Varsity Outdoor Track and Field Results

2008 Varsity Outdoor Track & Field

Excerpts and Links to Media Reports:
Please note: Some older stories may not be available online.

June 9, MoCoRunning: Mocorunning All-Stars Compete at Gala

... By 10pm, the sun was long gone, but the heat did not let up. The breeze died down, which enhanced the humidity. The ladies in red Team MD singlets jogged down the track together to the starting line for the All-Star DMR.

Addie Tousley was up first for the Mocorunning All-Stars. Initially starting out fifth in line, she jumped out to fourth place and asserted herself in the pack while the Eleanor Roosevelt lead-off leg jumped out to the lead. Oakton battled with ER for the remainder of the first leg, while Tousley established Mocorunning between the Roanoke All-Stars and Blacksburg. With a great kick, Tousley moved passed Roanoke into third place before handing it off to Katie Wolf for the 400-meter leg. Tousley split 3:52.7, an average of 1:17.6 per lap, 5:10 1600 pace.

As is their signature, ER opened up on the field in the 400-meter leg. Oakton remained the next closest. The Roanoke All-Star runner, Natalie Woodford, proved to be an even match for Mocorunning's Katie Wolf. Woodford initially caught Wolf, but Wolf split 57.6 to leave her teammate with the same small lead over Roanoke. Both Roanoke and Mocorunning closed the gap on second place Oakton.

Hannah Richardson from Mocorunning and Tatum Tyler from Roanoke swapped leads a few times throughout the 800-meter leg. Richardson split 1:13 through the first lap, giving up the lead to her competitor. Richardson took back the lead at 500-meters and fought a hard battle for 300-meters to the next exchange zone. She negative split, going 1:13-1:10 for a 2:23 split, handing off to anchor leg Alex Giedd with the biggest lead over the Roanoke All-Stars of the race (it was about a two-second lead).

June 4, MoCoRunning: Mocorunning All-Stars to Take On Milestat All-Stars

The final event at the Milestat.com Elite Track Gala is an All-Star Distance Medley Relay that teams up the best athletes in the different classifications of Virginia and pins them against one another. In 2008, Mocorunning.com is sponsoring a boys' and a girls' all-star DMR team to take on the Virginians. Singlets will be provided to each athlete courtesy of the Battle of the Potomac XC Championship.

As the sun sets, Addie Tousley of B-CC will kick off the all-star action with a 1200-meter leg. In the past year, Tousley has won the 3A West Region cross country title, two consecutive 3A West 3200m titles, and the outdoor 3A West 1600m title. She has a season best 1600 time of 5:17 and contributed to the 4x800 that ran 9:24 at the Penn Relays.

Katie Wolf of Churchill High School brings the speed to this All-Star squad. Wolf has won two county titles and three regional titles in her first two years of high school. She has PR's of 24.60 in the 200 and 56.63 in the 400. She also knows what it's like to run a fast DMR, helping her high school team clock a time of 12:08 at this year's Penn Relays. She will run the 100-meter dash and the 400-meter hurdles prior to the DMR.

Hannah Richardson of B-CC will take over the baton for the 800-meter leg. Richardson was this years outdoor 3A West regional 800m champion and the runner up at the indoor state championship. She was also a contributor to the 4x800 that ran 9:24 at the Penn Relays.

Driving home to the finish will be Alex Giedd of Churchill High School. Most well-known for her 3200 endurance, Giedd dropped her personal best 1600 time drastically in the final two meets of the season running 5:16, and then 5:14 to place ninth at the state meet. She will be looking to stay hot against the strong Virginia anchor legs that she will be up against.

May 25, MoCoRunning: Dawn of a New Era, Day 3

Montgomery County has many great things, but most importantly, it has great track athletes. And this past weekend, the females of MoCo really proved themselves yet again ... No matter what class or event, the MoCo ladies were right there.

BCC's Addie Tousley and Paige Donnelly, together for a good portion of the race, stayed close to Jenna Simino of Hereford, who won the race in 5:11.24. Tousley had a great finish and came in 2nd with 5:17.55. Tousley said, "Going into the 1600 I was still pretty tired from the day before and I wasn't that sure of how the whole race would play out because a fair amount of the girls I was racing had run the 3200 with me the day before." It wasn't until she saw Donnelly get in front of her that she realized she needed to make a move, "Coming into the last turn I just tried to close as much as I could and since my legs felt pretty good I ended up having a pretty nice kick." Although she PRed, Tousley was most proud of Donnelly's performance because she had a 4 second PR. How sweet. BCC will continue to be dominant in the distance events as they return many girls from this year. ...

3A had no state finalists in the 800m, but Tousley came close, running 2:25.77 for 7th place.

May 24, MoCoRunning: 3A State Championship

B-CC results:

Boys 4x800 Meter Relay - 2nd
Boys 3200 Meter Run - Dylan Straughan, 4th; Kyle Short, 5th; Matt Davey-Karlson, 15th
Boys High Jump - David Williams, 5th
Girls 4x800 Meter Relay - 4th
Girls 3200 Meter Run - Addie Tousley, 2nd
Boys 800 Meter Run - Dylan Straughan, 17th
Boys 1600 Meter Run - Kyle Short, 5th; Alex Prevost, 8th; Walter Beller-Morales, 9th
Boys Triple Jump - Gil Kirk, 9th
Girls 400 Meter Dash - Hannah Richardson, 12th
Girls 800 Meter Run - Addie Tousley, 7th; Paige Donnelly, 14th; Hannah Richardson, 16th
Girls 1600 Meter Run - Addie Tousley, 2nd; Paige Donnelly, 7th

Team scores: Boys 13th; Girls 11th

Complete results on the web site.

May 23, MoCoRunning: Dawn of a New Era, Day 2

The 3A 4x800 race was the first of the day. BCC’s first leg did well on the first lap, however trying to keep up with Largo caused her to fade away coming into the first exchange. Largo had a huge lead on the 2nd leg but Damascus still managed to keep up with the competition. Coming into the final exchange, BCC got back in the race and came in 4th with 9:44.85. ...

For the 3200, Adelaide Tousley of BCC held it down for MoCo in the 3200m race, coming in 2nd with a season best 11:24.98.

May 14, MoCoRunning: 3A West Regional

Top B-CC finishes:

Girls 3200 Meter Run - Addie Tousley, 1st; Paige Donnelly, 2nd
Boys 110 Meter Hurdles - Michael Orevba, 6th
Girls 4x800 Meter Relay - 1st
Boys 3200 Meter Run - Dylan Straughan, 1st; Kyle Short, 2nd; Matt Davey-Karlson, 5th
Boys 4x800 Meter Relay - 1st
Boys High Jump - David Williams, 4th
Boys Long Jump - David Williams, 5th
Girls 400 Meter Dash - Hannah Richardson, 2nd
Girls 800 Meter Run - Hannah Richardson, 1st; Addie Tousley, 2nd; Paige Donnelly, 4th
Boys 800 Meter Run - Dylan Straughan, 4th
Girls 1600 Meter Run - Addie Tousley, 1st; Paige Donnelly, 2nd
Boys 100 Meter Dash - Roger Kirk, 6th
Boys 1600 Meter Run - Alex Prevost, 2nd; Kyle Short, 3rd; Walter Beller-Morales, 4th
Boys 300 Meter Hurdles - Michael Orevba, 5th
Boys 4x100 Meter Relay - 5th
Boys Triple Jump - Gil Kirk, 2nd; Michael Orevba, 5th

Team scores: Boys 4th; Girls 4th

Complete results on the web site.

May 10, MoCoRunning: County B Championship

Top B-CC finishes:

Boys 200 Meter Dash - David Segun, 12th
Boys 800 Meter Run - Eric Damtoft, 9th; Eliot Gerson, 12th
Boys 1600 Meter Run - Matt Davey-Karlson, 1st; Eliot Gerson, 7th; Eric Damtoft, 9th
Boys 3200 Meter Run - Matt Davey-Karlson, 6th
Boys Shot Put - Eli Kamerow, 5th
Girls 3200 Meter Run - Naomi Roochnik, 8th
Girls 100 Meter Hurdles - Julia Hardgrove, 2nd
Girls 300 Meter Hurdles - Julia Hardgrove, 5th

May 9, MoCoRunning: County Championship Recap

The 2008 athletes of Montgomery County's public school track and field teams had something to prove. Despite cool, rainy weather, little rest time, and (for some) multiple events, fast times and good marks were abundant at this year's Championship meet on May 8th. Several meet records went down, and a number of state-leading and US top 10 performances were reached. The 2008 championships really raised the bar, and showed the nation that MoCo was worth talking about. ...

Though it wasn't as close as the girls' 4x8, the boys' race was just as exciting, likely due to the obliteration of the old county record. The race started out fast, as QO junior Wayne Bartholomew led WJ, B-CC, and Churchill through the first lap in 56 seconds. Bartholomew would keep the lead for the entire first leg, handing off in 1:56 to teammate Ryan Priovolos, who was followed by a chase pack made up of B-CC, WJ, Churchill, and Clarksburg. Priovolos broke the race open once again after passing 500 meters, and the race was over. By the time he finished his split in 1:59, QO had a big lead on 2nd place B-CC, which was busy duking it out with WJ and Churchill for second place. David Laratta finished 9 seconds ahead of B-CC with a 1:56 split, and handed off to Josh Joson, who ran a very impressive 1:56 completely alone to finish in an overall time of 7:49.59, a school record, county record, and season best. Alex Prevost ran a strong anchor leg for B-CC, bringing his 4x8 team its first sub-8 minute clocking this year with a 7:59.6. Churchill overtook a Chris Moen-less Walter Johnson team with a strong anchor leg, finishing 8:06 to WJ's 8:09.

The girls' 1600 had even more upsets, as unexpected winners took both the 'A' and 'B' sections. Rockville's Amy Ferro led Richard Montgomery's Sarah Britton and B-CC's Paige Donnelly for most of the race, and despite a late-race charge from Donnelly in the race's final strides, Ferro took home the win in 5:25. ...

With pre-race favorite Louise Hannallah out with injury, many expected superstar frosh Britt Eckerstrom of Northwest to take the victory in the 3200, as she was the runner-up of the 4A cross country state championships and performed admirably during the indoor season. Eckerstrom did not disappoint, and dominated the race from start to finish by maintaining a 10-meter gap almost the entire time, finishing in a solid 11:19. The real race was for second, between Whitman's Debbie Isen and Liza Schalch, QO's Aimee Moores, and B-CC's Addie Tousley. The pack of four clung together for the first mile in about 5:38, until the Whitman duo and Moores began to move up. The three stayed together until the last 200 meters of the race, and Moores delivered a powerful kick to finish second in 11:25. Isen and Tousley charged furiously the last 100 meters with Tousley outleaning Isen.

May 8, MoCoRunning: Montgomery County Championship

Top B-CC finishes:

Girls 4x800 Meter Relay - 4th
Boys 4x800 Meter Relay - 2nd
Girls 1600 Meter Run - Paige Donnelly, 7th
Boys 1600 Meter Run - Walter Beller-Morales, 6th; Alex Prevost, 9th
Girls 400 Meter Dash - Hannah Richardson, 7th
Girls 3200 Meter Run - Addie Tousley, 3rd
Boys 3200 Meter Run - Kyle Short, 4th; Dylan Straughan, 6th

Complete results on the web site.

May 7, Gazette: Race for county title a crowded heat

Luckily, track and field teams do well with speed.

What was in effect a five-week season for Montgomery County track teams meant that coaches didn’t have a lot of time to develop depth or figure out their best point-scoring lineups. But both will be put to the test at Thursday’s Montgomery County Championships, held at Churchill. ...

Whitman, Paint Branch, Poolesville, B-CC and Northwest are other teams that bear watching.

On the boys side, Quince Orchard (Class 4A) and B-CC (3A) both come in having won state titles this school year in cross country and indoor track. The bad news for both on the county stage is that the distance events are the greatest strength for each, and for several other teams.

May 7, MoCoRunning: Alex Prevost Interview

Alex Prevost has steadily been developing for years behind former teammates Elias Tousley and Chris Bowie on the B-CC distance team. With the departure of their two stars, Prevost and a tight group of seniors have continued the legacy in a way that no one thought possible. Last fall, B-CC had a Cinderella cross country season which ended in a 1-point victory at the 3A State Championship. Prevost continued to contribute to B-CC's success by qualifying for the 800 and 1600 at the indoor state championship. He and his teammates again have their sites set on the state championship for one last hoorah.

MoCoRunning: Before we talk about track let me ask you about cross country. You guys beat Wilde Lake by 1 point to win the state championship. Looking back a bit, describe what that was like and what it took to get there.

Prevost: Winning states as a team is probably the best memory of my running career. That day was like a movie full of drama. Two minutes before the race started the official said, "Take off your sweats". I took off my sweater and saw I was in trouble. I realized that I didn't have my singlet under my shirt. I told the guys, "Uh Oh, I'm not wearing my jersey." Everybody was laughing because they thought I was joking. I started panicking, and sprinted back up that hill that lasts forever with Young chasing me and telling me to calm down, which, by the way, was not easy in that situation. I made it back on time, but I had never felt so exhausted before a race. I had to start out slower than usual but managed to get back in somewhat of a decent position. I thought we had lost because of my extra warm up (since it was a really close race). Then they finally announced that B-CC had won. I was one of the seven happiest men alive in the world!! We all jumped on top of James, it was just a great day! Makes me cry just thinking about it.

MoCoRunning: Looking back do you think starting slower on a course like that may have actually helped you?

Prevost: No, I don't think a slow start helped at all. I had run that course earlier in the season, and my time had been much faster. I felt I was in better shape at that point in the season and I was more rested for it. It's true that starting out slower on a course like Bull Run is the smart decision, but not like I did.

MoCoRunning: What kind of influence did Tousley and Bowie have on this year's squad?

Prevost: Bowie and Elias are for sure one of the big reasons why the team is where it is this year. Nobody at B-CC took running seriously until Elias and Bowie came along. The younger guys like Dylan, DK, and I saw what we could accomplish and how to do it. We worked very hard to catch up to them. We are not there yet; we still have a lot work to do to get up to their level. ...

MoCoRunning: What kind of training does your team do during XC and track?

Prevost: During Cross we do lots and lots of tempos and long intervals. The workouts were very intense because of the depth on the team and no matter how good you feel, there is always someone you haven't dropped that is pushing you. I remember one workout we did during XC was an 800m loop that had a 300m hill in the middle. DK drank this crazy energy shot right before the work out and was just running like a horse on steroids but after two repeats he crashed like I never seen someone crash before. Those were some good times. Track workouts are a little faster in shorter intervals. Sorry I don't really have a story about track.

MoCoRunning: What is your favorite season? Why?

Prevost: Outdoor is probably my favorite because there is always a lot of action and the events are shorter. Track is maybe a better fit for me because I am more speed oriented. I like the workouts for track better. The one thing that XC has over track is the team aspect that you get. There is nothing like some good old male bonding. ...

MoCoRunning: You have dropped a lot of time in the mile in the past year. What have you done to improve by 30 seconds?

Prevost: My coach always says that staying healthy is the most important part of the training. I owe most of my improvement to him. His coaching philosophy is simple, but he focuses mostly on keeping everyone running the whole year round. You can train as hard as you want, but if you get hurt, all that work is ruined. I think that every year I have gotten strong and improvement has come with it. ...

MoCoRunning: What kind of miles did you put in over the summer?

Prevost: This summer I built up slowly to 60 miles a week; I was very happy about how the summer training went. Matt DK talked me into going to the Concord Running Camp. I am so glad I decided to go. I learned so much from the great counselors who worked there. I had never trained with that many fast people at once. The hills out there, in West Virginia, will make you cry. I tried to talk to as many coaches and counselors as I could to learn as much as I could and then apply it to my racing and training. It's a great place to go to run some hard miles, so I highly recommended it.

MoCoRunning: As your high school career comes to a close what kind of personal and team goals do you have?

Prevost: The goal is to make it to states and run as fast as we can. I feel like we have a good shot at winning the 4x800m with guys like Walter and Kyle who have really stepped up. I will try my best to help my relay achieve it. I feel like the team this year is very strong, and we have a couple of guys who could be a surprise. I hope to run well enough to give myself a chance in the mile. It's going to be much more competitive than indoor with guys like Graham Bazell, Nick Huang, Dylan Bernard, all the guys on my team and many more.

MoCoRunning: 4:30.78 is the automatic qualifier for states, can BCC get three guys in?

Prevost: Yes, we are definitely going to try to put our three guys in the State meet. We are probably going to work together during the race so our three guys make it to the next round.

May 4, MoCoRunning: Katie Jenkins Invitational Recap

Over two perfect days for running, the Katie Jenkins Invitational provided prime conditions for a last minute tune-up before counties and many personal records for younger runners. The B-CC boys’ and girls’ distance showed their depth and talent this weekend, as did Clarksburg’s sprint squads.

The 4x800m relay proved to be easy victories for both B-CC boys’ and Northwest girls,’ the only elite teams in the county to run their best. Though the Northwest’s girls ran virtually uncontested, the B-CC and Northwest boys’ squads battled for first for the majority of the race.

The next day, the B-CC boys again proved their dominance, sweeping the 1600m run with Kyle Short, Dylan Straughan, Alex Prevost and Walter Beller-Morales taking the top four places.

The girls 3200m also proved to be an exciting race between Paige Donnelly of B-CC and Sarah Britton of Richard Montgomery. The two established an early lead over the rest of the pack and entered the last 100 meters neck and neck, sprinting to the finish. However, the pair ran into a Sherwood runner just entering her last lap, breaking Donnelly’s stride and allowing Britton to seal a victory in a time of 12:14.

Donnelly came back the next day to place fifth in the 1600m run and fourth in the 800m run. Teammate Addie Tousley placed first in the 1600m run by passing Northwest’s Kathy Aherne in the last lap to cruise to the finish line. Tousley came back to place second in the 800m run to Blair’s Johanna Grestchel, who placed first in a blazing time of 2:18.

May 3, Running Maryland: Katie Jenkins Invitational 2008

Top B-CC finishes:

Girls 3200 Meter Run - Paige Donnelly, 2nd
Boys 3200 Meter Run - Alex Prevost, 1st; Eliot Gerson, 6th
Girls 4x800 Meter Relay - 4th
Boys 4x800 Meter Relay - 1st
Boys Long Jump - David Williams, 5th
Girls 1600 Meter Run - Addie Tousley, 1st; Paige Donnelly, 5th
Boys 1600 Meter Run - Kyle Short, 1st; Dylan Straughan, 2nd; Alex Prevost, 3rd; Walter Beller-Morales, 4th
Girls 800 Meter Run - Addie Tousley, 2nd; Paige Donnelly, 4th; Kate Leuba, 6th
Boys 800 Meter Run - Walter Beller-Morales, 3rd
Boys 4x100 Meter Relay - 2nd
Boys 4x400 Meter Relay - 4th
Quadrathlon (400, Discus, Long Jump, 1500) - Boys: Gil Kirk, 1st; Girls: Hannah Richardson, 2nd; Julia Hardgrove, 3rd

Apr. 26, MoCoRunning: Moco Highlights from Penn Relays

B-CC Girls 4x800 9:24.78 - Doll 2:21, Donnelly 2:22, Tousley 2:20, Richardson 2:21

Apr. 19, MoCoRunning: Viking Invitational

Top B-CC finishes:

Girls 4x800 Meter Relay - 2nd
Boys 100 Meter Dash - Roger Kirk, 8th
Boys 400 Meter Dash - David Williams, 7th
Boys 3200 Meter Run - Kyle Short, 2nd; Alex Prevost, 6th
Boys 4x800 Meter Relay - 3rd
Boys High Jump - David Williams, 2nd

Apr. 16, Running Maryland: B-CC's Williams Finally Jumps Feet First Into Track

Each of the past two Springs, Bethesda-Chevy Chase junior David Williams told track coach Chad Young that he would come out for the team. And come each Spring, Williams was too busy with offseason soccer and basketball to come through.

So when Young approached Williams again this year and got the same answer, he at first treated it just as lip service.

“I said ‘Don’t worry, I’m not going to punk out this year,’” Williams said.

And now that Williams is on the track team he keeps adding more and more events. Tuesday during a tri-meet with Sherwood and Georgetown, Williams participated in the high jump, long jump and 800-meter run.

He has about a couple weeks of experience in all three and it shows – in his form, not the results. Williams out-leaped Georgetown Prep’s Garvey Young, who is going to play basketball at Vermont next year, took second in the long jump behind Sherwood’s Kyle Hopkins and sixth in the 800. His high jump was 5-feet-6 inches, two inches off his season-high.

“I just jump as high as I can and jump over it,” Williams said. “It’s fun because a lot of people have been doing it for a long time and they’re like, ‘Woah, this kid’s good.’”

Williams also is a forward on the Barons’ Maryland 3A state champion soccer team and played guard for Bethesda-Chevy Chase’s state semifinal basketball team. He says he has at least one sporting event to go to every day, whether it’s a practice or game. He had soccer practice after Tuesday’s meet.

“He’s probably the best athlete at our school,” Young said. “He’s fun to watch.”

While Bethesda-Chevy Chase lost to Georgetown Prep, 90-47, the Barons defeated Sherwood’s boy’s team, 82-55. Georgetown Prep beat Sherwood’s boys, 93-44. Sherwood’s girls defeated Bethesda Chevy-Chase, 87-61. ...

Bethesda-Chevy Chase’s girls will need to drop their times come next week when they head to the Penn Relays. The girls were lead by Hannah Richardson, who notched first-place finishes in the long jump, 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash.

“The team is awesome and everyone is getting really fast trying to be the real deal,” Richardson said. “I think it’s a big step to finally run as fast as we can and show what we’ve been working at. This year is definitely our year to bring it out and really go strong.”

Apr. 15, MoCoRunning: B-CC, Prep @ Sherwood

Hannah Richardson won three events - the Long Jump, 400 Meter Dash, and 200 Meter Dash. Other B-CC winners were:

David Williams, Boys High Jump
Boys 4x800 Medley Relay
Dylan Straughan, Boys 3200 Meter Run
Paige Donnelly, Girls 1600 Meter Run (0.2 seconds ahead of Addie Tousley!)
Naomi Roochnik, Girls 3200 Meter Run
Julia Hardgrove, Girls 300 Meter Hurdles
Addie Tousley, Girls 800 Meter Run
Girls 4x100 Meter Relay

Complete results on the web site.

Apr. 13, Running Maryland: Woodward Relays

Top B-CC finishes:

Girls Distance Relay - 2nd
Girls 1600 Sprint Relay - 4th
Matt Davey-Karlson, Boys 1500 Meter Steeplechase - 2nd
Boys Distance Relay - 2nd
Boys 1600 Sprint Relay - 5th
Mixed 1200 Sprint Medley Co-ed Relay - 4th

Apr. 6, MoCoRunning: Stanley Leads Trojans to Cougar Relays Victory

Dylan Straughan made it a three-year sweep by B-CC athletes in the Devil Takes the Hindmost race. He ran a total distance of 8000 meters in 27:09. He won by sticking with the pack the entire race and using his speed in the last half mile to stay in front of the final two opponents.

Apr. 6, MoCoRunning: Lady Patriots Break Three Records

(At the Cougar Relays) Addie Tousley of B-CC won the Devil Takes the Hindmost race in a time of 25:06. She won by sticking with Aimee Moores for half the race, and then taking off two miles into the race.

Apr. 5, MoCoRunning: Cougar Relays

Complete results can be found here.

Apr. 2, MoCoRunning: WJ Boys and Girls Take Down B-CC at Home

This was the first dual meet of the season for both teams and both teams already had a lot of questions to answer. ...

The 4x8 boys involved B-CC Coach Chad Young and Walter Johnson Distance Coach Tom Martin more or less experimenting and testing out their respective distance runners’ current abilities. For B-CC, Kyle Short saw his first action since the indoor county championship. He had a stress fracture in his foot which forced him to take time off. Only since the end of February did he begin running again. Today he was impressive and split about a 2:02. ...

Interestingly, the girls’ 800 and 1600 meter runs played out in similar ways. In both races, two B-CC runners took the race out while a WJ runner tried her best to hang in there but fell off. Though, this did not happen so quickly in the 1600. WJ Freshman Anna Bosse went out with the B-CC duo of Addie Tousley and Paige Donnelly. Tousley appeared very controlled throughout the race and Donnelly stuck with her. Not until the final lap though, did Bosse fall off the back. She held onto third.

In the 800, a strong duo for B-CC of juniors Hannah Richardson and Addie Tousley was in force. Richardson had already established herself in the meet having doubled in the open 200 and 400. Kindly enough, she allowed Tousley to draft off of her. Like the 1600, both runners went 1-2 wire-to-wire. WJ Freshman Jennifer Spencer tried to hang on but fell off just after the first lap to third place. She kept them both well-within in reach but she simply could not make the move necessary to catch them. With 100 meters to go, Spencer almost dropped to 4th place but the top three places remained the same. The B-CC trio of Donnelly, Tousley, and Naomi Roochnik would also sweep the 3200 in that respective order.

The boys’ 1600 featured a rare showing by Chris Moen. He took the race out with a pack of B-CC runners about 5 meters behind him and teammates Sean O’leary and Brian Graves in the mix. His pace was fairly brisk considering how early in the season this meet was. His first lap was about a 66 while teammate O’leary followed in 67 with the B-CC pack not allowing him much room. Moen led for just about the entire race while a lot of action went on behind him. On the backstretch of the third lap Graves moved up to second-place. O’leary was then swallowed up by the B-CC trio Dylan Straughan, Walter Beller-Morales, and Alex Prevost. Graves would later feel the same brusque wrath which effectively despaired O’leary’s race. In the end, neither were able to pass back any of the Barons. With about 120 meters to go, Straughan came up on Moen’s shoulder. With 80 meters to go, Moen dropped Straughan and won with a 4:36. Straughan, Beller-Morales, and Prevost finished 2-3-4 and Graves and O’leary ensued.

Kyle Short in the 3200 showed the same aggressive strategy as in the 800. He took the race out hard and his first lap was 70 seconds or 9:20 pace. Dylan Straughan followed right behind him. Both led Chris Moen for about 50 meters until two laps to go. At the start of Moen’s 7th lap, he utilized his ability to rapidly accelerate. He caught the B-CC duo with about 120 meters left in the 7th lap. This came much to their surprise as Straughan swiftly looked back and knew he was in for another tough battle — much like the 1600. Moen stuck with Short and duo until about 80 meters to go. Short was no match for Moen’s kick and Straughan jogged it in. After talking with Straughan about the race when he finished, he told me he was not feeling the kick in him after a tough 1600 and a brisk start to the 3200.

Straughan had also bitterly told me he was going to try a new strategy and “go out as hard as [he] can and die as hard as [he] can.” He took out the 800 in a 59 first lap and enjoyed a sizeable gap over the remainder of the field. Though quickly after the first lap, he dropped back and was swallowed up by teammates Prevost and Beller-Morales, and WJ’s Moen and O’leary. Moen’s strategy, however, did not change—and why should it after having already doubled. With just less than 200 to go, O’leary kicked and moved close to third place behind Prevost and Beller-Morales. This apparently woke up Moen and upon being passed, he made his move with about 150 to go. Prevost and Beller-Morales had a decent lead on the rest of the field and this made it extremely difficult for Moen. Nonetheless, he made his move just early enough and barely edged out Prevost. Both ran 2:04 high. Beller-Morales and O’leary followed.

B-CC’s Hannah Richardson won by nearly two feet in the long jump with a jump of 14-08. This was the fourth event in which she competed and the fourth event she won making her four for four on the day. ...

B-CC has a Junior in David Williams who is relatively new to the running scene as a whole. He was a soccer player but is now doing track. He had a successful outdoor debut, easily winning the high jump in 5-06.

The boys’ 4x4 featured a dual between Sean O’leary and Kyle Short. O’leary had about a 10 meter lead on Short but Short gradually closed the gap. With about 50 meters to go, Short got right on O’leary’s back. But, O’leary was able to hold him off with a 57.2 split.

At the end of the day, Walter Johnson won on both the boys’ and girls’ sides — 76-61 and 74-62 respectively. But more importantly, a lot of questions were answered for both teams. Kyle Short had an impressive return to racing. He is absolutely ready for another successful track season. Speaking of distance, Walter Johnson also has some legitimate newcomers onto the track scene in Boatright and Kirwan. Also, B-CC’s David Williams could make an impact for B-CC in the jumps. It is to be determined whether he is more productive in the sprinting or distance events; though his talent is clearly there, it simply needs to be used efficaciously.

For complete results, click here.

Mar. 28, MoCoRunning: Hannah Richardson Interview

Hannah Richardson is one of four girls who contributed to B-CC's 3A state title this indoor season. She scored 10 individual points at the meet by placing fifth in the 500-meter run and second in the 800-meter run with a personal best time of 2:23.38. She anchored her 4x800 relay to the 3A state title and a season best time of 9:34.78 at Nike Indoor Nationals. With the departure of her teammate Alex Doll to the soccer fields this spring, Richardson will be leaned on as B-CC's lead mid-distance runner. Considering her rate of improvement this year, this should not be a problem for the gregarious B-CC junior. She describes what it is like to be a state champion when she least expected it and what she hopes to accomplish this season. ...

MoCoRunning: This indoor season was a season to remember for you and your teammates. Now that you’ve had some time to let it sink in, what is it like to be a state champion?

Richardson: Being a state champion is super cool. I love it! It’s my first state title in any high school sport or event, and it is still sinking in. We are now the real deal! It makes every hard work out and long run worth it. I am more motivated now, because I want to go back to states in outdoor. Being state champion also gives you so much street cred. For example, if someone makes a joke about how track is lame or whatever, you can just say, “Who won states, what?” I mean, if that ever happened, that’s what I would do. Just kidding. After winning the 4x8, everything fell into place. We all pushed hard to run fast and place well. It’s definitely something that I will never forget.

MoCoRunning: Before this season, you were a pretty good runner. You were just a step behind the impact runners in the county. This year you are anchoring your 4x8 to a state title and placing 2nd in the state in the 800. What has been the difference for you this year?

Richardson: Starting back in middle school, I used to run the mile. I was really stupid and competitive and would try and sprint to the front at the beginning of each lap, haha. I mean it worked sometimes. I also ran the 400, but I hadn’t figured out what kind of runner I wanted to be. Then, when I started high school, I had decided that the mile was no longer my race and I would focus on the 400. Our 4x4 was actually pretty decent, and I tried to convince my coach that I was a sprinter. But he knew better and sent me on the long distance runs, and put me in the 800. After that there was no turning back, even when I came to B-CC and told Coach Young that I ran the 200 and 400, but I’m a really bad liar, and that didn’t last long. He kept saying you're gonna run the 800. So at the end of outdoor last year, it clicked. Not just running, but the team itself.

This was my first indoor season, because I played basketball the past two years. But this time around I was ready to work hard at running. I want to run fast and I’m much more focused. I’ve even started buying running shorts, but I haven’t switched to just spandex yet, I’m not that cool, haha. What probably made the biggest difference was not only identifying myself as a “middle distancer” and becoming a more focused runner, but also the team spirit. Addie, Alex, Paige and I became really good friends. We pushed each other in work outs, made jokes about how Paige just ate a burrito, and how Alex is slacking, (more like being a beast). I run with them almost everyday, and how close we are has pushed me to do my best.

MoCoRunning: Your team bonds really showed this winter. Who knew you would be anchoring your team to 9:34 in the 4x8 at Nike Indoor Nationals. You had a really nice surge at the end to make up a lot of ground and nearly win your heat. What was your split on that leg and how were you feeling?

Richardson: Nationals was the coolest race/meet. Every athlete there is actually amazing at life. I got goose bumps watching Alex’s mile, like at states, when we watched Wil Zahorodny run a 1:04 in the 500. Although part of that might be because I had just run and I was a little out of it, haha.

My split in the 4x8 was about a 2:24, which is pretty close to my PR in the 800. I felt really good and strong. The intensity of being at nationals was crazy. They had music playing during the race, and while I was waiting to run/cheering, I was getting so pumped. The second I got the baton, all I wanted to do was catch that girl. I ran hard the first two laps, and I could tell she had slowed down, but I still wasn’t catching up. As soon as the third lap ended, I started my kick. I knew I had it. As I came around that last turn, the crowd and the intensity made me go even faster. Whenever I have a good kick, I smile, because I know that I’ve got it. I love how the race is really never over until the end. I’m so proud of our team! It is the best feeling in the world.

MoCoRunning: That 4x8 anchor leg looked like a nice hint of what we will see from you this spring. What are you trying to accomplish individually this spring?

Richardson: Individually, I want to continue to drop time in my 800. My goal is to hopefully be sub 2:20 by the end of the season and to qualify for states. I also want to improve in the 400, and beat my PR of 59 and I want to run in the Katie Jenkins Quadrathalon. And, as much as I hate to admit it, (Young will love this), I want to get back into the mile. The laps tend to intimidate me. I like the 400 and 800 because I can quickly say, "this is my last lap, time to kick." The mile is different, it is much longer and sometimes I feel like I unnecessarily freak myself out. Then, once I start running, I’m like, "what is wrong with me? I can do this." Although I probably won’t run it regularly, I would like to work at pacing and basically cross train for the 400 and 800. ...

One of the reasons we are becoming so successful is everyone is such good friends, including our coaches. The atmosphere is very friendly and challenging. As much as track is an individual sport, it’s also a team sport. As a team, we laugh, work hard, and push each other to do our best.

* * *

September/October 2007, B-CC Banter: Track & Field Shines at State Championships

The 2007 outdoor track team completed a successful season with 11 B-CC athletes qualifying to compete at the State Championships: Chris Bowie, Eleanor Fitall, Ashton Hamm, Gil Kirk, Roger Kirk, Alex Prevost, Hannah Richardson, Addie Tousley, Elias Tousley, Dylan Straughan, and Kathleen Tatem.

The season was highlighted by the impressive dominance of seniors Elias Tousley and Chris Bowie. Elias was undefeated all season in the mile and won the state title in the one-mile and two-mile races. He was also named Athlete of the Year in the Gazette and the Washington Post’s Montgomery Extra. Chris Bowie was close behind where he finished 3rd in both the one-mile and two-mile at states.

The girls’ team, led by the blazing duo of Addie Tousley and Hannah Richardson, doubled their point total at this year’s regional meet compared with 2006. The girls ran a greatly improved 4x800 relay team at the state championships.

- Reported by Chad Young

Mar. 28, 2007, Gazette: Area girls 4x800 teams are relay, relay fast

Fast facts

State classification: 3A
County division: II
Head coach: Chad Young, 2nd year
Last boys state title: 1959 (1st)
Last girls state title: 2003 (2nd)
2006 boys county meet: 7th
2006 girls county meet: 21st
Boys athletes to watch: Elias Tousley (distance), Chris Bowie (distance)
Girls athletes to watch: Addie Tousley (distance), Hannah Richardson (200, 400)

Meet summaries:

Mar. 19: Viking International

B-CC boys ranked 6 th at this year’s Viking Invitational; B-CC girls ranked 17th -- out of 22 schools, public and private, from MD, DC, VA, and Delaware.  This was a big and highly competitive all-day meet hosted by Walt Whitman HS. Full meet results can be found here, and photos and videos here.

The Barons had some exciting races and events:

• B-CC’s powerful boys’ 4X800 team – Alex Prevost, Kyle Short, Dylan Straughan, & Walter Beller-Morales – placed 3rd in 8:11.30, breaking both the meet and venue records.
• Girls 4X800 meter stars – Kate Leuba, Paige Donnelly, Hannah Richardson, & Addie Tousley – ran an amazing 10:08.29 to place 2nd in a field of 15 talented teams.
• Roger Kirk finaled in the 100 meter dash, placing 8th with 11.73; he also placed 22nd (of 54) in the 200 meter dash (24.30).
• David Williams (7th – 52.34) and James Lough (19th – 54.12) placed well for B-CC in a field of 58 runners running the 400 meter dash.
• David Williams also placed 9th in the 800 meter dash, going 2:06.91.
• Matt Davey-Karlson (12th in 4:44.59), Walter Beller-Morales (13th in 4:46.97), and Andrew Finkelstein (22nd in 4:56.01) proved again that B-CC has depth in the 1600 meter run.
• Kyle Short (2nd in 9:55.46), Alex Prevost (6th in 10:02.66) and Dylan Straughan (13th in 10:26.53) showed their usual distance strength in the 2 mile race.
• Michael Orevba, fast becoming a top hurdler in the county, placed 12th in the 110 meter hurdles (16.40) and 9th in the 300 meter hurdles (42.94).
• David Williams, with his highest high jump yet, placed 2nd with a jump of 6 feet!
• Paul-Marie Brou and Jordan Lindsay tied for 12th  in the high jump (5-04.00).
• Eli Kamerow placed 21st in the boys shot put (from a field of 44), throwing 36-06.00.

GO BARONS!

- Reported by Cinda Davey

Mar. 16: B-CC, Sherwood, Georgetown Prep
Boys: B-CC 82, Sherwood 55
Georgetown Prep 90, B-CC 47
Girls: Sherwood 87, B-CC 61

Full meet results can be found here, and for an interview with David Williams, click here. This is a video interview - plus a video of his winning high jump at this meet.  On the same site there are photos of Gil Kirk, Hannah Richardson, Roger Kirk, Paul Brou-Marie, and Jordan Lindsey in various track and field events.

Other highlights of the meet:

• Naomi Roochnik won the 2 mile (12:57.20), followed immediately by Kathleen Tatem (in 2nd with a time of 13:07.00).
• Hannah Richardson won the girls long jump (13-11.00), the 200 meter dash (27.40), and the 400 meter dash (1:01.20).
• David Williams won the boys high jump (5-06.00), and won 2nd in the long jump (19-02.00).
• Boys 4X800 meter relay team:  Kyle Short, Dylan Straughan, Alex Prevost, & Walter Beller-Morales took 1st place in 8:29.40.
• Boys 2 mile runners took 4 of the top 5 spots:   Dylan Straughan 1st (10:02.7); Kyle Short 2nd (10:03.10); Matt Davey-Karlson 4th (10:33.50); and Alex Prevost 5th (10:38.10).
• Girls 4X800 meter relay team:  Naomi Roochnik, Paige Donnelly, Kathleen Tatem, & Addie Tousley came in 2nd (11:04.87).
• Paige Donnelly won the 1 mile at 6:01.60, followed immediately by Addie Tousley in 6:01.80.
• Girls 300 meter hurdlers, Julia Hardgrove and Gayron Berman, took 1st (53.10) and 2nd (55.60).
• Girls 100 meter hurdlers, Selam Andu (18.21), Meaghan Vov (18.30), & Gayron Berman (18.70), took 3, 4 & 5.
• Gil Kirk placed 2nd in the 200 meter dash (24.10), followed by Paul-Marie Brou in 4th (24.60).
• Addie Tousley won the 800 meter race in 2:31.00.
• Walter Beller-Morales placed 2nd in the 800 meter dash (2:04.70), followed by Kyle Short in 4th (2:07.10), and David Williams in 6th (2:16.20).
• Girls 4X100 racers:  Julia Hardgrove, Gayron Berman, Selam Andu, and Hannah Polan won 1st in a time of 54.90.
• Boys 4X100 racers: Casey Shamma, Terrance James, Gil Kirk, and Roger Kirk took 2nd in 46.20.
• Eli Kamerow placed 5th in the discus throw (83-07.50) and 6th in the shot put (33-07.00).
• Girls shot putters Molly Braun, Julieta Lischinsky, and Patty Romaine scored 4th, 5th, and 6th for B-CC.
• Hurdler Michael Orevba placed 3rd in the 300 meter (43.40) and 4th in the 110 meter hurdles (16.50).
• Boys 100 meter dash – Casey Shamma placed 2nd (11.00) and Jabari Smith-Fraser and Roger Kirk tied for 3rd (11:30).

- Reported by Cinda Davey

Mar. 12: Whitman Relays

The B-CC track & field team participated in the Woodward Relays, held for the first time at Georgetown Prep, and had a successful day.  The team was reduced in size due to a band trip and ACT testing, which kept many of B-CC’s top runners out of the competition that day and reduced the number of events in which B-CC could participate. But the students who were there represented B-CC well.

Overall B-CC boys ranked 12th out of 20; B-CC girls ranked 14th. Highlights included:

• In the girls' 1600 Sprint Medley - Addie Tousley, Kate Leuba, Julia Hardgrove, and Hannah Richardson ran 5 seconds under their seed to place 4th (out of 20 teams).
• Runners Addie Tousley, Kate Leuba, Paige Donnelly, & Hannah Richardson placed 2nd in the Girls Distance Medley in 12:54.65, just 5 seconds behind the first-place Whitman team.
• Julieta Lischinsky tied for 14th place in the long jump with 13-00.75.
• Matt Davey-Karlson ran to a surprise 2nd place in the popular 2000 meter steeplechase event, a mere 9 seconds behind the winner.
• The boys Sprint Medley Team - Alex Prevost, Roger Kirk, Gil Kirk, & David Williams - placed 5th (out of 19 teams), with a time of 3:47.87.
• Walter Beller-Morales, James Lough, David Williams, & Alex Prevost came in 2nd (of 20) in the Boys Distance Medley - running 10:46.31.
• Boys long-jumpers David Williams, Gil Kirk, and Roger Kirk placed 8, 11, & 14 in a field of 56!
• Coed sprint relay runners James Lough, Kate Leuba, Paul Brou-Marie, & Hannah Richardson placed 4th in a time of 2:52.25.

- Reported by Cinda Davey

Apr. 8: B-CC vs. Churchill, Kennedy, St. Andrew's

In this 4-team meet the B-CC girls came out on top against Kennedy and St. Andrew's, and the boys beat everybody! Both boys and girls had many personal-best runs, promising an exciting Woodward Relay meet on Saturday.  Full scoring information can be found on the MoCoRunning web site.

Meet Highlights:

• Addie Tousley had a standout day... with personal bests in the 1 mile (5:18.90, 2nd place), 2 mile (11:33.40, 2nd place), and 800 meter (2:26.50, 3rd).
• Kyle Short won an exciting and aggressive 2 mile race (9:47.40), front-running from the start of the race; he also ran his fastest 4x800meter relay leg.
• Boys 4x800 relay team - Kyle Short, Dylan Straughan, Walter Beller-Morales, & Alex Prevost - ran their fastest time yet this year (8:15.70) to win first place over Churchill.
• David Williams continues to shine as a new addition....winning both the high jump (5-08.00) and long jump (19-00.00).
• Roger Kirk took first place in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.6.
• Paige Donnelly (5:41.60) and Kathleen Tatem (6:00.20) ran in the top 5 of the girls’ 1600 meter race; Paige also took 4th in the 3200 meters (12:21.60).
• Alex Prevost won first (4:33.00) in the 1600 run, followed closely by Dylan Straughan (4:33.80).
• Jabari Smith-Fraser, Gil Kirk, Roger Kirk, and Casey Shamma were the first place 4x200 relay team (1:35.70) edging out Churchill.
• Hannah Richardson won the 200 meter dash (27.70) and took 2nd in the 400 meter dash (1:01.60), just 1 second behind the first-place runner.
• Alex Prevost won 1st place in the 800 meters (2:04.70), with Walter Beller-Morales close behind in 3rd (2:05.30).
• Boys 3200 meter – B-CC took 4 of the top five places.  Short won, followed by Dylan Straughan (10:04.20), Walter Beller-Morales (10:12.20), and Matt Davey-Karlson (10:30.10).
• Hurdler Michael Orevba won 1st in both the 300 meter hurdles (45.40) and the 110 meter hurdles (17.9).
• Boys 200 meter dash saw 4 B-CC boys in the top 10:  Paul-Marie Brou & Gil Kirk tied for 3rd (24.7), James Lough (5th, 24.8), & Jabari Smith-Fraser (10th, 25.1).
• Triple jumper Gil Kirk won 1st with 39-06.00.
• Eli Kamerow won first place in the boys shot put with 34-02.00 and 3rd in the discus throw with 94-05.
• Four B-CC runners scored top 10 in the 400 meter dash – Terrance James (55.00, 4th), James Lough (55.10, 5th), with David Segun & Alexander Barrett tied for 10th (58.5).

Final Scores:
Girls (2-2)
B-CC 73.00, JFK 60.00
B-CC 95.00, St. Andrew's 28.00
B-CC 22.00, Churchill 111.00

Boys (3-1)
B-CC 116.00, JFK 20.00
B-CC 114.00, St. Andrew's 22.00
B-CC 90.66, Churchill 46.33

GO BARONS!

- Reported by Cinda Davey

Apr. 1: B-CC vs. Walter Johnson

Full scoring information can be found on the MoCoRunning web site.

Meet Highlights:

• Addie Tousley won 1600 meter race; was second in 800 and 3200 meters.
• Barons girls win the 4x800 meter relay.
• Girls trio of Paige Donnelly, Addie Tousley, and Naomi Roochnik swept the 3200 meter race (in that respective order).
• Boys 1600 meter race - Dylan Straughan, Walter Beller-Morales, and Alex Prevost finished 2-3-4.
• Boys 800 meter - Alex Prevost and Walter Beller-Morales came in 1-3.
• Hannah Richardson won 200, 400, 800 meter runs.  In the long jump, she also won by nearly two feet with a jump of 14-08.
• David Williams (B-CC soccer player now running track) had a successful outdoor debut, easily winning the high jump in 5-06.
• Kyle Short split 2:02 in the 800 relay, an impressive return to racing after a recent stress fracture. He is absolutely ready for another successful track season.

- Reported by Cinda Davey

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