steveu's Friday report
Ritz 4-Pack -
Siraki status quo -
Relays
by Steve Underwood
Time No Object; Ritz Surges To Runaway Win
RALEIGH 6/16/00 -- After one circuit around the Paul Derr Track tonight in
the Foot Locker National Championships, it was depressingly clear to us
nostalgic distance geeks and pumped-up message board posters that the
much-heralded 2-mile wasn't going to produce the time we were all dreaming of.
That's OK; that just left Dathan Ritzenhein to do what he does best. In the
words of the infamous Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, "Just win,
baby."
For the fourth straight time in a national championship-type race (including
CC and indoor), Ritz did just that. He made his patented mid-late race surge
earlier this time, opening up a huge gap that destroyed the outstanding field.
His 8:48.06 wasn't a PR, but it turned out to be much more than enough under
the circumstances that got everyone together on this muggy evening.
"No one can go with him with 1000 to go," said fifth-place finisher
Matt Tegenkamp.
Earlier, no one had been willing to take up the pace to set up a record
attempt on a muggy evening, though the conditions were much better than they
might have been. After a 71-second first lap, Ritz helped pick it up, and soon a
string of four at the top developed that also included Eric Logsdon, Don Sage
and Nick Schneider.
"I didn't want to take the lead," said Ritz, surely at least a
little mindful of last week's hard 5000 and the two races awaiting him
Saturday. "I really thought that Logsdon or someone would take it
out."
Still, the 64-65 pace that ensued could do no better than bring the lead
group through the mile at 4:29. Logsdon took command through the end of the
fifth lap, but Ritz then made his decisive move, spread-eagling his pursuers so
quickly that even those who heavily favored the Rockford junior were stunned. He
burned the last three laps in an unofficial 3:12.3, 4:17.5 for the last 1600.
"I felt real good," said Ritzenhein. "I mixed it up a bit.
Everyone's been reading about me that I take off the last �-mile, so I surged
just past the 2000m mark."
The surprise of the race was Minnesota's Schneider, who scorched the last
200 in 27, according to his coach, to pass three runners for second. His 8:56.40
is a state record.
"This is a breakthrough race for me," he said. "I usually don't
get this much competition. I was fifth with 200 to go, but I knew I had a
kick."
Oregon's Noel Paulson was the best of the rest, outlasting Tim Keller,
Tegenkamp and Logsdon for third. Sage, the pre-race co-favorite, faded to 8th
in 9:05.99.
"I can't make any excuses," the York senior said. "It's a
tough 3-week stretch. I just didn't feel too great. When that second quarter
went in 64, it felt more like 59. And the first mile felt a lot faster than
4:29."
Siraki Wins In Mid-Race, Too
Anita Siraki and her coach have been toying with the idea of her going out a
little faster in her two-mile races. But Friday night, she decided it was just
time to stick with her winning formula.
So after a 5:14 first mile, the California junior put in her patented
fifth-lap surge and pulled away to a 4-second win, her 10:18.03 topping Wyoming's
Alicia Craig (10:22.34) and the rest of a strong field. After a series of 77-78
second laps, the field found Siraki's 74.69 for the fifth go-round - and her
5:03 second mile - too much to overcome.
"I just wanted to race how I always do," said the Hoover HS runner.
"I just went with the flow, and how I felt."
"I'm so proud of Anita," said Sara Bei, the Santa Rose (Ca.)
junior who was third in 10:28.32. She gave some credit to Siraki, her roommate
on this trip, for inspiring her. "She helps me pump myself up."
Meanwhile, Craig, who has raced rarely at 2M/3200 this season, continued a
string of high national finishes (Golden West 1600 win, FL CC third) with her
performance. She may have also summed up the sentiment around these young
standouts when she said, after the junior trio had posed for a photo, "The
best part is we all get to come back next year!"
Big Relay Highlights As Well
Ritzenhein's victory was far from the only highlight for Rockford (Mi.) HS.
The Ram girls began what looked to be an awesome weekend for them with a big win
as well.
The team of Kalin Toedebusch (2:15.74 unofficially), Aimee Keenan (2:14.74),
Nora Colligan (2:15.22) and Linsey Blaisdell (2:11.81) cruised to a 8:57.52 in
the 4 x 800 relay, winning by 11 seconds. It was the first clocking under 9:00
in the country this year and the No. 5 time in prep history.
Keenan give her team a lead late in the second leg and her teammate built on
it steadily. Manchester Central (N.H.) was second and Haddonfield (N.J.) took
third after a 2:10.18 anchor leg by Erin Donohue, who was also second in the
javelin and planning to defend her mile title Saturday.
The boys 4 x 800 produced the No. 12 time in prep history when Don Lugo (Ca.)
outlasted JFK Bellmore (N.Y.), 7:38.31 to 7:40.21. After Cal state champ Mike
Serratos led off with a 1:55.00, teammates Arturo Garcia, Raphael Asafo-Agyei
and Nick Branen all ran near or beyond PR levels (1:54.59, 1:54.88 and 1:53.84)
to carry the school to a new state record.
Running the No. 2 time ever by a HS team in the sprint medley relay was
Tilden (N.Y.), with their 3:55.16 missing the 3:54.39 standard by .75. Sharisse
Yard and Samantha Dawkins handled the first 200m legs with strong handoffs, then
Claire Walker zipped through the 400. But Neisha Bernard-Thomas really shook up
the crowd by taking out her 800 in 56 (!). She battled home in 2:07, the best
800 (open or relay) in the country this year.
Miami Northwestern rocketed to the No. 9 4x200 time in history with a
1:25.00, while the same event on the girls' side went to St. Thomas Aquinas
(Fla.) in 1:36.90. Boyd Anderson (Fla.) was yet another winner from the Sunshine
State with its 3:25.70 in the boys sprint medley.
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