Suffern girls win East Coast DMR
By Christopher Hunt
WHITE PLAINS -- Tyler Stutzman didn’t want to waste any time. No point in that anyway.
So when the junior from Virginia’s Western Albemarle took the stick for the anchor leg of the boys East Coast distance medley relay he didn’t hesitate before he reeled in the anchors from Shenendehowa and Colonie.
“If you past them fast enough they start to think, ‘maybe I can’t stay with this guy,’” Stutzman said
Some call it taking their hearts. Either way, Stutzman was right. No one challenged him and Western Albermarle, the Nike indoor Nationals DMR champs, won the East Coast distance medley relay on the first day of the Loucks Games at White Plains High School in 10:11.32 with a squad of Kyle Satterwhite (3:08.8), Nick Ward (49.1), Adrian Sitler (1:59.1) and Stutzman (4:14.5). They topped Guilderland’s meet record of 10:12.24 set last year. The time is the fourth-fastest in the country this season. Shen finished second in 10:13.98.
“We came here to win,” Western Albemarle coach Lindy Bain said. “That’s what we did.”
Stutzman said he thought he would see Half Hollow Hills West senior Kyle Merber in the race. But once he saw that HHH West weren’t on the track, he knew he was the best miler in the field. His confidence showed in the way he attacked Shen’s Mike Danaher and Colonie’s Tyler Stewart in the first 200 meters of his leg.
“He just likes to win, they all do,” Bain said. “He went out in 59 (for the first 400). I told him to go out in 62. It wasn’t quite 62. These guys all races well. It was faster than we ran at nationals.”
The girls East Coast relay came down the anchor leg as well. After Christy Goldmann put Suffern, the top seed, in the led on the first leg, North Rockland drew even by the time Shelby Greany took the stick on the anchor.
North Rockland’s Lisa Lungaro clung to Greany for the first quarter-mile but Greany gradually pulled away. Suffern won in 11:59.82 with Goldmann (3:39.6), Jen Clayton (57.1). North Rockland finished second in 12:07.18.
“We’re definitely excited because we broke 12 (minutes), especially since it’s still early in the season,” Goldmann said. “We still think we can run faster. “
Goldmann did admit that her team expected the race to be more competitive, knowing that Lincoln-Sudbury was expected to race.
“There was still competition but we expected it to be more like nationals,” Goldmann said. “This is definitely a good start to the weekend.”
MORE FROM MILESTAT.COM on Western Abermarle's win (some pics included)
Reach Christopher Hunt at chunt@armorytrack.com.
Top Photo by Trish Greany, boys photo by Jeff Sitler