B-CC junior Brittney Wade led from start to finish in the girls’ 800-meter race at the Maryland 4A high school state indoor track championship Tuesday, winning in two minutes, 17 seconds.
Later in the state competition, senior Ava Farrell (No. 2 in the picture below)
took the lead in the last 300 meters in the 1600-meter race, only to finish in a virtual tie with Churchill runner Lucy Srour. Cameras on either side of the finish line helped determine that Srour finished first by 0.004 of a second.
Srour’s time: 5:15.371.
Farrell’s: 5:15.375.
The bottom line from the competition overall was that B-CC girls’ team finished fourth in the state. Every girl who competed scored points for the team. The boys’ team, after a strong year, did not have any athletes qualify for the meet.
Wade’s victory was especially impressive, said Coach Chad Young, because it was her third competition of the day. She ran the 500-meter race, winning her heat in 1:17. That was good for sixth overall, as the large field was divided into two groups with Wade seeded in the slower field.
In the 4 x 800 girls’ relay team, junior Caroline Leuba led off in 2:30, putting the team in fifth place. Senior Hallie Jester (2:27) (pictured below) and junior Laura Nakasaka (2:24 for her fastest time of the year, pictured second below), picked up the pace slightly, passing a few teams. Wade, the anchor, ran 2:20, but she was unable to catch Northwest’s anchor. B-CC ran strong and well, finishing second in 9:42, or three seconds faster than its earlier record.
“We’re a pretty deep team,” Young said. “We just stayed calm and got ourselves back in the race. Northwest was just a little bit out of reach. You have to give a lot of credit to them. They also ran a very smart race.”
In the 800-meter race, Young said he wasn’t sure that Wade would have enough energy to win.
“I hoped she would still have the legs,” he said. “We were all waiting to see how she would feel. She went out and ran the fastest time of the year. She decided she would lead the race from the beginning. Toward the end of race, a girl from Severna Park came on her shoulder, but Brittney held her off for the last lap. Mentally, she was extremely determined to win the 800. She had a lot of confidence.”
Farrell did as well. Young had made the tactical decision not to place her in the 4 x 800 relay, even though Farrell was the team’s second fastest 800 runner. He wanted her fresh for the two longest races of the meet – the mile and two mile.
In the mile, the pack started at a 5:20-minute pace, slow enough so that eight girls hung together for several laps. Young had talked to Farrell before the race about not waiting until the end to start her kick.
Farrell did just that, breaking away from the field with 300 meters to go.
“In that last lap and a half, she took off, and built and maintained a nice lead,” Young said. Srour, the Churchill runner, started closing the gap, gradually erasing the distance, and caught Farrell right at the finish line.
No one knew who won.
Twenty minutes passed. Farrell gave an interview on the sidelines. Coaches and teammates watched and waited. Finally, the judges ruled Srour the winner.
“I guess it shows you have to lean at the finish line,” Young said. “Sprinters always do, but distance runners run to the line. It was a great race. Ava ran beautifully. Tactically, she ran a great race, too. It was her best race of her high school career so far.”
In the 3200-meter race, Farrell and freshman Caroline Beakes entered for B-CC.
“Caroline has been our freshman star of the indoor track season,” Young said. “There have been a lot of freshman stars this year, and she is yet another.”
Beakes (pictured left) passed Farrell a few laps into the race, and continued to pass other runners, finishing in 11:45, for fifth overall. Farrell finished seventh in 12:01.
There was one letdown at the end. The team’s 4 x 400 relay was set to go, waiting for Wade after she finished her 800 meter race. Wade started cramping a bit near the starting gate and signaled to Young that she couldn’t run. Young quickly tried to substitute her with Jester, but the officials wouldn’t allow it.
Young said he felt terribly for the team, especially sophomore Laila Ismail, who had waited all day for the race. The other team members were Leuba and Nakasaka. “It was a real debacle,” Young said. “Everyone was confused. The officials were confused. The girls were confused. Sadly, it didn’t work out. I felt so badly for Laila. She really cared a lot, and wanted to put on a great performance at the end of the season.”
Fortunately, the indoor season’s end comes just a week before the outdoor season’s start. Practice starts March 1. The first meet is at home on March 21, against Churchill (possible redemption for one senior) and Gaithersburg.
“We just had a great group of girls and boys on this team,” Young said. “Every one had such a great attitude. It was so easy to coach these kids. It’s a shame that the boys didn’t qualify for the states, but I have high hopes for both teams next year.”
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