By Christopher Hunt
WHITE PLAINS -- The last time Saratoga Springs attended the Glenn D. Loucks
Games was when the team fielded a superstar distance runner named Nicole Blood, who outdueled Notre Dame’s Molly Huddle in a historic race at 1,600 meters.
Saratoga Springs made history again at White Plains High School Thursday when Amanda Burroughs, Margaret McDonald, Brianne Bellon and Keelin Hollowood won the East Coast distance medley relay in 11:54.54 at the 43rd Loucks Games, it was the 2,000th first-place trophy award at the meet.
The team, who finished second at the Penn Relays about 10 seconds faster two weeks ago in the same event, drove down about three hours Thursday just to earn the trophy with the special distinction.
“We knew that it wasn’t going to be fast once with the wind here,” coach Linda Kranick said. “But this is a good win. We came here to get that 2,000th trophy.”
About two years ago, Fred Singleton, the meet director and coach at White Plains, decided to count the number of trophies handed out at the prestigious meet and realized that before the meet 1,995 trophies were given out. The winner of the girls East Coast distance medley relay would receive the 2,000th trophy given at a meet that started in 1968.
“I doubt if any other meets have given out that many,” said Singleton, who has three Loucks Games trophies of his own dating back to 1969 when he won the 4x220-yard as a runner for Mount Vernon. He also won the 120-yard high hurdles and 180-yard low hurdles in 1970. “This Loucks trophy is such a coveted award that I thought people should know that the 2,000th was given out.”
The famed trophy, called the Olympian, was created by world-famous sculptor, Lumen Martin Winter. Saratoga won’t be racing any other events at the Loucks Games this weekend. Kranick said the team only came to earn the trophy with the special designation. They also came for another reason but the trophy was more than just a consolation.
“We wanted to break the meet record (11:42.49 by Bay Shore in 2004) but with that wind it’s really tough,” Burroughs said. “We did the best we could.”
The boys East Coast race was also saddled with a stiff wind the distinction of earning the 1,999th trophy received at Loucks. The of Mike Libruk, Matt Conti, David Marthy and Ryan Egan won in 10:35.33.
“The pace was way too slow,” Libruk said. “It just kind of carried throughout the race.”
The entire relay either doubled or tripled in a dual meet against Shenendehowa Tuesday and admitted the races were still sitting in their legs.
“We’ve all run faster,” said Egan, who ran the anchor leg. “We a little disappointed in the time but we’re all happy to get the win.”
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Reach Christopher Hunt at chunt@armorytrack.com.