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Maryland Indoor State Recap - Tuesday
By Kevin
Wow, was that it? In just three hours and fifteen minutes, everything that the season had lead up to was over and done with. Titles had been won and championships decided in just the blink of an eye. Some of the titles were expected, some were surprising, but every competition was magnificent.
The high point of the meet (pun intended) was Aaron Johnson from Oxon Hill High School clearing 6'-9" in the high jump. As three competitors, Johnson, Darick Harris from Old Mill, and Markcus Ruffin from Northwest cleared height after height, more of the audience began to notice what was happening. After Ruffin and Harris failed to go any higher than 6'-6", Johnson proceeded to clear 6'-7", 6'-8", and 6'-9". He recieved a huge ovation for clearing that final height and also when he failed to clear 6'-10".
The boys high jump conclusion was somewhere about an hour into the meet, but lets rewind to the beginning because the meet started off with great 4x800's. In the girls 4x800m, where ER was heavily favored, WJ's Stephanie Alberico took it out fast with a 2:23 split. Whitman's Katie McFadden was not far behind and shortly behind them was Cailyn Bradley from QO neck and neck with Churchill. Whitman's Katherine Laco recieved the baton and took off. She moved up as the other MoCo teams faded. Whitman's third leg of Morgane Gay took off after Eleanor Roosevelt, who already had a commanding lead at the halfway point. A state title seemed out of reach by the time Leslie Morrison got the baton in the fourth leg but the game became to stay infront of the charging Largo squad. This wasn't much of a challenge for Morrison who finished in second in 9:33 with a 2:19 split. Finishing second to ER was nothing to be ashamed of. In the mean time, QO's Kiki Manners was on a mission near the back of the race. Manners clocked a 2:22 split, gaining 11 seconds on WJ's final leg and very nearly catching WJ at the finish line.
In the boys 4x800m, ER took the early lead, but a strong 2:02 by QO's Josh Joson kept his team in good position. Reagan Lynch got the baton and worked his way up to the ER runner. David Laratta ran a fearless third leg for QO (2:00) and managed to take the lead going into the final handoff to Greg Bove. Bove maintained his lead for a lap and a half with the ER runner breathing down his back. With 100m to go, the ER runner put forth an amazing kick which would easily take first. QO still placed second in a time of 8:15.47. Churchill High was playing catchup the whole race but managed an excellent third place finish in 8:20.
The girls 1600m went much as expected for 600m. The first four athletes fell right into their seed order. Kaitlyn Dillow of Leonardtown began to fade at 800m and Rivers of ER and Hannallah of Churchill capitalized. By 1200m Dominique Lockhart had a commanding lead over Blair's Halsey Sinclair, who was well infront of the third place runner. During the final two laps Emma Larkin from Dulaney made a big charge to move into fourth ahead of Hannallah and almost caught ER's Rivers at the finish. Lockhart won in 5:10, Sinclair second in 5:14. Montgomery County runners finished in a cluster as Hannallah held of Magruder's McCary who in turn helf off Northwest's Eckerstrom.
The boys 1600m started slow through 800m. Things quickly developed as the Broadneck boys took control. The 2:18 half led out by Ryan Janes of Gaithersburg was the perfect set up for Llano and Centrowitz to take control. Centrowitz split 2:06 for the final 4 laps and a blazing 60 second final 400m to win easily while Llano, held off another furious kick from Moco's favorite new athlete Elias Tousley who took the bronze.
In two heat and 12 athletes of the boys 300m, 3 Montgomery County boys finished in the top 5. Marcus Wyche from PB won the first heat which placed him second overall. Quadell Spratley from PB placed 2nd in the first heat (5th overall) and Keenan Crutchfield placed 2nd in the 2nd heat (3rd overall). Corryl Boyd from Westlake won the crown with a great time of 35.38.
The meet consisted of dash and hurdle trials and finals. Churchill's Audrey Gariepy placed second in her heat to qualify for the finals. She again placed fourth in the finals with a terrific time of 8.37.
Three MoCo athletes qualified for the hurdle finals. All three put up times much better than their season best. Magruder's Vincent Bosha placed 6th in 7.89, B-CC's Alex Gray finished 4th in 7.80, and Whitman's Stefan Grundman finished 3rd in 7.71.
As expected, ER's Tameka Jameson took the 500m title, but she was challenged by Whitman's Leslie Morrison who ran a fearless race. In the end Morrison was not as strong as Jameson, but she was able to hold off Christine Mason from Meade at the line for second place.
Marcus Wyche from Paint Branch wasn't quite in the same league as the big dogs in the state in the 500m. Wyche still ran great with a season best time of 1:06.79, but the focus of the race was on ER's Kelli Thibou, Flower's Marcus Dickerson, and heavy favorite from Douglass, Eric Tyler. The sprint to the finish was very exciting as Dickerson barely edged out Thibou and Tyler.
It was no surprise to see QO's Anya Oleynik go out with the favorite from ER, Marika Walker, but it was surprising to see her sticking with Walker after the mile. In fact, while Walker was lapping runners in the second half of the race, it looked like Oleynik would silently sneak up on her, but in the end, Walker's 11:14 was too much for Oleynik. Halsey Sinclair looked very flat after her earlier 1600m race and looked afraid to make a move on QO's Harrison, who she stuck with throughout. Northwest's Emma Eckerstrom ran probably the smartest race of her career. I did not get her splits, but she started the race near the back half and really turned it on in the second half. In the last two laps, Eckerstrom blew by Harrison and almost caught Sinclair at the very end.
The MoCoRunning audience may get tired of me writing about 3200m races, but they are the longest and therefore have the most action. The results alone hardly tell the story. The boys 3200 consisted of two heavy favorites in ER's Mikias Gelagle and Woodlawn's Dwight Parker, with 4 strong Montgomery County runners in Kyle Gaffney (Blake), Will Palmer (Whitman), Chris Bowie (BCC) and Chris Barnard (Sherwood). Parker had opted out of the 1600m to focus on this race and he took it out fast. Palmer kept Parker on a tight leash, not allowing him to break the race open. After 800m, a pack of four front runners developed containing Parker, Palmer, Gaffney, and Gelagle. At 1000m, Gaffney moved to the front and after 1200m Gaffney made a big move to open up a large gap between himself and the rest of the field. It seemed very familiar, reminiscent of a move he made during the first developmental meet, but this was the state championship and the best athletes in the state made short work of that gap. Parker retook the lead before the 1600m mark with Palmer still trailing right behind him. At 2000m, Parker started to move and Palmer responded while Gaffney and Gelagle remained relaxed. Over the next lap, Gelagle moved up near the two leaders while Gaffney faded. With 800m to go, Gelagle had overtaken Palmer and with just 400m to go, Palmer began fading. Parker, still running strong, turned on the jets but perhaps did not feel Gelagle moving in on him. This race ended in a fierce kick with Gelagle dipping his head forward at the line. I was right at the finish line and I had no idea who won (Ofcourse later everyone found out that Gelagle had pulled off the come-from-behind victory). Kyle Gaffney looked very strong in the last 400m and over-took Palmer. He crossed the line and threw his hand in the air, elated that he had earned a medal. Palmer, who had obviously left it all on the track, came through hurtin, followed by Barnard and Bowie who had been running close to each other the whole race.
The 4x200m relays were very exciting. The first girls heat featured a very exciting come from behined. I don't remember what school it was but they must have passed three team in the final leg (which is only one lap). Churchill suffered a bad handoff in their 4x200m relay. Gariepy still managed to pick off one Douglas girl infront of her and narrowly missed the Largo girl for a final place of 5th (2 more points). The battle between Western and ER, two of the best 4x200m relay teams in the country, was as great as expected. At many points it looked as if the Western girls could take down the #1 girls in the nation, but powerhouse ER squeaked out another victory. ER beat Western by 0:00.33 in this 1600m relay.
Girls can be so mean. Strong MoCo athletes Leslie Morrison and Elizabeth Manners experienced how the big girls play at states. Morrison was spiked in the beginning of the race and Manners was tripped and fell about two thirds of the way through. Both girls still managed top 8 finishes, but did not do as well as expected. Morgane Gay bounced back from her disappointing 1600m for 2nd place in 2:22.25.
Kelli Thibou from ER dominated the boys 800m as expected in a time of 1:57.18. MoCo boys looked tired, except for maybe Elias Tousley who started out slow, moved into position late, and got into yet another kicking match with Matt Llano from Broadneck. This time Tousely had the best of Llano and finished in a time of 2:03.11.
Northwest High School ran a shockingly fast 4x400m relay to end their indoor season on a high note. They won the first heat with a time (4:09.91) much faster than their previous season best. Churchill once again ran well enough to place fourth overall in a very strong field.
The boys 4x400 meter relay can be summed up with a single sentence. Brian Sickles from RM is the man. I've seen him with my eye. His move during the second leg of the relay to take and extend the lead, set up Brendan Etsell and Keenan Crutchfield to blaze in to the victory. A closing Dwight Parker made the race interesting in the final lap, but Crutchfield easily held on as Parker, perhaps fatigued from his exertion in the 3200, tied up badly in the last 100m.
Some of the best performances of the day came from field athletes. Matt Miller from Richard Montgomery defended his state title in the shot put. He threw for a mark of 51-10.25, which is over 6 feet further than what he won it in last year. Bobby Dugan from Gaithersburg was the runner up and Robert Scribner from QO finished 4th. All had marks over 48 feet. Markcus Ruffin from Northwest placed third in the HJ with a mark of 6'-6" and Cameron Pitt from Springbrook placed 5th in 6'-2". Audrey Gareipy won the girls high jump with a mark of 5'-2". She was the only female in 3A/4A classification to bring home a gold medal.
One last final last meet - just like the probowl after the superbowl. Nike Indoor Nationals are coming up at the PG Sports and Learning Center in March. Some MoCo athletes will be attending...more info on that as it becomes available.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Athletes and Coaches, Alumni and Friends, Parents and Siblings...it has been a wonderful first season for us at MoCoRunning. This indoor season has simply been practice for us as we've worked hard to develop the site and our identity. Thank you for visiting and making this project a huge success. Good luck to everyone this Spring, whatever you may be doing. Stay safe, train hard, have fun.
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Maryland Indoor State Recap - Monday
By Kevin
She did it. Meghan Rose from Poolesville won 3 titles in 3 open events at the Maryland Indoor State Championship. It started with the 300m. She was not the favorite. Two girls from Calvert High School, Nicole Smalls and Aunye Boone, gave her a good run. The three were well ahead of the pack, but even going into the final 100m, Rose had not pulled out in front. She gave it all she had and pulled infront of her opponents to finish in record time of 40.91. Later on, in both the 500m and 800m, the next best competitor was Jemu Zarzar from Central who never attempted to pass Rose. Her 500m time of 1:18.94 approached but did not ecplipse the 1A state record of 1:18.30, and her time of 2:23.65 for the 800m looked effortless. After winning three state titles, she still competed in the 4x400m where she ran anchor. She recieved the baton in third place, too far away from the top two teams who both eclipsed the 1A state record. They finished third in 4:16.85
Rose's Poolesville teammates did well. Kathleen Thompson and Olivia Dur both narrowly missed 6th place - the magic number to score points. Freshman Durr finished third in her heat, seventh overall with a time of 0:43.33 in the 300m. Kathleen Thompson lead her heat for the first 400m of a 500, but was passed by two in the last 100m. She also finished 7th overall with a time of 1:23.67. The girls placed 2nd in the state with 38 points.
The Poolesville girls' 4x200m relay managed a 5th place finish, adding on a crucial 2 points to their team score. They also ran a 4x800m team that placed 9th in a time of 10:34.42.
Poolesville freshman Jackson Jordan had a finishing time of 10.31 in the 55m hurdles, but this does not do him justice. He was running very well but tripped over the second to last hurdle and almost ran into the last hurdle. Watch out for this kid outdoors and for years to come.
Poolesville was not the only team at the meet on this day. Kennedy and Northwood had relatively successful days. Both Kennedy's Yamil Martinez and Northwood's Derrick Powell won their heats of the 500m. Powell, in 1A/2A, came from behind for a great finish. He placed 6th overall in 1:10.72. Martinez, in 2A/3A, finished 6th overall in 1:09.04. Martinez also had a great come from behind kick to pass the leader in the last 100m. Giovanni Reumante from Northwood placed 6th overall in the 1A/2A open 800m with a time of 2:05.74 giving Northwood a total of 2 points on the day. Seriously...not bad. Northwood is on the rise.
Chimso Okiji continues to improve in the shot put. He placed third in the state with a mark of 49-2.50. How many MoCo athletes will there be over 50 feet by outdoors?? Kennedy's Stephanie Garcia placed 4th overall with a mark of 34-0.5, and Wheaton's Michael Velasquez placed 5th with a mark of 45-01.75.
Kennedy runners fared well. As stated above, Martinez ran a good 500m race. Louis Pradel qualified for the hurdle finals and placed 5th overall with a time of 8.23 in a strong finals won in 7.57. The Kennedy boys relays fared well, too, finishing 6th in the 4x2, 5th in the 4x4, and 6th in the 4x8. They finished 15th with 10 points. It took a while to see what the Kennedy girls were capable of, but in one of the last races of the day, the Kennedy girls 4x400m relay dominated their heat. They finished 3rd overall in a time of 4:16.58.
I enjoyed several other races that did not involve MoCo athletes. The 2A/3A 1600m was great because Andrew Revelle from Atholton was in a league of his own. He went out slow with the pack and dropped some impressive negative splits. He earned the state title in a time of 4:26.81. Revelle also won the 800m in a time of 2:01.22, and ran a leg of the 2nd place 4x800m relay.
The boys 2A/1A 500m run garnered the biggest cheer from the audience up through that point. After 400m, several runners were very close and the crowd began whoop whoopin. Christopher Anderson from Forestville pulled away for a great finish in 1:08.27. Anderson also won the 800m in 200.52 and was 2nd in the 1600m in 4:34.41.
The 3A/2A 3200m race was a treat. Kristen Malloy from Hereford and Michelle Donadio from Franklin worked off eachother for about a mile. Then Malloy turned on some jets that would not easily be matched by anyone in the state. According to RunningMaryland.com, her second mile was in 5:45. Her final time was 11:18.65, a new 2A/3A state record.
The boys 2A/3A 3200m was even better than the girls. No records were set, but if you missed this, you missed a great battle. The race was a clash of Wilde Lake senior Travis Boccher and Atholton freshman Graham Bazelle. Bazelle took it out fast with Boccher right on his heels. Boccher passed Bazelle at the end of the 2nd lap. Bazelle passed right back. Allen Hawkins, Casey Brinks, and JP Allera were all not far behind but by 1000m, it dwindled to just two. Boccher passed Bazelle. Bazelle passed Boccher. I COUNTED 10 LEAD CHANGES THROUGHOUT THE RACE! After about 1800m, Bazelle was content to draft off Boccher for a while. The two were flying together. Boccher opened a few gaps, but Bazelle would close them as quickly as they opened. With only 200m to go, Boccher had a decent lead and appeared to have the victory in hand but the short, gutsy freshman did not give up! He caught Boccher and passed him with 100m to go! Both boys wanted it bad, but in the end the senior prevailed. Boccher clocked a 9:47.78. Bazelle, freshman, clocked 9:48.81 to earn a silver medal.
That's all for now. For the full experience, you have to be there yourself. I will see many of you tomorrow. Give me something to write about. Do something legendary!
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US Cross Country Championships
By Alex Booth
Most high school runners know Van Courtlandt Park as one of the hardest courses on the east coast, and those of us that have run there would agree it is not a cup of tea. However the pros that ran there this past weekend in the USA Cross Country National Championships had it a little easier. A two kilometer modified course was set up especially for this event, which avoided both the dreaded back hills and the aptly named cemetery hill. I can only imagine the utter displeasure of running a cross country race of repetitive 2k loops, but as an observer it was spectacular because I was able to see the runners up close several times during the race.
On my trip down to New York City this past Sunday to see the event, if asked what was the best moment of the day I don't know what I would chose. Could it have been when I stood in awe as I saw the four leaders of the men's 12k go through the 5k in 14:39? Could it have been when my friend went up to Jorge Torres after the completion of the awards ceremony, shook the limping Torres' hand and said to him, "I love you."? Could it have been when women's 4k 6th place finisher Sara Hall collapse at the line just edging out Kara Goucher to earn the final spot on the USA team, and subsequently lay motionless for approximately five minutes (What was really terrible was how the officials ran up to her, ripped her number off, and just left her in the dirt)?
Honestly the whole day was pretty amazing. The Men's Junior 8k started the day, with high school senior Michael Eaton of Kentucky took the early lead with Chris Barnicle, Kiel Uhl, and Scott Macpherson right on his tail. What was great about this Grand-Prix style of racing was it was almost like a track meet where it is very easy to see where people make their move and how it is done. With two laps to go on the four lap course, the leaders really picked up the pace, and it became a tight pack of three at the front, having dropped Eaton. However, Eaton, Andrew Bumbalough, and Jordan McDougal were trailing closely. On this lap the pace had quickened substantially, and by the time the runners came to the bell lap (yes, there was actually a bell and a lap counter); the race was much more strung out. Kiel Uhl won the race on the last lap, breaking away from the field.
The women's 4k, in my opinion, was the best race of the day. Other than the exciting finish I depicted earlier, one of the most amazing parts of the race was the start. Those ladies are fast! To see them hit the 2k in just over six minutes with over 15 women coming through in an 8-10 second span was pretty exciting. Carrie Tollefson led from start to finish, but throughout every second of her 12:32 4k victory, she was pressured by Lauren Fleshman. Although Tollefson's five second victory doesn't make the race look close, she had to kick hard to run away from Fleshman.
The men's 12k was also something very special. Although Alan Webb's scratch took a lot of excitement out of the pre-race hype, the race itself cured that and then some. It went out fast, to say the least. The 5k split of 14:39 was pretty amazing, but it got better. By the time the runners hit the 8k, favorite Dathan Ritzenhein had fallen off the pace, and frontrunner Jorge Torres was struggling to stay within reach of leader Ryan Hall, but was falling fast. Those three hit the 8k in the mid 23's and Hall was only picking up speed. The most amazing part of this race, in my mind, was seeing Hall come out of the woods between the 8k and 10k mark, as he had opened up a huge lead over Torres. Hall went through the 10k around 29 flat, and by that point the race was basically over. When Hall came out of the woods the final time, he trotted down the straight away for the easy finish. He raised his arms in triumph...about 50 meters from the finish and jogged it in. He even saw that I had a camera pointed at him and gave me a nice wave for a great shot. Torres came in next, fatigued from Hall's brutal pace, while Max King came in third after eclipsing Ritzenhein who had faded during the last lap.
All in all, a pretty ridiculous day. As people were scrambling to get a good position on the last straight away to see Hall finish, many runners who were coming through the 10k with splits in the 32's and 33's were being not only ignored, but cut off, since they were obviously too slow to matter. I think that basically sums up the competition present, which is pretty damn impressive.
But you ask, what does this have to do with Montgomery County? While on the surface it seems as if there is no connection, there certainly is. Former Walter Johnson star Andrew Jesien's roommate at Virginia, Andrew Biladeau, competed in the Junior 8k, and finished with a stellar 23rd place in 24:32 for the 8k course. Hopefully in the future, some of the Montgomery County stars now in high schools will compete in this event in years to come, and showcase our county's rapidly improving success.
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Maryland Indoor State Preview - Girls
By Kevin
1A/2A State Championship
Team Title
Poolesville High girls are as good as anyone when it comes to 1A/2A competition. Meghan Rose is the obvious leader of this team. She will rope some major points all by herself and as a member of the 4x400m. The roster that they are sending is not as large as it could have been, but they certainly look as impressive as any other team. Two young athletes Kathleen Thompson and Olivia Durr as well as their 4x200 and 4x800 may very well be able to pull in enough points for them to come home with a state title. 45 points would be a moderate estimate for the Poolesville team score. This puts them in contention for a state title. Central High and Digital Harbor did very well in their regions, but their times won't score them nearly as many points at states, as the west region put up the best 1a/2a times in the areas where these schools did well in their own region. Don't be surprised if other teams from the west region like Winters Mill or Liberty make it into the top 3.
1a/2a 300m
Two Poolesville athletes, Meghan Rose and Olivia Durr, qualified to run this race. Durr will most likely run with the pack but county and region champ Meghan Rose will challenge for the title. Calvert Sophmore Aunye Boone has posted the fastest 1A time in the state this year and won this race in the East region, but Rose should be right on her heels if not in front.
1a/2a 500m
Here again Poolesville qualified two athletes, Meghan Rose and Kathleen Thompson. Expect Rose to shine in this event after running 1:17 at counties and dominating the west region. Ashly McClure from Digital Harbor may challenge Rose. She posted a faster region time and is yet to run on the fast PG Sportsplex track this year.
1a/2a 800m
Meghan Rose is the only MoCo qualifier in this event. If she can't pull off a victory in the previous two events, the 800m may be her best chance. She will be seeded first and has by far the fastest time 1A/2A time this year (2:25.32).
1a/2a 4x200m
Poolesville girls won the west region in this event, but expect them to see fierce competition from the Central and East regions. Central and Calvert High School will be battling up front. New Town High will blend in with the top 3. Following them will be the second tier including Poolesville. In such a fast race, everything must be perfect and anything can happen. This relay will be a huge factor in the overall team scores.
1a/2a 4x400m
Again Poolesville is the top team out of the West. They may be off of the radar for those teams in the central and east, who posted faster times at regionals, but they should easily be able to drop a few seconds off of their 4:18 to surprise some teams. Again Central High is the favorite and if anyone can take them down, that would have a big impact on the team scoring.
1a/2a 4x800m
The west region was by far the strongest in the 4x8. Central High will once again be in contention to win this event, but all of the west 4x800m relay teams will be right there with them. Poolesville will definitely score points in this event, but the question is how many. With a few athletes just concentrating on this event and not the open events, fresh legs could mean more big points for Poolesville.
2A/3A State Championship
2a/3a Team Title
James Bennett, Mergenthaler Vocational (Mervo) and Linganore are the three region champs and should be expected to be the top three teams at states. Mervo girls are very strong in a few events, which is always good to score quick points. They will score big in the relays and the 500m, but won't be nearly as dominant in the 800m and field events. Linganore has a good all around team. They may not place first in any events (freshman standout Chowan Brightful may not be experienced enough), but they may score in more events than any other team. Like Mervo, James Bennett scored many of their points in middle distance and field events at regions but cannot count on the easy points when it comes to states. The only Montgomery County team with a presence will be Kennedy, but with only one individual and two relays in competition, they will not have enough points to be in contention.
2a/3a Shot Put
Stephanie Garcia from Kennedy has thrown for some great marks this season. She won the west region competition but will be up against several other girls who can throw well over 30 feet. Rachel Wright from Potomac has come within 5 inches of 40 feet and is the clear favorite. Nicole Sohn from Northeast has thrown 37-2, but after her it is wide open with 10 athletes who threw over 30 feet at regionals.
2a/3a 4x200m
The 4x200m will showcase the strong Linganore and Friendly sprinters. Linganore will not be the highest seeded team, but expect them to showcase their depth and turn it up at states. Friendly, led by Alexis Booker, will try to live up to their #1 seed. Kennedy girls placed third in the west and should finish in the top 5 at states.
2a/3a 4x400m
This race will be one of the hottest races at states. Mergenthaler has a daunting seed time of 4:08. Gwynn Park, James Bennett, and Linganore will also be blazing around the track. Kennedy girls will be in the middle of the pack as far as this race goes.
Other 2a/3a Event to watch - For those true track fans
500m
The 500m should be one of the best races to watch for 2a/3a girls. Two girls broke 1:20 at regionals: Jamese Cobb from Long Reach and Quantikia Stepney from Mervo. Three more girls, one from each of the top three school, Mervo, Linganore, and James Bennett all ran under 1:21 at regionals. Not only does this race have potential to break the 3a record of 1:16.98, it also has huge head to head scoring implications.
1600m
The 1600m will be a great matchup between four young ladies. Liz McCarter from Mt. Hebron, Keely Murphy from Northern-Cal, and Michelle Donadio from Franklin all ran under 5:20 at regionals. Unfortunately they were all in separate regions and there was no one to challenge any of them. Donadio had the fastest region time with a 5:12.58, but Murphy has the fastest time this season with a 5:09.80 at the SMAC Championships. Freshman Kristen Malloy from Hereford is also a talented runner who had an off day at regionals. She has run 5:17.40 this season and will definitely run with the other talented athletes.
4x800m relay
3 teams from 3 different regions dominated their own regional competition but all finished in similar times. Fallston finished their 4x800m in 10:06.82, James Bennett in 10:02.53, and Mt. Hebron in 10:03.10. Obviously this race will decide who is the best of the three. The 2A record of 9:55.30 could potentially be eclipsed on the faster PGSLC track.
Pole Vault
Montgomery County does not do pole vault competition but it is a state competition and a cool sport anyway. The 3a/2a girls will showcase the best vaulters in the state. The female state record is 11'-9". There are several girls who will go over 9 feet and maybe a few over 10 feet on Monday, so keep one eye on this event.
3A/4A State Championship
3A/4A Team Title
The 3a/4a competition belongs to Eleanor Roosevelt High School. If they were allowed to field their whole team, it would be ugly. With only two athletes per event, however, they won't run away with it but they will come out on top. They are favored to win every event from the 500m to the 3200m and all of the relays. Any points that they pick up from field events, sprints, and hurdles will be icing on the cake. Other strong teams Western, Largo, Thomas Johnson, and Churchill will have good showings, but do not have the strength and depth of Roosevelt - one of the best track programs in the country.
3a/4a 55m Dash
Last year Theresa Lewis from Western won this event in a time of 7.13. The question is can she shave off the fraction of a second to claim the 4a state record of 7.08? She is the sure favorite at this point but will be up against Largo veteran runner Michaylin Golladay who placed third in the state last year in the 55m and is the defending state champ in the outdoor 200m. Churchill juniors Michelle Gellman and Audrey Gariepy will have a tough time breaking into the top 6 in this field which also includes Robin Yerkes from Broadneck and Britney Foreman from Chesapeake who both made the 55m finals at last year's state championship, Robyn Chapman from Frederick Douglas who ran 7.16 at the DCIAA Invitational, and Najjiyya Franklin-Huff from Thomas Johnson, who Gariepy barely edged out at regionals.
3a/4a 55m Hurdles
Theresa Lewis from Western is a very strong favorite in the 55 hurdles. She is undefeated this season despite going up against very strong competition at the Citibank Hispanic games, the Montgomery Invitational and the VA Tech Invitational. She will look to break her own 4A state record of 7.95 but still has a ways to go to dip under the Maryland state record of 7.73, which has stood since 1990. Lewis is a special athlete. Keep in mind that number: 7.73, because if she breaks it, it will be big. The next best athlete comes out of Montgomery County. Audrey Gariepy from Churchill has made the finals in ever meet she's been to and has gone under 8.60 3 times this season. She has a great shot at second place. Kierra Holiday is another great hurdler from Largo who will definitely be in the final. A second Western hurdler, Tashana Johnson, and Einstein hurdler, Shaakira Raheem, who was completely unknown prior to the season, have good shots at making the finals as well.
3a/4a 300m Dash
The 300m dash will consist of many of the same athletes as the 55 Dash, except Shalaiyah Sommerville from Western will be in the mix for this race. Sommerville placed second in last year's state championship and has the highest seed time this year. Michaylin Golladay is the favorite for this race. She is the defending state champ and recorded a 39.22 at the Virginia Tech High School Invitational which placed her second ahead of Sommerville in fifth with a 39.75. With these two athletes racing against Robyn Chapman who won the east region 300m (ahead of Golladay), Najjiyya Franklin-Huff west region champ, and Roosevelt athletes Doris Anyanwu (rookie frosh) and Lindsey Jefferson (experienced senior), the state record of 39.19 could definitely fall. Jamie Obendorfer from Damascus and Michelle Gellman from Churchill will represent Montgomery County
3a/4a 500m Dash
Tameka Jameson from Eleanor Roosevelt (ER) will shine in the 500m dash. Twice this season she has recorded a time below the state record of 1:13.40. Her PR of 1:12.40 came at Virginia Tech 3 weeks ago. Right behind her should be Montgomery County record holder Leslie Morrison from Whitman who is currently ranked fifth in the country in the 500m. She will look to improve on her 1:16.87 and finish as high as she can. She is not a sure bet to place second with strong runners Shalaiyah Sommerville from Western and Jacia Montgomery from ER in the race. Other Montgomery County runners can certainly make a push for top 6. Jamie Obendorfer from Damascus, Ashlyn Sinclair from Blair, and rookie senior Elizabeth Manners from QO all have the potential to have great races on Tuesday.
3a/4a 800m
Just as the seed times indicate, The top runners will be the two ER runners and the 4 Montgomery County athletes: Ashlyn Sinclair, Elizabeth Manners, and Leslie Morrison and Morgane Gay from Whitman. Tasha Stanley from ER is the defending state champ and is the favorite but she is not out of reach from the other strong runners. Expect county champ Morrison and region champ Sinclair to go out with the leaders and challenge for that title.
3a/4a 1600m
The 1600m will be the first of two battles for Halsey Sinclair of Blair. The county and west region champ will face off against Eleanor Roosevelt's Dominique Lockhart. Lockhart who finished in 5:06.39 to place 2nd in last year's state championship and also placed 2nd in the 3200m, will be thirsty for a state title, but Sinclair has dropped her (mile) PR to 5:10.9 this year and will also be going after that state title. Emma Larkin from Dulaney, who finished third in 5:12 last year, Katlyn Dillow from Leonardtown who has run 5:12 this season, and Churchill's Louise Hannallah, who has run 5:13 this year, will also be in the hunt. Morgane Gay from Whitman, Emma Eckerstrom from Northwest, and Laura McCrary from Magruder will also do very well, as Montgomery County is strong and deep in the distance events.
3a/4a 3200m
The second battle of the day for Halsey Sinclair will be against Marika Walker from ER. The list of accolades can go on and on for Walker. She has multiple state titles for track and cross country and has posted a 10:57 pr this season. Needless to say, Walker is the clear favorite but if anyone can catch her it is Sinclair. Sinclair clocked an 11:07 PR at the Howard County Winter Trackfest but it will be difficult for her to keep up with Walker after running the 1600m. Emma Larkin is also doubling up in the 16 and the 32, but is definitely one of the top athletes, possibly ready to improve on last years 3rd place finish. Other athletes won't simply be left behind. Expect Quince Orchard teammates Anya Oleynik and Cara Harrison (region champ over Sinclair), and Northwest distance runner Emma Eckerstrom to put up a fight. Sara Baily from C. Milton Wright, who ran 11:22 at VA Tech and Jennifer Redman from ER who ran 11:47 at Va Tech will be in the mix. Liya Kasimova from Severna Park, who placed 9th in last year's state championship as a freshman will look to improve on that.
3a/4a 4x200m
ER has the number one 4x200m relay team in the country after their 1:39.57 at VA Tech. That absolutely makes them the clear favorite, but Western is ranked 9th in the nation with a 1:43 and hope to give ER a run. That state record of 1:40.79 could defintiely fall. Largo, Douglass, and Flowers from PG county will all run very fast, then will come our MoCo teams, Churchill, Damascus, and Richard Montgomery.
3a/4a 4x400m
3:48.04 #1 time in the nation. Can you guess who? It's Eleanor Roosevelt once again. This won't be a pretty race for anyone else in the state. Once again, ER will be followed by Douglass, Largo, and Western (in no particular order). Montgomery County teams will be Churchill, Whitman, and Northwest.
3a/4a 4x800m
The 4x800m should be an excellent race for MoCo fans. Whitman and Churchill have had fantastic runs this season. Now it's time to see if they stack up against the rest of the states. ER's regional time indicates that they probably weren't trying since 10:29 is nowhere near their season best of 9:11. That 9:11 is only good enough for second in the nation, shame! They are the heavy favorites to win this despite their regional time unless they decide to not try at all. Even jogging, they will be up with the leaders. Severna Park, who had that great cross country team last fall, and Largo will blend right in with Whitman and Churchill as the other challenger. Quince Orchard and Walter Johnson will also do well, both possibly earning top 6.
3a/4a Shot Put
Joanne Coley from Largo has the highest mark this season with a 39-5.5. The top spot should go to either her or east region champ Jocelyn Martin from Norhtwestern, who has thrown 37-8. Montgomery County athletes Octavia King from Blake and Christina Paul will do their best to put up good marks, but are a few feet away from the elite athletes.
3a/4a High Jump
Not many 3a/4a girls have jumped over 5 feet this season but Montgomery County is sending 4 to the state meet. Audrey Gariepy from Churchill has the highest mark of any public school girl in Maryland this season, 5'-4". Chelsea Rienks from Damascus High was able to top her at the west region meet with a 5'-3" tie and a jump-off. It should be a good rematch between the two and the rest of the west region with the addition of Sierra Price from Douglas who has jumped 5'-2" this season. Other Montgomery County Athletes in contention will be Claire Kodan from Sherwood and Lindsey DeGeorge from Wootton.
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Maryland Indoor State Preview - Boys
By Alex Booth
3a/4a State Championship
3a/4a 55m Dash
| Montgomery County Competitors: | School | Regional Time | Season PR
| Crutchfield, Keenan | R. Montgomery | 6.5 | 6.53
| Olatunde, Jamal-deen | Sherwood | 6.6 | 6.80
| Pinchinat, Patrick | R. Montgomery | 6.8 | 6.58
| | | |
Of Montgomery County's three qualifiers, Keenan Crutchfield of Richard Montgomery has the best shot at a state title. After an ineligibility problem last year, Crutchfield has returned in top form this season and has proved his legitimacy with both county and regional titles in the 55 dash. His teammate and returning state qualifier Patrick Pinchinat is not far behind Crutchfield and could also be a challenger in the finals for a state title. Olatunde from Sherwood was a surprise third place finish at regionals and it will be interesting to see how this rising star does against the best in the state. The top competitors for Crutchfield should be Adrian Arthur from Bowie, Justin Murdock from Glen Burnie, David Matthews from Arundel, as well as Tereance Kerns from Thomas Johnson who finished second to Crutchfield in the west regional race, however Crutchfield's mark of 6.5 at regionals will earn him the top seed going into the state race.
3a/4a 300
| Montgomery County Competitors: | School | Regional Time | Season PR
| Crutchfield, Keenan | R. Montgomery | 37.8 | 35.56
| Wyche, Marcus | Paint Branch | 38.6 | 35.4
| Spratley, Quadell | Paint Branch | 39.6 | 36.6 | | | |
After a stellar 300 performance at the Virginia Tech Invite, Crutchfield established himself as a threat along with teammate Bret Ligon in the 300. After Ligon was unable to finish the regional race due to injury, Crutchfield stepped up and surprised the favorite, Marcus Wyche of Paint Branch. Wyche's teammate Quadell Spratley was the final Montgomery County qualifier, hanging onto fourth. Even after Crutchfield's dominating performance at regionals and Wyche's 35.4 at the Montgomery County Championships, neither are the outright favorite going into the state meet. They will face stiff competition from Corryl Boyd of Westlake, Craig Gaddy of Bladensburg, Jason Powell of Eleanor Roosevelt, David Lipford of Largo and 55 dash qualifier Tereance Kerns. This should be one of the closest and most exciting races due to the fact that all seven of the top competitors with the exception of Kerns have broken 36 this season.
3a/4a 500
| Montgomery County Competitors: | School | Regional Time | Season PR
| Wyche, Marcus | Paint Branch | 1:13.2 | 1:07.6
| Weinstein, David | Churchill | 1:13.3 | 1:07.76
| Hard, Jamie | Churchill | 1:14.9 | 1:14.9
| Schnure, Nilan | Blair | 1:15.7 | 1:15.7 | | | | |
With Ligon out due to injury, the door was open for Wyche to take first in the 500 at regionals, however not without a fight from Churchill senior David Weinstein. Following were two relatively unknown competitors in Churchill's Jamie Hard and Blair's Nilan Schnure. Wyche and Weinstein are among many possible winners in the 500, but their biggest competition will come from Eric Tyler of Douglass, who has run over a full second faster than both Wyche and Weinstein this season. Other top competitors include Marcus Dickerson of C H Flowers, Boyd of Westlake, and Eleanor Roosevelt's duo of Adrian Browne and 800 meter favorite Kelli Thibou.
3a/4a 800
| Montgomery County Competitors: | School | Regional Time | Season PR
| Kironji, Antony | Paint Branch | 2:11.2 | 2:06.24
| Laratta, David | Q. Orchard | 2:11.5 | 2:11.5
| Tousley, Michael | B-C C | 2:12.2 | 2:03.87
| Zahorodny, Wil | Damascus | 2:12.4 | 2:07.05 | | | | |
The west regional 800 was full of surprises, as Paint Branch's Antony Kironji took first over Quince Orchard's David Laratta. Both athletes are relatively inexperienced in the open 800, and were able to pull ahead of favorites Michael Tousley of B-C C and Wil Zahorodny of Damascus. These four Montgomery County athletes will have their hands full at states with several top middle distance runners. The favorite is Kelli Thibou of Eleanor Roosevelt, who posted a 1000 meter time of 2:35.18 at Virginia Tech, and has run as fast as 1:56.84 last year in Outdoor. Mohammed Fofana of Bowie, Jerod Franklin of C H Flowers, Daniel Edmund of Eleanor Roosevelt, and Matt Llano of Broadneck have all posted faster 800 times this season than any Montgomery County qualifier, so our MoCo athletes will be pushed at states.
3a/4a 1600
| Montgomery County Competitors: | School | Regional Time | Season PR
| Janes, Ryan | Gaithersburg | 4:43.4 | 4:29.67
| Barnard, Chris | Sherwood | 4:44.2 | 4:32.18
| Schneider, Jared | Walter Johnson | 4:45.0 | 4:45.0
| Tousley, Michael | B-C C | 4:45.3 | 4:28.40
| | | | |
Montgomery County will again be the underdogs at states in the 1600, especially with the regional absence of county champion Chris Moen. Ryan Janes reaffirmed his position as the top miler in the county with his regional performance, but will need more to stick with the leaders at states. Chris Barnard of Sherwood is not far behind Janes and should be a factor at states as well. Jared Schneider of Walter Johnson regains the status he had last spring by qualifying once again, and watch out for the big kick of Michael Tousley to have a strong showing at states. Don't be surprised if he is the top Montgomery County finisher, he is a rising star that is due for a breakout performance. Watch for all four of these closely contested Montgomery County athletes to be chasing favored Matt Centrowitz of Broadneck, Matt Llano of Broadneck, Dwight Parker of Woodlawn, and Eleanor Roosevelt's Mikias Gelagle.
3a/4a 3200
| Montgomery County Competitors: | School | Regional Time | Season PR
| Barnard, Chris | Sherwood | 10:24.4 | 9:50.96
| Gaffney, Kyle | Blake | 10:30.7 | 9:49.11
| Bowie, Chris | B-C C | 10:34.9 | 10:08.09
| Palmer, William | Whitman | 10:36.0 | 9:45.90 | | | | |
Montgomery County will have a strong showing in the 3200 at states, and although overshadowed by runners from other counties, should still turn some heads. Chris Barnard established himself as a top notch miler last year as a sophomore, and this year has excelled in the 3200 as well. He should be a threat at states, but with the other three Montgomery County qualifiers being fresh for this race at the fast-moving state meet, Kyle Gaffney of Blake, Chris Bowie of B-C C, and county record holder William Palmer will all be just as much of a factor. Gaffney and Palmer especially should be well primed to hang with the top competition of 1600 qualifiers Gelagle and Parker, as well as South River's Chris Moody. With Bowie's third place performance at regionals, both he and Barnard will be fighting to stay with the pack as well. This race will likely go out faster than these runners are used to, so whoever can hold onto the pack the longest will be in prime position to finish well.
| Montgomery County Competitors: | School | Regional Time | Season PR
| Gray, Alex | B-C C | 8.0 | 7.9
| Puckett, Travis | Gaithersburg | 8.1 | 7.8
| Bosha, Vincent | Magruder | 8.2 | 7.7
| Grundmann, Stefan | Whitman | 8.2 | 7.8 | | | | |
Montgomery County qualifies four very worthy competitors in the hurdles, and all four have a chance at making some noise at states. After the Montgomery County championship results were flip-flopped at the regional race, any of these four is primed to challenge favorite Legonn Haskins of Douglass, who has posted a phenomenal time of 7.59 this season. There will also be close competition from Westminster's John Lopez and Arundel's Chris Hawkins, who have both posted times under 7.9 this season, as well as the central region champion Sam Cramer from Dulaney.
3a/4a 4x200
| Montgomery County Competitors: | Regional Time | Season PR
| Richard Montgomery | 1:39.3 | 1:31.07
| Walter Johnson | 1:41.4 | 1:35.56
| Gaithersburg | 1:42.6 | 1:36.29
| Paint Branch | 1:42.9 | 1:33.22
| Whitman | 1:42.9 | 1:37.02 | | | | | |
The 4x200 will be another event in which Montgomery County will be the favorite. Richard Montgomery has posted a Maryland #1 time for public schools, and will be the favorite going into the meet. Paint Branch, who had an exchange problem at regionals has not been far behind all season, and will be a strong challenger in this race. Walter Johnson, Gaithersburg, and Whitman will all be chasing these two teams, as well as other top competitors such as Bowie, Westlake, and C H Flowers, and the central region champions Glen Burnie.
3a/4a 4x400
| Montgomery County Competitors: | Regional Time | Season PR
| Richard Montgomery | 3:44.0 | 3:23.69
| Paint Branch | 3:49.8 | 3:24.93
| Churchill | 3:51.1 | 3:35.79 | | | |
The 4x400 may very well be Montgomery County's best event, since Richard Montgomery and Paint Branch have the Maryland #1 and #2 times for public schools. This race between the two will be even closer if Richard Montgomery's Bret Ligon is still unable to run due to injury by the state meet. Montgomery County's third qualifier, Churchill, has a bit of distance between themselves and the top two, but will nonetheless be very competitive at the state meet with several qualifying teams from other regions having PR's in the mid 3:30's this season as well. Other top competition that will be chasing Richard Montgomery and Paint Branch includes Eleanor Roosevelt and Westlake.
3a/4a 4x800
| Montgomery County Competitors: | Regional Time | Season PR
| Quince Orchard | 8:49.8 | 8:26.40
| Northwest | 8:51.9 | 8:46.12
| Churchill | 8:53.2 | 8:14.71
| Walter Johnson | 8:53.5 | 8:24.02 | | | | |
One of the biggest surprises of the west regional meet was Northwest's second place finish, re-establishing themselves as a distance power in Montgomery County. Competing in the state race alongside Northwest will be the consistent Quince Orchard squad, the heavily favored Churchill team, and perennial 4x800 contender Walter Johnson. Walter Johnson will have some added strength with the return of Chris Moen to their team, and should improve upon their finish due to this addition. Although Montgomery County has several powerhouse 4x800 squads, the favorite will be Eleanor Roosevelt, who has already posted a time of 8:02.15 this season and will attempt to break their state record of 7:59.73.
3a/4a High Jump
| Montgomery County Competitors: | School | Regional Time | Season PR
| Ruffin, Markcus | Northwest | 6-02 | 6-06
| Lewis, Jeremiah | Gaithersburg | 6-00 | 6-00
| Pitt, Cameron | Springbrook | 5-10 | 6-02
| Houston, John | Magruder | 5-10 | 6-02 | | | | |
Montgomery County will once again have a strong showing in the field events. Northwest's Markcus Ruffin is one of the favorites going in, and his biggest competition will be Aarron Johnson of Oxon Hill, who has jumped a towering height of 6-08 this season. Johnson's teammate Sean Johnson as well as Old Mill's Brandon Randolph have both jumped as high as 6-04 this season and will challenge Ruffin and Johnson. Gaithersburg's Jeremiah Lewis, Springbrook's Cameron Pitt, and Magruder's John Houston should not be forgotten for Montgomery County, as they will all have an opportunity to put points on the board at states.
3a/4a Shot Put
| Montgomery County Competitors: | School | Regional Time | Season PR
| Miller, Matt | R. Montgomery | 48-09 | 50-05
| Scribner, Robert | Q. Orchard | 48-06 | 50-02
| Dugan, Bobby | Gaithersburg | 46-00.5 | 47-03
| Goldsby, Jamie | Gaithersburg | 44-08.5 | 45-10 | | | | |
Montgomery County has the two best shot putters in 3a/4a with Richard Montgomery's Matt Miller and Quince Orchard's Robert Scribner, the only two 3a/4a throwers to eclipse 50 feet. They will, however, need to watch for east regional champion Cory Middleton of Chopticon, and Eleanor Roosevelt's Kerry Pollard, who has a PR this season of 49-04. Gaithersburg's duo of Bobby Dugan and Jamie Goldsby are also among the state's best throwers, and should finish very high as well.
3a/4a Team
The team battle at the 3a/4a State Championship will include several Montgomery County teams at the top. Richard Montgomery, Gaithersburg, and Paint Branch will all be fighting for the championship, with Richard Montgomery going into the meet arguably the favorite to win. To do so, they will have to fend off Prince George's county powerhouse Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as Oxon Hill, Woodlawn, Glen Burnie, and Broadneck. Richard Montgomery and Eleanor Roosevelt are very evenly matched in terms of points going in, but with such close 55, 300, 500, and 1600 races it is difficult to tell where certian athletes will fall. Both teams will score somewhere between 45 and 60 points, but at this point it is too close to call. Go RM!
2a/3a State Championship
2a/3a 300
| Montgomery County Competitors: | School | Regional Time | Season PR
| Williams, Tarell | Kennedy | 35.72 | 35.72 | |
Montgomery County's only 300 qualifier, Kennedy's Tarell Williams, will represent very well. Although he finished third at the west regional, he has a strong chance of placing very high, as his time of 35.72 is one of the top times in 2a/3a. His main competitors will be Brandon Wright of Long Reach, Chris Brewington of Howard, Alan Bachman of Lackey, and Garnell Hall of Catonsville.
2a/3a 500
| Montgomery County Competitors: | School | Regional Time | Season PR
| Martinez, Yamil | Kennedy | 1:09.40 | 1:08.95 | |
Again, in the 500 Montgomery County has but one qualifier from Kennedy, Yamil Martinez. His time of 1:09.40 earned him an automatic qualification after finishing fifth. Although he is not among the favorites, he was a mere 2 seconds off the top 2a/3a 500 time at regionals, so could make some noise with a good race at states.
2a/3a 55 hurdles
| Montgomery County Competitors: | School | Regional Time | Season PR
| Pradel, Louis | Kennedy | 8.06 | 7.9 | |
Louis Pradel of Kennedy is the one Montgomery County champion for 2a/3a boys at regionals, but has his work cut out for him at states. Major competition comes his way from Kent Island's Jack Hutchison, Carlos Perkins from Annapolis, Zach Ray from Huntingtown, and Chris Mcintosh from Franklin.
2a/3a 4x200
| Montgomery County Competitors: | Regional Time | Season PR
| Kennedy | 1:35.40 | 1:34.52 | |
Kennedy will be the sole Montgomery County representative in the boys 4x200. Although Kennedy is not among frontrunners such as Mervo and DuVal, they will nonetheless have an opportunity to finish well since they are within two seconds of the best 2a/3a 4x200 time this season.
2a/3a 4x400
| Montgomery County Competitors: | Regional Time | Season PR
| Kennedy | 3:37.5 | 3:37.5 | |
Kennedy will be much more in the mix in the 4x400 without a definite favorite in this race. Along with North Carroll, Howard, Lackey, DuVal, and Mervo, Kennedy will be in a tight race for the top spots at states.
2a/3a 4x800
| Montgomery County Competitors: | Regional Time | Season PR
| Kennedy | 8:32.60 | 8:32.60
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Kennedy was able to qualify their 4x800 by virtue of the qualifying time after finishing fifth at regionals. Although they finished fifth, their only competition will come from their own region, so they have a good shot at placing well at states. Atholton will be the favorite in this race.
2a/3a Shot Put
| Montgomery County Competitors: | School | Regional Time
| Velasquez, Mike | Wheaton | 48-08.5
| Okoji, Chimso | Kennedy | 47-05-5 | | |
Montgomery County qualifies two throwers on the rise to the state meet, where they will continue their success that they had at regionals. Other than the two clear favorites, Linganore's Adam Deiseroth and Gwynn Park's Phillip Taylor, Velasquez and Okoji should be primed to be fighting for third place.
1a/2a State Championships
The 1a/2a State Championships will only include a select few Montgomery County runners. The qualifiers include Derrick Powell of Northwood in the 500, Giovanni Reumante of Northwood in the 800, Jackson Jordan of Poolesville in the 55m hurdles, and the Poolesville Boys 4x200 and 4x800. Best of luck to all these athletes at the state meet!
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Yale Interscholastic Track and Field Classic Recap
by Alain Parcan
On January 20-21, Wootton High School competed in the Yale Classic. Among many strong schools, most from New York and Connecticut, Wootton managed to make a strong showing in several events.
The day started out with the girls 4x200 team running a 1:51:16, placing them 11th out of 37 teams in the division for schools with 600+ girls. Although the girls narrowly missed out on a spot in the finals, they were not disappointed with their time.
Unfortunately, Wootton did suffer an injury to one of their top sprinters, Lian Boos. A strong 55-meter runner, Boos still plans on running at the County meet on Monday, January 23. Because of her injury, she was unable to run in the 4x400 relay. Surprisingly, Veronica Salcido was able to fill in despite being injured for nearly all of the indoor season. The team ran a 4:19:35, placing them 14th out of 21 teams.
Later that day, Wootton boys ran in the Distance Medley Relay. With two of their top runners not at full strength, Wootton ran an 11:56:26. At the same time, Saratoga Springs (NY) won the event with a 10:09:37, blowing away the entire competition as well as the previous meet record (10:19:00).
Wootton had two runners competing in individual events. Junior Chris Boyd ran in the Invitational Mile, and Senior Ross Powers ran the 400 meters. Powers finished 15th among nearly 70 runners, winning his heat and setting a personal record at 52.75 seconds. "I was surprised that I ran as well as I did. It was an excellent experience to run in such an amazing facility amongst such good competition," said Powers.
Wootton runners all seemed to enjoy the trip, but will get little time to rest as they must prepare for the Montgomery County Championship meet on Monday.
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MoCo Championship Boys Predictions
By Ron Burgundy
The Montgomery County Championships this year feature many new faces. Richard Montgomery looks like the clear favorite and should win with ease. The meet also features some incredible matchups. In the sprints be sure to watch Bret Ligon and Marcus Wyche face off in the 300m and 500m dashes. The 800m is a wide open race, also featuring Bret Ligon. The 1600m features Chris Moen, Ryan Janes, Elias Tousley and a host of others, which will highlight the distance races. In the relays, the 4x400 could be a meet record by RM and the 4x800 is one of the closest in years. The jumps feature some great matchups, the highlights of which are the Long Jump and Triple Jump where Frazier of Richard Montgomery and Owolabi of Gaithersburg look to break some county records. The throws only feature the shot put during the indoor season, but Miller (defending state champ), Dugan (defending county and regional champ) and Scribner will have one heated battle. The hurdles is also another event that only features one race in indoor but it should be good with an intense matchup between Grundmann of Whitman (only MoCo runner in the finals of the MoCo Invite) and Puckett of Gaithersburg (rumored to be the next Joey Robinson). Here are my top 8 picks for each individual event followed by team scores. If you don't like them then I challenge you to better me in the first ever Crown Competition!!! Submit your top three picks for every event by Sunday night!!! |
| 55m Dash Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Tarell Williams | Kennedy |
| 2 | Patrick Pinchinant | Richard Montgomery |
| 3 | Jamal Currica | Damascus |
| 4 | Keenan Crutchfield | Richard Montgomery |
| 5 | Brandon Jackson-Mills | Northwest |
| 6 | Alex Le | Walter Johnson |
| 7 | Daryll Morris | Wootton | >
| 8 | Quadell Spratley | Paint Branch |
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| Ron Burgundy's 55m Dash Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Patrick Pinchinant | Richard Montgomery |
| 2 | Keenan Crutchfield | Richard Montgomery |
| 3 | Tarell Williams | Kennedy |
| 4 | Vincent Bosha | Magruder |
| 5 | Alex Le | Walter Johnson |
| 6 | Quadell Spratley | Paint Branch |
| 7 | Travis Puckett | Gaithersburg |
| 8 | Ken Chen | Churchill | >
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Why???: This race is actually one of the hardest to predict because three of the eight leaders aren't running. Pinchinant and Crutchfield look like a pretty easy 1-2 in this race, and will rack up some points for RM. Williams has looked good too, but I think the RM duo is primed to take him. The next 4 feature two runners that haven't made the leader board yet but should be up there. The last 5 guys on that list could very well jockey around for position.
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| 55m Hurdle Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Stefan Grundmann | Whitman |
| 2 | Louis Pradel | Kennedy |
| 3 | Ahmad Tunis | Northwest |
| 4 | Vincent Bosha | Magruder |
| 5 | Alex Gray | B-CC |
| 6 | Kevin Campbell | Poolesville |
| 7 | Gregory Conte | Quince Orchard |
| 8 | Julien Hohman | Quince Orchard |
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| Ron Burgundy's 55m Hurdle Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Stefan Grundmann | Whitman |
| 2 | Travis Puckett | Gaithersburg |
| 3 | Ahmad Tunis | Northwest |
| 4 | Vincent Bosha | Magruder |
| 5 | Alex Gray | B-CC |
| 6 | Louis Pradel | Kennedy |
| 7 | Kevin Campbell | Poolesville |
| 8 | Gregory Conte | Quince Orchard |
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Why???: The hurdles clearly favor Stefan Grundmann after he was the only MoCo runner to make it to the finals of the MoCo Invite. Puckett, it has been rumored, is the next Joey Robinson, and so he is my next pick. Numbers 3-8 are in order of their MoCo Invite finishes. Tunis, Bosha, Gray and Pradel all finished right after one another at the MoCo Invite and their order could get jockeyed all over the place depending on how the race unfolds. Only 00.10 of a second separated those three.
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| 300m Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Bret Ligon | Richard Montgomery |
| 2 | Ross Powers | Wootton |
| 3 | Jamal Currica | Damascus |
| 4 | Kevin Johnson | Quince Orchard |
| 5 | Rowland Northe | Damascus |
| 6 | Caleb Malone | Quince Orchard |
| 7 | Kouassi Bertrand | Wootton |
| 8 | Ju Won | Damascus |
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| Ron Burgundy's 300m Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Marcus Wyche | Paint Branch |
| 2 | Bret Ligon | Richard Montgomery |
| 3 | Patrick Pinchinant | Richard Montgomery |
| 4 | Jeremiah Lewis | Gaithersburg |
| 5 | Vincent Bosha | Magruder |
| 6 | Jamal Currica | Damascus |
| 7 | Nicholas Oates | Springbrook |
| 8 | Stefann Grundmann | Whitman |
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Why???: This race features a little stepdown from Ligon to a level where Wyche is definitely the favorite. Pinchinant will also carry his 55 dash dominance over. Next there's Lewis, who hasn't run this race yet, but should definitely be up there. Bosha and Currica have both proven themselves and earn the 5th and 6th spots. Oates, another runner who hasn't really raced yet, is again seeded very fast in this race and we will soon find out if it's legit. Grundmann from Whitman definitely has the speed and could sneak up higher depending on how the race plays out.
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| 500m Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Wil Zahorodny | Damascus |
| 2 | Quincy Jones | Damascus |
| 3 | Bryan Baude | Damascus |
| 4 | Michael Taugner | Richard Montgomery |
| 5 | Pedro Arieta | Richard Montgomery |
| 6 | David Umanzar | Damascus |
| 7 | Kristofer Lasko | Quince Orchard |
| 8 | Bryan Aryas | Richard Montgomery |
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| Ron Burgundy's 500m Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Bret Ligon | Richard Montgomery |
| 2 | Marcus Wyche | Paint Branch |
| 3 | David Weinstein | Churchill |
| 4 | Antony Kironji | Paint Branch |
| 5 | Kalgeri Robinson | Magruder |
| 6 | Yamil Martinez | Kennedy |
| 7 | Jon Ryan | Richard Montgomery |
| 8 | Quincy Jones | Damascus | |
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Why???: Bret Ligon is the obvious favorite in this event after his 49 400m split, 2:01 800m, and 0:36 300m make him the favorite to come together in the middle. Wyche and Weinstein are next in line, both needing to help out their team in this one. Kironji, Robinson and Martinez round out the fast heat and are all very close in ability level. Jon Ryan and Quincy Jones of RM and Damascus are in the next heat, but should still finish in the top 8. Look for Ryan to possibly step up to help his team out with scoring. He is also one of the possible members of their 4x400 relay.
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| 800m Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Bret Ligon | Richard Montgomery |
| 2 | Elias Tousley | B-CC |
| 3 | Yamil Martinez | Kennedy |
| 4 | Nilan Schnure | Blair |
| 5 | Greg Bove | Quince Orchard |
| 6 | Josh Joson | Quince Orchard |
| 7 | Michael Gardner | Watkins Mill |
| 8 | Greg Decker | Walter Johnson |
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| Ron Burgundy's 800m Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Bret Ligon | Richard Montgomery |
| 2 | Elias Tousley | B-CC |
| 3 | Ryan Janes | Gaithersburg |
| 4 | Wil Zahorodny | Damascus |
| 5 | Evan Whetsell | Churchill |
| 6 | Will Palmer | Whitman |
| 7 | Greg Bove | Quince Orchard |
| 8 | Brian Sickles | Richard Montgomery |
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Why???: Bret Ligon is the obvious favorite in this event after his dominant 2nd place performance at the Montgomery Invite. Elias Tousley ran a 2:03 open 800m. Ligon and Tousley tend to use the same strategy: a potent kick, but Tousley may not know who he's up against and wait too long. Janes in 3rd: he could beat Tousley with his kick. Then Zahorodny and Whetsell are both obvious picks. Palmer might move down because of fatigue from the 1600m and 320m. Bove and Sickles in 7th and 8th because they have both run solid relay splits during the season. Sickles is the faster 400m runner, but Bove has far more strength.
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| 1600m Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Ryan Janes | Gaithersburg |
| 2 | Chris Moen | Walter Johnson |
| 3 | Elias Tousley | B-CC |
| 4 | Kyle Gaffney | Blake | <
| 5 | Chris Barnard | Sherwood |
| 6 | William Bell | Springbrook |
| 7 | Josh Joson | Quince Orchard |
| 8 | Jared Schneider | Walter Johnson |
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| Ron Burgundy's 1600m Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Ryan Janes | Gaithersburg |
| 2 | Chris Moen | Walter Johnson |
| 3 | Elias Tousley | B-CC |
| 4 | Kyle Gaffney | Blake | <
| 5 | Will Palmer | Whitman |
| 6 | William Bell | Springbrook |
| 7 | Wil Zahorodny | Damascus |
| 8 | Jared Schneider | Walter Johnson |
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Why???: Ryan Janes is the obvious favorite after dominating XC, the developmentals and Montgomery Invitational in the seeded mile. Chris Moen also had a dominant Montgomery Invitational showing, while Elias Tousley took second place in the 1600 from the second heat. Kyle Gaffney and Will Palmer were both strong XC runners and have run under 4:40 in the 1600, 4x1600 or DMR. Schneider had an off day at MoCo Invite, and therefore is 8th with the possibility of moving up. Bell ran 4:36 at MoCo Invite. Note: Word on the street is Tarik will not be competing in open events.
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| 3200m Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Drew Abernathy | Georgetown Prep |
| 2 | Kyle Gaffney | Blake |
| 3 | Will Palmer | Whitman |
| 4 | Artem Panasenkov | Quince Orchard |
| 5 | Reagan Lynch | Quince Orchard |
| 6 | Tommy Mullings | Sherwood |
| 7 | Robby Linnoila | Churchill |
| 8 | Russell Speiden | Sherwood |
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| Ron Burgundy's 3200m Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Kyle Gaffney | Blake |
| 2 | Will Palmer | Whitman |
| 3 | Chris Barnard | Sherwood |
| 4 | Christopher Bowie | B-CC |
| 5 | Alec Triantos | Magruder |
| 6 | Reagan Lynch | Quince Orchard |
| 7 | Artem Panasenkov | Quince Orchard |
| 8 | Tommy Mullings | Sherwood |
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Why???: Kyle Gaffney and Will Palmer are the only two MoCo runners to break the 10:00 barrier so far this season, but don't worry, there will be more. Chris Barnard and Bowie both ran impressive early season 3200's at the developmental meet, both running under 10:20. Triantos hasn't run yet, but his XC strength will likely translate. Lynch and Panasenkov have both run sub 10:30. Look for those two to work together during the race. Mullings had a rough time at the MoCo Invite but in a less competitive race he should be faster.
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| 4x200m Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | School |
| 1 | Richard Montgomery |
| 2 | Paint Branch |
| 3 | Kennedy |
| 4 | Magruder |
| 5 | Gaithersburg |
| 6 | Northwest |
| 7 | Walter Johnson |
| 8 | Blair |
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| Ron Burgundy's 4x200m Picks: |
| Place | School |
| 1 | Richard Montgomery |
| 2 | Paint Branch |
| 3 | Kennedy |
| 4 | Magruder |
| 5 | Gaithersburg |
| 6 | Blair |
| 7 | Walter Johnson |
| 8 | Whitman | |
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Why???: RM doesn't even need explanation. The rest follow the leaderboard and the Montgomery Invite results except for a few minor adjustments. Walter Johnson barely beat Blair at Montgomery Invite, but Blair has been Looking good. Gaithersburg was 5th MoCo school at the MoCo invite. Northwest is not running at counties for some reason. Whitman ran an impressive time at the MoCo Invite as well, good for 8th MoCo school that has a team running at counties.
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| 4x400m Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | School |
| 1 | Richard Montgomery |
| 2 | Paint Branch |
| 3 | Churchill |
| 4 | Kennedy |
| 5 | Magruder |
| 6 | Northwest |
| 7 | Walter Johnson |
| 8 | Damascus |
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| Ron Burgundy's 4x400m Picks: |
| Place | School |
| 1 | Richard Montgomery |
| 2 | Paint Branch |
| 3 | Churchill |
| 4 | Kennedy |
| 5 | Magruder |
| 6 | Northwest |
| 7 | Walter Johnson |
| 8 | Damascus | |
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Why???: RM ALL THE WAY!!! Paint Branch is also very strong, but nowhere near RM caliber. The rest follow the leaderboard and for the most part MoCo Invite results as well. MoCo Invite looks very accurate for a relay gauge, but not so much for individual events. Tarik Aougab is also running Churchill's 4x400 at counties rumor has it, so this should be a good one.
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| 4x800m Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | School |
| 1 | Quince Orchard |
| 2 | Churchill |
| 3 | Richard Montgomery |
| 4 | Walter Johnson |
| 5 | Paint Branch |
| 6 | Damascus |
| 7 | Northwest |
| 8 | Whitman |
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| Ron Burgundy's 4x800m Picks: |
| Place | School |
| 1 | Churchill |
| 2 | Quince Orchard |
| 3 | Walter Johnson |
| 4 | Magruder |
| 5 | Northwest |
| 6 | Richard Montgomery |
| 7 | Damascus |
| 8 | Whitman | |
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Why???: With the supposed return of Tarik Aougab, Churchill is the team to beat. Quince Orchard is next because of their already number one time and very strong XC group of guys. WJ is lethal with the Chris Moen anchor so watch out. RM is not running their A team. Magruder has a solid team if they can put it together. Northwest looked good at the developmentals and MoCo Invite. Damasucs also has a decent team, espically with Zahorodny. Will Palmer is not running for Whitman so that brings them down to 8th.
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| High Jump Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Markcus Ruffin | Northwest |
| 2 | Cameron Pitt | Springbrook |
| 3 | Jamal Currica | Damascus |
| 4 | John Houston | Magruder |
| 5 | Kalgeri Robinson | Magruder |
| 6 | Jeremiah Lewis | Gaithersburg |
| 7 | Drew Buckingham | Sherwood |
| 8 | Antony Kironji | Paint Branch |
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| Ron Burgundy's High Jump Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Markcus Ruffin | Northwest |
| 2 | Cameron Pitt | Springbrook |
| 3 | Jamal Currica | Damascus |
| 4 | John Houston | Magruder |
| 5 | Kalgeri Robinson | Magruder |
| 6 | Jeremiah Lewis | Gaithersburg |
| 7 | Drew Buckingham | Sherwood |
| 8 | Gary Frazier | Richard Montgomery | |
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Why???: The only male individual winner at MoCo Invite, Markcus Ruffin is clearly the man to beat. Cameron Pitt has already jumped 6-2 and looks to be a very strong second. The next five, Currica, Robinson, Houston, Lewis, and Buckingham have all jumped within two inches of each other.
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| Long Jump Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Gary Frazier | Richard Montgomery |
| 2 | Alex Gray | B-CC |
| 3 | Keenan Crutchfield | Richard Montgomery |
| 4 | Kalgeri Robinson | Magruder | >
| 5 | Jeremiah Lewis | Gaithersburg |
| 6 | Brendan Etzel | Richard Montgomery |
| 7 | Delano Furgeson | Kennedy |
| 8 | Chauncy Manson | Springbrook |
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| Ron Burgundy's Long Jump Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Gary Frazier | Richard Montgomery |
| 2 | Keenan Crutchfield | Richard Montgomery |
| 3 | Alex Gray | B-CC |
| 4 | Kalgeri Robinson | Magruder | >
| 5 | Jeremiah Lewis | Gaithersburg |
| 6 | Tarell Williams | Kennedy |
| 7 | Hector Williams | Springbrook |
| 8 | Israel Owolabi | Gaithersburg | |
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Why???: Gary Frazier has to be the favorite in this event, being the only jumper to clear 21 feet, and almost a foot further than anyone else. Keenan Crutchfield and Alex Gray will be very close with only 3/4 of a foot separating them, but Crutchfield is in it for the team title. Robinson and Lewis are also trying to score key points for their teams. No Etzel because teams only get 2 entries per event. Both Tarell and Hector Williams are extremely close and should match up very evenly with the possibility of either winning. Owolabi had a very impressive TJ which would very well translate to a good LJ.
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| Triple Jump Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Israel Owolabi | Gaithersburg |
| 2 | Larbi Dakkouni | Quince Orchard |
| 3 | Ian Francis | Walter Johnson |
| 4 | Patrick Pinchinant | Richard Montgomery |
| 5 | Alonzo Evans-Chase | Richard Montgomery | >
| 6 | Gary Frazier | Richard Montgomery |
| 7 | Robert Yen | Wootton |
| 8 | David Lide | Georgetown Prep |
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| Ron Burgundy's Triple Jump Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Israel Owolabi | Gaithersburg |
| 2 | Larbi Dakkouni | Quince Orchard |
| 3 | Ian Francis | Walter Johnson |
| 4 | Gary Frazier | Richard Montgomery |
| 5 | Alonzo Evans-Chase | Richard Montgomery | >
| 6 | Robert Yen | Wootton |
| 7 | Mark Cook | Quince Orchard |
| 8 | Mike Aposporos | Gaithersburg |
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Why???: Owolabi is the obvious favorite after his dominant 3rd place jump at the MoCo Invite. Dakkouni is second on the leaderboard. Francis is 3rd. Frazier over Evans-Chase because of his impressive long jumping. Both will look to score crucial points for the team title. The last three follow the leaderboard except for Aposporos who hasn't jumped yet but should shape up to be in the top 8.
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| Shot put Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Matt Miller | Richard Montgomery |
| 2 | Robert Scribner | Quince Orchard |
| 3 | Michael Velazquez | Wheaton |
| 4 | Markcus Ruffin | Northwest |
| 5 | Vaughn Bryant | Wootton |
| 6 | Delano Furgeson | Kennedy |
| 7 | Chimso Okoji | Kennedy |
| 8 | John Dellomo | Quince Orchard |
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| Ron Burgundy's Shot Put Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Matt Miller | Richard Montgomery |
| 2 | Robert Scribner | Quince Orchard |
| 3 | Bobby Dugan | Gaithersburg |
| 4 | Michael Velazquez | Wheaton |
| 5 | Jamie Goldsby | Gaithersburg |
| 6 | Markcus Ruffin | Northwest |
| 7 | Vaughn Bryant | Wootton |
| 8 | Delano Furgeson | Kennedy |
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Why???: Matt Miller of RM is the favorite in the shot put, but not by much. Scribner of QO is right behind him, and Dugan is looking to defend his county title. Velazquez has been throwing well so far too. Goldsby has been under the radar but should be a solid 5th. Bryant and Ruffin have both been throwing well, and Bryant, a 12 grade rookie, is rumored to be rapidly improving. Furgeson seems to be the next pick. The fight between the top three looks to be one of the best of the entire meet, so don't miss it!!!
Team Rankings
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| 1.) Richard Montgomery | | 2.) Gaithersburg |
| 3.) Magruder | | 4.) Paint Branch |
| 5.) Quince Orchard | | 6.) B-CC |
| 7.) Walter Johnson | | 8.) Whitman |
| 9.) Churchill | | 10.) Northwest |
Why???: This team battle obviously favors Richard Montgomery with their incredible depth. They have two amazing relays plus major points from Miller, Ligon, Pinchinant, Crutchfield and Frazier. This is the team to beat, with their theoretical total adding up to 100+ points. Gaithersburg doesn't look like much but with Janes and some good field athletes they are a pretty solid second place. Magruder also has a solid team, with a bunch of guys that look to finish in the middle of the top 8 numerous times, which can really rack up some points. Paint Branch has a solid team but they are missing a little and this puts them below Magruder. Magruder and Paint Branch are pretty close and this could go either way. QO is a solid 5th with some pretty good depth. Places 6-10 actually look to only be separated by a couple points. This will literally go any way and make for a very exciting county meet.
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MoCo Championship Girls Predictions
By Kevin
Some noteable athletes from last year are missing: Emma Hanson, Veronica Salcido, and Hilary Moen. This is a shame, but I believe that this actually makes the meet easier to predict. I think that when all is said and done, the meet will be summarized by the performances of three young ladies: Audrey Gariepy from Churchill in hurdles and jumps, Meghan Rose from Poolesville in sprints, and Halsey Sinclair in distance events. All three of these girls have experience on the state level and have shown that they will return to the state championship meet ready to challenge for state titles. On the county level they have dominated and anything short of two individual victories for each of them would be a disappointment. Ofcourse, if the top athletes slip, there is always those athletes like Ashlyn Sinclair from Blair, Sonia Gill from Quince Orchard, and Emily Furr from Poolesville ready to steal the show. There are some new faces without much indoor success that could challenge for individual titles such as Churchill's Michelle Gellman, Whitman's Leslie Morrison, and Churchill's Louise Hannallah, but it will be a battle for these rising stars. I feel confident that my predictions should be the official favorites of the meet, but as the saying goes, "Races aren't won on paper. That's why they run the race."
Make no mistake...I'm going for 100% here.
| 55m Dash Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Meghan Rose | Poolesville |
| 2 | Sara Armstrong | Poolesville |
| 3 | Suzanne Falk | Wootton |
| 4 | Lian Boos | Wootton |
| 5 | Michelle Miller | Kennedy |
| 6 | Audrey Gariepy | Churchill |
| 7 | Latisha Hinton | Rockville |
| 8 | Jennyka Neil | Walter Johnson |
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| Kevin's 55m Dash Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Michelle Miller | Kennedy |
| 2 | Suzanne Falk | Wootton |
| 3 | Sara Armstrong | Poolesville |
| 4 | Michelle Gellman | Churchill |
| 5 | Lian Boos | Wootton |
| 6 | Jennyka Neil | Walter Johnson |
| 7 | Ini Akpandak | Magruder |
| 8 | Alissa Jewell | Gaithersburg |
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At the Montgomery Invitational where there was the same conditions on the same day for everyone, Michelle Miller had the best time of any MoCo girl. She is the favorite while any place after her really seems open with many young talented girls. Some of the top girls on the leaderboard have opted out of this event to focus on others.
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| 55m Hurdle Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Audrey Gariepy | Churchill |
| 2 | Tara Okusaga | Northwest |
| 3 | Mia Carter | Poolesville |
| 4 | Sasha Waters | Sherwood |
| 5 | Anne Peterson | Whitman |
| 6 | Jessie Weaver | Richard Montgomery |
| 7 | Jenny McCoy | Walter Johnson |
| 8 | Brittany McLeod | Quince Orchard |
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| Kevin's 55m Hurdle Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Audrey Gariepy | Churchill |
| 2 | Tara Okusaga | Northwest |
| 3 | Mia Carter | Poolesville |
| 4 | Shanta Parasuraman | Whitman |
| 5 | Sasha Waters | Sherwood |
| 6 | Anne Peterson | Whitman |
| 7 | Dominique Wright | Kennedy |
| 8 | Jessie Weaver | Richard Montgomery |
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Audrey Gariepy is the STRONG, STRONG favorite for this one, maybe even with a chance at the county meet record. Tara Okusaga and Mia Carter should have a good battle for second but it is open after that.
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| 300m Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Meghan Rose |
Poolesville |
| 2 | Jamie Obendorfer | Damascus |
| 3 | Zarena Sita | Damascus |
| 4 | Latisha Hinton | Rockville |
| 5 | Titilayo Obiri | Quince Orchard |
| 6 | Shawnte Callahan | Rockville |
| 7 | Molly Bryan | Wootton |
| 8 | Christine Foster | Wootton |
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| Kevin's 300m Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Meghan Rose |
Poolesville |
| 2 | Sonia Gill | Quince Orchard |
| 3 | Michelle Gellman | Churchill |
| 4 | Asia Nettles | Kennedy |
| 5 | Jamie Obendorfer | Damascus |
| 6 | Michelle Miller | Kennedy |
| 7 | Jenny McCoy | Walter Johnson |
| 8 | Shayla Davis | Watkins Mill |
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Most of the best athletes have yet to record an official 300m time. I've compared some results from 400m and 200m races and even went back to some results from last year and this is my best guess. Meghan Rose was 2nd in the county and state in this event last year. She is a solid pick for number one but she is not a sure bet with the other strong sprinters all having good seasons. Asia Nettles from Kennedy finished 5th in the county and state last year. She hasn't posted a good time in any event yet, but she couldn't have fallen too far from her 42.12.
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| 500m Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Meghan Rose | Poolesville |
| 2 | Jamie Obendorfer | Damascus |
| 3 | Maddie Schneider | Damascus |
| 4 | Rianne Webb | Richard Montgomery |
| 5 | Jessie Weaver | Richard Montgomery |
| 6 | Kathleen Hearl | Damascus |
| 7 | Titilayo Obiri | Quince Orchard |
| 8 | Jenna Smith | Damascus |
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| Kevin's 500m Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Meghan Rose | Poolesville |
| 2 | Jamie Obendorfer | Damascus |
| 3 | Sonia Gill | Quince Orchard |
| 4 | Leslie Morrison | Whitman |
| 5 | Ashlyn Sinclair | Blair |
| 6 | Betsy Morser | Churchill |
| 7 | Asia Nettles | Kennedy |
| 8 | Jenny McCoy | Walter Johnson |
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This one may look alot like the 300m. Again I am going with Meghan Rose, who is the 1A state champion in this event and has the best time this year. Jamie Obendorfer finished right behind Rose last year and is again right on her tail on the leaderboard. The county is deep in this event and the list of these runners who could run under 1:25 could go on.
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| 800m Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Leslie Morrison | Whitman |
| 2 | Meghan Rose | Poolesville |
| 3 | Ashlyn Sinclair | Blair |
| 4 | Morgane Gay | Whitman |
| 5 | Hannah Winnant | Gaithersburg |
| 6 | Cailyn Bradley | Quince Orchard |
| 7 | Elizabeth Manners | Quince Orchard |
| 8 | Angela Walker | Paint Branch |
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| Kevin's 800m Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Leslie Morrison | Whitman |
| 2 | Ashlyn Sinclair | Blair |
| 3 | Meghan Rose | Poolesville |
| 4 | Halsey Sinclair | Blair |
| 5 | Louise Hannallah | Churchill |
| 6 | Stephanie Alberico | Walter Johnson |
| 7 | Hannah Winnant | Gaithersburg |
| 8 | Laura McCrary | Magruder |
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I believe the athlete to beat is a Whitman runner who burst onto the scene during outdoors last year. Leslie Morrison has been outstanding this year, but she will have her hands full in a head to head race with Ashlyn Sinclair. With many of the other runners tired from other distance events, I fully expect to see those two battling it out well infront, with Meghan Rose (typically a sprinter) not far behind.
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| 1600m Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Halsey Sinclair | Blair |
| 2 | Ashlyn Sinclair | Blair |
| 3 | Louise Hannallah | Churchill |
| 4 | Emma Eckerstrom | Northwest |
| 5 | Debbie Isen | Whitman |
| 6 | Laura McCrary | Magruder |
| 7 | Megan Andrews | BCC |
| 8 | Paige Marcus | Churchill |
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| Kevin's 1600m Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Halsey Sinclair | Blair |
| 2 | Louise Hannallah | Churchill |
| 3 | Morgane Gay | Whitman |
| 4 | Anya Oleynik | Quince Orchard |
| 5 | Emma Eckerstrom | Northwest |
| 6 | Debbie Isen | Whitman |
| 7 | Laura McCrary | Magruder |
| 8 | Megan Andrews | BCC |
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This is close to the order of finish from the Montgomery Invitational and I think it's a good ranking. Halsey Sinclair is essentially the best miler in the state and should dominate this race, possibly breaking the county record in the process. That doesn't mean that the other runners in this race don't have a shot. Maybe it's time for Louise Hannallah to break out on the track like she did in cross country, if only she can keep her shoes on.
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| 3200m Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Halsey Sinclair | Blair |
| 2 | Anya Oleynik | Quince Orchard |
| 3 | Louise Hannallah | Churchill |
| 4 | Cara Harrison | Quince Orchard |
| 5 | Angela Montanio | Quince Orchard |
| 6 | Luyang Liu | Richard Montgomery |
| 7 | Monica Delizo | Richard Montgomery |
| 8 | Alana Moore | Richard Montgomery |
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| Kevin's 3200m Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Halsey Sinclair | Blair |
| 2 | Louise Hannallah | Churchill |
| 3 | Emma Eckerstrom | Northwest |
| 4 | Anya Oleynik | Quince Orchard |
| 5 | Cara Harrison | Quince Orchard |
| 6 | Morgane Gay | Whitman |
| 7 | Megan Andrews | B-CC |
| 8 | Rachel Forcino | Northwest |
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Again, Halsey Sinclair should dominate. Not many top girls have posted 3200m times yet so I'm going by what I saw at the developmental meets and what I know from cross country season.
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| 4x200m Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | School |
| 1 | Churchill |
| 2 | Northwest |
| 3 | Kennedy |
| 4 | Poolesvile |
| 5 | Damascus |
| 6 | Walter Johnson |
| 7 | Richard Montgomery |
| 8 | Wootton |
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| Kevin's 4x200m Picks: |
| Place | School |
| 1 | Kennedy |
| 2 | Churchill |
| 3 | Poolesvile |
| 4 | Damascus |
| 5 | Walter Johnson |
| 6 | Northwest |
| 7 | Wootton |
| 8 | Richard Montgomery |
| |
This race has huge point implications. Most of these teams will be in the hunt for a team title and the point difference between 1st and 8th will be crucial. Kennedy most recently had the best of Churchill at the Montgomery Invitational and I believe that they are the team to beat as they defend their county title and record from last year.
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| 4x400m Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | School |
| 1 | Churchill |
| 2 | Kennedy |
| 3 | Whitman |
| 4 | Richard Montgomery |
| 5 | Damascus |
| 6 | Walter Johnson |
| 7 | Paint Branch |
| 8 | Poolesville |
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| Kevin's 4x400m Picks: |
| Place | School |
| 1 | Churchill |
| 2 | Kennedy |
| 3 | Whitman |
| 4 | Richard Montgomery |
| 5 | Damascus |
| 6 | Walter Johnson |
| 7 | Paint Branch |
| 8 | Poolesville | |
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Call it a cop-out, but I'm not going to change anything. This race should be a three way battle between Churchill, Whitman, and Kennedy, all with very strong teams. Churchill has the best time of the season so far, therefore they are my favorite, but Richard Montgomery had a surprise top finish at the Montgomery Invitational. Maybe the RM girls can sneak in there, giving RMHS a sweep in the 4x400.
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| 4x800m Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | School |
| 1 | Whitman |
| 2 | Churchill |
| 3 | Quince Orchard |
| 4 | Walter Johnson |
| 5 | Northwest |
| 6 | Magruder |
| 7 | Damascus |
| 8 | Poolesville |
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| Kevin's 4x800m Picks: |
| Place | School |
| 1 | Whitman |
| 2 | Churchill |
| 3 | Quince Orchard |
| 4 | Walter Johnson |
| 5 | Northwest |
| 6 | Magruder |
| 7 | Damascus |
| 8 | Poolesville |
| |
This ranking looks perfectly fine to me the way that it is. Anybody who saw the Whitman girls at the Montgomery Invitational knows why these girls should be heavily favored. They have already posted a time below the county meet record and as long as they stay cool and not let inexperience get to them, they have a great shot to break the county record of 9:50 and even top their own season best. Churchill also has a great 4x800m team that should go under 10:00, but upsetting Whitman will be a daunting task.
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| High Jump Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Emily Furr | Poolesville |
| 2 | Audrey Gariepy | Churchill |
| 3 | Chelsea Rienks | Damascus |
| 4 | Lindsay DeGeorge | Wootton |
| 5 | Amanda Lindsay | Walter Johnson | >
| 6 | Katie Durks | Damascus |
| 7 | Brooke Kaczmarek | Damascus |
| 8 | Elena Pavlova | Quince Orchard |
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| Kevin's High Jump Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Audrey Gariepy | Churchill |
| 2 | Emily Furr | Poolesville |
| 3 | Chelsea Rienks | Damascus |
| 4 | Lindsay DeGeorge | Wootton |
| 5 | Amanda Lindsay | Walter Johnson | >
| 6 | Katie Durks | Damascus |
| 7 | Olivia Durr | Poolesville |
| 8 | Ebunola Aniyikaiye | Paint Branch |
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Each of the top 3 girls has jumped a height of 5 feet more than once this season. I wouldn't expect anything less than a three-way battle between these girls, all of whom are on a team in the hunt for the team title. Will any of them go higher than 5 feet? As far as I can tell, Gariepy is the only one who has done it in competition before and if you've seen her professional approach to competition, you'd agree that she's the one to beat.
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| Long Jump Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Jackie Nottidge | Damascus |
| 2 | Emily Furr | Poolesville |
| 3 | Suzanne Falk | Wootton |
| 4 | Tara Okusaga | Northwest |
| 5 | Christina Washington | Springbrook |
| 6 | Sara Price | Walter Johnson |
| 7 | Katie Durks | Damascus |
| 8 | Michelle Miller | Kennedy |
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| Kevin's Long Jump Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Jackie Nottidge | Damascus |
| 2 | Suzanne Falk | Wootton |
| 3 | Emily Furr | Poolesville |
| 4 | Sonia Gill | Quince Orchard |
| 5 | Audrey Gariepy | Churchill |
| 6 | Tara Okusaga | Northwest |
| 7 | Christina Washington | Springbrook |
| 8 | Sara Price | Walter Johnson |
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There is alot of experience in this group of jumpers. It's no surprise that a Damascus jumper is on top, but then again, it's not a surprise that most of these girls are so high up the leaderboard. Christina Washington is a new face, but she has the mark to prove that she can compete with the better athletes. It's fair to call senior Jackie Nottidge the favorite at this point, but sophmore Suzanne Falk, who finished 2nd in last year's indoor county meet, has more than a shot to win her first county title in this event.
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| Triple Jump Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Tara Okusaga | Northwest |
| 2 | Sara Price | Walter Johnson |
| 3 | Audrey Gariepy | Churchill |
| 4 | Chelsea Rienks | Damascus |
| 5 | Ebunola Aniyikaiye | Paint Branch |
| 6 | Aspiazu | Walter Johnson |
| 7 | Cindy Vargas | Watkins Mill |
| 8 | Shanta Parasuraman | Whitman |
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| Kevin's Triple Jump Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Sara Price | Walter Johnson |
| 2 | Tara Okusaga | Northwest |
| 3 | Audrey Gariepy | Churchill |
| 4 | Chelsea Rienks | Damascus |
| 5 | Ebunola Aniyikaiye | Paint Branch |
| 8 | Shanta Parasuraman | Whitman |
| 7 | Lindsey Moloznik | Churchill |
| 6 | Adriana Aspiazu | Walter Johnson |
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|
Tara Okusaga is one of the more improved athletes and that mark of 33-0.5 at the Montgomery Invitational is very respectable, but I am going to favor Sara Price to defend her county title and record. Because this event requires so much concentration and precision in addition to physical ability, this event, more than any other, will be determined by who has the best day. In this loaded field of experienced jumpers, anything can happen.
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| Shot Put Leaderboard Says: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Stephanie Garcia | Kennedy |
| 2 | Sarah McKeown | Damascus |
| 3 | Dana Soper | Poolesville |
| 4 | Lindsay Clark | Poolesville |
| 5 | Rachel Mzengi | Kennedy |
| 6 | Molly Donoghue | Blake |
| 7 | Octavia Knight | Blake |
| 8 | Kim Baker | Richard Montgomery |
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|
| Kevin's Shot Put Picks: |
| Place | Name | School |
| 1 | Stephanie Garcia | Kennedy |
| 2 | Sarah McKeown | Damascus |
| 3 | Dana Soper | Poolesville |
| 4 | Momo Reine | Blair |
| 5 | Lindsay Clark | Poolesville |
| 6 | Rachel Mzengi | Kennedy |
| 7 | Christina Paul | Walter Johnson |
| 8 | Theresa Gaines | Gaithersburg |
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|
Prior to the season, it looked like Sarah McKeown would probably have another easy 10 points for Damascus, but Stephanie Garcia of Kennedy is head and shoulders above the competition so far this season. She has thrown almost 5 feet further than any other county competitor this season and is another one of my strong favorites. I've slid Momo Reine up this list. She was one of last year's top throwers, but hasn't had a mark since December 17, so she will probably improve her mark greatly.
Team Rankings
|
| 1.) Churchill | | 2.) Poolesville |
| 3.) Damascus | | 4.) Whitman |
| 5.) Kennedy | | 6.) Blair |
| 7.) Walter Johnson | | 8.) Quince Orchard |
| 9.) Northwest | | 10.) Wootton |
Churchill has the best all around team. They are the only team with the capability to score and score big in every event. Led by three stars Gariepy, Gellman, and Hannallah, I think they will win this easier than most people think, possibly approaching 100 points. Poolesville has been sort of the secret team from the corner of the county where no one ever goes. They've got great sprinters and jumpers. If Meghan Rose does as well as expected, they will easily take 2nd place, but they don't have a Louise Hannallah to keep pace with Churchill in the distance events. Damascus girls are the defending champs, but they have lost some major talent due to graduation. They haven't missed a beat when it comes to producing the excellent jumpers, but they won't be as strong in the running events. Whitman and Kennedy will go about the competition different ways but should end up very close in the standings. Kennedy has arguably the best sprinters and throwers in the county. Whitman will spread out their great middle distance athletes to soak up as many points as possible. The Sinclair twins should single handedly be able to give Blair a respectable finish around 6th place. WJ, NW, and QO are too close to call, and Wootton may be the last team in double digits. People may be wondering about Gaithersburg who was such a powerhouse last year. They simply are not very good right now and will not be in the hunt until Outdoor Track. Good luck to everyone. Feel free to leave comments in the forum and email in your predictions for the prediction competition.
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Montgomery Invitational Recap
People visit this website to get a Montgomery County perspective on the competition. We certainly had our eyes glued to the athletes that we knew, but some performances were so spectacular that we couldn't possibly ignore them. No one will argue that the story of the meet was Michael Morrison of Great Bridge High School from Chesapeake, VA. After the last competitor maxed out at 12'6" in the pole vault competition, Michael continued to clear height after height as more and more people noticed what was happening. When it was time for him to clear 15', the announcer drew attention to his attempts. The crowd began a uniform clap for each of his next attempts and went wild when he cleared both 15' and 15'6". For each of his failed attempts at 16 feet, there was a great "Awwwwww," from the mesmerized crowd, but after his final failed attempt, the audience went wild, giving the talented athlete the loudest and longest applause of the day. If this performance was not enough, he also placed 5th in the 55m hurdle finals with a time of 7.67.
The most outstanding female athlete of the day was Catherine White of Northside High School from Roanoke, VA. In the mile, White lead the race with Kristy Tobin of Great Bridge not far behind. Halsey Sinclair of Blair High School maintained third place until she reeled in Tobin to gain 2nd place at 1200m. Tobin kicked with only 100m to go and passed Sinclair for 2nd place, but White held on to first by a comfortable 3 seconds. In the 3200m, White took off from the very beginning and nobody came close at any point. She won the mile in 5:08.79 and broke her own meet record in the 3200m in a time of 10:51.56.
The most exciting race of the day was the boys invitational mile. An early pack developed with nobody wanting to take the lead. Gaithersburg's Ryan Janes settled himself into 5th. Michael Spooner of West Springfield High School took control of the race shortly after 400m. He distanced himself from the rest of the pack, fearing the strong kicks of the other athletes. With about 400m to go, Chantilly senior Brad Siragusa began to close the gap. The crowd showed their appreciation for Siragusa's effort as Siragusa passed Spooner in the last lap. Spooner would not let his efforts be for nothing. He matched Siragusa's sprint and edged him out in the last 25m for the victory in 4:21.30. Siragusa finished on his shoulder in 4:21.48. Gaithersburg's Ryan Janes finished 8th in 4:31.24. Note: Brad Siragusa has done no track work to date because of his extended XC season at the Footlocker National Championships
For MoCo fans, Siragusa's DMR appearance was almost as exciting as his mile. The first three legs of the 1st heat of the boys DMR was a battle between Sherwood, W. T. Woodson, and Walter Johnson high schools. WJ actually had a slim lead going into the final leg, something Chris Moen was not used to. T.C. Woodson initially caught Moen, but Moen stayed relaxed, passed back, and built himself a cushion. I first noticed Siragusa flying around the track with only 600m to go. He caught the Woodson runner with 500m to go and he caught Chris Barnard with 450m to go. He set his eyes on Moen with 400m to go, closing the gap rapidly. Moen felt him coming. The crowd saw him coming and started roaring. Were the race 100m longer, even Chris Moen would have been cooked, but Moen was able to hang on for an 11:09 finish (3rd overall) just in front of Chantilly at 11:10. Whitman did well in the fast heat placing 5th overall in 11:12.
For any fans who were simply cheering for Montgomery County schools, few races could top the girls 4x800m relay. Many fans anticipated that the Whitman and Churchill squads could take this race. After the first and second leg, neither school looked as if they would live up to expectations. Whitman's Morgane Gay got the baton in the third leg and began picking off the other runners one by one, putting the fourth leg Leslie Morrison in excellent position to win the race. Fans were on the edge of their seats as many teams challenged for first over the next four laps. Even with one lap to go, it looked as if any school could still catch Whitman, but Morrison held them all off with a strong kick to finish in 9:48.24, which was 0.08 seconds off the meet record. Many anticipated that the Whitman and Churchill girls could also challenge for the top spot in the DMR. Neither proved to be victorious, but Whitman girls did set a county best for this year in 13:01.
Although no Montgomery County team challenged for first in the boys 4x800m relay, there was indeed a MoCo battle within the race providing for a good preview for next week. Evan Whetsell from Churchill won the first leg of the MoCo battle, but Bret Ligon gained some major ground for Richard Montgomery in the second leg. Churchill faded as Ligon and QO's Reagan Lynch passed them in the second leg. A strong third leg from Churchill put them back ahead of QO and just a few paces off of RM going into the final leg. Walter Johnson, who had suffered from a major collision at the first handoff, appeared to be completely out of the race going into the last leg, but never count out a relay team with Chris Moen. Moen got the baton at least 30m behind the other battling teams. Churchill's final leg in 2:03 easily put them ahead of RM. Moen was able to make up ground and pass Greg Bove of QO, but could not edge out Brian Sickles of RM. Churchill finished 8th in a time of 8:29.31 without Tarik Aougab. Richard Montgomery placed 10th in 8:31.35. Walter Johnson placed 11th in 8:32.45 thanks to a 2:02 split by Chris Moen and Quince Orchard finished 12th in 8:32.96.
The morning consisted mostly of sprinting and hurdling. Both boys and girls fields were loaded with national caliber athletes. Michelle Miller of Kennedy looked very good winning her heat, but was not quite fast enough to make it into the incredibly fast finals. Richard Montgomery's Patrick Pinchinant did make it into the finals of the 55m dash and finished 5th overall. Churchill's Audrey Gariepy and Whitman's Stefan Grundmann both made it into the very elite 55 hurdle finals. Each placed 6th.
Montgomery County boys excelled in the 1600m races. Chris Moen placed first overall in 4:32.19. Elias Tousley, who had the second best time overall (4:33.03) edged out Chris Barnard (4:35.38) to win his section using negative splits as his racing method. Kyle Gaffney had the 3rd best time overall (4:34.92) and Springbrook's William Bell won his section, earning 8th best overall time (4:36.58). Needless to say, this race will be very competitive at the upcoming county championship.
It didn't seem as if many people were watching the girls 400's very closely, but many MoCo girls posted great times of 1:04 or less. Michelle Gellman of Churchill does not appear in the results but I had her timed in about 1:01, maybe less. Meghan Rose of Poolesville was in the second fastest heat and controlled the entire race. Nobody was close to her after 200m and she easily won in 1:00.25. That was good enough to place 8th overall. Kneshia Sheard of West Catholic from Philadelphia placed 1st overall in a blazing 56.59.
Several heats of 800's lead up to the big showdown in that event. In the third heat, Michael Gardner from Watkins Mill came flying off the starting line. It looked like he would die down the stretch but he held on to win his heat in 2:07.59. In the 4th section, both Nilan Schnure of Blair and Yamil Martinez of Kennedy came out strong, battling each other throughout. A big kick by another runner won the race, but both athletes finished in 2:06. Negative splits are beginning to become Elias Tousley's trademark. In the 6th heat, he sat patiently in the back of his heat until his second lap. His blazing kick was good enough to place 7th overall in 2:03.87, but it was not fast enough to beat two of the other strong runners in his heat. The final heat was a showdown between some very strong half milers, but you wouldn't know it from the slow early pace. Ligon sat patiently in the middle of the half and began to kick as some pulled away. His kick was strong enough to pass all but Gonzaga's Aaron Taylor who placed first in 1:59.83. Ligon placed 2nd overall in 2:01.79.
The Montgomery County girls were also successful in the open 800m. The 4th section was an interesting battle between talented sprinter from Poolesville Meghan Rose and talented distance runner from Whitman Morgane Gay. Rose moved into 3rd place in the first lap while Gay tucked herself into last. About 300m into the race, Gay had moved up to middle of the pack and by 500m, Gay and Rose were moving together. By 650m, Gay had moved into 2nd place with Rose trailing. In the last lap, Rose turned up the heat and beat Gay with her kick. Two heats later, Ashlyn Sinclair finished in a time just between the two. Whitman's Leslie Morrison won her section of the 800m in a time slightly faster than all of them. If that doesn't get you excited for the upcoming county championship, nothing will.
All Redskins fans had cleared out to watch the playoff game by the time the 3200m races rolled around. MoCoRunning remained for these very fast races. Drew Abernathy from Georgetown Prep took the lead from the beginning. In the early going, Gaffney was in 4th, Jeff Perlis was in 6th, and Whitman's Will Palmer mingled in the back. At 800m, Abernathy still controlled the race with Perlis in 3rd and Gaffney and Palmer near the back of the pack. The strong duo from Wilde Lake, Travis Boccher and JP Allera looked as if they would run with the top runners at the 1200m mark but had both faded by 1400m. At the 1600m mark, Abernathy still lead and Palmer, Gaffney, and Sherwood's Tommy Mullings remained in the back. Jeff Perlis, who looked like he was in great pain, dropped out of the race at this point. With 1000m to go, Abernathy still led a small pack of 4. There was a large gap and then Gaffney and Palmer, who had been slowly moving up, led another pack. With 600m to go, Abernathy had faded to 4th, while Gaffney had moved up to 5th in front of Palmer. Gaffney had a strong kick to finish 5th in 9:49, just three seconds behind Abernathy (4th). Palmer faded to 9th, but still finished in a great time of 9:58. The girls 3200m was dominated by Catherine White. Halsey Sinclair finished 4th in 11:21.
Blair High School looked very good in the boys 4x200m. They got some surprise woops out of the crowd from their surprise performance. The fourth heat contained four MoCo teams and featured a good battle with Quince Orchard holding off Watkins Mill to place second in that heat. The sixth heat was a battle between Whitman and WJ, with WJ edging out Whitman for first in that heat. Richard Montgomery showed that they should have been in the fast heat, dominating their heat and placing 2nd overall in a blazing 1:32.07. Many other schools looked good, and with Ligon sitting this one out next week to focus on other events, this will be a great battle at the county championship.
Thank you meet directors for putting the Kennedy and Churchill girls 4x200m teams in the same heat. Neither school could compete with the best at the meet, but the battle between the two was great. Kennedy's first leg was blazing, putting a pretty big gap between them and Churchill. That gap, however, was never increased and when Audrey Gariepy got the baton in the last leg she made up almost all of that gap, finishing half a second behind Kennedy. This will be a good battle in the future, with Poolesville also within reach.
Following the DMR's and a brief hiatus caused by an apparent fire or fire alarm malfunction was one of the most exciting races of the day. The fastest heat of the boys 4x400m featuring the #2 team in the nation this year, Dematha Catholic, ArchBishop Carroll, Robinson High School, Moco's own RM Rockets. Right from the start Dematha and Carroll jumped out to an early lead with the other teams a solid 10 meters back heading into the handoff. The battle up front continued until the middle of the 3rd leg when Dematha, showing their depth, began to pull away. The highlight of the race was certainly the battle for 3rd place between Robinson and RM. Robinson handed off with a slight lead and Brett Ligon sat on the shoulder of the Robinson anchor leg until the 3rd turn where he attempted to pass unsuccessfully. Perhaps a poor tactical decision, but the race remained stride for stride until the pair came off the final turn into the home stretch where Ligon made one final move to draw even with his foe. Unfortunately the Robinson anchor leg had just enough left to hold him off by a step. RM still posted a fabulous time of 3:26.01 and will have a great chance at the state indoor 4x400m record of 3:25.2.
There were 6 competitors that threw the shot put over 50 feet, but the MoCo boys represented well topped by RM's Matt Miller throwing 49'4.5". Bobby Scribner of QO was also way up there at 48'11.5". Mike Velazquez of Wheaton placed in the top ten with a throw of 45"7.5". Gaithersburg's duo did not show, but this battle is certainly one to look forward to next week.
No girl in the county had thrown over 30 feet prior to this invitational but Kennedy's Stephanie Garcia staked herself as the athlete to beat by throwing 34'3.5", five feet further than any other girl in the county this year.
Gary Frazier could not repeat his excellent jump at the UMES invitational, but he still placed 13th overall. He was one of four county jumpers who long jumped between 20 and 21 feet, the longest jump being from BCC's Alex Gray at 20'7".
Poolesville's Emily Furr had a fantastic day with the top marks in the county in the long jump 15'5.5" (17th) and high jump 5'0" (tied with Gariepy). Sara Price from Walter Johnson proved to be the dominant triple jumper in the county on this day.
Few athletes were more happy with their performance that Gaithersburg's Israel Owolabi. When he found out what his mark was, there were several fist pumps and he was all smiles as he ran around the complex telling everyone he knew. If you saw him, you'd be happy for him too, as this 3rd place triple jump of 43-09.25 was quite an accomplishment.
This recap will end the same way that it began: describing an outstanding male athlete. On this website's forum, there was a poll for fans to vote on who would be most likely to win an event. Votes were pretty spread out, but none, including us at MoCoRunning, anticipated the answer would be Markcus Ruffin from Northwest in the High Jump. We shouldn't be surprised after all that he accomplished last season, but up until this point, Ruffin has remained under the radar this season. He was the undisputed winner in the High Jump, being the only individual to clear 6'4". Congratulations to him for being the only male MoCo athlete to win a 1st place medal. Let's all cheer for this athlete as he prepares for the Maryland State Championship.
There you have it: The Montgomery Invitational 2006. It was a good one and a great preview for the county championship. Watch for county championship previews coming very soon.
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Citibank Hispanic Games Recap
by Reagan Lynch
On December 7th, Quince Orchard, along with several other Maryland Schools including Eleanor Roosevelt, and Western, competed in the Hispanic Games at the New York Armory.
The day for QO started out with Cara Harrison and myself in the non-invitational section of the mile along with Bobby Scribner in the shot put. In the first running event of the day (the girls 1500m race walk preceded it) I ran roughly 4:43 finishing about 12 out of 16 in a very competitive heat won in 4:27.9. Following this, we got our first taste of the huge number of participants in the meet. 15 heats later it was time for the girls mile. The girls mile proved to be no different than the boys in terms of volume and Cara Harrison ran a solid 5:35 finishing near the middle of her heat. Following this, the focus shifted to the boys shot put where Bobby Scribner threw 45'10" winning his flight easily. Unfortunately, being that there were 11 flights, his throw was just outside the top 6 which advanced to finals.
Following shot was a long break for QO runners. Sonia Gill started off her stellar day with a jump just under 15' while Larbi Dakkouni did not get a mark in the long jump. Around noon we left the armory for lunch during the middle of boys 4x200m relay. Upon returning an hour later, still on the track was, you guessed it, the boys 4x200m relay. Finally, after lunch, the top athletes in the country began to compete. Exciting races in the boys mile won in 4:13 and the girls 3000m won by Lindsey Ferguson in a meet record of 9:40 were highlights of the day along with Theresa Lewis of Western High School winning the 55m hurdles and the boys pole vault winner clearing 16'.
Next on the track for QO were Larbi Dakkouni, Jamel Macauley, and Sonia Gill in the 400m dash. Larbi ran a solid 52.9, Jamel around 57, and Sonia ran an indoor pr of 61.0 to finish second in her heat. Larbi Dakkouni was back in action for the triple jump this time getting a mark at over 40'. Next on the track for QO came Josh Joson who was able to get into the 800m dash with QO's unused entry. Josh made the most of the opportunity winning his heat in 2:06.5 after 2 restarts, earning QO the only medal of the day.
Next came the Eleanor Roosevelt girls in the 4x200 with their A and B teams making the finals finishing first and fourth respectively. The QOHS boys 4x400 team of Mark Cook, Greg Bove, Jamel Macauley, and Larbi Dakkouni ran a solid team effort of 3:43 splitting 56, 55, 56, 55 to finish near the middle of their heat in the next to last race for QO.
Just missing the first heat in which Eleanor Roosevelt ran 8:06, the QO 4x800 team was entered as the top seed of the 2nd heat. Josh Joson, coming of his great performance in the open 800 led off in 2:10 handing off in 4th place to Reagan Lynch who split 2:04 to close the gap handing off nearly even with the 1st place team to David Laratta who pulled away into the lead with a 2:09 split handed off to Greg Bove who's race came down to a blazing kick in with 3 teams even heading into the final lap. Unfortunately, we came out on the losing end as Greg was out-leaned at the line splitting 2:10 for a time of 8:33.
To conclude a brilliant day, as we left the Armory, Eleanor Roosevelt's girls won the 4x800 with a huge margin over many of the best teams in the nation. This was a great trip to one of the most competitive high school meets of the year, to which we hopefully will return next year along with even more Maryland schools particularly those from Montgomery County.
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December 28th: Meet #2 Review
By Kevin
As one would expect on the last week of December, the PG Sportsplex was half empty for the second MoCo developmental meet tonight. I feared the worst when I first saw the bare stands: would any decent athletes actually show up to run? My fears were suppresed when I saw many of the top distance runners warming up for the 4*1600m race. I found a nice seat, I took some notes on the races, I got some splits, and I had an enjoyable time.
On the way home I was looking over some splits and I couldn't stop thinking about a few performances. It wasn't the fastest athletes that I couldn't get out of my head. It was the lesser known athletes with the surprise performances that stuck with me. So I got to thinking: should I write an article about the stars who were probably using the meet as a hard workout, or should I write about the athletes who put forth so much effort that the entire audience got on their feet and started screaming for them? I think the answer has to be "both" so here's what I've got this week.
One performance took me back to the outdoor county B meet last May. I showed up at Whitman HS to pick up my sister and I couldn't help but notice a skinny blonde haired kid from B-CC in the 3200m that was absolutely grinding it out like a pro. Fast Forward through an outstanding cross country season to December 28th. Was that him lined up to run the 55m shuttle dash? Why not? Many athletes were filling in wherever they were needed. I was impressed when he ran a 2:08 leg in the 4*800m Relay. I raised an eyebrow when I saw that he ran another 800m in the Sprint Medley Relay in 2:06, bringing it home in 60. I was on my feet with my jaw dropped when I saw him out-sprint Kyle Gaffney in the first leg (1200m) of the Distance Medley Relay in a time of 3:22. His name is Elias Tousley. He gives it all he's got and he's very fun to watch run.
I noticed a tiny Richard Montgomery runner at the 1st MoCo Developmental Meet trying to hang with the best distance runners in the county. Tonight was no different as she entered relay after relay and pushed herself as hard as she could. One of the highlights of the entire evening was during the second heat of the Sprint Medley Relay. In the last leg (800m) with 200m to go there were about 4 schools all together. This athlete kicked it into a higher gear that amazed the audience. The crowd started whooping as she bursted ahead and finished, winning the heat in a time of 4:52, which would have placed 3rd in the fast heat. I was thinking the same thing everyone else was thinking. "Who is that girl?" I've learned that her name is Monica Delizo. She's a junior at RM and I don't think I've seen many people hustle the way that she does.
If I had to pick the biggest story of the meet, I would say it was the outstanding performances put forth by both Sinclair sisters. The very first race was the 4x1600m Relay. I could be wrong, but I believe Halsey was the first leg and Ashlyn was the second. After the two had gone they had over a 50m lead on a powerful NW team. The third and fourth legs were too much for Blair HS, but they still managed second place in a great time of 24:10. The story was the same in the 4*800m relay as the twins fought off the impressive Whitman squad to a 50m gap, but the third and fourth legs of many teams bumped Blair down.
The boys 4*1600m Relay had many good distance runners. It was highlighted by a matchup between Chris Barnard and Kyle Gaffney in the first leg, but Sherwood showcased it's distance depth, winning in a fantastic 19:49. I took the following unofficial mile splits in the 4x1600m:
4x1600m Relay Split
|
|---|
| Distance | Kyle Gaffney | Chris Barnard | Raphael Chazelle | Halsey Sinclair | Emma Eckerstrom |
| 200m | 33.31 | 34.22 | 33.49 | | |
| 400m | 1:07.78 | 1:08.23 | 1:10.47 | 1:14.17 | 1:14.17 |
| 600m | | | 1:48.64 | 1:54.36 | 1:56.15 |
| 800m | 2:18.98 | 2:19.35 | 2:26.39 | 2:34.82 | 2:40.93 |
| 1000m | 2:54.40 | 2:54.84 | 3:04.19 | 3:15.89 | 3:25.38 |
| 1200m | 3:30.69 | 3:31.08 | 3:43.22 | 3:59.22 | 4:11.82 |
| 1400m | 4:06.13 | 4:06.37 | 4:18.23 | | |
| 1600m | 4:37.89 | 4:38.51 | | 5:22.53 | 5:35.00 |
And I don't believe I messed up on Chazelle. I believe that's where he stopped. An amazing 4:18 finish!
As far as sprints go, the results basically tell the story. The fastest runners finished first. In the longer races, however, stories unfold. The boys 4x800m was lead by Evan Whetsell with a 2:06.67. Bret Ligon from RM got the baton in the second leg and absolutely broke the race open with a 2:04, catching everyone in his path. RM went on for the easy win.
The story was much the same in the Sprint Medley Relay. The powerful RM sprinters led by Ligon took the easy victory against the depleted field.
RM was good but not quite as dominant in the Distance Medley Relay. The first leg was highlighted by the aformentioned matchup between Elias Tousley and Kyle Gaffney. The last leg was the 1600m and WJ appeared to be out of the competition. Chris Moen recieved the baton over 15 seconds behind the leaders, but he proceeded to pick off just about everyone, including strong milers Chris Barnard, Chris Bowie, and Raphael Chazelle. Chris Moen made the race, but Whitman won it. I have the following splits for the DMR:
Boys DMR Splits
|
|---|
| Distance | Kyle Gaffney | Elias Tousley | Chris Moen | Chris Barnard | Chris Bowie | Raphael Chazelle |
| 400m | 1:07.75 | 1:08.59 | | | | |
| 800m | 2:18 | 2:19 | 2:19 | 2:23 | 2:28 | 2:30 |
| 1200m | 3:24.8 | 3:22.78 | | | | |
| 1600m | | | 4:39 | 4:53 | 5:02 | 5:12 |
Few races of the day were more impressive than the Paint Branch girls SMR and the Whitman girls DMR. The PB girls blew that one open early and cruised into a victory. Whitman girls smashed their season best with no other team anywhere close. I have the following splits in the girls DMR:
Girls DMR Splits
|
|---|
| Distance | Whitman | QO |
| 400m | 1:16.03 | 1:18.14 |
| 800m | 2:39.13 | 2:41.82 |
| 1200m | 3:57.84 | 4:08.16 |
| 1600m | 5:01.41 | 5:12.35 |
| 2400m | 7:36.04 | 7:58.34 |
| 4000m | 13:05.51 | 13:47.60 |
Call me a terrible sportswriter, but I had to leave before the 4x200m and 4x400m relays. I also wasn't able to catch any of the field events, but that's where you can come in. Send in your splits and if you want to share your experience at this meet or any meet, you can write up your thoughts and I will post them here. Feel free to leave comments in the forum as well.
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Meet #1 Review
By Kevin
It was bitter cold outside, but the atmosphere inside the PG Sports Complex this evening was warm and lighthearted. This was the first all Montgomery County developmental meet of the season and that is exactly what it looked like. There wasn't a screaming coach or a glaring athlete to be found. The coaches threw many of their athletes to the wolves for the very first time. They sat back and watched patiently as batons were dropped, hurdles were kicked over, runners tripped over themselves, relay handoffs were blundered, and countless runners discovered the deception of an indoor track. It was a learning experience for all the athletes.
Looking around the room, many of the top county athletes could be seen in their street clothes cheering on their younger teammates. Many top athletes stayed home altogether. The beauty of a meet like this is that it didn't matter who was racing. Random roars could be heard from the crowd no matter what heat it was or who was in it. Indeed, I didn't need to know the competitors to get excited for them, but the star athletes who did show up to compete provided some treats for the fans.
My personal favorite races from this particular meet were the boys and girls 2-miles. If you didn't know who was competing, then it would be very hard to pick out the two front-runners in the girls race as they lapped the other competitors multiple times. Emma Eckerstrom of Northwest looked very comfortable, setting a moderate pace in the first 1200m of the race. Along came Louise Hannalah from Churchill. Hanallah passed Eckerstrom hoping to control the second half of the race, but Eckerstrom would not fade. The two battled it out, separating themselves greatly from the rest of the field and exchanging the lead several more times. With 200m to go, the much taller Hanallah gave a big kick to fly out in front and take the victory.
The boys 2-mile was another very exciting race if you could keep track of the front runners in the traffic. A pack of four top distance runners emerged in front at the quarter mile: Kyle Gaffney of Blake, Chris Barnard of Sherwood, Chris Bowie of B-CC, and Will Palmer of Whitman. Gaffney made a huge move shortly after the 800m mark to distance himself from the pack, but he was never out of striking distance of the other three talented athletes. Gaffney maintained poise through the mile despite the battle going on behind him. Bowie, Gaffney, and Palmer each attempted moves to close the gap on Gaffney. Palmer and Barnard moved to within a few meters of Gaffney, but Bowie faded with 800m to go. Gaffney turned on the jets with 400m to go, giving him the victory. Barnard and Palmer got commendable 2nd and 3rd places respectively.
The mile races featured several other top distance runners. William Bell of Springbrook, Chris Moen and Jared Schneider of Walter Johnson, Wil Zahorodny of Damascus, and Raphael Chazelle of Northwest all tried to keep pace with Gaithersburg's Ryan Janes early on. Janes, Moen, and Bell separated themselves from the field at the 800m mark. 200 meters later, Moen made his move and overtook Janes. Janes took the lead back with less than 400m to go and took off with a blazing kick. Moen had no answer, but held on to 2nd place, shortly in front of Bell.
Another exciting race was the boys open 500m. The first heat (which usually had the fastest runners) featured Bret Ligon of Richard Montgomery and 3 very strong Paint Branch runners. All runners took off with blazing speed, but Ligon had the most spring in his legs putting some serious distance between himself and his competitors. He posted a time of 1:06, a personal record and one of the fastest times for a runner in Maryland this year. In the boys 300m dash, Paint Branch looked the best with a Gaithersburg and Northwest runner nearby.
Both the girls and boys 4*200m races were exciting. For the girls, it appeared as if Paint Branch and Gaithersburg would dominate the race, but Poolesville came from behind during the second leg and overtook Gaithersburg. These three teams looked very good, spacing themselves from the rest of the field.
The first heat of the boys 4*200m race was very sloppy. Gaithersburg looked strong but dropped their baton early and dropped out of the race. One of the handoffs even had a minor collision involving Paint Branch who had the lead. The lead was exchanged many times between WJ, NW, PB, and Whitman. A blazing final leg from Northwest got the crowd riled up, but Whitman hung on for the victory. What did it all mean? Well, Richard Montgomery ran in the next heat, which went much smoother. They ran a faster time than any of them. So what it all means is that the 4*200 will be an exciting race in meets to come.
The girls 4*800m relay was highlighted by solid performances from the Whitman squad who led the entire race.
The Richard Montgomery boys showed off more of their talent in their 4*800m relay, blowing by Walter Johnson in the second leg and never looking back. Take this with a grain of salt because the much-anticipated Churchill and Quince Orchard 4*800m relay teams were not at full strength.
It was very difficult to follow the sprints and hurdles. Not only were the athletes fast, but the meet officials kept the events moving at a blazing speed. Heat after heat, it was difficult to tell who was running the fastest, but I took a few notes. The first heat of the girls 55m hurdles was dominated by a Churchill girl. I didn't know her name, but I'm sure I will soon enough. The second heat was highlighted by a Whitman athlete who had a commanding lead but tripped and did a complete flip into the finish line.
When the boys lined up for the 55m hurdles, they looked tall and strong. You could tell they were the top athletes. I got excited, but there was a big collision on the 2nd hurdle and two runners from Gaithersburg and Northwest went down. Stephan Grundman of Whitman won the heat. In subsequent heats, Poolesville looked good.
That's all I got. The season is young, so take it all for what it is. Next time I hope to get a few more names with faces. Keep up the good work.
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2006 Public School Indoor Track Preview By Ron Burgundy
Montgomery County Indoor Track looks to be as strong as ever this year, if not stronger, and from the looks of it, we will have some state champs when all is said and done, individually and team wise. Individually, 4 state champs return, and 8 top three finishers return from 10 events. Here is a Boys and Girls breakdown, event by event, and then a team title preview as well.
Boys 55m Dash: This event plays host to a number of top returnees from last year's indoor season. The 55m dash is always a close race, but Richard Montgomery has the most potential to score big in this event. The front-runners appear to Patrick Pinchinat and Keenan Crutchfield of RM, and Abega Arnaud of PB. Others to watch are: Ken Chen of Churchill and Jamal-deen Olatunde of Sherwood.
Girls 55m Dash: The crown in this event is open for a new contender due to graduations, but the
ladies that appear to take the stage will all return next year to dominate once again. Leading the charge are both Michelle Miller of Kennedy and Natia Addison of WM, with the battle able to go either way. Other top contenders are: Shakela Walker of Seneca Valley, Suzanne Falk of Wootton and Audrey Gariepy of Churchill.
Boys 55m Hurdles: This race features no clear-cut favorite because many of the top runners from last year graduated, but I would venture to say that Markus Ruffin of NW has the edge at this point. Alex Gray of BCC should not be far behind however, and did deliver a defeat to Ruffin at counties last season. Other runners to watch are: Amhad Tunis of Northwest, Greg Benkowski of Churchill and Kevin Campbell of Poolesville.
Girls 55m Hurdles: This event holds a clear favorite in Walter Johnson's Hilary Moen. Her 2nd at counties and 3rd at regionals make her my top pick by far. Audrey Gariepy also had a strong 4th place finish at regionals that puts her right behind Moen, and makes her the likely candidate if anything should happen to Hilary. Other people to keep an eye on include: Tara Okusaga of NW, Laura Reynolds of Whitman and Molly Bryan of Wootton.
Boys 300m: This race features one of the most exciting matchups on the guys side of the county: Marcus Wyche of PB vs. Bret Ligon of RM. Wyche got the best of Ligon both times they faced off at counties and regionals, but didn't run states however. Ligon looks to be in amazing shape currently but it also looks as if he might be focusing more on the 500 and 800 this season as opposed to the 300. My pick in this event is Wyche all the way. Based on last year's results, other people to look for are: Arnaud Abega of PB, Patrick Pinchinant of RM and David Weinstein of Churchill.
Girls 300m: Another tight sprint race featuring an all upperclassmen line up. Meghan Rose of Poolesville leads the way with her 2nd place county, 1st regional and 2nd state finishes. Not far behind are Hilary Moen of Walter Johnson (4th counties and 2nd regionals) and Tyeshia Warren (4th regionals and 9th states). Other contenders are: Asia Nettles of Kennedy and Sonia Gill of QO.
Boys 500m: This event also looks as if it will be another match-up between Ligon of RM and Wyche of PB. The two appear to be head over heels above the rest of the contenders with both looking very strong at the MoCo/HoCo challenge already. In this one I'm going to have to pick Ligon over Wyche because of Ligon's XC experience. I know it doesn't make much sense, but XC does wonders for sprinters strength wise, so don't expect any burnout from Ligon. Other contenders appear to be Antony Kironji of PB and David Weinstein of Churchill.
Girls 500m: This event on the girls side features one of the most intense match-ups in the county in Veronica Salcido of Wootton, who holds the county record, and Meghan Rose of Poolesville, a defending state champ. Salcido obviously has the upper-hand with her county record, but she probably won't run the event very much, which makes Meghan Rose the obvious choice. Other challengers appear to be: Leslie Morrison of Whitman, Jamie Obendorfer of Damascus and Ashlyn Sinclair of Blair.
Boys 800m: Perhaps the most exciting indoor race, mixing the top distance runners with the top sprinters creating an all out battle. The leaders based on past results appear to be Tarik Aougab of Churchill, Evan Whetsell of Churchill, Chris Moen of WJ, Bret Ligon of RM and Alex Gary of Einstein. Ligon is the first runner this year to dip under the 2:00 barrier, running a 1:59 split at the MoCo/HoCo challenge. Based on that, Ligon is my pick to represent MoCo on the state level most successfully. Other contenders are: Will Zahorodny of Damascus, Greg Bove of QO and Will Palmer of Whitman.
Girls 800m: Perhaps the most competitive distance race on the girls side of the county, the 800m features Veronica Salcido of Wootton, both Sinclairs of Blair and Leslie Morrison as the front runners at this point. Salcido and the Sinclairs rounded out the top three places at both counties and regionals, and then Salcido went on to place 4th at states. Morrison doesn't have much open experience but was the reason why Whitman placed 2nd at states during the outdoor season. Other contenders are: Angela Walker of PB and Louise Hannalah of Churchill.
Boys 1600m: This event looks as if it will be dominated by the top cross country runners based on last years results and the MoCo/HoCo challenge last Saturday. The two clear front runners appear to be Ryan Janes of Gaithursburg and Tarik Aougab of Churchill, both of which will likely contend for a state title as well as regional and county honors. They battled back and forth last outdoor season with Janes getting the best of Aougab at the State Championships. Even though these two seem to be the clear cut leaders at this point, look for others to step in and possibly deliver an upset to one or both of them at some point during the season. After the first two places, this event seems to be one of the most wide open in the entire county, with so many top milers from many different schools. Other Possible Contenders: Chris Moen Walter Johnson, Chris Bowie Bethesda Chevy-Chase, Will Palmer Whitman, Elias Tousley Bethesda Chevy-Chase, Chris Barnard Sherwood, Kyle Gaffney Blake, Jerad Schneider Walter Johnson, Reagan Lynch Quince Orchard and Will Zahorodny of Damascus.
Girls 1600m: This event, like the guys, looks like it will be dominated by the cross country runners of this season. Veronica Salcido of Wooton is the defending state champion, but suffered what many consider a sub-par XC season, but look for her to be on the rebound this time around. The Sinclairs of Blair are usually good in this event as well, but watch out for the emerging star Louise Hannalah of Churchill. Other people that look to pose a threat are: Megan Andrews of BCC, Emma Eckerstrom of NW and Cara Harrison of QO.
Boys 3200m: This looks to be a repeat of the 1600m in regards to top contenders, being primarily dominated by cross country runners. Janes holds the top returning time from last years indoor season with his 9:55, but Whitman's Will Palmer isn't far behind with his 10:12 showing. Next on the returning times list appears to be Alec Triantos with a 10:18 at counties. Aougab never ran the two mile during indoor, but from outdoor and cross country, will surely be fighting for top honors whenever he runs the race. Kyle Gaffney also looks like he will contend at the top, but has still yet to live up to his freshman 9:48 on the track so far. Other Possible Contenders: Chris Moen WJ, Chris Bowie BCC, Elias Tousley BCC, Chris Barnard Sherwood and Jerad Schneider WJ.
Girls 3200m: Also looks to be a repeat of the girls 1600m, but missing a few of the top runners in Veronica Salcido of Wooton, one of the Blair twins and Louise Hannalah of Churchill. They don't seem as focused on the 3200m as they do with the 1600m. This one looks to be wide open with the regular contenders being: Halsey Sinclair of Blair, Rachel Forcino of NW, Megan Andrews of BCC, Emma Eckerstrom of NW, Cara Harrison of QO and Masha Berg of Churchill.
Note for the 1600m and 3200m on the state level: As many know, it is almost impossible to double in the 4x800m and 1600m at states, so look for any top 1600m runner who contributes to their teams 4x800m relay to opt out and choose for a fresher run at the 3200m.
Boys Shot Put: Many people don't even bother to watch this event, but if you miss it this year you will probably be very sorry. It features perhaps the best match-up in the state, let alone the county. Matt Miller of RM, the defending state champion will all but have his hands full with holding off Bob Dugan of Gaithersburg, the defending county and regional champion. Others to watch are: Michael Velasquez of Wheaton, Robert Scribner of Quince Orchard and James Goldsby of Gaithersburg.
Girls Shot Put: This event features two of last year's top 5 throwers in Sarah McKeown of Damascus and Momo Reine of Blair. They appear to be the two favorites, and my pick so far is Sarah McKeown. Other contenders should be: Stephanie Garcia of Kennedy, Teresa Kona of Gaithersburg and Dana Soper of Poolesville.
Boys Triple Jump: This event doesn't feature anyone that finished near the top at counties, regionals or states, due to graduation so look for many new faces on the scene. Top returnees include: Larbi Dakkouni of QO, Jamal Currica of Damascus, Antony Kironji of PB, Avi Devan of Churchill and David Martin of Whitman.
Girls Triple Jump: This event looks to be an exact repeat of last year with the top 5 finishers in the county returning to do some damage. Sara Price of WJ looks to lead the way and defend her county title and record but Paint Branch's Jumi Aluko (shes got the genes for sure) will try and put county and regional titles on her resume. Other jumpers to watch include: Emma Hanson of Damascus, Emily Furr of Poolesville and Kim Malloy of Kennedy.
Boys Long Jump: Unlike the triple jump, the long jump features two top five finishers from counties in Antony Kironji of PB and Alex Gray of BCC. With these two, it could go either way, and they most likely will trade off wins throughout the season. Other possible contenders include: Jamal Currica of Damascus, Isreal Owolabi of Gaithersburg and Sorim Sam of Wheaton.
Girls Long Jump: This jumping event gives way to a new face overshadowed by Erika Zoller of Damascus last year: Wootons Suzanna Falk, only a sophmore, and already finished 2nd at counties. She is followed closely by Jackey Nottidge of Damascus, but Falk is definitely the favorite in this one. Others to keep an eye on are: Emily Furr of Poolesville, Sara Price of WJ and Audrey Gariepy of Churchill.
Boys 4x200m Relay: The shortest relay run in indoor track, looks as if it will be wide open this season. RM appears to have some top quality sprinters, so they would be my first pick, but Gaithersburg and Northwest usually manage to find people to fill the holes created by graduation. Paint Branch should also be in the mix with their strong host of sprinters and middle distance runners. Other schools to watch out for include: Blake and Kennedy.
Girls 4x200m Relay: Based on the MoCo/HoCo challenge, and some of the top teams from last year, it appears that this event won't have a clear cut winner, but if it does, they won't arise till later in the season. Top contenders appear to be: Churchill, Kennedy, Poolesville, Walter Johnson and Northwest.
Boys 4x400m Relay: Deemed by some to be the most exciting race to watch in all of track, this year's should be no exception. With teams like Paint Branch, Richard Montgomery and Churchill, the end of track meets should be anything but dull. RM has already posted some impressive showings at the MoCo/HoCo challenge in both SMR's and the 4x400. Could we possibly see a top three states finish from RM this season? I would venture to say that we will. Other schools that usually field top teams in this event are Kennedy and Watkins Mill.
Girls 4x400m Relay: This event features many of the same teams as the 4x800m Relay, but appears to be led by Kennedy, with Whitman and Damascus right behind. This one appears too close to call, with any three able to capture county and regional titles. Also look for Churchill and Paint Branch to cause some trouble and make some noise.
Boys 4x800m Relay: This looks to be one relay surely dominated by Churchill. They return 4 members from their relay last year, all of which have already run under the 2:00 barrier. They also ran a very solid 8:12 for 3rd place at the Indoor State Championships. Other teams that look to be in contention are QO (very deep XC team and strong showing at early MoCo/HoCo Challenge), RM (return at least 3 members from an 8:25 indoor squad), Whitman (Return 2 or 3 from a sub 8:20 outdoor squad), WJ (led by Moen and Schneider, and they always come up with a strong 4x800m Relay).
Girls 4x800m Relay: This looks to be one of the most intense team rivalry wise, featuring an awesome battle between Whitman and Churchill. Whitman won the MoCo/HoCo challenge but Churchill wasn't far behind. My pick at this point is Whitman, but Churchill will most likely beat them at least once or twice. Other strong teams include: Damascus, BCC and Northwest.
The Team Battle
The Girls side of the team battle looks to be pretty wide open in terms of who can expect a win. Damascus seems to be the clear favorite at this point, with possible scorers in a large number of events, and multiple scorers in some as well. Poolesville, Northwest and Whitman look like they will contend for the next few spots. Kennedy should also put some points on the board. The main reason why I pick Damascus for a clear win is because the other teams lack runners in either the sprint, distance or field categories. Remember, it takes a combination of top runners in different events to win a championship in this sport.
The Boys side appears to be a much closer one with no clear cut favorite at the moment. Richard Montgomery looks especially strong in the sprints, and they also have the defending state champion in Matt Miller to put some major points on the board in the field events. They, however, lack the points in the distance events. This team is comparable to the Damascus girls squad, but lacking the depth that Damascus shows. The next two teams in contention should be Churchill and Paint Branch, both of which will rely on strong relays to put some crucial points on the boards. The two dark horse teams that are almost always strong are Northwest and Gaithersburg. Watch out for them to develop some runners, throwers or jumpers that are not clear contenders at this early stage in the season.
O.K. MoCo. Go out there and bring home some state medals!!!
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2006 Girls Top Public School Indoor Track Returners |
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55m Dash
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Michelle Miller | Kennedy | 11 |
| Natia Addison | Watkins Mill | 11 |
| Shakela Walker | Seneca Valley | 10 |
| Suzanne Falk | Wootton | 10 |
| Audrey Gariepy | Churchill | 11 |
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55m Hurdles
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Hilary Moen | Walter Johnson | 12 |
| Audrey Gariepy | Churchill | 11 |
| Tara Okusaga | Northwest | 11 |
| Laura Reynolds | Whitman | 12 |
| Molly Bryan | Wootton | 11 |
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300m Dash
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Meghan Rose | Poolesville | 11 |
| Tyeshia Warren | Paint Branch | 12 |
| Hilary Moen | Walter Johnson | 12 |
| Asia Nettles | Kennedy | 12 |
| Sonia Gill | Quince Orchard | 11 |
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500m Dash
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Veronica Salcido | Wootton | 10 |
| Meghan Rose | Poolesville | 11 |
| Leslie Morrison | Whitman | 10 |
| Jamie Obendorfer | Damascus | 12 |
| Ashlyn Sinclair | Blair | 11 |
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800m Run
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Veronica Salcido | Wootton | 10 |
| Ashlyn Sinclair | Blair | 11 |
| Halsey Sinclair | Blair | 11 |
| Leslie Morrison | Whitman | 10 |
| Angela Walker | Paint Branch | 12 |
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1600m Run
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Veronica Salcido | Wootton | 10 |
| Halsey Sinclair | Blair | 11 |
| Ashlyn Sinclair | Blair | 11 |
| Megan Andrews | B-CC | 12 |
| Cara Harrison | Quince Orchard | 11 |
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3200m Run
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Halsey Sinclair | Blair | 11 |
| Rachel Forcino | Northwest | 12 |
| Megan Andrews | B-CC | 12 |
| Masha Berg | Churchill | 11 |
| Cara Harrison | Quince Orchard | 11 |
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High Jump
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Emma Hanson | Damascus | 12 |
| Emily Furr | Poolesville | 11 |
| Chelsea Rienks | Damascus | 11 |
| Katie Durks | Damascus | 11 |
| Lindsey Degeorge | Wootton | 12 |
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Long Jump
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Suzanna Falk | Wootton | 10 |
| Jackey Nottidge | Damascus | 12 |
| Emily Furr | Poolesville | 11 |
| Sara Price | Walter Johnson | 12 |
| Audrey Gariepy | Churchill | 11 |
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Triple Jump
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Sara Price | Walter Johnson | 12 |
| Jumi Aluko | Paint Branch | 12 |
| Emma Hanson | Damascus | 12 |
| Emily Furr | Poolesville | 11 |
| Kim Malloy | Kennedy | 11 |
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Shot Put
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Sarah McKeown | Damascus | 12 |
| Momo Reine | Blair | 12 |
| Stephanie Garcia | Kennedy | 12 |
| Teresa Kona | Gaithersburg | 12 |
| Dana Soper | Poolesville | 12 |
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2006 Boys Top Public School Indoor Track Returners
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55m Dash
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Keenan Crutchfield | Richard Montgomery | 12 |
| Patrick Pinchinant | Richard Montgomery | 11 |
| Abega Arnaud | Paint Branch | 12 |
| Ken Chen | Churchill | 11 |
| Jamal-deen Olatunde | Sherwood | 11 |
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55m Hurdles
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Markcus Ruffin | Northwest | 12 |
| Alex Gray | B-CC | 12 |
| Ahmad Tunis | Northwest | 12 |
| Greg Benkowski | Churchill | 11 |
| Kevin Campbell | Poolesville | 11 |
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300m Dash
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Marcus Wyche | Paint Branch | 12 |
| Bret Ligon | Richard Montgomery | 12 |
| Arnaud Abega | Paint Branch | 12 |
| Patrick Pinchinant | Richard Montgomery | 11 |
| David Weinstein | Churchill | 12 |
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500m Dash
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Marcus Wyche | Paint Branch | 12 |
| Bret Ligon | Richard Montgomery | 12 |
| Antony Kironji | Paint Branch | 12 |
| David Weinstein | Churchill | 12 |
| Yamil Martinez | Kennedy | 12 |
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800m Run
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Tarik Aougab | Churchill | 12 |
| Even Whetsell | Churchill | 11 |
| Alex Gary | Einstien | 12 |
| Chris Moen | Walter Johnson | 10 |
| Bret Ligon | Richard Montgomery | 12 |
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1600m Run
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Tarik Aougab | Churchill | 12 |
| Ryan Janes | Gaithersburg | 12 |
| Chris Barnard | Sherwood | 11 |
| William Palmer | Whitman | 11 |
| William Bell | Springbrook | 12 |
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3200m Run
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Ryan Janes | Gaithersburg | 12 |
| Alec Triantos | Magruder | 11 |
| William Palmer | Whitman | 11 |
| Josh Uzzell | Blair | 11 |
| Chris Bowie | B-CC | 11 |
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High Jump
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Markcus Ruffin | Northwest | 12 |
| Jeremiah Lewis | Gaithersburg | 12 |
| Cameron Pitt | Springbrook | 12 |
| Antony Kironji | Paint Branch | 12 |
| Drew Buckingham | Sherwood | 12 |
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Long Jump
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Antony Kironji | Paint Branch | 12 |
| Alex Gray | B-CC | 12 |
| Jamal Currica | Damascus | 11 |
| Isreal Owolabi | Gaithersburg | 12 |
| Sorim Sam | Wheaton | 12 |
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Triple Jump
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Larbi Dakkouni | Quince Orchard | 12 |
| Jamal Currica | Damascus | 11 |
| Antony Kironji | Paint Branch | 12 |
| Avi Devan | Churchill | 12 |
| David Martin | Whitman | 12 |
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Shot Put
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| Athlete | School | Grade |
| Matt Miller | Richard Montgomery | 12 |
| Bob Dugan | Gaithersburg | 12 |
| Michael Velasquez | Wheaton | 12 |
| Robert Scribner | Quince Orchard | 12 |
| James Goldsby | Gaithersburg | 12 |
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