Margaret Gallagher catches Alicia
Follmar at finish of her 4:46.46 1600 win last weekend
Raleigh, NC- 10 state champions. 11 runners under 4:49.74
seconds for the 1600m. Six of the top nine nationally ranked milers in
the nation. Those are just some of the credentials of one of the deepest
girls mile fields in high school history. The winner will be decided on
June 19 at the Adidas
Outdoor Championships at Paul Derr Track on the campus of North Carolina
State University in Raleigh, N.C. The two day event that begins on June
18th is in its fourteenth year and will feature some of the best high
school track and field athletes in the nation.
Leading the way will be Katelyn Kaltenbach of Smoky Hill High in Aurora,
CO., arguably the best distance runner in the nation. The 2003 Foot Locker
Cross Country Champion has continued to roll this track season winning
the NIKE Indoor mile in a meet record time of 4:45.32(the best mile time
indoor and outdoors) and collecting her fourth state track title at the
Colorado State high school track and field championships. Kaltenbach who's
racing schedule has had her compete on each coast, has not lost all year
long, cross country or track.
For her achievements this past fall, Kaltenbach, only a junior, was awarded
the named the Sportswomen of Colorado 2003 Sportswomen of the Year on
March 14, flying from Landover, MD after her mile victory to Colorado
for the awards ceremony that evening.
The field will be tough though. Any one of the several of the nation's
top middle distance runners could win the title. They include:
Alicia Follmar, Saratoga HS(Saratoga, CA)- Follmar clocked
an impressive 4:46.47 to win the California state championships June 5
against a very tough field. Her come from behind victory was good enough
to get her a second consecutive state title. Her outdoor 1600m time is
the best among the entrants.
Caitlin Chock, Granite Bay (CA) - Competing solely on
the club/open scene the last couple of months of her senior year in high
school, the U-of-Richmond-signed Chock has posted a littany of eye-popping
times this spring, topped by a stunning 4:25.01 clocking for 1500 meters
at a USATF Association meet on May 30th. Able to compete using a variety
or racing styles, the Northern California product typically prefers to
set a torrid pace from the outset of her races. A slight pre-season favorite
to capture the California state title at 3200 meters, Chock was not allowed
to compete for her high school team when it became clear that scheduling
conflicts between her high school team commitments and her club team commitments
would be unavoidable during the course of the season. (Chock bio/notes
added by Rich Gonzalez on 6-10-04)
Sarah Bowman, Fauquier(Warrenton, VA)- Bowman ran away
from the field at the Penn Relays this season to clock the season’s
fastest mile time of 4:48.55. She owns the 4th fastest time in the nation
in the 800m, 2:07.69 and the fastest 1500m time, 4:23.8, in the nation.
At the VA state championships, the versatile Bowman led her team to the
runner-up trophy by winning the mile in 4:51.11(a state record), the 800m
in 2:10.44(a state record), placing 2nd in the high jump with a mark of
5 feet 3 inches and running a leg on the 4 x 400m championship team. Since
her surprise victory in the mile at the 2003 NIC Championships, Bowman
has suffered ailments that have left her below par the past two championships.
A sore back kept her from defending her NIC mile title this year(11th
place) and at last year's AOC(16th place), sickness kept her from performing
at her best. She's on schedule to reverse that trend this year.
Jennifer Barringer, Oviedo, FL- Barringer has emerged
as one fot he top distance runners this year. At the FL 4A state championships
on May 9, she set two state meet records, 4:48.90 for the 1600m
and 10:35.36 for the 3200m. On May 22, she ran a personal best of 4:49.01
for the mile; the best time ever for the distance in Florida history.
She also finished 3rd at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in
San Diego in December. A front runner, Barringer will be sure to make
the pace quick.
Maggie Infeld, Beaumont(Cleveland Heights, OH)- This
year, Ohio is nation's girl's miling hotbed and Infeld is the best of
the lot. Infeld set the state meet record with her 4:47.79 in the Division
I championships. She also ran 2:10.83 to win the 800m title. It was the
third time she has won both. Infeld is the top returnee after last year's
3rd place finish, 4:51.86. A very tenacious competitor, count on her to
be there late. She’ll run for the Georgetown Hoyas next year.
Magin Kebert, West Lafayette, IN- Kebert finished third
behind open runners at the Billy Hayes Invitational at Indiana University
in Bloomington, IN on May 7. Her time of 4:27.94 ranks her 3rd nationally.
Kebert did not compete for her high school this year. A North Carolina
State signee, sh'll be running on her future home track.
Jacqueline Areson, Pope John Paul II(Boca Raton, FL)-
The fastest soph in the field posted a best of 4:49.53 using a stinging
kick to nearly hand Jenny Barringer her first defeat on the track this
season. She was disqualified from the 1600m at her region meet for a uniform
violation, but qualified and eventually won the 800m at the Florida 2A
state championships. She placed 5th at the NIKE indoor Championships in
time of 4:55.37. Areson ran 5:07 last year for the 1600m and is possibly
the most improved runner in the nation. Her late quick finishes may surprise
so keep an eye on her.
Sunni Olding, Minster, OH- The Notre Dame signee and
the defending AOC two mile champ won the Div. III (smallest schools) state
championship in a fast 4:48.20, a tournament record. She ecame the ninth
girl in state history to win the title four years in a row. She won her
second title with a 10:38.02 clocking in the 3200m. She finished her career
with nine titles in cross country and track. The basketball forward also
helped sixth seed Minster(25-2) to the DIV. VI basketball championship
March 20.
Alissa McKaig, Concordia( Ft. Wayne, IN)- McKaig, a non
state qualifier last year, won this year’s state championship in
4:49.62; a 10+ second improvement over last year. McKaig, a former soccer
player, also finished 4th in the 3200m in 10:41.97. College choice: Baylor
Lindsay Donaldson, Lincoln Sudbury Regional(Sudbury, MA)-
Donaldson won the MA state mile championship in 4:51.24 by 13 seconds.
Then a half hour later, the senior bound for Yale, led her team from seventh
to first on the final leg of the 4x800m for the team win.
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