Loucks Girls Preview

Christopher Hunt

May 07, 2008

Women Distance Medley East Coast - THURSDAY

Team

Relay

Seed Time

Suffern

12:01.34

Lincoln-Sudbury

12:05.00

Carmel

12:07.00

Westerly

12:15.00

Ursuline School

12:15.50

Ward Melville

12:16.76

Northport

12:20.00

North Rockland

12:20.00

Tappan Zee

12:23.00

Rhinebeck

12:25.00

Ridgefield

12:30.00

Kings Park

12:41.30

Curtis

12:45.00

Outlook: None of the top three times have been able to run a fast DMR yet this season. Suffern had the fastest time in the field indoors (11:51.08 at NSIC). Lincoln-Sudbury ran 9:06.44 to win the last section of the 4x800 at Penn Relays and Carmel won this race last year. The likelihood is this race should be pretty close toward the end. If Carmel’s Kristin Reese is anywhere close by she’s a threat. Last year she was running clear out of her skin and anchored the relay in in 4:52. Suffern’s Shelby Greany proved she’s ready to run this season too after she dropped a 9:48.92 in the 3,000 at Penn. She’ll probably run the anchor for Suffern too on top of the fact that if Jen Clayton, who is listed to be on the relay, runs the 400 leg, then the Mounties have the fastest quarter-miler in the field.

My pick: I’m having a lot of trouble with this one but I’ll go with Suffern.

Women Long Jump Varsity

	Name	Year		School	Seed Mark



1	Clayton, Jennifer		10	Suffern		20-00.25



2	Fountain, Whitney		10	Christopher Coloumbus		19-02.00



3	Brunson, Jasmine		11	Bermuda High School		19-01.50



4	Hendrix, Ashley		12	Uniondale		18-11.00



5	Parnell, Anjelique		10	Hackley School		18-11.00



6	Easterling, Alexis		11	Woodlands		18-05.75



7	Allen, Kia		11	Murry Bergtraum		18-04.25



8	McNish, Patricia		11	Manhasset		17-10.50



9	Chisholm, Aisha		12	New Rochelle		17-08.25



10	Etkind, Jamie		10	Clarkstown North		17-08.00

Outlook: Clayton is definitely the favorite but this is a pretty good field as well. Hendrix had a lot of trouble with her approach at Penn. Whitney Fountain is a legitimate threat and has the raw speed to jump big. Clayton said earlier this season that she has started to feel more consistent on the runway which would put her in the 19-foot range regularly. If she falters, Fountain, Hendrix or Jasmie Brunson will surely be there to pick up the pieces.

My pick: It’s Clayton’s event to lose.

Women Shot Put Varsity

	Name	Year		School	Seed Mark



1	Stewart, Vanessa		10	North Babylon		44-08.25



2	Martin, Akilah		12	Berkelye Institute		42-07.00



3	White, Shante		12	Henninger		41-02.00



4	Toritto, Jessica		12	Smithtown East		39-09.75



5	Robinson, Lexia		11	Woodlands		38-00.00



6	Spoto, Amanda		10	St. Joseph Hill		38-00.00

Outlook: Geez. I just realized how stacked this field is. Vanessa Stewart had a monster throw at the St. Anthony’s Invitational (44-10) and given the facilities and the competition at Loucks she may throw even further. White threw 41-3 indoors and Martin comes in as a wild card since no one has competed with or against her before. Stewart is going to win but if you’re a throws fan then this will be a good one to watch either way.

My Pick : Stewart.

Women 800 Meter Run Varsity

Name

Year

School

Seed Time

Francis, Phyllis

Catherine Mc Auley

2:08.00

Miller-Bedell, Emma

Tappan Zee

2:08.84

Reese, Kristin

Carmel

2:09.20

Welch, Brianna

North Shore

2:10.95

Looney, Meg

Bishop Feehan

2:11.50

Holland, Malekah

Bishop Ford

2:12.00

Frost, Nadine

Sir James Dunn Academy

2:12.70

Banker, Nicole

East Meadow

2:13.44

Menges, Emily

Garden City

2:13.80

Lightbourn, Deanne

Berkelye Institute

2:13.83

Holowacz, Kati

Bainbridge-Guilford

2:15.00

Brown, Meghan

Ursuline School

2:15.00

Crean, Rosie

Ursuline School

2:15.00

Daley, Robbi

Fredericton High School

2:15.00

Browne, Shannon

Curtis

2:15.00

Farber, Lianne

Northport

2:15.00

Outlook: I can’t help it. This is going to be my favorite race of the meet. I’ll tell you right now, don’t sleep on Phyllis Francis, even if you haven’t hear much from her so far this season. The last time I personally felt like she disappeared she came back and broke the national 600-meter record at the CHSAA championship. I really hope that everyone who is entered in this race shows. Remember that Francis ran 2:07.92 at NSIC indoors. Miller-Bedell and Reese have both broken 2:10. It pains my soul that Charlene Lipsey (Hempstead) and Sarah McCurdy (Bay Shore) are not in this race. Either way, it’s going to be ridiculous fast as long as the weather holds up. Reese is always on the verge of having the type of race that astonishes you and Miller-Bedell has a sick finishing kick and always keeps her in contention.

My pick: Francis. And she’ll probably lead from the gun.

Women 3200 Meter Run Varsity

Name

Year

School

Seed Time

MacPherson, Sarah

Fredericton High School

10:25.00

Lipari, Emily

Roslyn

10:28.00

Marshall, Jaclyn

Kings Park

10:41.00

Stephens, Heather

Ridgefield

10:45.00

Fingers, Jessica

Monticello

10:47.00

Ahn, Suejin

Ward Melville

10:47.09

Sullivan, Katie

Ursuline School

10:50.00

Outlook: Emily Lipari has looked way better in the past two weeks than she did at the end of the indoor season. She said she was dealing with a flu and then a cold early this season. But when I saw her 2:16.10-4:40.55 double at St. Anthony’s, she looked like she was ready to go to me. Suejin Ahn also ran an easy 10:18.67. This race will be a lot faster than the seeds suggest. MacPherson is one of the top prep distance runners in Canada. She has run 10:03.55 for 3,000 meters.

My pick: Lipari

200 Meter Dash Varsity Prelims

Name

Year

School

Seed Time

Russell, Zoey

Fredrick Douglass Academy IV

24.30


2	Clayton, Jennifer	10	Suffern	24.40



3	Clarke, Britney	12	North Rockland	24.50



4	Fountain, Whitney	10	Christopher Coloumbus	24.55



5	Caddle, Melissa	10	Canarsie	24.75



6	Richards, Sasha-Gay	12	Mt. Vernon	25.00

Outlook: This race is really Zoey Russell vs. Jen Clayton in my opinion. All of the girls listed above have dipped under 25 seconds. Fountain probably has the most power in the bunch. Russell is the strongest. The 200 has been Clayton’s best distance but if she waits thinking she’ll be able to goggle Russell in the stretch then she’s toast. Russell will need to crush the curve.

My pick. I’ll go with Russell. Umm, I mean Clayton. No Russell. Yeah Russell….. I think.

Some quick notes ….

n Nadonnia Rodriques (Boys & Girls) is the top seed in the 400. She ran 53.92 at Loucks last year. She’ll run 52 this year and if Zoey Russell presses her on the home stretch we may even witness the first 51-second quarter-mile since Diane Dixon (51.75) in 1982. Meghan Gillespie of Boys & Girls is also in the race and will probably run 54. There’s no reason here to make a pick.

n Shelby Greany (Suffern) is one of the best steeplechasers in the country. She has the second-best time in the nation after running 6:49.40 in the 2,000 steeplechase at the Cornwall Steeplefest. She’s running for time no matter where she’s racing, including Loucks because she’ll likely be running alone.

n The 400 hurdles is going to an interesting race. Dalilah Muhammad, the national champ, is seeded at 57.00 and can probably run that time right now. It will be her season debut in the event. She ran 55.8 in her first open 400 of the season at the Derrick Adkins Classic April 26. Elizabeth Mott (New Rochelle) is also in the race. This is her first season experimenting with the 400 hurdles.