Manhattan NY - This past weekend brought some of the best competition to NYC for the New Balance Indoor Nationals at the The New Balance Armory. New York performed quite well at the meet, bringing in 4 new state records. Judging based on Olympic medal count (Gold-Silver-Bronze), NY brought home the hardware as we had 5 golds, 13 silvers, and 13 bronze medalists. Of those, the girls attributed to 1 gold, 9 silvers, and 9 bronze medals. All-American status goes to the top 6 competitors in each elite event, which saw even more NY talent shine. We're here to break down all the events with top NY finishers, and recap how they played out.
60m hh
Lateisha Pilson has been one of Benjamin Cardozo's shining stars on the short sprints. Sitting out last weekend at State's, Philson looked good through the rounds, getting great clearence on the hurdles. She placed 3rd in the trials, 4th in the semis, and 3rd overall in 8.37m with a 55m split of 7.71. Her 7.71 ranks her as US #3 for the 2012.
200m
Standout Deajah Steevens took to the 200m after not running at States the weekend prior. Her form looked strong as she dominated her semi-final heat, making her the fastest qualifier of the event. In the finals, however, she couldn't seem to keep up with Destinee Gause of Ohio, falling to a very fast second in 23.98. Steevens' 23.89 ranks her as US #2 for 2012.
400m
New York City favorite Kadecia Baird held tight with the girls of the southern region. After a tough schedule had already put her at a disadvantage, Baird pushed through to take 4th in 55.74. That time makes Baird US #6 for 2012.
800m
The big story coming into the race was NJ's Ajee Wilson vs. Bronxville's Mary Cain. After a slow opening leg, Wilson kicked around the then leading Madeline Merkson of Classical RI. Mary Cain saw Wilson pulling away, and decided to run with her. Both athletes showed a great kick, as Wilson attempted to break Cain, but the sophomore never let Wilson get the distance she wanted. Wilson crossed the line after a strong race in 2:06.58, with Cain in second in 2:07.26. To no ones surprise, the very fast Anima Banks of Mamaroneck was right behind Cain, clocking another fast 2:08.77. Banks had promised a great run after her win at Indoor States, and she proved her merit with a great performance. Also All-American was senior Olicia Williams of St. Anthony's NY, who took 5th in 2:09.31. Those times gives the NY girls US #2, 3, and 6 respectively for 2012.
1 Mile
The 1 mile race brought great competition from around the country to challenge the NY distance squads. A group of 3 runners quickly separated from the pack, (Top seed Hannah Meier of Mi, Angel Piccirillo of Pa, and Brianna Nerud of Ny). Nerud fought strong, making several surges in front of PA's Picirillo, but the pair couldn't keep up with Hannah Meier, who also won last weekend at Seattle's Brooks PR Invite. Nerud came across in third, right on the heels of Piccirillo, in 4:45.29. That time ranks Nerud as US #4 for 2012. Not to be forgotten, the always fast Alexis Panisse was battling it out in the second pack of four runners. Fighting hard with Megan Moye of Va, Panisse came in 5th with a 4:48.36, which stands as US #9 for 2012.
2 Mile
The 2 mile brought out the best in Sachem East's Rachel Paul, as she was right in the pack of 6 runners who separated themselves from the crowd. The lead pack never quite broke form, running in unison throughtout the race, with minor position shifting. However, as anyone who saw the Indoor State champs knows, Paul's kick is not one to be underestimated. Paul kicked with one lap to go, and pulled an impressive lead on the rest of the pack. With about 50m to go, she had a good 5m lead on second place. Coming down the final turn, it was perenial race leader Carmen Carlos barreling down the final straight. 5 meters before the line, Carlos nipped Paul to take first, with Paul coming in after a minor legal collision in a US #7 10:25.82.
5000m
It would seem the 5000m results would foreshadow the 1 Mile, as again, it was all about North Shore's Brianna Nerud and Benjamin Cardozo's Alexis Panisse. Nerud went out strong with Panisse, who both got out strong with the lead pack, being led by eventual winner Erin Finn. As the pace quickened, it seemed as if Nerud quickened with it. Never letting go, Nerud pushed through to a very fast 16:43.56. That time stands as the New York State record in the event, as well as US #3, with Panisse at US #6 with her 16:58.24 effort. Interestlingly, North Shore holds 4 out of 5 of the records associated with the Indoor 5k.
8G: 18:34.05 ELIZABETH CALDWELL (North Shore) 2009 ** (Mar 13, NIN Nationals, Reg Lewis Ctr) Fr: 17:15.38 SAMANTHA NADEL (North Shore) 2009 ** (Mar 13, NIN Nationals, Reg Lewis Ctr) So: 17:57.11 ELIZABETH BRIASCO (Queens HS Sci) 2008 ** (Mar 14, NSIC Nationals, Armory) Jr: 16:59.02 SAMANTHA NADEL (North Shore) 2011 ** (Mar 11, NBIN Nationals, Armory) Sr: 16:43.56 BRIANNA NERUD (North Shore) 2012 ** (Mar 9, NBIN Nationals, Armory)
4x200m
The season long rivalry between Medgar Evers Prep and Mount Vernon was silenced early, as a strong contingent only allowed for Medgar Evers to qualify for the finals. And the finals were just as exciting, as Wakefield NC ran a blistering 1:36.35 to win the race. Evers however, was pulled to a very fast 1:38.71, good enough for US #3 for 2012.
4x400m
The 4x400m race saw 3 teams finish in the top 6 as All-Americans. The always strong State Champion team from Garden City placed second overall, in a US #2 3:47.49. Right behind them was Medgar Evers Prep, pulling in US #3 3:49.25. In 5th place was St. John Villa, nabbing US #5 in 3:52.13.
4x800m
The race for the 4x800 at NBIN wasn't much different from that at Indoor States. Garden City's 9 flat had them as the top seed in the country. FM's squad had proven themself the year before, but had been very sparse in showing their true speed in the winter season, as usual. However, as soon as their second leg of the relay got the baton, it was already cemented that they could not be touched. Despite a mid-race collision on the last leg, which some believe to have costed the stotans somewhere near 3 seconds, FM came across the line in a very fast US #1 8:58.18.
4xMile
There came about an interesting situation during the girls' 4xMile. Tatnall made it clear from the gun that they wanted the National record in the event. They had the runners to do it, with the senior Haley Pierce headlining the relay. However, Tatnall was sandwiched between two teams from the same school. Behind them was Saratoga Springs, NXN runners up back in XC. Saratoga was right with Tatnall for the first three legs of the race, leading the race intermitently. In front of Tatnall was Saratoga Springs' National Record, of 19:59.24. Ultimately, Saratoga retained their National Record, as Tatnall ran 20:00.91. The current line-up from Saratoga ran very well as well, putting in a 20:16.23 performance.
SMR
NY's most represented event, the SMR saw 4 out of the 6 All-American teams coming from New York. Top finisher Bay Shore took 2nd, in a US #2 4:02.43, followed by Garden City in 3rd with a US# 4 4:02.88. Also racing well was 5th place St. Anthony's, and 6th place St. John Villa.
DMR
Grosse Pointe South was the talk of the event, as the two Meier twins were both known to be sub-4:50 performers. And they didn't fail to produce, as GP won in 11:39.29. In third was a very strong showing from NY's Academy of the Holy Names, finishing with a US #7 perfromance of 11:54.35. Also nabbing All-American was Sachem East in 6th, with a 11:57.10.
4x55hh
Uniondale nabs second in the rarely contested event, as their combination of 4 strong hurdlers put them in a great position to medal. Their winning time was 32.88 .
HJ
Stephanie Izzard of Sweet Home puts in a strong 5 foot 7.25 inch jump, which puts her as US #16, but more importantly as NY #2.
