By Christopher Hunt
BOSTON – Maybe it was because she had been there before or because she had seen her teammate do it before. But Southern Regional (N.J.) junior Jillian Smith’s composure never deserted her. She never lost her poise.
Even when Canadian Jessica Parry blew the race open with two laps remaining, Smith didn’t panic. She departed from the pack that had been bunched for so long and gave chase before Parry could put the field to bed. Smith inched closer until she rode Parry’s shoulder then accelerated down the back straightaway – a move Parry couldn’t respond to – and won the girls invitational mile at the Boston Indoor Games in grand style, 4:48.83, the fastest time in the nation this season.
“I think everybody did what they wanted to do her and that’s run a fast time,” said Smith, whose time was an indoor personal best.
Greenwich senior Caitlin Lane led the race for five laps with the entire in a tight group behind her. No wanted to relinquish the pace. But when Parry decided to take over and string out the field with 400 left, runner began to pay for a latching on to the brutal pace.
“We were close but it wasn’t like we were going slow,” said Brianna Welch of North Shore, who finished seventh in 5:00.61. “We were pretty much killing each other.”
Mary Kate Champagne of Seton Catholic was the first New York-finisher. She finished third in 4:55.57. Parry was second in 4:53.05.
Smith finished second in the race last year behind her former teammate Danielle Tauro, now a freshman at Michigan.
“Being able to talk to her helped,” Smith said. “I talked to her yesterday and she just said, ‘Don’t be nervous you’ll do fine.’ “
Luke Puskedra, a senior from Judge Memorial High School in Utah, won a spectacular boys invitational mile race, outkicking Colby Lowe of Southlake, Tx., and finishing in 4:0877, also the fastest time in the country this season. Lowe finished second in 4:08.77.
Puskedra said this was his first race on a banked track as he doesn’t have many opportunities to race indoors in Utah. Puskedra blasted out to an early lead and a blistering pace that no one followed, except for Lowe who stayed five meters back. But Lowe made a strong move at the 800 mark and looked like he was trying to decide the race right there.
“It was a big move,” Puskerdra said. “It was big. I just tried to stay with him and catch my breath.”
Puskedra covered Lowe’s surge then made one of his with 600 to go and the two flip-floped until Puskedra took over in the final 100 meters.
Kyle Merber of Half Hollow Hills West finished third in a personal-best 4:12.42. He said he was content to let Puskedra and Lowe go at first.
“They went out really fast and I thought they would come back to me,” he said. “They never came back.”
Merber settled in third for three laps and dropped back as far as fifth before dropping a frantic finishing kick in the last 200.
“At the end I knew that I’m always going to have that,” he said. “I’ll always have that second wind.”
Merber was all smiles before the race and equally spirited afterward. He talked about how much fun he’d had, all decked out in Reebok gear from his red headband to his black warm-up suit. He said he never felt nervous before the start and never overly stressed during the race.
“I race because it’s fun,” Merber said. “I never put too much pressure on myself. … This was an awesome race and a great field. We all hung out and we all became friends. To finish third in a race like this is great. I’m very happy with this race.”
New York native Jen Rhines, a Liverpool graduate, finished third in the women’s 2-mile in 9:35.29. Jenn Stucynski, who trains with Suhr Sports in Rochester, won the women’s pole vault in 15 feet, 1 inch.
Armando Oliveria, a Manhattan resident and former New Rochelle High boys coach, finished third in the masters 1,500 in 4:13.18.
Reach Christopher Hunt at chunt@armorytrack.com.
photos by Tim Fulton/Armorytrack.com
MEET RESULTS
1 Luke Puskedra Ogden, UT 4:08.77
2 Colby Lowe Southlake, TX 4:08.99
3 Kyle Merber Dix Hills, NY 4:12.42
4 Charles White Colorado 4:13.33
5 Cory Leslie Sansusky, OH 4:13.76
6 Christopher Brown Southlake, TX 4:14.00
7 Michael Fout LaPorte, IN 4:14.70
8 Joseph Franklin Tallahassee, FL 4:14.82
9 Christopher Derrick Naperville, IN 4:14.84
10 Sintayehu Taye Ashburnham, MA 4:15.03
11 Mac Fleet University City, CA 4:28.19
1 Jillian Smith Manahawkin, NJ 4:48.83
2 Jessica Parry London, ONT, CAN 4:53.05
3 Mary Kate Champagne Plattsburgh, NY 4:55.57
4 Keely Maguire Georgetown, MA 4:56.02
5 Bridget Dahlberg Newton South, MA 4:58.67
6 Sarah McCurdy Bay Shore, NY 4:58.83
7 Brianna Welch Glen Head, NY 5:00.61
8 Kristin Reese Holmes, NY 5:00.85
9 Nicole Benson Peoria, IL 5:02.29
10 Tori Pennings Warwick,NY 5:02.43
11 Caitlin Lane Greenwich, NY 5:06.79
