Video Gallery at Bottom of Article
by Brad Jaegerbjaeger@digitalsports.comTwo things that can always be expected at a Montgomery County league meet are huge numbers of runners and some of the best running in the state. Today’s meet at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda was true to form on both those fronts. Walter Johnson, Quince Orchard and the host team filled up the starting line like it was a Sunday road race.
For two of the three teams, this was their first taste of competition this year and all three had something to prove.
Quince Orchard lost all seven of their varsity runners last season to graduation and besides veteran Wayne Bartholomew, the team was starting over. Seann Pelkey, the Quince Orchard coach, was excited about the prospects of the coming season. “It actually is a relief this year. There is no pressure coming into the season”, said Pelkey. “The only pressure the kids have is what they put on themselves. They want to live up to the legacy of last year’s team.”
Bartholomew was also up to the challenge of the season. “I’m the captain this year and my job is to focus on everyone that might be running varsity”, said Bartholomew. “The team is looking good and we’re all out here having fun.” The captain also said that the team and the coach is just treating today’s meet as a good hard practice. “I don’t want them to feel pressured”, said Pelkey.
Sean O’Leary of Walter Johnson had just run the Woodward Relays on Monday on a hot and humid afternoon, but insisted he was not feeling any affects from the race. “We were just using it as a good training session”, said O’Leary. “We really want to see where we stand against these teams.”
4A State Champion Andrew Palmer of Walt Whitman was making his first start of the season. After a summer of 70 mile weeks, Palmer was ready for the race. “I had only been running 20-30 miles a week the past two years and this summer I really upped the mileage”, said Palmer. Palmer was also looking extremely fit saying he had lost 15-20 pounds since his freshman year. Palmer was also sporting a new short haircut. “I just got tired of all the hair”, said Palmer.
The girl’s side of the aisle was going to be very different than the past two or three years. Walt Whitman and Quince Orchard had graduated their top runners and Walter Johnson was rounding their top five into shape.
Aimee Moores of Quince Orchard and Anna Bosse of Walter Johnson were expected to be near the front during the race, but the wild card was Anna Ryba of Walt Whitman. The freshman who had been running since the sixth grade was running her first high school race, but the word was that she had talent.
At the gun, Moores went into the lead with Ryba sitting on her tail. Bosse and Steph Joson of QO were sitting in the next group along with Shayna Barbash of Walt Whitman. Coming onto the track for the second loop of the three lap course, Moores was still setting the pace for Ryba with the second pack having fallen back.
As they approached the track for the last loop, Ryba had taken over the lead and kept pulling away for an 13 second win in 20:05. Moores held on for second in 20:18. Third place went to Bosse (20:32) and Barbash (20:33) followed in fourth. Stephanie Joson of Quince Orchard was fifth (21:15).
Ryba was calm about her first high school win. “I wasn’t sure about pacing, so I just sat back until I felt good and then took off”, said the freshman.
Team scoring for the double dual format was Walt Whitman 27, QO 30; QO 24, WJ 31 and WW 26, WJ 31.
In the boy’s race, Palmer pulled away from O’Leary right after the 1600 which was passed in 5:07. Palmer looked relaxed the entire race and obviously had been working on his form all summer. Gone was the head in the air looking for ducks and the torso arched backwards. In their place was a new model of Andrew Palmer.
Palmer eased up the last mile and won in 16:42. Teammates O’Leary and Roni Teich sprinted the last 200 meters to a virtual tie for second in 17:14. Walter Johnson’s Alex Willett was fourth in 17:39 and in fifth was Bartholomew in 17:48.
Palmer was hardly breathing after the race. “I’m keeping the miles high until we hit a stretch of big races in the middle of the season”, said Palmer. “Then I’ll ease up for two or three weeks and then go back to big miles before tapering at the end of the season.”
O’Leary was spent after the race. “I never died so much”, said O’Leary when asked how he was feeling.
Team scores were WW 22 QO 35; WJ 18 QO 41 and WJ 21 WW 34