First indoor meet of the year

With the first snow of the season falling outside the Prince George’s Sports & Learning Complex, the B-CC Barons opened their indoor track season Saturday in a Howard-Montgomery counties joint meet.

Head coach Chad Young liked what he saw in the developmental meet.

``A lot of kids got their first shot today out here – either their first track meet or their first field event,’’ he said from the stands, his stopwatch in his right hand. ``It was fun to watch.’’

The snowstorm forced organizers to cancel the second half of the scheduled events, but many Barons performed well in the morning and early afternoon. Young cited two teams in particular – the 4 X 200 boys relay and the girls A team distance medley relay (DMR).

The boys finished second in a six-team heat. The team consisted of three members of the B-CC boys varsity soccer team – Ben Gold, Brendan McClafferty, and Amin Sijelmassi – and David Segun. Their combined time was 1:42.20; Gold ran the fastest 200 heat in 24.56.

The girls finished third overall. Ava Farrell led off with a 4:11 1,200 meter run, and was followed by Laila Shehata’s 1:13 400, Hallie Jester’s 2:31 800, and Paige Donnelly’s 5:33 1600. Donnelly took the baton in third place, behind by 100 meters. She pulled even with the leader at the start of the final lap, but couldn’t push the pace further.

Young also mentioned several Barons who competed for the first time for the school. One was junior Brianna Vlanton, a transfer from Blair High School, who ran a strong leg in the 55 meter girls dash relay. Another was freshman Abby Stephens, who ran the opening leg in the girls B distance medley relay – the 1,200-meter run.

``She was very nervous, but she did well,’’ Young said. ``Afterward she told me, `I’m so glad you put me in. It wasn’t as bad as I thought.’ ‘’

The team has two more developmental meets at the Prince George’s facility in December. The first one is this Wednesday, Dec. 9, starting at 2:30 p.m. In these meets, scores are not kept for the teams. Young sees them as invaluable experience early in the season.

``After they get these races or events under their belt, they feel like they can do it,’’ he said. ``It’s great for their confidence.’’