meet, can Smith rebound on Sunday?
Boys 55 - Coach Jim Blackburn seeded Cailean Robinson and Gordon Forbes at 6.70 and 6.75, respectively, times they have yet to achieve. If the two juniors can equal or better Blackburn's goal for them, they should both stand a good chance of making it to the finals.
Boys relays - Will the boys be able to tap their traditional strength in the relays at the Div. I meet? Sunday should furnish the answer, as the boys 4x200 aims to hold on to the baton and finish among the top teams, and the boys 4x800 attempts to improve on its 14th place seeding.
Girls relays - The girls 4x400 team is seeded first, but with Julie Blanchard questionable for Sunday, that position seems precarious, especially with talented Bridewater-Raynham and Acton-Boxborough teams nipping at North's heeels. There are also questions for the 4x800, which faces stiff competition but should be able to run faster than its 9:55 seed time.
(Answer to Quiz: Nick Van Niel will compete in the hurdles on Saturday, and the Elite long jump on Sunday.)
(Quiz: Who is the only Newton North athlete scheduled to compete in individual events on both Saturday and Sunday? Answer below.)
In addition to giving individuals a chance to excel against statewide competition, the Elite meet also gives coaches a chance to determine final event entries and relay alignments for the State Divisional meets in two weeks. For that reason, the relays are especially interesting at the State Coaches meet.
Here is a link to the complete performance lists for Saturday and Sunday.
Here are some intriguing stories to follow on Sunday:
Boys Mile - North's David Polgar, currently ranked second in the state in the mile is seeded first in this meet. (Xaverian's Mark Amirault is running in the Millrose Games mile at Madison Square Garden Friday night and chose not to enter the Coaches meet.) Polgar will have his hands full with Kevin Gill, who has served notice in recent weeks that he is ready to run sub 4:20, a time Polgra has only achieved once. Gill ran a 4:23 on his own at a league meet, and then followed it up on Tuesday with a 2:33 1000. Look for Gill to push the pace in the middle laps. If Polgar can hang with Gill until the end, he should have the better kick.
Girls Mile - This is a rematch of last year's State Outdoor mile championship, in which Jess Barton beat Winchester's Katharina Eidmann. Neither runner has gone all out in a mile race this year, although Barton's 5:02 1600m split in the State Relays indicates she is ready to go very fast. Other runners to watch include Haverhill's Colleen McNaughton (Barton's victim at the State Relays) and Westford's Stephanie Pancoast. Two other Bay State conference runners are also bound to be in the mix -- Weymouth's Becca Macdonald and Wellesley's Brielle Chabot.
The boys 300m marks a return to the track for North's Avery Mitchell, who will run his first race of the year on Sunday. Mitchell is in the second heat. The first heat is going to be a dandy match-up between Foxboro's Dave Lint, and 2005 outdoor 200m champion Milton's Eric Wornum.
Boys 1000m - Noah Jampol's times this year have earned him a spot in the fast heat of the 1000m. Now, how will he fare against the iron of the State? This reporter thinks Noah can finish as high as 4th or 5th, if he runs aggressively and avoids getting boxed in lane 1.
Girls 1000m - Colleen Wetherbee, last year's state outdoor 800m champion and this year's top-ranked miler and 1000m runner, opts to run the 1000 on Sunday. After running the girls mile at the Millrose Games in New York on Friday night (see Amirault, above), Wetherbee avoids a showdown with Barton in the mile on Sunday.
Girls 600m - Kat Chiong is seeded 6th in this race, but many observers feel she can run faster, and perhaps move up. Only two of the girls seeded ahead of her are from Div I, so Kat might still be in a position to score big points at the Division meet.
David Smith threw very well in early in the season in the Boys shot put, but has had a couple of "off" meets. Seeded 2nd in the State Coaches meet, can Smith rebound on Sunday?
Boys 55 - Coach Jim Blackburn seeded Cailean Robinson and Gordon Forbes at 6.70 and 6.75, respectively, times they have yet to achieve. If the two juniors can equal or better Blackburn's goal for them, they should both stand a good chance of making it to the finals.
Boys relays - Will the boys be able to tap their traditional strength in the relays at the Div. I meet? Sunday should furnish the answer, as the boys 4x200 aims to hold on to the baton and finish among the top teams, and the boys 4x800 attempts to improve on its 14th place seeding.
Girls relays - The girls 4x400 team is seeded first, but with Julie Blanchard questionable for Sunday, that position seems precarious, especially with talented Bridewater-Raynham and Acton-Boxborough teams nipping at North's heeels. There are also questions for the 4x800, which faces stiff competition but should be able to run faster than its 9:55 seed time.
(Answer to Quiz: Nick Van Niel will compete in the hurdles on Saturday, and the Elite long jump on Sunday.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
