By Christopher Hunt
Middletown senior Mel Mosley ran himself into another class of sprinters Wednesday. He chopped an entire second of is personal best to win the 400 meters at the Section 9 A-D championships at Middletown, clocking 46.88 seconds.
“He’s got some left too,” Middletown coach Eric Hipsman said through a text message.
Mosley, who, along with his twin brother Manny, committed to Southern University, reclaimed the top ranking in the state in the 400 by extracting some revenge on section rival Ryan Brennan of Monroe-Woodbury. The Penn-State bound Brennan finished second in 48.30. But on Saturday, Brennan bested Mosley at the OCIAA championships finishing in 47.75. Mosley ran 47.82 for second Saturday.
Mosley is in elite company. Outside of Byrcen Spratling, a basketball import who sprouted from nowhere to run 46.82 last year for Webster Schroeder, there hasn’t been a 46-second quarter miler in New York since another Section 9 great, Elize Coleman of Newburgh. Coleman set the state record at 45.94 in 2004, the same here that Bay Shore's Keith Hinnant clocked 46.54.
It’s not just Mosley who is rolling for the Middies though. Middletown’s 4x400 is also climbing the charts nationally. Manny Mosley (49.3), Shakoy Burton (48.8), Adam Abdur-Rahman (49.1) and Mel Mosley (47.8) claimed the 4x400 Wednesday in 3:14.86, which ranks ninth in the country this season.
Nerud breaks LI steeple record
The battle for the title of nation’s best steeplechaser is happening right here on Long Island. North Shore’s Brianna Nerud broke the Long Island record Wednesday and claimed the national leader in the 2,000-meter steeplechase, six days after Mary Kate Anselmini of Ward Melville set it.
Nerud won the 2K steeple last night at the Nassau County Championships in 6:40.7. Anselmini ran 6:46.68 May 19 in an open race at the Longwood Frosh/Soph Invitational. The Stanford-bound senior previously held the LI record at 6:42.78, a time she ran to win the national championship last year.
Nerud just missed the state junior class record of 6:39.54 set by Lindsey Ferguson of Saratoga Springs in 2005. For Nerud, it was a bounce-back performance after she was disqualified for running out of her lane in the 400 hurdles the night before.
“She was very upset about the DQ and wanted to make it up to her teammates,” North Shore coach Neal Levy said. “The time speaks for itself.”
Watch out for Ryan Brennan: Earlier this week, we posted a list of the some of the most impressive doubles from over the weekend. I’ll admit to missing what was probably the best 400-800 double this season. Monroe-Woodbury’s Ryan Brennan won the 400 in 47.75 (then a state leader) and clocked 1:51.61 at the OCIAA championships Saturday. The only person in the state to run faster is Liverpool’s indoor national champ Zavon Watkins, who ran 1:50.61 at the Loucks Games two weeks ago.
Watkins posted his own 800/1600 double-win at the Section 3 AA champioships at Cicero-North Syracuse Wednesday. He won the 800 in 1:52.48 and claimed the 1,600 in 4:14.58.