F.I.T. Relays
12/18/99 at George Mason University, Fairfax VA
|
Pearl Watts' report on the
meet |
VARSITY BOYS
 | Relays
 | Distance Medley - James Robinson VA
10:45.2 |
| 4X200 - West Potomac VA 1:32.8 |
| 4X800 - Suitland MD 8:15.9 (Lake
Braddock VA 8:16.6, TC Williams VA 8:17.6, James Robinson VA
8:18.3) |
| 4X400 - Lake Braddock VA
3:26.6 |
|
| Field Events
| High Jump - Greg McCormick, Middletown
MD 6-8 (MR tie) |
| Long Jump - Allen Simms, Eleanor
Roosevelt MD 22-11 |
| Triple Jump - Allen Simms, Eleanor
Roosevelt MD 50'00.00" (MR) |
| Pole Vault - Val Osipenko, Atlee
VA 13'03.00" (MR) |
| Shot Put - Ernest Hunter, Lake
Braddock VA 47'06.50" |
|
|
VARSITY GIRLS
| Relays
| Distance Medley - Lake Braddock
VA 12:27.9 |
| 4X200 - Largo MD 1:44.4 (Eleanor
Roosevelt MD 1:45.1) |
| 4X800 - Thomas Jefferson VA
9:43.2 (MR) |
| 4X400 - Eleanor Roosevelt
MD 4:03.5 |
|
| Field Events
| High Jump - Jennifer Nelms,
Unattached 5'08 (MR) |
| Long Jump - Caroline Harvey, Atlee VA
18'08.25" |
| Triple Jump - Danielle Woodhouse,
Thomas Jefferson VA 37'02.75" |
| Pole Vault - Charlotte LaRoche,
Centerville VA 10-3 (MR) |
| Shot Put - India Odums, Hayfield
VA 41'00.50" (MR) |
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| OTHER BOYS
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| OTHER GIRLS
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Preview by Pearl Watts
The last large scale track and field invitational in the area for a year
having 19 as its first two digits will be this Saturday with the running of
the Fifth Annual Friends of Indoor Track (F.I.T.) Relays at the GMU
Fieldhouse.
The meet will begin at 9:30 a.m. with action in both the field events (boys
long jump and shot put; girls high jump) and running events (4x800 meter
relay) and is slated to culminate with the 4x400 relays at 5:30 p.m.
Fifty of the top schools from Virginia, D.C. and Maryland are scheduled to
compete in the event sponsored by the Friends of Indoor Track.
F.I.T. is a non-profit public service corporation with their intentions to
promote athletic development and achievement of high school track and field
athletes; whose numbers make them the second largest participatory sport.
Through F.I.T.'s sponsorship of regional athletic events and by working in
cooperation with local and state governments they have as a major near-term
objective to have a facility built that will enable the Northern Region's
public schools to schedule all of its indoor track meets on a regulation
track protected from the weather.
This year's meet will once again be a non-scoring team event with all
running events in relays including the 4x200; 4x400; 4x800 and distance
medley relays (1,200; 800; 400; 1,600) along with one of the highlights from
last year's meet, a Special Olympics 4x50 meter relay at 1:00 p.m. involving
yougsters from area middle schools.
Field event action allows one athete per event with action scheduled for
both boys and girls in the long and triple jumps, high jump, shot put and
pole vault.
In the boys field events some of the top competitors include:
Allen Simms of Eleanor Roosevelt [Md.] who is top seeded in both the long
and triple jumps. Simms is the defending champion in the triple jump, having
won last year with a jump of 46 feet-9.5. Simms then steadily improved during
the outdoor season with a victory at the Penn Relays and has a best of over
49 feet. Simms is a threat to Cleveland McClory of West Potomac's 1995 meet
record of 48-1.5 and is also capable of 23 feet or better in the long jump
where his main competition could come from Rico Lloyd of defending Va.
outdoor state team champion Potomac.
Lloyd, considered one of the top sprinters on the East Coast, is also one
of the favorites in the high jump along with Greg McCormick of Middletown
[Md.] and Oakton's Teddy Presley with all three capable of 6-6 or better.
McCormick is also one of the top entrants in the pole vault and could
threaten the meet record of 13-0 with some of the top region vaulters entered
in this early season trial to include Mark Kupets of Langley, Jason Langley
from Madison, Lee's Robert Freeman and Centreville's David Sullivan.
In the girls field events Carrie Bennett of Hayfield, the defending state
indoor and outdoor champion in the pole vault, is a threat to the meet record
of 10-0 set last year by Natalie Dye of Middletown and could be pushed by
Centreville's Charlotte LaRoche who has recovered well from a leg injury that
sidelined her for most of last year's indoor season and all of outdoors.
The girls shot put should be closely contested with the top seeds including
Ashley Horn of Potomac [Md.], 1999 outdoor state champ India Odum of Hayfield
and two of Odum's chief Patriot District rivals in Jessica Bolton of West
Potomac and West Springfield's Natalie Walker.
The meet record in the high jump of 5-6 set by Gar-Field's Gigi Miller in
1996 could fall to Jefferson junior Krystle Moss who had an outdoor best last
year of 5-8.75 to finish fourth at the National Scholastic Championships with
Rachel Dailey of Fairfax among the top threats to Moss.
The girls long jump has Caroline Harvey of Atlee and Kim Jones as the top
seeds and the triple jump has potential medalists in Lauren Anderson of
Atlee, McLean's Ayanna Alexander, Nikki Woodhouse of Jefferson and West
Potomac's Latoya Johnson. In the boys varsity running events the duels should include Northwestern
[Md.] Lake Braddock, West Springfield and Robinson in the 4x800 and E.
Roosevelt, Northwestern and High Point [Md.] in the 4x200.
Northwestern is also the favorite in the 4x400 even with the loss of
graduated star James Graham while the distance medley should have Potomac
[Va.] West Springfield, Lake Braddock, Hayfield, West Potomac and Woodlawn
[Md.] among the leaders.
Of noteworthy news among non-runners, Alan Webb of South Lakes who is fresh
off being named second team All American after his eighth place finish at the
Foot Locker National Championships, is not scheduled to compete and instead
will rest up until early January.
Also, Centreville senior Rickey Harris who has committed to the University
of Florida, is 50-50 on toting the baton in the 4x200 and 4x400 relays for
the Wildcats depending on whether or not his shoulder is healed enough from a
recent playground football injury. In girls varsity running events, Hylton, Hayfield and Lake Braddock look
like the top choices in the distance medley relay while Largo [Md.] and E.
Roosevelt appear to be the main teams mixing it up in the 4x200.
The meet record in the girls 4x800 set by Manchester in 1996 at 9:44.3
could be in jeopardy from the Middletown squad led by Emily Buzzell, Randy
Buzzell and Rocky Morgan with Hayfield, Robinson, Lake Braddock and Langley
also capable of sub 10:00 times in the DMR while the 4x400 has Hayfield,
Largo and Jefferson as the top seeds.
Besides those varsity relays, there will also be freshmen-sophomore races
in both the 4x200 and 4x400 relays to give some of the promising rising stars
in many of the area programs a chance to compete on an excellent facility in
a big time setting.
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