At the mid-point of the boys’ 800-meter race in the 4A State Championships Tuesday at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex, B-CC senior Trevor Stephens was in pain. And he was far off the lead pack.
That’s when his race began. Stephens eased up slightly in the third lap, and then poured on speed and effort, passing four runners in the final lap and finishing in 4th place in 2 minutes, 2.16 seconds, a personal record.
“At the 400 mark, I was a little concerned,” Stephens said. “I thought I was going to die with the rest of the group. I slowed that third lap down a little bit so I would have something to kick with.”
He continued: “I was feeling very, very sore. It was probably more of a mental thing that I could advance. I’ve adapted to the idea of racing people, instead of just running a race. In the past, I was running to a certain comfort level, instead of taking a little more pain and getting up with that next pack. There were points in that race on Tuesday, where if I were at last season’s level, I would have dropped off and stopped trying.
“But I realized this was my last meet indoors as a senior, so I pushed a little more,” he said.
For B-CC Track Coach Chad Young, Stephens’ performance was one highlight among many. The girls’ team finished in 5th place overall and the boys were 19th.
Another senior runner, Eliot Gerson, also ran a PR, finishing sixth in the mile in 4:34. Gerson also ran his own race, staying back in the pack as a group surged ahead and then he made his move, passing several near the end. Young said both Gerson and Stephens have become much stronger competitors than a year ago.
“It’s amazing to me to see their progress and to see how hard they work,” he said. “Last year, they didn’t qualify for the state meet, but this year they scored points for the team, and put themselves in position to win. They don’t want to lose. The difference was that before they wanted a PR. Now they don’t want to lose.”
Soon after the open 800-meter race, the boys’ 4 x 400 meter relay team finished in 3:38, for 10th place. The team consisted of sophomore Freddy Nzekele (52.66), junior Weyimni Dorsu (55.18), freshman Duc Momo (57.29), and Stephens (53.47). Young said that Momo, the freshman, was a replacement for Nana Twum Agyire, who has a stress fracture in his foot. With the exception of Stephens, the three other members of the team had never raced before this season.
“It says a lot about how hard they worked,” Young said. “They realized on the ride home, ‘Wow, we were just in the state championship in Maryland,’ and a couple of months ago they hadn’t run at all.”
In the girls’ meet, sophomore Brittney Wade had another breakout race, finishing second in the 800-meter race in 2:22. “She almost won the whole thing,” Young said.
Wade also ran in the 4 x 800 meter relay earlier. In that race, the B-CC team led at the three-quarter mark. Wade (2:25), junior Ava Farrell (2:25), and junior Grace Reingruber (2:27) gave senior Alex Doll the lead.
Doll ran well (2:22) but not enough to stave off the anchor runners for two others teams. Still, the time of 9:40 was the best of the year, and Young said there was no reason to feel disappointed with the effort. “The girls ran so well,” he said.
For Doll, it was one of her three races in the meet, which is likely the last of her high school career. She will play soccer in the spring.
Doll also ran the open 800-meter race, finishing in 2:27, and she ran the mile, running a sterling 5:08 – good enough to win in nearly any other year. But two runners posted 5:02 times, edging her out. “It was great to have Alex on the team,” Young said.
And in the two-mile race, Farrell ran what Young termed perhaps that smartest race of the day. A lead pack went out quickly, and Farrell stayed in the back for lap after lap. Slowly, Farrell caught each of them save one. She finished in 11:31, a PR, good enough for second place. “It was really fun to watch,” he said. “Ava has raced a lot now and really gained some confidence.”
For the B-CC runners, there won’t be much time off to savor performances. Outdoor practice starts next Tuesday, March 1. Young is looking forward to it.
“I hope now we can have continued success,” he said. “I think we can have some kids step up and lead us to becoming an even better team.”
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Ten B-CC athletes qualify for state meet
In the biggest meet so far this year, the B-CC indoor track team put on its best collective performance Thursday, with five girls and five boys qualifying for the Feb. 22 state meet. Several runners registered personal records.
“Last year, it was a real struggle, especially among the boys, to get anyone to qualify for the state meet,” said Coach Chad Young. “This year, we are stepping up and we are improving and it’s great we have a lot more people who belong in the state’s this year. There will be plenty of us there.”
At the regional meet held at Prince George’s County Sports and Learning Complex, the girls’ 4 x 800-meter relay team was the sole B-CC team to win a race, finishing in 9 minutes, 48 seconds.
Junior Ava Farrell (2:27) led off, followed by junior Hallie Jester (2:29); sophomore Laura Nakasaka (2:29); and senior Alex Doll (2:22). Young was particularly happy with Nakasaka’s performance. She beat her personal record by four seconds.
The boys’ 4 x 400-meter relay team entered the meet as the county winner. But Young did not allow the team’s star runner, senior Terrence James, to run for disciplinary reasons.
“The boys were upset with me when I told them TJ couldn’t run,” Young said. “They are so competitive and know they are better when TJ is on the team.”
But the team hung on to finish fourth, just enough to qualify for the state championships. Top four places automatically qualify, but runners up to sixth place can also go to states if they meet qualifying times.
Freddy Nzekele led off with 53 seconds flat, followed by senior Trevor Stephens (54.21); Weyimni Dorsu (54.38); and Nana Twum Atyire (55.63). Their total time was 3:37.23.
“They showed they could do it. I hope it helps build their confidence,” Young said.
The other qualifiers:
* Sophomore Brittney Wade finished fourth in the 800 meter race in 2:22, the fastest time on the team this year. Doll, finishing just behind her in 2:23, finished sixth, fast enough also to make states.
* Doll also qualified in the mile, finishing second in 5:09.
* Farrell qualified in the two-mile race, finishing in 11:47.
* Senior Eliot Gerson qualified in the mile, finishing in 4:36, for fourth place.
* Stephens qualified in the 800-meter race, finishing in 2:02 (a PR) for fifth place, fast enough for states.
Young also pointed out several other top performances that missed out making the state meet. Among them were Wade’s 300 meter race in 42.42, just 0.2 seconds out of fourth place, or an automatic qualifier; Nzekele’s 300 meter race in 37.38, for sixth place; senior Katie Williams ran a 44.6 second 300-meter race, a PR; junior Grace Reingruber and sophomore Caroline Leuba ran about a 1:25 flat for the 500 meter race, a PR for both; and Nakasaka ran a 12:24 two-mile race, another PR.
“Last year, it was a real struggle, especially among the boys, to get anyone to qualify for the state meet,” said Coach Chad Young. “This year, we are stepping up and we are improving and it’s great we have a lot more people who belong in the state’s this year. There will be plenty of us there.”
At the regional meet held at Prince George’s County Sports and Learning Complex, the girls’ 4 x 800-meter relay team was the sole B-CC team to win a race, finishing in 9 minutes, 48 seconds.
Junior Ava Farrell (2:27) led off, followed by junior Hallie Jester (2:29); sophomore Laura Nakasaka (2:29); and senior Alex Doll (2:22). Young was particularly happy with Nakasaka’s performance. She beat her personal record by four seconds.
The boys’ 4 x 400-meter relay team entered the meet as the county winner. But Young did not allow the team’s star runner, senior Terrence James, to run for disciplinary reasons.
“The boys were upset with me when I told them TJ couldn’t run,” Young said. “They are so competitive and know they are better when TJ is on the team.”
But the team hung on to finish fourth, just enough to qualify for the state championships. Top four places automatically qualify, but runners up to sixth place can also go to states if they meet qualifying times.
Freddy Nzekele led off with 53 seconds flat, followed by senior Trevor Stephens (54.21); Weyimni Dorsu (54.38); and Nana Twum Atyire (55.63). Their total time was 3:37.23.
“They showed they could do it. I hope it helps build their confidence,” Young said.
The other qualifiers:
* Sophomore Brittney Wade finished fourth in the 800 meter race in 2:22, the fastest time on the team this year. Doll, finishing just behind her in 2:23, finished sixth, fast enough also to make states.
* Doll also qualified in the mile, finishing second in 5:09.
* Farrell qualified in the two-mile race, finishing in 11:47.
* Senior Eliot Gerson qualified in the mile, finishing in 4:36, for fourth place.
* Stephens qualified in the 800-meter race, finishing in 2:02 (a PR) for fifth place, fast enough for states.
Young also pointed out several other top performances that missed out making the state meet. Among them were Wade’s 300 meter race in 42.42, just 0.2 seconds out of fourth place, or an automatic qualifier; Nzekele’s 300 meter race in 37.38, for sixth place; senior Katie Williams ran a 44.6 second 300-meter race, a PR; junior Grace Reingruber and sophomore Caroline Leuba ran about a 1:25 flat for the 500 meter race, a PR for both; and Nakasaka ran a 12:24 two-mile race, another PR.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Musings from the sidelines: On the way to regionals
In the buildup to Thursday’s 4-A regional track meet at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex, B-CC track coach Chad Young was able to see a wide range of athletes perform in two practice meets at Georgetown Prep over the last week. In many ways, he said, it was a glimpse into future indoor and outdoor teams.
For many of the runners, Tuesday’s practice meet was the last competition of the season.
Young’s highlights:
* A new contributor: Freshman Alex Riishojgaard led off the 4 x 800 boys’ relay on Tuesday and ran competitively, Young said. “In the first few laps he was up there with the lead pack in second place,” he said. “On the third lap, he fell back a bit, but made up lost ground on the last lap. We talked a little after his race that it was not just running four laps as fast you can, but racing the four laps, and there’s a difference. A pack of people went by him, and he didn’t fight back at all. The challenge for a younger runner is to at least put up a little bit of a fight. He’s a good young runner who was injured for most of the cross-country season but has gotten healthier. He’s going to be a contributor to the team – even this outdoor season.” His time was 2 minutes, 20 seconds.
* Coaching pays off: Two freshmen hurdlers, Conrad Jones and Nolan Ebner, also ran well on Tuesday. In recent weeks, Young has had help from a B-CC alumni, Alex Gray, a former state champion in the 110 meter and 300 meter hurdles. Gray has coached hurdlers, long and triple jumpers, and relay teams. “Having Alex around has been really helpful,” Young said. “Alex has already seen some improvement in these two freshmen, and, to quote him, he has seen ‘flashes of greatness.’ He can see they are really eager to learn and work very hard. As a coach, it’s nice to have them on the team. They really are showing the dedication it takes to get better.” Jone’s time in the 110-meter hurdles was 11.11, down from 11.82 the week before; Ebner’s time was 10:84, down from 10.89
* Perseverance and effort: At last week’s meet, Young said that sophomore Gavin Donnelly ran a strong 400-meter race, and also stuck it out for hours at the meet. Near the beginning of meet, Young said that a couple of the sophomore’s friends approached him. “They asked if they could run the two-mile, and I said, ‘Absolutely.’ They ran the two mile and didn't stay for the rest of the meet. Gavin was still there and his meet was the second to last heat of the day. When it finally came up, his race was one of the more exciting ones of the day. At the end of the first lap, he was leading the race. He really raced hard, and one runner came up behind him, challenged him, and Gavin had a tough time catching back up. It was pretty competitive and was really exciting to watch. I gave a lot of credit to Gavin for sticking out and being ready to run. I was proud of him.” Donnelly finished second in his heat in 1:02.
* Long-distance runners: In the girls’ two-mile race, sophomore Laura Nakasaka and Hallie Jester worked hard and ran together for much of the race, passing a number of runners. They finished in 12:43 and 12:47, respectively. Junior Alison Thomas won her heat in 13:09 and freshman, Amanda Cohen was not too far behind, running 13:21, followed by sophomore Emily Hardgrove in 13:38.
* Top time: Senior Eliot Gerson ran the two mile as well and ran his fastest time yet in 9:56 to get ready for the regional meet.
* Strong 400s for girls: In the girls’ 400-meter race, several B-CC girls ran well, including Caroline Leuba (1:06), Brittney Wade (59.98), Simone McGuinness (1:12), and Helen Webster (1:09).
* Strong 400s for boys: Nana Twum Agyire ran 53.89, and Trevor Stephens 54.14 in the 400-meter race as BCC’s top finishers.
For Thursday’s regional meet, which starts at 4 p.m., each team can enter only two athletes per event. In order to qualify for the state championship on Feb. 22, athletes have to finish below a qualifying time or finish in the top four places.
For many of the runners, Tuesday’s practice meet was the last competition of the season.
Young’s highlights:
* A new contributor: Freshman Alex Riishojgaard led off the 4 x 800 boys’ relay on Tuesday and ran competitively, Young said. “In the first few laps he was up there with the lead pack in second place,” he said. “On the third lap, he fell back a bit, but made up lost ground on the last lap. We talked a little after his race that it was not just running four laps as fast you can, but racing the four laps, and there’s a difference. A pack of people went by him, and he didn’t fight back at all. The challenge for a younger runner is to at least put up a little bit of a fight. He’s a good young runner who was injured for most of the cross-country season but has gotten healthier. He’s going to be a contributor to the team – even this outdoor season.” His time was 2 minutes, 20 seconds.
* Coaching pays off: Two freshmen hurdlers, Conrad Jones and Nolan Ebner, also ran well on Tuesday. In recent weeks, Young has had help from a B-CC alumni, Alex Gray, a former state champion in the 110 meter and 300 meter hurdles. Gray has coached hurdlers, long and triple jumpers, and relay teams. “Having Alex around has been really helpful,” Young said. “Alex has already seen some improvement in these two freshmen, and, to quote him, he has seen ‘flashes of greatness.’ He can see they are really eager to learn and work very hard. As a coach, it’s nice to have them on the team. They really are showing the dedication it takes to get better.” Jone’s time in the 110-meter hurdles was 11.11, down from 11.82 the week before; Ebner’s time was 10:84, down from 10.89
* Perseverance and effort: At last week’s meet, Young said that sophomore Gavin Donnelly ran a strong 400-meter race, and also stuck it out for hours at the meet. Near the beginning of meet, Young said that a couple of the sophomore’s friends approached him. “They asked if they could run the two-mile, and I said, ‘Absolutely.’ They ran the two mile and didn't stay for the rest of the meet. Gavin was still there and his meet was the second to last heat of the day. When it finally came up, his race was one of the more exciting ones of the day. At the end of the first lap, he was leading the race. He really raced hard, and one runner came up behind him, challenged him, and Gavin had a tough time catching back up. It was pretty competitive and was really exciting to watch. I gave a lot of credit to Gavin for sticking out and being ready to run. I was proud of him.” Donnelly finished second in his heat in 1:02.
* Long-distance runners: In the girls’ two-mile race, sophomore Laura Nakasaka and Hallie Jester worked hard and ran together for much of the race, passing a number of runners. They finished in 12:43 and 12:47, respectively. Junior Alison Thomas won her heat in 13:09 and freshman, Amanda Cohen was not too far behind, running 13:21, followed by sophomore Emily Hardgrove in 13:38.
* Top time: Senior Eliot Gerson ran the two mile as well and ran his fastest time yet in 9:56 to get ready for the regional meet.
* Strong 400s for girls: In the girls’ 400-meter race, several B-CC girls ran well, including Caroline Leuba (1:06), Brittney Wade (59.98), Simone McGuinness (1:12), and Helen Webster (1:09).
* Strong 400s for boys: Nana Twum Agyire ran 53.89, and Trevor Stephens 54.14 in the 400-meter race as BCC’s top finishers.
For Thursday’s regional meet, which starts at 4 p.m., each team can enter only two athletes per event. In order to qualify for the state championship on Feb. 22, athletes have to finish below a qualifying time or finish in the top four places.
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