By Christopher Hunt
photos by Tim Fulton
WHITE PLAINS – It’s rare that Terrance Livingston gets excited about a race. It’s rare that the Great Neck South senior does more that talk about how he could have run faster. But there wasn’t much wrong he could find with this 400-meter race. There wasn’t much to nit-pick. But he still found a way to ignore satisfaction and move immediately to what he might run next time.
“That was easy,” he told his coach Damon Reader when he walked off the track.”I was just sleeping the first 250 then I said, alright let’s go.”
Okay, it wasn’t quite sleeping. Livingston needed to chase down Fordham Prep’s Zach Keefer and Randy Patterson of Newburgh on his outside. Then Keefer blitzed the last curve, Livingston went along for the ride and simply had more in the tank than everyone else in the last 100 meters. Livingston won the 400 at the Loucks Games in 47.70, a personal-best he’s been looking for since last spring. It’s the fastest time in the state this season.
Still, no matter how fast Livingston runs for 400 meters, his heart stays with the 800, which he won Friday. He says he’s yet to so his potential this season at 800 meters and Friday called his season so far “the quiet before the storm.”
“The storm is brewing,” he said after the 400.
Livingston, who committed to Tennessee, was awarded the meet’s most outstanding performer for his win in the 400 and by winning the 800 in 1:52.50. Ossining senior Jesse Drinks was also in contention for the award. He won the 100 on Friday then won the 200 Saturday in 21.62, the second-fastest time in the state this season.
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“I was a little frustrated because yesterday I tripped at the start and fell behind,” Drinks said. “I wanted to have a good start today.”
Drinks ate the stagger on the turn and came off the curve with a lead but with Middle Country’s Miles Lewis on his tail.
“I was scared,” Drinks said. “I kept thinking that I had to just hold on. I felt him right up on me. I just knew I had to hold him off with everything I had.”
The time is a personal best in a breakthrough season for Drinks, who committed to the University of Connecticut two weeks ago. He said a building confidence has translated into faster racing.
“I used to worry about other people but I feel like I’m at a point now where people have to worry about me,” he said. “I know that I’m running my best that I can right now and they are going to have to run their best to beat me.”
One of the most dominate races came from Tyler Stutzman of Western Albemarle (Va.). He won the 1,600, running along from the start, in 4:09.86.
“I actually wanted to run a lot faster today,” Stutzman said.
But he didn’t get help he wanted and said he simply didn’t have it in his life to run the 4:05 that he was looking for. Behind him though, New Yorkers Chris Carrington of North Rockland and Bobby Andrews of Shoreham-Wading River both enjoyed career-best races. Carrington finished second in 4:11.64 and Andrews third in 4:13.59, the top two times in the state respectively.
Carrington said he never thought about following Stutzman when he dashed away from the field at the beginning.
“I don’t think I would have been able to go with him,” Carrington said. “He went through the 800 in something like 2:04. That would have been too much for me.”
But staying in his comfort zone worked for Carrington, especially he engaged in a battle for second with Andrews and once Carrington went ahead, Andrews stayed close, pushing the pace.
“I really wanted to run sub-4:10 today,” Carrington said. “But the good thing, I have to say there wasn’t a lot of pain. I just felt really good today.”
Ramapo won both the 4x100 and 4x400. The Rams claimed the 4x100 in 42.95 and then won the 4x400 in 3:17.48 with Ryan Whitley, Dozie Ezemma, Mike Abelard and Chidi Ezemma, the fastest time in the state this season.
Liverpool also broke a 41 year-old meet record winning the 4x800 in 7:46.74. Their time is the season’s seventh-best time in the country and tops a meet record of 7:46.91 set in 1968 by Power Memorial.
Reach Christopher Hunt at chunt@armorytrack.com.