Some miscellaneous thoughts after Friday's MA All-State meet.
David Smith might have been the least physically imposing of all the shot putters at the state meet, but he absolutely dominated the competition and added the indoor title to last year's outdoor state title. According to a story in the News Tribune, Smith was disappointed not to be closer to 60 feet. He's going to be fun to watch outdoors.
I was very happy for Brookline's Robert Gibson, who won the boys mile in a PR 4:17.59. This is Gibson's first state championship, and marks his arrival at the top of the state distance running world. He has competed in the shadow of others for a long time, but he has stepped out of that shadow now.
Interesting that a junior has won the All-State Boys 1M four of the last five years (Gras-JR, Banks-SR, Polgar-JR, Amirault-JR, Gibson-JR). It might easily have been five for five, but Mike Banks just did outkick Chris Barnicle by 0.4 in 2004. There was some speculation as to why Amirault chose to run the 1000m this year, instead of the mile. His presence in the 1000m certainly made for a tremendous race, as Jeff Moriarty showed perfect patience and tactics and nipped Amirault in the last 20m.
Back to the 1M, Bridget Dahlberg's dismantling of foot locker XC finalist Emily Jones in the girls 1M was simply astounding. A week ago, Jess Barton put so much pressure on Dahlberg early in the race, that the Newton South sophomore was taken out of her rhythm and her race and faded badly. But last Friday, Dahlberg looked completely comfortable running 5:00 pace, and then unleashes a 68s final 400 that was shocking in its ease and efficiency. Her talent is immense.
The Newton North girls 4x800 team finished second, with Barton running the anchor leg despite a stomach virus that left her drained and weak. Carolyn Ranti and Kat Chiong ran PR legs, and Emma Kornetsky did her part, as well. Barton's anchor was heroic under the circumstances; she was outrun by Lincoln-Sudbury's Molly Binder, but held off Dahlberg to claim second.
February 27, 2007
NNHS Alumni Results - 2/23-25/07
Catching up on results from our far-flung Alumni over this last weekend.
An interesting two days for Noah Jampol at the Centennial Conference Championships. On Saturday, he ran the mile and finished in a somewhat disappointing 4:37.93. On Sunday, he ran the 3000 and set a PR 9:05.76 (the equivalent of a 9:46 2-Mile). Noah runs next at the ECAC's as part of the Johns Hopkins DMR team.
At the ACC Championships, Dan King (Duke) ran 49.56 in the preliminary round of the 400m, but failed to make the final. Dan recently set the Duke school record in the 400 running.
David Polgar split a PR 1:54 for BU at the New England Championships, as the BU team ran 7:45.46 for 5th. At the same meet, Stephanie O'Brien (Wesleyan) ran 1:19.67 for 500m and Simone Weisman (Middlebury) ran 1:19.84 in the same event.
At the New York State Championships, held at St. Lawrence University, Dan Chebot ran a season's best 9:01.32 for 3000m, barely missing the ECAC qualifying time.
Yes, that was Dave Cahill at the U.S. Indoor Championships running the 800 leg of the DMR for the Greater Boston Track Club. Dave split 2:01 running alone.
An interesting two days for Noah Jampol at the Centennial Conference Championships. On Saturday, he ran the mile and finished in a somewhat disappointing 4:37.93. On Sunday, he ran the 3000 and set a PR 9:05.76 (the equivalent of a 9:46 2-Mile). Noah runs next at the ECAC's as part of the Johns Hopkins DMR team.
At the ACC Championships, Dan King (Duke) ran 49.56 in the preliminary round of the 400m, but failed to make the final. Dan recently set the Duke school record in the 400 running.
David Polgar split a PR 1:54 for BU at the New England Championships, as the BU team ran 7:45.46 for 5th. At the same meet, Stephanie O'Brien (Wesleyan) ran 1:19.67 for 500m and Simone Weisman (Middlebury) ran 1:19.84 in the same event.
At the New York State Championships, held at St. Lawrence University, Dan Chebot ran a season's best 9:01.32 for 3000m, barely missing the ECAC qualifying time.
Yes, that was Dave Cahill at the U.S. Indoor Championships running the 800 leg of the DMR for the Greater Boston Track Club. Dave split 2:01 running alone.
February 23, 2007
Championship Weekend
This weekend is certainly one of the most significant of the indoor track season, and it gets under way this afternoon.
Mass All-State Meet
The Mass All-State meet gets underway this afternoon, with field events starting at 4:30 and running events at 5:00. ALL the races are special at this meet, but here are a few that I'll be watching especially closely:
Girls 1M - Three girls who can run sub-5:00: Jess Barton, Emily Jones, and Bridget Dahlberg. Dahlberg gets a chance to redeem herself after last week's third place in the Div I meet. Jones is a huge talent who has a 10:38 2M to her credit. Barton is tough as nails. Will the pace be as fast as last week? Meanwhile, Carolyn Ranti ran 5:10 last week and goes into the race seeded 3rd. Could she place that high against the best in the State?
Girls 2M - There are 7-8 girls capable of running sub 11:20. This should be one of the most exciting girls 2Ms in recent memory. Winchester's Johanna Eidmann has the fastest seed at 11:02, but watch out for Colleen Wetherbee, who is more than capable of running sub 11:00. Also, don't be surprised if the two Natick girls (Rebecca White, Anya Price) place in the top six.
Boys 1M - My prediction: a junior will win the race. I think it might be time for Robert Gibson to win the a championship race, a goal that has eluded him so far. The winning time will be sub 4:20. As long as the pace is fast and honest, Gibson has an excellent chance. Otherwise, look out for Chelmsford junior Chris Brown, or Central Catholic's Angus Macdonald. Seb Putzys will be running in the unseeded heat, and will be hoping to break 4:30 for the first time.
Boys 1000m - The most stacked running event of the meet. Mark Amirault seekes to add an All-State 1000 title to his 1M (indoor) and 2M (outdoor) titles from last year. There are four runners in the race seeded at under 2:30, and 11 under 2:35. That's sick! If Amirault falters for any reason, I'd pick Jeff Moriarty, seeded 4th, but with the raw speed to win a finishing sprint.
Boys HJ - Last week's Div I battle between Meikle Paschal and Jordan Maddocks didn't really take off, but this week could be different. Paschal has to worry about running the 300m, which puts him at a distinct disadvantage. I expect either Maddocks, Burlington's Greg Nelson, or Old Rochester's Peter Asci to jump 6'8 or better today, which should make for a great competition, and a lot of oohs and ahhs from the crowd.
Boys SP - Newton North's David Smith seeks an indoor state title to go with his 2006 outdoor title. Smith feels he can throw 57', but BC High's Jake Bradley would love to take the crown from Smith.
Girls 4x800 - Newton North hopes to run the table and prove itself as the dominant 4x800 team in the state. Standing in their way will be Bromfield and Newton South.
Boys 4x400 - Lexington is the best in the state, but Newton North has a team, and hopes to catch lightning in a bottle and get on the medal stand.
US Indoor Championships
On Saturday and Sunday, the Reggie Lewis track hosts the US Indoor Championships. The two-day meet is a showcase for the best American athletes. ESPN will have two hours of coverage on Sunday. For schedule information, see the following link.
USATF Indoor National Championships - Schedule
College Conference Championships
This weekend also has numerous collegiate conference and regional championships. Newton North alum Chris Barnicle will be running in the SEC championships. Noah Jampol runs in the Centennial Conference championships. The New England's are being held at Boston University, so perhaps David Polgar will see action in a relay or two. Dan Chebot should be competing at the NY State championships.
All-in-all, a weekend full of competition. Oh, and Saturday is also the Kenya Cross-Country Championships, in case you're in Nairobi and want to see who qualifies to run on the Kenyan national team for the word championships next month.
Anyway, good luck to all!
Mass All-State Meet
The Mass All-State meet gets underway this afternoon, with field events starting at 4:30 and running events at 5:00. ALL the races are special at this meet, but here are a few that I'll be watching especially closely:
Girls 1M - Three girls who can run sub-5:00: Jess Barton, Emily Jones, and Bridget Dahlberg. Dahlberg gets a chance to redeem herself after last week's third place in the Div I meet. Jones is a huge talent who has a 10:38 2M to her credit. Barton is tough as nails. Will the pace be as fast as last week? Meanwhile, Carolyn Ranti ran 5:10 last week and goes into the race seeded 3rd. Could she place that high against the best in the State?
Girls 2M - There are 7-8 girls capable of running sub 11:20. This should be one of the most exciting girls 2Ms in recent memory. Winchester's Johanna Eidmann has the fastest seed at 11:02, but watch out for Colleen Wetherbee, who is more than capable of running sub 11:00. Also, don't be surprised if the two Natick girls (Rebecca White, Anya Price) place in the top six.
Boys 1M - My prediction: a junior will win the race. I think it might be time for Robert Gibson to win the a championship race, a goal that has eluded him so far. The winning time will be sub 4:20. As long as the pace is fast and honest, Gibson has an excellent chance. Otherwise, look out for Chelmsford junior Chris Brown, or Central Catholic's Angus Macdonald. Seb Putzys will be running in the unseeded heat, and will be hoping to break 4:30 for the first time.
Boys 1000m - The most stacked running event of the meet. Mark Amirault seekes to add an All-State 1000 title to his 1M (indoor) and 2M (outdoor) titles from last year. There are four runners in the race seeded at under 2:30, and 11 under 2:35. That's sick! If Amirault falters for any reason, I'd pick Jeff Moriarty, seeded 4th, but with the raw speed to win a finishing sprint.
Boys HJ - Last week's Div I battle between Meikle Paschal and Jordan Maddocks didn't really take off, but this week could be different. Paschal has to worry about running the 300m, which puts him at a distinct disadvantage. I expect either Maddocks, Burlington's Greg Nelson, or Old Rochester's Peter Asci to jump 6'8 or better today, which should make for a great competition, and a lot of oohs and ahhs from the crowd.
Boys SP - Newton North's David Smith seeks an indoor state title to go with his 2006 outdoor title. Smith feels he can throw 57', but BC High's Jake Bradley would love to take the crown from Smith.
Girls 4x800 - Newton North hopes to run the table and prove itself as the dominant 4x800 team in the state. Standing in their way will be Bromfield and Newton South.
Boys 4x400 - Lexington is the best in the state, but Newton North has a team, and hopes to catch lightning in a bottle and get on the medal stand.
US Indoor Championships
On Saturday and Sunday, the Reggie Lewis track hosts the US Indoor Championships. The two-day meet is a showcase for the best American athletes. ESPN will have two hours of coverage on Sunday. For schedule information, see the following link.
USATF Indoor National Championships - Schedule
College Conference Championships
This weekend also has numerous collegiate conference and regional championships. Newton North alum Chris Barnicle will be running in the SEC championships. Noah Jampol runs in the Centennial Conference championships. The New England's are being held at Boston University, so perhaps David Polgar will see action in a relay or two. Dan Chebot should be competing at the NY State championships.
All-in-all, a weekend full of competition. Oh, and Saturday is also the Kenya Cross-Country Championships, in case you're in Nairobi and want to see who qualifies to run on the Kenyan national team for the word championships next month.
Anyway, good luck to all!
February 21, 2007
"Neue Kraft fühlend..."
"The third movement...alternates slow sections in a modal F with faster sections, "Neue Kraft fühlend" (with renewed strength), in D. Beethoven wrote this piece after recovering from a serious illness..." - from Wikipedia entry for the Beethoven quartet in A minor, Opus 132.
As I write this, I'm listening to the third movement of the quartet in A minor, Beethoven's thank you note to God for restoring his health. You can hear it, along with a short commentary at the following link:
NPR in performance
Like many runners (and a few composers), I am a hypochondriac and every little ache and pain, every bout with a common cold virus, affects me more than I like to admit. During and after an illness I become listless and moody. I seem unable to do simple things or maintain any semblance of my normal routine. So when I woke up three weeks ago with a bad sore throat, I was not happy.
Did I get sick because I overdid it with my training? I had just completed a week of heavy mileage, a demanding track workout, a tempo run, and a long run in frigid temperatures that I extended beyond what was reasonable on that day so that I would hit a stupid weekly mileage target. I woke up the next morning and I knew I was in for trouble. Overnight I went from being supremely confident in my fitness and consistent in my training to being unable to drag myself out for 3-mile runs. I took days off, but didn't feel any more rested. This lasted for about a week.
The next week, as I started feeling better, I tried to get back into the training routine, but my body wasn't ready. Every run felt hard, regardless of how easy the pace was. I did NOT want to be out running. I thought maybe it was the cold weather, but after running on a treadmill one day, I decided it wasn't the weather, it was just me. I wondered if I had developed a secondary sinus infection, and started taking drugs to control that. After two weeks, I still felt weak. I kept telling myself that all those months of steady training wouldn't disappear overnight, but it was hard to believe.
Finally, in the third week after first getting sick, I started feeling some enthusiasm for exercise again. It was a welcome feeling, as you can imagine.
All this angst over a common cold! And yet, off the top of my head I can think of half a dozen running friends who have dealt with much worse setbacks recently -- illness in some cases, injury in others. It makes me a little ashamed to make such a big deal out of such a minor setback. But even after a minor illness, how good it is when you finally start feeling better, when you finally start running "Neue Kraft fühlend..." -- with renewed strength.
Sometimes that feeling takes you past where you were before. I was thrilled to see my friend Terry recover from a broken collarbone last spring by having a better summer of running than the previous year. Another friend, Bruce Davie, came back from knee surgery to post his best mile times in years. Dr. Bob Chasen, father of Weymouth runner Ben Chasen, recovered from a serious ailment last fall and reached the rare milestone of winning a race in his fifth straight decade. Looking forward, here's hoping that Josh Seeherman, a frequent commenter on these blogs recovers from his knee surgery and surpasses his previous level of fitness. Here's hoping that Chris Barnicle can put his mono and blood-iron issues behind him and run better than he ever has before, if not this season then next. Here's hoping that the divinity takes pity on all of us convalescents and allows us to return to our chosen sport with renewed strength.
As I write this, I'm listening to the third movement of the quartet in A minor, Beethoven's thank you note to God for restoring his health. You can hear it, along with a short commentary at the following link:
NPR in performance
Like many runners (and a few composers), I am a hypochondriac and every little ache and pain, every bout with a common cold virus, affects me more than I like to admit. During and after an illness I become listless and moody. I seem unable to do simple things or maintain any semblance of my normal routine. So when I woke up three weeks ago with a bad sore throat, I was not happy.
Did I get sick because I overdid it with my training? I had just completed a week of heavy mileage, a demanding track workout, a tempo run, and a long run in frigid temperatures that I extended beyond what was reasonable on that day so that I would hit a stupid weekly mileage target. I woke up the next morning and I knew I was in for trouble. Overnight I went from being supremely confident in my fitness and consistent in my training to being unable to drag myself out for 3-mile runs. I took days off, but didn't feel any more rested. This lasted for about a week.
The next week, as I started feeling better, I tried to get back into the training routine, but my body wasn't ready. Every run felt hard, regardless of how easy the pace was. I did NOT want to be out running. I thought maybe it was the cold weather, but after running on a treadmill one day, I decided it wasn't the weather, it was just me. I wondered if I had developed a secondary sinus infection, and started taking drugs to control that. After two weeks, I still felt weak. I kept telling myself that all those months of steady training wouldn't disappear overnight, but it was hard to believe.
Finally, in the third week after first getting sick, I started feeling some enthusiasm for exercise again. It was a welcome feeling, as you can imagine.
All this angst over a common cold! And yet, off the top of my head I can think of half a dozen running friends who have dealt with much worse setbacks recently -- illness in some cases, injury in others. It makes me a little ashamed to make such a big deal out of such a minor setback. But even after a minor illness, how good it is when you finally start feeling better, when you finally start running "Neue Kraft fühlend..." -- with renewed strength.
Sometimes that feeling takes you past where you were before. I was thrilled to see my friend Terry recover from a broken collarbone last spring by having a better summer of running than the previous year. Another friend, Bruce Davie, came back from knee surgery to post his best mile times in years. Dr. Bob Chasen, father of Weymouth runner Ben Chasen, recovered from a serious ailment last fall and reached the rare milestone of winning a race in his fifth straight decade. Looking forward, here's hoping that Josh Seeherman, a frequent commenter on these blogs recovers from his knee surgery and surpasses his previous level of fitness. Here's hoping that Chris Barnicle can put his mono and blood-iron issues behind him and run better than he ever has before, if not this season then next. Here's hoping that the divinity takes pity on all of us convalescents and allows us to return to our chosen sport with renewed strength.
February 18, 2007
Anatomy of a Race
There were dozens of exciting races at the Div I meet on Friday night, and fine performances from many Newton North athletes. Congratulations to Morgan Faer (55H), Tracy Isman (SP), Kat Chiong (600), Seb Putzys (1M) for placing in the top six in their events. North had two individual winners: David Smith won the boys shot put, and Jess Barton won the mile, with Carolyn Ranti taking second. The girls 4x800 (Ranti, Emma Kornetsky, Chiong, and Barton) also won, setting a a meet record. The boys 4x400 finished sixth to make the medal stand.
But of all the races, the girls mile really lingers in the mind. If you were to look only at the final results, you might think that Barton won easily, but it was anything but an easy race. In fact, it was a most unusual race, as we shall see... For those who weren't there -- and even for those who were -- let me put the tape back in the VCR and play it over again...
With over 60 entrants listed for the girls mile, the officials divided the field into four separate heats. It was well past 5:30 when the final heat lined up on the track. With the fastest qualifying time (5:01), Jess Barton lined up on the inside. To her right was Newton South sophomore Bridget Dahlberg, the defending indoor state mile champion, and owner of a 2:56 1000m (at the MSTCA Elite meet) and 11:04 2-mile (running alone in a dual meet). Although she had run "only" 5:08 in the mile this year, Dahlberg's resumé included a 5:01 from last year, and her time in the 1000 showed she was fit enough to do that again. In her short career, Dahlberg has also shown that she has one of the best kicks of any runner in the state. At last year's Elite meet, Barton led the mile for most of the race, and then Dahlberg unleashed a huge kick to win, leading a pack of runners past Jess in the last 200. It seemed obvious that for Jess to win, she would need to find a way to to remove the sting from that kick.
Seeded third was Carolyn Ranti, who ran a big mile PR (5:14) in the Bay State league meet. Seeded fourth was another Newton South runner, Juliet Ryan-Davis. It looked like a dual meet, as the four Newton runners came to the set position.
Barton reacted to the gun and shot into the lead, running the first turn at a near-sprint. As Barton settled into the pace on the backstretch, Dahlberg moved easily up to her shoulder. As the two entered the far turn, they were running shoulder to shoulder -- almost too close. Was Dahlberg going to take the lead? That wouldn't seem to make sense, since she had nothing to lose by simply sitting on the pace and waiting to unleash that kick.
Through the far turn they ran, opening a 5M gap on Ranti in third, still shoulder to shoulder as they came down the homestretch and passed 200m in 34.7, a near-suicidal pace! Now, surely, Dahlberg would settle back into second and wait for the pace to slow, setting up the race to her liking. But no, the second lap passed with absolutely no change of relative positions. Barton continued to run on the inside, still flying; Dahlberg continued to run right on her shoulder, neither pulling ahead nor settling in. It seemed that Dahlberg was too close, and, in fact, Barton would confirm later that Dahlberg kept making contact with her elbows. The pair passed two laps in 70.8 (36.1 for the second 200) -- roughly the same pace as in Dahlberg's 1000m PR -- and faster than Barton had planned, even though she had planned to take it out very fast.
The third lap was identical to the second, the two runners stride-for-stride, Barton on the rail and Dahlberg on the outside. There was no let up in the pace, as the two passed 600m in 1:46.9. They were on pace for a 4:45 mile, and they had opened up a huge gap on the rest of the field. And still there was no let up. What was Dahlberg doing? Instead of conserving energy by running in Barton's slipstream, while forcing her rival to shoulder the psychological burden of leading, Dahlberg seemed to be locked in position on the outside, contributing to a race pattern that could only favor the strength runner over the kicker.
Finally, at 700m, there came a break, as Dahlberg pulled gradually ahead. As they entered the home straight at the end of the fourth lap, Dahlberg took the lead. She passed 800m in 2:24.7, but also started slowing the pace. The early breakneck laps were beginning to take their toll. Barton, who had hoped and trained for a fast early pace, knew that the key to winning was to run the third quarter of the race hard. She knew that Dahlberg needed a respite, an easy lap or two to set up her acceleration at the end. So even though the fatigue was accumulating quickly in her legs and she had just run an 800 split that would have been fast for a 1000, Barton moved up on Dahlberg's shoulder and tried to accelerate again. On the backstretch of the 5th lap, Dahlberg fought off the challenge. She did not want Jess going back in to the lead. Around the far turn, Dahlberg in the lead, Jess denied for the moment. Down the home stretch and the two were still together at 1000m, passed in 3:04.1, which happens to be a 1000m PR for Barton. The fifth 200 was run in 39.4.
On the backstretch of the 6th lap, Barton challenges again. It is critical that she not let the pace drag. This time, Dahlberg does not respond. Suddenly, and for the first time in the race, there is daylight between the two runners. Dahlberg needs a break from the relentless pace. Barton keeps pushing.
And Dahlberg cracks! Now, with every stride Barton is opening up the lead. At 1200m, which Barton passes in 3:43.8, the gap is a full second. At 1300m, the gap is three seconds. As Barton takes the bell, it is six seconds. Barton's penultimate lap is 39.4; Dahlberg's is 44. Amazingly, Barton is accelerating again. She flies down the backstretch and around the final turn, lapping a runner from Lexington. As she enters the final straight, Barton permits herself one look back over her left shoulder, but there's no one giving chase. She crosses the line in 5:01.6.
Meanwhile, Carolyn Ranti who was nearly a full straightaway behind the leaders with three laps to go is in the process of running down Dahlberg. She passes with 40m to go and meets no resistance, finishing in another PR 5:10. Dahlberg holds on to 3rd, as Ryan-Davis finishes a second back in 4th. Newton has swept the top four spots.
And next week, they get to go at it again. In retrospect, Dahlberg made mistakes. She wasted effort running in lane two. She contributed to a pace that favored the strength runner, and hindered her. One has to believe that she won't make those same mistakes again. And then, there will be another runner in the race who can affect the outcome: Bromfield's Emily Jones, who has run a 2:57 1000 and owns the state's best 2M in 10:37.
It will be a different race, and who knows the outcome. But for now, I'll savor this as a great battle between worthy competitors.
But of all the races, the girls mile really lingers in the mind. If you were to look only at the final results, you might think that Barton won easily, but it was anything but an easy race. In fact, it was a most unusual race, as we shall see... For those who weren't there -- and even for those who were -- let me put the tape back in the VCR and play it over again...
With over 60 entrants listed for the girls mile, the officials divided the field into four separate heats. It was well past 5:30 when the final heat lined up on the track. With the fastest qualifying time (5:01), Jess Barton lined up on the inside. To her right was Newton South sophomore Bridget Dahlberg, the defending indoor state mile champion, and owner of a 2:56 1000m (at the MSTCA Elite meet) and 11:04 2-mile (running alone in a dual meet). Although she had run "only" 5:08 in the mile this year, Dahlberg's resumé included a 5:01 from last year, and her time in the 1000 showed she was fit enough to do that again. In her short career, Dahlberg has also shown that she has one of the best kicks of any runner in the state. At last year's Elite meet, Barton led the mile for most of the race, and then Dahlberg unleashed a huge kick to win, leading a pack of runners past Jess in the last 200. It seemed obvious that for Jess to win, she would need to find a way to to remove the sting from that kick.
Seeded third was Carolyn Ranti, who ran a big mile PR (5:14) in the Bay State league meet. Seeded fourth was another Newton South runner, Juliet Ryan-Davis. It looked like a dual meet, as the four Newton runners came to the set position.
Barton reacted to the gun and shot into the lead, running the first turn at a near-sprint. As Barton settled into the pace on the backstretch, Dahlberg moved easily up to her shoulder. As the two entered the far turn, they were running shoulder to shoulder -- almost too close. Was Dahlberg going to take the lead? That wouldn't seem to make sense, since she had nothing to lose by simply sitting on the pace and waiting to unleash that kick.
Through the far turn they ran, opening a 5M gap on Ranti in third, still shoulder to shoulder as they came down the homestretch and passed 200m in 34.7, a near-suicidal pace! Now, surely, Dahlberg would settle back into second and wait for the pace to slow, setting up the race to her liking. But no, the second lap passed with absolutely no change of relative positions. Barton continued to run on the inside, still flying; Dahlberg continued to run right on her shoulder, neither pulling ahead nor settling in. It seemed that Dahlberg was too close, and, in fact, Barton would confirm later that Dahlberg kept making contact with her elbows. The pair passed two laps in 70.8 (36.1 for the second 200) -- roughly the same pace as in Dahlberg's 1000m PR -- and faster than Barton had planned, even though she had planned to take it out very fast.
The third lap was identical to the second, the two runners stride-for-stride, Barton on the rail and Dahlberg on the outside. There was no let up in the pace, as the two passed 600m in 1:46.9. They were on pace for a 4:45 mile, and they had opened up a huge gap on the rest of the field. And still there was no let up. What was Dahlberg doing? Instead of conserving energy by running in Barton's slipstream, while forcing her rival to shoulder the psychological burden of leading, Dahlberg seemed to be locked in position on the outside, contributing to a race pattern that could only favor the strength runner over the kicker.
Finally, at 700m, there came a break, as Dahlberg pulled gradually ahead. As they entered the home straight at the end of the fourth lap, Dahlberg took the lead. She passed 800m in 2:24.7, but also started slowing the pace. The early breakneck laps were beginning to take their toll. Barton, who had hoped and trained for a fast early pace, knew that the key to winning was to run the third quarter of the race hard. She knew that Dahlberg needed a respite, an easy lap or two to set up her acceleration at the end. So even though the fatigue was accumulating quickly in her legs and she had just run an 800 split that would have been fast for a 1000, Barton moved up on Dahlberg's shoulder and tried to accelerate again. On the backstretch of the 5th lap, Dahlberg fought off the challenge. She did not want Jess going back in to the lead. Around the far turn, Dahlberg in the lead, Jess denied for the moment. Down the home stretch and the two were still together at 1000m, passed in 3:04.1, which happens to be a 1000m PR for Barton. The fifth 200 was run in 39.4.
On the backstretch of the 6th lap, Barton challenges again. It is critical that she not let the pace drag. This time, Dahlberg does not respond. Suddenly, and for the first time in the race, there is daylight between the two runners. Dahlberg needs a break from the relentless pace. Barton keeps pushing.
And Dahlberg cracks! Now, with every stride Barton is opening up the lead. At 1200m, which Barton passes in 3:43.8, the gap is a full second. At 1300m, the gap is three seconds. As Barton takes the bell, it is six seconds. Barton's penultimate lap is 39.4; Dahlberg's is 44. Amazingly, Barton is accelerating again. She flies down the backstretch and around the final turn, lapping a runner from Lexington. As she enters the final straight, Barton permits herself one look back over her left shoulder, but there's no one giving chase. She crosses the line in 5:01.6.
Meanwhile, Carolyn Ranti who was nearly a full straightaway behind the leaders with three laps to go is in the process of running down Dahlberg. She passes with 40m to go and meets no resistance, finishing in another PR 5:10. Dahlberg holds on to 3rd, as Ryan-Davis finishes a second back in 4th. Newton has swept the top four spots.
And next week, they get to go at it again. In retrospect, Dahlberg made mistakes. She wasted effort running in lane two. She contributed to a pace that favored the strength runner, and hindered her. One has to believe that she won't make those same mistakes again. And then, there will be another runner in the race who can affect the outcome: Bromfield's Emily Jones, who has run a 2:57 1000 and owns the state's best 2M in 10:37.
It will be a different race, and who knows the outcome. But for now, I'll savor this as a great battle between worthy competitors.
February 15, 2007
MIAA Div I Championships Preview: Boys
For the boys, the Div I meet is going to be just like the old days, with two resurgent powerhouses - St. John's Prep and Brockton -- slugging it out with Lexington and Xaverian for the team championship.
Here's your guide to the meet, with a few modest predictions. Keep those comments coming!
The Top Teams
On paper, it's Lexington's meet to win, but of all schools, Lexington knows that meets aren't won on paper. I thought they were a lock last year in the State meet, but some misfortunes, including a "jumping-into-the-high-jump-pit-after-the-dash" disqualification did them in. I think the team contest is very close this year, but if Lexington can get 10 in the dash, 8 in the 1000, 16 from Paschal between the 300 and HJ, and win the 4x200 relay, that's 44 points and that should be good enough to win.
However, St. John's Prep looks very dangerous, with the top two seeds in the hurdles, a good chance in the 600, and three strong relay teams. Brockton and Xaverian can't be counted out. Brockton is likely to take 10 in the 2M and 4 in the 1M. They have the 3rd and 4th seeds in the long jump and three strong relay teams, including a 4x800 team that could very definitely win. Xaverian will hope for 10 points from Amirault in the 1000, 10 from Fitzgerald in the 600, 4 from Higgins in the 1M, and no worse than 2nd in the 4x800 (they are the top seed). That would put them at 32, but they also have an excellent chance for points in the 4x200, so if other teams falter, they could be right there.
Bay State powers Brookline and Newton North will have a hard time keeping up. Brookline should fare better, with Gibson a favorite for 10 points the 1M, and Stewart a good bet for 6 or more in the 1000. They could also get points in the dash (Bennett) and pick up a few more in the 2M (Burnstein, Eisenberg-Guyot). With a strong showing the 4x800, that could put them close to 30. Newton North doesn't have enough potential scorers to challenge for the team championship, but they will be hoping that David Smith can win the shot put, and they can get a point or two from among Marvin Chan (SP), Seb Putzys (1M), Gordon Forbes and Adam Bao (LJ), Forbes and Hymlaire Lamisere (55), or Sam Arsenault (HJ). Their 4x200 team could be in the top two or three, and their 4x400 team is definitely capable of scoring. On a perfect day, they would also be close to 30.
Top Individuals
In the 55 hurdles, Matt Sullivan of St. John's Prep is a big favorite, with teammate Chris Langton battling Braintree's Nate Starling for runner-up. In the dash, Darius Walker is a big favorite, but the battle for the next five places is wide, wide open.
In the 300, Lincoln-Sudbury's Nick Coluntuono is seeded first, ahead of Lexington's Meikle Paschal, but my money is on Paschal for the win. Newton North's Avery Mitchell is seeded 8th, but probably will scratch from the 300 to run on both the 4x200 and 4x400 relays for North.
The 600 is an intriguing race, with Xaverian's Fitzgerald and SJP's Prior the two top seeds. However, neither one is out of reach; Robert Morales of Brockton could take them both down, or, if there's a lot of bumping in the seeded heat, and we could see a runner from the unseeded heat break into the scoring, or even win like Stewart did last year.
The 1000 is probably the most stacked race of the day, as 4:11 miler Mark Amirault moves down in distance. He'll be challenged by Lexington's Bryan Longo, Brookline's Matt Stewart, Attleboro's Matt Brousseau, and Xaverian's Andrew MacIsaac, all of whom have run under 2:34 this year. In my mind, Stewart is the biggest wild card, since he is the defending all-state 600 champ. Does he have the stamina to survive in a race with Amirault and Longo? I think he does, and will be very close to them. Brousseau also has a history of coming up big in these meets (he finished 2nd last year) and could contend for the win.
Without Amirault, the mile feels a little empty, but it should be a very good race anyway, with Robert Gibson holding the top seed and Chelmsford's Chris Brown looking for a big win. Brockton's Carlos Montrond has been a big surprise to everyone who thought he didn't have enough speed for the middle distances, as he ran 4:24 at the MSTCA Elite meet. Putzys is seeded 8th, which means he will be in the seeded heat. If he can keep his head and finish strong, he could definitely break into the scoring.
The 2M should go to Kevin Gill, who is simply a stronger, faster runner than anyone else in the race. In fact, although it is not generall a Gill family trait to coast in any race, Kevin might try to win with minimum effort to save himself for the 4x800 relay later. Brockton and Brookline will both be hoping that they can pick up some small points in the deuce. brockton's Geovani Timberlake is seeded 5th, but only a couple of seconds ahead of the two Brookline boys.
In the field events, North's David Smith hopes to add to his collection of championship wins, but will have to overcome the challenge from BC High's Jake Bradley. Marvin Chan will be hoping for a 50' throw and a place on the podium.
The high jump will be a mano-a-mano battle between Paschal and Framingham's Jordan Maddocks. Paschal might have to run the 300 trials first, but will be hoping that it doesn't affect him as much as running the 600 in previous years. This could be one of the best events of the day, or a dud, depending on whether these two jump as they are capable of jumping.
In the long jump, there is a traffic jam of jumpers between 20'4 and 21'4, and anything could happen. North has to hope that both Adam Bao and Gordon Forbes make the finals and pick up some points. This could be a big event for Brockton, or a bust.
The Relays
As mentioned above, SJP has the top 4x2 time, and they are usually very good at the technical aspects of the race -- passing the baton and staying within the exchange zone. Newton North is capable of big things in this event, but they will have to be technically excellent to overtake the Prep.
In the 4x4, Lexington owns the top seed at 3:23 and are the heavy favorites. St. John's Prep and St. John's Shrewsbury have identical seed times at 3:28.07, but I give the edge to SJS. Newton North is seeded 6th, so they'll be in the seeded heat, and I like them for 4th. I have a feeling they have not run to their potential yet, and this will be the race to do it. In fact, they could finish as high as second.
In the 4x800, Xaverian and Brockton will battle for the win, and then I think there will be a gap to the next group of teams. Brookline owns the third best seed with an 8:04, but I have to believe that Stewart and Gibson will be a little fried from their races. Still, if they can get the baton around to Stewart and still be close enough for him to draft off Gill and Amirault, anything could happen.
The meet gets underway at 4:30 Friday, with running events starting at 5:00.
Here's your guide to the meet, with a few modest predictions. Keep those comments coming!
The Top Teams
On paper, it's Lexington's meet to win, but of all schools, Lexington knows that meets aren't won on paper. I thought they were a lock last year in the State meet, but some misfortunes, including a "jumping-into-the-high-jump-pit-after-the-dash" disqualification did them in. I think the team contest is very close this year, but if Lexington can get 10 in the dash, 8 in the 1000, 16 from Paschal between the 300 and HJ, and win the 4x200 relay, that's 44 points and that should be good enough to win.
However, St. John's Prep looks very dangerous, with the top two seeds in the hurdles, a good chance in the 600, and three strong relay teams. Brockton and Xaverian can't be counted out. Brockton is likely to take 10 in the 2M and 4 in the 1M. They have the 3rd and 4th seeds in the long jump and three strong relay teams, including a 4x800 team that could very definitely win. Xaverian will hope for 10 points from Amirault in the 1000, 10 from Fitzgerald in the 600, 4 from Higgins in the 1M, and no worse than 2nd in the 4x800 (they are the top seed). That would put them at 32, but they also have an excellent chance for points in the 4x200, so if other teams falter, they could be right there.
Bay State powers Brookline and Newton North will have a hard time keeping up. Brookline should fare better, with Gibson a favorite for 10 points the 1M, and Stewart a good bet for 6 or more in the 1000. They could also get points in the dash (Bennett) and pick up a few more in the 2M (Burnstein, Eisenberg-Guyot). With a strong showing the 4x800, that could put them close to 30. Newton North doesn't have enough potential scorers to challenge for the team championship, but they will be hoping that David Smith can win the shot put, and they can get a point or two from among Marvin Chan (SP), Seb Putzys (1M), Gordon Forbes and Adam Bao (LJ), Forbes and Hymlaire Lamisere (55), or Sam Arsenault (HJ). Their 4x200 team could be in the top two or three, and their 4x400 team is definitely capable of scoring. On a perfect day, they would also be close to 30.
Top Individuals
In the 55 hurdles, Matt Sullivan of St. John's Prep is a big favorite, with teammate Chris Langton battling Braintree's Nate Starling for runner-up. In the dash, Darius Walker is a big favorite, but the battle for the next five places is wide, wide open.
In the 300, Lincoln-Sudbury's Nick Coluntuono is seeded first, ahead of Lexington's Meikle Paschal, but my money is on Paschal for the win. Newton North's Avery Mitchell is seeded 8th, but probably will scratch from the 300 to run on both the 4x200 and 4x400 relays for North.
The 600 is an intriguing race, with Xaverian's Fitzgerald and SJP's Prior the two top seeds. However, neither one is out of reach; Robert Morales of Brockton could take them both down, or, if there's a lot of bumping in the seeded heat, and we could see a runner from the unseeded heat break into the scoring, or even win like Stewart did last year.
The 1000 is probably the most stacked race of the day, as 4:11 miler Mark Amirault moves down in distance. He'll be challenged by Lexington's Bryan Longo, Brookline's Matt Stewart, Attleboro's Matt Brousseau, and Xaverian's Andrew MacIsaac, all of whom have run under 2:34 this year. In my mind, Stewart is the biggest wild card, since he is the defending all-state 600 champ. Does he have the stamina to survive in a race with Amirault and Longo? I think he does, and will be very close to them. Brousseau also has a history of coming up big in these meets (he finished 2nd last year) and could contend for the win.
Without Amirault, the mile feels a little empty, but it should be a very good race anyway, with Robert Gibson holding the top seed and Chelmsford's Chris Brown looking for a big win. Brockton's Carlos Montrond has been a big surprise to everyone who thought he didn't have enough speed for the middle distances, as he ran 4:24 at the MSTCA Elite meet. Putzys is seeded 8th, which means he will be in the seeded heat. If he can keep his head and finish strong, he could definitely break into the scoring.
The 2M should go to Kevin Gill, who is simply a stronger, faster runner than anyone else in the race. In fact, although it is not generall a Gill family trait to coast in any race, Kevin might try to win with minimum effort to save himself for the 4x800 relay later. Brockton and Brookline will both be hoping that they can pick up some small points in the deuce. brockton's Geovani Timberlake is seeded 5th, but only a couple of seconds ahead of the two Brookline boys.
In the field events, North's David Smith hopes to add to his collection of championship wins, but will have to overcome the challenge from BC High's Jake Bradley. Marvin Chan will be hoping for a 50' throw and a place on the podium.
The high jump will be a mano-a-mano battle between Paschal and Framingham's Jordan Maddocks. Paschal might have to run the 300 trials first, but will be hoping that it doesn't affect him as much as running the 600 in previous years. This could be one of the best events of the day, or a dud, depending on whether these two jump as they are capable of jumping.
In the long jump, there is a traffic jam of jumpers between 20'4 and 21'4, and anything could happen. North has to hope that both Adam Bao and Gordon Forbes make the finals and pick up some points. This could be a big event for Brockton, or a bust.
The Relays
As mentioned above, SJP has the top 4x2 time, and they are usually very good at the technical aspects of the race -- passing the baton and staying within the exchange zone. Newton North is capable of big things in this event, but they will have to be technically excellent to overtake the Prep.
In the 4x4, Lexington owns the top seed at 3:23 and are the heavy favorites. St. John's Prep and St. John's Shrewsbury have identical seed times at 3:28.07, but I give the edge to SJS. Newton North is seeded 6th, so they'll be in the seeded heat, and I like them for 4th. I have a feeling they have not run to their potential yet, and this will be the race to do it. In fact, they could finish as high as second.
In the 4x800, Xaverian and Brockton will battle for the win, and then I think there will be a gap to the next group of teams. Brookline owns the third best seed with an 8:04, but I have to believe that Stewart and Gibson will be a little fried from their races. Still, if they can get the baton around to Stewart and still be close enough for him to draft off Gill and Amirault, anything could happen.
The meet gets underway at 4:30 Friday, with running events starting at 5:00.
February 14, 2007
MIAA Div I Championships Preview: Girls
Friday night is the MIAA Div I Indoor Track Championships. It's the first of the Divisional Championships, which shall henceforth be referred to as the "True Indoor State Championships" (TISCs). The D1 meet is one of the biggest, most exciting meets of the year. So without further ado, let's dive into the details -- analyzing the events and making prognostications.
The Top Teams
There has been strenuous debate all year about the battle between three Div I powerhouse teams that all run in the Dual County League: Lincoln-Sudbury, Acton-Boxboro, and Newton South. L-S and A-B look to be the best two teams, with Newton South and New Bedford not too far behind, and Bridgewater-Raynham, Newton North, and Cambridge the best of the rest.
Lincoln-Sudbury has the top two seeds in the 600, and the top seed in the 1000. One of their two relay teams (probably the 4x400) will be the best in the meet, and the other (probably the 4x800) will definitely score. They hope to get a more points in the long jump, high jump, and maybe the 300. Their best athlete is Dana Jamieson, who is seeded first in the 600 and 3rd in the long jump (she'll also anchor their 4x400).
Acton-Boxboro has Natalie Crutchfield, who is seeded first in the 55 dash, and second in the long jump. They also have the top seed in the 300 and (surprisingly) the 2-mile. Their 4x200 relay team is excellent, and they also have the third fastest 4x400 team, although it's not clear who will be able to double on the relays.
Top Individuals
In the 55 hurdles, New Bedford has the top two seed, with Lauren Barber almost a half second better than anyone else in the field. While nothing is ever sure in the hurdles, Barber is close to a lock in this event.
Crutchfield is the favorite in the 55 dash, but Newton South's Candace Bailey has been coming on strong and owns an identical seed time. This is a huge event for A-B (and for South and New Bedford), and should be very close.
In the 300, A-B's Casey Hsiung has the top seed, but the top runners haven't gone head-to-head yet and Bridgewater-Raynam's Mary Zolga ran very well in taking second at the MSTCA elite meet. This race might be decided by who can get to the break line first and establish inside position. It should be a very close race. Lily Brown is entered for Newton North, but might be held out to be fresh for the 4x400 or 4x200 relay.
In the 600, the odds-on favorite is Lincoln-Sudbury's Jamieson, who ran 1:35 early in January and ran 1:34.4h at the DCL championships. Jamieson possesses a unique combination of speed and strength and should win going away. L-S also has Emily Mepham, seeded second at 1:36.87, but she might be challenged by Newton South's Diane Braver. Newton North's Kat Chiong is seeded 4th, and will go up against old rival Rachel Fox from Andover. The North coaches face an interesting dilemma deciding whether to have Emma Kornetsky run the 600 (she is seeded 13th), or keep her fresh for the 4x800 or 4x400 relay.
The 1000 could be a pivotal event for Lincoln-Sudbury. Molly Binder is the top seed, having run 2:58.20, and if L-S has a good race, Jessica Griffin could also score. But both L-S girls will have to contend with a very good field that includes Boston Latin's Caroline O'Laughlin, who could very well win the whole thing.
In one of the best head-to-head races of the day, the mile pits the ultimate strength runner, Newton North's Jess Barton, against one of the best kickers in the State, Newton South's Bridget Dahlberg. Dahlberg is the defending indoor state champ in this event, and is almost unbeatable when she is in the race with a lap to go. There's no mystery about how the race will unfold: Barton will lead and Dahlberg will try to follow. It will be a barn burner! North's Carolyn Ranti is seeded third, and it looks like a good decision, as she stays clear of the 1000. If North could pick up 14-16 points in this event, it might keep them in contention for a high team placing.
An interesting footnote to the mile race is to note that of the 62 runners entered in the event, 14 of them are from Newton (6 from North, 8 from South!). This includes four of the top five seeds. Another six are from Lincoln-Sudbury, meaning that three schools, all in the MetroWest suburbs, are responsible for 30% of the runners in the race. Weird.
Of the distance events, the 2-mile is, perhaps, the least spectacular in terms of gaudy seed times, but that makes it more interesting, as the top seed is "only" 11:31, and there are ten runners within 16 seconds of each other. This is a huge event for A-B, because they probably weren't expecting major points, but could get 10! Weymouth has the 3rd and 4th seed in Kristen Mahoney and Nicole Pearce, and either of them could win.
In the field events, the shot put looks to be a dandy competition with three girls over 35' led by Brockton's Harrison. Newton North has three competitors, but would be thrilled to have any of them make the finals, let alone score.
The high jump is a wide open event, with three girls seeded at 5-3 and a host at 5-1. Both Bridgewater-Raynham and L-S have contenders in this event, so they will be watching closely to see whether they can pick up big points. Sarah Berkland will be jumping for North, seeded at 5' even.
In the long jump, Aranxta King has owned the event, and should win here as well, although A-B's Crutchfield will be hoping to get off a great jump and take down (the) King. It's an important event from the team standpoint, as it pits (no pun intended) Crutchfield, Jamieson, N-B's Barber, and Newton South's Marquis. Let's hope it concludes before the relays so we know how the point totals stand.
The Relays
As mentioned, the 4x200 should belong to Acton-Boxboro, but the competition for places behind them will be extremely fierce.
If they run their "A" team, I think Lincoln-Sudbury is the clear favorite in the 4x400, and the only team likely to go under 4:00. Bridgewater-Raynham is the strong challenger, and then several teams will be contending for the next four spots, including Newton North and Newton South. Although seeded 3rd, I'm not sure how strong A-B's team will be because I don't know who will be doubling. Actually, the same comment applies to Newton North. Assuming they stack the 4x800 with Kat Chiong and Emma Kornetsky, who will run the 4x400? North could hold out both runners from the 600 and have them double in the relays, or they could hold out Kornetsky... I don't know, but probably other teams are facing similar decisions.
In the 4x800, L-S has a monster seed time, but assuming they save Jamieson for the 4x400, she won't available. Same with Mepham. On the other hand, even if L-S had to run their entire "B" team, they're still good enough to score. But without their "A" team, the best two squads will probably be Newton North (owners of a 9:28 this year) and Newton South, owners of a 9:38. The race for the tape could be a rematch of Barton-Dahlberg.
The meet gets underway at 4:30 Friday, with running events starting at 5:00.
The Top Teams
There has been strenuous debate all year about the battle between three Div I powerhouse teams that all run in the Dual County League: Lincoln-Sudbury, Acton-Boxboro, and Newton South. L-S and A-B look to be the best two teams, with Newton South and New Bedford not too far behind, and Bridgewater-Raynham, Newton North, and Cambridge the best of the rest.
Lincoln-Sudbury has the top two seeds in the 600, and the top seed in the 1000. One of their two relay teams (probably the 4x400) will be the best in the meet, and the other (probably the 4x800) will definitely score. They hope to get a more points in the long jump, high jump, and maybe the 300. Their best athlete is Dana Jamieson, who is seeded first in the 600 and 3rd in the long jump (she'll also anchor their 4x400).
Acton-Boxboro has Natalie Crutchfield, who is seeded first in the 55 dash, and second in the long jump. They also have the top seed in the 300 and (surprisingly) the 2-mile. Their 4x200 relay team is excellent, and they also have the third fastest 4x400 team, although it's not clear who will be able to double on the relays.
Top Individuals
In the 55 hurdles, New Bedford has the top two seed, with Lauren Barber almost a half second better than anyone else in the field. While nothing is ever sure in the hurdles, Barber is close to a lock in this event.
Crutchfield is the favorite in the 55 dash, but Newton South's Candace Bailey has been coming on strong and owns an identical seed time. This is a huge event for A-B (and for South and New Bedford), and should be very close.
In the 300, A-B's Casey Hsiung has the top seed, but the top runners haven't gone head-to-head yet and Bridgewater-Raynam's Mary Zolga ran very well in taking second at the MSTCA elite meet. This race might be decided by who can get to the break line first and establish inside position. It should be a very close race. Lily Brown is entered for Newton North, but might be held out to be fresh for the 4x400 or 4x200 relay.
In the 600, the odds-on favorite is Lincoln-Sudbury's Jamieson, who ran 1:35 early in January and ran 1:34.4h at the DCL championships. Jamieson possesses a unique combination of speed and strength and should win going away. L-S also has Emily Mepham, seeded second at 1:36.87, but she might be challenged by Newton South's Diane Braver. Newton North's Kat Chiong is seeded 4th, and will go up against old rival Rachel Fox from Andover. The North coaches face an interesting dilemma deciding whether to have Emma Kornetsky run the 600 (she is seeded 13th), or keep her fresh for the 4x800 or 4x400 relay.
The 1000 could be a pivotal event for Lincoln-Sudbury. Molly Binder is the top seed, having run 2:58.20, and if L-S has a good race, Jessica Griffin could also score. But both L-S girls will have to contend with a very good field that includes Boston Latin's Caroline O'Laughlin, who could very well win the whole thing.
In one of the best head-to-head races of the day, the mile pits the ultimate strength runner, Newton North's Jess Barton, against one of the best kickers in the State, Newton South's Bridget Dahlberg. Dahlberg is the defending indoor state champ in this event, and is almost unbeatable when she is in the race with a lap to go. There's no mystery about how the race will unfold: Barton will lead and Dahlberg will try to follow. It will be a barn burner! North's Carolyn Ranti is seeded third, and it looks like a good decision, as she stays clear of the 1000. If North could pick up 14-16 points in this event, it might keep them in contention for a high team placing.
An interesting footnote to the mile race is to note that of the 62 runners entered in the event, 14 of them are from Newton (6 from North, 8 from South!). This includes four of the top five seeds. Another six are from Lincoln-Sudbury, meaning that three schools, all in the MetroWest suburbs, are responsible for 30% of the runners in the race. Weird.
Of the distance events, the 2-mile is, perhaps, the least spectacular in terms of gaudy seed times, but that makes it more interesting, as the top seed is "only" 11:31, and there are ten runners within 16 seconds of each other. This is a huge event for A-B, because they probably weren't expecting major points, but could get 10! Weymouth has the 3rd and 4th seed in Kristen Mahoney and Nicole Pearce, and either of them could win.
In the field events, the shot put looks to be a dandy competition with three girls over 35' led by Brockton's Harrison. Newton North has three competitors, but would be thrilled to have any of them make the finals, let alone score.
The high jump is a wide open event, with three girls seeded at 5-3 and a host at 5-1. Both Bridgewater-Raynham and L-S have contenders in this event, so they will be watching closely to see whether they can pick up big points. Sarah Berkland will be jumping for North, seeded at 5' even.
In the long jump, Aranxta King has owned the event, and should win here as well, although A-B's Crutchfield will be hoping to get off a great jump and take down (the) King. It's an important event from the team standpoint, as it pits (no pun intended) Crutchfield, Jamieson, N-B's Barber, and Newton South's Marquis. Let's hope it concludes before the relays so we know how the point totals stand.
The Relays
As mentioned, the 4x200 should belong to Acton-Boxboro, but the competition for places behind them will be extremely fierce.
If they run their "A" team, I think Lincoln-Sudbury is the clear favorite in the 4x400, and the only team likely to go under 4:00. Bridgewater-Raynham is the strong challenger, and then several teams will be contending for the next four spots, including Newton North and Newton South. Although seeded 3rd, I'm not sure how strong A-B's team will be because I don't know who will be doubling. Actually, the same comment applies to Newton North. Assuming they stack the 4x800 with Kat Chiong and Emma Kornetsky, who will run the 4x400? North could hold out both runners from the 600 and have them double in the relays, or they could hold out Kornetsky... I don't know, but probably other teams are facing similar decisions.
In the 4x800, L-S has a monster seed time, but assuming they save Jamieson for the 4x400, she won't available. Same with Mepham. On the other hand, even if L-S had to run their entire "B" team, they're still good enough to score. But without their "A" team, the best two squads will probably be Newton North (owners of a 9:28 this year) and Newton South, owners of a 9:38. The race for the tape could be a rematch of Barton-Dahlberg.
The meet gets underway at 4:30 Friday, with running events starting at 5:00.
February 12, 2007
Juha "the cruel" Väätainen
A friend recently sent me links to two videos on YouTube from the 1971 European Championships. I should admit that in 1971, I was only dimly aware of track and field. For that matter, I was only dimly aware that there was a place called "Europe." A year later everything would change for me, as I entered high school and had the profound experience of watching the 1972 Munich Olympics -- Ryun, Prefontaine, Wottle, Shorter -- and of course the kidnap and massacre of the Israeli athletes.
Anyway, in 1971, I wasn't paying much attention to track and field, and I certainly would not have been able to tell you anything about a Finnish distance runner named Juha Väätainen -- a man who was called "the cruel" for his pitiless last lap kicks.
Now, thanks to the miracle of the Internet, I can go back to that time and see what all the excitement was about. In that year's European Championships (considered the most prestigious meet of the year) Väätainen won both the 5000 and 10000 meters. The following year he would be injured, and would have to watch as his countryman Viren duplicated that feat in the Olympics. After 1971, Väätainen would never again regain his dominance. I have to think that fear of his kick caused many, including Viren and David Bedford, to alter their approach to the long races, and to conclude -correctly -- that they had to run much faster much earlier to escape that kick.
From a historical note, it was really Väätainen, not Viren, who signalled the resurgence of Finnish distance running. (You can see Viren finishing 7th in the 5000m in the first video.) When you watch these videos, you can hear the Finnish crowd go berserk. These races took place in Helsinki, and the home crowd was deliriously happy with the result.
1971 European Championship - Last lap of Men's 5000m
1971 European Championship - Men's 10000m
Anyway, in 1971, I wasn't paying much attention to track and field, and I certainly would not have been able to tell you anything about a Finnish distance runner named Juha Väätainen -- a man who was called "the cruel" for his pitiless last lap kicks.
Now, thanks to the miracle of the Internet, I can go back to that time and see what all the excitement was about. In that year's European Championships (considered the most prestigious meet of the year) Väätainen won both the 5000 and 10000 meters. The following year he would be injured, and would have to watch as his countryman Viren duplicated that feat in the Olympics. After 1971, Väätainen would never again regain his dominance. I have to think that fear of his kick caused many, including Viren and David Bedford, to alter their approach to the long races, and to conclude -correctly -- that they had to run much faster much earlier to escape that kick.
From a historical note, it was really Väätainen, not Viren, who signalled the resurgence of Finnish distance running. (You can see Viren finishing 7th in the 5000m in the first video.) When you watch these videos, you can hear the Finnish crowd go berserk. These races took place in Helsinki, and the home crowd was deliriously happy with the result.
1971 European Championship - Last lap of Men's 5000m
1971 European Championship - Men's 10000m
February 10, 2007
NNHS Alumni Results - 02/09/07
There were dozens of former MA high school athletes competing at the BU Valentine Invitational Friday afternoon and evening, and quite a few NNHS alumni. The meetfeatures extraordinarily deep fields in most events.
Kyle Greenidge (Wheaton) tied for 12th in the triple jump with a leap of 44-05.25. He doubled back in the long jump, with a leap of 19-08.75.
In the mile, Noah Jampol ran even splits for a PR 4:25.33. (Although not in the same heat, Brookline alum Matias Carrasco also ran a PR in the mile, finishing in 4:21.60). Jampol runs again on Saturday as he is scheduled to anchor the Johns Hopkins DMR, which is seeking to qualify for the ECAC championships with a time of 10:38 or better.
Early in the afternoon, Doug Brecher raced the 5000, finishing in 16:31.62. I didn't talk to Doug, but am guessing that an early morning bus ride down from Maine, along with a start time an hour earlier than originally scheduled didn't help his race, since he was a half a minute faster last weekend.
In the 3000m, Dan Chebot split 3:00 for the 1K and 6:01 for the 2K, before slowing in the final laps and finishing in 9:11.63.
Still running fast quarter miles, Dave Cahill clocked 51:00 in the 400m. As an indication of how deep the field was, there were 72 other guys UNDER 51:00 last night.
After less than half a lap in the 800m, David Polgar was tripped and fell to the track, failing to finish. He decided that wasn't a fun way to end the night, however, so he managed to enetr a later heat and recorded a time of 1:59.14. Not his best perhaps, but a good effort considering the circumstances. Thomas Foote didn't experience quite so much melodrama, but still recorded a time of 2:01.74. Foote, in his first indoor season at Amherst has regained the form he had in high school and will soon surpass it.
Friday Men's results of BU Valentine Invitational
Kyle Greenidge (Wheaton) tied for 12th in the triple jump with a leap of 44-05.25. He doubled back in the long jump, with a leap of 19-08.75.
In the mile, Noah Jampol ran even splits for a PR 4:25.33. (Although not in the same heat, Brookline alum Matias Carrasco also ran a PR in the mile, finishing in 4:21.60). Jampol runs again on Saturday as he is scheduled to anchor the Johns Hopkins DMR, which is seeking to qualify for the ECAC championships with a time of 10:38 or better.
Early in the afternoon, Doug Brecher raced the 5000, finishing in 16:31.62. I didn't talk to Doug, but am guessing that an early morning bus ride down from Maine, along with a start time an hour earlier than originally scheduled didn't help his race, since he was a half a minute faster last weekend.
In the 3000m, Dan Chebot split 3:00 for the 1K and 6:01 for the 2K, before slowing in the final laps and finishing in 9:11.63.
Still running fast quarter miles, Dave Cahill clocked 51:00 in the 400m. As an indication of how deep the field was, there were 72 other guys UNDER 51:00 last night.
After less than half a lap in the 800m, David Polgar was tripped and fell to the track, failing to finish. He decided that wasn't a fun way to end the night, however, so he managed to enetr a later heat and recorded a time of 1:59.14. Not his best perhaps, but a good effort considering the circumstances. Thomas Foote didn't experience quite so much melodrama, but still recorded a time of 2:01.74. Foote, in his first indoor season at Amherst has regained the form he had in high school and will soon surpass it.
Friday Men's results of BU Valentine Invitational
February 08, 2007
BU Valentine's Meet Friday and Saturday
Every year, the Boston University Valentine's meet produces some of the best performances of the indoor season. This year the men will run on Friday (2/9) and the women will run on Saturday (2/10). If you can get over to BU to watch, you will have a chance to see some outstanding races, as well as see many former high school runners from around the area competing for their colleges and universities.
Friday - Men
Here are some of the races and faces to watch on Friday:
In the 5000m (Heats starting at 2:15 p.m.), there are no fewer than 60 runners with seed times faster than 15:00, including local talents like Rex Radloff (Dedham), Paul Morris (Lexington), and Mike Fisher (Newton South). Newton North alum Doug Brecher is entered with a time of 15:40.
There are 159 runners entered in the 3000m with seed times faster than 9:00, including North alum Dan Chebot. Heats for the 3000 begin at 3:15.
In the 1M, scheduled to start at 6:15, there are 163 entrants, including locals like Nick Goodman (Watertown), Ruben Sanca (O'Bryant), Matias Carrasco (Brookline), Nils Fischer (Nashoba), Chris Forbes (Methuen), Josh Boone (Gardner), Mark Garcia (Everett), Chris Ellis-Ferrar (Concord-Carlisle), and Joe Ruvido (Weymouth)
David Polgar is in the 800, seeded 51st with a time of 1:54.11 (when did he run that time?). The 800 heats are scheduled to begin at 7:10 Friday night.
Saturday - Women
On Saturday, here are some athletes to watch for:
Anna Schindler is entered in the 5000, which begins the meet at 11:00. Stephanie O'Brien, Schindler's teammate at both Newton North and Wesleyan, is entered in the 500, which ends the meet at 7:15.
BC freshman and Wellesley alumna Brielle Chabot is entered in the 3000 with a seed time of 9:48. The 3000 heats are scheduled to begin at 12:20.
In the 800, Brookline alumna Vanessa Mazandi is running for Nike CPTC and is seeded at 2:09.92. Newton South alumna and Amherst sophomore Caitlyn Murphy is seeded at 2:16.75. You can watch the 800 heats begining at 4:45.
All-in-all, an amazing two days of racing.
Friday - Men
Here are some of the races and faces to watch on Friday:
In the 5000m (Heats starting at 2:15 p.m.), there are no fewer than 60 runners with seed times faster than 15:00, including local talents like Rex Radloff (Dedham), Paul Morris (Lexington), and Mike Fisher (Newton South). Newton North alum Doug Brecher is entered with a time of 15:40.
There are 159 runners entered in the 3000m with seed times faster than 9:00, including North alum Dan Chebot. Heats for the 3000 begin at 3:15.
In the 1M, scheduled to start at 6:15, there are 163 entrants, including locals like Nick Goodman (Watertown), Ruben Sanca (O'Bryant), Matias Carrasco (Brookline), Nils Fischer (Nashoba), Chris Forbes (Methuen), Josh Boone (Gardner), Mark Garcia (Everett), Chris Ellis-Ferrar (Concord-Carlisle), and Joe Ruvido (Weymouth)
David Polgar is in the 800, seeded 51st with a time of 1:54.11 (when did he run that time?). The 800 heats are scheduled to begin at 7:10 Friday night.
Saturday - Women
On Saturday, here are some athletes to watch for:
Anna Schindler is entered in the 5000, which begins the meet at 11:00. Stephanie O'Brien, Schindler's teammate at both Newton North and Wesleyan, is entered in the 500, which ends the meet at 7:15.
BC freshman and Wellesley alumna Brielle Chabot is entered in the 3000 with a seed time of 9:48. The 3000 heats are scheduled to begin at 12:20.
In the 800, Brookline alumna Vanessa Mazandi is running for Nike CPTC and is seeded at 2:09.92. Newton South alumna and Amherst sophomore Caitlyn Murphy is seeded at 2:16.75. You can watch the 800 heats begining at 4:45.
All-in-all, an amazing two days of racing.
Bay State Results: Barton Runs 4:57.32!
The Bay State portion of the indoor season concluded Wednesday with the conference meet, which was highlighted by numerous personal bests, all-star performances, and a few surprises.
Girls Results
The performance of the day had to be Jess Barton's magnificent run in the mile. Running untroubled and alone after the first quarter, Barton ran the fastest girls time in the state so far this year with a 4:57.32, a 3-second PR and 17 seconds ahead of teammate Carolyn Ranti, who ran a 15-second PR (!!) to take 2nd in 5:14.98, Said Barton of her race, "I went through the quarter in 71 and knew I would have to slow down. So I tried to run 75s the rest of the way." Ah, she makes it sound so simple. Run a 71-second quarter and then maintain five minute pace for 1200 more. You'd think everyone could do it.
Kat Chiong and Emma Kornetsky dueled in the 600, with Chiong holding off Kornetsky down the final straight to win by 0.1 in 1:42.11, as the two pulled away from the field. Later, the two of them plus Lily Brown and Carolyn Ranti would win the 4x400 relay in 4:11.09.
In the 300, Brown placed 5th in 43.80. In the 1000, Nora Barnicle placed 5th in 3:15.34. In the finals of the 55 hurdles Morgan Faer ran 9.27 for 4th, and Vicki Marone ran 9.68 for 8th. In the 55 dash, Arie Sanchez ran 7.80 to miss the finals by 0.01. In the 2-mile, Adina Hemley-Bronstein and Franc Godenzi both set personal bests, running 12:15.57 and 12:16.41, respectively to take 4th and 5th.
In the field events, Lily Brown threw 32-7.5 in the shot put to place second and earn all-star honors. Sarah Berkland cleared 4-11, which placed her 4th in the high jump. Laryssa Manigat jumped 15-06.5, and Vicki Marone jumped 15-02.5, as the two placed 3rd and 5th in the long jump.
In addition to the winning 4x400 team, North's 4x200 team placed 4th (1:54.11) and their 4x800 team placed 3rd (10:51.18).
Other results of note: Anya Price (11:19.63) and Rebecca White (11:21.16) led Natick to a 1-2 finish in the 2-mile. The Natick duo also towed Weymouth's Nicole Pearce (11:36.61) to a big PR. In yet another example of a school sweeping the top two places, Wellesley's Katie Pratt (42.66) and Carly Dee (43.47) went 1-2 in the 600. Brookline's Sabrina Parise defended her league title in the 1000m. Milton's Jackie Imhoff won the 55 hurdles (and tied for 2nd in the HJ). Wellesley's Alex DeAmicis won the 55 dash. Her teammates Hanna Muir and Luci Lafitte won the HJ (5-3) and long jump (15-11.25), respectively. Natick's Jamie Verner won the SP.
Bay State Conference Meet - Girls Results
Boys Results
Seb Putzys added to his growing legend, as he won the mile after losing his shoe with two laps to go. Putzys (4:35.79) led for much of the race and pulled away from Braintree's Chris Stack (4:37.21) and Kyle Higgins (4:39.39), despite being footwear-challenged in the last 400m. he also split a 54 for North's winning 4x400 relay, but more about that later.
In the 2-mile, Alex Gurvitz placed 3rd in 10:46.37, while teammate Ben Chebot placed 7th in 10:55.55. You would have thought the North coaches would have let Alex run the mile one more time, but oh well. In the shorter events, it seemed that North saved many of its top runners for the 4x200 and 4x400 relays. The strategy paid off in the 4x400, as North's team of Alex Lee, Adam Bao, Putzys, and Avery Mitchell -- running in the slower of two heats -- ran alone to the day's fastest time of 3:30.48 and all-star honors.
In the field events, David Smith returned to form to win the shot put with a throw of 54-06.5, as Marvin Chan (49-01.5) and Steve Long (42-06) placed 3rd and 6th, respectively. In the long jump, Adam Bao leapt 20-04.75 to take second, with Gordon Forbes third with a leap of 20-01. In the HJ, Sam Arsenault cleared 5-9 to take 6th.
Other results of note: Brookline's Robert Gibson and Matt Stewart both ran 2:33.02 in the 1000m, with Gibson being given the win far ahead of the rest of the field. Teammate Anthony Baker won the 600 in 1:26.68. Eric Wornum ran one of the fastest times in the state in the 300, winning easily in 35.32. Brookline's Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot cruised to victory in the longest running event, the 2-mile, in 10:10.22, and teammate Michael Bennett won the shortest running event, the 55 dash, in 6.62. Braintree's Nate Starling won the hurdles in 7.99. Jordan Maddocks won the high-jump, clearing 6-5, and Weymouth's James Endres took the long jump with a leap of 20-10.75.
Bay State Conference Meet - Boys Results
Girls Results
The performance of the day had to be Jess Barton's magnificent run in the mile. Running untroubled and alone after the first quarter, Barton ran the fastest girls time in the state so far this year with a 4:57.32, a 3-second PR and 17 seconds ahead of teammate Carolyn Ranti, who ran a 15-second PR (!!) to take 2nd in 5:14.98, Said Barton of her race, "I went through the quarter in 71 and knew I would have to slow down. So I tried to run 75s the rest of the way." Ah, she makes it sound so simple. Run a 71-second quarter and then maintain five minute pace for 1200 more. You'd think everyone could do it.
Kat Chiong and Emma Kornetsky dueled in the 600, with Chiong holding off Kornetsky down the final straight to win by 0.1 in 1:42.11, as the two pulled away from the field. Later, the two of them plus Lily Brown and Carolyn Ranti would win the 4x400 relay in 4:11.09.
In the 300, Brown placed 5th in 43.80. In the 1000, Nora Barnicle placed 5th in 3:15.34. In the finals of the 55 hurdles Morgan Faer ran 9.27 for 4th, and Vicki Marone ran 9.68 for 8th. In the 55 dash, Arie Sanchez ran 7.80 to miss the finals by 0.01. In the 2-mile, Adina Hemley-Bronstein and Franc Godenzi both set personal bests, running 12:15.57 and 12:16.41, respectively to take 4th and 5th.
In the field events, Lily Brown threw 32-7.5 in the shot put to place second and earn all-star honors. Sarah Berkland cleared 4-11, which placed her 4th in the high jump. Laryssa Manigat jumped 15-06.5, and Vicki Marone jumped 15-02.5, as the two placed 3rd and 5th in the long jump.
In addition to the winning 4x400 team, North's 4x200 team placed 4th (1:54.11) and their 4x800 team placed 3rd (10:51.18).
Other results of note: Anya Price (11:19.63) and Rebecca White (11:21.16) led Natick to a 1-2 finish in the 2-mile. The Natick duo also towed Weymouth's Nicole Pearce (11:36.61) to a big PR. In yet another example of a school sweeping the top two places, Wellesley's Katie Pratt (42.66) and Carly Dee (43.47) went 1-2 in the 600. Brookline's Sabrina Parise defended her league title in the 1000m. Milton's Jackie Imhoff won the 55 hurdles (and tied for 2nd in the HJ). Wellesley's Alex DeAmicis won the 55 dash. Her teammates Hanna Muir and Luci Lafitte won the HJ (5-3) and long jump (15-11.25), respectively. Natick's Jamie Verner won the SP.
Bay State Conference Meet - Girls Results
Boys Results
Seb Putzys added to his growing legend, as he won the mile after losing his shoe with two laps to go. Putzys (4:35.79) led for much of the race and pulled away from Braintree's Chris Stack (4:37.21) and Kyle Higgins (4:39.39), despite being footwear-challenged in the last 400m. he also split a 54 for North's winning 4x400 relay, but more about that later.
In the 2-mile, Alex Gurvitz placed 3rd in 10:46.37, while teammate Ben Chebot placed 7th in 10:55.55. You would have thought the North coaches would have let Alex run the mile one more time, but oh well. In the shorter events, it seemed that North saved many of its top runners for the 4x200 and 4x400 relays. The strategy paid off in the 4x400, as North's team of Alex Lee, Adam Bao, Putzys, and Avery Mitchell -- running in the slower of two heats -- ran alone to the day's fastest time of 3:30.48 and all-star honors.
In the field events, David Smith returned to form to win the shot put with a throw of 54-06.5, as Marvin Chan (49-01.5) and Steve Long (42-06) placed 3rd and 6th, respectively. In the long jump, Adam Bao leapt 20-04.75 to take second, with Gordon Forbes third with a leap of 20-01. In the HJ, Sam Arsenault cleared 5-9 to take 6th.
Other results of note: Brookline's Robert Gibson and Matt Stewart both ran 2:33.02 in the 1000m, with Gibson being given the win far ahead of the rest of the field. Teammate Anthony Baker won the 600 in 1:26.68. Eric Wornum ran one of the fastest times in the state in the 300, winning easily in 35.32. Brookline's Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot cruised to victory in the longest running event, the 2-mile, in 10:10.22, and teammate Michael Bennett won the shortest running event, the 55 dash, in 6.62. Braintree's Nate Starling won the hurdles in 7.99. Jordan Maddocks won the high-jump, clearing 6-5, and Weymouth's James Endres took the long jump with a leap of 20-10.75.
Bay State Conference Meet - Boys Results
February 07, 2007
This day in history: Shoe rationing
"On February 7, 1943, the federal government announced that shoe rationing was going into effect nationwide, starting at 3:00 p.m. that day. Because the announcement was made on a Sunday, Long Island shoppers had no chance to stock up. Even the Nassau County Rationing Administrator told Newsday he didn’t know about the new policy until he heard about it on the radio. However, beginning Tuesday, February 9, customers who could produce a particular coupon, No. 17, from their Sugar-Coffee-Shoe ration book were allowed to buy shoes — although their next pair could not be purchased until June 15. And manufacturers were only permitted to make shoes in “essential” colors: white, black, town brown, and Army russet and in styles which used little or no leather."
–Cynthia Blair (Newsday.com)
Shoe rationing would hit me hard, I admit it. I would, of course, go to work in my old ASICS 2090's, as I have been for the last six months and if they wore out, well I have a lot of other old running shoes that would do. My current favorite training shoes, Brooks Adrenaline, will likely last another 300-400 miles, but after that, what to do? And that's just for the steady runs, the daily miles. What about racing shoes? I've pretty much destroyed my pair of Nike racing flats and am currently looking for a replacement model. It would be a sacrifice to keep racing in them for another five months, but I guess that's what I'll have to do. I won't even think about new racing spikes, lightweight trainers (for tempo runs), or special shoes for trail running.
As for the colors, well, maybe that's a blessing in (plain brown) disguise. There is only one reason running shoe manufacturers produce models with such exotic plumage -- to distract us, the consumers, from the underlying features of the shoe. Maybe if all running shoes were white, black, town brown, or army russet, we'd pay less for them and the marketing departments behind them.
Maybe I could barter around this scarcity of shoes. I'll give up sugar and coffee -- it would be hard to give up coffee, but I'd do it -- for a chance at another pair of shoes. Anyone want to swap coffee coupons for shoe coupons?
But would we even be running if there were shoe rationing? Running as a leisure activity is fairly frivolous and might not be acceptable if the country was in the midst of rationing. Maybe running itself would have to be rationed. No more than 30 miles a week. No more than three runs a week. No track workouts, except in the case of medical necessity.
We live in privileged times, free to run in luxurious shoes on world-class indoor tracks. We shouldn't forget how lucky we are to have our daily run, no matter how cold it is outside.
–Cynthia Blair (Newsday.com)
Shoe rationing would hit me hard, I admit it. I would, of course, go to work in my old ASICS 2090's, as I have been for the last six months and if they wore out, well I have a lot of other old running shoes that would do. My current favorite training shoes, Brooks Adrenaline, will likely last another 300-400 miles, but after that, what to do? And that's just for the steady runs, the daily miles. What about racing shoes? I've pretty much destroyed my pair of Nike racing flats and am currently looking for a replacement model. It would be a sacrifice to keep racing in them for another five months, but I guess that's what I'll have to do. I won't even think about new racing spikes, lightweight trainers (for tempo runs), or special shoes for trail running.
As for the colors, well, maybe that's a blessing in (plain brown) disguise. There is only one reason running shoe manufacturers produce models with such exotic plumage -- to distract us, the consumers, from the underlying features of the shoe. Maybe if all running shoes were white, black, town brown, or army russet, we'd pay less for them and the marketing departments behind them.
Maybe I could barter around this scarcity of shoes. I'll give up sugar and coffee -- it would be hard to give up coffee, but I'd do it -- for a chance at another pair of shoes. Anyone want to swap coffee coupons for shoe coupons?
But would we even be running if there were shoe rationing? Running as a leisure activity is fairly frivolous and might not be acceptable if the country was in the midst of rationing. Maybe running itself would have to be rationed. No more than 30 miles a week. No more than three runs a week. No track workouts, except in the case of medical necessity.
We live in privileged times, free to run in luxurious shoes on world-class indoor tracks. We shouldn't forget how lucky we are to have our daily run, no matter how cold it is outside.
February 05, 2007
State Coaches Results: Putzys Runs 4:31!!
Newton North junior Seb Putzys ran 4:31.68 for the mile, a six-second PR, to establish himself as one of the elite milers in the state as he finished 11th overall in the MSTCA Elite Meet on Sunday.
After suffering from the flu for two days, senior David Smith still managed a throw of 53-1.5 in the shot put to take second. Marvin Chan (the results say "Kevin Chan," but I don't think Kevin is back in HS!) threw 47-10.5 to place 16th. Ivan Kostadinov long jumped 19-2.25 to place 15th in that event.
North's 4x200 relay team of Hymlaire Lamisere, Abasu Watanabe, Adam Bao, and Avery Mitchell placed third overall with a season's best 1:33.67. Mitchell, senior Alex Lee, Bao, and Watanabe also placed 11th in the 4x400 in 3:35.67.
the only Newton North girl to compete on Sunday was Kat Chiong, who ran a season-PR of 1:39.47 to place 10th (3rd in her heat) in a very competitive 600m field.
Among other Bay Staters competing on Sunday, the following athletes placed in the top six in their events:
Boys
Full Results of MSTCA ELite Meet - Boys
Girls
Full Results of MSTCA ELite Meet - Girls
On Saturday, at the MSTCA Coaches meet, Arie Sanchez ran 7.72 in her heat of the 55m to qualify for the semi-finals. She ran 7.76 in the semis, 13th fastest, but not quite fast enough to make the finals.
Morgan Faer and Vicki Marone competed in the 55 hurdles. Faer was the epitome of consistency, as she ran identical times (to the hundredth of a second!) in three straight races, 9.29 in the prelims (5th fastest), 9.29 in the semis (3rd fastest), and 9.29 in the finals (3rd place). Marone ran 9.66 in the prelims to qualify for the semis, where she ran 9.63.
Sarah Berkland cleared 4-11 in the high jump to tie for 13th, and Arie Sanchez recorded a jump of 15-10 in the long jump to place 5th.
After suffering from the flu for two days, senior David Smith still managed a throw of 53-1.5 in the shot put to take second. Marvin Chan (the results say "Kevin Chan," but I don't think Kevin is back in HS!) threw 47-10.5 to place 16th. Ivan Kostadinov long jumped 19-2.25 to place 15th in that event.
North's 4x200 relay team of Hymlaire Lamisere, Abasu Watanabe, Adam Bao, and Avery Mitchell placed third overall with a season's best 1:33.67. Mitchell, senior Alex Lee, Bao, and Watanabe also placed 11th in the 4x400 in 3:35.67.
the only Newton North girl to compete on Sunday was Kat Chiong, who ran a season-PR of 1:39.47 to place 10th (3rd in her heat) in a very competitive 600m field.
Among other Bay Staters competing on Sunday, the following athletes placed in the top six in their events:
Boys
- Brookline's Robert Gibson won the 2-mile in 9:26.76
- Milton's Eric Wornum finished 2nd in the 55 dash with a time of 6.51
- Brookline's Michael Bennett took 4th in the 55, with a time of 6.64
- Dedham's Dan Withrow threw 52-8.75 to take 3rd behind Smith in the shot
- Dedham's Phil Weltman finished 4th in the 300 in 36.35
- Weymouth's James Endres leaped 20-10 to place 4th in the long jump
- Braintree's Chris Stack placed 6th in the 1000 in 2:35.43
- Milton's Marcus Kohlman finished 6th in the HJ, clearing 6-3.
- Milton won the 4x200 relay in 1:33.08 with a team of Paul Connor, Max Opara, Chris Moore, and Wornum.
- Brookline won the 4x800 relay in 8:15.20 with a team of Anthony Baker, Matt Stewart, Ryan Hardiman, and Gibson.
Full Results of MSTCA ELite Meet - Boys
Girls
- Milton's Jackie Imhoff cleared 5-1 to place 5th in the high jump
- Weymouth's Kristen Mahoney ran 11:34.58 to take 6th in the 2M
- Needham's Christina Kelley ran 5:20.01 for 6th in the 1M
- Wellesley (Luci Laffitte, Kat McCarrick, Julie Pearlman, Katie Pratt) finished 4th in the 4x400 relay in 4:07.58
Full Results of MSTCA ELite Meet - Girls
On Saturday, at the MSTCA Coaches meet, Arie Sanchez ran 7.72 in her heat of the 55m to qualify for the semi-finals. She ran 7.76 in the semis, 13th fastest, but not quite fast enough to make the finals.
Morgan Faer and Vicki Marone competed in the 55 hurdles. Faer was the epitome of consistency, as she ran identical times (to the hundredth of a second!) in three straight races, 9.29 in the prelims (5th fastest), 9.29 in the semis (3rd fastest), and 9.29 in the finals (3rd place). Marone ran 9.66 in the prelims to qualify for the semis, where she ran 9.63.
Sarah Berkland cleared 4-11 in the high jump to tie for 13th, and Arie Sanchez recorded a jump of 15-10 in the long jump to place 5th.
February 04, 2007
NNHS Alumni Results - 02/03/07
I was happy to see two familiar names in the results from the State of Maine Championships, hosted by Bates College on Saturday, Feb. 3rd. Two former Newton North teammates, now rivals, finished 4th and 5th in the 5000m. Doug Brecher (Bates Class of '10) ran 15:59.97 to finish 4th, and Pat Pierce (Bowdoin, Class of '08) finished right behind in 5th at 16:03.74. It is especially encouraging to see this result from Pat, who has battled an achilles injury since the Fall of 2005. I believe this is his first serious race in over a year, and it is a very good result.
Noah Jampol, (Johns Hopkins Class of '10) placed 6th in the 1000m in 2:37.67 at the Frank Colden Invitational, held at Ursinus College Saturday.
Steph O'Brien (Wesleyan Class of '08) finished 3rd in the 600m in 1:40.42 at the Smith Tartan Invitational held at Smith College in Northampton.
Noah Jampol, (Johns Hopkins Class of '10) placed 6th in the 1000m in 2:37.67 at the Frank Colden Invitational, held at Ursinus College Saturday.
Steph O'Brien (Wesleyan Class of '08) finished 3rd in the 600m in 1:40.42 at the Smith Tartan Invitational held at Smith College in Northampton.
February 02, 2007
Bay State Meet Results - 2/1/07
For a few tense minutes, it looked like it was Milton's day. In the first event of the night, Stephen Connors had won the mile for the Wildcats, and it was not yet clear whether North's gamble of putting distance ace Seb Putzys in the 1000 (and Peter Sun in the 600) would pay off. Meanwhile, in the high jump, Milton's Marcus Kohlman and Eric Wornum were both over at 5-7, and David Smith and Sam Arsenault had missed twice. Then in a space of ten minutes, the tide turned in favor of Newton North. Putzys (2:42.21) sprinted to a paper-thin victory in the 1000 over Milton's Kevin Manning (2:42.33), and Matt Gornstein (2:52.49) ran a PR to nab 3rd. Arsenault cleared 5-7 on his third attempt, and went on to clear 5-9. In an unexpected bonus, David Smith cleared a personal best 5-7, and the Tigers were in business.
Smith led an expected sweep in the shot put, Alex Lee and Peter Sun went 1-2 in the 600, Avery Mitchell finished 2nd in the 300 (after having been sick all week), Ryan McCarthy held on to second in the 55 hurdles, Hymlaire Lamisere and Gordon Forbes placed 2nd and 3rd in the 55 dash behind Wornum, and the Tigers needed only 3 points in the 2-Mile to secure the victory in advance of the relay. They got 4 points, as Alex Gurvitz and Ben Chebot finished second and third, to run the score to 45-36. For good measure, the Newton North quartet of Lee, Adam Bao, Abasu Watanabe, and Mitchell won the 4x400 relay and put an exclamation point on the Tiger's latest undefeated season.
The girls meet was expected to be equally tense, especially since the Newton North team was missing several runners, including Michelle Kaufman (in France this week). But Wellesley was also short-handed, with some athletes out with injury and others resting for this weekend's State Coaches meet. As a result, the expected barn-burner was over early with Newton winning every event on the oval and prevailing rather easily.
In the first event, which figured to be a toss-up, Jess Barton (5:22.56) led North to a sweep of the top four places against the Raiders. In the 1000, Carolyn Ranti ran a 5-second PR of 3:03.92 (second-fastest time in the state so far) to win the race against Wellesley's Sarah O'Brien and Anna Stoebel. Marlis Gnirke did not compete. In the 600, Kat Chiong and Emma Kornetsky went 1-2, and Lily Brown won the 300. In the 2-mile, Franca Godenzi ran a PR 12:19 to win, and Arie Sanchez won the 55 dash. In the field events, Tracy Isman and Morgan Faer went 1-2 in the shot put, and Sarah Berkland took 3rd in the HJ. In the long jump, which isn't scored for dual meets, Laryssa Manigat and Arie Sanchez finished 2nd and 3rd at 15-2 and 15-0, respectively.
North won the relay easily, and the meet 57-29.
There were a number of other close meets. For the boys, Braintree won a close meet over Natick, 44-42, and Weymouth prevailed over Walpole 44-42, despite both Carey teams losing the final relay. In the Needham-Norwood meet, the two teams were tied going into the relay. Unfortunately for Needham, they finished two seconds behind and fell to their Herget foes 40-45.
For the girls, the divisional situation was reversed as Newton North was the only Carey division team to win the inter-divisional meet. Weymouth-Natick was the closest meet of the day, but even winning the relay wasn't quite enough for Weymouth to catch up as they fell 42-44. Natick's distance runners performed extremely well and helped neutralized Weymouth's strength in the long events, as they got wins from Rebecca White (5:24 mile), Anya Price (11:29 2M), and a 2nd-pace from Marielle Brown (3:11 1000).
Link to Bay State Inter-Division Meet Results
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