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42nd Glenn D Loucks Games
White Plains HS, White Plains, NY
May 7 - 9, 2009

Dyestat Metro on site with John Nepolitan and Jamie Kempton


 Greany continues hot streak with fast 1,600 at Loucks Games
By Jamie Kempton

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Shelby Greany is on a roll. Before she stepped to the line for the 1,600 meters at the Glenn D. Loucks Games, the Suffern senior’s coaches told her to go out and have fun. They wanted to defuse any pressure she felt from heightened expectations as the newly crowned national record-holder in the steeplechase and author of a sizzling 4:47.6 anchor split on Suffern’s winning distance medley two days earlier.

I have fun when I win,” Greany replied to her coaches. She then proceeded to decimate a quality field with a wire-to-wire solo act, winning by almost five seconds in a U.S. #2 4:48.25. Greany’s bravura four-lapper keynoted performances at the 42nd annual Loucks Games, which produced its customary bevy of flagship efforts on the wrap-up day of the three-day track carnival.

Greany already had a 15-yard lead when she zipped through the 400 checkpoint in 70 seconds. She continued to extend her lead through splits of 2:21 and 3:34 and had oodles of breathing room at the finish, with Garden City’s Emily Menges (4:53.09) and Roslyn’s Emily Lipari (4:55.46) uncharacteristically relegated to also-ran status.
“There are two different types of runners – the sit-and-kickers and ones who run hard through the 1200 and try to hold on,” said Greany, who later split 2:12.3 in anchoring Suffern’s runner-up 4x800. “I knew we had a race full of kickers and I didn’t want it to turn into a sit-and-kick race. My coach said I should have the strength and confidence to run a 4:50 on my own. I was surprised I was by myself at the 1200. I felt it on the last lap. It’s harder without someone to push you.”

Being pushed was certainly not an issue for Colin Savage. The Liverpool (N.Y.)  junior got the stick from teammate Alex Wilke with a two-meter lead over none other than Tyler Stutzman, the Western Albemarle (Va.) ace who earlier in the day had won the 1,600 in 4:09.86. Savage’s 56.4 opening 400 failed to shake Stutzman, whose bid to overtake Savage in the homestretch fell a foot short. Anchored by Savage’s 1:54.9, Liverpool won in 7:46.50, a U.S. #6 clocking, while Western Albemarle took the consolation prize in U.S. #8 7:46.74. Liverpool’s time also broke the 41-year-old meet record of 7:49.5y set by Power Memorial of New York City in 1968.
“I had no idea it was [Stutzman],” said Savage, who had redemption on his mind after a so-so mile performance (4:29.29). “If I had known it was him I probably would’ve been scared. I was surprised no one passed me.” Savage was joined on the relay by freshman Zavon Watkins (1:56.6) and juniors Christopher Clemons (1:58.4) and Wilke (1:57.7).

Bronxville’s girls did Liverpool one better, hammering out a U.S. #3 9:09.44 with the team of Olivia Bruton, Tori Flannery, Caitlin Hudson and Henrietta Miers (2:14.6). Hudson’s leg broke the race open for the Broncos and Miers withstood the charges of Suffern’s Greany and the fast-closing Brittney Jackson of Columbia (2:10.0). Suffern wound up second in 9:12.28 and Columbia third (9:12.62).
Cardozo’s Ahtyana Johnson was very slow to recover from her 400-meter victory after storming past Hempstead’s Donna-Lee Hylton to win in a U.S. #14 54.62. “I didn’t eat anything in the morning; I was running off of nothing,” said Johnson, whose work in practice on her last 100 appeared to pay off. “What I’ve done in practice helped get me through it.”

Johnson reached for something extra twice more in the relays and came up golden both times. In the 4x100, she caught Columbia’s anchor at the tape for a razor-thin 47.35 to 47.37 margin. In the 4x400, she split 55.1 on the anchor, overtaking Mount Vernon’s anchor with 200 left and holding on for the win in 3:46.28 to Mount Vernon’s 3:46.70.

Middle College’s Janice Jackson demonstrated textbook hurdling form in taking the straightaway barriers in 14.02, an = U.S. #11 performance. She displayed a better start than she has in recent weeks and overtook early leader Lateisha Philson of Cardozo, who clocked 14.47. “My coach said to be fast but clean,” said Jackson, who executed that strategy to the letter. “If I could get out with [Philson] or be close behind her, I could win because I can out-hurdle anyone. The last five hurdles felt higher than 33 inches. I kept telling myself, they’re not 36 or 39. I just had to move my arms on [hurdles] 7, 8, 9 and 10.”    

A trio of athletes added a second Loucks trophy to ones they secured earlier in the meet, all with Dyestat Metro ranking performances. Jen Clayton, who earlier had won the long jump in a U.S. #3 20-2 ½, sprinted to victory in the 200 in a Metro #1 24.74. After missing most of the winter season with an irregular heart beat and the early part of this season with tendinitis in both knees, Clayton is rounding into the form that established her as a national-caliber sprinter/jumper.

“I wanted to explode off the turn and make sure I stayed ahead the whole time,” said the Suffern junior. “I had a knot in my quad from the long jump, but I iced my leg and back before the 200s and it felt better. I knew I had the race coming off the turn. I’m satisfied to get close to my fastest time from last year (24.4). My main goal was just to come out and win.”

Terrance Livingston sped 47.70, a Dyestat Metro #4, to add the 400 crown to his earlier 800 win (1:52.50). The Great Neck South senior said he “fell asleep” the first 250 but whipped around the final curve to put a hurting on a very good quarter-mile field. “I felt so calm the first 250,” said Livingston, who had led off Great Neck South’s 4x400 at Penn Relays in 47.5. “I measured myself where I was at the 200, then they had to fight for their life to beat me. The 800 is good because there’s so much competition, but I also like the 400 because it’s just sprint and go, and whatever happens, happens.”

Ossining’s Jesse Drinks has quietly established himself as a threat in the sprints, adding to his growing dossier with triumphs in the 100 (10.98) and 200 in 21.62, a Dyestat Metro #3. “I was a little frustrated in the 100 when I tripped up and fell behind. [Winning the 200] was a pretty big surprise. I knew people were [seeded] ahead of me. I used to worry about them, but now they worry about me. I do the best I can and make them run their best race to beat me.”

North Rockland 1,600-meter runner Chris Carrington ran his best race but it was not enough to catch Western Albemarle’s Stutzman, whose gun-to-tape victory in 4:09.86 overshadowed Carrington’s fine 4:11.64, a Dyestat Metro #1 performance. “I made him my benchmark and tried to get as close as I could,” said Carrington, who bettered his outdoor personal best by more than 10 seconds. “His 2:04 [first 800] was a little too much for me. I just tried to keep closing, closing, but I didn’t think he would be caught.”

Stutzman asserted himself immediately with a 62 opening 400 and ran unchallenged through 800 (2:04) and 1,200 (3:07). Carrington closed on the last lap, as did third-placer Bobby Andrews of Shoreham-Wading River (Metro #2 4:13.59), but Stutzman had built up too big a lead to be overhauled. “I expected to be by myself,” said Stutzman, who has a 4:09.12 to his credit from mid-April. “I’ve done that the whole season.” His Western Albemarle team has grappled for Charlottesville, Va.-area bragging rights this season with crosstown rival Albemarle, which set a national 4x800 record of 7:30.67 at Penn. “This is a banner year for us,” said Western Albemarle coach Lindy Bain.

The boys’ 400 hurdles was led for 398 meters by defending champion Ryan Whitley of Ramapo. In the last two strides, however, Amityville’s Rashim Gaines’ strength carried him to victory in 54.15, a shade off his personal best of 54.04 (U.S. #6) run the previous week at St. Anthony’s. “My start was not good and I stuttered my steps,” said Gaines, who wasn’t sure he had caught Whitley. “It was all determination.” Gaines’ 21-second 200 speed and 48-second 400 gives him an enviable combination of speed and strength, said his coach, Reynolds Hawkins.

Whitley had to be content with a personal-best clocking, although it was apparent he would have traded the time for a victory after bolting to a commanding lead and seemingly having the race sewn up. “It was a good day/bad day,” said Whitley. “I got out strong, then I was making the transition from 15 to 17 steps [between hurdles], but on the sixth hurdle I stuttered. I started running instead of hurdling. I felt him coming but not coming like that. I thought I had him but he snuck up in there.”

Whitley returned at the end of the meet to run second leg (50.1) on Ramapo’s winning 4x400, which clocked a Metro #2 3:17.48. The Gryphons led wire-to-wire, with Dozie Ezemma (49.9), Whitley, Mike Abelard (48.2) and Chidi Ezemma (49.2) holding off Boys & Girls (3:17.90) and Newburgh (3:18.79). Ramapo also defended its title in the 4x100, with Abelard passing two runners and catching Columbia right at the finish to anchor the Gryphons (42.95) to victory.

Janelle Clayton of Suffern captured the high jump for the third successive year, although her winning 5-4 effort was not close to her meet record of 5-8 ½ from ’07. Clayton was competing in her first meet of the spring season and felt somewhat rusty. “I haven’t spent a lot of time practicing the high jump,” said the Mountie senior, who is a year older than sister Jen. “I was doing striders and drills between jumps to keep warm. I tried to loosen up and stay relaxed. I was hoping to jump higher, but I’m pleased with the win. It can only go up from here.”

Nanuet’s Mike Carroll stuck like wallpaper to Uniondale’s Blaize Parker in the pentathlon 1,500, knowing he had to remain within three seconds of his rival to secure the overall title. Carroll finished less than two-tenths of a second behind Parker to clock a 1,500 personal best by 10 seconds and cement the win with 3,181 points to Parker’s 3,154.
 



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