The Central Park Track Club won the USATF national club championships over the weekend in San Francisco, defeating the Norfolk Real Deal Track Club of Virginia by 23 points.
The CPTC finished first in the men’s division, defeating Norfolk 130-105, and narrowly lost the women’s to Norfolk, 160-158, producing final combined team scores of 288-265. Club Northwest was third, with 201 points.
Chris Spooner led the men’s team, winning the 1,500 in 3:51.58 and the 5,000 in 14:37.97. He won the 5k by .04. The men also got second-place finishes from Shomari Taylor in the triple jump (45-3) and El Hadji Mbow in the 400 hurdles (52.62). John Langhauser placed third in the shot put (56-9.5).
Kateema Rietti and Stephanie Zollman placed 1-2 in the women’s javelin (177-9, 160-11) and Jeana Fletcher won the high jump (5-2.5), while the club’s runners piled up a lot of points on the track. Aileen Conlon and Katharine Irvin placed 2-3 in the 10k, Stephanie Herrick and Melissa Salerno 2-3 in the 800, and the CPTC took two firsts and two seconds in the relays and finished 3-5-6 in the 1,500.
The Shore AC won two events, the women’s sprint medley relay and the individual 200, won by veteran Aliann Pompey. Pompey ran 24.11 in the 200 and also placed second to Yvette Lewis of Norfolk in the 100, 11.71-11.83. Lewis also won the 100 hurdles (13.49) and finished second in the 200.
The CPTC men won the 4x8 in 7:56 and finished second in the 4x4 and the DMR. Damion Drummond, a graduate of Brooklyn’s Robeson, won Heat I in 1:55.30, well ahead of second place, but wound up fifth overall as the club went 5-6-7-8 in that event. They also went 5-6-7 in the men’s 200, with Adrian Crichlow, Rawle Delisle and Lyndon Walters.
Two of the better performances of the meet were turned in by Angee Henry of Team Nebraska, who swept the 400 (53.18) and 800 (2:08.12). In the 8, Herrick ran 2:10 and Salerno 2:11 behind her.
In the men’s throws, Lucais MacKay placed second in the hammer (210-6) and third in the disc (176-6) for Shore AC. /JP/