By Christopher Hunt
WHITE PLAINS – Tyler Strutzman had to know he was coming. Even if he didn’t, that didn’t’ stop Western Albermarle’s Strutzman from looking to put the race away before anyone got it in their heads that the win might be up for grabs at the Glenn D. Loucks Games at White Plains.
Strutzman overtook Warwick Valley’s Dave DeWan early in his anchor leg and his pace meant to dishearten any chasers. But Westerly’s Andrew Springer never felt out of the race, even when he took over in fourth. He chiseled down Strutzman’s lead and drew even coming off the final turn. It took a magnificent 4:03.5 anchor from Springer to take down Strutzman’s stellar 4:07 last leg.
Tim O’Loughlin (3:07.1), Alex Phelps (50.9), John Digangi (1:59.5) and Springer (4:03.5) finished in a meet record 10:01.13 for Westerly (R.I.) in the East Coast distance medley relay, which is the fastest time in the country so far this season. Their time crushed the previous meet record of 10:12.24 set by Guilderland two years ago. Springer said he never questioned whether he could erase the lead. Western Albemarle finished second in 10:01.87.
“If you think that why you’ll never going to get him,” Springer said. “So I just went out there and went after him and tried the best I got. The whole team ran great today.”
Springer won’t compete in any individual races at Loucks. Instead he plans to run the mile and 2-mile at the Hartford Public Invitational Saturday in Connecticut.
“This was really my first invitational race of the season,” Springer said. “I’m really excited. I felt really good so I’m excited for the rest of the season.”
If anyone should feel excited for the remainder of the season it’s Suffern senior Shelby Greany. Her 4:47.6 anchor leg brought her team from fourth to first to win the girls East Coast distance medley relay. Christy Goldmann (3:40.7), Faeth Consiglio (59.2), Nicole Tassello (2:21.9) finished in 11:49.37, the third-fastest time in the country this season and also a meet record.
“I really felt like tired but I always seem to run well when I feel tired,” Greany said. “I was just thinking, ‘Oh man if I screw this up my coach is going to kill me.”
Clearly, she’s safe. Greany gobbled in Hunterdon Central then Arlington before breezing by Bronxville’s anchor and spreading the lead. This came three days after she broke the national record in the 2,000 steepechase Monday while running her sixth race in four days. Then she came in with her best 1,600 relay split ever.
“Maybe I should race everyday if I’m going to run like that,” she said.
Bronxville finished second in 11:59.86, the seventh-fastest time in the country with Olivia Bruton, Henrietta Miers, Caitlin Hudson and Tori Flannery. But in the frosh/soph race, the Broncos won in a meet record 12:23.24. And if that wasn’t impressive enough, they were anchored by Mary Cain, a seventh-grader who turned in a 5:00.6 split. Bronxville coach Jim Mitchell described it best.
“That’s just unheard of,” he said.
Reach Christopher Hunt at chunt@armorytrack.com.
Full galleries and video to follow
DMR REPORT FROM VIRGINIA AFFILIATE, MILESTAT.COM
Stutzman anchors 4:07 for Western, yet still gets run down in Loucks Games DMR
One cannot fault Tyler Stutzman (pictured left by Tim Fulton) for Western Albemarle coming up short in defending their title in the distance medley relay at the Loucks Games held in New York. Stutzman was given the baton as the 1600 meter anchor leg for the Warriors with a 25 yard lead on the second place squad from Westerly High School in Rhode Island. The Group AA indoor state 1600 meter indoor champion proceeded to run the next four laps in a split of 4 minutes and seven seconds, but it was not enough to hold off the Nike Indoor Nationals mile champion Andrew Springer, who posted an incredible split of 4:03.6 to catch Stutzman at the very end. Westerly and Springer claimed the win and US #1 time at 10:01.13, while Western Albemarle and Stutzman were second in a US #2 time of 10:01.87. The performance also ranks the Western Albemarle squad as the 12th fastest all-time in US history.
It is amazing to think that the Charlottesville area has two of the best DMR's all-time in Virginia high school state history at the same time (with the except of Alan Webb and the South Lakes 9:49.78 national record DMR in 2001) as the Albemarle boys ran a state indoor record and just missed a national record in the DMR with their 10:02.13 victory at Nike Indoor Nationals.
More to come from Loucks Games as MileSplit US affiliate, ArmoryTrack.com, is on-site with coverage.