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.
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