Lady Falcons Add To County Indoor Track Dynasty

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Everyone fulfilled her role, and the Severna Park girls track and field team ran away with the 2017-2018 Anne Arundel County championship.

The Falcons achieved that feat on January 23 at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex, racking up 137.5 points to easily surpass South River (88) and Meade (63) for the winter title.

The indoor championship is the second in a row for the Falcon girls, who have won five of the six indoor county titles since the 2011-2012 season (the Falcons placed second in 2015, and the county championship meet was snowed out in 2016).

“The girls just performed,” said head coach Josh Alcombright. “They all came out and did their jobs, and they exceeded our expectations.”

Severna Park junior Emily Knight wowed for the second straight winter season. Knight burst onto the track scene last winter by claiming the county championship in the 300, 500 and 800, and she successfully defended her trio of titles this season while also helping the Falcons to first place in the 4x400 relay.

“Last year was my first indoor season, and I didn’t expect to win [all three events],” said Knight. “So I felt pressure to win everything again this year, and it worked out.”

Experienced senior distance runner Catie Cambon became a first-time county champion in the 3200-meter run, commonly referred to as the two-mile, running the race in 11:53.84. Cambon humbly noted the field was without some of her top competitors due to illness and other factors, but said she was nonetheless proud to win the race, especially since she had placed third in the mile race less than an hour before her winning two-mile.

“I was happy with my time since I had run the mile an hour before. It was a good way to end the season,” Cambon said.

Sophomore Sarah Adams was another first-time county champion for the Falcons, winning pole vault by clearing 10’6”, and her win encapsulated the unique nature of county pole-vaulting, in which most competitors are picking up the sport for the first time in high school. Unlike soccer or lacrosse, in which a county championship game might come after a decade or more of training, county pole-vaulters are often relative neophytes, under trial by fire. Adams’ county-best jump far surpassed her previous personal best of 9’3” and was a new state-leading jump for girls this winter indoor season.

“I didn’t think it would happen,” said Adams, noting the limitations she faces with the ongoing construction at the high school. “We don’t have a pit, so I can’t even really practice. It’s really exciting. I’m really happy.”

Other standout performances earned points toward Severna Park’s winning score. Izzy Kintzley banked 16 big points by finishing as runner-up to Knight in both the 300 and 500, and she was a member of the Falcons’ winning 4x400 team that included Knight, Olivia Hubbart and Katie Soverns. Soverns was fifth in the 500. Chloe MacDonald was fifth in long jump, sixth in the high jump and sixth in triple jump, banking 10 total points for the Falcons. Sophia Zell was third in the two-mile, and Kelsie O’Neill was sixth. Abbi Jones was sixth in the 300. Adams picked up four points for the Falcons by placing fifth in 55-meter hurdles. Brenna Mullaney was eighth in the 800. Anna Marcoon was eighth in 55m hurdles. Kaitlynn Lilly was third in shot put, and Hannah Drilling was sixth. Anna DiRienzo was eighth in pole vault.

Falcon assistant coach Elmer McPhail, who will retire at the end of the school year after 13 years coaching with the Falcons and 29 years coaching overall, said the current senior cohort kept him coaching and have worked hard to capitalize on their talent.

“This group, when they came in as freshmen, I saw the talent and commitment, and I was ready to retire then, and I said, ‘You know what, I’ll go four more years.’ And these guys haven’t let me down. They’ve been outstanding. They work hard every day. They do a great job every time they’re out here. I asked them to do a lot today, and as you can see, the girls racked up a lot of points. A lot of kids in a lot of events, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

The athletes said they apply a team-first mentality to their individual events.

“We’re all really close, and we all do it for each other,” said Knight. “We try to win for each other.”

Cambon said there is a synergy with the coaching staff that helps keep the program contending for titles every year.

“We couldn’t be where we are without the coaches’ training,” Cambon said. “They have a great background for us, and it just helps build us up.”

Boys Take Second In Excellent All-Around Performance

The Severna Park boys, who have finished as a top-two team at the winter county championships every year since 2013 and won the county title in the 2014-2015 season, had a strong day to total 97 points and finish as runners-up to South River (129).

The boys’ efforts were paced by the distance running of Garrison Clark and Jonah Lane. Clark repeated as two-mile indoor county champion, winning the 3200 in 9:42.75.

“I expected to win,” said Clark. “I knew there was going to be some competition, but I just went out there and raced.” Clark also placed fourth in the mile race.

Lane was victorious in the 1600—the mile—improving on his second-place finish from last winter and collecting another medal after last spring’ county crown in the outdoor mile.

“I knew [South River’s] Sam Keeny was going to put up a fight, and he definitely did,” said Lane, who won in 4:27.77 ahead of Keeney’s 4:28.61. “In the last two laps he took it, and I knew I just couldn’t let it go, and I guess I had the better race today.” Lane also took fourth in the 800.

Severna Park had multiple other county-championship performances. The 4x800 team of Jack Finnerin, Will Reed, Nick Engelman and Sam Martin won in 8:22.71. The 4x400 team of Lane, Reed, Kyle Martin and Max Boettinger also took first. Alexander Chaisson was fifth in the mile. Sam Martin was runner-up to Clark in the two-mile, and Nathan Vandemeulebroecke was fourth. Finnerin was third in the 800, Lane was fourth and Reed was sixth. Ben Dearing took fourth in pole vault, clearing 11’6”. Hunter Simon placed eighth in high jump. Joe Jennings was fifth in shot put.

Boettinger was fourth in the 300, sixth in the 500 and eighth in the 55m hurdles, banking 10 total points.

Broadneck had a pair of county champs on the day. Elian Ahmar won boys shot put with a throw of 55’6.5”. Jaren Baluyot won pole vault with a jump of 12’6”. Both the Broadneck girls and boys placed fifth. 

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