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Results - Stats - Pictures
- Introduction of Teams
Keziah Fernandez holds off Tiandra Ponteen in stretch
by John Dye
In one of the great races of this or any year, superstar Stacey
Ann Livingston blew open the race with a 54.9 third leg, giving
Boys and Girls just enough of a lead to withstand Tiandra
Ponteen's 55.2 anchor for Eleanor Roosevelt. Boys and
Girls thus broke into the middle of Wilson Long Beach's top 6 all
time marks in the US with the 3rd best ever. Roosevelt was 7th all
time.
Boys and Girls grabbed the lead immediately with leadoff Meisue
Francis and never trailed, although Eleanor Roosevelt twice pulled
alongside. Livingston handed off to B&G anchor Keziah Fernandez
with a 3-second lead. Fernandez went one lap in a swift 25.5, but
Roosevelt's ace Ponteen was even faster at 24.1, cutting the lead
in half. Fernandez slowed on the backstretch and the lead disappeared,
sending the SRO crowd into a frenzy. The two girls hit the stretch
dead even, with Ponteen perhaps edging a few inches ahead. Then
both girls seemed to run out of gas, and there was a slow motion
fight as the crowd roared. Furious arm pumps overcame tired legs
for Fernandez as she built a new lead at the finish. The last lap
was the slowest of the race, with both girls over 31 seconds. Ponteen
admitted she was worn out by the effort to catch up.
Afterward, coaches and writers wondered if the result would have
been different if Ponteen had run her customary third leg instead
of switching to anchor. If Ponteen kept the race close against Livingston,
Roosevelt might have had an edge with Renee Clarke, their second
best runner, in her usual anchor slot. But that just shows there
is a duel of wits in relays, and Boys and Girls coach Jimmy Jackson
won this time.
Livingston, whose specialty is middle distances, said she didn't
worry about pace at 400 meters. Her strategy today? "Just run."
Stats
|
Leg
|
Lap
|
Cum
|
Leader
|
Lap split
|
400 split
|
Runner |
|
1
|
1
|
|
Boys & Girls
|
25.6
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
56.2
|
Boys & Girls
|
30.6
|
56.2
|
M. Francis |
|
2
|
1
|
|
Boys & Girls
|
26.5
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
1:51.7
|
Boys & Girls
|
29.2
|
55.5
|
D. Moorer |
|
3
|
1
|
|
Boys & Girls
|
25.6
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
2:46.4
|
Boys & Girls
|
29.1
|
54.7
|
S. Livingston |
|
4
|
1
|
|
Boys & Girls
|
25.5
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
3:43.7
|
Boys & Girls
|
31.8
|
57.3
|
K. Fernandez |
Pictures
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left, Meisue Francis gets Boys and Girls off to a
quick lead
Desiree Moorer starts second leg, with Largo 2nd and Roosevelt
3rd.
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Roosevelt's Ramona Modeste pulls alongside
Moorer in middle of 2nd leg, but doesn't get by.
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Stacey Ann Livingston is opening up big lead
in middle of 3rd leg with Largo 2nd and Roosevelt 3rd
Anchor Leg
Fernandez heads out
 |
3 seconds later,
Ponteen gets the baton
 |
1 lap to go, the lead is cut in half,
but still looms large |
The battle is joined at the top
of the stretch; then Fernandez surges last to win it for
Boys and Girls.
|
|
Jubilant awards ceremony - Boys and Girls team
with head coach Jimmy Jackson in the center and
assistant coaches Anthony Jones (left) and William Thomas
(right).
Results
1 Boys and Girls NY 3:43.63
2 Eleanor Roosevelt MD 3:44.56
3 Willingboro NJ 3:47.95
4 DeWitt Clinton NY 3:49.69
5 Largo MD 3:50.99
6 Bishop Loughlin NY 4:02.23
USA National Indoor Championships
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