US news
2003 outdoor

adidas Outdoor Championships
June 13-14, 2003 at North Carolina State U., Raleigh NC

SteveU's Distance Report - Friday


| Boys 2-Mile | Girls 2-Mile | Girls SMR | Boys SMR | Girls 4x800 | Boys 4x800 |

Indiana Two-Step Highlight’s Friday’s Action

by Stephen (SteveU) Underwood

Christian Wagner had a chance to confirm the status a great junior campaign had brought him. Nef Araia wanted to prove he was more than just a cross-country superstar. By pushing each other the last 4 laps of Friday night’s 2-mile, they not only accomplished their goals, but gave Indiana a 1-2 finish (8:53.91-8:57.58) that did their state proud.

Wagner was nearly joined on the winner’s stand by another Hoosier, Katie Harrington. But Ohio’s Sunni Olding had other ideas, using a great final straightaway to take the girls’ deuce in 10:25.82.

The relay action was just as hot. Bay Shore (NY) won the girls’ 4x800 in a mild upset with a blazing 8:53.26, while Cardinal O’Hara powered to a 7:41.89 triumph on the boys’ side. In the 1600 Sprint Medley, the Vineland (NJ) boys nipped Mt. Tabor (NC) in a photo-finish 3:22.75, while the West Catholic (PA) girls rolled to a 3:57.27 victory.

The 1 Mile Race Walks went to Jasmine Brooks of Dirigo, ME (7:45.34) and Zachary Pollinger of Mahweh, NJ (6:25.71).


Boys 2-Mile

Some may have lamented the loss of Chris Solinsky and other list leaders from this race. But by the time the 2-mile was underway, it was easy to forget they were gone – thanks to Galen Rupp and Josh McDougal at the onset and Wagner and Nef at the end.

Other than Dathan Ritzenhein’s solo 8:44 two years ago, this race has usually started out on the slow side, but Rupp and McDougal made sure that despite the still fairly warm, humid evening, the pace would be brisk. The opener was 66.5 and it stayed around 67 with that pair and the Indiana duo pushing the pace. At the mile, Rupp was back at the helm in 4:27.0.

Wagner and Araia moved in front with 880 to go, with the Lawrence North senior taking over briefly. Wagner moved back up with a lap to go and though Araia challenged again on the backstretch, the junior had an impressive last sprint en route to a 62.5 finish for his 8:53.91.

As for the 1-2 Hoosier finish, Wagner said, “I’m really happy for that. That’s just a real plus for Indiana and our distance programs.” But, surprisingly, the Columbus North standout claimed to have no expectation of winning. “I wasn’t expecting even the top 6; I really didn’t know going in. I thought there were going to be some low 8:40s and … I just went out with the attitude to run as hard as I could and it paid off.”

Wagner is equally unassuming when it comes to his dramatic improvement this spring. He was a 9:30 2-miler last year before getting injured, then 5th at Foot Locker MW last fall. “I haven’t really trained any different. I’ve grown a little bit, matured physically a little bit. My 800 speed’s improved. Got a little more speed in my legs now. I’ve stayed around 70 miles per week and kept progressing ... I just trained for it and it just happened.”

Araia, on the other hand, knows the rep he’s forged with tremendous CC success but lacking membership in the sub-9 club. His double loss to Wagner at Indiana state the week before both inspired him with the improved effort, but motivated him for another crack at the Columbus runner. “Last week we had our first double that actually worked out well,” he said. “But for the 2-Mile, I was just so wound down and, I don’t want to say ‘out of it,’ but not as keen as I usually am. Three or 4 laps and that was it. He took off early and I was like, So long. So I was like, We have to race again. If he’s gonna beat me, we have to run fast, at least.”

“I’ve come and watched this race two times previous to today and I’ve studied a lot of races I should have been in, but for reasons, I hadn’t,” the expressive Stanford signee added. “So I’ve seen this race full of guys who can rip off great times I can’t touch and it just doesn’t happen here. So I was like, I don’t know if that’s gonna happen today, but I need to stick my nose in it.” Still, Nef (8:57.58) did not expect quite the success he was having mid-race. “I was like, They’re gonna come, they’re gonna come, they’re gonna come.”

They never did. But the field had a few impressive surprises behind Nef as Justin Scheid (Sparta, NJ) came up for 3rd (8:58.43) and Stuart Eagon (Portland, OR) moved up to 4th (9:00.98). They were followed by Hakon DeVries, McDougal, Rupp, Brian Dalpiaz and Arcadia runner-up Brent Vaughn. Not only did Wagner end up beating the year’s 2nd-fastest runner, but became the 2nd-fastest runner in meet history, trailing only Dathan Ritzenhein’s junior and senior year wins.


Girls 2-Mile

With no one really threatening sub-10:20 in this race and with an evenly-matched field, the pace quickly settled into circuits at or around 80 seconds. Katie Harrington (Carmel, IN), who certainly was one of the co-favorites, did the field a favor by taking the pace.

Much of the 16-runner field stayed together for some time, but finally a group of 6 broke off, including Harrington, Sunni Olding (Minister, OH), Katy and Amanda Trotter (Little Silver, NJ), Katelyn Kaltenbach (Aurora, CO) and Jenny Morgan (Barnesville, OH).

In the last 880, with Olding pushing her every step of the way, Harrington finally started to gap the rest of her pursuers – a surprise given the PRs of a few of the others. With 220 left, it still looked like Harrington, but Olding showed more speed on the final straight and surged through for a surprising triumph. She covered the final 880 in 2:25.

Olding, whose previous PR was 10:32 for 3200, definitely knew she’d pulled off an upset. “I’m just so amazed!” she said. “If you had asked me 2 hours ago if I was going to win the national championship tonight, I would have said you’re full of it. I just really feel like once I got in this race, I just felt it and just went after it.”

The senior also acknowledged the pace played into her hands. “I was kind of surprised it went out pretty slow. I was a little afraid like, I don’t know if I should take this lead I wasn’t really a favorite. … Katie did a great job, but … Just in the past year, I’ve worked on my kick a lot. Before that it seemed like I got beat out in the kick, but I really started focusing on that. Once it gets so close to a national title, it’s hard to let it go.”

For her part, Harrington was oh, so mindful of what she had set up. Was she cautious because of the warmth and humidity? “Maybe that was it. I expected it to be a lot faster. I remember how it started out slow at Arcadia and I was upset at that, so I came back home and thought why I expected someone else to take over, so here I tried to do something about that, early on.”

But a leader, if they are going to win, usually has to break the field at some point. “I might have broken away, but it was a little harder mentally than I thought it would be,” she said. “The kick is kind of my weak spot. … I guess it wasn’t my night.”


Sprint Medley Girls

West Catholic (PA) used its longer legs to gain and maintain a lead that gave the school the title in 3:57.27, beating national No. 2 Willingboro, NJ (4:01.84) by over 4 seconds and Southern Regional, NJ (4:04.25) by over two more.

“I knew I had to open a lead on her because I had to give my teammate a lead,” said Nicole Leach, who created the edge that wasn’t relinquished with a 54.6 400 on the third leg. Leach followed teammates Erica Ferguson and Nia Ali. She moved into first around the 200 mark from 3rd. “That’s when I started to make my move to open it up.”

Despite looking zapped by the heat, 800 anchor Latavia Thomas said she was “comfortable” out there. With a PR of 2:10 coming in, the freshman split 63/2:12 to create the easy win.


Sprint Medley Boys

One of the most thrilling races of the meet, this one came down to the wire, with Vineland (NJ) anchor Shannon Sherrer just outleaning hard-charging Matt DeBole of Mt. Tabor. The winners hit 3:22.75, just .01 ahead of the Carolina school. Deep Creek (VA) was half a tick back in 3:23.15, but barely the same margin ahead of the 3:23.56 of Willingboro (NJ).

Sherrer hit 1:50.5 for his anchor; DeBole, 1:50.0. “I didn’t notice him until he came by my side,” said Sherrer. “When the crowd got loud, that told me a lot. … Just to be in a race like that, one of the best races in history (was something else).

“I didn’t really have a plan; I was just going by instinct, keeping up with the pack,” he added. “If anybody made a move, I had to make that move with them.”

Sherrer had a near-fall in a crowded first lap. He was preceded by teammates Marcus Lee, Dale Coleman and brother Schafer Sherrer. Meanwhile, Willingboro had gotten into position for the final leg after a stirring 46.1 400 by high-jump national leader Mike Morrison.

Said DeBole, “I didn't really get moving until 100m to go, and I swung way out, just trying to get around him. ... It was pretty doubtful with 100 to go, but he started coming back, the crowd was all hyped up and, fortunately for me, he kind of pulled up a bit right before the line. While I was leaning he was trying to take one more big step as a reaction. ... One-hundredth of a second -- that's the difference between runner-up and national champion.”


4x800 Girls

The 4x800 triumph (8:53.26) by Bay Shore (NY) was not only less than 3 seconds off the national record, and sweet by virtue of triumph over rival Bronxville, but one of those rare relay pleasures made special by personal friendship.

Said anchor Maryliz McCurdy, whose 2:10 extended a lead she was given to 5.14 seconds over Rockford (MI) (8:58.40). “These girls mean more to me than anything in the world. We’re sisters and I love them so much. We care so much – we watch what each other eats, when we sleep, what’s going on with our boyfriends ...”

McCurdy followed long-distance/cross-country star Laura Cummings (2:13), 400 runner Kellie Castro (2:17) and Danica Dupuy (2:12), who put the team in first for good. Dupuy cut two seconds off her PR of 2:14 by staying relaxed early with her typically modest start (which drives her coach nuts). “In the first lap they went flying by me,” she said, “but I heard my coach on the sideline say to stay right there, you’re good, you’re good. So I just kept my composure and the second lap I just knew I had to get out there and kick the last 200.”

Bronxville (3rd, 9:04.37) held the lead in the first leg with the 2:09 of Elizabeth Bergold, but Cummings did her job by keeping contact. “That was my main thing, just to try and stay as close as possible,” she said, having hit a PR as well. She sacrificed an individual distance event to run the relays with her teammates. “(The 800) is basically a sprint for me. … We’re really family; we’re really, really close.”

Cummings and McCurdy are sophomores, but for Castro and Dupuy, the seniors, this was extra special. “It was like it’s never gonna happen. Then finally now, it’s like we have it,” said Castro. “I really don’t think we came in here with the attitude like we’re gonna beat Bronxville or another team. We just came in here for one reason; we had to leave with something. We came in second in the winter nationals in this and the DMR and we were just like, we have to do it.
“I’m usually the third leg, but they wanted to put me in second, because I need a race; I need someone there with me. And it ended up that I get the baton and there’s nobody there with me. So it was like I’m not going to catch her on the first lap. I’m going to stay where I am and gradually get to her and that’s what I did.”

“It’s the best feeling ever; we’ve worked so hard,” said McCurdy, “and this was the best place to do it, you know? Kellie’s been waiting for this for six years. When I was running, my body was numb. My body was shaking and I couldn’t feel my legs. I went out in 60 and I feel like I could have gone out in 70 and I wouldn’t have known. But I just went and said I’m going to run my race. I’m not going to wait for them to catch up, then kick.”


4x800 Boys

In a deep, wild, back-and-forth race, Cardinal O’Hara (PA) rallied multiple times and finally grabbed the 4x8 in 7:41.89. A late rally by Liberty (MO) and mile star Adam Perkins got second (7:43.12), with Willingboro (NJ) in 3rd (7:44.25). All three schools (and others) held leads or threatened to win.

All four Cardinal runners notched PRs, as the squad not only improved its previous best of 7:50 (they barely made it into the fast heat), but surpassed their coach’s “dream time” of 7:44.

Tom O’Brien (1:56.5) was the anchor who finally put it away, despite trailing in second when receiving the baton. Amazingly, he was the team’s slowest runner (prev. 1:59), but the one with the best 400 speed. “I wanted to go out under control the first 400, which I did,” he said. “Then he wanted me to kick the last 200 to 150, and ... I started moving at 150 and went by (Willingboro’s Shareef Muhammad) at 100 to go. I was passed by (Liberty’s Adam Perkins) with 300 to go, but I started to move back on him with 200 to go. I knew I had it in me.”

Dan Boyle was also commissioned to run a smart race on the third leg. “The key to my race was to go out under control, because I’ve been known in my other races to go out too fast and die,” he said after a PR 1:55.2 (prev. 1:56.5) “We knew going in that I’d probably run with 1:53-54 kids. So he told me just go out under control and (Willingboro) passed me 200 meters into it and he looked like a 400 meter runner to me, so I could use my strength to catch back up to him.
“With about 500 to go, I took the lead in front of him and I tried to work the backstretch to take the kick out of him, but he still kinda cut in front of me and took the lead, but I just figured, hold on, hold on right behind. I mean, coming into this race, we were lucky to sneak in.”

Cardinal led after the first leg with Bernie Rendler’s 1:55.0, a 1.8-second PR. “With 300 left to go, I saw the inside was open and I was hesitant to take it,” he said, “but decided to go for broke and I passed on the inside and kept rolling after that.”

Longer distance runner and No. 2 man Steve Hallihan (the only junior among 3 seniors) kept his composure, despite several challenges, and ran a 1:54.9, a PR by 2 seconds. “I had the lead the whole time,” he said. “Since I’m a miler/2miler, I run better from up front. So I pushed the first lap ... since I have all the endurance, I just held on ... I felt great the whole time. I didn’t really feel tired at all; it was a fun race. I knew we were ready to pop a good time. I was actually the one who thought we’d run faster than what our coach thought. He said, We’ll see what happens. But I just had one of those gut feelings.”

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