For the B-CC track and field team, the prospect of even a few elite athletes making the Maryland state 4A meet was more daunting this year than any before. The school had just moved up into the pool of the state’s largest high schools in the fall because of a large freshman class, putting it as one of smallest 4A schools in the state.
``In the past, qualifying for the 2A and even the 3A was pretty easy,’’ said Coach Chad Young. ``But for this state meet, we had to run as fast as we could or throw as far as we could even to get here. If you make a mistake, or you missed an opportunity, you wouldn’t make it.’’
And yet seven B-CC athletes qualified.
On Friday and Saturday, Young and fellow coach Nathan Herchenroeder proudly watched the seven perform on the largest stage of the year at Morgan State University against several nationally ranked athletes.
The results:
The girls 4 x 800 team (sophomores Grace Reingruber and Ava Farrell and seniors Paige Donnelly and Kate Leuba) finished in 9 minutes, 43 seconds for 5th place, winning four points for the team.
In the 200-meter dash semifinals, junior Terrence James finished in 23.24, sixth in his heat, just out of the running for the finals.
In the shot put, senior Chuck Banks threw 46 feet, 6 inches, for 6th place, winning three points.
On Saturday, in the 400-meter dash, freshman Brittney Wade ran 59.88 seconds for 12th place.
And in the discus, Banks threw 102 feet, 5 inches for 15th place.
In the girls 4 x 800, all the runners performed well in a race won by a Wootton team, which finished in 9:04.39 -- the second fastest relay time in the country this year.
``It was a great race,’’ Young said. ``It was our girls' second fastest time of the year.’’ The only minor hiccup was that Farrell at the end stopped just short of the finish line, before realizing she still had another 10 meters to go. She finished a second or two slower, but it didn’t affect the team’s place.
Afterward, the four girls were extremely happy with their performance as they gathered around Young for a recap. Their times: Reingruber, 2:24; Donnelly, 2:23; Leuba, 2:27; and Farrell, 2:26.
For the 200-meter dash, James had had a difficult several weeks beforehand with a nagging Achilles injury, and Young and Herchenroeder said they wondered if that accounted for his time, which was slower than he had run before.
``I think he was really pumped, but he didn’t get quite enough of a warm-up to the race. And the injury he’s had with his Achilles played a factor,'' he said. ``He had to take it easy over the past few weeks, and that could have affected him mentally and physically. But it was a learning experience for him. Just the fact he was at the state meet will provide motivation to get back here next year.’’
In the shot put, Banks was well-prepared. His best throw came on his second attempt – close to his personal record for the year. ``It was a good finish for him,’’ Young said. ``He’s so used to throwing farther with each meet, with each time he competes, so he was a little upset. But it was a good end to his shot put career in high school. He’s not sure where he wants to go in college, but he does want to try shot put in college next year.’’
In the girls’ 400 meters dash -- the finals featured eventual winner Olivia Ekpone of Northwest, who won in 53.60 seconds -- Wade started out slow in the first 100 meters, and then picked up the pace. ``She looked real good,’’ Young said. ``She caught four girls in the last 50 yards in her meet. That was pretty impressive – a great introduction for her at the state meet.’’
Editor’s note: Many thanks to both coaches – Chad Young and Nathan Herchenroeder – for all their efforts over both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Often, these meets stretched up to 12 hours, and they stayed until the very end, encouraging their athletes in ways that few parents could see. This blog, in fact, represented even more time for them – especially for Coach Young, who saw it as an extension of his teaching and coaching, finding a new way to motivate and communicate with his student-athletes. Athletes and parents should feel free to use the comment section to relate your own stories on their efforts, and on the season as a whole.
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