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Ten Prep Track & Field Stories to Watch for in 2008
10 California Stories to Watch for
in the Spring of 2008 We thought it would be fun to list and discuss some of the stories that we think will make news during the coming spring outdoor track and field season in California at the prep level. With the stars continuing to roll down the pipe and hopefully some good conditions for the spring season it should be another ‘ton of fun’ to keep track of those on the track and in the field on the prep scene over the next few months once the real outdoor meets start in late February. With some folks with their eyes on record level performances those special moments in time that keep us all glued to the sport season after season appear very possible. Some great individuals are discussed below with we sometimes wishing we had a time machine to get right to the action during the season and not have to wait a few weeks! Here we go five today, five in the next day or two in not any particular order:
1) How fast can the big California Female Distance duo of Christine Babcock (Woodbridge, Irvine) and Jordan Hasay (Mission College Prep, San Luis Obispo) run for 1600/Mile and 3200/2 Miles? With magical careers up to this point, the torrid distance duo
are each working on a string of two consecutive State titles at
their respective distances. Babcock has taken the last two State
1600 contests and Hasay at 3200 having run to some of the State’s
quickest times ever. Both sit #3 on California all-time lists for
the 1600/Mile and 3200/2 Mile distances respectively, with Babcock’s
cross-town National Record holder Polly Plumer (University, Irvine)
4:35.28 and Alex Kosinski (Oak Ridge) 4:39.79c ahead of Babcock’s
converted 4:40.48c 1600 (converted to mile on the all-time Track & Field
News Lists by Jack Shepard), with Kim Mortensen (Thousand Oaks)
9:48.59 and Caitlin Chock (Granite Bay) 9:58.51 ahead of Jordan’s
10:04.07 on an all-time 3200m list for the state. Both Babcock
and Hasay had fine cross-country seasons, with Christine a State
Divisional Champ and Jordan going on to place third in the Foot
Locker Nationals in San Diego. Hasay was slowed by a slight problem
for a short time in January, but appears recovered and Babock skipped
a recent indoor mile ace in Boston we assume she was invited to
as the nation’s top returnee, so both seem ‘in gear’ and
preparing for a special spring. A comparison on the all-time lists
from the IAAF (world governing body in the sport) on the relative
strength of the records and the current star’s bests tells
kind of an interesting and similar story. The IAAF has lists that
attempt to give relative points to different times and distances.
Plumer’s Mile record is worth 1082 points with the IAAF as
they rate the efforts, with Babcock’s best 1044. Mortensen’s
two mile record (set at 3200 converted) is worth 1097 points, with
Jordan’s mark worth 1049. The records and our current star’s
bests are at about the same level in an outside attempt to judge
them. Both our current stars have shown the ability to run very
fast while forcing the pace themselves, but one wonders if they
can push themselves into ‘record land’ in a solo run.
It is interesting to say that they may need each other to press
ahead to challenge the all-time records. Hasay has a 1500 meter
best of 4:16.98 set in winning the US Junior National Championship
title last June, worth 1073 points on the IAAF table for that distance,
so it appears the duo of Jordan and Babcock could together combine
for a big effort over the four lap distance this spring. Over the
two mile distance Ashley Brasovan from Florida and Kathy Kroeger
from Tennessee, with the latter taking last spring off from track,
then returning to follow Brasovan at the Foot Locker Nationals
in December, both ahead of Hasay, appear to have the ability to
run well under 10:00 for the 3200/Two Mile distance. The Eastern
US duo could combine with a Hasay/Babcock team over the eight lap
distance. Babcock has fine distance abilities, but a focus on possibly
attempting to compete at the US Olympic Trials over 1500 meters
probably restricting her 3200/two mile distance development. Anyway,
if we had to call it, we would say the 1600/Mile record has a good
chance of falling this spring, with Plumer’s 4:35.24 set
25 years ago in an Open race at UCLA against Olympic level competitors.
It is very tough to take down such a standard solo and it might
take a race that features a couple of the above mentioned athletes
in the same contest to pull it off. In the right setting it could
be done (4:33.65 would be the 1600 meter time that 4:35.24 converts
to for those attempting the conversion thing). The 9:48.59 would
probably require a late season gathering of stars, with attempts
to qualify for International squads and all possibly muddling the
quality of post-state meet races such as the Nike Outdoor Nationals,
the same weekend as the US Junior Nationals, the qualifier for
the “under-age 20" World Junior Champs in Poland. Jordan
Hasay was last year a medalist at the World Youth Championships
(under 18) over 1500 meters, and it is assumed she has a goal of
the World Junior (under age 20)
2) Can the State’s young dynamite sprint crew, featuring sophs Ashton Purvis and Jessica Davis on the Girls’ side, and Charles Saseun on the Boys’, continue its domination at the state and possibly the national level in the next year or two? Ashton Purvis (St. Elizabeth, Oakland) was one of the best ninth graders in US Prep history last year, racing 11.40 and 23.50 100 and 200 clockings, with runner-up efforts to senior Jeneba Tarmoh (Mt. Pleasant, San Jose) at the State meet over those distances. Ashton is the nation’s #2 prep returning over 100 meters with her 11.40 (behind Texas star Victoria Jordan and her 11.36), with the 23.50 the #4 returning mark in the nation for the coming spring. Jessica Davis (Highland, Palmdale), with a very short running career, was a Finalist at State over 100 meters and finished fifth at the half lap distance. Jessica’s 23.64 was the #3 frosh time in the nation for 200 meters last year and she is the #6 returnee nationally at the distance. Ashton went on last summer to compete at the World Youth Championships in the sprints, bringing home a Gold Medal in the sprint medley relay, with Davis winning a USATF JO Intermediate Girls 200 title and placing second while stretching out over 400 meters there. Charles Saseun from Rancho Cucamonga came on like gangbusters over the last couple of weeks during the regular season, taking the Southern Section State qualifier at 10.39 for 100 meters, then racing 10.45w in placing second at state to Jahvid Best. Charles rates the #4 returnee nationally over 100 meters for the spring season. Purvis showed nicely in the late January ‘Run for the Dream’ Indoor in Fresno, racing a 6.93 55m effort the #2 prep time in the nation this winter, in her first races of the year. Saseun was a good receiver for the Rancho Cucamonga Football squad this Fall, with the 5-9 165 pounder catching 16 passes for an impressive 21.7 yards per catch and 1 touchdown for the 4-6 squad. The Boys’ side of the sport nationally currently has a dynamite group of young sprinters, with Rynell Parson (Texas) 10.23 last year as a soph to set a national grade record, with fellow soph Jeremy Rankin (Colorado) 10.32 at altitude before injury. Purvis is a veteran of the international scene, with a World Junior Championship this summer, and attendance at the US Junior Championships in late June necessary to earn a spot on that group. It is hoped that Davis and Saesun will find some time along the way this season and during the summer period to face the best that the nation can offer at their level as they continue their great development in the sport.
3) Can Conor McCullough (Chaminade, West Hills), who is not a part of the regular high school program for his specialty, the Hammer Throw, emerge with honors as high as the Track and Field News National High School Athlete of the Year after taking down fine frosh and soph age and grade records in that event? McCullough would follow in the footsteps of two time Track and Field News Athlete of the Year Walter Henning of New York, who won those honors in 2007 and 2006 and is the current National Prep Record Holder with the High School (12 pound) and Junior (under age 20 13.2 pound) ball. McCullough has blood lines that go directly to 1984 Olympian, father Conor Sr, who threw in the Los Angeles games for Ireland and obviously enjoyed the area. Conor was second in the Southern Section Division IV Shot Put last year at 53-01, but it is away from the regular prep circuit that he shines, with Summer Hammer throw action including an impressive fourth place effort at the World Youth (Under age 18) Championships last summer in Europe. McCullough has the US Frosh (213-00) and Soph (243-11) Hammer records with the high school 12 pound ball, with continued improvement over this and next spring and summer pushing him farther up the all-time list (he currently sits third among all US preps in history behind Walter Henning’s 255-11 US record and Jacob Freman (RI) 253-03 from 1999). Jack Shepard of Track and Field News, in his yearly prep summaries of All-American teams indicates, “soph McCullough is coming up fast, smashing all Henning did at the same age.” There are some fine individuals back at the prep level when one looks at all the events from last year, with World Youth Hurdles Champions Wayne Davis (NC 13.18 over 36" Youth age hurdles in winning the World Championship there and 13.65 over the prep barriers), William Wynne (Ga 49.01 over the prep 30" hurdles at the World Youth meet and 49.70), and sprinter Rynell Parson (Tex - 10.23 last year 100m as soph) showing favor among voters in last year’s Track and Field News Athlete of the Year voting. Keep an eye on McCullough’s performances which may be ‘off the main prep meet’ headlines area, but they should be super once again.
4) Will there be a prep event on the schedule that the Golden State can dominate like the girls 1600/Mile, where California ended up with five of the top six listed individuals on the best marks lists at the end of the 2007 season? Sub 4:50 as a prep Girl 1600 runner is a super performance, earning one a position among the top twenty-five in the nation in a yearly listing in these recent very competitive times. Golden State fans have been rather spoiled lately, with 2007 having California female runners with eight of the twenty-five spots for prepsters who broke the 4:50 barrier of excellence, with an amazing five of the top six on a yearly best marks listing for the campaign. Alex Kosinski, Christine Babcock, Jordan Hasay, Shannon Murakami, and Anna Sperry all had bests of under 4:43, with Babcock and Hasay back to lead the 2008 charge for the state’s four lappers of excellence as the country’s best. There was one event even better than that last spring, with a solid returning group that will battle through 2008 to equal success we are sure. California Girl Triple Jumpers marked the top six in the entire nation at the end of the 2007 season, with fittingly Ke’Nyia Richardson (Holy Names, Oakland), the new National Prep Indoor Record Holder at 44-06.75 (she had an outdoor best of 44-05.5 #2 All-Time behind Brittany Daniels’ 44-11.75 from 2004) leading the pack last spring. Richardson is off to UCLA with great all-arounder Jamesha Youngblood (41-08.5 #2 US end of 2007) heading up to Oregon after graduation. However, the next four returnees in the entire nation, all from California, are back to battle once again. The talented group of Briana Stewart (Logan, Union City) 41-08.5, Vashti Thomas (Mt. Pleasant, San Jose) 41-06.5 (43-01.25w), Amanda Hunter (Marlborough, LA) 41-02.25, and Alitta Boyd (Moreau, Hayward) 41-00.25 are the nation’s four best jumpers, with a number of chances this spring to go at it and challenge each other. There will be some great competitions during the next few months! Thomas, the #2 hurdler in US Prep history at 13.03 from that magical June State meet, was second in the Triple Jump at last year’s State affair behind Richardson, with Stewart fourth, and Hunter eighth. Boyd came on great during the summer, improving nearly two feet from her regular season best to a National USATF JO 15-16 age title with her 41-00.25 best. Stewart took the USATF JO age 17-18 title last summer while showing extended interest in the sport. The runway at meets like Arcadia, where all four were in attendance last April, will be smoking as this group battles for supreamacy during the spring season. Stewart took the season’s one Golden State Indoor competition in last January at Fresno, leaping 39-06.5, the nation’s #2 undercover jump of the winter season during her single competition in such a venue.
5) In what events will Akawkaw Ndipagbor (Long Beach Poly), one of the great all-around youth sprinters of all-time decide to focus on, and can Elias Gedyon (Loyola) off a super fall cross-country season his ninth grade year continue his improvement on to the record scene as a high-schooler and in the future? The Golden State has on the frosh scene two of the nation’s best middle-schoolers from last year in Akawkaw Ndipagbor (pronounced ah-coco in-deep-aboh, with the Southern Californian who has shown up as a student at Long Beach Poly a super age-group career, topped last summer by bests up through the 400 of 11.98 100m, 24.21 200m, and 53.73 400m. She was the USATF Youth Nationals age 13-14 100 meter champ, and the USATF JO age 13-14 200 and 400 champ last summer at Mt. SAC. She is obviously in a program that has had a ton of great athletes at Poly, with a healthy four year career for the Jackrabbits probably leading to some amazing results. Poly is a bit top-heavy in one lap athletes this spring, with State 400 Champ and junior Jasmine Joseph (53.15) and Turquoise Thompson, also an eleventh grader, (53.62 and also 41.74 in the 300 hurdles), among the nation’s top ten at the 400 meter distance. The Poly group is no slouch at the short end either, with Erin Reid having run 11.84w for 100 meters and finishing third in the Southern Section last May. Akawkaw may find herself focusing on the 100 and 200 her first year as a prep, with the LB Poly group second at State over the 4x100 meter distance last June and strong once again, and long relay action probably filling out her dance card with the team one of prep history’s best ever on paper before the start of the season. Appearing far from fragile, Akawkaw was third in the recent Fresno Run for the Dream indoor at 55 meters, racing 7.24 for third behind Ashton Purvis in an event that is quite dependent on a quick start. This super frosh obviously bears watching! At Loyola HS this fall the top Middle School middle distance runner of the last couple of years, Elias Gedyon, joined a fine cross-country squad that went on to a State Division II title and finished ninth in the entire nation as a club at the Nike Team Nationals. Impressively, one of the squad’s steady forces during the championship campaign was ninth grader Gedyon, with the tall youngster with the loping stride able to generate strong momentum during his end of season races that typically had him move way up through the pack to a fine position by the finish. With sub-50 second speed for 400 meters and good conditioning a willing athlete can move up to the 800 and 1500/1600 meter distance with great success, but it takes a special ‘mental’ strength to battle with the nation’s best over the 5000 meter distance over hill and dale, as Gedyon did this Fall in his first prep season. At the State Meet Division II in November Gedyon was seventh place overall at 15:45, a frosh clocking that places him seventh on a tough all-time grade list there in select company, with two ahead of him eventual National prep Champs in that sport (Bryan Dameworth and Louie Quintana), and one an eventual NCAA Cross Country Champ (Josh Rohatinsky from Utah). At the Nike Team Nationals he was one of only five frosh contestants in the Championhip team race, with a thirty-fifth place finish as the top ninth grade placer for his Club’s ninth place finishing group. With his basic speed we would imagine that his focus would be on the 800 and 1600 during the spring track and field season, with the young athlete probably a force on the annually strong Loyola 4x400 relay group. He will be another fun one to watch this coming season! We will be back with five more stories to look for in the Spring of 2008 in a day or two, so tune back in--- |
