National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

This is the 7th Fall 2013 edition of our new NSAF weekly feature on nationalscholastic.org: the Emerging Elites of the Week.  The New Balance Nationals Indoor and Outdoor meets have become known for the ever-expanding and improving competition in the divisions of the same name.  Similarly, the NSAF seeks to give weekly recognition to track and field and cross-country athletes reaching new and exciting competitive levels with their recent performances.

This week we honor the two New York City champions from the Brown Northeast Championships in Rhode Island (photos by John Nepolitan and Ray James).

Male – Marco Pompilj, Collegiate School Class of 2015, New York City, NY

1st, 15:13.4, Brown Northeast Champs, Goddard State Park, East Greenwich RI

Sometimes it just takes a few weeks of big races to elevate an athlete from being a state contender unknown beyond those borders to becoming a name to be reckoned with nationally.  That’s kind of been the case with Collegiate School (New York, N.Y.) junior Marco Pompilj.  With his big, fast victory at the Brown Northeast Champs in Rhode Island last weekend, where he beat new St. Benedict’s NJ Kenyan sensation Edwin Rutto and clocked a huge 5k PR 15:13.4.  That followed a 12:38.7 PR for 2.5 miles in winning the Varsity ‘B’ race at Manhattan (16th overall for the meet) and a 12:41.91 the week before on the same course as he took the NYC Mayor’s Cup.

Pompilj had some fast times as a freshman in track, running 4:17.61 and 9:28.25 for 1600 and 3200.  Then, by his own admission, he didn’t take things quite as seriously as a sophomore – though he did rally late in the fall to get 7th at Feds and 17th at NXN Northeast.  Those are placings he’ll be looking to improve in November, as well as defending his NYAIS title leading up to Feds.  Under Coach George Calano, Collegiate has a long tradition of outstanding teams and individuals and Pompilj appears to be the latest taking the baton.

A few thoughts from Marco:

On the victory at Brown:  Going into Brown, I was excited to race on a fast 5K course with good competition.  I did not have an accurate sense of what time I was going to run, but I knew that I wanted to win the race.  The start of the race was on point, and a St. Anthony’s runner and I came through the first mile at a quick 4:45.  From there, I took the lead and tried to maintain a feasible, yet challenging pace.  However, roughly around 2 miles into the race, a St. Benedict’s runner briskly passed me and created quite a gap of distance between us.  After his move I felt the inkling sensation of defeat, but I forced myself to simply hold on.
Little by little, as we approached the final segment of the race and began emerging from the woods, I got the feeling that I was inching closer and closer to him.  I was hurting at the time and did not think I was going to beat him, but as I said post-race, once it comes down to making that decision, of whether to give up or to keep hammering, you better just race.  That’s when I made the decision to let go and just run.  You have to trust yourself. That’s why you put in the work.

On rising to a new level with three big wins in October:  Maturity has been a factor.  As a freshman, I was just excited to get out there and do my thing, but my sophomore year was choppy.  I didn’t have the same spirited drive as freshman year, nor did I make necessary sacrifices. This year has already been more successful because of changes I have made internally.  Thanks to some work over the summer, Coach was able to start higher intensity workouts sooner in the season this year and the results have been apparent.

On his introduction to the sport:  I began running in middle school (7th and 8th grades) at Collegiate, because I have been quick on my feet from a young age.  I used to play travel soccer and continued to do so throughout middle school.  In middle school, I only had a vague notion of myself as a runner, but with the guidance of Coach Smith, I realized I had potential and thereafter gave up soccer to focus on running.

On Coach Calano and the strong tradition at Collegiate:  Collegiate is a phenomenal institution with a fittingly phenomenal coach.  Being a minuscule school, with a mere 50-60 students per grade, it is remarkable how many opportunities we are given to compete at a high level.  Our success as a program is rooted in Coach Calano’s ability as a coach and mentor, and our culture of hard work.  Collegiate, being the oldest school in the nation, along with Coach Calano, who has been coaching generations of Dutchmen, are the very embodiment of tradition.  Collegiate is a special environment for athletes because academics are heavily prioritized and certainly demanding. 
We pride ourselves on being students, however, the athletic culture is celebrated as well for its long-standing success.  To foster such a dual experience, as both rigorous students and athletes, is difficult (and it leads to a few bouts of sleep deprivation).  Nonetheless, the environment is special because of the sacrifices we are all willing to make. 

On two NYC kids taking titles at Brown:  It was great seeing New York City take over at an event far from home that brought together so many teams from across the Northeast.  It is almost comical to think that us city kids, of whom many train in Central Park, can come out to meets like Brown and compete with colossal suburban schools.

On team and individual aspirations as the post-season draws near:  My hope is for our team to have spectacular breakthroughs at the championship races.  As a team, we have been persistent and strong, yet this year two new and instrumental runners have been sidelined for the entire season due to injury (luckily they’re still juniors).  Personally, I am trying to have big races at Feds and NXN Northeast with the hope of qualifying for nationals.  However, in the end it's all about enjoying, appreciating, and making the best of the experience and of our youth.

Female – Denise Branch, Benjamin Cardozo, Class of 2014, Bayside, Queens, New York City, NY

1st, 17:52.2, Brown Northeast Champs, Goddard State Park, East Greenwich RI

The outstanding student-athletes keep rolling through and out of Benjamin Cardozo (Bayside, Queens, NYC, N.Y.).  To name a few, there have been the Francis sisters running 2:04-05 800s and racking up national titles; there was Alexis Panisse (Class of 2012) who had the ridiculous range from a 2:06 800 to a 4:44 1,600 and a sub-17 5,000; and there was Sabrina Southerland (2013) who earlier this year won New Balance Indoor and Outdoor 800 titles with a best of 2:03.59 and anchored the winning NBNI and Penn Relays DMRs.

Denise Branch was part of those two gold medal DMRs and now, as a senior, she has stepped into the spotlight this fall.  She doesn’t yet have the national championship-level track PRs, but now she has the unique distinction among Cardozo stars of being a major XC invitational champion.  Last weekend, she captured the Brown Northeast Championships in a big PR 17:52.2, just outkicking Tiana Guevara and getting under 18 for the first time.  That follows an NYC Mayor’s Cup win and a Eastern States 10th-place finish (PR 14:51.12 2.5M) earlier this month.

Coach Ray James has been instrumental in developing Branch and most of the other Cardozo standouts of recent years and Branch is quick to give credit – while looking forward to big things in the XC finales coming up in the weeks ahead: Especially the NY Feds where she was 20th last year and Foot Locker Northeast, where she was 24th in 2012.

A few thoughts from Denise:

On her race at Brown and breaking 18:00 for the first time:  The race went just as planned.  The whole week prior to the race, Coach Ray had me focusing on my speed reserve, so I would be able to handle any battles that would come my way.  Tiana Guevara (Miller Place) led the race for the first two miles at a pace at which I was comfortable, so I decided to save my energy for the latter part of the race.  With one mile left, I challenged her for first by picking up the pace and I was successfully able to hold it to the finish line.  I wasn't surprised by that I had PR'd by that much, because my workouts and training indicated I was ready to reach that mark.

On her summer training and improvement so far this fall:  My summer training was intense.  I was never allowed to have an “easy day.”  Every day I had to come to practice with a mindset of “despite the heat, I'm training for something big.”  I had to envision the races I would be running with the top girls in the country at every practice to motivate myself to keep pushing.
My outdoor season had ended more quickly than expected, so Coach Ray told me I needed to start getting focused for cross country.  Therefore, my mileage increased significantly, and my workout intervals became faster.  It wasn't easy, but it was a precursor of what was to come.  I'm grateful that Coach Ray was hard on me and never allowed me to slack, because now I'm seeing the benefits of it.

On whether because her success in middle distances on the track, she feels more like a middle- or long-distance runner:  I learned that I have to learn how to run just about anything.  As a distance runner, it's imperative that you never lose your speed.  During track, I'm frequently put on 4x4s and 4x8s to revisit those fast paces that I'll need for my longer races.  I feel like more of a 1500/3K runner, so I'm embracing the XC season to help improve my times in those distances on the track.

On the Cardozo tradition, what it was like having Panisse and Southerland as teammates, and what it’s like to be a senior leader now:  I am so grateful to have had training partners like Sabrina and Alexis. They're honestly one-of-a-kind teammates.  There's a saying that you never know what you have until it's gone.  Starting with Alexis, the greatest thing she taught was how to be a leader.  From the very instant Alexis arrived at practice, she was ready to roll.  She did every stretch, drill, and cool-down with vigor.  I didn't quite appreciate this persona she had at time, because I was still developing as a runner, but now that I'm older, I realize that champions are made in practice.
Sabrina is probably one of the most talented runners I know.  I trained with her a year longer than Alexis, so I was able to observe and imitate her habits much better.  Sab hardly complains, and no matter how she felt during the day, her workouts at practice were always stellar.  She taught me to have fun even during the most dreadful workouts, to never let anyone see you frown, and to remain humble through it all.  As the current senior of Cardozo, all I hope to do is to teach my younger teammates the same attributes I acquired from those two wonderful athletes, and to make everyone proud, like they did.

On how Coach Ray James has helped her get to this level:  Coach Ray has changed my life drastically.  Not only athletically, but also socially and scholastically.  To say he's just a coach is an understatement.  I consider him my second father, because he has taught me things I will never forget.
Although we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, I know he has my best interest at heart.  It's nice to have an additional adult figure in your life that you trust and know will never forsake you.  He doesn't train me like a regular high school athlete.  He holds me and all of his athletes to a higher caliber.  And because of this, I'm reaching new heights as a runner and bettering myself as a person.

On her goals for the major meets at season’s end:  My goal for the season is to be one of the best cross country runners Coach Ray has had.  That would be my gift to him for his non-stop dedication and motivation.  I'm training to be of the top place finishers at the state federation, and to qualify for Foot Locker Nationals.