National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

If last weekend’s Virginia Tech Invitational was negatively affected by the bad weather earlier in the week – with the subsequent school closings and road problems that prevented some schools and athletes from traveling to competition – well, let’s just say that it was hard to think of the meet as being deficient after all of the stellar performances from the athletes who did make it to Rector Field House in Blacksburg.

No one had a problem traveling from Maryland and it became a huge weekend for the neighbors to the north.  The state’s athletes captured 10 victories, including national top-10 level performances from Marcelle Preston (US#1 1:03.93 in the boys 500), doublers Shania Collins (6.97 girls 55 dash and US#2 38.47 300) and Javonne Antoine (girls triple jump and long jump), relay squads from Milford Mill Academy (US#2 3:48.60 girls 4x400) and DeMatha Catholic (1:29.89 boys 4x200), Jackie McNulty (US#10 12-8 girls PV) and Devon Hairston (7.51 boys 55 hurdles).

The best distance runners signed up were almost all from areas not impacted by the storm, as well.  So the weekend’s brightest stars included the likes of Caroline Alcorta (US#2 meet record 4:49.71 girls’ mile) and her West Springfield, VA teammates (9:27.54 4x800 victory); and the boys (US#1 7:51.58 4x800) and girls (3,200 1-2 finishers Bonnie Angermeier and Claire Ewing-Nelson) of Blacksburg VA.

Virginians picked up most of the victories in the remaining events.  Some were favorites, like Noah Lyles (US#3 33.90 boys 300) – who joined Alcorta with individual and relay (T.C. Williams 4x400) triumphs – and Marcus Taylor (6.39 55 dash, nipping Darryl Haraway).  Others were mild or major surprises, like Galissia Cause (US#7 44-9 girls shot put), and 1000-meter champions Stanley Davis (US#7 2:30.04) and Alyssa Shupe (2:58.52). 

Joining Antoine as a jumps double winner was Cameron Holden (boys long jump and high jump).  And North Carolina athletes added a pair of wins, both impressive: A US#2 1:40.42 by the Parkland girls’ 4x200 and a US#6 1:15.83 by Tia Robinson – who like the T.C. Williams boys 4x400, came from the 2nd section to win.

In other words, if there were some potential champions missing (and the overall numbers were affected, of course), there were plenty of others waiting to step into the spotlight.  That added up to a pair of US#1s, five US#2s, and about two dozen other top-10 type performances.

Maryland magic

Maryland always has a significant presence at this meet, but it seemed a little stronger this year.  Especially impressive were Marcelle Preston, Shania Collins, and the Toni Brown-led girls 4x4 quartet from Milford Mill.

In defeating the meet’s best field in the 500, Preston (Largo, Upper Marlboro, MD senior) comported himself with the air of someone who’s gradually acknowledging and becoming comfortable with his talent.  That is to say, getting out in front of a good field and controlling it.  Last winter, he was a 1:06.11 500 runner that also hit 35.49 for 300.  In the spring, he clocked 47.76 for 400 and 21.64w for 200, and now this winter he has lowered his 300 to 34.71 and Saturday with his 1:03.93 came close to cracking the top 20 all-time.  He’s gone from being good to being on the cusp of “great.”

Already the national leader coming in at 1:04.83, did Preston think he could run sub-1:04 in his first individual race this season on a banked track?  “My coach was more confident than I was,” he said.  “He was telling me more strategies than what he usually does and how to run every curve.  And he was telling me especially about the bank (the banked curves), how it was going to shoot me off into the straightaway. So I really used the bank.

“My main goal was to get out, to get out from the beginning, because I know if they chase me, it’s going to wear them out trying to catch me,” he added.  “So I just wanted to get out and make them work.”

Getting out in front wasn’t quite as simple for Collins (Huntington MD senior) – starting in lane 4 of the 300 – as Milford Mill’s Brown shot out hard on the outside, in lane 6.  Collins started to close before the final curve, but there was also Simone Glenn (Bullis, MD senior) to contend with next to her in lane 5.  In the middle of the final straight, Collins pulled ahead and was rewarded with a US#2 38.47, good for #18 all-time and a .65 PR – with Glenn 2nd at 38.82.

Then Collins made it a double with her 55 win (she had led Friday’s prelims), powering away to win by .20 with a 6.98 – just .03 off her US#2 best.

Like Preston, Collins was enticed by getting to run that 300 on a banked track.  Her previous best of 39.12 came on the flat and she had a good sense she could go faster.  “That was the biggest reason we came here today,” she said, confirming she was looking to get into the 38s.  “The start was kind of rough, because it was on the bank and my first time running it ... but I got out strong enough.

“We came to the end and it was like we were all neck-and-neck together, and that was when form came through with my arms and that’s what basically got me into first.”  She added that she was a tad fatigued for the 55, which followed shortly after.  “I was happy to get under 7 seconds, but I really wanted to break 6.95, which is my last PR, so that was a little disappointing.”

The aforementioned Toni Brown was DQ’d in the 300 for stepping over the line several steps, and if she was running with something to prove in the meet-ending 4x400, it certainly showed up as she led off for Milford Mill and gave them a big lead.  The 55-second leg was the meet’s best and Yinka Alabi, Adaeze Amaefule and Medinah Spencer followed impressively – no other team really ever had a chance, despite the fact that North Carolina rivals Wakefield (3:53.02) and Parkland (3:53.93) would run seasonal-best US#3 and #4 times behind them.

“My strategy was to run the 4x4 first leg like it was an open 400,” said Brown.  “So that was my fastest time ever, 55 for my split and I was just getting the baton to Yinka.”  And so it went, with Alabi, Amaefule and Spencer running for their lives to hold on and not let the team down.  The reward was a massive 9-second PR that leaves them just a half-second behind Columbia NJ for US#1.  “We thought we were going to run a 3:52,” said Alabi, shaking her head in happy wonder at what they all thought was a school record, perhaps both indoors and out.

There were no big PRs for the other Maryland double champ (along with Collins).  But Javonne Antoine – an Elizabeth Seton senior who was part of Team NSAF for Caribbean Scholastic last June – was dominant and not far off top form despite barely being pushed.

“I felt my jumps were ok, but I think I could have done a lot better,” she said regarding Friday’s TJ triumph with 39-10.25 – less than three inches off her PR and a winner by more than two feet.  “I’m still working on pushing my arms through my jumps and when I get that, I should go further.”  She hopes to get out to at least 41-6 in the TJ, and on the podium at NBNI.  Then her Saturday LJ win was, again, about three inches off with a 17-10.75 – an event where her goal is 19 feet.

Other Maryland athletes who shone bright were Jackie McNulty, Devon Hairston and the DeMatha boys’ 4x200.  McNulty (Oakdale MD junior) defeated fellow 12-footer Hannah Meador (Fluvanna County, VA senior) with her PR 12-8 – improving her PR by four inches and moving into the US top 10.  She got 12-8 on her 3rd attempt, then tried 13-0 for the first time ever, in practice or a meet.  “My first attempt at 12-8 was really close and I thought, ‘I can do this,’” she said.  “My 2nd one was a little scary because my takeoff was not the best.  And then the 3rd one I gave it everything I had and ... I did it!”

McNulty said because of recent show in Ijamsville (where Oakdale is located), she’s had to vault inside in makeshift conditions.  “We’ve been really focusing on my plant – in the cafeteria, with a plant box – and that’s exactly what I needed, honestly.”  Amazingly, McNulty was in her first season last winter, and matched her PR at this meet – 10 feet at that time.  Her progression from being a novice to elite has been very fast.

Hairston (John F. Kennedy, MD senior) came within .01 of his new 7.50 best in the 55 hurdles, his 7.51 beating the 7.56 by Felton Davis (Highland Springs, VA junior).  “There was a lot of competition today,” he said.  “I was reaching for the PR, but it was a good time so I’m not too mad.  It was an overall good race.  I had a good start.  I crashed a couple hurdles, but I was able to hold on to the lead and get the win.”

DeMatha was favored in the 4x200, with a US#4 1:29.49 coming in, and like the Milford Mill girls 4x4, put their best speedster at the top of the lineup.  Darryl Haraway, the new US#1 in the 200 at 21.65, opened and – shooting out like a cannon – got the Hyattsville, MD school the lead.  Largo MD actually closed toward the end of that first leg, however, and on the second leg they had 500 champ Preston battling DeMatha’s Anthony McFarland.  Preston got Largo the lead, but it was short-lived as Justin Hamilton roared back into first.  John Oputa had not trouble taking it home on the anchor as they settled for 1:29.89 overall and a victory of just over a second ahead over Largo (with Bowie another .13 back).

“To get out and try and get the lead first,” said Haraway regarding the strategy of opening with him.  McFarland wasn’t unhappy with his leg, acknowledging the abilities of Largo’s Preston and confident his teammates would rally back.  Hamilton did just that, giving Oputa the lead and a chance to extend it.  “He gave me the opportunity, so I just wanted to finish it strong for the team.  We had a goal, we came here and got first place.  I was just trying to do my part.”

DeMatha will be at Millrose and they hope to get down to 1:27.

Virginia distance dominance

Caroline Alcorta and the boys and girls of Blacksburg dominated the distance headlines, while there were also impressive breakout victories in the 1000s by Stanley Davis and Alyssa Shupe, and in the mile by Matthew Novak.

Alcorta and her West Springfield teammates had the first major win on the track Friday night, taking the 4x800 in 9:27.54.  The Spartans were solid early, but Blacksburg had the lead going into the final leg.  When Alcorta got the stick (in 3rd, more than five seconds back), however, it was showtime.  She covered the first two laps in 63 and held on for a 2:11.  With a lap to go, she took the lead for good and won by five seconds. 

When interviewed later, the champions revealed they were running without one of their regulars – Reagan Bustamonte – but Jessica Settles did the job filling in on the 3rd leg, following Kiera Bothwell and Katie Kennedy.  “At first, I was just getting my 400 time,” said Settles, “and then two girls passed me and I just stayed as well as I could with them.  Then the last lap I knew in order for us to win, I really had to push past those two girls to hand it off in third.  I did that and she was able to win it for us, so I’m really happy!”  Alcorta typically does not anchor, but did so this time.

The next day, Alcorta showed the same go-out-and-hammer resolve as she shot to the front in the mile.  There was other sub-5 talent in the field, but no one else was prepared to run sub-4:50.  Meggan Grams (Boonsboro junior) was the only runner of 13 who tried to stay with Alcorta at all, and she lasted there for three laps, as the winner went out in 2:21 for 880 and hung on strong for the PR win.

Pundits later opined that now Alcorta was the “amateur” US#1 with her 4:49.71.  But Mary Cain likely was not on the victor’s mind.  The storyline for the West Springfield senior this winter has been improving her middle distance chops.  In fact, she and her teammates were stunned to learn, during the 4x8 interview, that she had gone 63-2:11 for her 4x8 split.  “I wasn’t expecting that last night,” she said after the mile.  “Usually I’m more of a distance running person (2 mile, 5k) ... so we’ve taken more time at the mile, working on turnover and pacing, things like that.”

Speaking of middle distances, that’s where traditional power Blacksburg describes itself as being strongest this year – on the boys’ side, anyway.  Some years it’s the longer stuff, but Coach James DeMarco’s 2014 crew is best at 800, 1000, and mile, with Kenneth Hagen – who has some of the most ridiculous range in the county. 

Anyway, Blacksburg ran 8:08.47 the first weekend of January and was due to run really fast here.  They came through, big time, with a US#1 7:51.58, thanks to legs of of 1:58.8 by Michael Carter, 1:56.9 by Jacob McCoy, 2:01.9 by Flip Bishop, and 1:53.8 by Hagen.  “I knew we were capable of running much faster than 8:08,” said McCoy.  “We have some pretty high goals coming into this season ... really this meet the goal was to get out fast and see where it takes us.  We did a good job doing it, so we’re very happy with 7:51 right now.”

At least a couple of the runners are not in peak shape yet, making a time 8-10 seconds faster for this crew by NBNI a real possibility.

Meanwhile, the Blacksburg girls ARE a little more long-distance oriented – though they are certainly versatile.  Their XC team made it to NXN for the 2nd time this past fall.  Friday night, junior Bonnie Angermeier and senior Claire Ewing-Nelson came from behind and powered to a 1-2 finish in the 3,200, hitting 10:45.00 and 10:53.16.  It should also be noted, however, that Angermeier, Jenn Fleming, Emily Beatty and Ewing-Nelson all ran Saturday’s mile between 5:02.67 and 5:10.18, combining for 20:22.22 that makes them instant 4x1 Mile contenders at NBNI – should they choose the event.

In the boys’ 1,000, Stanley Davis (Glen Allen) took the lead for good with three laps to go, coming within .05 of breaking 2:30.  “I train myself to go out the first 100 meters hard so I can  establish a lead, and get my legs ready, and then I just try and hold off anybody and everybody that last 200 meters.”  It was only the 2nd 1,000 ever for Davis, in his 2nd indoor season.  He’s run everything from the 500 and mile indoors, and focuses on the 800 and 300 hurdles outdoors.

The girls’ 1,000 featured US#4 (coming in) Ellison Grove (Battlefield senior), who had run 2:56.13.  But it wasn’t quite a PR day for her, while Alyssa Shupe (Jefferson Forest junior) was ready for a breakthrough.  Shupe ran 3:01 two years ago and hadn’t beaten it since, with a 3:03 best this winter.  But she took the lead in the 2nd lap, lost it briefly then regained it late in the fourth lap, and then held off Grove in the final 50.  “I’m really excited, because when I ran the 3:01, I was like, ‘Yes, it’s so close to breaking 3:00,’” she said.  “And it never happened freshman year.  It was my goal sophomore year, but I had a lot of injuries (tendonitis in feet).”

A lot of folks expected the big kick from Blacksburg’s Hagen in the boys’ mile.  It came, but Matt Novak’s was bigger, as he weathered Hagen’s strike with a lap to go and then took it in the final 80 meters – clocking an indoor PR 4:18.86.  “I just stuck with it and the last 50 meters went all out,” he said.  He was hoping the race would have gone out faster, 2:08 instead of the 2:13 that happened, and is looking for a faster time.

A Lyles-style finish

Maybe the meet was epitomized best by Noah Lyles – the maturing confidence the sophomore and 2013 Team USA World Youth medalist showed in his PR 33.90 in the 300, then the unbridled joy he and his T.C. Williams teammates felt as they discovered their 3:24.42 in the 2nd section of the 4x400 was actually the fastest in the meet.

Lyles’ “Irish twin,” Josephus, started it off.  On the comeback road from injury, he admitted to being nervous at the start.  “Our (season) PR before this was 3:30,” he said.  “When I got on the line and took off, everything was good, so I was grateful.”

We’ve been working as hard as we can all year,” said team captain and second leg Wayne McKinney.  “I’m the only senior ... I’m just so blessed this year to have some young, talented athletes on our team.

The laughter and joy reached its apex when the camera got to third leg Mahlique Booth.  “It’s all the hard work that our coach has been putting us through, all these hell days.  Coach always says you go to the Lord on Sunday, because on Monday your ass is mine!  So, I just came out here today; I ran for my brothers.  I love these guys.  I sweat with them – we bleed together – and we’re going to make it to nationals together, that’s all I can tell you.”