|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
  |
||
|
***2006 DyeStatCal
Featured Meets***
  
 
   
Arcadia Girls 4x1 Mile Relay "Coast
to Coast" Challenge for the Ages!
The Friday "Burnin' Batons" relay session at Arcadia has been a great addition to the weekend's program, with a ton of nation-leading performances over the last couple of years capped by two national records, in the Girls 800 Medley by Long Beach Poly (1:38.73) that destroyed the old 1:42.0 National best, and a 1:33.87 Girls 4x200 by the Jackrabbits that lowered the old prep standard by over six tenths of a second. The tradition is poised to continue in 2006. There are a number of baton crews coming in this year that can do some massive damage to the yearly and all-time national lists in the different events, with the Girls 4x1 Mile relay event featuring a gathering of two amazing programs that have rich histories and an anticipation to a Friday night showdown over the sixteen lap event that should leave all on the edge of their seats with eyes glued to what will be some super action on the oval!! Saratoga Springs, New York, is probably the most successful team in any sport at the prep level, with National #1 rankings in the Fall Cross-Country season on the Girls' side nine of the last fifteen years, with #2 listings three times (including 2005 when they were ranked second to New York rivals Hilton). Coach Linda and Art Kranik have developed a tough tradition with a squad of great girls through the years that seems to defy all odds, every couple of years cranking up a new class or two of runners that roam far and wide across the nation, destroying all that they come in contact with during the Fall, Winter Indoor, and Spring Outdoor seasons of the running year! After racing to victory in the 2004 inaugural Nike Team Championships as a club squad in Cross-Country, the program was second this year up in Portland in December, and followed with a fine indoor track and field season, just recently concluded. Out West the scourge of the fall Cross-Country courses and ovals in the spring track season recently has been the Girls' squad of Corona del Mar, with long-time Sea King Boys' coach Bill Sumner adding his expertise to the female side of the program in recent years with unprecedented success! This past fall the squad in Cross-Country rolled over super quality course records at Mt. SAC and Woodward Park, with domination that has not been viewed in the Golden State of California for many, many years. Competing under very, very challenging weather conditions in the 2005 Nike Team Nationals compeittion as a club that were unlike any Southern California squad ever has to face up through November, the Newport Running crew was sixth, a place they were ranked nationally at the end of the season. During the year their record breaking performances led many to think they were the best ever group of distance runners gathered at one schol in the Golden State! The success of the Saratoga and Corona del Mar programs carries over to the track in a big way! Individually, and in the team relay events these programs shine. Saratoga is the only squad ever to average under 5:00 per runner for the 4 mile relay, recording a 19:59.24 in winning the 2005 Nike Indoor Championships in Maryland. Corona del Mar was the National outdoor leader in the event last season with a 20:20.38 from the Nike Outdoor Champs in North Carolina in June. CdM also took the Distance Medley at the NON champs in June in the nation's quickest time of the year, an 11:42.07. Off the Fall success earlier in the year the squads obviously return some super quality for the 2006 spring outdoor season, with the collision at Arcadia of titanic proportions! Saratoga leads with the duo of Lindsay Ferguson and Hannah Davidson. Ferguson is the National Prep record holder in the 2 kilometer steeplechase, and led her squad in the Nike Team Nationals at fifth in the race overall. She was a Foot Locker National Finalist in December, and had a super indoor track season this winter, with bests of 4:52.68 for a mile and 9:42.55 for 3000 meters. Hannah Davidson was 7th at the NTN Race, and was another individual qualifier for the Foot Locker National Championship run in mid-December. Davidson was 4:57.73 for a mile this winter. Third runner for the NTN runner-up Saratoga crew in 30th place was Kipling Hill, who raced 5:04.07 for a mile this winter indoors. Cassandra Goutos was 31st for Saratoga at Portland in the NTN run, with #5 scorer there Ashley Campbell 5:10.97 for a mile and 10:24.39 for 3000m this winter indoor season. Quick developing 8th grader Brianne Bellon was 5:18 (mile) and 10:29 (3k) indoors this winter. Quite a group as one looks to the 4x1 mile! Corona del Mar counters with a very talented squad in its own right! The Sea Kings lead with California State 1600 Champ, Annie St. Geme, a 4:51.00 miler who has run 4:58.5 (1600) and 10:33.9 (3200m) in duals already this spring! Annie was second individually in the NTN run, and finished 13th at the Foot Locker Nationals after running in the top half dozen until right near the end. Sarah Cummings was 4:59.59 for a mile last year, with 5:03.3 and 10:50.6 distance clockings in dual meets this season. Shelby Buckley was 10:46.99 for 3200m last year with a 5:09.3 1600 and 11:04.8 3200 double in mid-March. Allison Damon was 5:06.94 last spring for 1600 meters, with a 2:17.6 early March 800 dual meet run! Nichole Slykhous was 5:08.84 last spring for 1600m for the Sea Kings. Whew--what potential! With a Friday evening session of relay and developmental field events that starts at 4:30 pm, the lead into the 8:10 pm Invitational Girls 4 x 1 mile relay should be an exciting one, with the possibilities when Saratoga Springs and Corona del Mar toe the line with other fine squads having the sky as the limit!! The Prep National Outdoor All-time best is 20:11.56 by Bronxville, New York from 2002 (just under 5:03 average for four), with Corona del Mar having the California record off their 20:20.38 from last year. The Meet Record 20:46.50 by Ventura HS from 2004. The best time ever run by a High School squad was the 19:59.24 by Saratoga Springs indoors from 2005. Saratoga ran the 19:59 winning by 36 seconds! It is hoped the contest between the above mentioned duo and the other fine teams who will be in attendance at Arcadia will provide the "up-front" company of quality that could send the contest way out there into the "never-never land" of records! With each of the contests during the Arcadia weekend of sterling quality the make-up of this Girls 4 x 1 mile relay has the potential to make it one of the weekend highlights!!
|
For questions or comments about content, contact the editors: Rich
Gonzalez and Doug Speck
DyeStat is published by Student
Sports ©1998-2006
is published by 