Mount St. Joseph has repeated as regular season champions in MIAA Indoor Track and the Gaels look to be solid favorites for the championship meet. St. Joe has been a dominant force in indoor track and field as they have won 10 of the 12 championship meets in conference history.
St. Joe has been led by dominating performances in the 55 dash, 55 hurdles, long jump and triple jump. As expected Calvert Hall, Gilman, Loyola and Archbishop Curley have been neck and neck, fighting for second place and should duke it out again at the championships.
Calvert Hall is led by shot putters and middle distance runners. Loyola and Gilman both feature strong relays and long sprinters/middle distance runners, while Curley has been led by a strong sprint corps.
The following is an event by event breakdown for the meet.
55 meter dash: Terrence Major of Cardinal Gibbons appears to be a strong favorite. After Major, the field is beyond wide open. Top contenders include J.P. Grant of McDonogh, Kenny Lewis of John Carroll and Darren McCoy and Renard Robinson of St. Joe. Too many athletes to list could break into the top three.
55 meter hurdles: St. Joe has been dominant with Terrence Robinson, Dorian Johnson and Hunter Snyder, Justin Gross of McDonogh, Rybak of Curley and Jabulani Blyden of Gilman could break up the MSJ trio.
300 meter dash: Major appears to have a good chance at grabbing a second MIAA title in this event. Duane Parker from MSJ is the defending champ and will be very close to Major. George Chambers of Curley and John Davenport of Loyola have also run very fast times and will contend.
500 meter run: Joe Orsulak from Loyola is the favorite in this event. He will be pushed by Chris Sheridan of Gilman and Ricky Laidler and Markeith Price from MSJ.
800 meter run: Blyden from Gilman enters as a strong favorite, but Holloran from Calvert Hall is capable of pushing him to the wire. Pat Hairfield of Curley and Brett Flurry of Loyola have both run fast times.
1600 meter run and 3200 meter run: The same contenders seem to be running both of these races. Anthony Rowe of Calvert Hall has not lost yet and is a heavy favorite. However, Jablonski of Loyola, Zack Sullivan of Archbishop Spalding and Grisha Iventichev of Friends will contend. Chris Swisko of Calvert Hall and Trevor Keen of Spalding are both capable of medaling in both events.
Long Jump and Triple Jump: Dorian Johnson from Mount Saint Joe enters as a huge favorite in both events especially the triple jump. He could receive a challenge from Markeith Price from Mount Saint Joe or Justin Gross from McDonogh.
High Jump: Kenny Lewis of John Carroll has been the best high jumper this year. Close behind him are Dominic McAlily of CHC, Steve Siwinski of Gilman and Arlen Liverman and Albert Clarke from MSJ.
Shot Put: Two words: Boyle brothers. The Boyles (Pat and Sean) from Calvert Hall have owned this event this year and look to go 1-2 again at championships.
Pole Vault: There is no clear favorite here. Andrew Darmody from MSJ, the Gilman trio of Will Fenwick, Andrew Nelson and Conrad Merkle from Gilman, and Steve Waldt from Curley could all win on a good day. Darmody is the defending indoor champion. This event is wide open.
4 X 800: This is shaping up as a dual between Loyola and Gilman. This race could have a thrilling finish with Loyola’s Orsulak running an anchor leg head to head with Gilman's Blyden or Evan Bryant.
4 X 200: Another event that is wide open. Mount Saint Joe and Curley have run the fastest times. Gibbons is a factor as long as Major is anchoring. McDonogh has run some fast times also.
4 X 400: The best event in track and field is the last event of the meet. Gilman seems to be the favorite to repeat in an event in which they have historically excelled. St. Joe and Loyola are capable of challenging Gilman if they are on top of their game. All fans of MIAA track and field would love to see Blyden, Orsulak and Parker duking in out on the last lap.