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T. C. Williams Invitational
Preview by Pearl Watts
big weekend in Northern Virginia - Draper Invitational too
The May track and field invitational season becomes the time to turn up the heat with improved performances as the district meets are just three weeks away. With temperatures expected at close to 90 degrees this Saturday, hot track times should be the norm at the Eighteenth Annual T.C. Williams Invitational. The T.C. meet annually attracts many of the top teams in the area with this year's edition bringing together over 1,000 athletes representing over fifty schools. The meet gets underway at 9:00 a.m. with the start of field events with the morning running events set for a 9:30 a.m. start. Contained in the morning running events will be the non-seeded sections of the 3,200 and 1,600 meter runs and also the running trials for the girls 100 meter hurdles, boys 110 high hurdles and the trials for both boys and girls in the 100 and 200 meter dashes. The top twelve times in the trial races advance to a two section final as part of the afternoon running finals session that will start at 1:00 p.m. Scoring for all events is through eight places on a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
Girls: West Potomac is the defending team champion but the favorite this year looks to be last year's runnerup, Gar-Field. The Indians are led by one of the top performers in the country in senior Sheena Johnson. Last week at the Penn Relays, Johnson took home the huge plaque honoring her as the top female high school performer of the meet after she won the 400 hurdles for an unprecedented third year in a row. This Saturday, Johnson will be the favorite in five events for state indoor team champion Gar-Field. Johnson is top seeded in the long jump where her main competition should come from Atlee's Caroline Harvey and Rolanda Howard of Long Reach with their sights set on the meet record of 19 feet, 3.75 inches. Johnson is also the favorite in the triple jump and could be a threat to graduated Yolanda Thompson of West Potomac's meet record of 40-11.75. On the track, Johnson will be looking to defend her title in the 100 hurdles; should have a good chance at grabbing the 300 hurdle record that Lake Braddock's Angela Griffith has held since 1988 at 43.64 seconds and Johnson is also the top seed in the 100 dash. Gar-Field should be able to provide ample support for Johnson with Takeitha Jordan in the high jump and triple jump; Kira Sims in the pole vault and long jump and with Dionne Evans in the 1,600 and 3,200 runs. Long Reach High from Maryland should also make some noise with Rolanda Howard in the horizontal jumps, Cynthia Nicholls in the 100 hurdles and high jump and with one of the top rated sprinters around in Teyarnte Carter. That trio seems capable of top three finishes in their events if all goes according to form. Some of the top performers to watch in the field events include Charlotte LaRoche and Alicia LaRoche of Centreville who with Hayfield's Carrie Bennett and Sims of Gar-Field make the pole vault virtually a state meet preview. In the discus throw, Mount Vernon's Donisha Freeman is the top seed and Freeman is also the defending champion in the shot put but will have to contend with Penn Relays runnerup and indoor state champion India Odum of Hayfield with both girls capable of exceeding the meet record of 42-7.75. Among the top runners entered include: Alicia Craig of Campbell County High in Wyoming. Craig and her Campbell County cohorts were one of the top ranked cross country teams in the U.S. last year. Craig, the runnerup in the mile run at the Nike Indoor Classic, could be a threat at the 1,600 meet record of 4:49.78 set by Walter Johnson's Sally Glynn in 1994 and the 3,200 record set last year by Robinson graduate Liz Awtrey of 10:33.04 although the hot afternoon weather could take its toll on the distance events. Others to watch include Nikeya Green of Hayfield in the 1,600 run and also the 800 run where she will hook up with Nicole Cook of Petersburg; Chantilly's Alyssa Aiken, who is the top seed in the 400 dash just ahead of Marie Giles of Bethel with Aiken also top seeded in the 200 dash and Largo's 4x100 relay and 4x400 relays led by sprinters Chiquita Stephens and Lakisha Brooks.
On the boys side there will be a new team champion crowned since 1999 titleist Potomac does not return this year and it could have a similar ring to it with West Potomac among the favorites. The Wolverines put together a tremendous showing at the Penn Relays last weekend with automatic state qualifying perfomances in the 4x100; 4x400 and 4x800 relays with senior twins Jerry Harris and Jermie Harris playing the lead roles on all three relays. Jerry and Jermie Harris are both entered in the long and triple jumps but those fields are loaded with standouts. In the long jump, state indoor runnerup Dexter Faulk is the top seed in a field which also includes state placers Darryl Blackstock and Jasonus Tillery of Heritage along with Godwin Mbagwu from Petersburg and Frank Tolen of Stonewall Jackson. The triple jump is also strong at the top with state indoor champ Tolen of Stonewall, state indoor runnerup Jason Fludd from Brooke Point and 1999 indoor state champ Mbagwu with all around perfomer Tolen also the top seed in the high jump, 110 high hurdles and 300 intermediates. On the track for West Potomac, Jerry Harris is one of the top seeds in the 200 dash and Jermie Harris in the 400 dash and they will also probably look for twin killings in the 400 relay and 1,600 relay. Two of the top sprinters around anywhere may or may not compete in Dwight Thomas of Northwestern and Rickey Harris of Centreville. Thomas suffered a leg injury at an indoor meet at Virginia Tech in early January and has seen sporadic competition since. When he is on Thomas is one of the top 100 and 200 dash runners in the nation. Harris has had a recurring problem with his shoulder since the fall and had the shoulder go out on him in the 400 hurdles at Penn but it is possible that he will line up in the 100 and 200 dashes on Saturday. Two of the top sprinters who shouldn't have any problem lining up in the 100 and 200 dashes include Byron Dunham of Brooke Point and Laurel's Steve Nance while the 400 dash could be a battle between Adrian Washington of DeMatha and Anthony Pelham from Heritage. In distance events, Busayo Ojumu of T.C. Williams is one of the favorites in the 800 run; Hailemichael Teklai of Washington-Lee should be in the lead pack for the 1,600 run and Austin Smith of Midlothian heads the 3,200 run contingent. In the 110 and 300 hurdles, Dwight Ruff of Camden High from Newark, New Jersey is one of the top entrants with Camden's always strong 4x400 relay squad along with Penn Relays Championship of America 4x400 finalist Heritage having a shot at the impressive 1996 meet record of 3:15.74 by Hampton High.
The city of Alexandria plays host to not one, but two, long running invitationals this weekend with the Nineteenth Annual Draper Invitational at St.Stephen's and St. Agnes also on the docket. The three day affair begins on Thursday with girls field events at 2:30 p.m. Running trials and semifinals for all girls events up to the 400 meter distance are set to start on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Friday's action includes boys field events at 2:30 p.m. with their running trials through the 400 dash slated for 3:30 p.m. Saturday's running event finals will begin at 1:30 p.m. Archbishop Carroll of D.C. is the defending boys team champion and Good Counsel (Md.) the girls defender. Some of the top teams in the meet include Oakton, South Lakes, McLean, Langley, Annandale, St. Stephen's and St. Agnes, Gonzaga, Paul VI, O'Connell, Episcopal and Good Counsel. On the girls side, Concorde District indoor champ Oakton will be one of the favorites led by sophomore Keira Carlstrom in the distances and senior Amy Conteh in the sprints and jumps. McLean has senior Ayanna Alexander back to defend her titles in the 300 hurdles and triple jump while Madia Willis of St.Stephen's/St.Agnes returns as the 1999 champion in the shot put and also in the discus throw where she is the meet record holder. Another double winner returning is Hassina Outtz of Good Counsel in the 100 hurdles and long jump with strong performances also expected by Langley's Leslie Schultz in the middle distances and O'Connell's Michelle Hart in the hurdles and high jump.
On the boys side, the name competitor is Alan Webb. The South Lakes junior is entered in the 3,200 run where he will not be going all out [for him] but will be looking to run in the 9:10 to 9:20 range, depending on the weather, and qualify for states accrding to coach Scott Raczko. Webb will be going hard in the 4x800 relay with the team that includes Penn Relay distance medley legs Richard Smith and Kanda Karmo and also Brendan Leahy as the Seahawks look to break the meet record of 8:00.1. Top field event performers entered include Sean Washington of St. Stephen's/St.Agnes and John Redmann of O'Connell in the horizontal jumps; Oakton's Teddy Presley in the high jump and Episcopal's Pat McCullough along with John Rauer in the shot put and discus throw. On the track, James Small of McLean is one of the area's top middle distance runners; Elliott Collins from South Lakes will be one of the favorites in the 400 dash and two of the top distance eventers should be Paul Costello of Paul VI and O'Connell's Dan Antalics.
