Raleigh Relays HS Recap! Shanklin, Zimmermann Impress With Individual 3200 Wins!


Photos by Phil Ponder

Results

Girls adidas Dream Mile Qualifier

It was Heather Holt (George C. Marshall) takings the pace early on and she would never give it up.  Holt came in with the top seed time narrowly over Davidson, but ran fearless on the track.  The whole field sat on her through the first 2 laps as they cross the 800 in a little under 2:30. North Carolinian's Alessandra Rodriguez and Katherine Dokholyan (Chapel Hill) sat just behind Holt in 4th & 5th and were happy to let Holt do the work up front.

As the girls went through 1200 it was Holt and Libby Davidson (EC Glass) who had pulled away slightly from the field.  Dokholyan and Rodriguez sat in 3rd and 4th passing the finish line at 3:45, needing a sub 75 second final lap to break 5 for the first time.  Davidson wasn't able to hang with Holt over the final lap as she pulled away to win in 4:57.51 to secure a spot on the line at the adidas Dream Mile in June!  Dokholyan reeled in Davidson over the final straight, but was narrowly edged as Davidson ran 4:58.93 to Dokholyan's 4:59.14.  Rodriguez crossed in 4th in 5:04.54, a new PR when you convert to 1600m.  Dokholyan's mark will serve as NC#1!


Results

Boys adidas Dream Mile Qualifier

Connor Lane looked to cap off a big three weeks of racing with his 3rd consecutive PR, but through 400 it was going to take a massive negative split for that to happen as they went out in 66 seconds.  Lane lead the fleet with everyone right off him not wanting to take the pace.  They sped up a little bit through the next lap running a 64 crossing the line in 2:11.  Things began to pick up with Lane a Waleed Suliman (Douglas Freeman, VA) starting to gap the field slightly.  Suliman sat right on Lane and with 300 meters to go he made his move.

Suliman's final 300 was too much for Lane as he crossed the line in 4:13.51.  Lane tried to respond and was just behind in 4:15.84, good for a new NC#1 mark.  Andrew Brooks battled with Taylor Baranoski for 3rd and with a strong final 100 was able to edge him in 4:18.04, good for NC#3 when converted to 1600.  Noah Graham (Brevard) took 5th in 4:20.08, just off his PR.  Finn McBride (Green Hope), Luke Gostling (Millbrook) and Noah Dolhare (Providence Day) all three PR'd in the race as well running 4:22.14, 4:22.41 and 4:23.63.


Results

Girls 3200

Early on it was Morgan Lewis (Veritas School, VA) who pushed the pace, and no one seemed to want to go with her.  The rest of the field sat about 20 meters behind her.  Doria Martingayle (Princess Anne, VA). Isabel Zimmermann (Reagan),  Mariah Howlett (LNC), and Sarah Bodmer (Cary Academy) all were at the front of the pack.  Throughout the race for the first 2K if remained like this with a lot of jostling in the lead group.  Emma Wolcott (Tuscarora, VA) followed by a trio of Blacksburg girls were in this group as well.

Lewis was swallowed up by the field and Bodmer began to push the pace with Howlett in charge and Zimmermann slightly off them.  Bodmer lead until 300m, in what looked to be a victory for her, but Zimmermann made her move from 4th all the way to the lead and she held on through the finish line.  Zimmermann posted roughly a 5 second PR, off a 2 Mile conversion, of 10:41.72.  Howlett and Wolcott were also able to reel in Bodmer as they finished in that order.  Howlett was over her NC#1 mark of 10:37, at 10:46.06, but this is the first time she's had anyone push her in a long time.  Blacksburg's Ailene Edwards, Kaitlynn Wolfe, and Samantha Marin posted an impressive 5, 6, 8 finish each running under 10:52!  Proves why they were NXNSE regional champs in XC!  8 girls in this field were under 11 minutes and 15 under 11:10!


Boys 3200

The pace was out fast with Ben Savino (Apex) taking the initial lead and taking the pace out in 67 seconds.  David Melville (Northern Guilford) and Cameron Ponder (Mt. Tabor) sat right behind with the whole field in tact.  There was a lot of shuffling around in the first few laps, but Savino remained in the lead, and looked to be hoping for someone to take over the fast pace.  After 3 laps Ponder moved into the lead and lead through the 1600 in 4:32 with Shanklin on his shoulder and 6 other boys in tow.  

As they went past the 1600 Shanklin took over the lead as he and Ponder began to gap the field.  Jake McEneaney (Neuqua Valley) and Ahmed Hassan (Oakton) were pushing the pace for the chase group.  Ponder and Shanklin were back in forth where each time it seemed as if they were going to pull away from the other.  They crossed with one lap to go at 7:59, meaning they'd need a 59/60 second final 400 to break the elusive 9 minute mark.  The two battled down the back stretch and just before 100m to go, Shanklin began to gap Ponder and he would keep that lead getting a major win over the majority of the top guys in the state in 9:01.17, the 6th fastest mark in event!  Shanklin entered the race with a PR of 9:20!  Ponder placed 2nd in 9:03.75, a 6 second PR! McEneaney held on for 3rd ahead of Hassan as both ran 9:11.  Savino was able to lead 6 others under 9:20 in 5th place with a time of 9:12.26.  John Tatter (RJR), Coleman Mitchell (Cary Academy) and Todd Holbrook (RJR) were other North Carolina athletes under 9:20, each setting a new PR!  Nathan Gamble was 11th at 9:21, earning a 7 second PR.

A favorite in this race was NBIN All-American David Melville, but he's been suffering from the flu this week and took 13th.  He'll certainly be back and you can expect much more from him the rest of the outdoor season.