In her first season of Cross Country, Nicole Dimercurio finished 17th at her region meet in a time of 20:26....impressive but not ground breaking. Since that race, this young runner has discovered a fire within her that has led her to the number 6 spot on the current 1600m ranking list as well as a top 8 finish at the Coaches Invitational as well as a win at the Cobb Gwinnett Challenge race. We had a couple of questions for Nicole.
The Therrell girls posted some pretty impressive numbers in the 1st day of competition at the Morehouse Relays. Brittany Long started things off with the number one qualifying time in the 100m with a 11.71. Quanes Cleckley was equally impressive in the 100m hurdles posting a 14.20 qualifying mark.
Ben Hubers legend grows after an amazing performance at the 2006 GATFXC Coaches Invitational to lead the McEachern boys to a hard fought victory in the 4x1600 over Hoover. Hubers split a 4:12 on the last leg to edge out Stephen Payne of Hoover by .02 seconds. Their time ranks as the sixth fastest all time in the state of Georgia.
The weekend of March 11th produced some amazing results from Georgia athletes. Brittany Hall goes 2:09 2 in the 800m for a top 4 finish at NSIC. Nicole Okolo goes 13.83 for the 100m hurdles, the first time I can remember that 14 seconds was broken in the 100m hurdles this early. Southwest Dekalb, Stephenson and Collins Hill are now 1st, 2nd and 3rd all time in the Sprint Medley Relay. Can we get these three teams together and maybe see a sub 4 minute 1600m SMR? On the boys side, St. Pius had an amazing race at the Panther Relays going 3:29:44 in the 1600m Sprint Medley, the 2nd fastest all time in the state of Georgia. Here\'s a name you might have heard before...Antonio McKay, Jr. that is. A 400m runner with quite a pedigree that\'s making a name for himself these days. Keep up the good work gentlemen and congrats on a great race.
Wes Wright, of Villa Rica, put together a tremendous effort in the last round of competition to take the lead in the shot put competition with a throw of 59\'7\" only to see competitor Cameron Elisara, of New York, take the lead back with a throw of 61\'2\".
A comprehensive meet program is available for download on the meet main page. While the field doesn\'t include all the Cobb and Gwinnett schools, there will still be a talented field on hand for what should be a great meet!
The season is just getting into full swing. There have been several elite performances posted already this young season and now it\'s time to ensure that your athletes receive recognition. Here at the Milesplit network, we have a wide variety of tools available to us but they depend on accurate information. Make sure that your team page is updated by your team administrator. Don\'t have one? Well here is what you need to do.
In an event that is quieckly gaining popularity, Emily Bernhardt has staked her claim to the number one spot in the land. The weight throw is an event contested in indoor track and field. Female athletes throw the 20 lb. weight in competition and the top thrower in the United States goes to Lassiter high school. Emily leads a crew of Georgia athletes that has taken this event by storm. With five of the top throwers in the nation, Georgia is well represented by a group of fine young atheletes and at the top of this group sits one Emily Bernhardt.
Information about upcoming recertification clinics for 2006
Lauren Chambers has acheived quite a bit in her short time as a high school athlete. She owns the national 9th grade record for the weight throw and has posted some impressive numbers early on at both the Volunteer Indoor meet as well as the UK Indoor Invitational. With a winning throw of 41\'5\", Ms. Chambers has established herself as one of the early favorites to make it to Albany in the spring.
Evander Wells, of Stone Mountain, posted a big win at the Volunteer Indoor Track Classic a week ago and owns the top time in the country in the 200m indoors with a time of 21.51 set at the UK Indoor meet this past weekend. With the outdoor season right around the corner, the future looks bright for this young man from Stone Mountain.
Hot indoor action this weekend will feature some of Georgia\'s top track talent. Jordan Scott, of Oconee Co. will be competing in the pole vault after clearing a height of 17\'1\" last season. Jackie Drouin and Ben Hubers, two of Georgia\'s finest distance runners will be competing in their specialties along with Nathan Frasier and Matt Churley, both of Collins Hill. Redan will be sending a contingent of runners in a variety of events as well with some of the top seed times for the meet.
Clemson University will be hosting a muti state indoor meet this weekend. Athletes will need to compete unattached if they are from Georgia High Schools. This meet offers the first regional opportunity for athletes and should offer a taste of what\'s to come this season.
For a complete listing of speakers for the annual track clinic along with a list of speakers, check out the article.
Don Rich, Mile Split affiliate, was at Foot Locker and interviewed Emilly and Ben after their big race. Read the article to see what they had to say.
Photos from the race in San Diego courtesy of Don Rich of the Mile Split Network! Both Ben and Emily posted top 20 finishes.
Ben Hubers and Emily Reese brought home top 20 finishes from the Foot Locker Nationals on Saturday. Hubers finished 18th out of 40 runners and was the fifth non senior to cross the line, finishing the race in 15:34. Emily Reese also had an exceptional race, finishing 15th overall in 17:57 on what most people described as a very challenging course.
Attention schools that have American Association of Adapted Sports Programs for events in track and field. According to the new rules you have to go through an orientation if you are going to have a wheelchair athlete this spring (2006). For further information, see page 168 of the \"GHSA Constitution and By-Laws.\"
The weight throw is an event that we don\'t see often in Georgia due to the lack of an indoor track season, but that hasn\'t stopped a couple of young ladies from stepping up and accomplishing great things on a national scale while competing unattached during the winter months. This past weekend, at the Clemson Indoor meet, freshman Lauren Chambers (poictured above with Erin Gilreath, current world record holder) from Kell HS broke the all time US freshman class record in the weight throw with a toss of 46\' 1\' 1/2\", besting the former mark of 44\'8\" by Arianna Lugo out of California. The remarkable thing about this is that Chambers completed the feat while competing against college competition and an open field that included the world record holder in the event as well as the top female college thrower! Heady stuff for a freshman in her first major competition. Not to be outdone, Emily Barnhardt, a senior at Lassiter HS, finished 6th in the meet with a throw of 56\'7\" to take the national lead in the event.
Mill Creek HS will be hosting an informal track talk featuring area coaches in a discussion of a variety of track and field topics. It\'s an opportunity to sit down and talk about our favorite sport before we head into the winter break. Cost is $10 if you plan on eating lunch at the Taste of Mill Creek or free if you are not eating lunch with us. All sessions will be held in the theatre except the last one and the schedule is as follows. Hope to see you out on Saturday for a great discussion about our favorite sport. 9:00am session David Machovec Dacula Shot put David\'s list of former athletes include Reese Hoffa, Olympian in 2004 and 70+ shot putter, Eve Machovec 40 + shot putter and 130+ discus thrower as a freshman. Coach Machovec has coached several girls over 40+ in the shot put and his son Israel Machovec was state champ in the event last year in AAAAA. 10:00 am session Josh Mize Oconee County High School Beginning pole vault Coach Mize is the current coach of Jordan Scott, Georgia\'s all time best vaulter and only 17+ pole vaulter. 11:00 am session Craig Musselwhite Carrollton High School Hurdling Coach Musselwhite\'s Carrollton team has won several state titles in the past few years. One of the premiere track coaches in the state of Georgia. 11:00 am session Jim Yike Mill Creek High School Discus I will lead a discussion of resources avaiable for coaches, looking outside the box when evaluating talent for discus, as well as drills and technique.
Georgia qualfied two runners for the National Foot Locker race in San Diego as Ben Hubers finishes 4th in 14:55 while Emily Reese (pictured above on the left with Leila Norman-Walton and Emma Bussard-Carrollton) goes 17:22 for 8th place. More information as it becomes available!
Heritage High School is hosting a 5k run to benefit the Aubrae Gunderson Memorial Scholarship on Nov. 26th at Rockdale Co. HS , Reid Stadium. Aubrae, a key member of the Heritage high school cross country team, died earlier this season after being struck by a vehicle during practice. Pre registration is $15 if received before Thanksgiving. Read the article for more info! Here\'s hoping for a great turn out.
A listing of Georgia athletes currently entered for the Foot Locker South Regional. Good luck to all athletes from Georgia participating! (Updated!)
Team and Individual Rankings based on top season performances to date. These rankings do not take into account difficulty of course or weather conditions.
Team and Individual Rankings based on top season performances to date. These rankings do not take into account difficulty of course or weather conditions.
Make no mistake about it...we are witnessing history. The current crop of young female runners is without question the best ever to come through Georgia. Emily Borsare, Emily Reese, Shelley Taylor and Jackie Drouin have set the bar at a new level with their electrifying performances. Numbers like 16:59, 17:38, 17:52 and 17:43 (on a 3 mile course) would have been unheard of just a few years ago. Now they happen with sudden regularity. It all came into focus this weekend at the Region 7-AAAAA championships when I watched Jackie Drouin run an amazing race to finish over a minute ahead of her closest competitor, teammate Erin Guglielmo who ran a not so shabby 18:55. Then it hit me...what I had just witnessed was only the third fastest time in the state this season!
Talk about a showdown! Three talented young ladies in the same region giving it their all to determine who will be crowned the top runner in a quality region. Haley Kolff, Harriott Kelly and Ali McWhirter had an epic battle on Thursday at the Region 5-AA Cross Country Championships as they finished within 2 seconds of each othre as Kolff, of Holy Innocents, captured the individual crown with a time of 18:54. Harriott Kelly was not far behind, posting an 18:55 for 2nd place and just ahead of Ali McWhirter of Holy Innocents in 18:56. Kelly\'s teammates ran an excellent race though to capture the team title over Holy Innocents 37-49. Elizabeth Derrick and Addie Shcoen, both posted top 10 finishes to help the Lovett School to the win.
Emma Bussard has run well this season. 20:02 at the Clara Bowl, 19:35 at the Alexander/Asics Invitational and just a week ago, she posted a 19:16 at the Last Chance Invitational but she reached a ground breaking achievement when she broke 19 for the first time to post an 18:52 to win the Region 6-AAA meet on Thursday.
The hay is in the barn and now it\'s time to see what all the hard work has produced as teams around the state will vie to finish in the top four at region in order to qualify for the state meet next weekend in Carrollton. The temperature this weekend will be in the high 30\'s on Saturday morning in the Atlanta area which will serve as a stark contrast to the 80 plus degree temperatures that teams have dealt with all season while others will run on Thursday as all roads lead to Carrollton and the chase is on.