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DyeStat 2001 Indoor
FIT Relays Preview
by Pearl Watts
Many of Northern Virginia's top individuals and teams will be among the 50 schools entered for the Sixth Annual Friends of Indoor Track (F.I.T.) Relays at the GMU Fieldhouse this Saturday. The largest area meet of the early season will also bring in many of the top schools from suburban Maryland and D.C. along with a sprinkling of schools from the AAA Northwestern and Eastern Regions and also Delaware with action beginning at 9:30 a.m. for both field events and running events.�
The Friends of Indoor Track is a non-profit public service corporation with intentions to promote athletic development and achievement of high school track and field athletes; whose numbers make them the second largest participatory sport. Through F.I.T.'s sponsorship of regional athletic events and by working in cooperation with local and state governments, they have as a major near-term objective to have a facility built that will enable the Northern Region's public schools to schedule all of its indoor track meets on a regulation track protected from the weather.�
This year's meet will once again be a non-team scoring event with all running events of the relay variety, including freshmen-sophomore and also varsity 4x200 and 4x400 meter relays along with 4x800 and distance medley relays (1,200; 400; 800; 1,600) for both boys and girls. There will also be a Special Olympics 4x100 meter relay at 1:00 p.m involving six area teams that is always one of the highlights of the meet.�
Field event action starting at 9:30 a.m. will include the boys shot put and long jump in addition to the girls high jump. The girls high jump will once again match up Concorde District counterparts Krystle Moss of Jefferson and Oakton's Bonnie Meekins. Moss is the defending indoor state champion and Meekins is the defending outdoor state champion who has already gone 5 feet, 6 inches this season.�
The boys high jump, which will immediately follow the girls high jump, also bears watching with a field which includes Garrett Brickner of Lake Braddock, who went 6-6 last week at the Christopher Newport Invitational; Oakton's Teddy Presley, the defending region indoor champ with a best of 6-8 last season and Greg McCormick of Middletown (Md.), the defending meet champion who had a best of 7-0 last season and has committerd to Georgia Tech.�
Other top field events include both the girls and boys pole vault. The meet record in the girls vault of 10-3 could go with Centreville's Alicia LaRoche, Kira Barcus of Atlee and co-meet record holder Carrie Bennett of Hayfield among the top competitors in the field. The boys pole vault may generate the most excitement among the field events. Included in the field are meet record holder at 13-3 Val Osipenko of Atlee, who went 14-0 to win the Walt Cormack Relays at VMI last week; Centreville's David Sullivan, the defending outdoor state champion who also went 14-0 last week at Episcopal and McCormick of Middletown, who is entered with a personal best of 15-0.�
In the running events, the sprint relays may once again be dominated by Maryland schools. Largo, Eleanor Roosevelt and Western are the top three seeds in both the 4x200 and 4x400 varsity relays. The boys 4x200 relay has Suitland, Woodbridge, and Brooke Point among the top seeds along with the Hayfield squad which includes Mike Walker and Ron Richards. The boys 4x400 has Northwestern, Suitland and Woodlawn among the top seeds with the Lake Braddock quartet anchored by Frank Francois also expected to be in the mix.�
In the distance events, the girls 4x800 team from Eleanor Roosevelt appears capable of putting together a very good time with Oakton, anchored by state cross country champion Keira Carlstrom, also expected to be a factor. The boys 4x800 has Oakton, with Matt Maline and Phil Gaeta expected to run, as the favorite with Lake Braddock, Robinson and Woodlawn expected to push the Cougars. The girls distance medley relay has Lake Braddock, led by Kelly Swain, Heather McCarthy and Cheryl Carr along with Chantilly with Tracy Williams, Laurie Yarger and Blair Eadie as two of the top teams while the favorites in the boys DMR include Oakton, Woodlawn, Hayfield and Robinson, with L.A. Snead on the 1,600 anchor for the Rams.
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