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Chip Heuser,
Bobby Curtis, Maddie Schueler
by Charlie Zimmerman
Chip Heuser of Louisville Saint X cleared 17’ in Saturday night’s
Mason Dixon Games in Louisville, Kentucky, his teammate Bobby Curtis cruised
to an easy 8:38 in the 3000 and Maddie Schueler of Sacred Heart Academy
surprised even herself with a 4:50.88 for the 1500 meters in the 43rd
renewal of this annual February classic. The meet also featured an incredible
performance by Mason County senior Andy Fryman who threw the shot 59’
after posting a throw of 60’ 2” in the morning at the University
of Kentucky HS Invitational 100 miles down the road in Lexington.
Using the same straightaway on which Billy Olson and Earl Bell hooked
up in a storied duel which produced what was at that time a world indoor
record, Heuser not only smashed his former PR (16’ 2 ¾”)
but also put himself in great position to defend his title at the Nike
Indoor in two weeks. Heuser did not start jumping until the bar reached
15’ 6”. He sailed over that height on his first attempt and
in so doing broke his own record of 15’ 2” which he set last
year. Heuser cleared 16’ in his first attempt at that height, took
two attempts to clear 16’ 6’, and then cleared 17’ on
his very next vault.
Schueler, a junior whose last race was at the Footlocker nationals in
San Diego, was running the 1500 for only the second time and did not know
what to expect because she had taken some time off from training after
San Diego and is only now working up to speed. However, she easily broke
the previous record in spite of the fact that she ran unchallenged for
almost the second half of the race. After the race Schueler said that
she was surprised by her performance but encouraged by it because her
most recent goal is to go under 5:00 for the mile; a 4:50 indoors for
1500 meters brings that goal within reach.
Curtis, just one week after his 16th place finish in the National Cross-Country
Championships in Houston, easily lapped the field in cruising to an 8:38
in the 3000. As usual, Curtis ran without competition for almost all of
the race.
Fryman’s throw of 59” was outstanding in its own right.
But the fact that he threw over 59’ in two meets on the same day
over 100 miles apart demonstrates that he is a genuine competitor. Fryman’s
throw of 60’ 2” in the morning at the UK HS Invitational was
just one inch off his 60’ 3” of several weeks ago at the same
UK site. He then jumped in a car and drove to Louisville for the noon
start of his event.
In addition to the record-breaking efforts by these four individuals,
the South Oldham boys 4x800 relay team and the Dupont Manual girls 4x800
team easily outdistanced their competition, setting themselves up as the
teams to beat this spring. Manual’s foursome of Melissa Massey,
Jessica Hamm, Jessica Droste, and Emily Pellegrini won in a time of 10:19.
Kal Clark, Ondreij Puskar, Matt Weingart, and Brian Dugan took South Oldham’s
baton around the boards in 8:36:41.
The Mason Dixon Games is run on a 200-yard banked track in the arena located
at the Kentucky State Fairgrounds in Louisville. The track has been the
site of 42 world indoor records, featuring marks by legends such as Wilma
Rudolph, Bob Schul, Bob Hayes, Mirus Yifter, Ralph Boston and a string
of two-mile relay marks by Jumbo Elliot’s Villanova teams.
Complete results are available at http://www.ktccca.org/03tfres.htm
Additional records:
Melissa Massey of duPont Manual broke the AAA 3000 meter record in 10:28.45,
Andrea Sabbatine of Scott County the pole vault with a vault of 10' 2".
In
AA Paducah Tilghman's Kim Bell set the shot put record with a put of 36-7
and
Leah Eleazer of Mercer County raised her vault record to 8-5.75. In Class
A
Sarah Cole of Somerset doubled in the 1500 (4:55.22) and 3000 (10:37.13)
both
in record time and chase Frankfort's Jackie Gordon to a state record at
800
in 2:24.70 with Cole finishing right behind in 2:26.90 (also under the
12
year old record of Providence's Lasenna Powell).
DyeStat Kentucky
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