2002 Stinson Beach Relays

9/5/02

Meet Preview

By Tom Lyons

With this year’s meet so early in the season it will be tough to guess how the teams will run. However, as much as things change some things do stay the same. That is, expect Drake to come with their toes taped and their bare feet moving as quick as anyone’s. Coach Taylor, the 800-meter man, loves this meet and not so coincidentally so do his teams who are loaded with middle-distance types. The format is a relay of five runners each running approximately 1.6 miles at the edge of the low-tide water on the beautiful Stinson Beach in Marin County, just north of San Francisco. Most teams lead off with their #1 runner, making for a great battle early on. Depth, or lack of it, quickly begins to determine which teams can stay in the hunt as the field begins to spread out shortly after the first-leg runners come in.

Schools can enter as many teams as they want with the first team scoring in the varsity competition and the remaining teams as JV. It is believed by some to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, consecutively run High School invitational-type meet in California, stretching back to the 1960s. In recent years only schools from the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) and other local private schools have been allowed to run in the meet. The top five split times receive coveted t-shirts from long-time meet director, Doug Basham.

PARTICIPATING TEAMS: Redwood, Larkspur (D-3), San Marin, Novato (D-3), Novato (D-3), Tamalpais, Mill Valley (D-4), Marin Catholic, Kentfield (D-4), Sir Francis Drake, San Anselmo (D-4), San Rafael (D-4), Terra Linda, San Rafael (D-4), Justin Siena, Napa (D-4), Branson, Ross (D-5), Marin Academy, San Rafael (D-5)

GIRLS

Last year San Marin and Marin Catholic had three close head-to-head battles throughout the season. SM won at Stinson and the League Champs, but MC took the dual meet. Neither team had any seniors and word is that all girls are back and ready to go again for another round. But watch out for Drake. Their biggest team in years will be headed to the beach. Redwood has four who broke 12:50 for 3200m in track, led by Charlotte Helvestine. Tamalpais has Robin Hextrum. Terra Linda has 1999 XC League Champ, Stephanie Farac. Jocelyn Woolsey of Branson was 26th in D-5 last year at state.

Most likely the team race will come down to MC’s Natalie Joffe, Emily Van Buskirk, Nicci Fish, and Clare Ayala battling with SM’s Courtney Dowdall, Zoe Brown, and 2001 XC League Champ Meagan McCray for top times and the team medals.

BOYS

The defending MCAL champions, Redwood, are returning to the meet after missing last year. With 6 of 7 returning, and their last loss of any kind to a league opponent occurring back in 1996, it would appear like they are favored for the team title. Although better over longer distances, their team consists of guys who have done all right on the track too. Jake Schmitt (7th in the state for Div 3 in XC, and 9:33 3200m in track as a freshman) is the favorite for the fastest time award. With a total of six of the top ten returning from last year’s league meet, the other boys in RED (Mike Dooher, Andrew Garrett, Andrew Wolf, Ryan Farrell, and Nick Battjes) will be battling for top time awards also.

Drake graduated perhaps the top league distance runner since Richie Boulet (also of Drake) to the University of Montana (Rory Kuykendall), but as mentioned above, will likely put forth a huge effort to keep things going up front with Elliot Brian and Eric Lee. Brandon Sos leads Terra Linda who returns most everyone from last year’s team and is ranked high in the NCS polls for D-4. Tamalpais is another team that returns most of their runners. Branson has Alex Varner (23rd D-5 last year at state) and is considered a top small school in the NCS polls. Alex Roedel (San Rafael), and Richard Elmore (Justin Siena) are top milers who will contend for fastest time.

Should be fun.

Dyestat Cal News

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Editor: Doug Speck
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