Boys Team wins first Title since 1996; Eleven Chargers Strike District Gold!
The 2011 Concorde District Indoor Track Championships, held on February 1st and 3rd, at the Prince Georges Sports & Learning Complex, was marked at the beginning of the season as one of the most important objectives of the season, for the Chantilly Chargers. At the conclusion of the meet, it was clear that all goals had been met, with the boys team finally winning the team championship which has eluded them since 1996, and the girls team earning a very strong third place. When the meet was concluded, the Chargers had won eleven of the thirty individual events, and had qualified twenty-four different people for regional competition. In the mid 1980s through the mid-1990s, the Chargers were perennial winners at the district level, and in recent years, they had come close to victories, with 2nd place finishes in 2008 and 2009, and a 3rd place result in 2010. The Chargers came in motivated, and focused on doing whatever it took to finally bring home the crown which they so desperately craved. While seemingly not as deep as some of their closest rivals, the Chargers did score in each event, and hitched their wagon to several individuals to lead them in the scoring.
Senior Mohamed Labor-Koroma is no stranger to competing in multiple events in his career, and is widely considered to be one of the most versatile and talented athletes in the Northern Region. In his final indoor district championship, Labor-Koroma competed in no less than seven events over the two days, and earned all-district honors in six of them. On the first day, he started his meet with a sixth place in the long jump (19’ 8.25”), and a solid fourth place in the pole vault (10’ 4.5”), before blazing to a fourth place finish in the 55m dash (6.72). For some athletes, this would have been a solid championship meet, but for Labor-Koroma, it was just the beginning. On the second day, he helped provide the backbone of the team success with an additional 28 points in his three best events. He earned a 2nd place medal in the high jump (6’ 1”), and then returned to the track, where he blazed to two individual district championships, defending his crowns from last year in the 500m (1:06.47) and 300m (36.17) dashes. In all, Labor-Koroma accounted for 37 of the Chargers’ 126 overall points.
In the distance events, the Chargers showed that they have the best individual in the district. Sophomore Sean McGorty, an All-Met in cross country, showed that he deserves his reputation by competing in all three individual distance events, and in winning each of them handily. On Tuesday, Sean easily cruised to a thirteen-second victory his first individual track title in the 3200m run (9:43.10), an event in which he has qualified for state competition. On Thursday, he returned to compete in the very tough 1600m-1000m double, against two of the deepest fields in the region. He ran a calculated race in the 1600m, conserving his energy and only pulling away for the five second win in the last three laps, in a time of 4:31.85. The 1000m victory proved to be the most difficult of his three wins, combining a tough field, and the fatigue from his first two races. Going into the last 250 meters, McGorty was in fifth place, but strode to the front of the field in the last lap to eke the victory in a fast 2:37.43 time. It is rare that any distance runner competes in all three races; it is even more of an achievement to win all three. As a sophomore, McGorty showed that with his thirty points earned, he is an athlete that the Chargers can continue to count on for team points for the next few years.
With the Chargers showing that they had the best sprinter and the best distance runner in the district, they also preceded to show that they had the most talented jumper, as well. Junior Arthur McDuffy has earned all-district honors in three of his first four seasons, but it wasn’t until this year that he has taken the step from merely being a competitive athlete, to being one of the top jumpers in the region. At the district meet, he proved to be unstoppable, as he leapt to victories in both the long jump (20’ 10.5) and triple jump (44’ 1”), both in personal best marks. His growth into a champion also shows his maturity as as someone whom the team can depend upon for valuable points in the future, and was key in this year’s ultimate victory.
The final individual crown was won by junior co-captain Miles Ransom. This meet proved to be somewhat of a coming out party for Ransom. While he has been one of the more consistent performers for the Chargers this year, his victory in the 55m hurdles came somewhat of a surprise. Perhaps equally surprising was the third place finish earned on Thursday in the high jump, where he improved his personal best mark from 5’ 8” to 6’ 1”. His performances were key in building upon their lead over 2nd place Oakton, and will also prove to be important as the boys look forward to regional competition.
While the bulk of the scoring was achieved by four young men, several other boys contributed to the team total. Sophomore Eric Nguyen enjoyed his first all-district finish, earning 3rd place in the 55m hurdles (8.78). Sophomore Logan Miller had a strong meet, earning his first trip to regionals in the 3200m run, with his 4th place finish (10:02.94). Junior Brandon Galindo also added valuable points in the shot put, with a 4th place (37’ 8.5”). Junior Cong Do provided valuable scoring in the long jump (5th place- 19’ 8.25) and triple jump (6th- 40’ 0.5”). Lastly, senior Greg Benson’s sixth place(5’ 5”) in the high jump meant that three of the top six high jumpers in the district came from CHS.
The girls team also enjoyed their best season in years. Their third place finish and 86 points represented their best team result since 2004. Like the boys, they received points from the sprints, distance and field events alike.
The girls’ top scorer in the championship came from sophomore Kendall Cowne, competing in her first career district championship. Cowne has burst onto the season this season, establishing herself as one of the best young distance runners in the Northern Region, and with this championship meet, has announced that she may be a valuable weapon for the Chargers for years to come. Cowne competed in the 1000m and 3200m runs, and earned convincing victories in both. On Tuesday, she followed her immediate rival for 2800m, only to finish in a strong final 400m to win by nine seconds, in a personal best time of 11:28.16. On Thursday, she took the lead in the 1000m from the gun, and stormed away from the field early, leading wire to wire for a solid win in 3:02.66. She also anchored the victorious girls 4x800m relay, teaming with senior Hannah Strub, sophomore Elise Kinsey and freshman Megan Toole.
Senior Nina Ullom has enjoyed a successful career as a district/regional competitor as a sprinter, jumper and pole vaulter. She has earned multiple district titles and all-district honors, as well as qualifying for state meet competition for the past four seasons. This year, she lived up to her reputation as a seasoned competitor, earning her third pole vault district title, equaling her personal best height of 10-0. On the track, she also made other solid contributions. She gained an individual sixth place point in the 300m dash (44.62), as well as anchoring the girls 2nd place 4x200m relay, teaming with senior Tiffany Mitchell, and sophomores Samantha Lull and Rachel Reinhardt.
Mitchell has also proven herself to be a strong post-season performer, and despite an early season injury, she has come on strong when it counted most. In addition to scoring on the relay, Tiffany also added a third place finish in the 55m dash (7.73). She also excelled in the jumps, taking a career-best 2nd place in the triple jump, with a leap of 34’ 9/5”, and a 6th place in the long jump (15’ 2.5”).
Several other Chargers also added valuable contributions to the team total. Sophomore Samantha Lull gave a solid performance with her 3rd place finish in the high jump (4’ 8”). Senior Jennifer Cohen added depth to the vault points with her 4th place finish (8′ 0″). The girls on the distance squad earned several career-best performances. Senior co-captain Hannah Strub earned her first individual all-district honor with a 5th place in the 1000m run (3:13.59). Freshman Megan Toole took a solid 6th place in the 1600m run (5:32.00). In the two mile, the Chargers took three of the top six spots. In addition to Cowne’s victory, freshman Megan Rhoads (4th-12:11.65) and junior Elizabeth Knippler (6th- 12:20.63) earned points.
The coaching staff is so proud of all of the efforts given by their team, and for the support given by the parents, staff and Chantilly community.
Complete results for the meet can be found at: www.chargercctrack.com/wtresults.html.
A complete performance list from this season can be found at www.chargercctrack.com/wtperflists.html.
The Northern Region Indoor Track Championships will be held at George Mason University on Saturday, February 19th, 2011.
ALL DISTRICT HONORS
Mohamed Labor-Koroma- DISTRICT CHAMPION- 500m Dash (1:06.47);DISTRICT CHAMPION-300m Dash (36.15); 2nd Place- High Jump (6′ 1″); 4th Place- Pole Vault (10′ 4.5″); 4th Place- 55m Dash (6.72); 6th Place-Long Jump (19′ 8″)
Sean McGorty- DISTRICT CHAMPION- 3200m Run (9:43.10), DISTRICT CHAMPION- 1600m Run (4:31.85); DISTRICT CHAMPION- 1000m (2:37.43)
Kendall Cowne- DISTRICT CHAMPION- 3200m Run (11:26.04), DISTRICT CHAMPION- 1000m Run (3:02.66)
Arthur McDuffy- DISTRICT CHAMPION- Long Jump (20′ 10.5″), DISTRICT CHAMPION- Triple Jump (44′ 1″)
Miles Ransom- DISTRICT CHAMPION- 55m Hurdles (8.30); 3rd Place-High Jump (6′ 1″)
Nina Ullom- DISTRICT CHAMPION- Pole Vault (10′ 0″); 6th Place- 300m Dash (44.62) •
Samantha Lull- 3rd Place- High Jump (4′ 8″)
Tiffany Mitchell- 2nd Place- Triple Jump (34′ 9.5″); 3rd Place- 55m Dash (7.73); 6th Place- Long Jump (15′ 2.5″)
Eric Nguyen- 3rd Place- 55m Hurdles- (8.78)
Jennifer Cohen- 4th Place- Pole Vault (8′ 0″)
Brandon Galindo- 4th Place- Shot Put (37′ 8.75″)
Logan Miller- 4th Place- 3200m Run (10:02.94)
Megan Rhoads- 4th Place- 3200m Run (12:11.65)
Cong Do- 5th Place- Long Jump (19′ 8.25); 5th Place- Triple Jump (40′ 0.5″)
Hannah Strub- 5th Place- 1000m Run (3:13.59)
Greg Benson- 6th Place- High Jump (5′ 5″)
Elizabeth Knippler- 6th Place- 3200m Run (12:20.73)
Megan Toole- 6th Place- 1600m Run (5:32.00)
Girls 4x800m Relay- DISTRICT CHAMPION (9:54.98) (Hannah Strub, Elise Kinsey, Megan Toole, Kendall Cowne)
Girls 4x200m Relay- 2nd Place (1:52.20) (Tiffany Mitchell, Samantha Lull, Rachel Reinhardt, Nina Ullom)
