Season Ends with Three Earning All-State Honors
The 2011 Spring Track season came to a close at Sportsbacker Stadium, in Richmond, VA at the Virginia AAA State Championships, held June 3rd & 4th. For the Chantilly squad, it served as a culmination of an eventful year, and saw the close of the careers of several of Chantilly’s all-time best athletes. Concluding a post-season which has seen the best district and regional finishes in over 15 years, the championship meet was not just a reward for those who qualified, but an opportunity to show that they were indeed amongst the best track & field athletes in the state this year. 
The competitive and spiritual leader of the Chargers over the past four years has been senior Mohamed Labor-Koroma, Jr. Labor-Koroma has been arguably the best male athlete ever to come through the CHS program, winning a state title in the indoor season, six all-state finishes, four regional titles, six district titles and numerous all-district and all-regional finishes. He has achieved seven total school records in winter and spring track, and he came to the state meet seeking final glory. Despite a season which saw him struggle with injury, the Hampton University-bound All-Met has still shown during the post-season. He earned qualifiers in the 400m dash, 300m hurdles and 200m dash, and looked to compete one last time for a state title and CHS record times. On Friday, in the preliminary rounds, Labor-Koroma competed in arguably the toughest triple in track, with all three events being run consecutively in a 45 minute span. Mohamed started very well, winning his preliminary round of the 400m, in 48.83. In the 300m hurdles, he looked en route to breaking the school record of 39.60, when he clipped his heel on the final two hurdles, and having to settle for a mark of 39.91. Exhausted, he ran gamely in the 200m dash, achieving his second best career mark in 22.40.
On Saturday afternoon, Mohamed competed for the last time in a Charger uniform. His challenges included the heat and the fatigue which came from having to recover from the efforts of the night before. Labor-Koroma ran strongly, challenging consistently for the lead, before settling for a 4th place finish, albeit one which broke his own school and personal record in 48.39. The Charger track team owes this young man a debt of gratitude for his contributions over the past several years, and for being a leader of the team.
While Labor-Koroma has represented the face of an accomplished track team this year, this was the meet that sophomore Sean McGorty will be ready to carry that same burden in the next couple years on the state stage. At the end of his sophomore year, McGorty has quickly compiled a resume that most graduating runners would be envious of. In this year alone, McGorty had earned six individual district titles in cross country, indoor and outdoor track, as well as three regional runner up finishes. He achieved all-state honors three times in cross country and indoor track. Last week, at regionals, McGorty won his first regional title, in the 3200m, legitimizing his reputation as one of the best distance runners in the Northern Region. In this meet, though, McGorty took his game to a new level, and let it be known that his name will ultimately be mentioned amongst the state title contenders in the next two years. Coming in seeded 5th in the 3200m and 9th in the 1600m, McGorty set goals of improving upon his time, and earning all-state in both races, matching his indoor meet success. The 3200m was run first thing in the morning, at 9:30 am. From the gun, McGorty displayed patience and savvy, tucking just behind the leaders at the front of the field, as they rattled out 70 second laps, keeping the pace honest, but without making any real selection. The field went through the first mile at 4:40 pace, with McGorty staying calmly on the shoulders of the top 3. In the last 800m, the field started to break up, with Sean joining a front group of 4, who ultimately went to the line for the gun lap, realizing that each of them ultimately had an equal chance of winning the state title. With 300m to go, one runner made a surge, with Sean falling slightly off the pace, but with 200m to go, he recovered, and started his final kick to the finish. On the final straightaway, McGorty kicked past the indoor 3200m champion and top seed to secure 3rd place, his best ever finish, in a time of 9:12.03. His time represented a 5 second personal best, and the second best time in CHS history, behind 2010 state champion, Chris Foley.
McGorty returned to the 1600m run during the heat of mid-afternoon sun. Much like the two mile in the morning, the pace was honest but packed, with only two runners breaking away to battle for final honors. Many of the runners were fatigued from the morning 3200m run, and thus was unwilling (unable?) to make many serious efforts. In the end, McGorty came from the latter part of the field to kick home with a seventh place finish, in a personal best time of 4:17.96. His performance were clearly the highlight of the meet for the Chargers, and definitely confirmation that the reputation he has built this year has been well-deserved as he goes into the second half of his high school career.
McGorty was not the only Charger to earn All-State honors in the 1600m run. Sophomore Kendall Cowne entered the championship meet after enduring a shortened-season, due to early spring injuries. After a rookie season this winter which saw her win three district championships, a regional runner-up, and all-state honors in the 1000m, this spring has shown her the frustrating side of track, when your body does not always cooperate with the mind, and when the competition heats up. After having to qualify for states by placing 5th in the regional meet in the 1600m, (following a 4th place district finish), Cowne was not expecting to place highly. Coming into the meet placed well down in the unseeded heat, her goal was to run competitively in her heat, try and improve upon her 5:10.89 personal best, and end the year with a race she could feel good about. Her race exceeded most people’s expectation, including her own. Relying upon her own competitive instincts, Cowne ran strongly through the first two laps, in 73 seconds, and 2:32 at the 800m. In the third lap, she challenged for the lead, following the breakaway pack as they separated themselves. In the last lap, Cowne maintained close contact, before taking the lead in the final 150m. Her time of 5:05.88 is the 4th fastest time in CHS history, and allowed her to hang on to 6th place overall, giving her an All-State finish to match her indoor medal.
While Labor-Koroma, McGorty and Cowne were the only Chargers to win medals, they were not the only one’s to compete. Senior Nina Ullom closed out a brilliant career as the 2nd best ever female pole vaulter with a 10-6 vault, narrowly missing out on another state medal with her 9th place finish. Junior Arthur McDuffy enjoyed two regional runner-up finishes in the long and triple jumps last week. This week, at the state meet, he gained more valuable experience of competing at the state meet. While he did not improve, with his 18th (Long Jump- 20’ 0”) and 12th (Triple Jump- 44’ 4.5”) places, he did show that he has grown this year into one of CHS’s all-time best jumpers, and one of the best in the region for his senior year. Tiffany Mitchell also closed out a memorable career, qualifying for states for the third time. She earned a spot in the triple jump, finishing 20th (34’ 9”). Mitchell and Ullom also qualified for the second straight year in the Girls 4x100m relay, teaming with sophomores Samantha Lull and Rachel Reinhardt for a 15th place finish. Sophomore Logan Miller was the final Charger competitor, running the 1600m run in his first career state meet. Miller demonstrated that he was a worthy qualifier, and gained solid experience for future campaigns, running 4:24.29 for 15th place.
The Chargers are grateful for all of the support this season, and are proud of all of the achievements from this year’s team. They wish the graduating class the best of luck, and both congratulate them for all of their success, and thank them for all of their hard work and leadership.
Full results from the state meet can be found at: www.chargercctrack.com/stresults.html.
A performance list for the spring track season can be found at: www.chargercctrack.com/stperflists.html.
ALL STATE HONORS
- Sean McGorty- 3rd Place- 3200m Run (9:12.03); 7th Place- 1600m Run (4:17.96)
- Mohamed Labor-Koroma, Jr- 400m Dash (48.39- NEW CHS RECORD)
- Kendall Cowne- 6th Place- 1600m Run (5:05.88)
