At first, B-CC Track Coach Chad Young couldn’t believe his eyes. Sophomore Freddy Nzekele shot out to a large lead in the boys’ 4 x 400 relay in the finale at Montgomery County’s Track and Field Championship at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex.
Nzekele held the lead, and held the lead, and Young held his breath.
“I was just hoping he didn’t go out too hard, and just when you think the field is going to catch him, he just kept on going,” Young said.
Nzekele, in first position (53.64 seconds), passed the baton to senior Trevor Stephens (55.34), but the field caught up to him. Stephens passed it to senior Nana Twum Agyire (54.43), who battled back to second place. Agyire passed it to senior Terrence James.
By now, the whole B-CC team was on its feet in the stands, cheering loudly. Only one runner -- from Churchill -- was in front of James. It wouldn’t last.
James passed him easily and won going away. His time was 52.27, and the team finished in 3:35, the second fastest time by a B-CC boys 4 x 400 relay in the last five years.
“When I put them together, I was thinking they would be good, but not that they would be in contention to win the whole thing,” Young said. “When they ran, everyone was watching, everyone was excited, the place was really loud. With each lap, when they stayed in such good position and contention to win, it became more and more exciting for the whole team. We were all standing together in the stands, cheering. It was really fun.”
The meet, held Monday, had other dramatic races for B-CC as well.
In the girls’ 4 x 800 relay, another sophomore, Brittney Wade, led off.
“Before she got on the track, I told her this is an important race for the team and I hoped she would do well so she could continue to run the 4 x 8 in later meets,” Young said. Wade had only run the 800 meter race a few times, lowering her time from 2:38 to 2:30.
In the relay, she took off, just as Nzekele had.
“I kind of held my breath because she hadn’t run it a whole lot,” Young said. “But she really shined.” She ran it in 2:23, holding the lead and handing the baton to
junior Ava Farrell (2:25), who passed it to junior Grace Reingruber (2:30), who passed it to senior Alex Doll.
Doll (2:23) ran well, Northwest senior Britt Eckerstrom, who like Doll is a soccer standout, ran even better. Eckerstrom (2:12) passed Doll and won the race for Northwest. B-CC finished second.
In other highlights:
* James finished third in the 300 meter race in 36:46. Nzekele came in eighth, in 37.36.
* Doll won the mile race in 5:13. She had gone out strong and held off Walter Johnson runner Camille Bouvet (5:15). Doll also ran the 800-meter race in 2:28, finishing fifth. In that race, sophomore Caroline Leuba finished seventh in 2:30.
* In the two-mile, Farrell ran well, finishing in 11:46 for fourth place.
In all, the girls team finished 8th out of 25 schools, while the boys finished 13th. The next competition is the Georgetown Prep Invitational on Saturday.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Conversations: Senior Eliot Gerson, on leadership
Distance runner Eliot Gerson, 17,has had a strong start in the indoor track season. Last year, during the outdoor season, he set a PR in the mile, running 4 minutes, 38 seconds. This year, he has already eclipsed that time twice indoors, running 4:36 and 4:37. In the 800 meter run, he also has excelled, running a 2:04 in a 4 x 800 relay race. Eliot has committed to Vassar College next year, where he plans to run cross-country and track. Here is one in an occasional series of conversations with B-CC track student-athletes:
Q: What are your impressions of the season so far?
A: I’m really excited because I’ve been running faster and my times have been dropping consistently. It’s especially exciting because it’s early in the year.
Q: Why has it gone well?
A: Health is probably the biggest reason. I’m managing thus far to stay healthy, which is huge. After four years, I’m beginning to understand my body a little bit, when to push, when to back off. (Senior) Trevor (Stephens) also has helped me drop my time, just by having him as a training partner.
Q: How often do you run together?
A: On the days we have practice, we run together. He also lives nearby so on weekends we also run, and that’s one of the biggest things, helping me get out.
Q: What are your goals this year?
A: I don’t know if I have specific goals set. I’m taking it one race at a time. Anything can happen. I can get hurt, or things could go great and I run faster than I thought I could. I don’t want to limit myself (by setting a goal), but I also don’t want to set a goal that does not allow me to enjoy the things I have done because I haven’t accomplished that one goal. So if I’m going to pick a goal now, it’s a smaller one. One is to qualify for states for the indoors. From there, if I do that, I’ll see what place I can realistically get. But until I qualify for the states, I’m not thinking about it.
Q: As a senior, how has your role on the team changed?
A: It’s kind of interesting, because on one hand as a senior you have a little bit more responsibility, but at the same time, there’s a little bit less pressure because we have a lot of seniors this year. We’re lucky in that regard. A lot of people have been on the team for a number of years, and that’s been helpful. It’s taken the pressure off all of us, and we can rely on each other. One or two of us don’t have to carry the weight.
Conversations: Sophomore Brittney Wade, on versatility
Brittney Wade, 15, had a standout season at B-CC last year as a freshman, racing in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter distances. This year, Coach Chad Young also has had her run in the 800-meter races, and her results have been outstanding. In her first 800, she ran two minutes, 47 seconds. A few weeks later, at the Montgomery Invitational, she lowered her time to 2:30. Moco.com ranks her 6th fastest in the county in the 400-meter race. Here is one in an occasional series of conversations with B-CC track student-athletes.
Q: How do you feel about your season so far?
A: The season is going really well for me, especially with it being a transition from a sprinter to a mid-distance runner. I didn’t expect to do so well in something that was brand new to me.
Q: How was it running in the 800-meter race the first time?
A: At first I was really nervous. It has been a while since I did it last -- in the 7th grade. I wondered, how should I maintain my pace throughout the race? The first one was a little slow compared to now.
Q: What’s the difference in tactics in the 400 and 800?
A: For the 400, you’re supposed to pace yourself, but you’re also supposed to run as hard as you can for the whole race. For the 800, it’s more of a strategic race, it’s longer, you have to hold onto your pace for another 400.
Q: What’s harder?
A: The 400. You have to run hard the whole way. The 800 feels pretty long, but it’s easier for you to relax.
Q: Now that you’re running longer distances, does that change your expectations for this year and the rest of high school?
A: I think I will be more of a middle distance runner from now on, instead of being identified as a sprinter. I think I’ll also be running the 200 and 400, but instead of 100, I’ll be running the 800. I’m happy with that. I’m not a big fan of the 100.
Q: How does your success in running carry over to other things?
A: It makes me feel I can take on any challenge. It’s a really hard sport – other people may not think so -- but it’s pretty grueling. Running helps me know that since I can do this, I can also do that.
Q: What about your role on the team? Has it changed as a sophomore?
A: I think my role has changed a little bit from when I was a freshman, but I’m still a learner. I can give my experience to freshmen or to runners who are just starting, but I’m just a sophomore and I still have a lot to learn.
Monday, January 17, 2011
A cold workout on Martin Luther King Day
Even on a holiday with temperatures slightly below freezing, more than 30 members of the B-CC track team gathered Monday at the outdoor track to put in a tough workhold. Here are some photos of practice:
Monday, January 10, 2011
And now increasing the pace: The boys
For the past several track seasons, a quiet truth trailed the B-CC team: the girls outperformed the boys. But in small if perceptible ways, the boys’ squad this year has been making steady advances, even as the girls’ team remains at an elite level.
At Saturday’s Montgomery Invitational, a meet that drew elite athletes from more than 100 schools, some as far away as Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the boys 4 x 800 meter track team turned in its fastest time of the year, 8 minutes, 43 seconds, even with one key performer missing.
The team – seniors Nana Twum Agyire (2:18.52, filling in for Terrence James, who arrived late), Trevor Stephens (2:08), Philip Catterall (a PR 2:11), and Eliot Gerson (2:04) – finished in 17th place. They now are ranked 10th on the Montgomery County leader board.
Coach Chad Young said that he appreciated Agyire stepping in at the last minute to help the team, even if his main event is the 400-meter race. He also said he appreciates the overall leadership by his senior distance runners who have ``been improving and becoming more competitive.”
He specifically mentioned Stephens, Catterall, and Gerson. While Gerson has had much success earlier in his high school career, Young said that Stephens and Catterall have made great strides even in recent months.
“I’ve talked a lot to Trevor and Philip about racing and how it’s different than going out for a run,” Young said. “Running a mile is not the same as racing a mile. They have been transitioning from running laps around the track to racing around the track, and they’ve been teaching their teammates as well. They are showing senior leadership. They are leading by example. They’re putting a lot of work on the track and on the weekends.”
For the first time in three years, the boys 4 x 800 relay team has a shot at making the state meet, Young said.
Gerson, meanwhile, also competed in the 1600-meter race, finishing in 4:36, a PR, for in seventh place. “It’s really impressive,” Young said. “He’s been running under 4:40 almost every meet this year.”
In other boys’ races:
* In the open 800-meter race, Stephens ran 2:04, for 14th overall. He is ranked 8th overall on the county leader board for the distance;
* In the open 400-meter race, James ran 51.78, for fifth overall. He is ranked third in the county.
In the girls’ elite mile, senior Alex Doll, who is competing for the first time since her freshman year, turned in a performance that Young called “one of the highlights of the meet.”
After running in second place for most of the race, Doll was passed in the last 400 meters by two runners, finishing fourth. Her time was a sparkling 5:11.
“It was a chance for her to see what she still has from her freshmen year, and she battled some of the top runners from Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey,” Young said. “She’s a really good natural runner, but she and I were in the dark about what to do with this race. Two, three weeks ago, the last time she ran the mile, she ran even splits on all her laps and easily won (in 5:21). The only thing I said to her was to try to stick to the pack for a while, and not be too aggressive at the beginning. She did hang back, and was fighting the urge to lead in the race. … She really did well.”
So well that Doll is currently ranked as the top miler in the Montgomery County leader board ratings.
In other girls’ races:
* The 4 x 800 meter team finished in 10:10 for fourth place overall. The team consisted of Grace Reingruber (2:33); Ava Farrell (2:25); Laura Nakasaka (2:34); and Hallie Jester ( 2:36). All are juniors except for Nakasaka, a sophomore.
* Sophomore Brittney Wade finished 10th in the open 400 meter race in 1:01.43. She is ranked sixth in the county.
* Farrell, in the elite 3,200-meter race, finished in 11:38, for second overall. “She’s really fun to watch,” Young said. “She’s in really good shape and is competing well.”
At Saturday’s Montgomery Invitational, a meet that drew elite athletes from more than 100 schools, some as far away as Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the boys 4 x 800 meter track team turned in its fastest time of the year, 8 minutes, 43 seconds, even with one key performer missing.
The team – seniors Nana Twum Agyire (2:18.52, filling in for Terrence James, who arrived late), Trevor Stephens (2:08), Philip Catterall (a PR 2:11), and Eliot Gerson (2:04) – finished in 17th place. They now are ranked 10th on the Montgomery County leader board.
Coach Chad Young said that he appreciated Agyire stepping in at the last minute to help the team, even if his main event is the 400-meter race. He also said he appreciates the overall leadership by his senior distance runners who have ``been improving and becoming more competitive.”
He specifically mentioned Stephens, Catterall, and Gerson. While Gerson has had much success earlier in his high school career, Young said that Stephens and Catterall have made great strides even in recent months.
“I’ve talked a lot to Trevor and Philip about racing and how it’s different than going out for a run,” Young said. “Running a mile is not the same as racing a mile. They have been transitioning from running laps around the track to racing around the track, and they’ve been teaching their teammates as well. They are showing senior leadership. They are leading by example. They’re putting a lot of work on the track and on the weekends.”
For the first time in three years, the boys 4 x 800 relay team has a shot at making the state meet, Young said.
Gerson, meanwhile, also competed in the 1600-meter race, finishing in 4:36, a PR, for in seventh place. “It’s really impressive,” Young said. “He’s been running under 4:40 almost every meet this year.”
In other boys’ races:
* In the open 800-meter race, Stephens ran 2:04, for 14th overall. He is ranked 8th overall on the county leader board for the distance;
* In the open 400-meter race, James ran 51.78, for fifth overall. He is ranked third in the county.
In the girls’ elite mile, senior Alex Doll, who is competing for the first time since her freshman year, turned in a performance that Young called “one of the highlights of the meet.”
After running in second place for most of the race, Doll was passed in the last 400 meters by two runners, finishing fourth. Her time was a sparkling 5:11.
“It was a chance for her to see what she still has from her freshmen year, and she battled some of the top runners from Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey,” Young said. “She’s a really good natural runner, but she and I were in the dark about what to do with this race. Two, three weeks ago, the last time she ran the mile, she ran even splits on all her laps and easily won (in 5:21). The only thing I said to her was to try to stick to the pack for a while, and not be too aggressive at the beginning. She did hang back, and was fighting the urge to lead in the race. … She really did well.”
So well that Doll is currently ranked as the top miler in the Montgomery County leader board ratings.
In other girls’ races:
* The 4 x 800 meter team finished in 10:10 for fourth place overall. The team consisted of Grace Reingruber (2:33); Ava Farrell (2:25); Laura Nakasaka (2:34); and Hallie Jester ( 2:36). All are juniors except for Nakasaka, a sophomore.
* Sophomore Brittney Wade finished 10th in the open 400 meter race in 1:01.43. She is ranked sixth in the county.
* Farrell, in the elite 3,200-meter race, finished in 11:38, for second overall. “She’s really fun to watch,” Young said. “She’s in really good shape and is competing well.”
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
`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.”
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.”
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Tune-ups done, competition begins
At the beginning of every sports season, a coach is never sure what to expect. Will top performers from previous years build on their successes? What about newcomers? Or previous back-of-the-pack athletes – will they step up?
Chad Young, the head coach of the B-CC indoor track team, is starting to learn some answers to those questions following one scrimmage meet (Dec. 4 at the Montgomery County scrimmage at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex) and one “practice” against other Montgomery County schools (Dec. 14 at Georgetown Prep).
Here’s seven highlights so far as the team prepares for its first official competition on Wednesday at the first Montgomery County Developmental Meet at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex. The second county meet will be Dec. 29.
1. Junior Ava Farrell’s fast start. “She seems to be in tiptop shape from cross-country season,” Young said. At the Dec. 4, meet, Farrell battled junior Alexandra Phillips of Whitman during the 1600 meter race. “Ava sat on her shoulder, and they went neck and neck to the finish line, where she was out-leaned,” he said. She set a personal record that day, running 5 minutes, 28 seconds. And then, 10 days later, she ran a new PR, 5:26.
2. Two freshmen performances. Freshmen Helen Webster and Simone McGuinness, both newcomers to track, ran their first 800 meter races at the Dec. 4 meet. “Helen took off in the lead for the first two laps, with Simone on her shoulder,” Young said. “Simone passed her, took the lead, created a small gap, but Helen responded and won at the end. It was fun to watch both of them compete for the first time and do so well.” Webster finished in 2:49, McGuinness in 2:50.
3. New competition: During the cross-country season, freshman Laila Ismail ran well but didn’t finish in the top pack. But Young placed her in some of the sprints for the indoor track competitions, and immediately Ismail provided competition to standout sophomore Brittney Wade. In the 55-meter dash, Wade finished in 7.4 seconds, Ismail in 7.7. In the 300-meter race, Wade was 44.02, Ismail 44.07. “If these two girls push each other, they could be pretty good,” Young said.
4. Another strong freshman performance: At the Dec. 4 meet, freshman Kenneth Norris ran a 5:23 1600-meter ran, winning his heat. At the second practice, he ran 5:36 in the 1600, and 2:22 in the 800-meter race. “He seems to be fitting right in and making it look easy as a first timer,” Young said.
5. Stretching out two stars: In one experiment during the first two meets, Young put two of his returning stars, Wade and senior Terrence James (both qualified for the state meet last year) in the 800 meter races. In the two races, Wade ran 2:41 and 2:37. James ran 2:10 at the Georgetown Prep practice. “Brittney is showing she has a lot of strength and could step up or down in distances depending on where we need her,” Young said. “For TJ, I wanted him to experience something new, and challenge him physically and mentally. Both of them really shined.” In the 800 meter boys race, Young said he asked his top runners to run with James for the first two laps, and “then I told TJ I wanted to see what he’s got.Trevor Stephens was pretty far ahead of him and TJ caught up and beat him. TJ is now making me rethink how we want to put together our 4x800 meter relay because he is so versatile.”
6. Senior Eliot Gerson’s strong performances. “He’s in great shape, and it showed – it’s exciting and encouraging,” Young said. He ran the 1600-meter races in 4:44 and 4:39. Stephens also ran a strong 1600 in 4:48 on Dec. 4.
7. On deck: “Wednesday will be our first opportunity to see where we fit in to the overall standings, and compare ourselves to the entire county,” Young said. “Right now, we’re looking pretty good, and our times are respectable. We’ll be building throughout the season and I believe we will be able to compete with the best teams. I think our effort will be stepped up in Wednesday's meet and that the team will be fired up since the results will be official.”
Chad Young, the head coach of the B-CC indoor track team, is starting to learn some answers to those questions following one scrimmage meet (Dec. 4 at the Montgomery County scrimmage at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex) and one “practice” against other Montgomery County schools (Dec. 14 at Georgetown Prep).
Here’s seven highlights so far as the team prepares for its first official competition on Wednesday at the first Montgomery County Developmental Meet at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex. The second county meet will be Dec. 29.
1. Junior Ava Farrell’s fast start. “She seems to be in tiptop shape from cross-country season,” Young said. At the Dec. 4, meet, Farrell battled junior Alexandra Phillips of Whitman during the 1600 meter race. “Ava sat on her shoulder, and they went neck and neck to the finish line, where she was out-leaned,” he said. She set a personal record that day, running 5 minutes, 28 seconds. And then, 10 days later, she ran a new PR, 5:26.
2. Two freshmen performances. Freshmen Helen Webster and Simone McGuinness, both newcomers to track, ran their first 800 meter races at the Dec. 4 meet. “Helen took off in the lead for the first two laps, with Simone on her shoulder,” Young said. “Simone passed her, took the lead, created a small gap, but Helen responded and won at the end. It was fun to watch both of them compete for the first time and do so well.” Webster finished in 2:49, McGuinness in 2:50.
3. New competition: During the cross-country season, freshman Laila Ismail ran well but didn’t finish in the top pack. But Young placed her in some of the sprints for the indoor track competitions, and immediately Ismail provided competition to standout sophomore Brittney Wade. In the 55-meter dash, Wade finished in 7.4 seconds, Ismail in 7.7. In the 300-meter race, Wade was 44.02, Ismail 44.07. “If these two girls push each other, they could be pretty good,” Young said.
4. Another strong freshman performance: At the Dec. 4 meet, freshman Kenneth Norris ran a 5:23 1600-meter ran, winning his heat. At the second practice, he ran 5:36 in the 1600, and 2:22 in the 800-meter race. “He seems to be fitting right in and making it look easy as a first timer,” Young said.
5. Stretching out two stars: In one experiment during the first two meets, Young put two of his returning stars, Wade and senior Terrence James (both qualified for the state meet last year) in the 800 meter races. In the two races, Wade ran 2:41 and 2:37. James ran 2:10 at the Georgetown Prep practice. “Brittney is showing she has a lot of strength and could step up or down in distances depending on where we need her,” Young said. “For TJ, I wanted him to experience something new, and challenge him physically and mentally. Both of them really shined.” In the 800 meter boys race, Young said he asked his top runners to run with James for the first two laps, and “then I told TJ I wanted to see what he’s got.Trevor Stephens was pretty far ahead of him and TJ caught up and beat him. TJ is now making me rethink how we want to put together our 4x800 meter relay because he is so versatile.”
6. Senior Eliot Gerson’s strong performances. “He’s in great shape, and it showed – it’s exciting and encouraging,” Young said. He ran the 1600-meter races in 4:44 and 4:39. Stephens also ran a strong 1600 in 4:48 on Dec. 4.
7. On deck: “Wednesday will be our first opportunity to see where we fit in to the overall standings, and compare ourselves to the entire county,” Young said. “Right now, we’re looking pretty good, and our times are respectable. We’ll be building throughout the season and I believe we will be able to compete with the best teams. I think our effort will be stepped up in Wednesday's meet and that the team will be fired up since the results will be official.”
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