By Michael Newman

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With some of the top runners getting ready for this weekend’s New Balance Indoor Nationals, most of the attention turned to Illinois which is getting into the meat of their indoor schedule. Perhaps the best performance by an athlete this past week belonged to Lindsay Graham (Glenbard West HS, Glen Ellyn IL) in the two meets that she competed in. Graham started running the 3200 Meter Run at the North Central College Cardinal Classic High School Classic on March 5. The defending Illinois 3A Cross Country State champion took the early and never relinquished it. She did have company the first 1800 meters when Judy Pendergast (North HS, Naperville IL) stayed right on Graham’s shoulder. Before 200 meters, Graham pulled away for the win (10:34.13, US #8). Pendergast was also under 11 minutes running 10:49.87 (US #24). In each of the 8 400’s that she ran in the race, she ran no slower than 80 seconds, no faster than 78 seconds.

Graham came back to race in the 3200 Meter Relay and the 1600 Meter Run at the Proviso West Lady Panther Invitational on March 7. She started off her day with a 2:18 anchor split bringing her team home in 9:44.71 (IL #7). Later in the meet in the 1600 Meter Run, she pulled away early in the race from Ayaiko Higuchi (Fremd HS, Palatine IL) for a 15 second win. Graham’s time of 4:55.19 is the fastest 1600 in the Midwest and fifth fastest nationally.

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Foot Locker National Champion Anna Rohrer (Mishawaka HS IN) started her season off on a fast note at the Fremont Hoosier State Relay Qualifier on March 7. Rohrer lapped the field twice in running a 10:32.17 3200 Meter Run winning by 77 seconds. It is a great tune-up for her next race tomorrow in the 5000 Meter Run at the New York Armory. Lauren Johnson won the 3200 Meter Run at the West Lafayette Individuals (March 7) in 10:54.59 (US #33) by fourteen seconds ahead of Haley & Kelsey Harris (Carmel HS IN).

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Defending Illinois 1A 1600 & 3200 Meter Champion Jon Davis (Oakwood HS, Fithian) started his season off nicely at the Champaign Centennial Charger Classic on March 7 held at the University of Armory. Davis and Pavlo Hutsalyuk (Lane Tech HS, Chicago) went through the first 800 of the 1600 Meter Run in 2:09. When the next 400 lagged at 65 seconds, Davis took off. The junior covered the last quarter of the race in 61 seconds crossing the finish line in a personal best 4:16.77 (US #12).

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There were also some great individual performances at the Ohio Indoor State Meet at Akron on March 7. Annie Heffernan (St. Ursula Academy, Cincinnati) ran a seasonal best 10:45.37 (US #15) to win the Division 1 3200 Meter Run fourteen seconds ahead of second place Carly Davis (Jerome HS, Dublin) who also ran a seasonal best (10:59.25, US #46). Michaela DeGenero (Granville HS OH) won the Division 1 1600 Meter Run (5:02.42, US #37) five seconds ahead of Lilly Saniel-Barney (Davidson HS, Hilliard OH). The D2/D3 race was a little more exciting as Dominique Clairmonte (Lexington HS OH) won the 1600 (5:03.01, US#42) by less than a second ahead of Athena Welsh (St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Louisville OH). Later in the meet, Clairmonte came back to win the 3200 Meter Run (11:07.14) by almost half a minute ahead of her competition in the D2 / D3 race.

The Boys meet had just as much excitement as the Girls meet. Brian Bell (Dunbar HS, Dayton) dominated the D2/D3 800 Meter Run winning the race (1:53.73) by more than three seconds ahead of Jordan Pritchard (Lake Catholic HS, Mentor). Zach Bons (Coffman HS, Dublin) won the D1 race in 1:56.69 (US #58). Gavin Gaynor (Hudson HS OH) won the Division 1 1600 Meter Run (4:16.84) more than two seconds ahead of Luke Landis (Norwalk HS OH). In the D2/D3 race, Bailey Tow (Lincolnview HS, Van Wert OH) edged Ryan Adams (Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) by 26 hundredths of a second for the win (4:18.63, US #23 – 4:18.89 US #27). Andrew Jordan (Watkins Memorial HS, Pataskala) had the fastest 3200 I the meet winning the Division 1 race (9:17.47, US #23) by more than six seconds ahead of Colin Burdette (Davidson HS, Hilliard).

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There were some good individual performances besides that of Graham throughout Illinois. Maryjeanne Gilbert (Notre Dame HS, Peoria) made her track season debut at the Big 12 Girls Conference Meet on Monday. The defending 2A champion in the 3200 won that event 10:49.73 (US #23) by almost a minute. At a small triangular meet in Lombard last Thursday, Kelly O’Brien (Palatine HS IL) ran under eleven minutes for the first time clocking 10:57.1 on the small 160 meter Glenbard East track.

Defending Illinois 1A 1600 champion Anna Sophia Keller (St. Anthony HS, Effingham) made her seasonal debut at the SIU Girls Invitational in Carbondale on March 6. Keller won the 1600 (5:02.80, US #39) thirteen seconds ahead of Emma Martin (Herrin HS IL).

Zach Dale (Conant HS, Hoffman Estates) moved away from the field in the 1600 Meter Run at the York Invitational (March 6) after passing the first 800 in 2:09. Dale cruised to an eleven second win (4:21.32, US #66). Dale had earlier run a 1:57 split for his team in the 3200 Meter Relay. Graham Brown (Palatine HS IL) won the 3200 Meter Run (9:31.75) by less than a second ahead of Jon Klaiber (North HS, Naperville IL). York’s freshman Charlie Kern finished third (9:36.16) with the second fastest freshman time nationally. At the Joe Scarpino Invitational on March 7, Kevin Salvano (Buffalo Grove HS IL) won the 3200 Meter Run on his home track lapping the field with a 9:28.0 time (US #77).

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There were some fast relay performances throughout that should be mentioned. Monday at the Mustang Relays at North Central College outside of Chicago, Orland Park Sandburg came from behind with a 1:56 split by Chris Torpy and a 1:55 split by anchor Sean Torpy to win the 3200 Relay (7:53.49, US #11).The story of this race was the 1:51.9 anchor that Ty Moss ran to bring Naperville Neuqua Valley from sixth to second in the final 800 meters (7:55.42, US #15). The Girls 3200 Meter Relay at the meet was just as exciting as Loyola Academy rallied in the final 200 meters to pass Downers Grove North for a narrow win (9:25.02, US #15 – 9:25.54, US #27).

The Ohio Indoor State meet also produced some fast times. Geneva won the D1 relay (9:22.09) five seconds ahead of Columbus Gahanna Lincoln (9:27.75). Cleveland St. Ignatius won the Boys D1 race (7:56.58, US #20) less than a second ahead of Dublin Coffman (9:57.53, US #22).

It was all about the Distance Medley Relay in Indiana this past weekend. Fort Wayne Carroll ran 10:36.29 (US #32) at New Haven. Carmel won the Metro Scholastic Conference DMR in 12:25.22 (US #23). Anna Rohrer anchored her Mishawaka team to an easy win at the Hoosier State Relays Qualifier at Fremont (12:41.15, US #52).

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This weekend, the main focus by many will be at the New York Armory and the New Balance Indoor Nationals. Anna Rohrer (Mishawaka IN), Sarah Kettel (Capital Home School, East Lansing MI), and Stephanie Jenks (Aurora IA) will all shoot for top finishes in the 5000 Meter Run. Kettel and Audrey Belf (Seaholm HS, Birmingham MI) will chase after the title in the 2 Mile Run Sunday. Jenks will come back on Sunday to compete in the 1 Mile Run along with Karrigan Smith (St. John MI) in the Section 2 of the race. Wisconsin State Champion Cami Davre (Whitefish Bay WI) will compete in Section 1 of the event. It will be the third time that Ersula Farrow (Oak Park HS MI) and Sammy Watson will face each other this spring with Watson winning both. They will square off in the 800 Meter Run Sunday afternoon. Karina Liz (Aurora Central HS IL) and Cassie Mundekis (Midwest Central, Manito) will be running in earlier sections of the event.

Defending champion Grant Fisher (Grand Blanc MI) has the top time this year in the 1600 and the mile nationally. He will race for his second straight championship in the 1 Mile Run Sunday afternoon. Logan Wetzel (Saline MI), who is ranked second nationally in the mile should be one of Fisher’s chief competition. Lucas Arrivo (Pioneer HS, Ann Arbor MI) will compete in the first section.

Donavan Brazier (Kenowa Hills HS, Grand Rapids MI), who is ranked fifth nationally, and Brian Bell (Dunbar HS, Dayton OH), who is ranked eleventh, will contend for the 800 Meter Championship on Sunday. Drake Gauthier (Grand Blanc HS MI) and Ryan Adams (CVCA, Stow MI) will also compete in the event. Jesse Hersha (Concord HS MI), who ran 9:11 three weeks ago, will contend for the championship in the 2 Mile Run against a strong field. Zach Dale (Conant HS, Hoffman Estates IL), Ben Veatch (Carmel HS IN), and Zach Snider (Breubeuf Jesuit, Indianapolis IN) will race in Section 1.

Indiana will continue to focus on Hoosier State Qualifier Meets across the state. The big meet to keep an eye on in Illinois is Friday night at Batavia. The Distance Madness Meet will feature great fields in the 1600 Meter Run including Judy Pendergast (North HS, Naperville IL) and Alexa Haff & Annie Zaher (Central HS, Hinsdale IL) in the Girls race. The Boys race will be fast with Jake & Luke Hoffert (Yorkville HS IL) leading a tough field led by Blake Evertsen (Central HS, Hinsdale).

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