Melissa Donais' second surprise
by John Dye
Melissa Donais said she likes to get out in front and push the
pace. "At least I get some of the glory. And  even
if I don't win, I get a better time." In the Millrose mile
she claimed all the glory in front of the big crowd at Madison Square
Garden, getting both the win and the time -- a 5 second PR of 4:53.90,
fastest in the nation this year and 4 seconds ahead of runnerup
Liz Gesel NH.
Seizing the lead on the first turn, Donais just kept getting further
and further ahead, and the race announcer counted down the laps
to go until the gun lap arrived with Donais holding an insurmountable
lead.
"I thought she was the rabbit," said Clara Horowitz,
who came from California to run against the mostly Eastern field.
Liz Maloy, Holy Names NY, and others were left shaking their heads,
"I've been beating her all year . . . " Even so, Maloy
got a PR 4:59.86, her first time under 5 minutes, as she was the
6th of the field of 9 to break 5:00.
Donais was not fazed when the announcer called a split of 2:24
for a half mile. "For a second, I thought, ooh that's a bit
fast. But you can't always rely on splits, and being 11 laps instead
of 8 it's kind of hard to judge pace. So I thought, ignore it. You
know you're running fast. I felt great, and as we went round and
round I kept getting more and more excited."
Donais scorned tactical racing. "Who wants to just hang back
and steal a race in 5:12? You have to gamble a little."
Meeting the media afterward, Donais was shaking her head just like
her competitors. "I'ts incredible. I never expected to win
this race. I just broke 5 for first time (at Yale on her birthday,
January 19, in front of her future coaches)." And the small
Garden track is not conducive to good times (see the
boys race, which was one of those tactical races Melissa scorns).
The stunning result, Melissa's first big meet win this season,
called to mind Melissa's other big surprise -- winning the Foot
Locker Northeast regional as an unknown sophomore in 1999. "I
still tell everybody about that," Donais said. "It's like
it happened yesterday."
Now she has something else to tell them.
First turn - the only time it was close, as Donais (blue)
sprints to the lead
Donais toured the next 10 laps alone
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HS Girls Mile Results
1. Melissa Donais MA 4:53.90
2. Liz Gesel NH 4:57.80
3. Meghan Owen CT 4:59.10
4. Laura Stanley NC 4:59.56
5. Clara Horowitz CA 4:59.58
6. Liz Maloy NY 4:59.86
7. Michelle Rorke NY 5:05.77
8. Megan Olds NY 5:06.28
9. Sally Meyerhoff AZ 5:06.57
The field, as announced 1/20/02 by Jim Spier, chair of the selection
committee:
-MELISSA DONAIS, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA
-LIZ GESEL, Central, Manchester, NH
-CLARA HOROWITZ, Head-Royce School, Oakland, CA
-MOLLY HUDDLE, Notre Dame, Elmira, NY
*ELIZABETH MALOY, Academy of Holy Names, Albany, NY
-SALLY MEYERHOFF, Mountain Pointe, Phoenix, AZ
-MEGAN OLDS, Gloversville, NY
*MEGHAN OWEN, Killingly, Danielson, CT
-MICHELLE RORKE, Bronxville, NY
-LAURA STANLEY, Carolina Day School, Asheville, NC
[Huddle did not run because of a 2-sport ruling by the New York
PHSAA.]
Millrose Games 2002
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