1-MILE RACEWALK – Long Islander Maria Michta and South Carolinian Erica Adams, teammates on the U.S. Junior National Team and good buddies, waged a friendly battle that saw both dip under Michta’s 7:23.88 meet-record performance set two years ago.
Adams tried to surge ahead, inside of Michta, as the bell lap began but Michta covered the move and went on to a 7:16.02 triumph, with Adams a close 7:19.85 second. Their times were excellent, considering the brutal heat in the 5 p.m. event that kicked off the day’s action.
“I love the track, but I don’t like the heat,” said Michta, of Nesconset, N.Y., who is bound for C.W. Post College in September.
“I love how the people come out for this meet, this is one of the greatest places to compete,” she said.
“It was an awesome race, but racewalking doesn’t get the credit it deserves. I don’t know how many times Erica and I have raced each other, but it’s always a great race because we always push each other.”
Michta, the first two-time girls AOC walk winner, had missed the 2003 meet after her 2002 AOC triumph.
Adams, of Spartanburg, S.C., will take her racewalking skills to Virginia Tech, where she’ll major in landscape architecture.
Another senior, rapidly-improving Rosalind Adams, of NYC’s Townsend Harris High, took third in a quick 7:21.00, while freshman Brittany O’Brian of Brightwaters, N.Y., snared fourth in 7:44.16, thus stamping herself as a top choice for 2005 AOC honors. Eighteen walkers competed, representing four states.
The top three bested last year’s winning time, 7:45.34 by Dirigo, Maine’s Jasmine Brooks.
DISCUS THROW – Top-seeded Jocelyn White of Delsea, N.J., who came in with 172-2 credentials and figured to challenge the 175-9 meet record set by Krista Keir of Westerville, Ohio in 1997, never could get her disc under control, sector-fouling twice and ring-fouling her other throw.
With the unhappy White – who will attend UNC-Chapel Hill in the fall - on the sidelines, it boiled down to a battle of juniors Amy Bilmanis of Hughesville, Md. and Michaela Wallerstedt of Omaha.
Bilmanis hit a third-round 149-8 but Wallerstedt surged ahead with her 150-3.
The suspense built as Bilmanis fouled her next two and Wallerstedt hit 142-1 and 138-5.
With everything now on the line, Bilmanis snared the gold with her final-round 153-1. Wallerstedt settled for second at 150-3. These two and Saugerties, N.Y.’s Sarah Thornton (143-1) were the class of the second flight; first-flight leader Kelley Moore of Bay Village, Ohio, nabbed fourth at 143 even.
“Michaela and I know how to compete against each other,” said Bilmanis. “We just needed to relax together; everyone else, it seemed, was real shaken up in the trials. When the finals came, we just needed to relax and do our thing.
“It was close to my personal best (153-6.) They had a real good official here. A lot of the girls got called on the front edge of the circle.”
100-METER DASH HEATS - Huntsville, Texas’s Cleo Tyson, fourth in the 2003 AOC, was the class of the four-race, 27-runner field, blazing an 11.72 in race four. The Texas flash is U. of Tennessee-bound.
Three other heat runners were bunched within 1/10 th, Houston’s Rachel Foster (11.94), Long Beach Poly, California’s Shalonda Solomon (11.96) and Chicago Morgan Park’s Alexandria Anderson (12.04.) Just one runner-up broke 12, Courtney Champion of Lawrenceville, Ga. (11.95), en route to the nine-runner final.
100-METER HURDLES HEATS – Tamarac, Florida’s Tia Moss was clear-cut leader here, blasting out a 13.86 to take the second of five heats.
Just two others broke 14.20, Dallas’s LeeAndrea Robinson (14.04) and Mason, Ohio’s LeAuna Sistrunk (14.19), who ran 1-2 in heat three. Sistrunk’s dad is former pro football star Otis Sistrunk.
Other heat winners: Krystal Barringer, Charlotte, NC (14.53); Tiffany Nesfield, Springdale, Md. (14.54), and Polly Hardy, Anderson, SC (14.70.)
1600-METER SPRINT MEDLEY – In this 200-200-400-800 race, where Wilson of Long Beach, California (3:53.28 in 2003) held the national record, and William Penn of Philadelphia (3:54.29 in 1997) owned the meet record, a W-team did it again.
This time it was Philly’s West Catholic, which blitzed to a 3:52.22 national-record triumph in an epic duel with NYC’s A. Phillip Randolph, whose 3:53.62 fell just short of previous national-record figures.
Look for these West Catholic girls to bring that national mark under 3:50 before they’re through. They’re all underclasspesons.
Kneshia Shepard and Erica Ferguson, a pair of sophomores, ran the lead-off 200s. Junior Nicole Leach handed 400 duty, and sophomore Latavia Thomas brought it home, overhauling front-running Randolph, anchored by Selena Sappleton, in the final 40 meters.
Ohio, Rhode Island and New Jersey were represented on the podium, too, with Beaumont (4:01.63), Westerly (4:02.33) and Willingboro (4:02.69) in 3-4-5.
West Catholic (2003 titlist in 3:57.27) became the event’s first repeat champion since Collinwood of Ohio in 1998-99.
“We came here hoping to defend our title and we were hoping for a record, too,” said Shepard.
“We had to struggle but we got through it. They (Randolph) gave us a good race.
“This was our last race of the season, and we can finish knowing we got the record.”
4 x 800-METER RELAY – They weren’t as fast their school’s 8:53.25 2003 victory, but Bay Shore’s Laura Cummings (2:13.2), Mary Liz McCurdy (2:20.6), Sarah McCurdy (2:12.8) and Ryann Hoffman ( 2:10.5) were mightily impressive once again (8:57.48) in running down Eureka, Missouri (9:00.16), with the Blazin’ Raiders (9:09.09) holding off Stevens (9:09.73) for third.
Not since Columbia of NJ, featuring Hazel Clark, in 1997-98, had anyone scored a repeat 4x8 triumph.
The 8:57.48 was tops in the nation for 2004.
“I think we did a great job,” said Cummings. “We’ve been working for it all year. We gave it our best shot.”
“We were aiming for the national record (8:50.41 by Boys and Girls of Brooklyn in 2002),” said Mary Liz McCurdy, like Cummings a junior.
“Well, we didn’t get it but we came here to win and we did achieve that goal. Hopefully, we’ll get the national record in the distance medley.”
Sarah McCurdy, just an eighth grader, ran a rousing 2:12.8 but it wasn’t her best. She’s clocked 2:11.8 this spring.
“I gave I my best shot, but this wasn’t my best leg,” said Hoffman, the lone senior in the foursome. “Still, it was a nice way to go out.”
Westerly dominated the first section with a 9:13.53 verdict over NYC’s DeWitt Clinton (9:17.27.)
100-METER DASH – Cleo Tyson, the class of the prelims, was the class of the final, too. After a shaky start, the orange shirt/one blue legging-clad Huntsville, Texas senior was a clear winner in 11.52 over Chicago Morgan Park’s Alexandria Anderson (11.62), who had a half-stride on Long Beach Poly, California’s Shalonda Solomon (11.74.) Also beating 12 seconds were Houston’s Rachel Foster (11.88) and Lawrenceville, Ga.’s Courtney Champion (11.93.)
Never endangered, though, in the muggy, early-evening conditions were the national record (Angela Williams’s 11.11 in 1998) or the meet record (Sanya Richards’s 11.39 in 2002.)
Ironically, the Tennessee-bound Tyson ran second in her last two starts, at the Texas 5A State Meet and the Great Southwest meet in Albuquerque.
Anderson, dubbed “Alex the Great,”
was coming off a sensational quadruple gold medal performance, in the 100, 200, 400 and long jump, at the Illinois State 2A Championships.
In a big meet for Texans, Tyson continued the run of Lone Star State successes. “I guess it’s just our time to shine,” she said.
Impressive as she was, Tyson wasn’t completely happy. “I could have had a better time,” she said. “I can always say my start can be better. I was pretty much last out of the blocks, but I knew what I had to do. Like my Dad said, you come here to get first. I wanted to win, and I got my win.”
2-MILE RUN - A tight finish in the unseeded section – Mason, Ohio’s Angela Bizzari (10:51.79) nosing out Wyoming, Michgan’s Nicole Bush (10:51.85) – set the stage for some more great running in the featured eight-lapper.
Muggy conditions – interrupted by a brief rain – impacted on the hoped-for crack at Molly Huddle’s 2002 national and meet record of 10:01.08 – but there was drama in the racing nevertheless.
A pack of 14 was bunched through a 5:15.4 opening mile. With a 78.8 lap, Kula, Hawaii’s Tia Ferguson took over past five circuits, reached in 6:34.2.
Soon, though, it became survival of the fittest, the four fittest – Ferguson; Bellvale, NY’s Aislinn Ryan; Minnetonka, Minnesota’s Shannon Bergstedt, and Minster, Ohio’s Sunni Olding, the 2003 winner in 10:25.82.
Now, it was Olding ahead at 2400 meters in 7:52.4 and still there at 3,000 in 9:46.
As they came off the final turn, though, it was Olding ad Bergstedt, Bergstedt and Olding, with the winner still anyone’s wild guess.
The two senior stars leaned into the wire….and the winner was Olding in 10:24.19, over Bergstedt’s 10:24.29.
Ryan hung in for third (10:26.62) with Ferguson fourth (10:28.54.)
Aurora, Colorado’s Katelyn Kaltenbach, fourth in this race last year and unbeaten at anything over a mile since then, couldn’t hang with the leaders and wound up 10 th in 10:49.22.
For Olding, fifth at Footlocker Cross Country Nationals, it was another super 2004 performance. She’s been dropping PRs all spring, and the 10:24.19 represented another nine-second improvement.
“I wanted to take it out of some of the kickers, I’m more of a strength runner,” said Olding, who is set for Notre Dame.
4X100 RELAY TRIALS – Don’t mess with the Texans of Dallas’s Skyline High, Michael Johnson’s alma mater.
Every sprint team in the nation knows that by now. After all, Skyline took the Texas 5A crown in a state record 44.60, second best time in U.S. history.
Skyline was impressive all over again in the 4x1 trials, blazing a 45.65 in the third and final heat to easily lead the nine qualifiers.
Another Texas entry, MacArthur High, which took heat one in 46.54, may prove Skyline’s only serious threat.
No one else broke 47; Largo High’s 47.05 claimed heat two.
4X200 RELAY – With medals now on the line, no one else was even on Skyline’s horizon.
ShaTara Taylor, Krystin Lacy and Chanelle Curry, a trio of juniors, raced far in front, and freshman Tara Thomas brought it home for the AOC defenders in 1:36.73.
They won in a breeze, but the 1:36.73 actually was slowest winning time in four years. The national mark of 1:33.87 by Long Beach Poly earlier this year was never in trouble. Neither was Skylne’s AOC mark of 1:35.65 last year.
Just two other squads broke 1:40 – runnerup Chicago Morgan Park 1:39.88) and third-place Largo (1:39.91.)
Manchester, Va. took the first heat in 1:41.71 and wound up eighth over-all.
LONG JUMP – The 20-foot mark proved impenentrable and Erica McCain’s 19-1 ¼ span for Plano, Texas was the shortest AOC winner since 1963.
But the competition was spirited and intense, just the way it was predicted.
Just three and a quarter inches separated the top four leapers.
Bronxite Diane Griffith was a close second with her 18-11 ¾, and right behind were Shemeeca Berkley of Madison Heights, Va. at 18-10 ¾, Mae Boone of Murfreesboro, NC at 18-10, and Hillary Werth of Springfield, Ill. at 18-7 ¾.
“It was OK, but it wasn’t my best; I’ve had some trouble with my ankle,” said McClain.
“The heat bothered me because I’m a wimp,” she kidded. “But how can you complain when you’re from Texas.”
With a 20-3 ½ PR, McClain heads to Stanford University, where she’ll be a biology major.
JAVELIN THROW – Daina Pucurs does it all for Northern Valley High of Demarest, NJ.
She’s an all-state volleyball player; her team went 26-1.
She starred in basketball for a team that made the state playoffs and finished 13-11.
But the Duke-bound all-arounder’s best talents may be as a thrower.
She’s the AOC spear champion now with a 149-2 throw, the winning toss coming in round two.
Just 11 inches back with her third-round 148-5 was LSU-bound Amanda Harmatta of Raritan High of Hazlet, NJ, who settled for second place for a second straight year. In 2003, she’d taken the silver back of Raritan teammate Kelly Robinson, now at Towson University.
Pucurs’s 149-2 was the best winning AOC throw since 1999; then again, there’s still no one comparable to Manasquan, NJ’s Barbara Friedrich, whose national-record 198-8 dates back to 1967.
“I’m happy with the win, but I’ve thrown further,” said Pucurs, who has a 155-8 best.
HIGH JUMP – In two big respects, Inika McPherson of Port Arthur, Texas took a very big leap over the Paul Derr Track Stadium crossbar.
First, she claimed the biggest title of her life with a second -attempt 5-10 clearance, before three misses at six feet even.
Then, as she said, “I jumped from ninth place last year to first this year. A lot of (adverse) things, though, happened last year.”
Wading River, NY’s Lauren Biscardi did 5-8 ¾ for second. She’d placed second to veteran internationalist Stacy-Ann Grant at the New Jersey International Meet last Saturday.
Three jumpers went 5-7, with local star Patience Coleman of Durham, Epley Bullock of Allen, Texas, and Katherine Johnson of Rochester, Michigan going 3-4-5, on the misses rule.
“I’m very disappointed; I’m always disappointed when I don’t win,” said Coleman. “But I haven’t had a lot of time to practice, either, because of injuries.”
One of the pre-meet favorites, Stanford-bound Maura Burk of Freehold Township, NJ, tied for seventh at 5-5.
HAMMER THROW – When it comes to developing champion hammer throwers, don’t ever call it Poor Little Rhode Island.
For the sixth straight year, and seventh time in eight years, the AOC girls ball-and-chain champion is a Rhode Islander.
She’s Erin Donnelly, a senior at Barrington High who won it with a second-round 159-3. No one else was in her league and her three other legal throws, 150-11, 157-2, and 155-3, easily bested second-placer Emily Sanders, of Woodstock, Ga., who did 147-6.
Another RI entry, Meg Joyce of West Kingston, nabbed third at 145-7. New York, Connecticut and Idaho had top-12 throwers, too.
“It wasn’t my best, but it wasn’t bad, either,” said Donnelly, who has 165-foot best and will be bound for Uconn.
“This meet has a nice environment,” she said. “It’s not that stressful; I know most of my competitors.”
#### |
