HS ENTRIES
Boys: Individual - 4x100
- 4x400 - 4x800/DMR.
Girls: Individual - 4x100
- 4x400 - 4x800/DMR
Headliners
- Dathan Ritzenhein - Olympic Development
5000 meters, Friday 7:40pm - Rockford MI senior is gunning for the high
school record (13:44 Gerry Lindgren 1964). Like Alan Webb in his quest
for a sub-4 mile, Ritz is hoping for older runners to help him out.
The field includes seasoned men like Mark Carroll of Ireland, Johnson
Muiruri, Thomas Omwenga, and Julius Nderitu. After his great third in
junior men at the World Cross Country championships in Belgiuim, Ritz
is not afraid of international runners. The record is a reach from his
PR of 14:13.80 last June, but this is a stronger field and Ritz has
improved. Getting under 14 minutes would be a historic achievement as
only four HS runners have ever done that --Lindgren, who did it twice;
Steve Prefontaine 13:52.8, John Zishka 13:55.65, and Craig Virgin 13:58.2
-- and none of them since 1980. Olympic
Development 5k Entries
- Alan Webb - DMR 5:05pm Friday, 4x800
prelims 9am Friday and finals 3pm Saturday - The sub-4 minute miler
will concentrate on relays at this meet as his South Lakes VA team looks
to score in the distance medley and the 4x800. They just missed the
DMR title here last year when Webb made up all but a few meters on St.
Malachy's of Ireland in a 3:59.9 anchor split (1600 meters). Webb has
stronger suipport this year, with Richard Smith getting a PR 1:53+ in
the Arcadia 800. In the same meet, South Lakes had two other runners
under 2:00 in the 800, so they now have turned their quest for records
to the 4x800. If the first three PR, a sub-1:50 anchor by Webb might
put South Lakes in range of the US record of 7:34.1 by Donald Sage's
York IL squad last year. South Lakes' DMR nemesis, Atlantic Del Ray
Beach FL, cannot run at Penn because their state meet qualifying rounds
have already started.
- Veronica Campbell - Jamaican Olympic
medalist leads Vere Technical's crack 4x100 relay team, finals at 2:25
pm Friday - Penn Relays officials believe Campbell is the first Olympic
finalist to run in the Penn Relays HS division.
- Camden NJ boys - sprint relays - This
crew (Jamar Ervin, Jade Smith, John Morris) is the best in the US, and
Jamaica (St. Jago, Holmwood, Bridgeport, and Jamaica College) will broaden
their horizons; should be a terrific fight -- 4x100 prelims Friday,
4x400 prelims Saturday morning, both finals Saturday afternoon. The
US side also includes top New York squads Campus Magnet, Poly Prep,
Transit Tech, and South Shore, along with Dematha MD, Poly Long Beach
CA, and Dover DE.
Other High School (by day)
Thursday
- Running Prelims: Girls 4x100 11:15am,
4x400 1:25pm, 4x800 10:35am
- Running Finals: Girls 400H 10:25
am, DMR 5:50pm, Mile 6:05pm, 3000 6:10pm
- San Lorenzo Valley CA girls return to the scene of their
national record DMR (11:41.28 in 2000). Their team is intact again,
with Ale Barrientos' return to form after a 10-month layoff from
a stress fracture, and would like to take down the Penn Relays record
(11:40.51 Vere Tech, Jamaica, 1992). Coach Rob Collins thinks it
is possible, after Ale's 4:47.88 1600 at Arcadia, a 12-second improvement
over her Stanford time 2 weeks earlier and not far off her 4:44.28
anchor at Penn last year. Collins sees Ale running back to her 2000
split and equal or better times from the other three legs: Raquel
Barrientos 3:42.1, Lyndsay Scharborough 57.7, and Shiloh Whiting
2:17.0. SLV is not alone - there are good teams from Bellport NY,
Boys & Girls NY, Manchester Central NH, and Tacius Golding JAM.
- 3000 - Should be a duel between two sub-10 minute runners:
Michelle Wale NY, 4th here last year, and Julia Pudlin
PA.
- Mile - Multi-talented Erin Donohue NJ picks this
event under Penn's one individual event rule; she is the Nike Indoor
Classic champion this year (4:51.15) and has a PR of 4:48.68 (Raleigh
1999, Foot Locker Outdoor champion).
- 400m hurdles - With 3-time winner Sheena Johnson off to
UCLA, the door is open to Tiffany Abney PA. Her 58.82 PR
came in the Junior Nationals last June, and she won the US-Canada
dual meet. But Abney will be severely tested by Jamaicans Melaine
Walker 56.55 and Camille Robinson 58.41, 1-2 in the recent
Jamaican HS championships. .
- Field: Girls javelin 12pm,
long jump 1:45pm, triple jump 145pm, high jump 3pm, and shot put 3pm.
- Triple Jump - Poly Long Beach CA sr Candice Baucham
uncorked a 42-3.5 wind legal mark at the Arcadia Invitational 2
weeks ago, making her the heavy favorite here. Last Saturday she
won the Mt. SAC Relays long jump at 19-4.
- Pole Vault - Massachusetts Air Time teammates Samantha
Shepard and Molly Lederman, who have held national HS
girls records eight times between them, head this field, with worthy
contenders being Poly Long Beach CA sr Jamie Kolar, Fairview
PA sr Kim Stuyvesant, and Erie PA sr Emily Tharpe.
- High Jump - Northern VA rivals Krystle Moss and
Bonnie Meekins move to a larger stage, where they are joined
by McDowell PA jr Sheena Gordon, a 5-11 leaper indoors this
year.
-
- Day 1 results
Friday
- Running Prelims: Boys 4x800 9am,
4x100 10:15am
- Running Finals:
- Girls 4x800 12:20pm, 4x100 2:15pm, 4x400 5:35pm
- Can anyone beat the Jamaicans?
- Jamaican 4x100
and 4x400 teams beat
the US national records in their national championship 3 weeks
ago, Vere Tech 44.61 and Holmwood Tech 3:35.77.
US teams taking up the challenge will be William Penn
PA, Poly Long Beach CA, Randolph NY, and Boys
& Girls NY. Randolph was fastest in the prelims with
a sub-3:40 clocking.
- Two Jamaican teams (Holmwood Tech 9:02.57 and Edwin
Allen 9:04.10) have faster times than any US team, so US
indoor champions Randolph NY 9:09.74 (NSIC) and Boys
& Girls NY 9:11.82 (NIC) will have to step it up to
have a chance. But Boys & Girls made a statement in the
prelims with the only sub-9 clocking despite a "slow"
heat from Stacy Livingston.
- Boys DMR 5:05pm, mile 5:20 pm, 3000 5:25pm.
- Boys DMR -
Alan
Webb and South Lakes VA won't have nemeses Atlantic
Del Ray Beach FL (losses at Arcadia and the Nike Indoor Classic)
or St. Malachy's of Ireland (winner of the last 4 Penn Relays
DMRs) to worry about, but could still have its hands full with
Belvedere of Ireland, St. Alban's of England,
Albuerque Olimpico of Puerto Rico, St. George's
of the Bahamas, and Christian Brothers Academy of New
Jersey.
- Boys Mile - Bobby Curtis
KY and Bobby Lockhart VA will have a rematch of their
photo-finish battle at the Nike Indoor Classic, where Curtis
surprised Lockhart with a last turn kick and won by a split
second. They are joined by such worthies as Matt Maline
VA, member of the US junior men's team at the World Cross Country
championships and Millrose Games milers Shane Stroup
MD and Justin Romaniuk NY.
- Boys 4x800 - It will take
sub-7:50 to talk championship possibilities, with John Jay
NY and Christian Brothers already having been there
and South Shore NY, Transit Tech NY, North
Penn PA, and Archbishop Ryan PA thinking about it.
- Field: Girls
discus 10am; Boys javelin 12pm, high jump 1:30pm, Shot Put 2:30pm
- Boys High Jump - Indoor leader
Dan Olson NY (7-4) is the obvious favorite.
Saturday
|
|