It Runs In The Family - The Ludwikowski Legacy Matt Kaiser Feb 13, 2015

Forty years ago Marty Ludwikowski, then a senior at Cherry Hill West High School in South Jersey, toed the line at the 1975 Millrose Games. It was the 68th iteration of the meet, but only the second year it would feature a high school mile. Delegates from three states—New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania—had earned their berths through regional qualifier races, and were poised to make their mark before a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden.

Getting the Baton To Brown Matt Kaiser Dec 31, 2014

If you did not get the memo three years ago when Izaiah Brown (Amsterdam) obliterated the freshman 400-meter class record with a 47.80 mark, please take note.  He is fast.  How fast you ask?  The short answer is 46.60 fully automated fast – a mark that was good for third overall in the 400-meter Championship Division at last spring’s New Balance Outdoor Nationals.  For the long answer you might want to ask one of the anchor legs that competed against Brown in the 4x400 Meter Relay Championship at the same meet.    

Undefeated Noah Affolder Eyes Class B Crown Matt Kaiser Nov 04, 2014

 

Following their father’s military assignment to Fort Drum this summer, Illinois transplants Noah and Sam Affolder are having an immediate impact on New York’s prep running scene.  Noah, only a sophomore, has posted several speed ratings north of 190 and, after six contests remains undefeated. Sam, two years younger than his brother and yet to enter high school, is floating comfortably in the mid-170s, and is primed to challenge several class records come spring.  Nestled away in Section-III’s outback, these underclassmen are quietly establishing themselves as New York Cross Country’s most exciting wunderkinds.  

Perseverance on Long Island: The Story of Victoria St. John Matt Kaiser May 22, 2014

 

            Victoria St. John had always been quick – that was for sure.  While she participated in the full gamut of youth team sports—from basketball to soccer and volleyball—it was apparent from an early age that the tall and athletic Holy Trinity sophomore belonged on a track.

From The Parking Lot, To The Millrose Games: A Conversation with Luke Gavigan Matt Kaiser Feb 13, 2014

For the distance runner, not all watershed moments occur during championship races or personal record performances.  The true breakthroughs—be it of fitness or racing mentality—come to pass not while exchanging elbows with competitors under Jumbotrons, but instead while toiling along road shoulders.

While it's the race day performance that ultimately secures a headline in the local sports section the next morning, for the distance runner, the mark is often only secondary to the process.  After all, without the training, the performance would be impossible. 

For Tappan Zee junior Luke Gavigan, who enters next week's Millrose Games as the top seed in the New Balance Boys High School Mile, the epiphany occurred in the most mundane of places: his high school parking lot.

Throwers Take Over Section 6: A Talk With Jess Dhaliwall and McKenzie Kuehlewind Matt Kaiser Jan 24, 2014

Lancaster, NY - Ahead of the annual Rock N' Roll Throwoff, we decided we'd chat with two of the best female shot putters in the country.  Jess Dhaliwall of Frontier opened up her season with a monster 47-7, which still stands as US #3.  Behind her, is McKenzie Kuehlewind of Lancaster, who is NY #2, as well as US #7 with her toss of 44-6.5.  While NY has two other girls in the top 20 nationally for the event, it seems as these two throwers are enjoying the intersectional friendly rivalry created by the big tosses.

Mickey Burke – Taking It All in Stride Matt Kaiser Jan 02, 2014

Within an hour of the start to the 2013 Footlocker High School National Cross Country Championships, the Northeast Region boys’ contingent joked to themselves: Who would be bold enough to wink at one of the cheerleaders before entering the finish chute? 

In the final strides before securing a fourth place, All-American finish, Rush-Henrietta runner Mickey Burke gathered the audacity to do just that.

“I was hoping it didn’t come across the wrong way,” remarked the Syracuse-bound senior. “I heard them cheering, and it was just a natural thing—I turned and winked.”