THE SECTIONAL MEET!

SO I GOT SOME GRIEF FROM A COUPLE PEOPLE ABOUT NOT COMMENTING ON THE MEETS LATELY, WHICH WAS MORE ABOUT BEING BUSY THEN ABOUT NOT BEING EXCITED, BUT FOR ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN LONGING TO HEAR ME RANT HERE WE GO:


ALL IN ALL THE SECTIONALS WERE A TREMENDOUS SUCCESS.  I THINK THIS WAS OUR BEST SHOWING AT THE STATE SECTIONALS IN A FEW YEARS.  BUT THE SUCCESS WAS ALSO IN THE FACT THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE PULLED OUT THEIR BEST PERFORMANCES OF THE YEAR (OR EVER IN SOME CASES) FOR THIS MEET.  FRIDAY STARTED WITH THE 400H WHERE BOTH KATHLEEN AND KERI RAN PERSONAL BESTS BOTH RUNNING 70.4 AND 70.2 RESPECTIVELY. 
THE 1600 WAS NEXT UP AND WHILE THEY DIDN'T QUITE BEST THEIR TIMES, SHANNON AND LENNON RAN WELL ENOUGH TO FINISH 6TH AND 7TH.  THE BEST PART OF THEIR RACE THOUGH WAS HOW BOTH OF THEM WENT AFTER THE LEADERS WHO ENDED UP RUNNING 5:05, 5:15, AND 5:17.  SHANNON WILL BE MOVING ON, AND WHILE I KNOW LENNON IS UPSET SHE DIDN'T QUALIFY MAYBE SHE CAN TAKE COMFORT KNOWING SHE WAS THE ONLY FRESHMAN IN THE RACE TO BREAK 5:30. 
NEXT ON THE TRACK WAS THE 100M.  DANA AND LAUREN BOTH RAN AWAY FROM THEIR HEETS WITH LAUREN RUNNING A PERSONAL BEST AND FINISHING 14TH OVERALL.  EMILY CAUGHT A WHOLE BUNCH OF GIRLS IN THE LAST 30M OF HER HEET AND RAN AN IMPRESSIVE 12.94 TO QUALIFY FOR THE FINALS.  IN THE FINALS EMILY FINISHED 5TH AND QUALIFIED FOR THE GROUP CHAMPIONSHIPS.
MEANWHILE IN THE FIELD, EMILY HAD A SEASON AND PERSONAL BEST THROW IN THE DISCUS OF 105'8".  THAT WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR THIRD PLACE - OUR BEST FINISH OF THE MEET - AND QUALIFYING HER FOR THE NEXT MEET.
THE TRACK EVENTS FINISHED WITH 400M.  ALL THREE GIRLS RAN WELL AND FINISHED REALLY STRONG.  LAURA AND CHRISTINA TURNED IN THEIR BEST PERFORMANCES OF THE SEASON BOTH RUNNING UNDER 70.
MORE TO COME .....
HERE'S THE NEW STUFF:
SO THEN THERE WAS THE SECOND DAY.  IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT ROUGHER DAY THEN THE FIRST - BUT THAT DIDN'T STOP KERI FROM RUNNING A PB IN THE 100 HURDLES(16.28) AND QUALIFYING FOR THE FINALS.  IN THE FINALS SHE DUG IN AT THE END AND EDGED OUT ANOTHER GIRL AT THE LINE TO PLACE 6TH AND QUALIFY FOR THIS WEEKEND.  IN THE NEXT EVENT ON THE TRACK JULIANNE CONTINUED OUR RUN OF PB'S WITH A 2:28.65 AND A 12TH OVERALL.  NOT BAD FOR A SPRINTER.  THE 3200 RACE WAS NEXT AND ONCE AGAIN WE HAD A GREAT RUN.  KATIE AFTER A SEASON OF REHAB PUT PEOPLE ON NOTICE THAT SHE WAS STILL AROUND RUNNING A SEASON BEST 12:17.04.  GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY IS LOOKING STRONG FOR THE FALL.  MEANWHILE IN THE FIELD, GENA TIED HER PB OF 4-8 IN THE HIGH JUMP AND PLACED 7TH OVERALL, NEXT YEAR COULD BE BIG WITH 4 OR 5 OF THE GIRLS IN FRONT OF HER GRADUATING.
AS THE MEET STARTED WINDING DOWN EMILY STEPPED BACK ON THE TRACK TO CONTINUE WHAT SHE STARTED THE DAY BEFORE.  IN THE 200M SHE QUALIFIED FOR THE FINALS IN A HUGE PB OF 26.46.  DANA AND LAUREN ALSO CONTINUED THEIR EFFORTS OF THE DAY BEFORE, BOTH RUNNING PB'S AND FINISHING STRONG IN THEIR HEETS.  DANA RAN A 29.39 AND LAUREN RAN A 28.02.
AND THEN THERE WAS THE 4X400.  EMILY LED OFF WITH A BLAZING 60.3 PUTTING THE GIRLS IN GOOD POSITION AGAINST SOME VERY STRONG RELAYS TEAMS.  KATHLEEN FOLLOWED WITH A 63.8 BUT WITH ALL THE TEAMS RUNNING SO CLOSE TOGETHER THERE WAS SOME JOSTLING AT THE EXCHANGE AND A GIRL FROM ANOTHER TEAM FELL.  THANK GOODNESS KERI IS HURDLER BECAUSE SHE BASICALLY HAD TO LEAP OVER SOMEONE IN ORDER TO START HER RACE.  EVEN WITH THAT "HURDLE" KERI RAN A PB OF 64.8.  BESIDES SLOWING KERI DOWN, THE DIFFICULT EXCHANGED DROPPED US TO 6TH IN THE HEET AND JULIANNE HAD TO RUN THE ANCHOR BASICALLY BY HERSELF.  WITH NO ONE TO HELP PUSH HER SHE STILL RAN A VERY RESPECTABLE 63.8.  THE TEAM FINISHED IN 4:12.78  -  0.28 SECONDS BEHIND THE FIRST PLACE TEAM FROM THE PREVIOUS RACE AND THEREFORE IN 7TH PLACE - THE DISAPPOINTMENT WAS EVIDENT ON ALL THEIR FACES.  HOWEVER, AFTER A COUPLE CONVERSATIONS WITH OFFICIALS AND AN EMAIL TO THE HEAD OF NJSIAA TRACK THE TEAM WAS GRANTED A WAIVER BECAUSE OF THE UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND WERE ADVANCED TO THE NEXT ROUND.  AS I TOLD THEM - THEY DESERVE IT!