MoCoRunning






2006 Outdoor Track & Field Articles
By: Various
Sunday, July 02, 2006

Day 2 States Recap

4A West Regional Preview

MoCo Championship Highlights

County Championship Preview - Boys

County Championship Preview - Girls

Penn Relays Recap 1

Penn Relays Recap 2

Penn Relays Preview - Local Talent

Penn Relays Preview - World Talent

Dual Meet Highlights - April 22

Dual Meet Highlights - April 9

The Woodward Relays

Steeplechase

Devil Takes Hindmost

2006 Season Preview

The Burrito Mile



Day 2 State Championship Recap - Distance Races
May 27, 2006
by Kevin



Here is a quick recap of the Day 2 distance races. The distance races usually unfold in a way that are not necessarily apparent from the results, so this is for those of you who wanted to be there but just couldn't make it and would like to know more than the results tell.

The girls 4x800 meter relay began with ER taking the lead from the very beginning and never looking back. In the first leg, WJ's Hilary Moen was the only athlete who attempted to stay with ER, running a 67 and a 71 for a 2:18 split. Whitman's Katie McFadden and Churchill's Lindsey Moloznik were not far behind with splits of 2:21 and 2:23 respectively. Louise Hanallah of Churchill got the baton and ran a 2:21, putting her team ahead of all MoCo teams. Whitman's Debbie Isen kept her team in striking distance with a 2:26. Churchill built a familiar gap on Whitman over the third leg, but Whitman's Leslie Morrison ran a 2:14 split to place second behind ER in a time of 9:27 and ahead of third place Churchill (9:32).

In the 3A boys 4x800 meter rlay race, Paint Branch's Antony Kironji put his team in good position with a 2:01 leadoff split. Chris Bowie of BCC handed off in a time of 2:08. Alex Prevost and Dylan Straughan of BCC both followed that up with 2:08 splits. In the mean time, Einstein was flying under my radar because of some new uniforms, but they were right in the thick of things with a 6:19 through three legs. With 1 lap to go, the announcer announced that PB was in 5th, which meant BCC was in 7th. BCC's anchor leg Elias Tousley, who had been picking people off throughout his leg, continued moving past people. Around the final curve, Tousley made a push past Fallston to move into 4th, but the Fallston runner would not fade. The two got into a great sprinting match, with the Fallston runner coming out on top and BCC falling to 5th. Tousley ran a 1:58 split.

The 4A 4x800 meter relay started out fast and the ER runner got boxed to the back. The ER runner jumped back out in front, but it was a Dulaney runner who brought it through the first lap in 60. WJ's Chris Moen took the lead around the 450m curve and began to distance himself. Down the straightaway, Gaithersburg's Antonio Palmer began moving up and by the end of the 700 meters had moved into 2nd behind Moen. Moen split 1:57 and Palmer split 1:59. Greg Decker was able to hold onto the lead for most of the second leg for WJ, running a 2:06 split, while Gaithersburg's Sam Boimov was overpowered by runners from CH Flowers, QO, and Springbrook. In the third leg, CH Flowers was able to obtain a lead through the first 400 meters, with Dulaney back up in 2nd and QO hanging onto third. QO's David Laratta moved into 1st place after 550m and completed his leg with a 1:59 split. CH Flowers was close behind and Gaithersburg also within striking distance after Paul Riggio's 2:01 split. Flowers took the lead shortly after the handoff with QO's Josh Joson and Gaithersburg's Ryan Janes in hot pursuit. Janes was able to pass Joson after 600m and the race was on between him and the Flowers athlete. Both runners were at top speed coming down the homestretch, but the lead of CH Flowers proved insurmountable, as Janes clocked a 1:54 split and an overall time of 7:59.93 behind Flowers' 7:59.19.

The girls 3A 3200m race was interesting with Liz McCarter of Mount Hebron going out in 69 and coming through the first mile in 5:17. Franklin's Michelle Donadio patiently ran her own race behind McCarter. With a little more than 800m to go, Donadio passed a dieing McCarter. With 400 meters to go, Donadio opened up an big lead with a strong kick. McCarter had no answer and actually fell to fourth behind Severna Park's freshman Kelsey Hill and North Carroll's Katie Hursey.

The 4A girls 3200m race was a tight and impressive pack of five MoCo girls plus Marika Walker of ER for the first mile. Halsey Sinclair, Anya Oleynik, Emma Eckerstrom, and Walker all swapped the lead in the first mile with Cara Harrison and Louise Hannallah right in the thick of the race. After 1800m, gaps began to form as Waler, Eckerstrom, and Oleynik distanced themselves from Hannallah, Sinclair, and Harrison. The pace remained steady with no one making a move until there were 500 meters to go. Eckerstrom blew past Walker, and coming through the bell lap, Eckerstrom turned on some jets that shocked most of the audience. Over the next 200m, she put an amazing gap on the multiple-time state champ Walker, and cruised in for the state title, running the last lap in 76 and winning in 11:05.

Similar to the girls 3A race, the boys 3A 3200m race began with an Urbana athlete charging way out in front of the field. Although this athlete seemed foolish, he was not going excessively fast, coming through the first mile in 4:51. Nevertheless, the race was 30 meters behind him between BCC's Elias Tousley and Chris Bowie and Wilde Lake's Travis Boccher and JP Allera. The BCC duo patiently sat behind the Wilde Lake tandem for 5 laps before taking control of the race. Boccher was able to stay close, but with 800 meters to go, Boccher was falling out of reach and the two inevitably passed the Urbana runner. With 400 meters to go, Tousley put a gap on his teammate Bowie and they both cruised in for 1st and 2nd place in times of 9:37 and 9:40.

The 4A boys 3200m race was loaded with most of the best distance runners in the state including Broadneck's Matt Centrowitz who recently won the 3000m race at the Penn Relays and was named the Washington Post All-Met Runner of the Year. Centrowitz brought the race out fast but would not run unchallenged. ER's Mikias Gelagle and Woodlawn's Dwight Parker stuck with him stride for stride the entire race. Even on the last lap, the three stars were still right together. Parker fell behind with just 100 meters to go. Gelagle and Centro were in a dead sprint to the finish and Centro proved to be the stronger athlete, beating Gelagle in a sprint and winning in 9:13 to Gelagle's 9:14. Meanwhile, the Montgomery County athletes were battling amongst themselves not far behind. Although the MoCo athletes were not as strong as the big 3, MoCo showed its strength by taking 5 of the next 6 spots. Whitman's Will Palmer boldly tried to stay with the leaders during the first part of the race, but soon faded back into the pack. QO's Josh Joson, Blake's Kyle Gaffney, Sherwood's Chris Barnard, and Gaithersburg's Ryan Janes as well as Broadneck's Matt Llano all ran great races, but as the race progressed, Janes and Gaffney raced out in front of this pack. Gaffney and Janes were tight coming down the homestretch, with Janes edging out Gaffney in a final time of 9:33.22 for 4th place. Gaffney finished immediately behind in a time of 9:33.78.

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The 4A West Regional Meet - Preview
May 16, 2006
by Kevin


Montgomery Blair High School is lead by Ashlyn and Halsey Sinclair. The two twin sisters have been top distance runners in the region since they were freshmen. In her freshman year, Halsey swept the three distance events: the 800, 1600, and 3200 meter races, with sister Ashlyn right behind her. Halsey is also the defending champion from last year's 4A West regional 3200 meter race. In more recent times, Halsey has focused on the longer events while Ashlyn opts for the middle distance events and occasionally the hurdles. This year, Halsey is the favorite in the 1600 and 3200 meter races after solid victories at the Montgomery County Championship Meet with times of 5:07 and 11:01. Expect Ashlyn to be competitive in the 800 and the 300 meter hurdles. The top male athletes on the Blair team are Nilan Schnure who ran a 2:04 800 meter this season, and Muhammad Roberson who cleared 6'-2" in the high jump at the Bulldog Relays.

Winston Churchill High School has several very talented athletes and the list begins with indoor track All-Met Audrey Gariepy. Gariepy won four events at the indoor track county championship and is the defending high jump indoor state champ. She is entered in the 100 meter hurdles and the long, triple, and high jumps and has a good chance to win all four. Louise Hanallah is one of the top distance runners in the area and is coming off of a third place finish in the 3200 and a 4th place finish in the 1600 at the Montgomery County Championship. The girls team is very deep and should be expected to be competitive in all of the relay events, especially they 4x800m relay which owns a season best of 9:29.03 and recently went under the previous county meet record. The boys team is highlighted by Tarik Aougab who has run a 4:19 1600 meter and a 9:38 3200 meter. Evan Whetsell, with a season personal best of 2:00.2, will be one of the top finishers in the 800 meter race, and David Weinstein, when healthy, is one of the best 400-800 meter runners in the region.

Damascus High School is lead by two versatile athletes in Wil Zahorodny and Jamal Currica. Both will be teaming up on the 4x400m relay, but Currica will participate in the 100 meter race, long jump, and high jump while Zahorodny will run the open 3200 meter race. The highlight of the season for Zahorodny was winning the 5 kilometer race at the Bulldog Relays in a time of 15:53. Currica has proven to be one of the best athletes in the area by clearing 6'-4" in the high jump and making the finals in the 100 meter race in each of his last two meets. The girls team has become known for their strong field athletes and this year is no different. Chelsea Reinks won the high jump competition at the 4A West indoor regional meet and is a strong candidate to win it at this meet. Reinks could also qualify for states in the 300 meter hurdles and the triple jump. Jacquelyn Adock and Sarah McKeown are the top throwing tandem in the region while Jamie Obendorfer and Zarena Sita, who finished 1st and 2nd in the 400 meter race at the Katie Jenkins Invitational, are two of the stronger sprinters in the region.

The Gaithersburg boys are led by their field athletes. They have several top throwers in the region including Bob Dugan who has season personal bests of 164'-01" in the discus throw and 49'-09" in the shot put. Dugan is the defending 4A west regional champion in the shot put. They also have many strong jumpers who could challenge for titles including Jeremiah Lewis, Jeremy Marshall, and Israel Owolabi. Nhi Thach recently won the pole vault competition at the Montgomery County Championships by clearing a height of 11'-6". Ryan Janes, coming off of a 4:16 1600 meter performance, will be a top finisher in each of the distance events, and freshman Antonio Palmer is wasting no time in making himself known by beating many of the area's best middle distance runners. The girls team is lead by sprinter Alissa Jewell who placed 3rd in the open 100m dash at the TC Williams invitational. Jewell was the key anchor leg in the winning 4x100 meter relay at the Montgomery County Championship. Hannah Winant will be competitive in the distance races.

The top athletes on the Walter Johnson team are Hilary and Chris Moen. Hilary won the 300 meter hurdles at the Montgomery County Championship two years in a row and played a key role in many of the successful WJ relays this season. She is also the defending champion from last year's 4A West regional meet in the 300 meter hurdles. Chris is coming off of a phenomenal performance at the Montgomery County Championship in which he won the open 800 meter race in 1:57.8 and the open 1600 meter race in a record breaking time of 4:15.9. Expect both Moens to be two of the top performing athletes at the meet. Other female athletes to watch will be Stephanie Alberico in the middle distance events, Jenny McCoy in the hurdles, and Sara Price in the jumps. Other male athletes to watch are Ian Francis in the jumps, Jared Schneider in the distance races, and Alex Le in the sprints.

Magruder High School has a very large team with many talented athletes. Magruder's top athlete is Vincent Bosha who recently won the 110 meter hurdles and the 300 meter hurdles at the Montgomery County Championship and is also a strong sprinter who will compete on the 4x100m and 4x200m relays. Kalgeri Robinson and John Houston will back up Bosha in those relays. Robinson will also be competitive in the long jump while Houston will be competitive in the high jump and the pole vault. On the girls side, 200 meter county champ Ini Akpandak will be a top competitor in the sprints and will lead the 4x100 and 4x200 meter relays along with other top sprinter Tara Collins. Tabitha Eisig and Laura McCary will soak up point in the distance events and will team up for a strong 4x800 meter relay. Taleetha Williams and Provie Kruger will be competitive in the jumps.

The Richard Montgomery boys are very strong and very deep. They showed at the Montgomery County Championship that they are strong enough to score big in the open events and deep enough to score big in the relays. The boys team boasts the county champions in the 100 meter (Patrick Pinchinat), 200 meter (Keenan Crutchfield), 400 meter (Brian Sickles), the shot put (Matt Miller), and the 4x100, 4x200, and 4x400 meter relays. Other key players are sprinter Brendan Etzel and middle distance runner Bret Ligon. The girls team is young but have one of the region's strongest sprinters in Rianne Webb as well as a strong hurdler in Jessie Weaver and a strong distance runner in Luyang Liu.

The Northwest girls are the most well-rounded team in the region with a top athlete in every event. Emma Eckerstrom leads the way in the distance events with 2nd place finishes in the 1600 and 3200 meter races at the Montgomery County Championship. At the same meet, Kathy Aherne earned a second place finish in the 800 meter race with a very fast time of 2:17.6. Jessica Johnson is a strong sprinter who placed 3rd in the 200 meter race and 1st in the 400 meter race at the Katie Jenkins Invitational, and Kelsey Porter is their short sprinter who place 2nd to a 3A athlete in the 100 meter dash at the Montgomery County Championship. Northwest also has great field athletes with the county shot put champ Brittany Moreland and strong triple jumper and hurdler Tara Okusaga. The best male athlete on the team is Markcus Ruffin. Ruffin likes to participate in multiple events including the hurdles and the discus, but his top event is the high jump. Ruffin cleared 6'-6" at the indoor state championship and has consistently cleared 6-4 in subsequent meets. Other athletes to watch will be Kevin Rooths in the sprints and David D'Alessio in the 800 meter race.

The Quince Orchard squad begins with Bobby Scribner. Scribner has established himself as one of the best throwers in the state with season personal bests of 155'-05" in the disc and 48'-7.50" in the shot. He is also the defending champion from last year's 4A West regional discus competition. Larbi Dakkouni fills out the field events as one of the best long and triple jumpers in the region. Expect the county champion 4x800 meter relay team to put on a strong showing, and expect Josh Joson's break out performance in last week's county championship to carry over to this week's regional 1600 and 3200 meter races. The girls team is carried by one of the region's best sprinters in Sonia Gill who missed the county championship meet, and one of the region's top distance runners in Anya Oleynik.

Both the boys and girls Watkins Mill High School teams are highlighted by strong sprinters. On the girls side, Shayla Davis recently placed 4th in the 200 meter and 3rd in the 400 meter race at the county championship. Courtney Clark is a strong freshman who could make a difference in the sprints. The boys team is led by sprinter Allen Blanks who recently placed 3rd in the open 100 meter race at the Montgomery County Championship. Herve Doliska is another sprinter to watch for. The boys have been able to put together some strong relays including a 4x200 meter relay which placed second at the county meet from the slow heat. Michael Gardener could also be in the mix in the 800 meter race.

Walt Whitman High School has several standout athletes starting with the Montgomery County Championship Athlete of the Meet Leslie Morrison. Morrison helped the 4x800m relay team win the event and set the county record in 9:22.69 with a 2:17 split. She went on to win the open 400m in 58.0 and the 800m in 2:16.9. Morrison is the heavy favorite to win the 400 and 800 meter races at this meet. Morgane Gay has been a top competitor in the long distance races all season and may be ready to run with the top athletes. Debbie Isen and Katie McFadden are other contributors to their record breaking 4x800 meter relay and Anne Petersen is a strong hurdler for them. The boys squad is highlighted by distance runner Will Palmer and hurdler Stefan Grundmann. Palmer had a fantastic indoor season setting the indoor county record and placing 4th in the state in the 3200 meter race. He was the 3rd 4A West finisher at the recent Montgomery County Championship with a time of 9:44. Grundmann has also had a great season, only losing once in a hurdle event all season.

Thomas S. Wootton High School is highlighted by distance duo of Michele Levy and Veronica Salcido. Salcido took most of the indoor season off due to an injury but returned to the outdoor county championship meet with a solid time of 2:21.4 in the 800 meter race. Levy took the indoor season off but broke out at the TC Williams Invitational with a 1st place 3200 meter performance. Suzanne Falk is a very strong athlete for Wootton who placed 5th in the 100 meter race and 4th in the long jump, at the Montgomery County Championship. Lindsey DeGeorge will be a top finisher in the high jump. Ross Powers is a strong sprinter and hurdler for Wootton who has an especially good chance of qualifying for states in the 300 meter hurdles. Powers, along with Cedric Dana and Chris Boyd highlight a solid 4x800 meter relay team. Boyd and Dana will both be strong in the open 800 meter and Boyd will be a force in the open 1600 meter race.

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The Montgomery County Championship - Highlights
May 13, 2006
by Kevin



For some it was a blessing and for others it was a curse, but the 2006 county championship meet was broken up into two days due to weather. We saw many different kinds of weather and other adverse conditions that the athletes had to face, but in the end, the best athletes rose to the top. There were many exciting and surprising performances which made for a fantastic meet full of amazing times and performances.

Day 1 began in the rain. It rained off and on throughout the meet, but that didn't stop the sprinters from getting in their trials and finals. The 100m trials were relatively predictable with the exception of a surprisingly fast time out of a Watkins Mill sprinter named Allen Blanks. In the end, the familiar sprinters Keenan Crutchfield and Patrick Pinchinat from RM blasted out in front of the field, with Pinchinat edging out Crutchfield. In a relatively young field of female sprinters, Michele Miller rose to the occasion, decisively winning the girls title in 12.78.

In the hurdle events, we saw a strong performance out of Shaakira Raheem of Einstein and 4 girls right behind her in a very close race in the 100 hurdles. The 300m hurdles saw the return of Hilary Moen, the defending county champ. Moen defended her title in a time just one-tenth of a second off of her time from last year. She had a fantastic day overall and should be commended for turning this season into a success after missing the indoor season to an injury.

The 110 hurdles saw an exciting battle between Stefan Grundmann of Whitman and Vincent Bosha of Magruder. Bosha managed to stay two steps ahead of Grundmann for his first hurdle victory of the meet. Bosha came back to win the 300 hurdles in a good battle with Alex Gray of B-CC. He was one of two male athletes at the meet to win two open events.

The first relay event of the meet was the girls 4x8. With 2:20 and 2:22 splits out of Churchill's first two legs, it appeared as if Churchill was destined to take the 10 points from this event. However, when Morgane Gay got the baton, as she has done so many times before, she began to move up. Gay caught Churchill's third leg by splitting 2:18, putting the 800m county champ Leslie Morrison into perfect position to win it. Morrison promptly took the lead and held on for a 2:17 split and a new county record of 9:22.69.

Nobody knew who would win the boys 4x8. There were so many good teams, but many teams were also sitting out at least one of their best athletes. The Quince Orchard boys showed up with their full strength team for the first time since March, but even they were questionable how good they could do. One leg into the race, Gaithersburg's strong freshman Antonio Palmer was fighting it out with Paint Branch's Antony Kironji. Wootton challenged for first during that second leg, but it wasn't long before Reagan Lynch of QO moved into the lead with a considerable gap. Unfortunately for him, an even-paced Sam Boimov from Gaithersburg worked his way back up to Lynch and regained the lead for Gaithersburg before the second handoff. David Laratta, who had been out with an injury for the better part of the season, got the baton for QO and took off. Laratta opened up a gap that would not be challenged again. In the mean time, the real race was for second place. Over the next four laps, RM, Churchill, Magruder, and B-CC all challenged for the second place spot. In the end it came down to a sprint between Evan Whetsell, Elias Tousley, and Brian Sickles. Sickles held back until there was about 50 meters to go. Then he turned on the jets with an amazing kick. Churchill's Whetsell and B-CC's Tousley came in behind Sickles.

The girls 1600m race was the final race before the meet was called for thunder. The two Sinclair sisters brought it out fast in 1:11. A pack of the top distance runners were formed just a second behind them. Halsey Sinclair built a sizeable and daring lead by 800m, coming through in 2:29! Her pace slowed a little over the next two laps, but Emma Eckerstrom, already 6 seconds back, was the only person who could match her pace for the remainder of the race. Eckerstrom broke away from the likes of Ashlyn Sinclair, Morgane Gay, and Louise Hanallah half way through and never looked back. Halsey finished in 5:07 with Eckerstrom in second with a very good 5:13.

On day 2, the sun was shining as the milers lined up. In the first section, Brian Marshall of Seneca Valley took it out fast. After 800m Raphael Chazelle did a great job reeling him in. He nearly caught him with 200m to go, but Marshall had just enough to hold off the NW distance runner.

The fast heat of the boys mile was highly anticipated and the athletes did not disappoint. Ryan Janes from Gaithersburg took it out fast. Chris Moen of Walter Johnson quickly assumed 2nd place and paced behind Janes for the first three laps. That may sound like a tactical error from Janes, but Janes was determined to run a fast time and he was pushing the pace extremely hard. Moen would not break. Moen was able to take the lead with 400m to go. Moen held it for 250m more when Janes made a final push up to Moen. With 100m to go, Moen had a slight edge and both athletes were locked into an all out sprint. The crowd was going wild as Moen took a lead of a few meters with 50m left. Both athletes ran the final lap in about 60-61. The audience was shocked to see Moen come through in 4:15.9, 1.5 seconds faster than the county record that was set by Andrew Jesien just one year prior. Janes also came in under the previous record with a 4:16.7. Both athletes put forth outstanding performances that set a precedent for the remainder of the day.

As expected, the Kennedy girls took an early lead in the 4x2. They looked very strong in the first two legs, however their third leg appeared weak and Jenny McCoy of Walter Johnson took advantage and closed the gap. Hilary Moen got the baton for WJ and sprinted along side the Kennedy anchor right to the end. WJ earned the victory by two-tenths of a second in 1:45.6.

Watkins Mill put on an impressive performance in the first heat of the 4x2 that would place them second overall, but it was the RM Rockets tearing up the track in the fast heat that took the title. Other teams challenged RM through two legs, but Brendan Etzel opened up a large gap in the third leg. Keenan Crutchfield got the baton with a very large lead, possibly in position to set the county record, but Crutchfield took it easy to save up for his open 200m, which he later won.

The fast heat of the girls 400m was a great showdown between Asia Nettles of Kennedy and Leslie Morrison of Whitman. The two were neck and neck when Morrison threw in a burst of speed with about 40m to go to win by almost a second in 58.0.

As expected, the boys open 400m final was loaded with RM and Paint Branch athletes. Marcus Wyche was a top finisher in the 400m at Nike Indoor Nationals and was thought by many to be the favorite for this race. Wyche appeared to have the race in hand with just 100m to go, but what ensued was the biggest surprise of the meet. Brian Sickles of RM threw down a nasty kick to burst past everyone including Wyche to win the county title in 49.4.

In the open 800m, Ashlyn Sinclair of Blair took it out hard. Leslie Morrison never panicked and ran a very strong final 200m for the victory. Morrison (2:16.9), came very close to Karen Aherne's record of 2:16.4. Sophomore Kathy Aherne, sister of Karen Aherne, ran a great 800m for second place in 2:17.6.

For her victories in the 400 and 800 as well as her key role in the record setting 4x800m, Morrison earned athlete of the meet honors.

The boys 800m did not disappoint, as Brenton Flurry from Einstein brought it out in 57. Chris Moen moved into 2nd place by the 500m mark and passed Flurry by 600m. Excitement came when Gaithersburg's freshman Antonio Palmer pushed into second and almost up to Moen. Moen's kick was too strong for either athlete, as he won his second open event in 1:57.8. Flurry finished in 1:58.1, and Palmer in 1:58.4.

For his victories in the 800m and the record setting 1600m, Moen earned the honors of male athlete of the meet.

Richard Montgomery won the 4x1 and 4x4 fairly easily, but excitement came in both races on the girls side. An exciting moment came during the fast heat of the 4x1 when several teams were very close going into the final leg. Gaithersburg's Alyssa Jewell put in a blazing leg to blast out in front of the other schools for the unexpected victory. Kennedy was the favorite for the girls 4x4, but they were challenged every step of the way by WJ. Kennedy was able to hold them off with a strong anchor leg and a final time of 4:01.3.

When the dust settled, the Northwest girls and the RM boys were on top. Congratulations to the new county champs. Each squad has fantastic all-around teams and they know how to come up big when it counts.

Of course, counties is great, but most would agree that the regional meets are what really matter. Next week will be intense. Nothing can be taken for granted. Although counties gives a good idea of who is performing well, expect the results next week to be decisively different with athletes competing for a spot at the state championship. Until next week, stay safe, train hard, and have fun.

Congratulations to all of the County Champions!
Event
County Champ
School
Boys 100 Patrick Pinchinat Richard Montgomery
Girls 100 Michele Miller Kennedy
Boys 200 Keenan Crutchfield Richard Montgomery
Girls 200m Ini Akpandak Magruder
Boys 400 Brian Sickles Richard Montgomery
Girls 400m Leslie Morrison Whitman
Boys 800 Chris Moen Walter Johnson
Girls 800m Leslie Morrison Whitman
Boys 1600 Chris Moen Walter Johnson
Girls 1600m Halsey Sinclair Blair
Boys 3200 Kyle Gaffney Blake
Girls 3200m Halsey Sinclair Blair
Boys 110m Hurdles Vincent Bosha Magruder
Girls 100m Hurdles Shaakira Raheem Einstein
Boys 300m Hurdles Vincent Bosha Magruder
Girls 300m Hurdles Hilary Moen Walter Johnson
Boys 4x1 Patrick Pinchinat, Vinnie Brown
Lucas Sater, Keenan Crutchfield
Richard Montgomery
Girls 4x1 Shawnte McKinney, Xania Steele
Talerah Frazier, Alyssa Jewell
Gaithersburg
Boys 4x2 Patrick Pinchinat, Lucas Sater
Brendan Etzel, Keenan Crutchfield
Richard Montgomery
Girls 4x2 Charlene Cartoux, Renee McClinton
Jenny McCoy, Hilary Moen
Walter Johnson
Boys 4x4 Patrick Pinchinat, Lucas Sater
Bret Ligon, Keenan Crutchfield
Richard Montgomery
Girls 4x4 Kennedy Kennedy
Boys 4x8 Josh Joson, Reagan Lynch
David Laratta, Greg Bove
Quince Orchard
Girls 4x8 Katie McFadden, Debbie Isen
Morgane Gay, Leslie Morrison
Whitman
Boys High Jump Cameron Pitt Springbrook
Girls High Jump Chelsea Rienks Damascus
Boys Long Jump Ryan Blaser Einstein
Girls Long Jump Audrey Gariepy Churchill
Boys Triple Jump Jeremy Herring Kennedy
Girls Triple Jump Audrey Gariepy Churchill
Boys Shot Put Matt Miller Richard Montgomery
Girls Shot Put Brittany Moreland Northwest
Boys Discus Bobby Dugan Gaithersburg
Girls Discus Arleigh Rose Sherwood
Boys Pole Vault Nhi Thach Gaithersburg


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The Montgomery County Championship - Boys Preview
May 9, 2006
by Ron Burgundy


The outdoor season is a little different from indoors. We are yet to see many of the top runners compete individually aside from the weekly dual meets. With so many relay meets, the focus has been on the team, but now that the post season is about to hit full gear, we should see many incredible performances. Almost every male county champion from indoors returns for round #2. As with indoor, it looks as if our county may have a few more state champions when all is said and done. Below you will find a break down of the sprints, mid-distance, distance, relays, throws, and jumps. These are the athletes to look for...

100m/200m Dash: The short sprints look to be well covered by the depth of the Richard Montgomery crew. Keenan Crutchfield is the man to beat so far this season running both 10.96 and 22.00 in dual meets. Brendan Etzel and Patrick Pinchinat are also up there... it will just depend on who runs which races. Paint Branch's Quadell Spratley and Magruder's duo of Robinson and Bosha are also going to be deadly in these races. The other two to really keep an eye on are Currica of Damascus and Olantunde of Sherwood, both of whom ran 11.10 at the Katie Jenkins Invitational. At this point there is no heavy favorite other than the incredibly deep RM squad who ran a scorching 3:06 8x200m relay (you can do the math on that one).

400m/800m Runs: The middle distance events look to be just as hotly contested as the short sprints. In this event, the question is whether Bret Ligon, the defending county champion (500m and 800m) will return from injury. If he does then how strong will he really be? At this point, it looks like others have the events wrapped up but Ligon could score crucial points for his team. Tarell Williams of Kennedy and Marcus Wyche of Paint Branch are the only two under the 50 second barrier so far, but R-M has Crutchfield, Ryan and Pinchinat not far behind. The 800m run is a far bigger question mark. Only one county runner, Brenton Flurry of Einstein, has clocked sub-2:00 but countless others have run faster relay splits. Chris Moen of Walter Johnson is definitely a threat as is Ryan Janes of Gaithersburg. The most up and coming runner is freshman Antonio Palmer of Gaithersburg who is oh-so-close to that magic 2:00 barrier. Brian Sickles, Elias Tousley, Kyle Gaffney, Will Palmer, Wil Zahorodny and Evan Whetsell are also contenders (and there are more). Talk about a stacked race!

1600m/3200m Runs: The distance races this season are even more stacked than previous years. Over ten 1600m runners are under 4:40 and six 3200m runners are under 10:00. In the 1600m, Chris Moen of Walter Johnson has to be the favorite to defend his indoor title. His kick is vicious and his 1:56 800m split is a force to be reckoned with. Elias Tousley of B-CC and Ryan Janes of Gaithersburg are both famed for their kicks as well and could easily steal the show. Kyle Gaffney of Blake also ran a 4:25 dual meet 1600m. The others to watch are Jared Schneider of Walter Johnson, Tarik Aougab of Chuchill, Will Palmer of Whitman, Chris Barnard of Sherwood and Chris Bowie of B-CC. In the eight-lapper, Elias Tousley of B-CC is coming off a break-out 9:30 with Kyle Gaffney of Blake close on his heels in 9:31. Will Palmer, the defending county champion, is yet to go sub 10:00 but will be up with the leaders here. Chris Bowie of B-CC and Chris Barnard of Sherwood should round out the top 5 with their sub 9:50 clockings. The other three to really keep an eye on are Ryan Janes of Gaithersburg, Tarik Aougab of Churchill and Wil Zahorodny of Damascus. The real question for these events is how many of the distance runners will attempt a double?

110m/300m Hurdles: Vincent Bosha of Magruder leads both events with 14.30 and 40.60 clockings. He is the favorite at this point but Alex Gray of B-CC swept the hurdle events at the Katie Jenkins Invitational. Stefan Grundmann of Whitman is yet to be truly challenged and is the defending county champion, but he has not posted the fast times that the others have. Markcus Ruffin of Northwest and Travis Puckett of Gaithersburg are impossible to overlook as well. Puckett took second in the indoor county championships and is faster than ever. Ruffin could have difficulties picking and choosing his events. Tyler Jackson of Richard Montgomery and Louis Pradel of Kennedy are both up and coming and could score some key team points. The key with hurdles is consistency, and as everyone has seen before, anything can happen.

4x100m, 4x200m, 4x400m and 4x800m Relays: Everything from the 4x100m to the 4x400m relays seems to be rightfully owned by the Richard Montgomery ROCKETS. Their team demonstrated incredible depth with their 8x200m relay at the Katie Jenkins Invitational and they have a host of runners to choose from. Paint Branch has also made a very solid case for themselves numerous times in the 4x1, 4x2, 4x400m relays, finishing only fractions of a second behind R-M on more than one occasion. They are a solid second that could very well jump into first. The others to keep an eye on in the 4x100m and 4x200m are Gaithersburg, Magruder, and Northwest. Kennedy and Churchill will be strong in the 4x400 as well. The 4x800m relay is a completely different story. With seven teams, count them, seven (Gaithersburg-8:12, Walter Johnson-8:14, Quince Orchard-8:16, B-CC-8:16, Richard Montgomery-8:17, Churchill-8:18 and Whitman-8:20) squads at 8:20 or faster, it is any teams race. In this one, the victor will most likely be Gaithersburg, B-CC or Walter Johnson due to such strong anchor legs. The only real way to decide this 4x800m contest is to race!

High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump and Pole Vault: The high jump looks to be a two-way battle between Markcus Ruffin of Northwest and Jamal Currica of Damascus, both of whom have already cleared 06-04.00. The nod goes to Ruffin, the defending county champ, and overall more consistent jumper. John Houston of Magruder, Muhammed Roberson of Blair, and Cameron Pitt of Springbrook are all at 06-02.00 and will threaten for points. Keenan Crutchfield looks to be the long jump favorite with his 21-7 mark, but there are six, SIX, others who have cleared 21 feet this season and two more who cleared 21 during the indoor season. This event is wide open among all of these competitors, but don't count out the defending indoor county champ Tarrell Williams of Kennedy. The triple jump also has strong contenders in Dakkouni and Lewis. Jamal Abdul-Rauf of Wootton is a new name but he was more than a foot farther than anyone else until Joseph Boateng of Northwest joined him at 43-07.00 this past weekend at the Katie Jenkins Invitational. Ian Francis of Walter Johnson and Charles Outlaw of Springbrook are also in the competition. The pole vault is often overlooked but Tom Hoyt of Richard Montgomery has been looking over his competition all season from 10-06.00. John Houston of Magruder is not far off with a solid 10-00.00 vault. Other notables are Nhi Thach of Gaithersburg and Greg Conte of Quince Orchard, both at 9-00.00.

Shot Put/Discus Throw: Matt Miller of Richard Montgomery, Robert Scribner of Quince Orchard and Bobby Dugan of Gaithersburg have been the shot put kinds (in that order) for a long time. No other thrower has come close, but nobody has cleared 50 feet since the indoor season. Although Miller was taken down for the first time this year by Dugan at a dual meet, the three-time state champ Miller is the favorite here. James Goldsby of Gaithersburg has made his name known right next to Dugan and Mike Velasquez of Wheaton recently reestablished himself this weekend with a 44-11.00 effort at the Katie Jenkins Invitational. The discus is also led by Dugan and Scribner with Dugan holding the heavy favorite position. The next three to really keep an eye on are Markcus Ruffin of Northwest, Velasquez and Miller, all separated by a mere eight inches. If Miller can translate his shot put dominance over to the discus, it could spell major trouble for the others in the competition, but with Dugan's record breaking performance at the Cougar Relays and a county best toss of 164-01 in a dual meet in March, he is the favorite to win the event and go after Mathias Nkwente's meet record of 164-01.50.

The Heated Team Battle: The team results from indoors look to be repeating themselves in Richard Montgomery's favor once again. Their depth is unmatched and they should have another county title by the end of the day. Gaithersburg could challenge RM, however, with a host of new-found talent to add to their already impressive depth. The other teams that look to be solid but do not quite have the depth to match R-M or Gaithersburg are Paint Branch and Magruder. These teams only lack points in a few key areas. The underrated teams of the meet will be Springbrook, who almost beat Magruder in a dual thanks to studs like Nicholas Oates, William Bell, Cameron Pitt, and Charles Outlaw, and B-CC whose distance strength teamed up with one of the county's best athletes Alex Gray will get them unexpectedly high up the standings.

The only thing left to do is go out and compete, because as you all know, nothing on paper is set in stone! Go out there, claim what is rightfully yours, and...most importantly...You Stay Classy MoCo!!!

Team Rankings
1.) Richard Montgomery
2.) Gaithersburg
3.) Magruder
4.) Paint Branch
5.) B-CC
6.) Springbrook
7.) Northwest
8.) Quince Orchard
9.) Kennedy
10.) Sherwood


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The Montgomery County Championship - Girls Preview
May 9, 2006
by Kevin


There is one absolute truth about the Montgomery County girls: they are deep. Other counties can tangle with MoCo at the top, but few counties can rival the incredible strength and diversity, top to bottom, that will step to the line at counties this week. This meet will be summed up by one word: competitive. Nothing is given. No individual has any event locked up and no team will run away with the team title without a fight.

100m/200m: 2005 graduated a fantastic crop of sprinters in the county leaving this event wide open for new comers. The mocorunning leaderboard displays some impressive times, but the question that must be asked is, "who has beaten who?" Junior Kelsey Porter from Northwest High School has stepped to the plate this year. In the 100m dash, Porter placed 3rd at the Scuderi Team Challenge, posted the fastest time at Urbana before it was rained out, and won at the recent Katie Jenkins Invitational. Porter's top competitor may be another new name in freshman Erica Keyes from B-CC who beat out Porter in the prelims and ultimately took the title at Katie Jenkins. Keyes also owns the fastest 100m time from a dual meet of 12.7. Ini Akpandak from Magruder could very well take the sprint events. Akpandak was undefeated in the 200m in divisional match ups and holds the counties fastest 200m time this season of 25.8. Akpandak along with Michelle Gellman of Churchill and Michelle Miller of Kennedy were the top sprinters indoors, so watch for those three to step up when it is on the line.

400m/800m: The undisputed top middle distance runner from the indoor season was Leslie Morrison from Whitman High. Morrison won the 800m and broke the 500m county record at the indoor county championship. She was the top county finisher in the 400m at states as a freshman last year, but only placed 2nd at counties behind Asia Nettles. Nettles has been completely silent and off of the radar all year until the Howard County Trackfest last weekend where she won the 400m in a smoking time of 57.96. She could upset Morrison, but Morrison is queen until she is dethroned. Morrison also has a great chance to win the 800m, but should watch her back for her own teammate Morgane Gay who split 2:17 at the Penn Relays. The Magruder duo of Tabitha Eisig and Laura McCary along with Ashlyn Sinclair of Blair are always dangerous, but perhaps the most dangerous of all is Kathy Aherne of Northwest. Aherne's older sister was a very successful distance runner for Northwest, and now only a sophomore she has already posted a 2:20.

1600m/3200m: Nine girls have run under 5:30 in the 1600 and 8 girls have run under 12:00 in the 3200m this season. What more needs to be said? These races are stacked. Halsey Sinclair from Blair and Anya Oleynik from QO are very talented upperclassmen who will be gunning for the titles, but there are so many that could come in and win these. Louise Hanallah from Churchill consistently runs fast times and Emma Eckerstrom from Northwest is usually just a step behind. The most improved runner in the county is Margane Gay from Whitman. Gay has always been a strong runner but after posting an 11:21 in March, she may be ready to be #1. Cara Harrison and Michele Levy have been quiet all season but recently made their way onto the leaderboard with sub-12 performances. Both have experienced plenty of success in the past.

Hurdles: The 110 hurdle belongs to All-Met Audrey Gariepy of Churchill if she chooses to run it. She has posted a faster time than any county athlete by over a second. Shaakira Raheem of Einstein and Tara Okusaga of Northwest will also post fast times. The 300m hurdles is a different monster, a monster that Dominique Wright of Kennedy has fared well against this season. Shaakira Raheem will be looking to get back at Wright from a loss in a divisional match up. Tara Okusaga and Olivia Durr from Poolesville will also place well in this event.

Relays: Kennedy took care of business at the Penn Relays and the HoCo Trackfest. With their very strong sprinters, they are the team to beat in the 4x1, 4x2, and 4x4. Churchill, WJ and Magruder are all strong in the sprints and very deep. The way that these teams shuffle themselves in these three relays will have a big impact on the team scoring. The 4x8 favors Churchill who have beaten Whitman in each of their last two meetings. The Churchill girls posted a great time of 9:29 at the Penn Relays, but as always, Whitman was not far behind. Expect these two teams to battle it out once again with other sub-10 teams WJ, Magruder, and Northwest all not far behind.

Jumps: The question is: which events will Gariepy focus on? She showed at the indoor county meet that she has the potential to win them all and she owns the top marks in the high jump (5-4) and triple jump (36-2) this season. She by no means has the events locked up with Chelsea Reinks on her tail in the high jump and Tara Okusaga not far behind in the triple jump. A break out performance by these or many other athletes could dethrone the All-Met. Gariepy could also win the long jump, but has not focused on it in competitions this season. Leah Putman from Sherwood showed that she is a force to be reckoned with by winning the long jump at the Cougar Relays and the Katie Jenkins Invite. Putman will have to deal with Taleetha Williams from Magruder who owns the county best mark of 16-9.5 from the recent Bob Golliday Invite.

Throws: The throwing events were greatly improved from the indoor season with the addition of Katelyn Poss from Poolesville and Jax Adock of Damascus. Both are top notch competitors, but since the beginning of the season, several other athletes have really come onto the scene including Arleigh Rose from Sherwood who holds the top discus mark this season (118-10.5) and Brittany Moreland from Northwest who has a top-5 mark in each event and gives her team a serious edge over the other top teams. During the indoor season, many girls struggled to throw over 30 feet, but expect to see several girls throw over 30 feet and possibly even some over 35 feet at counties. The discus should be equally impressive with 3 athletes already over 110 feet.

Team Title:
This will be a much closer meet than the indoor county championship. With that said, Churchill should still win this meet. This season, these girls have proven that they are the best team in the county and one of the best in the state by winning the Cougar Relays, the Woodward Relays, the Bulldog Relays, and the Howard County Trackfest. They are the best all around team with athletes that can score big in almost every event, even in a one-day meet. If anyone can upset Churchill, it is Northwest. If the Northwest girls have a perfect day, they do have the strength and depth to be the best, but their best athletes don't quite match up with those of Churchill. Magruder should be a step behind Northwest, and Kennedy just a step off of them. Kennedy has as strong of a team as any school in the county for about half of the events, but they simply are not deep enough to contend for the team title. After those four, expect Whitman with their strong middle distance athletes and Poolesville with their strong field athletes.

Team Rankings
1.) Churchill
2.) Northwest
3.) Magruder
4.) Kennedy
5.) Whitman
6.) Poolesville
7.) Damascus
8.) Walter Johnson
9.) Blair
10.) Quince Orchard


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Penn Relays Recap
April 30, 2006
By Reagan Lynch
QO athlete and expert analyst


Thursday
Following an early start to the day and a chance encounter with the Sherwood contingent at a highway rest stop, I arrived at the Penn Relays. Unfortunately, I was not in time for the very impressive Churchill and Whitman 4x800's. The 4x100's, while mind-numbingly boring aside from the occasional standout time or humorous handoff, foreshadow a very competitive county championship race with Walter Johnson in the lead, yet the next 3 teams within .05 of a second of each other. Montgomery county 4x4's were highlighted by Walter Johnson's heat winning squad, Kennedy's sub 4 minute performance, and an unfortunate error in the seeding of Quince Orchard's team at 3:17 as opposed to 4:17, resulting in QO racing in the fastest heat of the day alongside the Jamaicans. Impressive times all around the high school events, yet it was the collegiate steeplechase which was the highlight of the day. The man of the evening was Abilene Christian's, Nicodemus Naimadu. In front of a raucous, intoxicated audience, Nico ran away from the field running a solo 8:29, made all the more impressive by the fact that he did not get his feet wet, clearing the water pit on each lap. Quince Orchard grad, Karen Pulliam, ran a pr of 10:44.65 to take 5th in her heat of the steeplechase. Following her steeple performance, the QO team made its way to the hotel, skipping out on the late night distance races highlighted by Josh McDougal's 13:55 win in the 5k.

Friday
The day began with a few heats of boys 4x800's. Some quick times dropped, yet it was slightly upsetting that MoCo was not involved. Paint Branch ran an impressive 3 legs of the 4x100 and was well on its way to winning a plaque/wooden discus for a heat victory, when the anchor leg pulled up with an injured hamstring. We will see Paint Branch back in the thick of it with RM and their 42.99 performance, and with any luck the injury to the anchor leg was not serious and he will be running again in the near future. Following a brief hiatus for a tour of the fabulous University of Pennsylvania campus, and lunch, it was back to Franklin Field for the high school girls 4x8 championship. In an absolutely amazing performance, Jamaica's Holmwood Tech set a Penn Relays record of 8:45.87, while Eleanor Roosevelt ran very well to take 3rd in 8:53. Following this came a lull in the action, during which I caught up on my "studying" and "education," with the old people 100's as a backdrop. It seemed like a rather silly thing to do as there was at least one injury per heat, and my advice is to ignore the urge to participate in sprinting events as a solution to a mid life crisis. What the day was really all about, was the Centrowitz's. Lauren contributed to a US record in the 4x1500 for Stanford, while Matt, as I'm sure you already know, won the 3000m in 8:20. Following a perfectly executed race plan, staying near the front of the lead pack as it dwindled to just 3, Matt made his move with over 200 meters to go opening a 5 meter lead which proved to be insurmountable. All in all, a pretty decent day for the Centrowitz family, and another fabulous day at the Penn Relays.

Saturday: USA v. The World! (but first 4x400's)
The RM boys 4x400 came up huge, in their brand new speedsuits, without the aid of Bret Ligon, running a blazing 3:22. Paint Branch also ran well as the second fastest Montgomery County team in a time of 3:23. As the afternoon drew on, Andrew Jesien took center stage in the 4xMile and 4x800m relays, splitting 4:07 and 1:52 respectively. In front of a record crowd, the USA vs. the World segment of the Penn Relays began, resulting in resounding proof that the USA rocks. American teams won the Men's and Women's 4x100, the Women's Sprint Medley, and came in second in the Men's Distance Medley. Following an absolutely stunning kick from 200 meters out, Bernard Lagat was passed at the line by the Kenyan anchor leg. Completely irrelevant to the matter of the fabulous track meet at hand, drama arose when Walter Johnson's Julian Stern thought he lost his bag. Luckily he did not. Following this brief moment of unadulterated terror, came the 4x400's. Dematha Catholic took 5th in the high school boys, LSU completed the 4x100, 4x200, 4x400 relay sweep, and the USA dominated the world in both the Men's and Women's 4x400 races, running 3:00, and 3:23 respectively. This marked the conclusion of the 2006 Penn Relays. Following a brief search of the stadium for anything cool left over, including a sweet pair of spikes, we embarked on our journey home, at least for this year.

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Penn Relays Recap
April 30, 2006
By David Warren


Every year at the end of April, some of the world's best athletes convene at the historic Franklin Field for the Penn Relays. The athletes range in age from 13 to 90 and ability from emerging high school runners to seasoned veterans with Olympic gold. These athletes come from all over the world to compete and dream of taking home the famed gold watch and the giant circular trophy that claims you won a championship. This year was a special year at Penn.

The Relays highlighted the return of world record holder Asafa Powell to the stage where he competed in college. Powell coasted to an easy victory in the 100 dash with a time of 10.10. It was an easy victory for the star that sat out the end of last summer with an injury. This was Powell's 3rd 100m of the season and he said he could go faster but his eyes are on the money races at the end of the season. But the Jamaican faithful and American fans were just as thrilled to see him run and having fun, which is why we go to Penn.

The men's DMR featured the world renowned Bernard Lagat and his debut on the US team. The Kenyan DMR team battled with the US team on every leg and ultimately won with a world record time of 9:15.56 to the USA's time of 9:15.63. Lagat tried his best to out-sprint the young Kenyan Alex Kipchirchir who is one of the great young milers in the world today. Both countries broke the previous world best of 9:20 and with the excitement of the event, I can see this event as a staple at Penn for years to come. The women's SMR broke the previous world record that they set last year in the driving rain running a 3:37.16 to last year's 3:37.42. Both of these relays took place within 15 minutes of each other and after the DMR the fans were just going crazy. One world record would be enough, but two in fifteen minutes is just awe inspiring.

The United States dominated all of the sprint relays on both the men and women's sides. The men's 4x100 had three United States teams under 38.8 proving the US still has the deepest field of sprinters in the world. Justin Gatlin, the anchor for the winning US squad had a great quote on the feeling of the fans saying, "It's crazy. I stand in one section and everyone cheers and then I stand in another section and get booed. It's great. You feel like a villain and a hero. It feels complete."

The United States women's 4x4 team ran an outstanding race, running a 3:23.51. Sanya Richards, the young outstanding quarter miler split 49.5 to finish the race 3 seconds ahead of the Jamaicans.

The most hotly contested race of the day was the men's 4x4 where four squads ran under 3:01. The team of Tyree Washington, Otis Harris, Derrick Brew and the outstanding and versatile Wallace Spearmon won the race in 3:00.09 just ahead of the second place American squad that ran a 3:00.13 which was anchored by the fast moving Darold Williamson who ran a 44.5 split officially. I had him clocked at 43.8 however. This was also the first time I could ever remember the Chinese national team running at Penn, and they finished with a respectable 3:08. Very nice for a country that has never had great sprinters.

On the college front the LSU men dominated just like they were predicted too. Florida State failed to show up so LSU took home the 4x1, 4x2, and the 4x4. Using their depth they were able to rest athletes throughout the prelims and eventually showed their superior skills as they won with times of 39.22, 1:21.31 (won by 2 seconds) and 3:02.21 winning by almost three seconds. Xavier Carter the Great ran the fastest official 400 meter split of the meet with a 44.4 including professionals and amateurs.

On to the distance events where new champions were crowned and an old faithful maintained some of its past glory. Oral Roberts who took their first ever Penn crown with a time of 7:18 won the 4x8. There second leg Shaun Smith out of Jamaica lit up the field with a scorching leg of 1:45.9 catapulting Roberts from 5th to 1st, a lead they would never relinquish. The 4x1600 was won by Arkansas and Iona (NY) was a close second. The times were 16:14 to 16:15 with the anchors running 3:59 to 4:00 respectively. UVA frosh Andrew Jesien posted a time of 4:07.7, which kept his team in the race until the final leg. Michigan was a close third in 16:16. These teams ran the 8th, 9th and 11th fastest times ever at Penn. The college DMR did not disappoint either. Normally Arkansas and Michigan are the only two teams left standing half way through the mile but this time Texas was also in the mix. Lead by anchor Leo Manzano, Texas won its first ever DMR championship in 9:33.10 against Arkansas's 9:33.49. This was a thrilling race and many of the Moco athletes watched the event unfold from the upper deck.

On another note about the college men, Garrett Johnson of Florida State broke the long-standing shot put record with a heave of 68 feet 4 inches. He beat the record that had been held since 1984 by one centimeter.

On the women's side Texas edged Tennessee in the 4x8 winning with a time of 8:31.60 to 8:31.63. A great kick by Sarah Bowman was not enough to beat the Texas anchor who ran a blistering 2:03 split. Bowman did run a 2:06 but looked a little sluggish after her anchor victory in the SMR on Thursday. Holmwood Tech, the outstanding high school in Jamaica would have finished 9th in this race. Stanford won the 4x1500 and one of the runners was Lauren Centrowitz [Broadneck High alumn, Anne Arundal County] who ran the third fastest split of the race with a time of 4:18. The Stanford squad was upset by Villanova the previous day in the DMR and came out running setting an American record with a time of 17:18.63. It was nice to see Maryland represent.

Texas won the 4x1 with a 43 flat, which is the 3rd fastest time ever at Penn. LSU finished 2nd with a time of 43.6. The 4x2 was won by LSU in a time of 1:31.65; very good for an LSU team that has graduated many of its former great athletes in recent years.

The 4x4 was an outstanding race with three teams separated by .09 seconds. Miami, Auburn and LSU were side by side down the home stretch and the fans were livid. As all three anchors took their final strides the Miami runner had one last ounce of energy and dipped to the line for the victory. Miami won with a time of 3.27.85, Auburn was 2nd in 3:27.93, and LSU was third with a time of 3:27.96. These were the 2nd, 3rd and 4th fastest times ever run at Penn. To add, Miami's lead off runner was in last place running a 55 split, and the other three runners ran between 50.0 and 51.5 to bring the crown to the Hurricanes.

Many of the high schools that competed ran amazing times so I would feel bad to write about some and leave others out. So I must conclude by saying that Holmwood Tech out of Jamaica ran everything and won a lot. They swept the sprints, winning the 4x1, 4x4 and the 4x8 on the girl's side and won the 4x8 boys. Camperdown out of Jamaica won the 4x1 with a time of 40.13 breaking the Penn record and beating many of the college teams in attendance. Camperdown won the 4x4 on the boy's side as well in a time of 3:11.46. Six teams went under 3:16.

All Penn Relays are unique and this one was no different. The fans are what make Penn great and for 3 days Franklin Field turns into the track Mecca of the world. 115,000 people made the journey and everyone left satisfied at what they did or what they saw on the track.

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The Penn Relays - Local Talent
April 25, 2006
by Kevin



Montgomery County had one athlete who qualified and chose to run an individual event at Penn Relays. Steven Duplinsky, a senior from Georgetown Prep School, is one of the best high school distance runners in the United States this year. He climbed into the global spotlight by winning the World Junior Triathlon Championship last Fall. Just weeks later, Duplinsky won the Bull Run cross country invitational in what was supposed to be a showdown between Virginia's best runner Brad Siragusa and Maryland's best runner Matt Centrowitz. Duplinsky ended up beating the second place Siragusa by 41 seconds on the tough 3 mile course. Duplinsky proceeded to beat up on the local competition during cross country season winning both the William & Mary invitational and the IAC Championship by over a minute. Duplinsky did not resurface again until the Virginia Tech Indoor Track Invitational where he ran a 3200m race in 9:08.23, again beating many of the top competitors in this area by a large margin. His time held up to be the 2nd fastest 3200m time in the nation for the 2006 indoor season.

It is time once again for Duplinsky to return to the national spotlight at the Penn Relays. Last year Duplinsky finished 7th in the open 3k race in a time of 8:38.25. He is up against some stiff competition in Craig Forys from Colts Neck, NJ. Forys placed second in the 2-mile race at Nike Indoor Nationals and is the heavy favorite for this race. He will also be up against Jeff Perrella from NJ who placed 7th in the 2005 NE Regional Footlocker XC Championship and 3rd in this race last year. A potential upset pick could be Broadneck High School's Matt Centrowitz who, as a junior, already owns two cross country state championships and recently won the 1600m and the MD indoor state championship. Two of the most exciting races that I saw this winter were Mike Spooner from West Springfield High School beating out Brad Siragusa at the Montgomery Invitational, and Eleanor Roosevelt's Mikias Gelagle beating out Woodlawn's Dwight Parker for the Maryland state 3200m title. Both Gelagle and Spooner will be local athletes to watch in this Penn Relays 3k.

Event #7 (Thursday, 10:50 am)
This is the second fastest high school girls 4x800m relay. Montgomery County fans should be going wild like they own the place during this event because Churchill and Whitman will once again be facing off. These two teams had some good matchups during the indoor season. Whitman was always on top, but not by much. They posted the fastest time in the county during the indoor season with a 9:33.98 at states. In their most recent matchup at the Woodward Relays, however, Churchill took the victory for the first time this year with a time of 9:46.00.

Not only will this race be a great matchup of local teams, it could possibly be a preview of the state championship with 3 of the top teams in the state all in this heat. With the ban of Eleanor Roosevelt HS from post season competition, the door is open for many other schools to win this event later in the season. State contenders Whitman and Churchill will be in the race, but Largo High school, who placed 3rd at the indoor state championship, will also be in this heat.

The Churchill High School girls are also fortunate enough to be matched up against Walter Johnson in the 4x400m relay. When these teams met at the Woodward Relays, they put on a very exciting show with WJ challenging Churchill every step of the way. Churchill came out on top but only by a fraction of a second. Like all of the other relays, both teams will be at full strength and looking for some fast times. Churchill especially looks to drop a low time by adding All-Met athlete Audrey Gariepy to their already strong 4x400m.

Not saying its a rivalry, but divisional opponents Sherwood and Magruder boys will be matched up in the 4x400m relay. Neither team has posted a seriously fast time this season, but like I keep saying, this will be the day they hope to put it all together.

The indoor 4x400m state champs Richard Montgomery boys will be looking to catch some attention on the national stage. They have posted a season best time of 3:30.27 at Woodward Relays, but with a 3:23.69 at VA Tech, they showed during indoors that they have the potential to do much better. With a red-hot Keenan Crutchfield and a supposedly healthy Bret Ligon, who knows how low they can go?

Paint Branch has been...isolated. The boys finished 5-0 in divisional matchups. Presumably they weren't dropping 3:20's in those races, but I can't say for sure. When most of the county was at the Woodward Relays, Paint Branch went to the Metro Run and Walk Invitational where they had three runners run under 53 seconds including a county best 50.53 out of Marcus Wyche on a very windy day. Then, on a very rainy day when many teams went home, a fourth athlete, Quadell Spratley, ran 53.20, winning the event at the Woodlawn Invitational. Montgomery County finally got a taste of Paint Branch at the Bulldog Relays where the won the 4x400m relay in a county best time of 3:27.14. PB has the potential to put three of their guys under 50s and could very well run under 3:20. Under 3:20 will get any team very close to qualifying for the finals. Dream Big.

Another local team to watch will be Dematha (PG county). The Dematha boys placed third in the Penn Relays 4x400m relay finals with a time of 3:12.40 and have another great squad this year. They ran 3:16.39 at the New Balance Indoor Games in early February.

Run Hard. Dream Big. Bring home some amazing times, stories, and memories.

County Participation
G 4x800m
Churchill vs. Whitman

G 4x400
QO vs. Kennedy
WJ vs. Churchill
Paint Branch
Poolesville
R. Montgomery
Sherwood vs. Woott
G 4x100 Small
Poolesville

G 4x100 Large
Churchill
Walter Johnson
Kennedy
Magruder
R. Montgomery
Paint Branch
Quince Orchard
Sherwood
Wootton
Open 3000m
Steven Duplinsky

B 4x400
Paint Branch
Kennedy
Quince Orchard
Churchill
Georgetown Prep
Walter Johnson
R. Montgomery
Landon
Sherwood vs. Mag
Poolesville vs. Woott
B 4x100 Large
Churchill
Walter Johnson
Kennedy
Magruder
R. Montgomery
Paint Branch
Quince Orchard
Sherwood
Wootton

B 4x100m Small
Georgetown Prep
Landon
Poolesville

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The Penn Relays - World Class Athletes
April 25, 2006
by Dave Warren


High School Girls
I think the best school is Holmwood Tech out of Jamaica. They have already run 8:47 and they are a small school, but they will still make the final and should duke it out with Edwin Allen who comes in highly ranked already running a 8:50. Eleanor Roosevelt (ER) (9:11), Kecoughtan (9:22) will be two of the top American teams. St. Jago and Manchester (has a 14 year old who ran a 2.09), both out of Jamaica will also be in contention. Those would be my girls 4x800 picks.

The girls 4x400 will be won by Holmwood Tech...they are going after their meet record of 3:34. They ran 3:35 earlier at the Jamaica National Champs. Anyone who will be there, watch out for this girl Sonita Sutherland for Holmwood, she has broken 52 a couple of times with a best of 51.13. She also runs about a 2:08 on Holmwood's 4x8. Other really entertaining teams will be Bethel, the new look ER, and any school from Jamaica. Bethel has one of the fastest 400 junior girls in the world with Francena McCorory. If you remember Nike Indoor, she broke the US high school indoor 400 record, and earlier in the year broke the 300 record. ER is as good as a college team, and with the addition of Elan Hilaire, ER will finally be able to really compete for that trophy.

High School girls Suffern in NY will break the relays record in the DMR, they ran 11:35 indoor and the record is 11:40 something.

College Women
On the College front the sprints will be dominated by Miami, South Carolina, Texas, LSU. South Carolina has Shalonda Solomen who is the female equivalent of LSU's Xavier Carter, more on him later. Solomen can dominate any event she is in. She is the top runner in the NCAA in the open 1 and 2 and with South Carolinas deep talent pool there is a potential for multiple victories. Miami is always deep in the sprints and they are the current ACC champions. Texas is the reigning NCAA outdoor and indoor champs. They are not as deep as they were last year but they will still put on a good show. The chance that we see a college 4x4 team go under 3:28 is unlikely but if the weather is great, you never know. Stanford and Hampton are sleepers in the sprints.

The distance events will be dominated by Stanford, UNC will show up and Oregon will be no slouch. Stanford has the deepest team in the country. They have a Ariana Lambie, who is pretty sexy, but also a damn good runner. She is a multiple time NCAA champion and former Penn Relay winner. Teaming up with Lambie will be twin sisters Amanda and Katy Trotter and Lauren Centrowitz, daughter of Matt Centrowitz who ran on legendary relay teams at Penn for Power Memorial Academy of New York City in the 1970s. Matt Sr. is one of the great distance runners in American History with a PR in the 5000 around 13 flat. Lauren has already run 4:22 in the 1500 this season.

Stanford and South Carolina will have a great weekend on the womens side.

Professional Women
The professional women will have great people running, Lauryn Williams, Muna Lee, Tianna Madison in the 4x100, and enough people in the 4x400 to have three squads go under 3:27. Williams is the Olympic silver medalist, Muna Lee is a World Champion in both relays and individual events and Tianna Madison is a world champion long jumper who can also run some great 100 times.

College Men
On the Men's college side, LSU will be going for the rare triple hoping to bring home those big round trophies in the 4x1, 4x2, and the 4x4. LSU is lead by Kelly Willie (2004 4x4 gold medal winner, Athens) and Xavier Carter, only a soph. but he can move. LSU leads the NCAA in the 4x1 with a time of 38.89, almost 3/4 of a second faster than the next squad and they lead the nation in the 4x4 with a time of 3:02.31, exactly 2.5 sec faster than the next best. They had a B squad run a 3:05 without Willie and Carter. They have 7 guys ranked in the top 30 in the NCAA in the 400, all under 47. Carter and Willie have run the 100 in 10.12 and 10.18, 200 in 20.13, and 20.21 respectively and have also gone 45.78, and 45.42. With their depth they will win all three and because of their depth through all of the prelims could even go under 3:00, 38.8, and 1:22 if the weather is nice.

Other teams that will be fun to watch in the sprints are Texas A&M (with freshman Justin Oliver who whipped Marcus at NIN two indoor seasons ago. Sorry Marcus, but you know you got whipped) Texas A&M has made great strides in turning around their program. They had one of the best recruiting classes in the country last year and have the best this year. Texas is always fast and they also have some great uniforms, full length body suits. Texas also has the top two Decathletes in the NCAA and they will be doing all sorts of running and hurdling. One of these fellas, Trey Hardee, recently broke the NCAA record in the Decathlon. His PR in the 100 is 10.35 and should help Texas on all their relays. Florida State is probably the only team that has a realistic chance of beating LSU in the 4x100. They have the NCAA 05 champ in the 100 with Walter DIX. DIX and Carter ran against each other in HS in Florida and Coach Mike from PB can tell you some of the best stories about these two guys beating the crap out of everybody. TCU, St. Augustine's, Lincoln, Kentucky and Florida are also all very fast. All of these squads can go under 40 and 3:09 and 1:25.

The men's distance is always dominated by Arkansas and Michigan. Both squads graduated key people last year leaving the 4x8, DMR and 4x1600 up for grabs. The 4x800 will be a really nice, Oral Roberts has a damn good squad, Two guys have already run under 1:47; Shaun Smith and Prince Mumba, and as a team they ran 7.17 which made them the first collegiate first team under 7:20 in like two or three years. Villanova will field a nice squad, they have one half of last years 4x8 high school boys champs squad that ran 7:42, the Tully twins, both capable of running under 1:50. Others to watch will be Georgetown, Virginia (Jesien, maybe), Stanford and Oregon, as well as Michigan and Arkansas, but I think its going to go to Oral Roberts.

The DMR will be a toss up, Arkansas won the NCAA indoors but lost their Miler because he ran out of eligibility , so I think Villanova, Virginia (if they can find a quarter miler), Florida State, Texas, Oregon and Stanford will be in the mix.

The 4x1600, I have no idea. Any one with 4 solid milers takes it. Nice logic. I think Villanova and Virginia will be fun to watch because both have young teams. Virginia in particular just mopped the floor at the ACC championships in the distance events and they have some good depth. Oregon is another squad that has some interest. The next PRE, Galen Rupp, if he runs, is a maniac. If he has an on day can run some amazing splits/times. He is ranked nationally in the 5000 and 10000 but also has run some great times in the 1500. Oregon is coached by the former Stanford coach who has taken great pride in the Oregon tradition. In the years to come they will be the LSU of distance. I think Florida State will take the SMR; they have a 1:47 half miler, a sub 46 quarter man and two guys that can move in the 200.

The Pro's
US vs. The World

4x100 - Justin Gatlin, Shawn Crawford, Tyson Gay, Leonard Scott, Jason Smoots and Marty Scales are the big names. About half are under 10 in the 100 and the other half flirt with breaking it every time out. Besides Asafa Powell (world record holder in the 100), Justin Gatlin is the only one to go under 9.90 on a regular basis. Shawn Crawford within the next 4 years will be under 19.80 in the 200 more than any man besides Michael Johnson, also he is pretty flamboyant, last year he ran in some hot pink shoes but still moved. Tyson Gay is a former NCAA champ in the 100 and can be around 20 point on the regular. Leonard Scott is the world indoor champ in the 60m dash winning in 6.5 sumthin. The US should have three squads under 38.8 and the Jamaicans and Bahamians should represent as well.

The 4x400, my favorite event, will be stacked. There are too many to name them all but here are a few. Kerron Clement (world indoor record holder 400 44.57 and 4x400 member 3:01.96), Wallace Spearmon (US record holder indoor 200 dash, 4x400 WR team, former 200 NCAA champ, indoor WR holder in the 300), Darold Williamson pr 44.27 (Olympic Gold Medalist 2004 and World Champion 2005 4x400, former NCAA champ at Baylor in the 4x400, one of the best relay runners ever.) LaShawn Merritt (pr 44.66) 2005 4x400 meter gold medalist at the world championships, and he also has the fastest indoor 400 meter junior time ever. Derrick Brew, 2004 bronze medalist in Athens and gold medal 4x400, pr 44.29. Andrew Rock (pr 44.35) is the world outdoor silver medalist and gold in 4x400, he is also an Olympic gold medal winner in the 4x4, also a white guy. Otis Harris, silver medal open 4 at Athens and gold 4x4. And there are so many more. All are good runners and once again with good weather, the US could have three squads under 3:00 and to add the Bahamas ran 2:57 at the world champs last year and could put up a good fight. Jamaica won this event last year and I know the Penn organizers don't want this to happen again.

Last year the SMR was added and we all got to see Alan Webb run an 800, but the night before he ran the 5000 and had some soft legs so his 800 wasn't up to par and he got walked all over by Khadevis Robinson. This year a change has been made by adding the DMR and replacing the SMR. Bernard Lagat, Khadevis Robinson, Chris Lukezic and some one to be named later will compete in this; at least we should hope so. Lagat is the friggin man, formerly claiming Kenya as his home he got his US citizenship and has re written the US record books in just a years time. He is the US record holder in the 1500 3:29.30 and Indoor Mile 3:49.89 and has a 1500 PR of 3:26.34, only .34 off the world record. He has won lots of crap. Khadevis Robinson has a PR in the 800 with a 1:44.41 and recently (one week ago) ran a world leading time of 1:44.88. He has also won a lot of crap. Chris Lukezic from Georgetown is only 22 but he has established himself as one of the best milers in the US. He was the US indoor champ in 06, and in 05 was the outdoor US runner up in 3.42.06, made the semis at the World Outdoor Champs and ran a 3.37.2. A few weeks later he ran his current PR of 3.35.22.

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Dual Meet Highlights - Week of April 17, 2006



Gaithersburg vs. Richard Montgomery

The indoor county champs, Richard Montgomery are still on top! Both teams had great respect for eachother and fought with everything they had. There were some great performances and some upsets, and at the end of the hot afternoon, neither team had clinched a decisive victory. With a 70-67 lead, RM needed a win in the pole vault on the following day to clinch the victory. Gaithersburg needed to place 1st and 2nd in order to win. Both Gaithersburg vaulters cleared, but Tom Hoyt from RM came through in the clutch, winning the pole vault competition. The final score was 75-71. The Richard Montgomery Girls were able to beat out the Gaithersburg girls as well.

Boys Results - RM 75, GB 71
Girls Results - RM 78, GB 58

Gaithersburg started out the meet by earning the surprise victory in the 4x8 with a blazing 1:57 anchor leg by Ryan Janes. Gaithersburg also swept the 3200 and earned the top spot in the 1600m and 800m races. As the events got shorter, RM got stronger. RM swept the 100m, 200m, 4x1, 4x2, 4x4, and earned the top 2 spots in the 400m race. After the sprinting assault from Keenan Crutchfield and company, Gaithersburg overwhelmed RM in the field events, but RM did just enough to stay on top and win the meet with the pole vault on the next day.

Quince Orchard vs. Poolesville
Girls:Poolesville 76
QO 60
Boys:QO 113.66
Poolesville 23.33

Poolesville girls win. The most impressive performance of the day came from Anya Oleynik of Quince Orchard in the 3200m race. Anya ran all alone for a time of 11:19, the fastest time in the county this season. Emily Furr from Poolesville had a good day in the jumps, winning all three events. She long jumped a distance of 16'-3", triple jumped 33'-09.75", and high jumped 4'-06". Katelyn Poss from Poolesville put up the county's best shot put mark with a 33'-00.25", and also won the discus with a throw of 93'-05".

Quince Orchard boys win, with great depth. The most noteable athletes were Larbi Dakkouni and Bobby Scribner in the field events. Scribner won the shot put with a season personal best throw of 48'-07.50", and won the discus in 142'-00". Larbi Dakkouni won three events: the triple jump in 41'-00.25", the 400m in 52.9, and the long jump in a county best 21'-01.75".


Magruder girls take DIII Title!
Sherwood takes home boys title


The Magruder girls finished divisional matchups with a bang, scoring over 100 points on both of their final opponents. They finished these matchups with a record of 5-0. Although this division is strong in the sprints, Ini Akpandak did not lose a 200m race against the 4 other teams. Much credit belongs to the distance duo of Tabitha Eisig who did not lose an 800m race, and Laura McCary who did not lose a 1600m race.

Girls:88 Sherwood
41 Springbrook
109 Magruder
28 Springbrook
104 Magruder
45 Sherwood
88 Wootton
44 Einstein

Cooper SH 16.2 100H(1st)
Tuoh Spring 12.9 100 (1st)
Waters SH 50.8 (1st)
Putman SH 16'6" LJ (1st)
Rose SH 31'2" shot, 90'10" discus
Eisig MAG 1600, 5:46 (2nd), 800, 2:32 (1st)
McCary MAG 1600, 5:41 (1st) 3200, 12:29 (1st), 800, 2:38 (2nd)
Akpandak MAG 200, 25.9 (1st)
Tara Collins MAG 400, 1:01.0(lst) 27.1 200 (4th)
C. Owens MAG 13.3(2nd), 27.2 (5th)
Diestel MAG 300H 50.9 (2nd)
Magruder sweeps the relays 10:36, 4x8, 52.6 4x1, 4:25 4x4, 4x2 1:48.9
Kruger MAG 4'10"" HJ
Collins MAG 16'0'' LJ(3rd)
Crone MAG 29'4.5" TJ (1st)

Shaakia (Einstein) 100m HH - 15.28, 400m - 1:01
Wootton 4x800 - 10:11
Levy (Wootton) 3200 - 12:07
Falk (Wootton) LJ - 15'5", 100m - 12.86

Unlike the other divisions, the boys division III would not be won by an undefeated team. Although it was expected that either Sherwood or Magruder would come out undefeated, the home team Springbrook pulled out all of their guns and fought off both teams. Says Springbrook coach Justin Davis, "My guys team fought valiantly until the very end. When the smoke cleared, we (Springbrook) were on top." Springbrook had taken down Sherwood and found themselves in the unlikely position to win the division. Unfortunately, Magruder would come back the next day to score 8 free points in the pole vault to beat Springbrook by 1 point. Each of the three teams ended divisional matchups with one loss, but Sherwood wins the tie breaker because of their point differential throughout the season. Congratulations to the Sherwood boys.

Boys:Springbrook 77
Sherwood 60
Sherwood 79
Magruder 70
Magruder 73
Springbrook 72
73 Wootton
63 Einstein

1st Springbrook in 4x8 8:34, 4x4 3:34
1600 Bell (4:37) edges Barnard
Triantos MAG first race back 4:45 1600 (3rd)
3200 Barnard SH 10:23 - (5:25 - 4:58 mile splits)
Galis Magruder 10:37 3200(2nd)
800 Sawadago SPB 2:05, edges Miller of MAG 2:06
Pitt SPB 6'0" HJ (1st)
Oates SPB 40'8" TJ (1st), 51.0 400m (1st)
Bosha MAG 110H (lst) 14.8, 100 Dash(lst) 10.98, 300H 40.9 (lst)
Robinson MAG 22.9 (lst)
Magruder (lst) 4x1 44.8, 1:31.9 4x2

Wootton 4 x 800 8:23
Solifu (Einstein) 100m dash - 11.23
Arifin (Wootton) 200m dash - 23.3
Jamil Abdul-Rauoof (Wootton) TJ - 42'3 1/2"
Ryan (Einstein) LJ - 18'9"

Wheaton vs. Bethesda Chevy Chase

Girls:82 B-CC
54 Wheaton
Boys:92 B-CC
44 Wheaton

Both the B-CC boys and girls overwhelmed the Wheaton team with their depth on Wednesday. The B-CC boys in particular showcased their distance running depth by running four athletes under 4:50 in the 1600m run. Bowie 4:42, Tousley 4:44.0, Straughan 4:44.1, and Prevost 4:47. Elias Tousley followed up that performance with an 800m victory (2:05) and a county best 3200m time of 9:45.7. Bowie placed second in the 3200m (10:10). Not to be outdone by his distance running teammates, Alex Gray swept the two hurdle events, winning the 110m hurdles in county best time of 14.9s.

On the girls side, Megan Andrews of B-CC won the three distance events including a 5:47 1600m. Keyes from B-CC won the 100m and 200m dash with a county best 100m time of 12.7s.

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Dual Meet Highlights April 2-7, 2006
The following info came from coaches

Girls: Poolesville 82, RM 55
Armstrong (Pool) 12.8 100m - 1st
Webb (RM) 12.8 100m - 2nd
Webb (RM) 1:02.1 400m - 1st
Durr (Pool) 48.5 300IH - 1st
Armstrong (Pool) 26.5 200m - 1st
Poss (Pool) 31' 7" SP - 1st
Neville (Pool) 31'2.5" SP - 2nd

Boys: RM 123, Poolesville 14
Crutchfield (RM) 10.9 100m, 22.1 200m (1st, 1st)
Jordan(Pool) 42.2 300IH - 1st
Higley(Pool) 42.7 300IH - 2nd
Jackson(RM) 15.6 110HH - 1st

Girls:
Northwest 96, Gaithersburg 41
Quince Orchard 94, Gaithersburg 48
Northwest 88, Quince Orchard 54

Northwest Porter, Kelsey 12.9 100m
Northwest Johnson, Jessica 1:02.0 400m
Northwest Aherne, Kathy 2:30.0 800m
Northwest Stinner, Becca 2:30.5 800m
Northwest Eckerstrom, Emma 5:22.1 1600m, 11:38.1 3200m (1st, 1st)
Quince Orchard Oleynik, Anya 11:38.8
Northwest Okusaga, Tara 17.1 100mh, 51.1 300mh (1st, 1st)
Quince Orchard Pavlova, Elena 6-06.00

Boys:
Gaithersburg 88, Northwest 54
Gaithersburg 93, Quince Orchard 53
Quince Orchard 77, Northwest 69

Gaithersburg Janes, Ryan 2:01.2, 4:45.9, 10:18.1 (1st, 1st, 1st)
Gaithersburg Palmer, Antonio 2:03.9 800m(2nd)
Gaithersburg Boimov, Sam 10:26.3 3200m (2nd)
Northwest Ruffin, Markcus 15.9 100mh, 42.2 300mh, 6' HJ (1st, 1st, 1st)
Gaithersburg Puckett, Travis 16.2 100mh, 42.9 300mh (2nd, 2nd)
Northwest High School 44.6 4x100m relay
Gaithersburg 8:23.5 4x800m relay
Gaithersburg Thach, Nhi 9' PV
Gaithersburg Puckett, Travis 20-09.00 LJ
Gaithersburg Lewis, Jeremiah 20-07.50 LJ
Quince Orchard Dakkouni, Larbi 20-06.00 LJ
Quince Orchard Nesmith, Kevin 20-06.00 LJ
Northwest Jackson-Mills, Brandon 20-04.50 LJ, 23.0 200m

Girls:
Magruder 78, Kennedy 59
Magruder 106, Einstein 30
Kennedy 79, Einstein 55
Raheem Einstein 16.79 100mh, 47.80 300mh (1st, 2nd)
Wright Kennedy 17.12 100mh, 47.44 300mh (2nd, 1st)
Miller Kennedy 12.89 100m
Kennedy 51.51 4x100m, 1:47.33 4x200m 4:13.82 4x400m (1st, 1st, 1st)
Collins Magruder 1:02.88 400m
McCary Magruder 12:08.9 3200m
Akpandak Magruder 25.8 200m
Nettles Kennedy 26.98 200m
Kruger Magruder 5'0'' HJ

Boys:
Magruder 75, Kennedy 68
Magruder 85, Einstein 56
Kennedy 68, Einstein 66
Bosha Magruder 15.26 110mh, 42.00 300mh (1st, 1st)
Magruder 1:34.61 4x200m
Martinez Kennedy 52.9 400m
Gary Einstein 2:04 800m
Robinson Magruder 22.7
Herring Kennedy 6'0'' HJ 42'1"TJ (1st, 1st)
Young Kennedy 6'0'' HJ

Girls
Walter Johnson 110, Wheaton 26
Churchill 95, Walter Johnson 42
Churchill 114, Wheaton 22
4x800 10:12 Churchill
100 HH 15.0 Gariepy - Churchill
100 D 13.2 Gellman - Churchill
1600 M 5:46 Hannallah - Churchill
4x200 1:51 Churchill
400 M 1:02 Moloznik - Churchill
3200 M 12:09 Hannallah - Churchill
300 IH 48.5 McCoy - WJ
200 M 26.7 Gellman - Churchill
800 M 2:28 Alburo - WJ
4x100 54.5 Churchill
4x400 4:15 Churchill
SP 28'9" Paul - WJ
DT 77' Walton - Churchill
HJ 5'0" Gariepy - Churchill
LJ 17'1" Gariepy - Churchill
TJ 34'9" Gariepy - Churchill

Boys
Walter Johnson 98, Wheaton 34
Churchill 98, Wheaton 37
Churchill 73, Walter Johnson 64
4x800 8:44 Churchill
100 HH 17.1 Phillips - Churchill
100 D 11.2 Chen - Churchill
1600 M 4:33 Moen - WJ
4x200 1:35 Churchill
400 M 52.1 Weinstein - Churchill
3200 M 10:19 Moen - WJ
300 IH 44.7 Phillips - Churchill
200 M 23.2 Ryon - Churchill
800 M 2:08 Moen - WJ
4x100 46.1 Churchill
4x400 3:43 WJ
SP 43'8" Valasquez - Wheaton
DT 117'3 Valasquez - Wheaton
HJ 5'8" Taylor - Churchill
LJ 19'0" Stewart - Wheaton
TJ 40'7" Francis - WJ

Girls:
Paint Branch 106, Northwood 26
Blair 84, Paint Branch 56

Boys:
Paint Branch 79, Blair 58
Paint Branch 106, Northwood 26

PB Highlights:
Marcus Willacy was 1st in the triple Jump, Senior and Captain Dominic McDonald was 1st in the 200m. Don Hyun was 1st in the 110 Hurdles, Chirs Charles won the Discus throwing a seasons best of 101 feet. Senior and Captain Antony Kironji was 1st in the 800m and ran a great leg on the winning 4x800m relay. Kelson Logan was 1st in the 1600m Dash 3200m run 3rd in the 800m dash and ran a strong leg on the 4x800m relay. Senior Rodney Winston was 2nd in the 200m dash. Nathaniel Coston jumped a season best of 6 ft in winning the high Jump. Dayon Arrington was 2nd in the high jump. Nick South won the 300m Hurdles and was a strong leg on the winning 4x400m Relay.

Vanessa Jules won the 100m dash, 200m dash, and ran on the winning 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Senior and Captain Carleen Phillip was second in the 200 and 400m dash, and ran a strong leg on the winning 4x200 and 4x400 relays. Ashley McClean won the 400m Dash. Tayanina Quigley was 1st in High Jump season best of 4-10. Omega Boddie came in 2nd in the Shot Put, Discus, and High Jump. Stacey Markham was 3rd in 1600m run and Brittany Jenkins was 3rd in the 100m Dash.


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The Woodward Relays
April 2, 2006

By Ron Burgundy

It was fitting that this year's Woodward Relays was on April Fools Day. The day started with a "Slow" 4x1600m relay performance by B-CC that no one would top, and ended with quite the April Fools day performance by a number of tricksters in the steeplechase. Even with all the fooling around and winds in excess of 25mph, there were still many serious performances.

As was intended, the meet began promptly at 1:00 p.m. with the "slow" heat of the boys 4x1600m relay. The race started out in a pack but B-CC and Einstein quickly distanced themselves from the other teams. By the first handoff those two teams were neck and neck, but all alone. It would stay this way for the rest of the relay with Einstein leading after every handoff. Elias Tousley, anchoring the B-CC team, however, spelled trouble from the start. After a first lap in 1:04, his mission became clear. To anchor B-CC to a win from the slow heat, something that is rarely ever accomplished. After a blazing 4:26 split and an impressive overall time of 19:05 all they could do was wait.

When the fast heat started much later in the afternoon Walter Johnson jumped on top after the first leg and never relinquished. Their only opponent was the clock and B-CC's standing time. Chris Moen, their anchor, took the stick and all eyes were on him. He looked smooth through three laps and as he approached his final lap you could hear his coach calling for a fast last lap in order to seal victory. Moen did his best but it was not enough as they just barely missed B-CC's time by less than half a second.

The girls 4x800m relay started right afterwards, and it turned out to be quite a surprise. For the first time this year the Churchill and Whitman battle was reversed with Churchill coming out on top. A strong first leg by Morgane Gay put Whitman in front, but none other than Hilary Moen of Walter Johnson, back from her surgery and looking strong, followed them closely. Midway through the second leg, Churchill asserted their dominance on Whitman's replacement leg and never relinquished the lead. Morrison's anchor leg for Whitman was strong and she closed ground, but not enough, as Churchill took a comfortable win in an impressive early season 9:46.

The guys 4x800m turned out to be one of the most exciting races of the meet. The leadoff leg was close with Whitman taking the lead on the home stretch but followed closely by a host of others including Gaithersburg, Walter Johnson Quince Orchard and Churchill. After two more legs the race appeared to be a Walter Johnson and Whitman match up with Churchill and Quince Orchard trailing but still not out of contention. Moen took off in first with Palmer only a second behind and they started what appeared to be a two-man battle. By the end of the first lap however, Gaithersburg's Ryan Janes had asserted himself and the race was back to three. Over the next lap the three fought it out and Moen ran a scorching last 100m to hold off Janes while Palmer fell back to third.

In both the hurdle races, Magruder and Whitman would not be denied. Both teams swept in dominant fashion. None of the races were even close as the Magruder boys won by three seconds in both the 4x110m shuttle hurdles and the 4x300m hurdles while Whitman girls won by four seconds in the 4x100m hurdles, and an astounding 9 seconds in the 4x300m hurdles. Both of these races were not even a contest as these teams demonstrated incredible hurdling depth. Key points will be earned in the hurdles at the future county championship, with both of these teams finishing in the top 4 so early in the season.

The girls DMR (1200m-400m-800m-1600m) played out similar to the 4x800m with Whitman taking the early lead thanks to an impressive leg from Leslie Morrison. This lead would not be relinquished as they kept extending it throughout their other legs with Gay sealing the win very comfortably.

For those people watching the boys DMR race, many people probably experienced Déjà vu. The race went out incredibly slow with no one wanting to take the lead because of harsh winds. Richard Montgomery's Brian Sickles finally manned up and led them through two laps in 2:10 and the race quickly strung out. By the end of the first exchange it was Richard Montgomery, Whitman, Walter Johnson and Gaithersburg up front. Over the next two legs, these teams extended their lead on the rest of the field. Walter Johnson had a slight lead over Gaithersburg by the end of the third exchange and Richard Montgomery led Whitman by a small amount. Whitman's Will Palmer got off to a fast start and just 200m into the race it was Palmer vs. Moen vs. Janes: Round #2. This time Palmer took the lead and led for the remainder of three laps until Janes and Moen rocketed out in front. On the backstretch they separated themselves and it was another homestretch battle. What ensued is questionable as Janes and Moen bumped and Moen dropped the baton. Janes ran away unchallenged and Moen was able to recover the lost baton and still maintain second as Whitman took 3rd and Richard Montgomery's Ben Hoyt held on for 4th place.

The guys SMR (400m-200m-200m-800m) was another hotly contested race. The first leg was close, but Reservoir and Richard Montgomery separated themselves after the first exchange. Immediately afterwards, Richard Montgomery's dynamic duo of Patrick Pinchinant and Keenan Crutchfield put a good deal of ground on Reservoir to give anchor Brian Sickles a little cushion. For the first 600m Sickles ran a somewhat reserved race while the Reservoir anchor slowly closed ground before unleashing what has become a potent trademark 200m kick to give Richard Montgomery the victory going away.

The girls 4x400m relay proved to be another Churchill showing as they dueled with Walter Johnson down to the line. Nothing could have been more exciting with Churchill leading wire to wire but Walter Johnson only a step behind and applying pressure every step of the way. Churchill turned out to be the better team in the end but no one can count out Walter Johnson after that showing.

The guys 4x400m relay turned out to be another Richard Montgomery romp as they won what has become their signature even without anchor Bret Ligon.

The final two events of the meet were certainly a great ways to end an April Fool's day. See Kevin's Article for Extensive Steeple Chase Coverage!!!

The Co-ed relay is a Woodward Relays signature event and it was crazy yet again. Many teams don't take this seriously but two did for sure. The race started out as a free-for-all but by the second exchange Kennedy and Whitman were long gone. By the third exchange Kennedy was long gone and Whitman did all they could to close the gap but couldn't manage. When all was said and done, both teams were almost a full 10 seconds ahead of the rest.

The day started with B-CC's incredible run for the 4x1600m championship that held up to Walter Johnson in the fast heat, and ended with two of the most insane local track & field events: the steeplechase and the coed relay. April Fools? Not a chance. That's the Woodward Relays!

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Steeplechase is crowd-pleaser at Woodward Relays
April 2, 2006
By Kevin Milsted


The 3 km steeplechase is a crowd favorite in college and higher-level track meets, but it is a rare event on the high school level. Walter Johnson High School Coach Greg Dunston began the Woodward Relays 34 years ago when he was a coach at the old Woodward High School. Inspired by his college track coach who was a U.S. Olympic steeplechaser, Dunston took on the project of adding the steeplechase to his invitational. Along with his athletes and assistant coaches, he dug a pit and built wooden barriers. He decided to reduce the length of the race from 3 km to 1500m because of the demanding nature of the race. The steeplechase was born in Montgomery County in the late 1970's.

When Woodward High School was shut down in 1986, Dunston and his Woodward Relays moved to Walter Johnson High School. The steeplechase remained a staple of the meet, but there was no longer a water pit. Despite the fact that most of the competitors only get to run the steeplechase once a year, many talented athletes have competed in the races. Dunston names some of the greats: James Camp (Woodward), Tim Gavin, Bob Stack (RM), Paul Jacobson (Einstein), Andrew Jesien (WJ), and for the girls, Mary Bodnar (Einstein), Ashley St Denis (WJ), and Ashlyn Sinclair (Blair). Whitman High School alumnus Pascal Dobert, class of 1992, actually went on to be an Olympic steeplechaser.

In 2005, a group of Walter Johnson athletes decided to improve the steeplechase. Senior Danny George headed up a crew to add a water pit to the event while Anthony Yasmann took on the task of replacing the rickety old barriers with new, stronger ones. The boy's barriers were built 36" high and the girl's were built 30" high. The water pit was dug 12 feet long, 6 feet wide and 6 inches deep. In the Spring of 2005, the water pit was reintroduced to the Woodward Relays.

On April 1, 2006, the 34th Woodward Relays were held at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland. The sun had set and the stadium lights were on for the running of the steeplechase. Nearly everyone in the stadium gathered around the water pit in anticipation of some hurdling and maybe a few spills.

The girls race was not completely smooth, as most of the competitors, led by Ashlyn Sinclair, were unsure of where to turn towards the steeples. The first time through the water pit was a bit jumbled, but by the second time through the water pit, both the competitors and the audience fully understood the event. The audience began to chant for the girls to hurdle the water pit steeple. Most of the competitors wisely ignored the audience.

Ashlyn Sinclair from Blair High School was the only competitor who actually hurdled the steeples instead of stepping up on them. She also handled the water pit very well, hopping onto the barrier and leaping forward just as the race is meant to be. Her usual speed and endurance, combined with surprisingly good hurdle form, made for a fantastic winning time of 5:14.28, a new facility record.

In the boys race, Chris Moen went out hard and got to the water pit first. To the surprise of many, Chris Moen hopped up onto the barrier and leapt into the air pulling his knees high into the air, just as a trick skater would do. This stunt met great approval from the crowd. Next through the water pit was Chris Bowie, Will Palmer, and many other competitors experiencing the water pit for the first time.

The second time around, a charging Will Palmer came through the water pit first. Moen followed up his previous stunt with a full 360 degree turn off of the barriers and into the water. The crowd responded with a roar of laughter. Many others came through fatigued by the first half mile. Some managed a good jump, others slipped up and stumbled through the pit.

There was great anticipation when the runners approached the water pit for the final time. Will Palmer charged through the water pit with a commanding lead. Many other runners passed through and then the "Moen" chant began as he approached the water pit. Moen leapt up, turning sideways on his way up to the barrier. He caught his foot on the barrier and tumbled over into the water pit, soaking everyone in the area. Says Moen, "I saw the girls running it and I was intrigued to jump in it. It was fun. I took the lead coming into the first water pit and busted out a 180. Then 2nd time a 360, which was $$. Then third time I slipped and fell on my back which was fun."

At about the time that Moen was swimming in the water pit, Will Palmer finished the race running backwards, avenging his burrito mile loss in which Moen finished by running backwards right in front of him. Says Palmer, "I passed Bowie and Moen on the second lap and just kept increasing my lead. I wasn't hurdling them. I was too tired. Then after the last steeple I finished backwards, just for Moen."

After another successful meet, Coach Dunston explains his feelings on the steeplechase, "It's a novelty but everyone seems to get excited about it. They really enjoy the water pit. It's the same way at the Penn Relays as everyone gathers around the pit to watch. I was a little disappointed that several of the athletes didn't really take it seriously as a race. However, they seem to have fun. I'd really like to see all of the athletes take it more seriously."

Runners will not be allowed to do anything unconventional off of the steeples next year due to safety concerns. Therefore, the unconventional performances witnessed on April 1st were a once in a lifetime experience. Whether the athletes took it seriously or not, there is no race where the spectators have been more involved in the race. With the spectators all crowded around the water pit, no event will match this novelty in enthusiasm and fun.

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Devil Takes Hindmost is MD Track's March Madness
March 27, 2006
By Kevin Milsted
Photo by Rich Schneider


In all likelihood, the athletes who participated in the Cougar Relays were not watching basketball the night before the meet, but rather dreaming up some madness of their own. Anything could happen for those athletes who chose to run the Devil Takes the Hindmost race, a race in which the length is undetermined until the race unfolds. In both the boy's and girl's races, there were roughly 65 individuals entered and all were eliminated until there was only one standing. Does that remind you of any other traditional March sporting event?

According to the website made for the Cougar Relays, the rules for this unique race are as follows. All contestants start together and after completing two laps, the devil removes the last three runners. This process repeats each lap until there are fewer than 20 runners, at which point, the devil will only remove the last two runners. When there are fewer than 8 running, the devil takes only one runner. The event ends as the final two runners race it out to the finish. If a runner is lapped, they are removed from the field automatically and the judge may still remove two runners depending on where the runner was lapped. If the third last runner has crossed the start line before the judge is aware of the lapped runner, that runner remains in the race...though not for long!

Madness! Who would host such an event? Ron McGaw is an assistant track coach at Sherwood High School, but is also the former track coach for Magruder High School and the former meet director of the old Magruder Relays. Says, McGaw, "I saw this race run when I was running track in college. When I started the Magruder Relays, I wanted something unique to have in the meet so I put this in. It took a couple of years to catch on, but as you saw Saturday, it has become quite an exciting race." McGaw also explained that the race has evolved over time. He added the rule about eliminating lapped runners to reduce confusion. He also adjusted the number of runners removed after each lap to allow for more runners to run without the race getting too long.

Over the weekend, I had a conversation with the devil himself. Cougar Relays meet director and Quince Orchard High School head coach Seann Pelkey explained that he took the idea from the old Magruder Relays when he began the Cougar Relays four years ago. "I love the Devil Takes the Hindmost. It's fun for me to be the devil, although, I think I'm too nice to be a devil. It's something I look forward to all year." Pelkey could be seen for the first part of the day with red devil horns on his head and his devil tail hanging out of the back of his pants, putting on a show for the athletes and spectators. "The best part, though, is seeing how excited the athletes and spectators get watching this race. Only in this sport do people get excited for a race in which the winner runs the furthest!"

The general strategy for this race is to stay in the front half of the competitors, pace one's self, and sprint the last 50 meters of each lap to prevent being eliminated. This idea seemed to be lost on many of the girls, as not many put up much of a fight to stay alive. It was especially unusual that Quince Orchard's Anya Oleynik burst out 50 meters in front of everyone else on the first lap. This strategy is risky considering the race could be as long as six or seven miles with so many competitors, but the payoff for going out hard would be great if she could lap the other competitors to make her race shorter. Coach Pelkey explains her strategy, "Anya wanted to run and win the Devils race. She wanted to take it out hard from the start and see who would go with her...all the while knowing that the longer the race, the more to her advantage it would be. When no one went out with her, it made her job even easier." Oleynik began lapping athletes not long after her first mile and it soon became obvious that she was locked into a pace and would not be caught. She ran for a total of 24:46.

The boys understood the concept. They were running for their lives and it showed. In almost every lap after the first two, there were sprints to the finish so as not to be claimed by the devil. The race featured many of the young, developing county distance runners and one standout distance runner in Chris Bowie from B-CC. If this were a 3200m race, Bowie would be the heavy favorite, but in the "666 meter" race, he needed to play his cards right or he would soon be playing cards with the devil. Says B-CC Coach Chad Young, "The only thing I told him was to let some others do the work and to run his own race. Tactically he ran a perfect race by not working too hard in the beginning and allowing some of the other runners to get carried away." He did not lead the race until around the 8th lap when he broke open a huge lead. According to Coach Young, he came through five miles in 27:45. Bowie ran for a total of six miles with a time of 34:51.32. It was the longest race in meet history.

Later in the meet, both bundled up champions went onto the football field with the meet director to be presented with the Devil Takes the Hindmost plaques and their playful red devil horns. The audience gave a huge ovation as the winners were announced. Everyone in attendance could appreciate the mental and physical strain that it takes to win a race of this nature.

It was March, and it was Madness. Pelkey liked the date of the meet, but was uncertain whether it would permanently be held in March due to the variation of other local meets and spring break from year to year. One thing is for certain. The devil's race is a local tradition that will continue to grow and will not soon be lost for area athletes and fans.

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2006 Public School Indoor Track Review /
Outdoor Track & Field Preview

March 20, 2006
By Ron Burgundy


This indoor season, MoCo saw everything from county and state titles to county and state records. Many new faces stepped up to fill gaps, the more experienced runners continued to turn heads, and teams pulled together for some of the best performances the county has ever seen. On the girls side many saw an unexpected but dominant rise to the top in Winston Churchill, taking home the county title with ease. Individual highlights included Audrey Gariepy's fantastic quadruple at the MoCo champs in the 55m hurdles, LJ, TJ and HJ. Meghan Rose of Poolesville had 3 individual state titles in the 300m, 500m and 800m runs while Leslie Morrison had county titles in the 500m (CR), 800m and a second place finish at states in the 500m run. On the distance side, Halsey Sinclair continued to light up the track while Louise Hannallah attempted to give her a run for the money. The guys side saw a dominant team arise in the Richard Montgomery Rockets, and the highlight of their team was Bret Ligon and their state dominating, and title winning, 4x400m relay. The Bret Ligon vs. Marcus Wyche battles in the 300m and 500m were always exciting and the distance runners also took some of the spotlight: Chris Moen, Ryan Janes and Elias Tousley in the 1600m, Kyle Gaffney, Will Palmer and Chris Barnard in the 3200m. Even with all those exciting young stars listed above, Steve Duplinsky ran one race, and what a race it was. He set the national standard at Virginia Tech with a blazing 9:08 3200m, a time that most likely only he will top again this season. Not many people gave much attention to the field events, but Matt Miller was consistent all season, winning the county, region and state titles. He was Montgomery County's only individual 4A State champion, and a repeat one at that. As indoor gives way to everyone's favorite season, outdoor track, many questions are still unanswered: "Who is the best all around distance runner?" or "Which team has the most depth?" or "Who is the best all around sprinter?" With longer meets lasting multiple days, all these questions will surely be answered. Even though we may not have a crystal ball telling us who is going to win what in outdoor, after the indoor season we have a pretty good idea. Below is an extensive outdoor preview for MCPS, broken down event by event.

*Note*: We intend to follow and cover the county private schools closely throughout this season, but at this time, the mocorunning.com staff does not feel qualified to write a preview for the private schools and their conferences.

Boys 100m Dash: As the guys gear up for the 55m dash's counter part in outdoor track, the 100m dash, things look like they will heat up quickly. Patrick Pinchinat and Keenan Crutchfield of Richard Montgomery were on fire all season with Crutchfield truly emerging as the top in the county. Tarell Williams of Kennedy had the fastest 55m time of the indoor season with a blazing 6.3 but could not take on Crutchfield head to head. The other two guys to really watch out for are Magruder's Vincent Bosha and Gaithersburg's Travis Puckett.
County 1-2-3: Keenan Crutchfield, Tarell Williams, Patrick Pinchinant

Girls 100m Dash: After taking the regional crown and being the top MoCo finisher at the state meet in the 55m dash, Churchill's Audrey Gariepy has to be the favorite for the slightly longer 100m-distance outdoors. Gariepy's teammate Michelle Gellman did take the 55m county title, but only with the absence of Gariepy. Even though Gellman took home the county title, however, three other girls managed to post faster times than her over the season. Suzanne Falk and Lian Boos of Wootton both ran 7.5 while Poolesville's Sara Armstrong and Meghan Rose shared the fastest time of the season in 7.4. The latter, Rose, will not be returning however, which makes room for another person to place. Ini Akpandak of Magruder also took home second at counties and a disappointing 5th place at regionals. With all that said, the county lost a lot of talent due to graduation last year and the sprints are the most wide open events in the county.
County 1-2-3: Audrey Gariepy, Michelle Gellman, Ini Akpandak

Boys 200m Dash: Marcus Wyche headlines an impressive lineup in the county for the long dash. His county win and second place finish at states in the 300m makes him the favorite here. Richard Montgomery's Keenan Crutchfield was never far behind though, and will definitely challenge Wyche all season. Tarell Williams of Kennedy, Vincent Bosha of Magruder and Quadell Spratley of Paint Branch were all top 5 at the county championships in the 300m dash while Spratley also finished top 4 in the region and top 5 at states. A little over a second separated the top 6 guys during the indoor season. The question mark is Bret Ligon and whether he will go as low as the 200m dash, even though he is very well capable. If so he could challenge Wyche for the county title and even more.
County 1-2-3: Marcus Wyche, Bret Ligon, Keenan Crutchfield

Girls 200m Dash: What a matchup this season for the 200m dash! Ini Akpandak of Magruder was the top finisher at counties in the 300m, excluding the lacrosse playing Meghan Rose. Jamie Obendorfer of Damascus was the top MoCo finisher at regionals in the 300m and Michelle Gellman got the best of the previous two at the state championships. With all the battling that went back and forth during indoor, only expect to see more this season. Sonia Gill of Quince Orchard and Michele Miller of Kennedy were also top 6 county finishers in the 300m right behind the other girls.
County 1-2-3: Ini Akpandak, Michelle Gellman, Jamie Obendorfer

Boys 400m Dash: Bret Ligon or Marcus Wyche? Ligon dominated the 500 while Wyche dominated the 300, but when they meet in the middle anything can happen. At this point Ligon looks like the favorite here if he can manage to stay healthy for his senior season. David Weinstein and Antony Kironji are the dark horses here but have both made impressive showings in the 400m and 500m this indoor season. The true surprises were up and coming middle distance sophomores Nilan Schnure of Blair and Jamie Hard of Churchill who both snuck into states due to Ligon's unexpected injury. We will most likely see a lot more of them in the future.
County 1-2-3: Bret Ligon, Marcus Wyche, Antony Kironji

Girls 400m Dash: Without the return of Meghan Rose due to lacrosse, Leslie Morrison is the obvious favorite above and beyond any other competitor. Her county record win, and second place finish at states in the 500m make her seem almost unbeatable by another MoCo athlete. Jamie Obendorfer from Damascus seems like a strong challenger, but is not quite at the level of Morrison. Michelle Gellman of Churchill is the other athlete that truly has the speed, although we did not see any of her in the 500m at all this season. Veronica Salcido has the speed to compete as well, but with questions about her current health, and which events she will run, don't count on her to run the 400m.
County 1-2-3: Leslie Morrison, Michelle Gellman, Jamie Obendorfer

Boys 800m Run: This is the one distance race that never really had a true leader establish himself due to injuries and other complications. Bret Ligon had the floor early but never performed at regionals and states. Elias Tousley was there the whole season but was never a winner, and then Antony Kironji established himself late. A host of others were in there too, making for an exciting regionals race even without ligon, with a fight to the finish between 5 top runners. Don't forget about top distance runners Ryan Janes and Tarik Aougab. The key to the 800m is going to be whoever is the freshest coming into it.
1-2-3: Bret Ligon, Elias Tousley, Antony Kironji

Girls 800m Run: Like the guys, this event is a free for all. Literally, this is anyones race. Leslie Morrison, Halsey Sinclair, Morgane Gay, Ashlyn Sinclair, Veronica Salcido, Tabitha Eisig, and the list goes on. At this point, Morrison's fast 400m speed gives her the upper hand but both Gay and Sinclair have the ability to out-last her in terms of endurance. Like in the 1600m and 3200m, Salcido is truly an X-Factor because no one knows the level of fitness she will be able to retain. If she is healthy, she could beat all the other girls easily. Her sub 5:00 ability is nothing to take for granted.
County 1-2-3: Veronica Salcido, Leslie Morrison, Morgane Gay

Boys 1600m Run: Can anyone stop Chris Moen? That's the question that a host of milers will be fighting to answer this season. Elias Tousley looks like he will be right on Moen's tail the whole season along with Janes. Barnard, Gaffney and Palmer are question marks after having concentrated on the two mile the whole indoor season, but with the two day meets, they will be right up there with the milers. The other big question mark is Tarik Aougab and whether he will be in good enough shape to contend with the others. Also watch out for Jared Schneider who finished an impressive 3rd at the regional championships.
1-2-3: Chris Moen, Elias Tousley, Ryan Janes

Girls 1600m Run: The girls mile is really a wide open race, with the top two competitors under 5:15, and another four under 5:25. Sinclair and Hannallah headline this event, but Morgane Gay has made an impressive rise to the top of the list as well as Laura McCary and Emma Eckerstrom. Veronica Salcido has been out all indoor with injuries but when healthy can beat all these girls. The real question is: Which events will she truly focus on when she finally makes her return? Look for a tight pack of ability levels and the mile to headline kickers all season.
County 1-2-3: Veronica Salcido, Louise Hannallah, Halsey Sinclair

Boys 3200m Run: Kyle Gaffney has the top time with a 9:44 in this event run at the state meet but Will Palmer holds the county record only one second off that mark. Chris Barnard has an indoor pr of 9:50 run this season. The 3200m is going to be another thriller yet again during outdoors with the milers stepping up to challenge. Watch out for Chris Moen, who recently ran a 10:04 at a preseason scrimmage with splits of 5:15 and 4:49. Ryan Janes also has not touched the two mile since outdoor of last year, but be ready when he does because his outdoor PR of 9:40 bests all the others. By the end of the season we may see a couple of these distance runners in the 9:15 to 9:20 range.
County 1-2-3: Kyle Gaffney, Will Palmer, Ryan Janes

Girls 3200m Run: The girls 3200m is relatively hard to call at this point. Cara Harrison (11:39), Emma Eckerstrom (11:37), Louise Hannallah (11:31), Anya Oleynik (11:21) and Halsey Sinclair (11:21) have already broken the 11:40 barrier with the latter two separated by less than a second. The wins ping-ponged back and forth between these girls all season. Sinclair took first (out of MoCo finishers) at the Montgomery County Invitational and getting the win at counties, but Harrison took regionals and Oleynik took states. The X-Factor in this event is again Veronica Salcido. If she can get healthy, and if she actually chooses to compete this high in terms of distances, she will be tops. She did not focus on the 3200m her freshman year, but we all know that she is perfectly capable.
County 1-2-3: Halsey Sinclair, Anya Oleynik, Louise Hannallah

Boys 4x100m Relay: Expect to see some exciting battles between top sprinting schools Paint Branch and Richard Montgomery. RM has one of the best 1-2 punches in the state with Patrick Pinchinat and Keenan Crutchfield, but with Arnaud Abega returning for outdoor track, Quadell Spratley and company will be very tough to beat. The flip of a coin says that Richard Montgomery will have the depth and talent to edge out Paint Branch, but time will tell. Northwest didn't quite have "it" during indoors, but based on what they have, they should have a strong 4x100, followed by Kennedy and Whitman.
County 1-2-3: Richard Montgomery, Paint Branch, Northwest

Girls 4x100m Relay: Churchill girls should easily be able to be on top of the county in this event depending on which events Audrey Gariepy and Churchill choose to focus on. Like the Northwest boys, both Kennedy and Wootton have a lot of raw talent but didn't quite put it together during indoors. Watch for these schools to put together strong 4x1's during outdoors along with Northwest, Damascus, and Poolesville who are always good.
County 1-2-3: Churchill, Kennedy, Wootton.

Boys 4x200m Relay: Richard Montgomery headlines these teams, with Paint Branch leading a close race for second. RM is just above and beyond the rest with their dynamic duo of Crutchfield and Pinchinat, but Paint Branch's Wyche and others make a very good team as well. Fighting for the other spots will be Kennedy, Whitman, Magruder, and a dark horse in Gaithersburg. Like the girls, the key to a successful 4x200m is good, clean handoff's, so really anything can happen if something goes wrong.
County 1-2-3: Richard Montgomery, Paint Branch, Kennedy

Girls 4x200m Relay: With 4 teams all at 1:50 or faster during indoors, and less than two seconds separating them, the 4x200m is going to be a real thriller. Churchill, Kennedy, Northwest and Damascus, in that order, are your top returnees from indoor but jostling of that position is indeed expected. The 4x200, much like the 4x100 relies on clean handoffs, so this is in many ways one of the most team oriented events out there. The dark horse is Gaithersburg, who really did not compete in this event during indoors but always has a strong outdoor contingent. Gaithersburg is hopeful that they can pick up some of those state runner-up basketball players.
County 1-2-3: Churchill, Damascus, Kennedy

Boys 4x400m Relay: Richard Montgomery is the team to beat. They won the indoor state championship, and that was without their star anchor leg Bret Ligon. Paint Branch is a close second when RM is lacking Ligon, but when he is there, they mean business. Churchill and Kennedy were the only other teams even within the ball park of RM and Paint Branch, but must make major strides to really make those top two teams worry.
County 1-2-3: Richard Montgomery, Paint Branch, Churchill

Girls 4x400m Relay: Churchill is almost 5 seconds ahead of any other team, and Northwest has a comfortable cushion of almost 6 seconds on third place based on indoors. This race should look much like the 4x800m relay because many teams run similar or identical girls in both events. Kennedy, Whitman and Paint Branch are all right next to each other time wise, but in terms of head to head competition, Walter Johnson is right there. This race is always the last, and so it is often a surprise as to who really steps up. The nice thing about the 4x400m is that the race relies less on the handoff and more on who has the right mix of raw speed and a little endurance.
County 1-2-3: Churchill, Northwest, Kennedy

Boys 4x800m Relay: Can anyone stop Quince Orchard? That's the question that many would like to answer this year. After their impressive showings at the State Championships and NIN's, they have to be feeling good. Their 8:14 could very well translate to sub 8:00 this outdoor season. Churchill proved to be hot on their tail and could beat them if they can get things together with Tarik and the rest of the crew. David Weinstein seems to be their only consistent member at this point. Walter Johnson and Whitman should round out the top 4 at this point, but if Northwest puts on a show like they did at regionals they will surprise once again.
1-2-3: Quince Orchard, Churchill, Walter Johnson

Girls 4x800m Relay: WHITMAN, WHITMAN, WHITMAN, WHITMAN, and...WHITMAN one more time. After their 9:33 second place showing at states, their 10th place finish at nationals, and countless other wins this season, these ladies are on fire. Even though the girls 4x800m relay looks like it will go to the Whitman girls hands down, I don't think it will be the blow out many expect. Why, you ask? Well the word on the street is that one of Whitman's runners has left the team. This opens up the door for a strong Churchill squad that can only improve their 9:41 from Virginia Tech. I don't think anyone could ask for a closer match up with Whitman down one runner and Churchill getting faster. At this point though, I would say that the dynamic duo of Morrison and Gay will still have Churchill beat. The other two teams to keep an eye out for are Walter Johnson and Quince Orchard who both qualified for indoor states. QO will be missing lacrosse player Elizabeth Manners, but perhaps Harrison or Oleynik could fill in nicely.
County 1-2-3: Whitman, Churchill, Quince Orchard

Boys 110m Hurdles: After his county win and 3rd place finish at states, Stefan Grundmann appears the be the man to beat. A poor race at the armory almost cost him a trip to states, but he turned that around and garnered the only MoCo male hurdles medal at states. Alex Gray of B-CC had an impressive season taking 3rd at counties, winning regionals, and finishing right behind Grundmann at the state championships. The other two guys to really watch are Travis Puckett of Gaithersburg, 2nd at counties, and Vincent Bosha of Magruder, 3rd at regionals.
County 1-2-3: Stefan Grundmann, Alex Gray, Travis Puckett

Girls 100m Hurdles: The girls 100m hurdles often plays out similarly to the 300m hurdles, but favors the faster runners and doesn't require the speed endurance. Audrey Gariepy proved herself multiple times during the indoor season at all three championship meets as did Shaakira Raheem of Einstein. Tara Okusaga placed a very respectable second place at the county championships but mishap on the armory floor cost her a trip to the state meet. The other girl that is still questionable is Walter Johnson's Hilary Moen, the top returnee from last year, who fought injuries throughout the indoor season. If she returns healthy, she will most likely steal the show from all these girls.
County 1-2-3: Hilary Moen, Audrey Gariepy, Shaakira Raheem

Boys 300m Hurdles: Like the girls, the guys 300m hurdles should look a lot like the shorter 110m hurdles. Whitman's Grundmann looks to lead this field as well followed by a contingent of B-CC's Alex Gray, Gaithersburg's Travis Puckett and Magruder's Vincent Bosha. Neither of these top 4 guys should have event problems, so look for them all to be in the 300m hurdles in all championship meets. Out of these 4, Bosha has demonstrated the top 300m speed, so he could definitely pull out a win here.
County 1-2-3: Stefan Grundmann, Alex Gray, Vincent Bosha

Girls 300m Hurdles: This event combines hurdle ability with more speed endurance, a combination not tested during the indoor season. The big question mark in this event is Hilary Moen of Walter Johnson. She is the top returnee from last year but hasn't been on the track all season due to injuries. If she returns healthy, she will most likely be well beyond any other competitor. Audrey Gariepy should also be able to translate her dominance in the 55m Hurdles from the indoor season to outdoors without much problem. After sweeping counties, regionals and finishing top for MoCo at states she is likely to continue. Ofcourse, she cannot compete in 10 events in one meet! Outside of those two strong hurdlers, there are some very strong hurdlers in Tara Okusaga of Northwest, Shaakira Raheem of Einstein and Dominique Wright of Kennedy.
County 1-2-3: Hilary Moen, Audrey Gariepy, Shaakira Raheem

Boys High Jump: Markcus Ruffin from Northwest proved himself to be the dominant high jumper in the county during indoor season. He was undefeated against all county athletes. His performances included victories at the Montgomery Invitational, Montgomery County Championship, and 4A West Region Meet as well as third place at the state championship where he soared to a height of 6'-6". Many other county athletes cleared 6 feet during indoors. The battle for second best will go to whoever works the hardest, but it would be a surprise to see anyone besides Ruffin come out on top during the championship season.
County 1-2-3: Markcus Ruffin, Cameron Pitt, John Houston

Girls High Jump: Churchill's Audrey Gariepy is the indoor county and state champ in the high jump. She cleared the greatest height of anyone in the county during indoors (5'-4") at the county championship, but was defeated at regionals by Chelsea Rienks from Damascus. Lindsey DeGeorge from Wootton was just a step behind these two during indoors. Two-time county champ and former state champ Emma Hanson from Damascus did not compete during indoors and as far as we know, she will not be competing outdoors. Like the 6 foot barrier for the boys, many girls have topped the 5 foot barrier this year. Consistency will be the key for these girls who are around 5 feet, as most had at least one sub-par performance towards the end of the season.
County 1-2-3: Audrey Gareipy, Chelsea Rienks, Lindsey DeGeorge.

Boys Long Jump: The long jump is not a scored event at the indoor state championship, but there were still several meets at which the county long jumpers could get in some practice for outdoors. Richard Montgomery's Gary Frazier had a monster leap of 21'-6" back in early January at the UMES Invitational, but was unable to repeat a jump of that magnitude the rest of the season. Frazier is someone to watch this season and in the future, but Kennedy senior Tarell Williams has emerged as a powerful sprinter and jumper to be dealt with. With an indoor county Long Jump title, Williams has the slight edge over Frazier and the many other athletes who leapt over 20 feet during indoors.
County 1-2-3: Tarell Williams, Gary Frazier, Alex Gray

Girls Long Jump: Indoor season tells us that Audrey Gariepy is the best long jumper with her county title and county-best mark of 16'-4". Last year might suggest that Poolesville's Emily Furr and Springbrook's Christina Washington will have something to say about that and the indoor county meet shows that Jackie Nottidge from Damascus and Suzanne Falk are ready to challenge for a long jump title. These girls should push each other throughout the outdoor season with their eyes on the county record of 16'-5".
County 1-2-3: Audrey Gariepy, Suzanne Falk, Jackie Nottidge

Boys Triple Jump: Israel Owolabi from Gaithersburg is the man to beat after a 3rd place finish at the Montgomery Invitational and a county title. Quince Orchard's Larbi Dakkouni and WJ's Ian Francis have been right there as top competitors throughout indoor season. These are the three who seem to focus on the triple jump and it shows in the results. Jeremy Herring from Kennedy did not appear until outdoor track last year and he will certainly be in the mix if he reappears this season.
County 1-2-3: Israel Owolabi, Larbi Dakkouni, Ian Francis

Girls Triple Jump: What's left to say about Audrey Gariepy? She can't do 10 events at counties, but she has to be the favorite in almost any event that she chooses to compete in. She holds the indoor county record with a leap of 34'-3.25", but she is not the only girl to raise her game. Walter Johnson senior Sara Price seems to be the number one challenger with the most experience and consistency. Northwest's Tara Okusaga had the indoor county #2 mark back in December but was unable to repeat that at the county championship. Chelsea Rienks from Damascus is also a solid jumper with much experience and could challenge for the title.
County 1-2-3: Audrey Gariepy, Sara Price, Chelsea Rienks

Boys Shot Put: While Richard Montgomery's Matt Miller is probably the favorite to win his 4th state title in the shot put, that doesn't mean that he necessarily has the county locked up. Some of his best competition comes from within the county from competitors such as Bobby Scribner from QO, Michael Velasquez from Wheaton, and the Gaithersburg duo of Bobby Dugan and Jamie Goldsby. Every time one of these competitors set a county #1 mark throughout the indoor season, the others would rise to meet him. Shot put was exciting to follow indoors and should be even better outdoors. Watch out for Kennedy's Chimso Okoji who rocketed from unknown to 3rd at the 2a/3a state championship with a mark of 49'-2.5".
County 1-2-3: Matt Miller, Bobby Scribner, Bobby Dugan

Girls Shot Put: Kennedy's Stephanie Garcia was far above all county competitors during indoor season. Garcia's mark of 35'-1.75" at the regional meet was 5 feet further than any other competitor threw the entire season. All signs point to Garcia dominating the county during outdoor season as long as she can be consistent. Due to Garcia's foul, Poolesville's Dana Soper won the county title with a throw of 30'-01.25", but Soper was unable to qualify for states a week later. Sarah McKeown from Damascus was another top shot putter this year but maybe Jacqueline Adock from Damascus or Katelyn Poss from Poolesville will return this outdoor season and greatly improve the level of competition this season. For now, the top 3 will be based on indoors.
County 1-2-3: Stephanie Garcia, Dana Soper, Sarah McKeown

Boys Discus Throw: Although he was in the shadow of of Matt Miller, Bobby Scribner from QO had a fantastic indoor season throwing shot put. Scribner is the defending county and region champ in the discus and appears primed for a great season in the discus. The other strong shot putters are right behind him. All these guys should immediately push the limits from last year and challenge each other all season long.
County 1-2-3: Bobby Scribner, Bobby Dugan, Matt Miller

Girls Discus Throw: The top female discus returners are Jacqueline Adock from Damascus and Katelyn Poss from Poolesville. These girls did not compete during indoors, and being unfamiliar with them, we don't know if they will compete outdoors. Aside from them, the competition should be slightly more level among the top indoor shot putters of Soper, Garcia, and McKeown.
County 1-2-3: Jacqueline Adock, Katelyn Poss, Sarah McKeown

Pole Vault: We are as curious as anyone when it comes to pole vault. We will have to wait and see what comes out of the rejuvenated county program. According to inside sources, there are roughly 20 athletes trying out pole vault for the first time this season. As of yet, there are no results indicating how successful any of these athletes will be, but the rumor is that there is a senior from Gaithersburg by the name of Nhi who should turn some heads at the state level.

The Team Title: As far as a team title goes this season, it looks as if both county champions, the Richard Montgomery boys and the Churchill girls, should repeat.

Richard Montgomery's core team of Bret Ligon, Brian Sickles, Patrick Pinchinat, Keenan Crutchfield, Matt Miller and Gary Frazier are almost unstoppable. They have key points and often multiple scorers per event in the sprints, mid-distance races, all relays, and the field events. What more could a team ask for? If everything shapes up for them they could have as many as 6-7 individual county titles and then points in almost every other event. The only place they lack is the distance events, which their sprinting core easily makes up for. The other teams that should give Richard Montgomery a run for their money are Gaithersburg, lacking depth at the moment, but that never lasts at Gaithersburg, Magruder, lacking points in the relays and distance events with Alec Triantos struggling with injuries, and Paint Branch, lacking points in the distance events.

On the girls side of the team battle, Churchill looks like they are on their way to victory once again. The core of their team lies in Michelle Gellman, Audrey Gariepy, Louise Hannallah, and a solid supporting cast to create some of the county's best relays. As far as problem spots for Churchill, they only lack standout middle distance runners but the Gellman and Gariepy combo in the sprints, jumps and hurdles easily makes up for any lapse. The teams gutting it out for second again look to be the very well rounded Damascus team, lacking distance points, and Whitman's team comprised of almost only middle distance runners. Whitman will most likely be hurting at counties, but should still garner at least a top 4 finish. The loss of Meghan Rose will really hurt Poolesville and knock them out of any team battle. Could the defending county champs Gaithersburg really have fallen as far as the indoor season indicates? They lost alot of talent due to graduation, but they develop athletes like no other program, and as stated before, they will look to the state runner-up basketball team for saviors.

Overall the county looks strong in terms of individuals and teams, and we should see a number of county, regional and hopefully state records fall again this season. The only thing left to do is go out there, train hard, put in the work, and make everything come together when the championship meets roll around.

Best of luck to everyone this season and like I said before: O.K. MoCo. Go out there and bring home some state medals!!!

 

2006 Girls Top Public School Outdoor Track Returners
purely based on last year

 

100m Dash

AthleteSchoolGrade
Michelle MillerKennedy11
Audrey GariepyChurchill11
Ini AkpandakMagruder12
Suzanne FalkWootton10
Michelle GellmanChurchill11

 

200m Dash

AthleteSchoolGrade
Shayla DavisWatkins Mill11
Suzanne FalkWootton10
Michelle GellmanChurchill11
Michelle MillerKennedy11
Tyesha WarrenPaint Branch12

 

400m Dash

AthleteSchoolGrade
Leslie MorrisonWhitman10
Asia NettlesKennedy12
Ashley PayneKennedy11
Tyesha WarrenPaint Branch12
Jenny McCoyWalter Johnson11

 

800m Run

AthleteSchoolGrade
Veronica SalcidoWootton10
Ashlyn SinclairBlair11
Halsey SinclairBlair11
Leslie MorrisonWhitman10
Tabitha EisigMagruder10

 

1600m Run

AthleteSchoolGrade
Veronica SalcidoWootton10
Halsey SinclairBlair11
Ashlyn SinclairBlair11
Megan AndrewsB-CC12
Louise HannallahChurchill10

 

3200m Run

AthleteSchoolGrade
Halsey SinclairBlair11
Michelle LevyWootton12
Cara HarrisonQuince Orchard11
Rachel ForcinoNorthwest12
Megan AndrewsB-CC12

 

100m Hurdles

AthleteSchoolGrade
Hilary MoenWalter Johnson12
Audrey GariepyChurchill11
Mia CarterPoolesville12
Leah PutmanSherwood11
Shanta ParsurumanWhitman10

 

300m Hurdles

AthleteSchoolGrade
Hilary MoenWalter Johnson12
Audrey GariepyChurchill11
Anne PetersonWhitman11
Dominique WrightKennedy11
Jessie WeaverRichard Montgomery10

 

High Jump

AthleteSchoolGrade
Emma HansonDamascus12
Audrey GariepyChurchill11
Emily FurrPoolesville11
Chelsea RienksDamascus11
Lindsey DeGeorgeWootton11

 

Long Jump

AthleteSchoolGrade
Suzanna FalkWootton10
Emily FurrPoolesville11
Leah PutmanSherwood10
Jackey NottidgeDamascus12
Christina WashingtonSpringbrook10

 

Triple Jump

AthleteSchoolGrade
Jessica JenkinsKennedy12
Sara PriceWalter Johnson12
Jumi AlukoPaint Branch12
Kim MalloyKennedy12
Audrey GariepyChurchill11

 

Shot Put

AthleteSchoolGrade
Stephanie GarciaKennedy12
Katelyn PossPoolesville12
Jacqueline AdockDamascus12
Sarah McKeownDamascus12
Momo ReineBlair12

 

Discus

AthleteSchoolGrade
Jacqueline AdockDamascus12
Katelyn PossPoolesville12
Sarah McKeownDamascus12
Dana SoperPoolesville12
Nori RussellRichard Montgomery12

 

2006 Boys Top Public School Outdoor Track Returners
purely based on last year


100m Dash

AthleteSchoolGrade
Keenan CrutchfieldRichard Montgomery12
Patrick PinchinantRichard Montgomery11
Ken ChenChurchill11
Jamal CurricaDamascus11
Quadell SpratleyPaint Branch11

 

200m Dash

AthleteSchoolGrade
Brandon Jackson-MillsNorthwest12
Markcus RuffinNorthwest12
Patrick PinchinantRichard Montgomery12
Quadell SpratleyPaint Branch12
Marcus WychePaint Branch12

 

400m Dash

AthleteSchoolGrade
Marcus WychePaint Branch12
David WeinsteinChurchill12
Antony KironjiPaint Branch12
Bret LigonRichard Montgomery12
Yamil MartinezKennedy12

 

800m Run

AthleteSchoolGrade
Alex GaryEinstein12
Tarik AougabChurchill12
Wil ZahorodnyDamascus10
Ryan JanesGaithersburg12
Greg BoveQuince Orchard11

 

1600m Run

AthleteSchoolGrade
Tarik AougabChurchill12
Ryan JanesGaithersburg12
Chris BarnardSherwood11
Evan WhetsellChurchill11
Jared SchneiderWalter Johnson11

 

3200m Run

AthleteSchoolGrade
Ryan JanesGaithersburg12
Tarik AougabChurchill12
Kyle GaffneyBlake11
Chris BarnardSherwood11
Jared SchneiderWalter Johnson11

 

110m Hurdles

AthleteSchoolGrade
Stefann GrundmannWhitman12
Louis PradelKennedy11
Ahmad TunisNorthwest12
Alex GrayB-CC12
Vincent BoshaMagruder12

 

300m Hurdles

AthleteSchoolGrade
Stefann GrundmannWhitman12
Louis PradelKennedy11
Ross PowerWootton12
Alex GrayB-CC12
Ahmad TunisNorthwest12

 

High Jump

AthleteSchoolGrade
Markcus RuffinNorthwest12
Jeremiah LewisGaithersburg12
Cameron PittSpringbrook12
Antony KironjiPaint Branch12
Jamal CurricaDamascus11

 

Long Jump

AthleteSchoolGrade
Antony KironjiPaint Branch12
Alex GrayB-CC12
Tarrell WilliamsKennedy12
Isreal OwolabiGaithersburg12
Jamal CurricaDamascus11

 

Triple Jump

AthleteSchoolGrade
Larbi DakkouniQuince Orchard12
Antony KironjiPaint Branch12
Jeremy HerringKennedy11
Israel OwolabiGaithersburg12
John HoustonMagruder12

 

Shot Put

AthleteSchoolGrade
Matt MillerRichard Montgomery12
Bob DuganGaithersburg12
Michael VelasquezWheaton12
Robert ScribnerQuince Orchard12
James GoldsbyGaithersburg12

 

Discus

AthleteSchoolGrade
Robert ScribnerQuince Orchard12
Bob DuganGaithersburg12
Michael VelasquezWheaton12
Matt MillerRichard Montgomery12
Markcus RuffinNorthwest12


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The Burrito Mile
March 5, 2006
by Kevin


After weeks of planning, the Burrito Mile rolled into action on Sunday, March 5th at 1pm. To read the official rules, go HERE. The Chipotle restaurant began to fill up at 1pm. Most participants had arrived and purchased their first burrito by 1:15 when the "OK" was given to begin eating. Some particpants devoured two burritos in no time at all. The most noteable eaters were Chris Moen, Will Palmer, Jake Williams, and Coach Mike who easily had their burritos gone in under 20 minutes. Most people paced themselves and enjoyed socializing with their fellow county runners. While many participants struggled to finish their second burrito, most were able to do it without incident in the alotted time.

Some people, on the other hand, did make a scene. About 40 minutes into eating, Michael Menase began to make his way to the restaurant bathroom. He was followed by a crowd that was eager to see the first regurgitation of the day. It turned out to be a false alarm and he headed back to his seat. After two more minutes of eating, he headed back to the bathroom, this time with his final burrito in hand. He proceeded to eat his burrito off of the bathroom floor with a crowd of hecklers flowing out of the bathroom looking on. Bit by bit, piece by piece, he managed to down the entire second burrito right there on the public restroom floor without throwing up. As time ticked down, many competitors finished their final burrito in the last few minutes. Two burritos proved to be too much for Chris Bowie. Bowie was the first participant eliminated for failing to eat two burritos in the allotted time.

Almost everyone was able to get to the Wootton HS track. Unfortunately, we lost our competitors who drove all the way from Virginia to participate. Due to some mix up, they got lost and were forced to head home without a race. On the track, the participants did a brief warmup and tags were distributed. At approximately 2:45, the runners lined up at the starting line and were given final instructions. Thanks to David Altar, we had some sort of bike pump/2-liter bottle "explosive" device to begin the race. After one misfire, and another, the runners decided to start the race anyway.

The race was the most exciting race this season! Brian Sickles rocketed out infront and then rocketed some more. He actually took it out in world record pace. Not the Burrito Mile world record, but the 1600m world record. All of the other competitors filed in behind Will Palmer and Chris Moen. The pack quickly thinned out and a group of Palmer, Moen, Nick Bax, and Elias Tousley developed by the end of the first lap. Sickles finished his first lap in 0:54 and dropped out of the race, warrenting the 2nd disqualification of the day. Palmer continued to press the pace through lap 2 with Moen close behind and Tousley and Bax fading. Top female competitor Cara Harrison began to pull away from Rachel Forcino by the halfway point. Moen and Palmer continued to duel up front at a very fast pace. Tousley hung on while Bax faded. In the final lap, Moen had so much energy left that he burst out infront of Palmer. In the last 50m, Moen turned around and ran backwards, taunting Palmer. Moen finished in an amazing time of 4:31.70, seemingly unaffected by two burritos. Palmer was right on the toes of Moen with a 4:32.70 and Tousley finished strong in 4:39.40. Harrison ran a strong race and was the first female finisher with a time of 5:46.90. Forcino was not far behind with a 6:02.40. Menase, who earlier made a scene in the restaurant, displayed the most gutsy performance of the day. He wasn't the fastest, but he had to work the hardest and he gave it all he had. After the race you could see him and many others layed out from the incredibly strenuous task of running a mile with burritos in their stomachs. You could also see Julien Stern still running around the track giving his exhibition performance. Stern chose to eat two burritos while running his mile. It provided for some extra fun and laughter. All and all, everyone gave great efforts and unfortunately, no one was disqualified for vomiting during the race. Official results are HERE.

Once everyone had relaxed and recovered from the race, a homemade trophy was presented to Chris Moen as he was deemed the Greatest Runner/Eater in the World. But as Moen was accepting his trophy, Will Palmer, green with envy (or maybe green with nausea), busted out of the crowd and slammed the trophy to the ground breaking it into pieces! Luckily, the trophy was repaired and everyone walked away smiling.

But oh no! When everyone thought the day was over, someone spotted Reagan Lynch hanging over the closest trach can. The rules clearly state that if anyone pukes at any time before, during, or after the race, they are disqualified! A crowd gathered around Reagan, eager to see him or anyone lose their lunch. Lynch would not disappoint. After several seconds of hesitation, Lynch gave into his nausea and indeed lost his lunch infront of the cheering/repulsed crowd.

The day was complete. Everything anyone could have hoped for had been achieved. There was a great turn out, great food, great running/eating performances, and great disqualifications. Thanks go out to everyone who helped the event run smoothly and everyone who participated. We can't wait until next time. You can view all of my photos from this event HERE.

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