Three runners were awarded with the honor of being named part of the All-USA Track and Field Team by USA Today. Even more exciting is that 2 of the 3 will be returning for the 2011-2012 season.
FULL BOYS LIST HERE
FULL GIRLS LIST HERE
Aising Cuffe - The stellar Stanford-bound senior had a season like no other. She began her year in Cross Country dominating local course records. Her championship season saw win after win in such a dominating fashion that had all eyes on her. She began with winning the State Championships in Pawling in a course record. She then won Federations at Bowdoin Park, again with a course record. At the Northeast Foot Locker Championship,she ran well, missing her own course record by only 6 seconds. Her penultimate cross country race concluded with an unprecedented win at the Foot Locker National Championship, finishing 34 seconds in front of the next runner. Not to be stopped, she concluded her undefeated season with a win at the USA Junior Championships, again by a lead of nearly 30 seconds.
Her indoor season was likewise as commanding, reaffirming her excellence with a New York state record breaking 3K at the New York State Champs. She also showed signs of her imminent future with a US #2 performance indoors for the 3K at the New Balance Indoor Nationals.
It was her spring season where she cemented her legacy on the track. She began with two New York State records, one for the 3,200m and the other for the 1,600m. She continued attacking the records with a New York state record in the 3,000m at the New York State Championships. Her final career race as a High Schooler was to be her best, as she gained herself the National Record for the 2-mile at New Balance Outdoor Nationals. Her award on the All-USA team joins her award as the Gatorade National Cross Country Runner of the Year and her USATF Runner of the Week award.
Mary Cain - The fearless freshman from Bronxville is no stranger to competitive running. Running varsity since she was in 7th grade, Mary races with the same knowledge of race tactics as any senior. She began her year in cross country where she won her first Class C state cross country title.
But where Mary really shines is on the track. Kicking off the indoor season, she ran 2:12 anchor leg to win the Millrose Metro 4x800. At State qualifiers, she grabbed her first record, the New York freshmen record for the 1000m. At the State Championships, she again impressed with a 2nd place overall finish. She topped it all off with a 2:09 split at the New Balance Indoor Nationals.
It was her spring season that has proven that Mary is a force to be reckoned with. Impressive both in and out of the relay, she kickstarted her season with a 2:06 800m at the NY Relays. Next came two very impressive state records, the 1500m State record at the Somers Lions Invitational and the freshmen 3K State record at Warwick. Her final mid-season mark impressed with her relay going sub-9 at Warwick Fast Times, aided by a 2:05 effort from Cain. Mary's first post season went down in the books as well, with her obtaining the US Freshmen record at 1,500m at the New York State Championships. She then followed that up with an impressive 4x800 relay time of 8:49, bookending her season with a 2:03 split. Mary recently concluded her season by obtaining a silver medal at the USA Junior champs in the 1500. Unfortunately, the only thing preventing her from continuing on to the World Championships was the one thing that had caught everyone's attention all year: her age.
Zavon Watkins - This upstate mid-distance star gained national recognition the year before, nabbing the Sophomore National record for 1000m. He then went on to improve that record with a 2:27 effort later in the season. His junior season started out promising with another 2:27, good enough to be an at-the-time National leading time. Many thought it to be redemption for his Millrose mile performance, in which he got tripped up. Later in the season, he was redeemed again, this time for a 2nd place finish at the New York State Indoor Championships. His time of 1:50.84 in the 800m at the New Balance Indoor Nationals was good enough to earn him the overall state record.
Zavon's Outdoor season saw a much less need for redemption. He showed excellent speed at the early Warwick Friendship Invitational with a time of 1:50.64. He ran a state-leading time of 1:50.61 at the Loucks Games. At the same meet, he showed his diversity by running a 4:11 in the 1600m, which helped him earn most outstanding male of the meet. Zavon would go on to take both races at the New York State Championships a few weeks later. He went on to conclude his season with a New York State Junior record for the 800m with a 1:49.7
Other Notable Stars who have run frequently in New York:
Najee Glass (Jersey City)
Edward Cheserek (Newark)
Joe Rosa (Plainsboro)
Ajee Wilson (Neptune)
Nick Vena (Morristown)