Hair Ribbons in Michigan, a confusing issue
Here's hoping there are no DQ's for hair ribbons in the Michigan State Meet Saturday, after the following "clarification" was issued:
"While ribbons must be a solid color, multiple ribbons do NOT have to be the same color (the same applies to ponytail holders). So, if your ladies (and some of your more ambitious boys) want to wear their school colors in ribbons, it's ok. Remember, knit hats and head bands (2") must to one color, but do not have to match other team members. T-shirts and tights must be a solid color and match for each teammate (length does not matter and all are not required to
wear them). Dying of hair is ok, but body painting or temporary tattoos are
not. Watches are out. No rules yet on gloves or socks.
Good luck to everyone on Saturday."
Good luck, er, r-r-r-right. Wait until you hear the rules on gloves and socks.

State Meet Previews
Maryland - Pennsylvania - Arkansas

Georgia indoor state meet cancelled - Loss of facility -- the meet piggybacked on the USA Nationals at the Georgia Dome the past 8 years -- causes Georgia to cancel its 2002 state meet, joining three other states with facilities problems affecting indoor track. The fate of the Georgia Dome track is up in the air since the USA Nationals moved to the NY Armory. Georgia announcement

College Choices 2002 -- The early signing period for this year's seniors doesn't come up for 2 weeks (Nov 14-21), but announcements are starting to come: TX sprints Brendan Christian, Texas; PA distance Julia Pudlin, Yale; NY distance Caitlin Tormey, Princeton; LA sprints Jonathan Wade, Tennessee; AL distance Tyler Stanfield, Samford; NC distance Laura Stanley, Duke; NC distance Julia Lucas, N. C. State; OH distance Angela Homan, Auburn; OR distance Dawn Morgan, Auburn; CA thrower Rachel Varner, Arizona. Email choices to [email protected].

Elites are lining up for Lincoln
LINCOLN NE 10/31/01 - The inaugural running of the Midwest Indoor Track Classic is still over 3 months away, but an impressive number of elite athletes -- both prep and Olympic level -- have already committed to come to Lincoln in February. A half dozen events for Olympic/world class athletes will be run along with a full slate of high school events. Details on early entries

NEW HARRIER RANKINGS 10/29
Kingwood TX boys, Saratoga Springs NY girls still #1. Canyon CA boys, Esperanza CA girls, Haddonfield NJ boys make biggest moves. DyeStat scores rankings by region and finds West and Midwest are strongest.
Harrier Magazine Rankings 10/29 - Next rankings: November 19.

Checking in with the Distance Gods - DyeStat's most prolific TrackTalker steveu finds them at NCAA Pre-Nationals - Dathan Ritzenhein, Eric Logsdon, Sara Bei, Alicia Craig, Anita Siraki, Shalane Flanagan, Erin Donohue, Ale Barrientos, Matt Tegenkamp - read how former HS stars are adjusting to college life.

THIS WEEK on DyeStat results, photos, highlights from around the country.

Cedar Cliff PA boys photo by Don Rich

AL Oak Mountain sr Scott Fuqua reversed last week's result by handing Tyler Stanfield his first loss of the season, 15:37 to 15:57, in the Hoover Invitational. CA Esperanza girls beat Fountain Valley 34-47 in the Sunset League championship, but Fountain Valley jr Bethany Nickless 18:00 (Anna Attard 18:08) took individual honors. It was reversed in the boys race, with Fountain Valley winning 39-48, but Esperanza jr Mike Chavez beating Mike Gavino 15:07 to 15:17. CA All-State Rankings - status quo this week (Billy Nelson and Amber Trotter still #1) as most runners rest after Mt. SAC. Rankings CA Rio Mesa jr Phillip Reid 15:18 3m and Westlake soph Ashley Jones 18:35 won the Ventura County championships. Royal swept the team titles. CO Colorado State Meet - Smoky Hill jr Megan Kaltenbach won her third straight 5A championship by 27seconds in 19:04 5k and a very warm day for running. Bret Schoolmeester, Denver Christian, had an easy time repeating as 3A champion in 16:10. jr Brent Vaughn made it an individual sweep for Smoky Hill by winning 5A in 16:13. Complete Results CT STATE MEET - The Harrier's Northeast #8 Danbury boys win big school Division LL behind sr Andre Laboy 15:47 5k. Danbury girls complete the sweep with 74-76 win over Fairfield. Killingly jr Meghan Owen 14:49 is fastest girl of the day. Pictures and Results CT OPEN - Start Lists for Connecticut Open championships at Wickham Park Friday 11/2. FL Ridgeview FL sr Lee Yaracs is a pretty good cross country runner (14:49 3m this year), but he gets better as the distance gets longer. Last Sunday (10/27) he ran a 10-mile race in 52:03, finishing 3rd in the Men's Open division behind two Kenyans in their upper 20s. ID STATE MEET - Hillcrest soph Karley Mielke 19:39 and Bonners Ferry sr Forest Braden 16:42 are fastest of meet. Complete Idaho Results IA STATE MEET - Jeni Frudden's record 10:46 led Iowa City West to a powerful 28 point score, moving them up to US#4 in the latest national rankings by The Harrier. Frudden eclipsed Michelle Lilienthal's state meet record by 1 second. Fort Dodge sr. Dan Taylor 15:25 5k was the fastest boy of the day in winning Class 3A. Details IL Deerfield sr Erika Odlaug won the Schaumburg AA sectional at Busse Woods by 65 seconds in 14:01 2.5m to advance to the State Meet next Saturday at Detweiler Park, Peoria. IN State Meet - US#2 ranked Carmel girls win with 56 points (Valparaiso 72). Lawrence N. jr Nef Araia 15:35 5k holds off late charge by Dekalb sr Kaleb Van Ort by 1 second, with Winamac sr Mike Haschel 8 more seconds back in third, while 4th place Ryan Warrenburg 15:49 leads Franklin Community to boys team title with 91 points (Columbus North 106, Carmel 114). W. Lafayette sr Jessica Gall 14:08 4k beats Lake Central jr Tiffany Redlarczyk 14:18 and Carmel sr Michelle Rafferty 14:23. Details KS Leavenworth sr Amy Hastings 11:29 2mhammered the 6A field in "the most dominating performance in Kansas in 10 years." Shawnee Mission Northwest boys won their 8th straight state title. SMNW girls also repeat in 6A. Matt Noonan's 3rd straight in 4A leads Baldwin boys to 4th straight championship. Erin Mortimer repeats in 3A. Tony Bozarth reports KY STATE MEET - Regional top times and performance lists for state meet November 3. MA Phillips Andover sr Melissa Donais got a course record for the second straight week with 16:08 2.75m in a dual meet at Deerfield. MI Rockford girls, Nikki Bohnsack, Novi sr Tim Moore, and Milford boys (US#8 in The Harrier rankings) star. Details and Top Times in Michigan regionals NJ New Jersey Sectionals -Passaic Valley jr Jesse Mizzone 18:11 5k was fastest girl of the 16 sectionals, winning by 2:15. Fastest boy was Cherokee sr Marc Pelerin 15:25. Haddonfield Memorial boys, tied for #1 in New Jersey in Conrad Haber's NJ Top 10 going in, put a 1-2-3 punch on the South Sectional Group 1 to win with 27 points. The terrific trio were jr Chris Platt 15:38 5k, sr Skip Stiles 15:39, and sr Breton Bonnette 15:57. NC Carolina Day sr Laura Stanley won the NCISAA (independent schools) championship in 17:45 5k at McAlpine Park, Charlotte. She also announced she will go to Duke University next fall. NC North Carolina State 2A & 1A - Meet records were set by North Henderson sr Jessica Durrant 18:48 5k in 2A and Rosman sr Matt Owen 15:56 in 1A at McAlpine Park, Charlotte. NH New Hampshire State Meet - Manchester Central swept Class L, with sr Liz Gesel's 18:21 leading the girls 71 (Concord 99). The boys edged Londonderry, 65-67. Dover sr Tony Truax 16:06 5k was the individual boys winner. Complete New Hampshire results NY Suburban Council - Saratoga swept this powerful conference that claims three of the top 17 girls teams in the country, including Saratoga #1, and the US#25 boys team (Saratoga) in the latest rankings by The Harrier. Individual winners were Saratoga 8th grader Nicole Blood 17:15 and Shaker sr Justin Corelli 15:15. Details NY Pearl River swept the Rockland County championships at Bear Mountain. Brendan Fennell 15:013m led the boys (36 points), and Jaclyn Gaines 18:31 and Vanessa McKay 18:48 were 1-2 for the girls (20). NY Bronxville girls got another 1-2-3 sweep in the Westchester County championships, with Michelle Rorke 19:44 5k, Caroline Mullen 20:09, and Catha Mullen 20:15. NY Notre Dame Elmira sr Molly Huddle set a meet record of 18:16 5k in the IAC Championships. NY Sayville jr Brian Dalpiaz ran the 10th fastest 5k ever at Sunken Meadows in the Section 11 division championship with a 15:46 time, 58 seconds ahead of Port Jefferson sr Brendan Sullivan, leading veteran observor Michael Roth to say, "Watching him run, he has not tapped himself yet. I can see him dropping another minute next year." OH Regionals - US#2 ranked LaSalle Cincinnati and US#8 Davidson Hilliard won their regionals easily to advance to a State Meet showdown next weekend. Some leading girls winners: Lakewood jr Michelle Sikes 18:14, Spencerville sr Angela Homan 18:21, Coffman Dublin jr Emily King 18:44. Details OK 4A-5A State Meet - Midwest #10 Edmond Memorial boys win 5A with 57 points for third straight title and 12th in history; Jenks sr Chase Hall 15:53 is fastest time of state meet. Alayne Thompson 11:49 leads Jenks girls 32 to 5A crown. Details PA Districts - Cedar Cliff boys for real.North Penn upsets Council Rock. Jessica Cickay 17:50.7 and Rob Robertson of Coatesville, 15:37 in 30 mph winds. Details and pictures by Don Rich TN Farragut sr Andy Baksa led US#5 Farragut boys to the Region 2 championship with 27 points. Baksa's time of 14:44 3m was 7 seconds better than the old meet record (Sean Stevens, 14:51, 2000), on a fast, but windy course.Farragut's girls beat Oak Ridge 43-67, but West's Megan Cauble 18:10 won the race. PA Ryan Inv - St. Hubert's soph Amy Kelly won in 18:26.1 5k, making her the sixth girl ever to break 19 minutes on the fabled Belmont Plateau course in Philadelphia. Earlier this season, Council Rock soph Jessica Cickay set the course record of 18:26.21. VT U-32 sr Mint Henk 15:52 3.15m was 50 seconds faster than anyone else. Burlington freshman Katie White 19:19 was the fastest girl, and she and junior sister Kerry White led Burlington to the Division 1 . Essex swept overall team scoring with 67 points for the boys and 90 for the girls. WI Stevens Point jr Chris Solinsky 15:07 5k won Division 1 by 32 seconds and set meet and course records at Ridges Golf Course, Wisconsin Rapids. Complete Results

Campbell County WY rebounds from tragedy
Campbell County's team was devastated in September when former Camel Morgan McLeland was killed in a highway crash along with 7 other University of Wyoming athletes. But they came all the way back in the Wyoming State Meet, sweeping Class 4A team titles. Story and Photos

Alison Tubbs has a sore back - Enumclaw WA sr Alison Tubbs, Great American Festival winner last month and a leading contender for the Foot Locker national championship, overcame a back injury and confusion on the course to win the 4A West Central / Southwest Bi-District 10/24 in 17:45 5k on a wet course, 10 seconds ahead of Olympia sr Jessie McLaughlin. The heavily favored Tubbs had not run for 6 days since her league championship because of a back injury. In addition, she made a wrong turn and had to backtrack 30 yards during the race. Tubbs said her back injury is not a big deal, but she told the South County Journal she has only been running in the pool, and is "taking shots and stuff like that." Even though off this year's standard, Tubbs was more than a minute faster than in this meet a year ago. In the boys race, Auburn sr Chris Lukezic won by 26 seconds in 15:11 5k.

Bobby Lockhart's injury is not serious - The Winchester VA star ran recently after hurting his hand in a home accident, and writes: "I had a little break in the lower part of my hand. It will be completely healed by the end of the month. I'm not in a cast; I'm just wearing a splint. It is in no way affecting my running. To be quite frank it doesn't even hurt."

XC Leader List update 10/18
The lists grew to 1,287 performances from 318 meets this week (ending October 18), with fewer additions because the biggest meet, the Manhattan Invitational, runs only 2.5 miles, too short to be listed. Biggest move this week was by Bobby Lockhart, with his second straight hot 5k, a 15:03 course record at Manassas VA, giving him two of the top 6 times of the season.
XC Leader List explained - Oct 18 lists - How to get listed

It will be starry in Orlando for the Foot Locker national finals in December. Nike, the new presenting sponsor of the meet, is bringing a sensational lineup of elite athletes to meet the 64 prep runners who qualify out of the four Foot Locker regionals. They are eight elite runners and two superstars: Suzy Favor-Hamilton, Regina Jacobs, Kara (Wheeler) Goucher, Sarah Schwald, Bob Kennedy, Pascal Dobert, Abdi Abdirahman, Meb Keflezighi, Michael Johnson, and Stacy Dragila.

NY Armory gets USA National Indoors
USATF announced today (10/16) that the USA Indoor Championships will return to New York in 2002 at the New York Armory March 1 and 2. This marks a return to New York, where the meet was held from 1906 to 1993, after 8 years in Atlanta. The Armory is making many enhancements to the building, including expansion of seating to 5,000, in preparation for the meet.

Oregon's Art Skipper killed
Art Skipper, of Sandy OR, was killed Tuesday (10/16) when the small plane he was riding in crashed in Clackamas County OR. Skipper, the HS record holder in javelin throw (259-10 in 1988), was the older brother of Tommy Skipper, a leading pole vaulter and decathlete as a sophomore last year at Sandy high school, east of Portland.

Indoor seasons threatened
Indoor track seasons in 2002 are severely jeopardized by lack of facilities in at least three states -- Alabama, Maryland, and North Carolina. In Alabama, the state says it lacks funds to make needed repairs to Celebration Arena in Priceville. A public campaign to SAVE INDOOR is being headed by Grissom AL coach Randy Bunn, as reported on James Guthrie's web site, Alabama Runner. In Maryland, the ancient National Guard Armory in Baltimore will not be available because of installation of a new floor and more military use of the facility in the post-terrorist era, sending seven regionals and dozens of in-season meets in search of a home. The new Prince George's County facility, home of the State Meet and the Nike Indoor Classic, is too expensive for schools to use with the frequency that the Armory was used. In North Carolina, high schools have shared the Greensboro Coliseum with the ACC championships to save setup costs in the past. This year, the ACC is moving to the new facility at UNC in Chapel Hill, but this facility has limited seating and thus limited gate receipts. "At this point, indoor track seems dead unless we get a corporate sponsor ($10,000)," NCHSAA executive director Rich Strunk told the Raleigh News & Observor.
[Editor's Note: In response to this story, the University of North Carolina told DyeStat that UNC can host the high school state meet; it is the state association's call. UNC is hosting a major high school meet February 1-2 and a college meet with 45-60 teams in addition to the ACC. "We feel that facility can hold enough spectators," the spokesman said.]

Foot Locker Favorites
Here are the runners DyeStat picks as most likely to succeed in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championship regionals, where only the top 8 win a coveted ticket to Disney World for the national finals in December. The list is updated for information received as of October 5.
Foot Locker Favorites as of 10/5

Amber Trotter talks about her past, present and future. How she lost and found the joy of running. Interview

WE NEED INFO: Help keep DyeStat as current as possible by sending us the latest information: Meet results - performances for XC Leader List - information on meets for 2001-2002 calendar - nominations for Nike Athlete of the Week - email DyeStat

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DONNA ON THE SIDE
Hundreds of pictures of athletes, coaches, parents, and fans at the big meets.

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