`She brings a sense of confidence to our team'

She hadn’t been running track since her freshman year when she buzzed through the competition. So when B-CC senior Alex Doll stepped on the track Wednesday at the Montgomery County Developmental Meet at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex, her teammates, competitors and even other coaches looked up.

B-CC Coach Chad Young talked to her for a moment. “I told her not to set expectations too high, to see how she felt, to just strive to be competitive,” he said.

He didn’t have to be concerned. Doll, a standout soccer player, led the 4 x 800 relay, running it in 2 minutes 25 seconds. Juniors Grace Reingruber (2:31) and Hallie Jester (2:32) and sophomore Caroline Leuba (2:32) followed, and the team finished in 9:58, for second place overall.

Then Doll ran the 1600-meter race, taking the lead from start to end, winning easily in 5:21. “The impressive thing about her was that all her laps around the track were exactly the same split,” Young said. “If I can get a runner in their senior year, and if I’ve worked with them for four years, I’m really excited they can run an even split. And she got on the track for the first time in three years, and was able to do it right away. It’s really impressive.”

Reingruber and Jester also ran strong 1600-meter races, finishing in 5:32 and 5:33, respectively.

“I think having Alex out there gets everyone a little bit more excited,” Young said. “She brings a sense of confidence to our team when she is out there.”

Strong showing by boys' 4 x 800

The all-senior boys’ 4 x 800 relay also ran well. Terrence James led off in 2:07, the first to pass the baton. The next two runners – Eliot Gerson (2:08) and Trevor Stephens (2:07) – maintained the lead. The anchor, Phillip Catterall (2:13) ran well, but couldn’t hold the lead. The team finished second in 8:48. “It was one of the better times we have run this early in the season. They are extremely competitive,” Young said.

In the girls’ 3200-meter run, junior Ava Farrell battled for the lead up until the final two laps, finishing second in 11:50. Sophomore Laura Nakasaka finished in 12:34, easily besting her goal of finishing under 13 minutes, while freshman Amanda Cohen finished second in her heat in 13:36.

In the boys’ 300, James also ran strong, finishing in 36:18. (Results were not available immediately.)

For the girls’ 300, sophomore Brittney Wade led the team, finishing in 43.41, while freshman Laila Ismail (44.09) was close behind. Senior Katie Williams also ran well, finishing in 45.48, a personal record.

In the girls’ 4 x 200 meter relays, a team comprised of Ismail, Wade, Williams and sophomore Shayna Nash finished in 1:58.86. The top boys’ 4 x 200 team finished in 1:39.01. The runners were sophomore Freddy Nzekele (25:32); James (24.25); freshman Duc Momo (25.54); and senior Nana Twum Agyire (23.90). They were one of the top teams overall.

In the boys’ 500, seniors Agyire and Stephens both ran 1:12, with Agyire edging out his teammate.

And in the triple jump, freshman Kenneth Norris, who had never competed in the event, discovered he had a new talent. He jumped 37 feet, 6 inches. “For the first time, that was really good,” Young said. “It’s the time of the year when people are trying new things, and I really respect him for getting out there and trying.”