Exceptional doubles for senior Chris Bilbrew and 8th grader Catherine Diethelm

Complete Results: 6A Boys - 6A Girls - 5A Boys - 5A Girls - 1-4A Boys - 1-4A Boys
(Courtesy of AlabamaRunners.com/al.milesplit.com)

Photo by Donna Dye at the 2006 Mobile Meet of Champions with the Smiths Station 4x800 meter relay. Smiths Station had an impressive showing in the relays at the 2007 Alabama State Meet in Priceville with a 7:57.91 clocking at the Barn (just off their US #2 flat track time of 7:57.34 from Clemson). Their top runner Chris Bilbrew (pictured above 3 over from right) had an outstanding meet individually running two meet record times in the 400 (48.89) and 800 (US #2 1:53.49).

6A Boys Highlights:

• Smiths Station sr Chris Bilbrew US #2 1:53.49 800 after winning 400 in 48.89 MR
• Smith Station AL relays rule with two meet records in 4x400 (3:25.03) and 4x800 (7:57.91)
• Mountain Brook AL (63 pts) wins team title by 5 pts over Hoover AL (58 pts)

6A Girls Highlights:

• Mountain Brook AL 8th grader Catherine Diethelm wins two distance crowns in 1600 (4:56.79) and 800 (2:14.46)
• Three girls under 5 minutes in 1600 with Diethelm, Mountain Brook AL so Madeline Morgan (4:58.09), and Austin jr Jennifer Dunn (4:59.73)
• Austin's Dunn (10:42.83) and Mountain Brook's Morgan (10:48.70) double back for a great 3200 race
• Mountain Brook AL sweeps 6A team titles as girls win big with 101 pts
  

The Story: 11 State Records and Great Distance Action

By Arthur L. Mack

PRICEVILLE, Alabama, Feb. 2-3---Nobody expected this, especially in Alabama.

Eleven state meet records on a wooden track that was at least 40 years old and at best, was well worn? Yeah, right.

A team so balanced that it had 11 first place finishes? You’ve gotta be kidding.

An eighth-grader accounting for three state records in the state’s toughest classification, and one of three Alabama runners to run under five minutes in the 1,600 meters? Dude, please

It may have been cold outside, but the action was hot inside Priceville’s Celebration Arena, known to indoor track and field athletes as “The Barn” because the venue is used for racking horse shows.

Mountain Brook and Mobile’s St. Paul’s Episcopal had horses of their own, but they were the two-legged kind as they used strong team balance to sweep the boys and girls’ 6A and 5A divisions respectively.

Mountain Brook routed Hoover 101-47 in the 6A girls’ competition, and held off Hoover 63-58 in the 6A boys, with Smiths Station a close third with 55.

“Some of the performances we had were the best I’ve ever seen,” said Mountain Brook coach Greg Echols. “Any one of our girls could have ran in a different event and scored, but they were willing to give up events. As for our boys, we came in expecting to get fourth or fifth, but we had some kids to step up and score some PRs.

St. Paul’s defeated Scottsboro 159-137 to take the 5A girls’ title, while in the 5A boys, St. Paul’s defeated Scottsboro 135-108.

“This was one of those meets if you had an event where there was no participation, you lost the meet,” said St. Paul’s girls’ coach Jim Tate, whose team had the 11 first-place finishes.. “But this was definitely a strong meet for us.”

“It was a real strong overall meet for us,” said St. Paul’s boys’ coach Paul Brueske. We scored in every event, and I’m proud of our guys’efforts..

Mountain Brook’s Catherine Diethelm, the aforementioned eighth grader, had the outstanding performance in the 6A girls division, winning the 800 and 1,600 with record times of 2 minutes, 14.46 seconds and 4:56.79 respectively. In addition, she also ran a leg on the record-setting 4 X 800 meter relay (9:39.14).

Another eighth-grader, Erika Akins of Bob Jones, was named the meet’s 6A outstanding performer after winning the 55-meter hurdles (8.69) and the long jump (16 feet, 8inches), as well as a third in the 55-meter dash (7.63). She also ran a leg on the sixth-place 4 X 200 meter relay team.

Smiths Stations’ Chris Bilbrew had the 6A boys’ top performance, as he became the first athlete to break 50 seconds for the 400 meters indoors in a state meet (48.89). He also won the 800 in 1:53.49 and anchored the winning 4 X 400 and 4 X 800 relays—both setting records of 3:25.03 and 7:75.91 respectively.

Homewood’s Kenneth Baker was the 6A boys MVP, scoring in winning the long jump (22-11), finishing second in the 55-meter hurdles (8.01) and the 55-meter dash (6.70).

St. Paul’s had the distinction of having four of its athletes win individual awards in 5A competition. On the girls’ side, Neal Tisher had the outstanding performance with her state-record pole vault (11-0). She also finished second in the 55-meter hurdles (8.81) and ran a leg on the second place 4 X 800-meter relay team.

Johnnie Borries, a newcomer on St. Paul’s team, was selected the meet’s outstanding performer. She won the shot put (36-5 ¾) and the 55-meter hurdles (8.80). She also finished second in the long jump (16-1) and ran a leg on the winning 4 X 400 meter relay (4:17.77)

On the boys’ side, Louis Watson had the outstanding performance of the meet as he won both the 55-meter and 400-meter dashes with times of 6.59 and 51.64 respectively. He also ran legs on the second place 4 X 200 relay team (1:38.42) and the winning 4 X 400 relay (3:37.51).

Mark Barron was named the meet’s MVP. He scored 20 points, winning the shot put (48-9 ½), was second in the long jump (20-5 ½), and finished third in the 55-meter dash (6.84) and the high jump (5-8).

Birmingham Altamont won the 1A-4A girls division, defeating Falkville 118-43.5, and Falkville returned the favor in the 1A-4A boys, defeating Altamont 95-41.

Altamont’s Elisabeth Molen had the outstanding 1A-4A performance, winning the 1,600 and 3,200 with times of 5:15.85 and 11:12.61 respectively, and also got second in the 800 (2:28.17). Madison County’s Rebecca Hilt was the 1A-4A outstanding performer, winning the 55-meter dash (7.66), 400 (1:00.29) and the high jump (5-0).

Falkville’s Cody Sewell was the 1A-4A boys’ outstanding performer, winning the 55-meter hurdles (8.19), and getting second in the high jump (6-0) and the long jump (19-5 ¾). Leeds’ Joseph Callaway had the outstanding performance in the meet, clearing 13-7 in the pole vault to break the old record of 13-6.

Here are some highlights from both days of the meet:

DAY 1

The 3,200-meter run was just as good as any event to stage any track and field drama. Since it was the first event on the two-day schedule, what better way to start than with a 1-2 sweep by Scottsboro’s Emily Thompson and Lacey Wright over favored St. Paul’s standout Mary Carleton Johnston?

Thompson, a junior, and Wright, a senior, used smart racing tactics and let Johnston do most of the work early before overtaking her in the late stages of the race. Thompson ran 11:13.84 and Wright 11:15.57, ahead of Johnston’s 11:24.10. While the winning time was nowhere near the record 11:05.63 set by St. Paul’s Tara Lenn in 2003, it gave Scottsboro an early 18-6 lead.

That race would set the stage for the 6A girls’ 3,200---a race that featured defending champion and current record holder Jennifer Dunn of Decatur Austin. Dunn had plenty of company in this race with a field that included Mountain Brook’s Madeline Morgan and Brigid Carey, Nicole and Kimberly Muldowney of Hoover, and Huntsville’s Gwen Kyser.

In the early going, though, it was Morgan who took the early lead, with Dunn nipping at her heels. Both went through the first 800 in 2:39 and the 1600 in 5:23, and spectators knew that something special was about to happen.

As it turned out, it did. Dunn made her move with five laps left in the race, and opened up a 30-meter lead with 600 meters to go. The surge proved to be the difference as Dunn smashed the 10:57.51 standard she set last year with a smoking 10:42.83. Morgan was also under the old record, running 10:48.70.

Dunn said later that she wanted to set a certain time in the first half of the race in order to get a personal best.

“The plan was to get a 5:20, and we were right on that pace,” she said. “I couldn’t pass her (Morgan) for the longest time. But I wanted to make sure she was tired before I made my move. I wasn’t really surprised that I was that far under the state record, because I planned to run 5:20 for the first mile so I could get under 10:50.”

Meanwhile, there was record setting drama in the field events, too. A spirited girls’ 5A pole vault competition was taking place, with Tisher and Brenna McGee along with Birmingham’s John Carroll Catholic’s Brittnay Matrella as the principal competitors. Tisher, the defending state champion as well as record holder (10-9) was in danger of elimination after entering the competition at 10-0 and missing her first two attempts at that height. But she managed to clear it on her third, and after both McGee and Matrella went out at 10-6, Tisher managed to clear that height, securing the win.

“I was stopping in the middle of the vault (at 10-0) and I knew I needed to run faster in order to clear it,” Tisher said. “I couldn’t get over that height, and I came close to no-heighting. It was very frustrating, but it felt good to be able to clear the bar.”

The only thing left for Tisher after that was to try and break her own record. She managed to do just that, clearing 11-0 with ease and then trying for 11-7—an inch higher than the current state record for all classifications. But it was not to be, as she couldn’t get into a good enough groove to clear that height. However, the win, along with McGee’s third-place finish, was enough to give the Lady Saints the lead.

“I knew I had to get 10-6 in order to win,” Tisher said. “The girl from John Carroll (Matrella) came out of nowhere. I never saw her before.”

Few at The Barn could have seen the things that would take place in the girls’ 800-meter races.

It all started in the 1A-4A girls’ competition, where Falkville’s Crystal Gibbs upset Molen. Molen, who won the 3,200 earlier in the day (11:12.61), was poised for another win, but it was not to be as the Falkville sophomore scored a big win, running 2:27.14.

As surprising as it was, the 5A girls’ 800 had even a weirder twist. None of the pre-race favorites—Johnston or her teammate Allison Kneip, or Scottsboro’s Hanna Thompson, were in the early lead. Instead, it was Cullman’s Danielle Dean and Decatur’s Meg Adams who forced the issue early with a strong pace for the first 600 meters, with Johnston far back in sixth.

But in the first turn of the last lap, Dean and Adams—perhaps fatigued by the blistering early pace they set—took a tumble on the track, causing the other runners to scramble to avoid a huge pileup. Johnston herself was briefly forced off the track, but managed to get back on quickly enough to avoid being disqualified. Suddenly, it was she and Thompson battling for the lead, with Johnston surging ahead in the homestretch to win in 2:23.45.

It was vindication for the St. Paul’s junior after losing the 3,200 earlier in the day, and Kneip’s fourth place finish in 2:29.61—after coming off a stress fracture suffered during cross country season—added to St. Paul’s cushion.

“I was afraid of being disqualified after I went off the track,” Johnston later said. “I was in sixth or seventh and I was boxed in early, and I kept trying to work my way up. After my disappointment in the 3,200, it felt great to win, and Allison came back strong after her injury. She’s working her way back into shape.”

But that only set the stage for the 6A girls’ 800. The existing state record of 2:17.23, set by Daphne’s Kirby Patterson in 2004, seemed at the time to be an untouchable mark. Still, there was a very good field, which included Oak Mountain’s Marissa Brokaw, Hoover’s Kimberly Muldowney, Mountain Brook’s Jordan Harper and Harper’s teammate, Diethelm.

Diethelm came into the meet with some impressive credentials, having run 5:05.08 in the 1600 and 2:18.09 in the 800 earlier in the season. But nobody could have expected what would happen in this race, as she and Brokaw led through a very fast first lap.

Brokaw managed to hang with Diethelm for about 500 meters, but the Lady Spartan pulled away and was running virtually by herself at the bell lap. Diethelm’s winning time of 2:14.46 was not only a new personal best, but it also broke the state meet record by almost three seconds.

Diethelm credited her coaches and teammates with her stellar performance.

“They really pushed me so hard and they’re the ones who got me through every race,” she said. “I just tried to stay with the pack and see what I could do after that. The third lap I felt pretty confident, because that was the hardest lap and the lap where I really wanted to push it hard.”

The boys’ 800-meter races had their share of drama as well. Falkville’s Jace Wilemon and Shane Edge finished 1-2 in 2:03.78 and 2:03.72 respectively for 18 big points and the first day lead over Birmingham Altamont. In the 5A 800, St. Paul’s Lee Gilmer avenged his loss in the 3,200 to Cullman’s Dallas Malone earlier in the day to win with a time of 2:01.85. Gilmer’s twin brother, John, was sixth in 2:06.53.

Bilbrew, the Smiths Station star, barely missed breaking the 6A boys’ 800-meter record of 1:53.45, set by another Chris—Smiths Station’s Chris Patrick in 2004. Bilbrew ran 1:53.49, and his coach, J. D.Evilsizer, said that not being familiar with the wooden 200-meter oval might have played a role in the near miss.

“It was his first time on this particular track this season,” Evilsizer said. “We had planned for Chris to go out a little faster, but with this track, it gives in certain sections and he couldn’t adjust.”

DAY 2

Bilbrew would get another chance to adjust in the 400 meters, the first running event of the day. Since he got a taste of the boards the day before, he knew what to expect, especially since he faced tough competition from teammate Spencer Ferguson, Mountain Brook’s Jake Stephens and Central-Phenix City’s Bernard Spivey.

A few weeks before, Bilbrew ran a 47.68 at the Arkansas Invitational. That track had a Mondo surface, but here at The Barn, this would be a tougher task, given the fact that it was a well-worn wooden track..

Bilbrew had a great start, and went through the first 200 in 23 seconds. He had a commanding lead at the 300-meter mark, and powered his way to a 48.89 clocking, easily breaking the old state record of 50.09 set by Theodore’s Willie Quinnie in 1999.

“It was harder to run on this track than it was at Arkansas,” Bilbrew said afterwards. “This track was all messed up, but I just blocked it out and just ran. I just got out in front and tried to hold it. I felt great on the first 200, and after I got on the backstretch, I just tried to hold it.”

“We knew Chris could go under 49 on this track because in his first meet at Clemson University, he ran 49.06 and that track was slow,” said Evilsizer. We brought him over early and did a few starts and get him used to running that high turn.”

The 400-meter dash was memorable for other reasons, too. Ashville’s Logan Cornutt broke the 1A-4A boys’ record with a time of 51.76, and on the 5A girls’ side, Angel Watson (who later won the 55-meter dash) won her 400-meter race in 1:02.32. Teammate Frankie Borries finished third to widen St. Paul’s lead to 17 points.

It was a prelude of what was to come later.

Diethelm, along with Morgan and Dunn, were part of a big-time 6A girls’ 1,600-meter field that included Brokaw and the Muldowney sisters. It was a good fast pace early on, with Diethelm battling with Morgan and Dunn for the lead.

The first 800 meters was under 2:26, and Diethelm and Morgan traded the lead as they both pulled away from Dunn in the last lap. Spurred on by a boisterous crowd, Diethelm pulled away from Morgan to run a state record 4:56.79, with Morgan second in 4:58.09, and Dunn third in 4:59.73.

All three were well under the old record of 5:05.84, set by Vestavia Hills’ Laurel Pritchard in 2006.

“You’re so tired, but you still have go as hard as you can go, and that’s what I told myself,” said Diethelm.

“We were hoping to do it (go under five minutes), but I wasn’t expecting it,” said Morgan. “Our team supports us so much, and that’s the reason why we do what we’re able to do. We also had the crowd behind us.”

Diethelm and Morgan, along with Lucy Newton and Reed Ellis, would be part of another record—this time in the 6A girls’ 4 X 800 meter relay. The foursome ran 9:39.14 and cracked the old record of 9:40.74 set by Vestavia Hills in 2005. They gave credit to former Olympian Mark Everett, an assistant coach, for giving them guidance.

“He keeps you prepared,: said Ellis. “He’s always there as a confidence builder.”

“We couldn’t have done it without Coach Everett,” said Diethelm. “It’s so exciting to have another record.”

The 6A boys’ 4 X 800 was just as exciting. Bilbrew was running anchor for Smiths Station, which had high hopes of not only breaking the existing state record of 8:01.12 by Mountain Brook in 2006, but had hopes of breaking the eight-minute mark as well. The team, which also had John Neal, Ferguson, and Rickey Martin, had stiff competition from Hoover, Oak Mountain, and Mobile’s McGill-Toolen Catholic.

Neal and Ferguson kept Smiths Station in contention, and Martin put Bilbrew in position to run a strong anchor leg—which he did, running 1:54 to help the Panthers win in 7:57.91. Later, Bilbrew, along with Jimmy Freeman, Ferguson, and Dominique Thomas, teamed up to run a state record 3:25.03 in the 4 X 400.

“We kind of cranked it up early so Chris could get offers from a good school,” said Evilsizer of the 4 X 800 effort. “Usually, we’re not pushing this hard at this time of year, but we had our guys do 600-meter time trials by themselves. That way, they would learn to run by themselves if we were in the lead.”

Mountain Brook finished second in the 4 X 400 in 3:30.33 to secure the 6A boys’ team title. Later, Echols said his team had to overcome a lot of adversity.

“We had so many athletes injured during the year,” he said. “Jake Stephens had surgery on both legs, and couldn’t run for four months. But he and Johnny Alt (who was second in the 400 and ran a leg on the 4 X 400) had incredible races on this old raggedy track, and the guys are really excited for each other.

MEET PREVIEW: FAST TIMES POSSIBLE AT ALABAMA STATE INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

By Arthur L. Mack

Priceville's Celebration Arena will be the setting for what could be a very competitive Alabama State High School Athletic Association Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday, February 2 and Saturday, February 2.
Athletes will compete in three divisions--6A, 5A, and 1A-4A.
Here is a preview of what to expect:

6A

The battle for 6A supremacy could be between two schools---Hoover and Mountain Brook. Hoover is the defending champion in the girls division, while Mountain Brook is the defending champ in the 6A boys.
On the girls' side, Hoover has the Muldowney sisters--Nicole and Kimberly--in the distance events. Both have run under 5:20 in the 1600 and under 11:35 in the 3200.
It could be an interesting race in both events, though, as Mountain Brook has some strong distance runners of its own in Caterine Diehelm (who ran a 5:05.08 1600 in the Hoover Invitational) and Madeline Morgan, who has run 10:59.31 in the 3200. Diehelm has also run 2:18:09 in the 800.
All of them, though, could take a back seat to Decatur Austin's Jennifer Dunn who has bests of 5:01.94 and 10:54.45 in the 1600 and 3200 respectively.
In the 6A boys' division, Hoover won its own invite, thanks to strong distance performances from Tim Landry, Ben Willis, and Patrick McGregor. Landry has the state's best 1600 and 3200 meter times (4:24.35 and 9:44.94), and is favored to win both events.
But Mountain Brook won't give up without a fight. A strong 4 X 400 meter relay team, which won that event in 3:32.76 at the Hoover Invite, could be the difference between victory and defeat.
Two teams could be spoilers in the 6A boys' division, though. Vestavia Hills has several strong performers in Jonathan Harkness (55-meter dash), Nate Nesmith (shot put) and Will Henley (pole vault). Mobile's McGill-Toolen Catholic could be the spoiler in the meet, as it has the state's top shot putter in Jake Lenefsky (52-1).

5A

On paper, Mobile's St. Paul's appears to be the team to beat in the girls' division. The Lady Saints won the 5A title in last year's meet, and with teams such as Northridge, Huntsville, and Homewood moving up to 6A this year, could very well repeat big time.
A big victory over the likes of 6A powerhouses Mountain Brook and Hoover in the Hoover Inviational two weeks ago also bodes well for St. Paul's. The Lady Saints are loaded, with distance ace Mary Carleton Johnston in the 800, 1600, and 3200, and pole vaulter/hurdler Neal Tisher.
But St. Paul's has other weapons as well. Two of them are the Borries sisters--Johnnie and Frankie. Both will participate in four events, and should have strong performances in all of them.
The biggest threat to St. Paul's chances of repeating as 5A girls' champions could come from Scottsboro, led by distance stars Lacey Wright and Emily Thompson, Huntsville's J.O. Johnson, and Cullman.
St. Paul's boys finished third in last year's meet, but could have a better showing this time around, with a very strong distance corps led by Lee Gilmer and Patrick Platzer. In addition, the Saints have one of the state's top sprinters in Louis Watson, who has seasonal bests of 6.68 in the 55-meter dash and 51.32 in the 400-meter dash.
As with the girls, St. Paul's strongest competition should come from Scottsboro, led by a strong distance corps featuring Benton Reed.

1A-4A

With Mobile's UMS-Wright bumped up to 5A, the 1A-4A competition could be wide open in the boys' division. One team to watch in this division is Falkville, led by 400/800 meter runner Shane Edge (52.53/2:06.66) and 55-meter hurdler Cody Sewell (8.30). Sewell has also high-jumped 6-2 this season.
On the girls' side,Altamont could be a strong favorite to repeat as 1A-4A champions. Altamont is led by Elisabeth Molen, who was fifth in the Hoover Invitational 3200 (11:29.99).

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