We sent out requests to all the top runners in the state to send us their thoughts leading up to the State meet. We tried our best to contact as many people as we could but there were still many good runners that we had no contact information for. If you're ranked in the top 10 in your event then we want to hear your thoughts so be sure to e-mail us so your voice can be heard along with the others. We haven't gotten everyone's response yet, but I'm going to go ahead and put up what I have, and then we'll add to it later, as we get more in, so keep checking back in for updates. Thanks to all those who participated and good luck this weekend!
Ryan Beabout (#1 ranked AAA runner with 9:18 3200 and 4:23 1600m from Wheeling Park) "I am very pumped for the state track meet . This meet means a lot to me this year not just individually but for the team. I am going go run every race to my best capability to score points for the team. I am very anxious for the meet and cant wait for Friday and Saturday to roll around. I have had some good workouts this week, my legs feel great, and I'm ready to roll. Hopefully the outcome Saturday evening will be a team state championship."
Kaylyn Christopher (Fastest female runner in the history of the state from Preston)
"It's really hard to believe that this is going to be my last state meet, but I'm really thankful for all the opportunities I've had in the past few years. It's incredible how far running has come just recently, and I know States this year is going to have the performances to prove it."
Josh Feathers (4:30 1600m and 9:46 3200 runner from Preston)
"I'm really excited for the state meet and I can't believe it's already here. This year is a lot different than last year, everyone has gotten so much better. Beabout is going to be strong and so will Eric F. and a lot of the other guys and I think we are all anxious to race. I wish everyone the best of luck and see you guys at states. "
Emma Berry (5:17 1600m and 11:29 3200m runner from Morgantown)
"I can't wait for States this weekend! I'm really excited to run against some great competition in both the 4x8 and 3200. Our 4x8 is pumped and ready to post a great time. My plan for the 3200 is just to stay relaxed and focused. Watching Saturday's races is also going to be fun and exciting because there are so many girls running strong right now. It's going to be a great State Meet."
Darby Mullen (#2 ranked AA 1600m and 3200m runner from Logan)
"I am so pumped for states! I have trained really hard, and I feel that I am physically and mentally prepared for my races. Cross country didn't go well for me this year, so I had to really get it together in order to come back. I had some iron problems, but I am back and ready to have some great runs. Not only am I excited to set some PR's, but I also can't wait to see everyone else run. There are some great runners this year, and I am amazed by all of the talent every time I watch the races. Good luck to everyone this weekend!"
Rachel Buser (AA state record holder in 1600m and 3200m from Berkley Springs)
"I am really pumped up for states this weekend!!! I think this state meet is going to be better than last year's as far as all my races go. I feel a lot healthier this year and I am running a lot better. I'm excited for our whole girls team because we have a shot at being up at the top with Winfield again. Our team will definitely be ready for next weekend; we have all trained hard."
Corey Hampshire (9:55 3200m runner from Jefferson)
"Going into the state meet this week, I would like to be relaxed and have easy practices. My goal for states would have to be break into the 9:40s or get All-State."
Dee Dee Winningham (Mid-distance star from Cabell Midland)
"The State Meet is extremely important. It's where you can show how hard you've worked all season. People from all over are going to be watching the results, so you want to do your best. I'm not really nervous, but more scared because I know what I need to do and if I don't pull through I'm just wasting time and letting the team down. Track is probably the only way I'll get to college, so I'm just scared of not being recognized and respected for how much I've worked for this. This season hasn't been as good as last year, so I know I need to work harder next year if I'm ever going to get college scholarships."
Eric Frohnapfel (#2 ranked AAA 3200m with a 9:46 from University)
"I think this state meet, in terms of guys AAA, has very good potential to be one of the more exciting state meets to watch since 2004 (for distance). While the times in the events may not be as fast, there is much more depth in terms of everyone running similar times. The 800 and 1600 are going to great races. Just looking at the best performances list off of RunWV; the top 7 runners are under 4:33 the fastest being Beabout (of course). But while Beabout has been the fastest thing to come from WV in the 3200 since Walsh and Lukowski in '02, I still wouldn't put Feather out of contention for a good race in the 1600. After seeing him turn it on at Regionals last Friday night, after running the 3200, 4x800, 1600, then to out kick 4 or more guys with 200 to go finishing in 2:02...ch'yea...the boy has some wheels. I think Beabout will run away with the 3200 while Feather, Tennant, and myself battle it out for the all honorable 2nd place. As for myself I am just getting my body ready and trying to heal and relax as much as possible. Obviously my big race is going to be the 3200 and I am just trying to think how I want to run my race when I line up Friday night."
Stephanie Caruso (#1 runner in A with 5:16 1600m and 11:20 3200 from Wheeling Central)
"I am really excited for states! I can't believe how fast this season has went. I'm pretty nervous but still pumped. I'm most excited for the 3200. I am going to try to break the A record in that, but we will see. There is going to be some awesome competition this year at the state meet and I can't wait to watch everyone run."
David Bias (#1 ranked AAA 800m runner with 1:59 from Cabell Midland)
"The State Meet is the most important race in the season. My mind is set to do the very best I can in the 1600m, 4x800,4x400 and the 800m. My goal is to help lead my team to a first place finish. Coming into this meet I'm concentrating on doing every little detail right, work really hard, and get my mind set for this state meet. Hopefully the outcome will be a first place finish for my team."
Ben Miller (#1 ranked AA 800m runner with a 1:58 from Ravenswood)
"The week of the State Meet is my favorite time of they year. Nothing gets me more pumped up than watching my teammates, and other runners giving it their all and leaving it all on the track. Leading up to one of my races I am usually a combination of nervous, anxious, and pumped. I usually like to get a good warm-up in and envision in my head the way I think the race will play out. After this I usually put my spikes on and do a few striders. Before every race I also say a prayer; our relay teams will huddle up and say the lords prayer together.A race to me is one of the best things in all of sports. It's just you head to head with the rest of the field. You have no one else to blame if you don't perform well. This is why I think people get more nervous in running sports than in team sports."
Zach Tennant (4:31 1600m and 9:55 3200m runner from North Marion)
"Well, I think there is going to be some tough competition after distance really stepped it up this year. I know with the way my training and everything has went these past 6 months, that I am just as conditioned for this as anyone out there and hopefully I'll pull off some fast times. As a sophomore that really just got thrown onto the scene this year, I just hope to be with the pack in both the 3200m and 1600m. But if anything the 1600m has most of my focus."
Dustin Hall (#1 ranked A 3200m runner from St. Marys)
"My biggest concern is how my team will do. We haven't won a championship in a while and it would be nice to claim it my senior year. The 3200m and 1600m will both be great races, depending on how Levi Grandt is feeling. I'm pretty pumped that he's back and hopefully we will push each other to a pretty low time in the 3200m. The 1600m will be a great race. Chad Henson and I have raced all season and he seems to have a better kick than I do, but you never know what could happen at states."
Trey Beckett (4:35 1600m and 9:58 3200m runner from Cabell Midland)
"I'm really excited about the State Meet this year, being my first and all. I'm not used to running with the top guys in the state after my bad Cross Country season last year, but I'm pumped. I think a lot of good times will be produced and some strong performances too. Its been a while since so many guys have had such fast times, and all within a stride of each other. Good luck to everyone running this weekend and tear it up."
Brittney Powell (800m runner from Doddridge Co.)
"I am pumped and determined for the state track meet this Friday and Saturday. I don't think any team goes to the state track meet not wanting to win. We, the Doddridge County Lady Bulldogs, are not just a team, we are a family, and we are going to work together to achieve and accomplish our dreams. I am not worried at all about the outcome of the State Meet, as well as the 4x800. We are all determined and excited to run this weekend. No matter what the outcome, we will leave with our heads held high and legs tired."
Adam Woodruff (2:03 800m and 4:32 1600m runner from George Washington)
"I am not as nervous this year as I have been in the past. I'm really ready to run. We did our final workout today and I killed it, so I'm pretty confident heading into Friday and most of all Saturday. There are a lot of good runners in the mile this year, and its going to be a dog fight to the end. I feel like I could find myself up there with a chance for a top 3 finish at the end, but anything can happen. As for the 800, I am just ready to get out there and run it. The only person I have gotten to run against towards the end here, that has run a good time, is David Bias. I feel like I could go a lot faster than 2:03 in states because of all the competition. I know it is just a 4x800 split, but I went 2 flat at Gazette's, so I feel pretty good. Either way, how everything turns out, I should be satisfied with it because I feel like we have better runners overall this year than we've had as a majority in the past."
Levi Grandt (# 1 ranked A 1600m runner with 4:39 from Doddridge Co.)
"This time it's just mostly for my team because we have a chance to be the first Doddridge boys team to repeat as team champions. I'm just hoping to do the best I can and get in the top 3 in the two events I'm running. I'm pretty excited because its fun as always, but I'm also a little nervous because I don't know how well I'll even place.
I think I'll be a little more ready for the State Meet mostly because I know what to expect. I'm able to run a little bit now, so my fitness will come back to me quickly just by doing anything. Not the kind of shape I would have been in, but enough to place, because that's all I'm really looking for"
Kylee Boring (Mid-distance star from Doddridge Co.)
"Nerves? Excitement? Pumped? This state meet has it all for me. I have been to the state meet two times and this is the only time that I can say that I am really scared. I am scared at how well our team will do, but I am more afraid of how my injury will do. I have been battling a quad injury for over half of the season. It was really bad at the regional meet and I am just hoping that I can get through the pain to survive one more meet. The "Big One" as they say. As much as I hate to say that I am hurt, I won't let it bring me down. I will do everything in my power for the team. The state meet is very important to me and I want to do well for myself, but most of all for my team. I am excited because I know that our team could possibly win another state title (the one for the thumb). We are all going to have to give it everything we have. As a team, we will find the strength in each other to overcome any obstacles that we may face. I am proud to be a Lady Dog and I am ready to try and earn another victory. The competition is going to be close, but we have what it takes and We Want This Championship!"
Metcalfe wins Kip Keino Mile.
WVU National Champion Megan Metcalfe won the highly elite Kip Keino Mile this past weekend in NY. She ran 4:38 in very windy conditions while training partner Jenn Davis (also a former WVU runner) was close behind in 4:46. Be sure to check out the link where you'll find a recap, results and video of their great race.
Andrew Benford has successful outdoor.
I can't believe we let our Benford coverage slip through the cracks this outdoor. This guy has been running great all spring and hasn't been getting the press that he deserves. We did an interview with Benford during the indoor season when he was having some breakthrough races on the track. It's one of our goals to follow the progress of former WV high school runners as they take their running to a new level in out-of-state schools, but we kind of slacked off. So here's a quick recap:
- finished 3rd indoor at A10 Championships in the 3K with an 8:35
- followed that quick time up with an 8:28 outdoor at Duke
- ran 1:58 for the 800m at UNC
- lapped the field in his first ever 5K on the track with a 14:46 the Legacy Inivte
- Just last weekend he finished 1st in the 5K at the Georgia Tech Inv.
It looks like the Georgia Tech meet may be his last meet of the year unless he plans on running Jr. Nationals later this summer. Whatever the case Congrats to Benford on a phenomenal freshman year at Richmond.
Tyler and Ben help Tennessee win SEC.
University of Tennessee's mens team won the SEC Outdoor Championships this past weekend with the help of WV runners Tyler DeVault and Ben Lukowski, leaving Zach Sabatino quite jealous. Ben went 31:07 in the 10K and then came back the next day to compete in the 5K on dead legs to try and score some extra points for the team. Tyler got through qualifying rounds of the 1500m to finish 5th in the final race with a time of 3:47. Just like Ben he came back to run the 5k but the all out effort of his earlier races had obviously taken it's toll. Rumor has it that Tyler was given a new Cadillac Escalade for his role in the meet and Lukowski walked away with a restyled El Camino. They certainly do spoil you down there.
WVU to WJU...WTF?
Wheeling Jesuit hosted one of it's annual home track meets and the WVU ladies went up to participate instead of taking their usual excursion to ECACs. The fields weren't very big but there were some pretty good times. The highlight of the meet was the women's 800m which saw WVU runners Raeleen Hunter and Keri Bland both going 2:11. Right on their hills was freshmen standout Marie-Louise Asselin in 2:14 and hometown favorite Karly Hamric at 2:15 who rounded out a solid field of WVU ladies in the race. The women's 1500m saw Wheeling Jesuit star and WVIAC Champion Erika Rucker take the win in the 1500m blasting a 4:46, just a few ticks off her own school record. She laid the hammer down on a slew of WVU runners participating in the race including Mandy McBean, Jamie Cockley and Nicole Dorinzi. They combined the men and women's 3K and Jay Dolmage didn't pass up this unique opportunity to crush some girl runners as he went 8:24 beating all the sissy girls by over a minute and a half. Rebecca Stallwood was the top female (and 2nd overall in the race behind Jay) in the race with a with a 10:00 just a second ahead of super shuffler Clara Grandt. Josh Simpson was noted with a DNF and rumors from the meet have him dropping out with 50 meters to go after he got passed by Clara Grandt when she unleashed her kick.
Bias buries competition.
Region 4AAA is the other top region in the state with schools like Cabell Midland, Parkersburg, Hurricane, and Huntington High bringing some top talent. Jennifer Cooperrider of Nitro is a veteran middle distance runner and her experience showed as she came away with the win in the 800m. running 2:21. The race was loaded up front with 4 girls making it out of the region and Cabell Midland star Danielle Winningham missing out by a mere .01 of a second. Hurricane freshman Josie Crouch is going to be one to watch out for this State Meet as she also ran a 57 in the 400m. She has the talent to be one of state's top stars over the next few years. Ellen Kist of Parkersburg won the 1600m while Midland runner Alicia Thomas made it out in the 1600m and 3200m by finishing 2nd in both races. Alex Dent or Hurricane (daughter of WV legend Bubby Dent who has held the state meet record in the 800m since 1984) brought home the victory in the 3200 and capped off a pretty good day for the Hurricane distance runners who look to make a big impact at the state meet.On the guys side it looked to be the David Bias show as he completely controlled the 800m by running 1:59, pulling Nitro's John Dorchinez and St. Albans freshman Andy Bailey along for the ride. Bailey's 2:01 is rolling for a freshmen and he looks to have the competitive spirit to make him a star in this state. He's definitely a talent to keep your eye on. In the 1600m it was more of the same as Bias once again took the top spot. Another St. Albans runner, Zach Messanger, came speeding in just behind the leader outdistancing himself from Trey Beckett of Cabell Midland who was 3rd. Bias was not seen in the 3200m leaving him open to run the 4x800 and 4x400 at the state meet, but surprise winner Brian Blanc of Parkersburg South was there to fill in his shoes by running 10:01. Trey Beckett snagged his spot without expelling too much effort while St. Albans runner Lance Wheeler snagged 3rd. Midland and St. Albans got their 4x800's out without much problem as well and they'll both look to be up front in the mix this weekend.
Woodruff barely makes it out of Region.
Region 3AAA saw George Washington star Adam Woodruff making it out in the 800m and 1600m. He may have struggled with the stiff competition, but he still managed to overcome against all odds to win his races. Also wanted to give props to David Caldwell of South Charleston who won the 3200m. and he's coached by former Marshall runner Jason Redman (state champion in the 800m - only because he dropped down to AA to dodge me at the state meet his senior year).Congrats to Chelsea Jarvis of Capital for qualifying in the 3200m and Hannah Henderson of Nicholas Co. for earning a spot in the 1600m. Both of these ladies were at the WVU Cross Country Camp last year and they've taken what they learned to propel themselves to be State qualifiers in their events. Ok, maybe we can't take credit for the hard work they've done, but we certainly taught them how to excel in things like Rock Climbing and Badminton which will surely come in handy some time in the future.
Boening shines for Jefferson.
Jefferson is way off in one of the panhandles and nobody in the state would even know that this high school even existed in WV if it wasn't for the State Meet where they finally decide to come down and run with the rest of the state. It's hard not to snub our collective noses at them but when they have stand out runners like Brooke Boening and Corey Hampshire it's our responsibility to give them our full attention so we'll cover a little bit of the Region 2AA meet. Brooke has been dominating most of the year and continued to do so in her region where she easily won the 1600m and 3200m and was a member of the winning 4x800 team. She'll be going up against the most ridiculous field of women's distance runners in the history of the state, but she has the credentials to be one of the top performers.Mussleman High school (home of former State Champion and my old roommate Kenny Campbell - which is all I really know about it) has some up and coming stars in Devon Davis who won the 800m. in 2:03 (he's run 2:02 this year) and Louie Talbott who was 2nd in the 1600m with a 4:42. It's good to see them taking the first step in putting Mussleman on the distance running map (because I can't find them on a regular map). Alex Zurbach of Elkins was the top dog in the 3200m running under 10 min. while All-State Cross runner Corey Hampshire was 2nd. John Binotto of Hampshire stole the spotlight in the 1600m as he won with a time of 4:41 and earning the top qualifying spot to the state meet.
The best region in the state.
Region 1AAA is by far the most stacked region in the state for both girls and guys. Pretty much all the qualifiers who got in on fast times came from this region. Not only do you have powerhouses like Preston, Morgantown and University but you also have Wheeling Park bringing their top runners down as well. All in all it made for a great regional meet.Both Kaylyn Christopher and Amber Riley were absent in the 3200m. leaving the race wide open for the rest of the Preston crew. Jordan Hamric of Preston took the win with University runner Hallie Portner close behind. Ashley Teets and Ari Kasprowicz of Preston came in just after Portner and it looks like Preston will be scoring some big points in the 3200m, even without Kaylyn running it. The 1600m was the most stacked event with 7 people going under 5:20. It's hard to think that the top 7 at the state meet won't all be from this region save for maybe Brooke Boening of Jefferson. The 800m. was much of the same as 7 girls were 2:26 or better. Many of the main runners got in but there were a few surprises like freshman North Marion runner Cassy Menas who snuck in in the 800m.
The guy's races saw standout Wheeling Park stud Ryan Beabout controlling the 3200m and 1600m. He led way with a 9:47 finishing just ahead of University's Eric Frohnapfel, Preston's Josh Feather and North Marion standout Zach Tennant who all ran under 10 min. The 1600m was the most stacked event as some fresh-legged runners looked to take advantage of those who just finished the 3200m. Eric Frohnapfel was a victim of this as he slipped out of contention as the pack ran away (he did manage to qualify on time though). Ryan Beabout led the charge with a 4:34, while surprise finisher Craig Pritt came in just ahead of teammate Josh Feathers. Zach Tennant once again took the 4th spot while University's Chris Cole hustled in at 5th. By the time the 800 rolled around it seems most runners were too tired to make an impact. Not so for Josh Feathers as he pulled in Zach Serian of North Marion who was running a gutsy race up front. Feathers managed to get away from University's Mack Triplett and Ryan Beabout over the last 200m winning the race in 2:03.
Trying to keep up with the Jones.
Stewart Jones of Weir (recent Athlete of the Week) showed that he's ready to Rock and Roll this weekend at the state meet after getting through the Region 1A. He went unchallenged in the 1600m and 3200m, easily winning the races and qualifying for the state meet. Ben Wise and Kurt Gray of Ravenswood gave a good effort to knock Jones off his top spot in the 1600m but they both came up just short. Ben Miller of Ravenswood was up to the task though as took the victory and spotlight from Jones in the 800m. But that was to be expected because Miller has the fastest time in the state this year in that event.
Skyler is the Real McCoy.
Even with rumors of an injury (after being spotted with an ankle brace) Skyler still came through at the Region 3AA meet in order to qualify in the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m. Having a weak region that you can cruise through doesn't hurt either. When he's running in top form Sklyer is nearly unbeatable. He's been turning heads ever since last year's state meet when he knocked off some awesome times. Here's hoping that he's 100% healthy and ready to battle it out with the big dogs this weekend. It would certainly make things more interesting to see him in the mix
Roach toasts competition.
Leonard Roach of Berkley Springs easily tore through the competition in order to qualify for the state meet in the 800m, 1600m and 3200m. at the Region 2AA meet. He's going to be one of the heavy favorites in the 3200m and 1600m this weekend as he has pushed Zac Noel to the line a few times this year. 800m runner Josh Gray of Liberty shows why he's one of the best runners in the state with his 1:58 800m which blew everyone away by over 6 seconds. But like Roach, Josh is going to have his hands full this weekend as he'll be going head to head with favorite Ben Miller of Ravenswood. There will be some good battles in AA.Rachel Buser, who's name is synonymous with greatness on the track, made it through in all her events as well. She'll be chasing after her own state meet records that she set in '05.
The Zac Noel show.
Another runner who benefited from a weak Region 4AA was Zach Noel of Winfield who got a chance to rest his legs while most other runners were fighting for their lives to earn a qualifying spot. I guess being one of the best runners in the state has its perks. Zach took it easy in all his races and still managed to finish first easily making his way to the state meet in all his events.
Henson and Hall battle it out.
Region 4A had the best runners in A going head to head against each other. On the men's side this meet looks to be a prelude of what we'll see at the State Meet (with a little Levi thrown into the mix). St. Mary's Dustin Hall was able to get through the 3200 without much problem, but he met his match in the 1600m when he went up against Tim Henson of Williamstown. Henson (who has been running well all year) had complete control of the race and won by 7 seconds. Hensons happiness didn't last very long though because he had to go up against Charleston Catholic's Robbie Sherrard ,one of the top ranked 800m in the state. Robbie had a huge race knocking off his fist ever sub 2:00min 800 and putting him as the top dog in single A.
Region 3A.
Here are the results from Region 3A which I have no comment on. I'm just hoping they were all resting themselves so they'll have a break out at the State Meet.
Levi granted permission to run.
It looks like Levi Grandt of Doddridge Co. got the go-ahead to run at the Region 2A meet this week after being sidelined due to a stress fracture most of the season. Levi won the 3200 and came back to finish 4th in the 1600m but still managed to qualify based on his time. It's certainly good to see him running well but will he have enough to compete against standouts Dustin Hall and Tim Henson?On the women's side....Doddridge Co. That pretty much sums it up.
Caruso cruises through Region.
Heavy single A favorite Stephanie Caruso of Wheeling Central managed to get through her Region 1A without really breaking much of a sweat. She easily won the 3200m and 1600m and finished just behind teammate Lauren Bauer in the 800m. She also ran on Wheeling Centrals 4x800 which looks to make an attack on topped ranked Doddridge Co. at the state meet.On the men's side Wheeling Central once again dominated all the distance races. Cameron Koehler and Jordan Palmer went 1-2 in the 800 while teammate Ryan Herron won the 1600m quite easily. Robert Bonenbereger and Sean Droginske, also of Wheeling Central went 1-2 in the 3200.
Let's get this thing rolling again.
Sorry about the lack of updates this past week. I just got back from NY and didn't have access to a computer to make changes on the webpage. I know we've been lacking on interviews the last few weeks and that is mainly due to me moving places and then going to NY and Josh being really busy with finals at WVU. Now that school is out there will be plenty of time to put up some interviews. I know track is ending but we can still talk to some people over the summer and see what they're doing to get ready for Cross Country in the fall. We can also catch up with some other runners who are finishing up high school and entering into college and find out how they're dealing with the transition. I'm still going to do the prediction contest as well and people can start submitting on Sunday after all the Regionals are over. I'll have more on that hopefully later tonight or tomorrow. - But it will consist of Distance races only (4x800 - 800 - 1600 - 3200) and you'll be picking the top 3 for each race. I'll update the page later with all the rules, scoring info, and prizes.
St. Albans stepping it up.
The St. Albans distance runners have been having a huge breakthrough over the past few weeks, and look to turn some heads at the state meet. Coached by Jason Henley (who has a knack for turning his runners into champions) this small group of guys have slowly been cranking things up this season. Taking their cue from senior Zach Messenger (who stepped it up earlier this year when he ran 4:35 for the 1600m) teammates Andy Bailey and Lance Wheeler have started to cut their way through the competition at big meets. Lance Wheeler won the 3200m over Trey Beckett at the Conference meet, while freshman Andy Bailey won the 800m at Gazettes. When you combine their talents they form the backbone of one of the strongest 4x800's in the state. If all of these guys continue the roll that they are on then they'll definitely be a threat at the state meet.
Big Action at Little Kanahwa.
The Little Kanahwa Conference was packed with some exciting action. Any time you throw the Ravenswood squad into the mix you're sure to come out with some solid distance races. Doddridge star Levi Grandt (considered by some to be the top male distance runner in the state) was once again absent from competition. Levi's no-show left the distance races wide open and Chad Henson, Ben Miller and Dustin Hall wasted no time on capitalizing on this opportunity. Ravenswood's Ben Miller has become nearly impossible to beat in the mid-distance arena and once again proved why he has earned this reputation by dominating the 400m (50) and 800m (2:00). Miller managed to take down Chad Henson of Williamstown who came across the line in 2:03. Although Chad may have been a little tired from winning the 1600m earlier that day in 4:40. It looks like he had to use a lot of energy to get away from Ravenswood's Ben Wise (4:41) and St. Mary's Dustin Hall (4:41) who pushed him all the way to the line in that race. Wise and Hall got a second chance to battle it out after the 1600m as they both toed the line in the 3200m. The more experienced Hall pulled away for the win (10:03) while Wise came across the line 10 seconds later.
On the women's side the always strong Doddridge crew seemed to be in the mix in every distance race. Jennifer McFarland of St. Mary's and Roane's Jessica Roberts tried their best to break up the pack of Dawgs. Roberts won the 3200 with a 12:09 finishing just ahead of Brandi Bowen who ran 12:13. The same duo battled it out in the 1600m as well but this time Jessica McFarland was in the mix. Bowen ended up with the win this time in a time of 5:34 outsprinting Roberts (5:37) and McFarland (5:43). McFarland came back with a vengeance in the 800 as she took down both Bowen and Roberts by running a 2:32. It's kind of weird to see the same girls race against each other in three different races only to have a different winner each time. I guess they each have their specialty event. Also of note were Ritchie runners Rachel Cokely and Ali Carpenter who had a great Conference meet and came away with some pretty good times.
OVAC Conference Championship.
Ok first let me get this off my chest. It's not called the OVAC Conference Championship. The O.V.A.C. stands for Ohio Valley Athletic Conference and it just doesn't make sense when people call it the 'Ohio Valley Athletic Conference' Conference Championships. It's way too repetitive. It's like saying the same thing twice. It's just way too repetitive. Ok, I feel better now...haha.OVAC's has finished up with the A results and AA results which took place on Wed. and Fri. Unlike most other Conference's in the state the OVAC is not a WV only meet. If you see some names and schools that you don't recognize then they're probably from Ohio. The absolute star of the meet from WV was Stephanie Caruso of Wheeling Central. She's been running like a crazy possessed woman all year. If you haven't been paying attention (and no one really pays attention to panhandle teams - they don't really count as being from WV) then you may have missed her 11:20 solo run in the 3200. earlier this season. She topped that off with a 5:19 a few weeks later showing that she's one of the top stars in the state. During the conference meet she managed an 11:36 3200 and came back with a big PR in the mile running 5:16. Stephanie always seems to end up in no man's land when she's racing. If she had some people at her level to compete against then there's no telling what she could do.AAA hasn't quite finished yet.
They run a Thurs. and Sat. session so results from that won't be up until later but we have been updated on the success of WV's rising star (and recent Athlete of the Week) Ryan Beabout. Reports have him going out in 4:34 in the 3200 and hanging on to win with a sensational time of 9:18. He's leading the charge with bringing WV up to the level it needs to be at, and you can see other people in the state beginning to respond. Weir High's Stewart Jones has had to raise his game in order to compete against Beabout and in the process ran a 9:38 Thurs. night. Stewart took almost 15 sec. off his best time in the 3200 making him the top ranked stud in the AA. We'll bring more updates when we find out what happened in today's races.
Simply the Greatest Music Video ever.
I'm going to keep dragging this video out because...well...I think it's the greatest thing ever. Plus I wanted to do a little experimenting and see if this works on the webpage. Check it out.
Penn Relays Extravaganza!
Penn Relays is where the action was at as many talented runners from WV went to compete in the open races. Things started out on a good note as high school superstars Amber Riley and Kaylyn Christopher blazed to fast times in their races. Amber finished a stellar 6th in the High School Mile, with a time of 5:01 throwing down a huge kick on the last lap. Kaylyn Christopher faired well in the High School 3K as she ran a very impressive 9:53 for 4th place. Both races had a lot of runners which led to some congestion and bumping. Kaylyn and Amber were both at a disadvantage in their races because neither one of them are used to running in packs. They usually just blow everyone away from the front. Not long after the high school girls raced the college women took to the track and Keri Bland of WVU got things off on the right foot in the College 3K. She controlled her race up front and ended up running away from a highly elite field with a blazing 31 sec last 200 to finish 1st place in 9:34. Winning a race at the Penn Relays is a huge honor and she got to take home the highly coveted Penn Relay's watch for her effort (only to find out it doesn't work). Clara Grandt of WVU continued the success in the College 5K by once again running a huge PR with a 16:31(officially running faster than I did in high school). Marian Brooks of Marshall University represented the Herd well as she finished with a time of 17:31 in the same race. A few days later former WVU track runner Jenn Davis competed in the Elite Women's Mile in front of a crowd of over 30,000 spectators. She gave the fans something to cheer for as she fought her way to a 4:42 mile.Although the ladies are stealing all the headlines, they weren't the only ones in action in Philly. WV Track Club runners Josh Simpson and Jay Dolmage paired up to run the Olympic Development 5K. Josh ran 14:20 which was good for 6th place behind a bunch of Kenyans, while Jay hammered out a 14:40. Former St. Albans stud Ben Lukowski was in the College 5K and ran right near his all time best with a 14:34. Also of note was former WV Wesleyan runner Pat Reagan who continues his success at Slippery Rock with a very impressive run in the 5K with a time of 14:28.
Fast times at the Gazette Relays.
The Gazette Relays (A results - AA results - AAA results) has long been considered the Pre-State Meet with it's two day schedule and high level of competition. If this meet was any indication then we're in for a good show when the state meet rolls around. The Preston girls kicked off the meet by running the fastest 4 x 800 in the history of the state with an unbelievable 9:32!!! Of course they had help from Kaylyn Christopher who hurried back from the Penn Relay to compete with her teammates. Kaylyn teamed up with Jordan Hamric, Ashley Teets, and Ari Kasprowicz to defeat a very strong Morgantown contingent who came away in 2nd place with a 9:48. In the Men's 4 x 800 Cabell Midland ran away with it as David Bias got them off to a good lead with his 1:59 lead off leg. St. Albans and George Washington gave chase but didn't have enough time to cut down on the Midland lead. Midland finished off 1st with an 8:21 while St. Albans was 2nd in 8:30 and G.W. in 3rd at 8:31. In the AA Boys race the always strong Ravenswood boys teams didn't have any trouble getting away from rest of the field as they cruised to an 8:20 which was the fastest time of the day. Of course when you have Ben Miller anchoring your relay, what can you expect.
The 3200 was definitely set up as the premiere event on Friday. A lot of big showdowns took place resulting in some fast times and surprising performances. In the girls AA race it was veteran Rachel Buser looking like her old self again as she opened up a huge gap on Logan's Darby Mullen mid-race to finish off in an eye-popping 11:17. Darby trailed at 11:32 with the next closest runner over a minute back. In the girls AAA 3200 it was Jordan Hamric and Ashley Teets leading the way with Hallie Portner stuck to them like glue. Jordan wasted no time getting things going and once she made her move the others had no response. She ran away with the race and a huge PR of 11:13 (which is one of the fastest times in the 2000's). Teammate Ashley Teets held on strong to run 11:21 while University's Portner was just behind her in 11:26. In all 8 athlete broke the 12 min barrier. Usually in the past the 12 min mark is a big goal for female runners but with the times being run now 11:30 looks to be the new standard at which excellence is set.
In the guy's AA race Zac Noel once again put on a good show. But this time he had to dig deep on the last lap because Leonard Roach of Berkley Springs was not giving him an inch. If there's one thing everyone knows about Noel it's that he's one tough nut, and he once again proved that by throwing down a vicious kick over the last 200 m. to give him the win in 9:48. Roach was just a tick back in 9:49. In the AAA boys race it was Midland's David Bias and Trey Beckett going up against Preston's Josh Feather and University's Eric Frohnapfel. It looked to be a close race until just after the mile mark when Feathers and Frohnapfel started pushing the pace and got away from the Midland duo. The two battled it out over the next few laps with Frohnapfel getting a step on Feathers. Feathers responded with a solid kick but it just wasn't enough to take down Frohnapfel who took the win with a 9:46.
The next day was just as action packed as the first and saw many of the same people going against each other in the 1600m. Darby Mullen exacted her revenge on heavy favorite Rachel Buser in the AA girls 1600m race. Buser didn't stand a chance as Darby ran away from everyone to win in a time of 5:22. Buser crossed the line in 2nd with a 5:28. In the AAA girls 1600m Jordan Hamric, who definitely had one of the best weekends ever, crushed everyone by running a stunning 5:12. She ran away from teammate Ari Kasprowicz who ran 5:17, a time that would've won most state championships in the past (a sign of how the girls are taking running to a new level).
The AA boy race once again saw Noel and Roach going head to head and once again the outcome was the same. When it comes down to a kick Zac always seems to pull something out to get the win. They both ran impressive with Noel winning in 4:35 just a half second ahead of Roach in 2nd. In the Boys AAA race saw Josh Feathers in familiar territory at the front of the pack in a race that he was state champion in just a year ago. University's Chris Cole (who has been coming on strong all year) made a good effort to topple the former champion but came up just short. Cole did manage to inch out teammate Eric Frohnapfel who finished up 3rd. Trey Beckett of Cabell Midland came away with a nice PR (4:38) which was good enough to get him 4th.
The final distance race of the meet was the 800 and it was an event not to be missed. Especially the AAA girls where Kaylyn Christopher and Amber Riley squared off against each other (which is always a good show). Both girls were worn out from traveling back and forth from Penn Relays to Charleston, but they certainly didn't disappoint. Kaylyn ended up powering away with the win and ran a huge PR of 2:14 (which is the 2nd best time ever by a female). Amber used her sub 60 sec. 400m speed to keep close on her heels and ended up coming away with a new PR of 2:16. These two have been pushing each other to unbelievable times over the past few years and it's only going to get better over the next few weeks as we approach States.
Ben Miller was the top performer from the state in the AA Boys race as he ran 2:00 to take down Josh Gray of Liberty who has been running impressive all year. In the AAA Boys race unknown Andy Bailey from St. Albans took a few scalps as he outgunned some big names to win in 2:03.
The Ryan Beabout beat down.
Ryan Beabout is the talk of the state after his great race at the Mars Invitational this past weekend. He popped off a 9:25 3200m hammering from the front all alone. He went out in 4:38 and if he would've had some competition it's very likely that he could've dipped under 9:20. He also came back to help his teammates run the fastest 4 x 800 in the state with his 2:00 min opening leg. Backed up by teammates Travis Beihl, Jason Bennett, and Adam Carter they managed to run an 8:15 which puts them 6 seconds ahead of #2 Cabell Midland.
WVIAC Conference Showdown.
The runners in the WVIAC finished off their season at the Conference Meet in Wheeling this past weekend. On the women's side WV Wesleyan's Amanda Griffith ran just about every race and won them all. Of course this should come to no surprise to those that have been keeping track. Amanda has had a phenomenal senior year and has yet to meet her match against other runners in the conference. She won the 10K the first night in 39 min over 20 seconds ahead of 2nd place Amanda Maxwell from AB. The next day she ran won the open 5K with an 18:59 and then came back to win the 3K in 10:45. Rachel Ciplolat made an emotional return to the Steeplechase where she mustered up enough energy to win in 12:22. She won the race as a freshmen and has battled more than 6 stress fractures in the years in between her two wins. Being able to battle through so much frustration is quite an inspiration and it was good to see her get this final victory of her college career. Ericka Rucker of Wheeling Jesuit pulled the upset of the meet with her win over heavy favorite Nicole Teeter in the 1500m. Ericka blazed to a 4:46, outdistancing herself from the rest of the field by over 7 seconds. Rucker met her match in the 800 though as Charleston's Erin Dilley broke her own Conference record with smokin 2:17. Rucker was just behind in 2:18 to finish off a very impressive meet.Concord's Scott Grose left his stamp on the conference meet by winning 3 events. He was the lead man in a Concord quartet that swept the top four spots in the Steeplechase. He came back the next day to outkick everyone in the 5K (15:57) and 1500m. (4:04) leaving all competitors in his wake. Woody Snoberger managed to shake off his competition in the 10K to come out with the win running 33:20. Teammates Rico Greenhowe and Ryan Johnson battled it out to the line with near identical times of 1:58. They gave Rico the nod however but everyone knows it's only because he was from Capital. The 800 was a pretty close race though with the top 5 guys within a second of each other.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Outdoor Track - April - 2007
The weather was cold and rainy for most high school teams competing around the state, but there were still some great performances to highlight. Some college teams managed to get away from the bad weather and got a chance to heat up the track at the Sea Ray Relays.
High School
Wheeling hosted the Dick Dei Track Classic (I'll skip all the easy jokes pertaining to naming your meet that) which saw Wheeling Park and Cabell Midland going at it. Once again the highlight on the men's side is Ryan Beabout's dominant performance in the 3200 (winning in 9:47) and 1600m ( 2nd in 4:35). But he's not the only one who was kicking butt. Trey Beckett from Cabell Midland had a huge PR in the 3200 with a 9:58 and Stewart Jones from Weir looks to be back in great shape with a 9:54 in the same race. Stewart also came back to run 4:38 for the 1600m. showing he's a real threat for the AA distance titles.
The Harry Green Invite saw Preston and University butting heads in the distance races (which is always a good show). Add to the mix a few of the better distance runners in the state and you come out with a highly competitive field. The rain and cold weather did it's best to slow these guys down but most didn't let the elements bother them and had outstanding races. The guy's saw big names like Frohnapfel, Feathers, Noel, Hampshire and Gray spreading their talents out in the distance events. Winfield's Noel led the way in his races, outkicking Josh Feathers in the 3200m to run 9:54 to Feathers 9:56. All-State Cross runner Corey Hampshire was hanging on tough for a while and ended up with a 10:04 in the same race. The 1600m had the same lineup but with Eric Frohnapfel who looked to break up Noel's dominance. But Noel was too strong and took the win with a 4:39 with Feathers a close 2nd in 4:41 and Frohnapfel finishing off the top pack in 4:42. Josh Gray from Liberty ran away from everyone in the 800 as he cruised to a 2:01 while Andrew Hoover trailed behind in 2:06 which was good enough for 2nd.
College and Professional
Heather Bury took part in the Boston Marathon this weekend and ended up with a time of 2:59:55. Not only did she have to run the grueling 26.2 miles but she also had to battle some of the worst conditions in the history of the Boston Marathon. The women's winner Denna Kastor was 16 min slower than her best times due to the conditions. Heather however was only 14 min off her best making for very solid effort. Congrats to her on a nice run.
The Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville saw some huge performances for those who went down to compete. Good weather for the distance races led to some very fast times. One of the highlight of the meets was Tyler DeVault winning the 1500m in a PR time of 3:43 which ranks him as one of the best in the country and qualifies him for the Regional meet. Ben Lukowski made a strong push to win the 10K after pacer Zach Sabatino dropped off at 4 miles. Ben looked strong as he pulled away from the field only to get chased down by eventual winner Andy Baska. Ben ended up with a solid time of 29:54 . On the women's side WVU's Keri Bland had an amazing race rolling out a 4:23 for 1500m - which is equivalent to about a 4:42 mile. Alison Spiker also ran well with a 4:36. Marian Brooks of Marshall University broke her own school record for the 3K by running 10:01. Former Morgantown star Claire Berryman was not far off Brooks running a solid 10:05 while WVU's Nicole Lemal came in at 10:30. WVU's women's team also broke their school record in the DMR running an impressive 11:24 - Keri Bland spilt 3:23 for the 1200 while Marie-Lousie Asselin got stuck running alone but still managed to run 4:49 for the anchor leg.
** New Interview with Corey Waybright**
Wow this was a loaded week with lots of great performances. I'll try to make sure I highlight all the good stuff but if I miss something let me know. I don't want to leave any of the good performances out.
Most impressive running this week for High School guys has to go to Ryan Beabout of Wheeling Park who went 9:37 in the 3200m this past weekend (going up against some high caliber out of state runners). He has also already run 4:33 and 2:03. He came from nowhere in Cross Country this past year to dominate everyone. I think people were interested to see if his strength would transfer over to the track. It looks like it did.
Most impressive high school girl has to go to Stephanie Caruso by going crazy in her 3200m. and running 11:20. She knocked 20 seconds off her best time and didn't even have anyone to run with. I hope she can get in some fast races with the Morgantown or Preston girls and see how fast she can really go. It sucks that she's not in AAA because she would definitely add a little spice to the mix.
The Teays Valley Meet saw teams like Ripley, Winfield, Parkersburg and Midland going at it, which made for some good distance races. Corey Waybright, fresh off his dominating performance last week, showed he's ready to take on the state's best as he had a decisive victory in the 1600m running 4:30. It's good to see David Bias in good form after rumors of an injury. He was 2nd in the 1600m with a 4:36 followed by stud Zach Noel in 4:38 and Cricket...I mean Trey Beckett of Midland in at 4:41 with a nice new PR (good job). Even more impressive is to know that most of those guys ran the 3200m as well with Zach Noel out-leaning David Bias. They both ran 10:01
Preston hosted a relay meet which saw their runners running in their 9th meet of the week. Morgantown was there too, but it's hard to judge how everyone ran since it was mostly relays and the results don't have splits. I did hear that North Marion star Zach Tennant ran the 4x1600m and split a 4:41 running solo. Kaylyn Christopher decided to test out her high jumping skills. Of course that ended in disaster, when three people almost getting killed in a miscalculated jump. She also jumped 15'6 in the pole vault using a stick she found in the Amazon while rescuing a family of chimpanzees (or so she says).
University Girls dominated the Ryan Jobe's Meet in Williamstown. Amber Riley won everything (earning high point) and Hallie Portner took the win in the 3200 with an 11:52 adding her to the list of lady runners to break 12 minutes in the Morgantown area (that's going to be one tough region to get out of). Ben Wise of Ravenswood was spotted in the 800 running a 2:07 but he was gunned down by Shawn Coe of South who ran 2:05. Eric Fohnapfel ended up 2nd in the 1600m with a 4:41 followed closely by Ben Miller (4:45), Tim Henson (4:46) and Dustin Hall (4:49). That was coming off his win in the 3200 where he broke 10 min for the first time with a 9:55. He was followed by constantly improving Dustin Hall who went 9:56 and Brian Blanc of South who had an impressive run at 10:00. Already these times are starting to overshadow last years top performances in the state.
Bridgeport hosted a mid-week meet that saw Preston's crew competing. I'm sure they just went to this meet to have another excuse to get out of school (they've only had 3 full days since Christmas break). There were tons of snow days a teacher's strike, and one day a bird flew into the school and died so they released the students in fear of the Avian Flu. Anyway, Jordan Hamric won the 1600m with a 5:27 and Kaylyn Christopher beat up on the boys with a very impressive 10:56 3200m. Sam Stalnaker of Buckhannon Upsher finished 2nd in the 800m with a 2:06 coming in behind Josh Gray of Liberty who knocked off the fastest time in state with a 2:02. I almost didn't put Josh on here because I didn't know Liberty was a WV high school. Luckily I've got plenty of people around me to let me know how dumb I am (thanks Ilora Cipolat).
Ritchie Co. hosted a meet which saw the loveable Levi Grandt make his debut on the track. He dominated the distance races with a 4:39 in the 1600m and 9:59 in the 3200m. But even more impressive was the performance by St. Mary's runner Dustin Hall who was right on Levi's heels in the 1600m and 3200m, running 4:42 and 10:01. This could be a new star on the rise.
The WV/OH/KY Challenge in Ashland saw Darby Mullen make a big jump from this past weekend as she won the 1600m with a 5:29 and came back to take the title in the 3200 with an 11:55. She pretty much crushed everyone, showing that she owns everyone in OH and KY.
WV runners Josh Simpson and Rebecca Stallwood flew to California to race in the biggest distance races in the country. Stanford hosts big meets that attract lots of talent looking to run fast times for longer races. Josh took on the 10K and came home with an impressive new PR of 29:23 - check out these splits - 1600m-4:39, 3200m-9:16, 5K-14:30, 8K-23:26. Not bad. Rebecca Stallwood met with similar success in the 5K as she went 16:28 in her race.
Marshall University took their guys and gals and headed to UNC Chapell Hill to compete. Marian Brooks never gets tired of running fast as she led her team with fast times in the 1500m (4:39) and 800m (2:23). Allison Cox did the same double going 5:09 for the 1500m and 2:29 for the 800m. The guys were all loaded into a 5K race where former Pt Pleasant runner Travis Epling leading the pack.WVU's ladies went to George Mason where Karly Hamric got a huge PR in the 1500m running 4:38!! This was a great run for Karly and hopefully lead to more fast times in the future. Kerry Davis who continues her breakout year went won her heat in the 1500m with a 4:54. Unattached runner Jenn Davis ran 2:14 for the 800m. while former NCAA National Champ Megan Metcalfe won the 1500 in 4:19. Also at the meet was former Morgantown High star Claire Berryman who is now running for Penn State. She ran all alone for a 5K going 18:04.
Everyone's favorite runner from the mysterious Webster Springs (anyone know where the heck that is?) Skylar McCoy made his debut at the Roane Co. Meet this past weekend. He took first place in the 800, 1600m, 3200m, 4x800, Long Jump, Shuttle Hurdles, Discuss, and the 3- legged race. Not only is he fast but he also has the coolest name in the state.
The Doddridge Co. Meet had some good results thanks to University's team going there. Eric Frohnapfel gets his first ever outdoor track win with a victory in the 1600m running 4:40. He was followed by North Marion standout and all around evil person Zach Tennant who ran 4:46. Amber Riley rocked the 3200m as she completely lapped the entire field while running a very impressive 11:03. Levi Grandt was noticeably absent from the meet.
Two Powerhouse teams, Preston and Cabell Midland competed at the Kim Nutter Classic in Parkersburg. Preston's Kaylyn Christopher shows she's got some wheels as she ran 2:18 for the 800. Cabell Midland's star mid-distance runner Dee Dee Winningham won the 400 and came back to run the 800. She had a busy day running 4 events (including the 4x400 and 4x800). Preston went on to dominate the distance race for girls as Ari Kasprowicz won the 1600m and the trio of Kaylyn Christopher, Jordan Hamric and Ashley Teets went 1-3 in the 3200. On the guys side Corey Waybright had a very good early season meet. He was 2nd in the 400 and then came back to win the 800 out kicking Preston runner Josh Feathers who was trying out his 800m legs. Most impressive though was Waybrights run in the mile where he was going up against Winfield superstar Zach Noel. It's been reported that Waybright laid the smack down with a 59 sec. last 400m. Zach Noel did get a victory in the 3200 though as he ran 9:50 going up against Josh Feathers who was 10:00. David Bias from Cabell Midland didn't run and Cass Meadows looks to be fully recovered as he was spotted on the 4x800.Although it isn't on any of the official results it has been reported on the message board (which is as solid as fact as far as I'm concerned) that Wheeling Central's Stephanie Caruso kicked off her outdoor campaign with a huge victory in the 1600m running 5:24 to crush the field.
Tennessee runner's Tyler DeVault and Ben "The Guy" Lukowski kicked off their outdoor season at the Alabama Relays. Ben ran 14:43 for the 5K while Tyler ( fresh off his trip to Indoor Nationals) ran 3:50 for the 1500m to finish 2nd.
Lots and lots of good stuff was happening at Wake Forest this weekend where Concord, WV Wesleyan and Wheeling Jesuit all went to compete. I know I usually don't cover sprints but I have to give Wesleyan runner Rico Greenhowe props for breaking 48 in the 400m. (running 47.9 to win his heat). Congrats man! Ryan Johnson from Wesleyan continues his success in the 800 as he blazed to a 1:57. Scott Grose of Wheeling Jesuit took over the lead as top Conference runner in the steeplechase with his 9:52. And Wheeling Jesuit's Erika Rucker had the quickest performance in the 1500m with a 4:55
University of Charleston went to a meet in Bridgewater where Corey Mehl ripped off a 1:57 for the 800m. Former Midland runner Brandon Scarberry took the easy win in the 1500m running 4:12 and winning by over 4 seconds. Former Pocahontas Co. runner Nathan Rittenhouse (now running for Bridgewater) took the win in the 5K with a 15:28. Most surprising was Charleston coach Bruce Cox running a 2:20 for the 800m at the age of 54. Although inside sources say he may have been disqualified for using an electric wheelchair for a portion of the race.
Mountain runnin' fool Andrew Benford ran his first meet of the outdoor season at the Fred Hardy Invite where he won the 3K with a studly 8:38. Although there weren't any steep inclines he still managed to run pretty well.
Results are up for the World Cross Country Championships that took place in Mombasa, Kenya. Zach Sabatino was running for Team USA. He qualified for the race by finishing 6th place at the USA Cross Country Nationals a month ago. Heavy favorite Kenenisa Bekele dropped out of the race as did a number of his teammates, leaving the team title up for the Kenyans to take.
**New Interview with Keri Bland**
Since indoor track is over and outdoor hasn't started yet, Preston's distance squad ended up running in a road race in Grafton this weekend. It was an odd distance so it's hard to judge the times ( 4.7 miles??...I guess they couldn't find an extra .3 of a mile anywhere else in the whole town) it looked as though most of the runner were doing workouts. There's really only one name you need to read in the results, and that's Larry Taylor. The return has begun. This is the beginning of the end for us all.
Looks like the UNC Charlotte meet was the place to be this past weekend seeing as just about everyone in the state went down to run. WVU was there and leading the charge for them was Marie-Lousie who had an outstanding run in the 1500m with a big PR of 4:25 which also qualifies her for the Regional meet later this spring. Nicole Lemal qualified for the Big East in the 5K running 17:52 and constantly improving Kerry Davis ran an impressive 18:24. She was followed closely by Katie Burda who came across the line in 18:36. Alison Spiker nabbed a 6th place finish in the 3K with a 10:05.Marshall University had their men and women's teams at the meet as well. Marian Brooks showed she's off to a fast start for this outdoor season as she rolled out a 4:42 for the 1500m. Her teammate Allison Cox ran the same event and finished in 5:06. But they weren't satisfied with just the 1500m as they came back and ran the 800m the next day (2:25 for Marian and 2:30 for Cox). The men's team looked in good racing form with a strong pack in the 5K led by Travis Epling in 15:29 who has made huge leaps in his running since starting at Marshall. He was followed by former State Cross Champ Jon Nelson in 15:47 and former Scott High runner Chris McGee in 15:53. Andrew Ramell dared to do the double as he went 4:19 for the 1500m and 2:03 for the 800m. West Virginia Wesleyan's Amanda Griffith is once again stealing all the headlines with her impressive double in the 5K and 3K where she ran 18:01 and 10:50. Nicole Teter zipped along in the 1500 running a 5:04 followed by Megan Docherty in 5:14. On the men's side Jimmy Kavaliauskas ( man I wish this guy would stop running well so I wouldn't have to keep tying his name...it's gives my hands cramps) and Justin Coughlin continue to impress as they both had nice performances in the 1500m (running 4:05 and 4:06 respectively). Eric Cooper managed to out kick anything in Green and White in the 5K and ended up running a 15:26. Cooper also came back the next day to run a 9:55 Steeplechase which puts him at the top of the list in his conference. Ryan Johnson seemed to have no problem getting under 2:00 minutes once again as he set a new PR of 1:58.
Some teams decided to go over to the other Carolina and compete in the Coastal Carolina Meet. Concord and West Liberty showed up there ready to run. Kallen Weaver of West Lib (who finished 2nd at the WVIAC Conference meet in Cross Country) has been making her way back from injuries and looks to be in good form with a new PR of 19:41 in the 5K. Jeremy Bartley of Concord smashed the 2 min barrier in the 800 with a 1:59 and Scott Grose went 10:04 for the Steeplechase to highlight the meet.
High School
Wheeling hosted the Dick Dei Track Classic (I'll skip all the easy jokes pertaining to naming your meet that) which saw Wheeling Park and Cabell Midland going at it. Once again the highlight on the men's side is Ryan Beabout's dominant performance in the 3200 (winning in 9:47) and 1600m ( 2nd in 4:35). But he's not the only one who was kicking butt. Trey Beckett from Cabell Midland had a huge PR in the 3200 with a 9:58 and Stewart Jones from Weir looks to be back in great shape with a 9:54 in the same race. Stewart also came back to run 4:38 for the 1600m. showing he's a real threat for the AA distance titles.
The Harry Green Invite saw Preston and University butting heads in the distance races (which is always a good show). Add to the mix a few of the better distance runners in the state and you come out with a highly competitive field. The rain and cold weather did it's best to slow these guys down but most didn't let the elements bother them and had outstanding races. The guy's saw big names like Frohnapfel, Feathers, Noel, Hampshire and Gray spreading their talents out in the distance events. Winfield's Noel led the way in his races, outkicking Josh Feathers in the 3200m to run 9:54 to Feathers 9:56. All-State Cross runner Corey Hampshire was hanging on tough for a while and ended up with a 10:04 in the same race. The 1600m had the same lineup but with Eric Frohnapfel who looked to break up Noel's dominance. But Noel was too strong and took the win with a 4:39 with Feathers a close 2nd in 4:41 and Frohnapfel finishing off the top pack in 4:42. Josh Gray from Liberty ran away from everyone in the 800 as he cruised to a 2:01 while Andrew Hoover trailed behind in 2:06 which was good enough for 2nd.
College and Professional
Heather Bury took part in the Boston Marathon this weekend and ended up with a time of 2:59:55. Not only did she have to run the grueling 26.2 miles but she also had to battle some of the worst conditions in the history of the Boston Marathon. The women's winner Denna Kastor was 16 min slower than her best times due to the conditions. Heather however was only 14 min off her best making for very solid effort. Congrats to her on a nice run.
The Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville saw some huge performances for those who went down to compete. Good weather for the distance races led to some very fast times. One of the highlight of the meets was Tyler DeVault winning the 1500m in a PR time of 3:43 which ranks him as one of the best in the country and qualifies him for the Regional meet. Ben Lukowski made a strong push to win the 10K after pacer Zach Sabatino dropped off at 4 miles. Ben looked strong as he pulled away from the field only to get chased down by eventual winner Andy Baska. Ben ended up with a solid time of 29:54 . On the women's side WVU's Keri Bland had an amazing race rolling out a 4:23 for 1500m - which is equivalent to about a 4:42 mile. Alison Spiker also ran well with a 4:36. Marian Brooks of Marshall University broke her own school record for the 3K by running 10:01. Former Morgantown star Claire Berryman was not far off Brooks running a solid 10:05 while WVU's Nicole Lemal came in at 10:30. WVU's women's team also broke their school record in the DMR running an impressive 11:24 - Keri Bland spilt 3:23 for the 1200 while Marie-Lousie Asselin got stuck running alone but still managed to run 4:49 for the anchor leg.
** New Interview with Corey Waybright**
Wow this was a loaded week with lots of great performances. I'll try to make sure I highlight all the good stuff but if I miss something let me know. I don't want to leave any of the good performances out.
Most impressive running this week for High School guys has to go to Ryan Beabout of Wheeling Park who went 9:37 in the 3200m this past weekend (going up against some high caliber out of state runners). He has also already run 4:33 and 2:03. He came from nowhere in Cross Country this past year to dominate everyone. I think people were interested to see if his strength would transfer over to the track. It looks like it did.
Most impressive high school girl has to go to Stephanie Caruso by going crazy in her 3200m. and running 11:20. She knocked 20 seconds off her best time and didn't even have anyone to run with. I hope she can get in some fast races with the Morgantown or Preston girls and see how fast she can really go. It sucks that she's not in AAA because she would definitely add a little spice to the mix.
The Teays Valley Meet saw teams like Ripley, Winfield, Parkersburg and Midland going at it, which made for some good distance races. Corey Waybright, fresh off his dominating performance last week, showed he's ready to take on the state's best as he had a decisive victory in the 1600m running 4:30. It's good to see David Bias in good form after rumors of an injury. He was 2nd in the 1600m with a 4:36 followed by stud Zach Noel in 4:38 and Cricket...I mean Trey Beckett of Midland in at 4:41 with a nice new PR (good job). Even more impressive is to know that most of those guys ran the 3200m as well with Zach Noel out-leaning David Bias. They both ran 10:01
Preston hosted a relay meet which saw their runners running in their 9th meet of the week. Morgantown was there too, but it's hard to judge how everyone ran since it was mostly relays and the results don't have splits. I did hear that North Marion star Zach Tennant ran the 4x1600m and split a 4:41 running solo. Kaylyn Christopher decided to test out her high jumping skills. Of course that ended in disaster, when three people almost getting killed in a miscalculated jump. She also jumped 15'6 in the pole vault using a stick she found in the Amazon while rescuing a family of chimpanzees (or so she says).
University Girls dominated the Ryan Jobe's Meet in Williamstown. Amber Riley won everything (earning high point) and Hallie Portner took the win in the 3200 with an 11:52 adding her to the list of lady runners to break 12 minutes in the Morgantown area (that's going to be one tough region to get out of). Ben Wise of Ravenswood was spotted in the 800 running a 2:07 but he was gunned down by Shawn Coe of South who ran 2:05. Eric Fohnapfel ended up 2nd in the 1600m with a 4:41 followed closely by Ben Miller (4:45), Tim Henson (4:46) and Dustin Hall (4:49). That was coming off his win in the 3200 where he broke 10 min for the first time with a 9:55. He was followed by constantly improving Dustin Hall who went 9:56 and Brian Blanc of South who had an impressive run at 10:00. Already these times are starting to overshadow last years top performances in the state.
Bridgeport hosted a mid-week meet that saw Preston's crew competing. I'm sure they just went to this meet to have another excuse to get out of school (they've only had 3 full days since Christmas break). There were tons of snow days a teacher's strike, and one day a bird flew into the school and died so they released the students in fear of the Avian Flu. Anyway, Jordan Hamric won the 1600m with a 5:27 and Kaylyn Christopher beat up on the boys with a very impressive 10:56 3200m. Sam Stalnaker of Buckhannon Upsher finished 2nd in the 800m with a 2:06 coming in behind Josh Gray of Liberty who knocked off the fastest time in state with a 2:02. I almost didn't put Josh on here because I didn't know Liberty was a WV high school. Luckily I've got plenty of people around me to let me know how dumb I am (thanks Ilora Cipolat).
Ritchie Co. hosted a meet which saw the loveable Levi Grandt make his debut on the track. He dominated the distance races with a 4:39 in the 1600m and 9:59 in the 3200m. But even more impressive was the performance by St. Mary's runner Dustin Hall who was right on Levi's heels in the 1600m and 3200m, running 4:42 and 10:01. This could be a new star on the rise.
The WV/OH/KY Challenge in Ashland saw Darby Mullen make a big jump from this past weekend as she won the 1600m with a 5:29 and came back to take the title in the 3200 with an 11:55. She pretty much crushed everyone, showing that she owns everyone in OH and KY.
WV runners Josh Simpson and Rebecca Stallwood flew to California to race in the biggest distance races in the country. Stanford hosts big meets that attract lots of talent looking to run fast times for longer races. Josh took on the 10K and came home with an impressive new PR of 29:23 - check out these splits - 1600m-4:39, 3200m-9:16, 5K-14:30, 8K-23:26. Not bad. Rebecca Stallwood met with similar success in the 5K as she went 16:28 in her race.
Marshall University took their guys and gals and headed to UNC Chapell Hill to compete. Marian Brooks never gets tired of running fast as she led her team with fast times in the 1500m (4:39) and 800m (2:23). Allison Cox did the same double going 5:09 for the 1500m and 2:29 for the 800m. The guys were all loaded into a 5K race where former Pt Pleasant runner Travis Epling leading the pack.WVU's ladies went to George Mason where Karly Hamric got a huge PR in the 1500m running 4:38!! This was a great run for Karly and hopefully lead to more fast times in the future. Kerry Davis who continues her breakout year went won her heat in the 1500m with a 4:54. Unattached runner Jenn Davis ran 2:14 for the 800m. while former NCAA National Champ Megan Metcalfe won the 1500 in 4:19. Also at the meet was former Morgantown High star Claire Berryman who is now running for Penn State. She ran all alone for a 5K going 18:04.
Everyone's favorite runner from the mysterious Webster Springs (anyone know where the heck that is?) Skylar McCoy made his debut at the Roane Co. Meet this past weekend. He took first place in the 800, 1600m, 3200m, 4x800, Long Jump, Shuttle Hurdles, Discuss, and the 3- legged race. Not only is he fast but he also has the coolest name in the state.
The Doddridge Co. Meet had some good results thanks to University's team going there. Eric Frohnapfel gets his first ever outdoor track win with a victory in the 1600m running 4:40. He was followed by North Marion standout and all around evil person Zach Tennant who ran 4:46. Amber Riley rocked the 3200m as she completely lapped the entire field while running a very impressive 11:03. Levi Grandt was noticeably absent from the meet.
Two Powerhouse teams, Preston and Cabell Midland competed at the Kim Nutter Classic in Parkersburg. Preston's Kaylyn Christopher shows she's got some wheels as she ran 2:18 for the 800. Cabell Midland's star mid-distance runner Dee Dee Winningham won the 400 and came back to run the 800. She had a busy day running 4 events (including the 4x400 and 4x800). Preston went on to dominate the distance race for girls as Ari Kasprowicz won the 1600m and the trio of Kaylyn Christopher, Jordan Hamric and Ashley Teets went 1-3 in the 3200. On the guys side Corey Waybright had a very good early season meet. He was 2nd in the 400 and then came back to win the 800 out kicking Preston runner Josh Feathers who was trying out his 800m legs. Most impressive though was Waybrights run in the mile where he was going up against Winfield superstar Zach Noel. It's been reported that Waybright laid the smack down with a 59 sec. last 400m. Zach Noel did get a victory in the 3200 though as he ran 9:50 going up against Josh Feathers who was 10:00. David Bias from Cabell Midland didn't run and Cass Meadows looks to be fully recovered as he was spotted on the 4x800.Although it isn't on any of the official results it has been reported on the message board (which is as solid as fact as far as I'm concerned) that Wheeling Central's Stephanie Caruso kicked off her outdoor campaign with a huge victory in the 1600m running 5:24 to crush the field.
Tennessee runner's Tyler DeVault and Ben "The Guy" Lukowski kicked off their outdoor season at the Alabama Relays. Ben ran 14:43 for the 5K while Tyler ( fresh off his trip to Indoor Nationals) ran 3:50 for the 1500m to finish 2nd.
Lots and lots of good stuff was happening at Wake Forest this weekend where Concord, WV Wesleyan and Wheeling Jesuit all went to compete. I know I usually don't cover sprints but I have to give Wesleyan runner Rico Greenhowe props for breaking 48 in the 400m. (running 47.9 to win his heat). Congrats man! Ryan Johnson from Wesleyan continues his success in the 800 as he blazed to a 1:57. Scott Grose of Wheeling Jesuit took over the lead as top Conference runner in the steeplechase with his 9:52. And Wheeling Jesuit's Erika Rucker had the quickest performance in the 1500m with a 4:55
University of Charleston went to a meet in Bridgewater where Corey Mehl ripped off a 1:57 for the 800m. Former Midland runner Brandon Scarberry took the easy win in the 1500m running 4:12 and winning by over 4 seconds. Former Pocahontas Co. runner Nathan Rittenhouse (now running for Bridgewater) took the win in the 5K with a 15:28. Most surprising was Charleston coach Bruce Cox running a 2:20 for the 800m at the age of 54. Although inside sources say he may have been disqualified for using an electric wheelchair for a portion of the race.
Mountain runnin' fool Andrew Benford ran his first meet of the outdoor season at the Fred Hardy Invite where he won the 3K with a studly 8:38. Although there weren't any steep inclines he still managed to run pretty well.
Results are up for the World Cross Country Championships that took place in Mombasa, Kenya. Zach Sabatino was running for Team USA. He qualified for the race by finishing 6th place at the USA Cross Country Nationals a month ago. Heavy favorite Kenenisa Bekele dropped out of the race as did a number of his teammates, leaving the team title up for the Kenyans to take.
**New Interview with Keri Bland**
Since indoor track is over and outdoor hasn't started yet, Preston's distance squad ended up running in a road race in Grafton this weekend. It was an odd distance so it's hard to judge the times ( 4.7 miles??...I guess they couldn't find an extra .3 of a mile anywhere else in the whole town) it looked as though most of the runner were doing workouts. There's really only one name you need to read in the results, and that's Larry Taylor. The return has begun. This is the beginning of the end for us all.
Looks like the UNC Charlotte meet was the place to be this past weekend seeing as just about everyone in the state went down to run. WVU was there and leading the charge for them was Marie-Lousie who had an outstanding run in the 1500m with a big PR of 4:25 which also qualifies her for the Regional meet later this spring. Nicole Lemal qualified for the Big East in the 5K running 17:52 and constantly improving Kerry Davis ran an impressive 18:24. She was followed closely by Katie Burda who came across the line in 18:36. Alison Spiker nabbed a 6th place finish in the 3K with a 10:05.Marshall University had their men and women's teams at the meet as well. Marian Brooks showed she's off to a fast start for this outdoor season as she rolled out a 4:42 for the 1500m. Her teammate Allison Cox ran the same event and finished in 5:06. But they weren't satisfied with just the 1500m as they came back and ran the 800m the next day (2:25 for Marian and 2:30 for Cox). The men's team looked in good racing form with a strong pack in the 5K led by Travis Epling in 15:29 who has made huge leaps in his running since starting at Marshall. He was followed by former State Cross Champ Jon Nelson in 15:47 and former Scott High runner Chris McGee in 15:53. Andrew Ramell dared to do the double as he went 4:19 for the 1500m and 2:03 for the 800m. West Virginia Wesleyan's Amanda Griffith is once again stealing all the headlines with her impressive double in the 5K and 3K where she ran 18:01 and 10:50. Nicole Teter zipped along in the 1500 running a 5:04 followed by Megan Docherty in 5:14. On the men's side Jimmy Kavaliauskas ( man I wish this guy would stop running well so I wouldn't have to keep tying his name...it's gives my hands cramps) and Justin Coughlin continue to impress as they both had nice performances in the 1500m (running 4:05 and 4:06 respectively). Eric Cooper managed to out kick anything in Green and White in the 5K and ended up running a 15:26. Cooper also came back the next day to run a 9:55 Steeplechase which puts him at the top of the list in his conference. Ryan Johnson seemed to have no problem getting under 2:00 minutes once again as he set a new PR of 1:58.
Some teams decided to go over to the other Carolina and compete in the Coastal Carolina Meet. Concord and West Liberty showed up there ready to run. Kallen Weaver of West Lib (who finished 2nd at the WVIAC Conference meet in Cross Country) has been making her way back from injuries and looks to be in good form with a new PR of 19:41 in the 5K. Jeremy Bartley of Concord smashed the 2 min barrier in the 800 with a 1:59 and Scott Grose went 10:04 for the Steeplechase to highlight the meet.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Indoor news - March - 2007
**New interview up with Amber Riley**
Kaylyn Christopher commits to WVU!!! She has decided to stay in-state (which should please a lot of fans) and she's going to be joining a slew of West Virginia talent like Clara Grandt, Keri Bland, Alison Spiker, Maria Dalzot, Kerry Davis, Maria Stover, Nicole Lemal, Karly Hamric, Kaite Burda, Jamie Cokley, Ahna Lewis and Stephanie Caruso to form one badass Cross Country team. This is awesome news and congrats to Kaylyn and WVU.After the debacle in Saturdays relay event, Kaylyn Christopher came back to run in the open mile against the nations best. She ran an indoor PR and finished 2nd in her heat with a 5:02.
Four of Preston's girls went to the Nike Indoor Nationals to compete in the 4 x 1600m. Everything started off ok with Jordan Hamric leading off the relay. She handed off to Ari Kasprowicz who the officials only made run 7 laps instead of eight. To make up for it they made the next runner, Ashley Teets run 9 laps (1 lap longer). Ashley handed off to Kaylyn who thought she was DQd but kept running anyway. They finished the race in 8th place but have been taken out of the results completely. The Preston coaches appealed but I guess it was all for nothing. It sucks to have a chance to earn All-American honors only to have it ruined by bad officials.
Tyler DeVault competed at the NCAA Indoor Nationals this weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He was the anchor leg of the DMR. It seems that they had some problems after the 800m leg tripped leaving Tyler all alone once he got the baton. He had to play catch up but that's pretty hard to do when your running against the nations best milers. His team ended up 10th place.
** New Interview with Andrew Benford!!**
Heard on the message board: Kaylyn Christopher is said to have the biggest mouth in Northern WV after stuffing 14 donuts holes into her mouth. Word from the south was that Rachel Riley from Midland can stuff at least 16 into her mouth and a challenge has been thrown down for after the state meet. Can anyone oppose Kaylyn?...I think this guy maybe.
Tyler DeVault had an awe inspiring race this past weekend at Notre Dame as he split 3:59 in the DMR to help his team qualify for NCAA Indoor Nationals. You can WATCH the race and see Tyler chase down some of the best runners in the country the last 200 meters. Awesome!!!
Some of WV's finest competed in the NACAC cross country race this past weekend with some impressive results. Everyone's favorite runner from North Marion (no not you Zach) Keri Bland was 4th place in the Junior Women's race, not far behind WVU's Marie-Louise Asselin who finished 2nd. Rebecca Stallwood went out hard to establish herself up front in the Senior Women's race and ended up finishing 7th overall (and Sam was really proud).
Rickey Moore went out to LA this past weekend to run his debut marathon. His goal was to run 2:22 to try to hit the Olympic Trials standard and looked to be easily under until the last 4 miles or so. Check out his post on the message board which will fill you in on his thoughts about the race.
Eric Ryan shows his last mile race was no fluke as he once again manages to get under 4:15. This past weekend he was at IC4A's with his Cornell team where he ran 4:14 in a tactical mile.
The WVU ladies went up to Boston where they competed in their last indoor race of the year at the ECAC's. Former Doddridge Co. runner Clara Grandt showed she is tough as nails as she went out in 5:05 in the 3K, but with 550 meters to go she tripped over the railing and fell onto the infield. After the initial shock wore off she jumped back into the race and still managed to run 9:41. Luckily Clara has been practicing falling over things on runs so she was more than prepared. Alison Spiker finally got under 5 min for the mile as she ran 4:58 with Maria Stover not far back in 4:59.
A few WVIAC runners went to the Virginia Tech Last Chance meet where Corey Mehl ran 4:27 for the mile with Lance McDaniel breathing down his neck in 4:29. Former Midland runner Brandon Scarberry ripped off a new PR in the 800 with a 1:59 and Forrest Boggess took some time out of his modeling career to run a 2:02.West Virginia Weleyan's team fled the state during this wonderful blizzard and ended up in FL for Spring Break. But they haven't been spending all their time at the beach getting tans, they were over at Florida State for the first outdoor meet of the year. Eric Cooper looks to be getting back in action (after not being able to workout because of a bad back) as he ran 15:31 for the 5K. He led the way for Justin Coughlin who followed close behind with a 15:37. After the fall and winter performances this looks to be one of the best groups to ever go through Wesleyan.
Kaylyn Christopher commits to WVU!!! She has decided to stay in-state (which should please a lot of fans) and she's going to be joining a slew of West Virginia talent like Clara Grandt, Keri Bland, Alison Spiker, Maria Dalzot, Kerry Davis, Maria Stover, Nicole Lemal, Karly Hamric, Kaite Burda, Jamie Cokley, Ahna Lewis and Stephanie Caruso to form one badass Cross Country team. This is awesome news and congrats to Kaylyn and WVU.After the debacle in Saturdays relay event, Kaylyn Christopher came back to run in the open mile against the nations best. She ran an indoor PR and finished 2nd in her heat with a 5:02.
Four of Preston's girls went to the Nike Indoor Nationals to compete in the 4 x 1600m. Everything started off ok with Jordan Hamric leading off the relay. She handed off to Ari Kasprowicz who the officials only made run 7 laps instead of eight. To make up for it they made the next runner, Ashley Teets run 9 laps (1 lap longer). Ashley handed off to Kaylyn who thought she was DQd but kept running anyway. They finished the race in 8th place but have been taken out of the results completely. The Preston coaches appealed but I guess it was all for nothing. It sucks to have a chance to earn All-American honors only to have it ruined by bad officials.
Tyler DeVault competed at the NCAA Indoor Nationals this weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He was the anchor leg of the DMR. It seems that they had some problems after the 800m leg tripped leaving Tyler all alone once he got the baton. He had to play catch up but that's pretty hard to do when your running against the nations best milers. His team ended up 10th place.
** New Interview with Andrew Benford!!**
Heard on the message board: Kaylyn Christopher is said to have the biggest mouth in Northern WV after stuffing 14 donuts holes into her mouth. Word from the south was that Rachel Riley from Midland can stuff at least 16 into her mouth and a challenge has been thrown down for after the state meet. Can anyone oppose Kaylyn?...I think this guy maybe.
Tyler DeVault had an awe inspiring race this past weekend at Notre Dame as he split 3:59 in the DMR to help his team qualify for NCAA Indoor Nationals. You can WATCH the race and see Tyler chase down some of the best runners in the country the last 200 meters. Awesome!!!
Some of WV's finest competed in the NACAC cross country race this past weekend with some impressive results. Everyone's favorite runner from North Marion (no not you Zach) Keri Bland was 4th place in the Junior Women's race, not far behind WVU's Marie-Louise Asselin who finished 2nd. Rebecca Stallwood went out hard to establish herself up front in the Senior Women's race and ended up finishing 7th overall (and Sam was really proud).
Rickey Moore went out to LA this past weekend to run his debut marathon. His goal was to run 2:22 to try to hit the Olympic Trials standard and looked to be easily under until the last 4 miles or so. Check out his post on the message board which will fill you in on his thoughts about the race.
Eric Ryan shows his last mile race was no fluke as he once again manages to get under 4:15. This past weekend he was at IC4A's with his Cornell team where he ran 4:14 in a tactical mile.
The WVU ladies went up to Boston where they competed in their last indoor race of the year at the ECAC's. Former Doddridge Co. runner Clara Grandt showed she is tough as nails as she went out in 5:05 in the 3K, but with 550 meters to go she tripped over the railing and fell onto the infield. After the initial shock wore off she jumped back into the race and still managed to run 9:41. Luckily Clara has been practicing falling over things on runs so she was more than prepared. Alison Spiker finally got under 5 min for the mile as she ran 4:58 with Maria Stover not far back in 4:59.
A few WVIAC runners went to the Virginia Tech Last Chance meet where Corey Mehl ran 4:27 for the mile with Lance McDaniel breathing down his neck in 4:29. Former Midland runner Brandon Scarberry ripped off a new PR in the 800 with a 1:59 and Forrest Boggess took some time out of his modeling career to run a 2:02.West Virginia Weleyan's team fled the state during this wonderful blizzard and ended up in FL for Spring Break. But they haven't been spending all their time at the beach getting tans, they were over at Florida State for the first outdoor meet of the year. Eric Cooper looks to be getting back in action (after not being able to workout because of a bad back) as he ran 15:31 for the 5K. He led the way for Justin Coughlin who followed close behind with a 15:37. After the fall and winter performances this looks to be one of the best groups to ever go through Wesleyan.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Indoors news - Feb 2007
**New Interviews up with Josh Feathers and David Bias**
For those who have never seen the Steeplechase and were thinking about doing it.
In a rare indoor race Marshall's Mens team went to Ohio State to shake some of the dust off their legs. Former Midland standout Josh Holley went 9:26 for the 3K beating out teammates Scott McGee and Travis Epling by less than a second.
WVW took their guys and gals over to Kent State for some impressive results. They had runners blaze to some quick times in the 400m. Woody Snoberger, who was WVW's most valuable runner at the Conference meet in Cross Country, ran 15:42 in the 5K. It's nice to see Mikey Cox back in action with an 8:26 in the 3K followed by Pat Regean who trumped his 5K with a new PR of 8:37. Amanda Griffith set the WVW school record in the 5K running a 17:58.
The day before the Big East, Akron hosted an open meet which saw some great results for WV runners. Marie Asseline ran a smokin' 3K in 9:36 and University High school runner Amber Riley ran 5:12 for the mile. The womens 800 saw Rebecca Stallwood running 2:17 followed closely behind by Amber Riley running a 2:17 as well. Morgantown genius Jay Dolmage crushed the field in the 3K running an awesome 8:31. WVU headed over to Akron for the Big East Championships and Clara Grandt ran an outstanding 16:57 for the 5K. WVU's women's DMR finished with a strong 6th place with Maria Stover chasing down the field with a 4:58 anchor split in the mile.
***New Interview with Kaylyn Christopher.***
*Check out the preview to the movie they are making about the 2007 Winter Cross Country Nationals Zach wasn't the only one to run at Winter Cross Country Nationals this past weekend.
Keri Bland finished a butt kicking 8th in the Jr. race (she's waiting to find out if she gets to go to Worlds) while Maria Delzot finished 23rd dressed as Zorro. Josh Simpson started hyperventelating due to the altitude but once he had his breathing under control he jumped back in to finish 45th. Jenn Davis finished 30th in the womens race but I think she spent most of her time playing in the mud.
One race that went under the radar was Eric Ryan's 4:13 mile at Penn State. A year's worth of set backs is a lot to suffer through. Most people would've packed it in but Eric kept on plugging and now has a new PR to show for his determination. It's nice to see things back on track for Eric and lets hope this is the first of many great races to come.
*One of the greatest music video's ever made by one of the greatest runners ever made. Can you handle this much AWESOME!
Marshall Univeristy headed to Clemson for their weekend competition. Marian Brooks continues to rewrite the record book at Marshall as she blazed to a 10:11 in the 3K finishing 2nd place.
WVU women's squad went to Penn State for the weekend to compete. Clara Grandt came away with a huge PR in the 3K, shuffling her way to a 9:46 (which is about a 10:24 2 mile). Nicole Lemal cruised to a PR in the mile with a 5:14 while Kerry Davis continues her winter breakthrough with a 5:20 mile. Karly Hamric ran the 600 but I'm not telling you what she ran because I don't count that as a distance race. Maria Stover and Alison Spiker battled it out again in the 800 with Stover running 2:19 and Spiker 2:17.
Marietta hosted one of it's winter indoor meets which saw some runners from the University of Charleston competing in the distance races. John Hull set the Marietta school record in the 5K with a 16:04 while Rebekah Daniels won the 800 with a 2:38. Former Midland runner Brandon Scarberry took the 800 and runner/model (not the other way around) Forrest Boggess was only a few seconds back. Corey Mehl went unchallenged in the 3K winning with a time of 9:25.
Kaylyn Christopher ran at Kent State under the infamous Notserp Track Club. She won the mile with a 5:09 just barely edging out second place by 20 seconds.
WV FLyers hosted a meet in Morgantown Friday night which saw cross country champ Amber Riley winning the 800 with a big kick. Monica Chase had an awesome race in the 1600 running a very quick 5:16. She was followed by Jordan Hamric in 5:24, Emma Berry - 5:25, Stephanie Caruso - 5:26, Ahna Lewis 5:30 and Allison Pettit - 5:31. Also, Zach Tennant snagged a nice PR in the 1600 with a 4:48.
WVU hosted it's own College meet which saw a slew of ladies trying to break 5 min in the mile with pacing from Jenn Davis. Alison Spiker was at 5:01, Clara Grandt at 5:00 and Maria Stover just dipped under with a 4:59. Kerry Davis had a breakthrough race in the 3K running 10:32 with Alison Teter not far behind in 10:50. Justin Coughlin from WVW had a good race in the mile running 4:29 with Josh Feathers of Preston County only a few clicks back. The mens 3K had Josh Simpson and Zach Sabatino getting in a nice effort before their workout and Jay Dolmage taking the 3rd spot with an 8:42.
Marshall University made their way to Akron where Marian Brooks blazed to a new school record in the mile. Also in a attendance was former West Virginia Wesleyan runner Pat Reagan who blasted off a 14:43 in the mens 5K.
Tennessee men - including WV runners Tyler Devault and Ben Lukowski - ran at the Armory in NY this past weekend for the New Balance Games. Tyler had a good race in the mens mile with a 4:07.
*Check out this amazing video of Jim Ryun running the mile. He's on a cinder track running solo and has one of the greatest finishes I've ever seen.
After an easy win in the 5K an Kent State a few weeks ago Rickey Moore flew down to Texas to compete in the 3M Austin Half Marathon where he finished 16th running a quick 4:56 pace for over 13 miles (1:04.46 total time). Congrats to Rickey on a great race.
Marshall University ran at ETSU this past weekend and Marion Brooks was by far the highlight of the meet winning the women's mile with a PR of 5:09 leaving the rest of the field 10 seconds behind. Congrats!
The Penn State National Open (Men - Women) saw the WVU ladies and some Unattached runners from the Morgantown area competing in the distance races. Marie Asseline won her heat of the Mile with a 4:52 while Keri Bland cranked out a 9:43 for the 3K. Rebecca Stallwood had a good showing in the 5K running 16:43. On the guys side Josh Simpson ran 14:27 for the 5K while his brother Travis continues his solid indoor campaign with a 15:18. Zach Sabatino ran the 3K and finished with a strong 8:15 which was good for 3rd. There was a lot more action than that so be sure to check out the full results.Shocking News!! After listening to Josh complain the past few days I've finally gotten off my lazy butt and updated this thing. Sorry for letting things slack. We've had some really good performances the last few week that we didn't get highlighted and I'm sorry about that. Hopefully from here on out we can get rolling with this thing.
For those who have never seen the Steeplechase and were thinking about doing it.
In a rare indoor race Marshall's Mens team went to Ohio State to shake some of the dust off their legs. Former Midland standout Josh Holley went 9:26 for the 3K beating out teammates Scott McGee and Travis Epling by less than a second.
WVW took their guys and gals over to Kent State for some impressive results. They had runners blaze to some quick times in the 400m. Woody Snoberger, who was WVW's most valuable runner at the Conference meet in Cross Country, ran 15:42 in the 5K. It's nice to see Mikey Cox back in action with an 8:26 in the 3K followed by Pat Regean who trumped his 5K with a new PR of 8:37. Amanda Griffith set the WVW school record in the 5K running a 17:58.
The day before the Big East, Akron hosted an open meet which saw some great results for WV runners. Marie Asseline ran a smokin' 3K in 9:36 and University High school runner Amber Riley ran 5:12 for the mile. The womens 800 saw Rebecca Stallwood running 2:17 followed closely behind by Amber Riley running a 2:17 as well. Morgantown genius Jay Dolmage crushed the field in the 3K running an awesome 8:31. WVU headed over to Akron for the Big East Championships and Clara Grandt ran an outstanding 16:57 for the 5K. WVU's women's DMR finished with a strong 6th place with Maria Stover chasing down the field with a 4:58 anchor split in the mile.
***New Interview with Kaylyn Christopher.***
*Check out the preview to the movie they are making about the 2007 Winter Cross Country Nationals Zach wasn't the only one to run at Winter Cross Country Nationals this past weekend.
Keri Bland finished a butt kicking 8th in the Jr. race (she's waiting to find out if she gets to go to Worlds) while Maria Delzot finished 23rd dressed as Zorro. Josh Simpson started hyperventelating due to the altitude but once he had his breathing under control he jumped back in to finish 45th. Jenn Davis finished 30th in the womens race but I think she spent most of her time playing in the mud.
One race that went under the radar was Eric Ryan's 4:13 mile at Penn State. A year's worth of set backs is a lot to suffer through. Most people would've packed it in but Eric kept on plugging and now has a new PR to show for his determination. It's nice to see things back on track for Eric and lets hope this is the first of many great races to come.
*One of the greatest music video's ever made by one of the greatest runners ever made. Can you handle this much AWESOME!
Marshall Univeristy headed to Clemson for their weekend competition. Marian Brooks continues to rewrite the record book at Marshall as she blazed to a 10:11 in the 3K finishing 2nd place.
WVU women's squad went to Penn State for the weekend to compete. Clara Grandt came away with a huge PR in the 3K, shuffling her way to a 9:46 (which is about a 10:24 2 mile). Nicole Lemal cruised to a PR in the mile with a 5:14 while Kerry Davis continues her winter breakthrough with a 5:20 mile. Karly Hamric ran the 600 but I'm not telling you what she ran because I don't count that as a distance race. Maria Stover and Alison Spiker battled it out again in the 800 with Stover running 2:19 and Spiker 2:17.
Marietta hosted one of it's winter indoor meets which saw some runners from the University of Charleston competing in the distance races. John Hull set the Marietta school record in the 5K with a 16:04 while Rebekah Daniels won the 800 with a 2:38. Former Midland runner Brandon Scarberry took the 800 and runner/model (not the other way around) Forrest Boggess was only a few seconds back. Corey Mehl went unchallenged in the 3K winning with a time of 9:25.
Kaylyn Christopher ran at Kent State under the infamous Notserp Track Club. She won the mile with a 5:09 just barely edging out second place by 20 seconds.
WV FLyers hosted a meet in Morgantown Friday night which saw cross country champ Amber Riley winning the 800 with a big kick. Monica Chase had an awesome race in the 1600 running a very quick 5:16. She was followed by Jordan Hamric in 5:24, Emma Berry - 5:25, Stephanie Caruso - 5:26, Ahna Lewis 5:30 and Allison Pettit - 5:31. Also, Zach Tennant snagged a nice PR in the 1600 with a 4:48.
WVU hosted it's own College meet which saw a slew of ladies trying to break 5 min in the mile with pacing from Jenn Davis. Alison Spiker was at 5:01, Clara Grandt at 5:00 and Maria Stover just dipped under with a 4:59. Kerry Davis had a breakthrough race in the 3K running 10:32 with Alison Teter not far behind in 10:50. Justin Coughlin from WVW had a good race in the mile running 4:29 with Josh Feathers of Preston County only a few clicks back. The mens 3K had Josh Simpson and Zach Sabatino getting in a nice effort before their workout and Jay Dolmage taking the 3rd spot with an 8:42.
Marshall University made their way to Akron where Marian Brooks blazed to a new school record in the mile. Also in a attendance was former West Virginia Wesleyan runner Pat Reagan who blasted off a 14:43 in the mens 5K.
Tennessee men - including WV runners Tyler Devault and Ben Lukowski - ran at the Armory in NY this past weekend for the New Balance Games. Tyler had a good race in the mens mile with a 4:07.
*Check out this amazing video of Jim Ryun running the mile. He's on a cinder track running solo and has one of the greatest finishes I've ever seen.
After an easy win in the 5K an Kent State a few weeks ago Rickey Moore flew down to Texas to compete in the 3M Austin Half Marathon where he finished 16th running a quick 4:56 pace for over 13 miles (1:04.46 total time). Congrats to Rickey on a great race.
Marshall University ran at ETSU this past weekend and Marion Brooks was by far the highlight of the meet winning the women's mile with a PR of 5:09 leaving the rest of the field 10 seconds behind. Congrats!
The Penn State National Open (Men - Women) saw the WVU ladies and some Unattached runners from the Morgantown area competing in the distance races. Marie Asseline won her heat of the Mile with a 4:52 while Keri Bland cranked out a 9:43 for the 3K. Rebecca Stallwood had a good showing in the 5K running 16:43. On the guys side Josh Simpson ran 14:27 for the 5K while his brother Travis continues his solid indoor campaign with a 15:18. Zach Sabatino ran the 3K and finished with a strong 8:15 which was good for 3rd. There was a lot more action than that so be sure to check out the full results.Shocking News!! After listening to Josh complain the past few days I've finally gotten off my lazy butt and updated this thing. Sorry for letting things slack. We've had some really good performances the last few week that we didn't get highlighted and I'm sorry about that. Hopefully from here on out we can get rolling with this thing.
Monday, January 8, 2007
Indoors news - Jan 2007
The WV Flyers hosted their first indoor track meet Friday night. Even though it was a small meet, there were still some outstanding performances. Kaylyn Christopher won the mile with a solo 5:10 in her first race since the Cross Country state meet. Levi Grandt showed he's been taking the winter serious with a win in the 1600m clocking a 4:35 (followed closely by Josh Feathers in 4:36 and Travis Simpson in 4:37). He also came back to win the 800. North Marion standout Zach Tennant cruised to a victory in the 3200. I have no idea where you can find results for this meet. It may be up on the WV Flyers page later.
The Ryan Jobes Memorial 5K (honoring the memory of fallen runner Ryan Jobes who was killed in a car accident last year) kicked off it's first year with a good start. Plenty of runners made an appearance to show their support with Zach Sabatino and Jenn Davis (the Ken and Barbie of WV distance running) taking top honors for the men and women races.
Indoor Track has officially started with a few meets before the Christmas break. Marietta hosted the Early Bird which had a few WVIAC schools in attendance. Ryan Skotnicki (who I thought was dead) made an appearance in the 3K.
The Ryan Jobes Memorial 5K (honoring the memory of fallen runner Ryan Jobes who was killed in a car accident last year) kicked off it's first year with a good start. Plenty of runners made an appearance to show their support with Zach Sabatino and Jenn Davis (the Ken and Barbie of WV distance running) taking top honors for the men and women races.
Indoor Track has officially started with a few meets before the Christmas break. Marietta hosted the Early Bird which had a few WVIAC schools in attendance. Ryan Skotnicki (who I thought was dead) made an appearance in the 3K.
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