Girls Invitational Mile
Heather Iatauro by 0.03 |
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Rich Gonzalez' Recap
by John Dye
Tri Valley NY sr Heather Iatauro 4:53.79 caught Bay Shore NY jr Laura Cummings 4:53.82 in the lunge for the tape. They were the third and fourth fastest miles in the US this season.
photo by PhotoRun - all other photos by John Dye
Afterward, Heather Iatauro was the happiest girl in New York.
How the race was run
Saratoga NY soph Lindsay Ferguson grabbed the lead at the outset and held it through three laps over Cummings, with the quarter passed in 71.1. On the fourth lap, Canadian Avril Ogrodnick took over (halfway in 2:27.2), with Iatauro joining Cummings among the leaders and Ferguson slipping to fourth. It stayed that way through three more laps, with the three quarter mark reached in 3:41.7.
At the bell, 51 Cummings and Iatauro were pressing 54 Ogrodnick, ready to strike.
Cummings moved past Ogrodnick on the backstretch, but Iatauro came along too, setting up a furious battle through the home stretch.
Both girls lunge for the tape.
Rich's Recap
by Richard Gonzalez
Iatauro turns the corner
Tri-Valley HS star enjoys a 'step-up'
performance to attain national-class status
A successful fixture on the age-group scene for years, bubbly Tri-Valley High (Grahamsville, NY) standout Heather Iatauro has always been a name to watch. Now she could prove to be a tough runner to catch. Confidence will do that for a runner.
Iatauro uncoiled a strong surge over the final half lap to sneak up on Bay Shore's (NY) Laura Cummings to snare the meet record in a 4:53.79 to 4:53.82 triumph. Iatauro's clocking was also a lifetime best, causing her to flash a beaming smile from ear to ear that was said to light up the Armory.
Iatauro's previous best showing was a 4:58.64 effort outdoors for 1600 meters at last year's Arcadia Inviational, where she finished among the pack. Here, she proved to be the center of attention.
"She was really excited, you could tell this was a big step for her," said John Dye. "I've been watching her ever since she was in the junior high races (at Great American), and you could see the joy after winning here." |
The Times
1 Heather Iatauro 12, Tri-Valley NY 4:53.79 Meet Record
2 Laura Cummings 11, Bay Shore NY 4:53.82
3 Avril Ogrodnick 11, Beaconsfield Ontario 4:54.73
4 Lindsay Ferguson 10, Saratoga NY 4:56.03
5 Allison Kieffer 11, West Islip NY 4:58.12
6 Liz McCurdy 11, Bay Shore NY 4:59.47
7 Lise Ogrodnick 11, Beaconsfield Ontario 4:59.58
8 Lisa Burkholder 10, Cherokee NJ 5:02.33
9 Kara McKenna 10, Suffern NY 5:03.77
10 Ruby Solomon 11, Saratoga NY 5:08.51
11 Lynn Morelli 11, St. Basil PA 5:10.17
12 Casey Nelson 12, Hunterdon Central NJ 5:12.49
13 Jessica Cickay 12, Council Rock PA 5:13.21
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