by Donna Dye
This is a story about our day on the I-95 corridor between
Newark, Delaware and Landover MD. Our Saturdays are usually
filled with cross country or track and field, and this was no
exception.
We left home in Baltimore for a college meet at the University
of Delaware in Newark DE to watch our daughter, Natalie, pole
vault for the University of Maryland. The event was scheduled
to start at 11:00 am. We left in plenty of time heading straight
up I-95, using MTag to easily get us through the toll gates.
We stopped for breakfast at the #1 rated Diner just off I-95.
There, we ran into Duke men's coach Norm Ogilvie. We chatted
a bit and then headed over to the meet.
At the field house,we stopped to say hello to the Maryland
coaches and our daughter Natalie and her boyfriend, Brendan.
Around 11:00, we went up into the stands to wait for the pole
vault start. It was a long wait. First, they got off to a late
start, but worse yet, they started at 7'10." At a college
meet yet! They'd be better off dividing the group into sections
and putting those just learning into their own section. After
all, the provisional qualifier for the indoor NCAA championship
is 12'5"!
5 Duke freshmen from around
the country
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Phoebe Ko UT, former Utah state
champion at 3200 meters; won the 5000 meters easily today
in 18:31.82
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Paris Edwards OR, Oregon and Oregon-Washington
3000 meter champion in 2001; second in the mile today behind
teammate Sheila Agrawal
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Nick Schneider MN, 2001 HS mile
champion at the Millrose Games and the adidas Outdoor Championships
in Raleigh. Nick won the 800 today in 1:55.42
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Laura Chen CA, a 12'6.25"
pole vaulter in high school; 3rd today.
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Paige Miller PA, 2001 Penn Relays
3000 meter champion;
winner of the 3000 meters today in 9:58.60
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Ahem! Despite all these Blue Devil heroics,
Maryland won both men's and women's team titles today.
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Leaving Delaware just after 2 pm, a lot later than we expected,
we sped down I-95 to the Washington DC beltway and Landover MD
for the Prince George's Sports Complex, right next to the
Washington Redskins playpen, FedEx Field. There, the new Montgomery
County Invitational was running. We wanted to get there in
time for the Millrose mile qualifiers. It was a close call, so
I pulled up to the front door and let John jump out; he made it
to the starting line just in time to start his camera as the gun
went off.
I parked the car. Once inside, I looked around
for old friends. Here are some that I found:
Mervo Tech
(Mergenthaler Vocational High School, Baltimore)
looking ready to return to power in Maryland
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Head coach Freddie Hendricks and assistant coach
William Vaughn. Hendricks has coached Mervo for more
than 30 years without a track to call his own, and he went
to the 2000 Olympics at Sydney, Australia to watch one of
his athletes, James Carter, perform (4th in 400 meter hurdles).
Another Mervo alum, Eric Newby, is a 53' triple jumper at
U. of Florida this year. Vaughn is also a computer whiz
and partner with DyeStat on various ventures.
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Frankie Wright, Long Jumper
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Kelley Jackson, Shot Put
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More Mervo athletes: (Front Row) Chris
Lee, Jabari Bush, Glenn Love (Second Row) Anthony Green
Jr. Ronald Wright Jr. Damon Watson (Top) Frank Wright.
(In case you're wondering, Ronald and Frank Wright are cousins.)
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The Selmers: Dad-Mike, Carrie and Mom-Kathleen.
Carrie was third in a very controversial mile race. Carrie
kicked a lap early when a lap count error caused the bell
to ring after 6 laps. Still, she got a new PR that can help
her go farther, faster. Dad is the owner and editor of TrackFirst.com,
the Maryland website for high school track and field.
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We were in Maryland now, but we found yet another Dukee:
Carl Myers is the father of Christine,
a Dulaney MD senior who was second in the mile.
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And so, having started the day on a blue (devil) note, we end
it the same way.
But we're still rooting for the Terps next Thursday!
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