Syracuse Distance Dominance at Big East Championships

It was a championship weekend for the Syracuse University Men's and Women's distance running track teams at the Big East Championships in Tampa, Florida.

Dominating performances from Orange juniors Tito Medrano, Pat Dupont and freshman Matt Hehir saw Syracuse win the men's 5000m championship at this weekend's Big East Championships. The runners finished in 14:23, 14:26 and 14:27, respectively, and although Villanova sophomore Sam McEntee won the race, the Syracuse distance team accrued more points.


As if that wasn't enough, Syracuse came back with impressive showings in the 10000m. Junior Robert Molke missed the title by 1/2 second, running 33:07.07, and Tito Medrano came back with a second remarkable weekend performance--he finished 5th with a 33:12.16.

But it was junior Pat Dupont who would take the cake for the men's distance team, winning the 3000m steeplechase by only .6 seconds, at 8:49.40. He was joined in scoring by sophomore Joseph Whelan, who finished 6th.

On the women's side, a champion was crowned. Sophomore Sarah Pagano took home the 10000m crown in an impressive 34:37.94, pacing the field by nearly 7 seconds. Her teammate--junior and last week's NY College Distance Runner of the Week Lauren Penney--came in 4th place with a 35:24.85.


The 3000m steeplechase was a show of strength for these women, too, as they finished 3rd, 4th, 5th & 7th to round out the scoring. 4 seniors, in order, set the pace: Katie Hursey, Natalie Busby, Heather Stephens & Rebekah MacKay.


Seniors Katie Hursey and Heather Stephens finished in 6th and 9th place for Syracuse in the 5000m.

Tallying up the distance events only, Syracuse won decisively. The men scored 44 points, followed by Georgetown with 22, Louisville with 13 and Villanova with 12. The women squeaked out a close won, winning with 35 points, followed by Providence with 33, Notre Dame with 13 and Louisville with 12.


Combined, Syracuse University's distance team scored nearly twice as good (79 points) as any other team in the field (Providence came in second with a combined 41 points). All in all, a dominating day for the Orange distance team, and on to the next round!

Chasing Olympic Dreams

From today's NY Daily News, in full; an article on a local New Yorker written by Mitch Abramson.

There was a time, not long ago, when Kerri Gallagher’s life was all mapped out like the turns on a track. Gallagher — a former runner at Bishop Kearney — had the job she wanted and a boss she liked. 

Hired as a financial planner at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Manhattan last April, Gallagher appeared to be sprinting toward a life of success in the corporate world. 

“She was a bright girl, a fast learner,” her supervisor there, Dino Kallenekos, said. “She had a lot of potential.” 

But something happened to Gallagher on her way to a normal life. She grew restless. She missed running. 

So after a meeting with her former track coach at Bishop Kearney, John Lovett, over a burger and fries last June, she decided to plot a new, less predictable course. 

In late July, Gallagher stunned her boss and parents by quitting her job to devote her time to trying to make the U.S. Olympic team for the 1,500-meter event this summer in London. 

What made her decision all the more jarring was that her track career at Fordham University did not suggest that she would someday have such grand ambitions. Gallagher was a star middle distance runner for the Rams, setting several school and Atlantic 10 conference records, but success on the national level always eluded her. 

“She had goals in college,” said Tom Dewey, her track and field coach at Fordham, “but (the Olympics) never entered her thought process.” 

Gallagher, 22, is pragmatic about her chances. If she can qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, set for late June in Eugene, Ore., she will consider her decision a success. She moved down to Washington, D.C., in late August to start training with noted track coach Matt Centrowitz. She has just over a month to achieve the times needed to qualify for the team trials. 

“Realistically, I’m not in a place where I think I can make the Olympic team,” Gallagher said after an early-morning run on Friday. “But if I can get to trials and be competitive there, it will have made all of this completely worth it.” 

Others — specifically Lovett and Centrowitz — believe she has the talent and the willpower to make a run at the Olympics. They point to her rapid development since she relocated to train with Centrowitz and the New Balance Pacers Track Club. 

“She wasn’t a national class (runner) in college,” said Centrowitz, a former two-time Olympic distance runner out of Power Memorial Academy in Manhattan. “So we’re trying to go beyond that right now. It’s a big leap and I just think that certain people mature differently — mentally and physically. I just think she’s a little bit of a late bloomer. I think there’s a lot more she can do.” 

Gallagher’s progression from high school runner to Olympic hopeful wasn’t exactly fast out of the gate. She didn’t start running at Bishop Kearney until the end of her sophomore year, and she never won a city championship with the Tigers, finishing as high as second in the 1,000-meter run. 

She finally broke out as a senior at Fordham, setting the school record for the 800 meters in the indoor season, clocking in at 2:07.61 and reaching the NCAA East Regional Championships last May. 

Then, she all but stopped running after taking the job at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. But Lovett sensed she wasn’t finished. 

Over comfort food at a restaurant in her hometown of Belle Harbor, Lovett asked Gallagher if she wanted to “go to an elite level of running where she can make the Olympics.” 

She said yes before he could even finish his sentence. After talking with her father, John, who reminded her how difficult it is to find a good job in this economy, the decision was final. 

“No regrets,” Gallagher said. “There are times when you wonder if you’ve made the right decision. But I realized I love what I’m doing. There are days when I’m on the track and I just feel this is where I need to be.”

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high-school/kerri-gallagher-runner-bishop-kearney-fordham-university-quits-job-pursue-dream-running-olympics-article-1.1073160#ixzz1uFJne2vR

All the best wishes in the world to our own Kerri Gallagher!

Local Wounded Warrior Run This Weekend

Cadyville: "The Annual Chief Run is sponsored by the Saranac High School National Honor Society. This year the club has chosen to raise money and awareness for Wounded Warrior Project. The event will include a 5k and 3k run for all ages." You can find more information here.

New York Distance Project is a proud support of the Wounded Warrior Project. Do your part for those who do so much for you, and support wounded warriors through these great events or by donating your time, treasure and thoughts. "The greatest casualty is being forgotten."

High School Distance Rankings: Section III

CLASS A
1. FAYETTEVILLE-MANLIUS
2. Cicero-North Syracuse
3. Liverpool
4. West Genessee
5. East Syracuse-Minoa
6. Baldwinsville
7. Jamesville-Dewitt
8. Central Square
9. Corcoran
10. Whitesboro

CLASS B
1. MARCELLUS
2. Westhill-Ludden
3. Cazenovia
4. Skaneateles
5. Clinton
6. Christian Brothers Academy
7. Jordan-Elbridge
8. Homer
9. Hannibal
10. South Jefferson

CLASS C
1. TULLY
2. South Lewis
3. Onondaga
4. Beaver River
5. Fabius-Pompey
6. Sauquoit Valley
7. Cooperstown
8. West Canada
9. Cato-Meridian
10. Weedsport

CLASS D
1. HAMILTON
2. Remsen
3. LaFayette
4. Faith Heritage
5. Old Forge
6. Living Word
7. DeRuyter
8. Tyburn Academy
9. Oriskany
10. Port Byron

High School Distance Rankings: Section II

CLASS A
1. SARATOGA SPRINGS
2. Shaker
3. Niskayuna
4. Bethlehem
5. Colonie
6. Shenendehowa
7. Guilderland
8. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake
9. Columbia
10. Ballston Spa

CLASS B
1. FONDA-FULTONVILLE
2. Queensbury
3. Broadalbin-Perth
4. Gloversville
5. Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons
6. Mohonasen
7. Cohoes
8. Lansingburgh
9. Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk
10. South Glens Falls

CLASS C
1. GREENWICH
2. Corinth
3. Hoosic Valley
4. Berne-Knox-Westerlo
5. Mekeel Christian
6. Mechanicville
7. Maple Hill
8. Taconic Hills
9. Voorheesville
10. Stillwater

High School Distance Rankings: Section I

Ranking the best in distance running, combined, in swanky Section I:


CLASS A
1. SUFFERN
2. Arlington
3. North Rockland
4. Tappan Zee
5. Brewster


CLASS B
1. PEARL RIVER
2. Nanuet
3. Byram Hills
4. Pelham
5. Harrison


CLASS C
1. BRONXVILLE
2. North Salem
3. Rye
4. Dover
5. Dobbs Ferry

High SchoolDistance Rankings: Section V

Our first round of High School Distance Rankings comes from Section V. Congratulations to our Leaders so far--Notre Dame-Batavia, Geneseo, Palmyra-Macedon & Pittsford-Mendon! We look forward to more excellent running out of Section V this year. (Look for the remaining sections to be ranked in the coming days, and updated weekly)

CLASS A

1.       Pittsford-Mendon

2.       Rush-Henrietta

3.       Honeoye Falls-Lima

4.       Victor

5.       West Irondequoit

6.       Fairport

7.       Pittsford-Sutherland

8.       Penfield

9.       Brighton

10.   Hilton

CLASS B

1.       Palmyra-Macedon

2.       Penn Yan

3.       Newark

4.       Bath-Haverling

5.       Byron-Bergen-Elba

6.       Geneva

7.       Batavia

8.       Dansville

9.       Aquinas

10.   Hornell

CLASS C

1.       Geneseo

2.       Oakfield-Alabama

3.       Pavilion

4.       Holley

5.       Wayland-Cohocton

6.       Gananda

7.       Campbell-Savona

8.       Pembroke

9.       Perry

10.   Canisteo-Greenwood

CLASS D

1.       Notre Dame-Batavia

2.       Keshequa

3.       Alfred-Almond

4.       Harley-Allendale-Columbia

5.       Wheatland-Chili

6.       Bolivar-Richburg

7.       Fillmore

8.       Gennesee Valley

9.       Northstar Christian

10.   Jasper-Troupsburg


SECTION V OVERALL

1. Pittsford-Mendon

2. Rush-Henrietta

3. Honeoye Falls-Lima

4. Victor

5. West Irondequoit

6. Geneseo

7. Fairport

8. Palmyra-Macedon

9. Penn Yan

10. Notre Dame-Batavia

(Another note on methodology: this is not scientific but--like the college rankings--a "writer's" poll. I take a combination of men's and women's times, meet performances and the like in events longer than 1500m. The result is what you see--a combined measure of where distance running thrives in New York State.)