Preview of 2011 MPSSAA Class 1A West Region Outdoor Track and Field Championships

Jaime Wright
TSR Freelance Reporter
May 18, 2011

(240) 409 – 0394
Rockrunner23@gmail.com

Preview of 2011 MPSSAA Class 1A West Region Outdoor Track and Field Championships

MANCHESTER, Md.—The Mavericks host the Class 1A West Regional Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Manchester Valley High School on Friday, May 20, 2011. Field and track events begin at 3:00 p.m.

The boys’ and girls’ 100-meter dash kick off the start of the track events.

Returning to the track this year are sprinter specialists and 2010 1A West Region champions Abby Duncan of Boonsboro and Chance Smith of Brunswick.

Duncan had a winning time of 12.70 seconds last year in the girls’ 100. Duncan was followed by runner-up Allegheny’s Aimee Conley (13.10) and Smithsburg’s Mia Cardone who placed third (13.23).

Duncan is also seeded to run the girls’ 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash.

Smith won the 100 in a time of 11.39 seconds at last year’s Class 1A West Region meet. Smith lost to Catoctin’s Deven Patterson in last year’s 200-meter dash and took region runner-up honors. Patterson won the 200 with a time of 22.14 seconds.

Patterson is also seeded in the boys’ 400-meter dash, which he won in last year’s event with a time of 48.89 seconds.

On the distance runners’ side, Allegheny’s Ian MacFawn and Boonsboro’s Sarah Zielinski should be top contenders in the 800-meter and 3200-meter run, respectively.

MacFawn won last year’s 800 in a time of 1:58.57 and should also receive competition in the 800 from Williamsport’s Evan Hardy, as well as from Brunswick’s Daniel Trettel in the boys’ 1600. MacFawn will also be competing against Hardy in the boys’ 3200.

Hardy is seeded in all three distance events: boys’ 800, 1600 and 3200 meter run.

Hardy is last year’s runner-up in the boys’ 3200, who crossed the tape in a time of 9:58.66. MacFawn is last year’s boys’ 1600 region runner-up, who finished in a time of 4:27.62.

On the girls’ distance side, Zielinski should have competition from rival Smithsburg’s Lauren Johnson.

Zielinski is last year’s girls’ 3200 region champion. Zielinski ran a time of 12:42.17. Johnson came in third place at last year’s event with a time of 12:54.86. Both Johnson and Zielinski are competing in the girls’ 1600-meter run.

A highly-contested boys’ and girls’ 4x800-meter relay will start at 3:30 p.m.

Teams competing for the top six places in the girls’ and boys’ 4x800-meter relay will be Oakland Mills, Williamsport, Boonsboro, Clear Spring, Hancock, Northern Garrett, Manchester Valley, Mountain Ridge, Fort Hill, Southern Garrett, Smithsburg and Catoctin.

Last year, Mountain Ridge took home the gold in the girls’ 4x800-meter relay with a time of 10:08.68. The Lady Wildcats and Lady Mavericks had a close race, claiming second and third respectively with times of 10:23.55 and 10:23.84.

In the boys’ 4x800-meter relay, the Railroaders won with a time of 8:23.95, while Williamsport and Smithsburg took second and third with respective times of 8:26.70 and 8:32.86.

Returning to the hurdles this year from last year’s regional championship is Fort Hill’s Leah Turko. Turko placed fourth in the girls’ 100-meter hurdles with a time of 17.02. Turko had great success in the 300-meter hurdles with a second place finish and a time of 49.63.

Also contesting in the 300-meter hurdles is Smithsburg’s multi-athlete Jonelle Jerwick.

Jerwick will also compete in girls’ long jump and pole vault. Jerwick won last year’s girl’s pole vault with a clearance of 9 feet, 8 inches.

Other top girls’ long jump contenders include Catoctin’s Hannah Stone, Northern Garrett’s Chelsi Kling and Oakland Mills’ Laura Klosterman.

Last year, Stone won girls’ long jump with a jump of 15 feet, 9.5 inches. Kling claimed eighth place with a jump of 14 feet, 2 inches.

Stone is also last year’s region champion in girls’ high jump. Stone cleared a height of 4 feet, 9 inches in last year’s competition. Stone will be challenged this year by Manchester Valley’s Erika Hurd.

Hurd currently holds the second best high jump in the tri-state area. Hurd cleared 5 feet, 8 inches at the Carroll County Championships this May. Stone cleared 5 feet, 6 inches at the Thomas Johnson Patriot Invitational earlier this year.

Boonsboro’s Becky Young will be another female field athlete to watch at the Class 1A West Region championships in girls’ shot put and discus.

Young claimed runner-up honors in last year’s shot put with a throw of 34 feet, 11.75 inches. Young also earned third place in girls’ discus last year with a throw of 99 feet.

Brunswick’s Haley Rogers should give Young competition at this year’s shot put event, as well as from Lady Warrior teammate Samantha Cochran. Cochran was eighth place in last year’s girls’ discus with a throw of 80 feet, 5 inches.

This year, Young should receive competition in girls’ discus from Smithsburg’s Sara Rishell and Manchester Valley’s Sarah Bach.
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In the boys’ field events, Boonsboro’s Coby Gussio leads boy’s long jump. Last year, Gussio won the event with a jump of 21 feet, 7.5 inches, as well as boys’ triple jump with a jump of 44 feet, 3.5 inches.

This year, Gussio should receive competition in boys’ long jump from Smithsburg’s Johnny Karroll and Catoctin’s Darian Vandiver.

Karroll is also the top contender in the boys’ pole vault. Karroll finished third at last year’s boys’ pole vault contest and jumped 10 feet, 7 inches.

Karroll will, again, be challenged by Brunswick’s Nathan Diaz. Diaz is last year’s boys’ pole vault gold medal winner, and cleared a height of 13 feet.

Boonsboro’s John “J.R.” Lowery is this year’s boys’ thrower to watch. Lowery took fourth place in last year’s boys’ shot put with a throw of 42 feet, 6 inches. The top three throwers in last year’s event were graduating seniors.

In this year’s boys’ shot put, Lowery will be challenged by Mountain Ridge’s Dylan Harden, Oakdale’s Michael McGraw and Catoctin’s Tyler Silverman.

In boys’ discus, Lowery will also be challenged by Silverman, as well as Brunswick’s Justin Gunne and Northern Garrett’s Alex Ruff.

Lowery took runner-up honors in discus last year with a throw of 137 feet, 3 inches. Ruff placed third to Lowery last year with a throw of 127 feet, 3 inches.

For more information on last year’s Class 1A West Region results, please visit the following hyperlink:

http://www.tristaterunnur.com/1awestro2010.txt
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