Info
Location: 1000 Hilltop Circle, Catonsville MD (track is next to the event center)
Meet Date: April 22, 2018
Registration Close: April 18, 2018
Cost: $10 per person, $150 per gender team
Team Check-in begins at 11:00AM
Events will begin at 12:00PM
Order of Events
4x800m Relay
110h/100 Hurdles
100m
5000m
200m
1500m
400m
4x100m Relay
3000m Steeplechase
800m
4x400m Relay
Devil Takes The Hindmost
Long Jump (TBD)
Shot Put (TBD)
Meet Date: April 22, 2018
Registration Close: April 18, 2018
Cost: $10 per person, $150 per gender team
Team Check-in begins at 11:00AM
Events will begin at 12:00PM
Order of Events
4x800m Relay
110h/100 Hurdles
100m
5000m
200m
1500m
400m
4x100m Relay
3000m Steeplechase
800m
4x400m Relay
Devil Takes The Hindmost
Long Jump (TBD)
Shot Put (TBD)
Meet Preview
Tomorrow, the UMBC Running Club hosts their 2nd annual Retriever Invitational which has the look of being an even more incredible meet than last year. Our athletes have put forth a tremendous effort to pull this meet together so we hope friends and family come and enjoy!
The men’s 100m dash features Thomas Ryba (Sr.), Cole Bowden (Fr.), and Keith Ferguson (So.). After an incredible leg in the 4x100 last week, followed by the destruction of his leg in the steeple, Ryba finally makes his debut in his most promising event. But Bowden is the new club record holder and won’t just be satisfied with top dawg, he’ll be looking for some points. Ferguson makes his return to the track after being uninjured for the first half of the season. All eyes will be on Keith to see what he can do.
The men’s 5000m headlines the one and only Tom Kersting (Adult.) who aims to hop on the PR bus and school this stacked field. Once again, Dawit Tegegn (So.) has gone missing. Rumor has it he maximized his red blood cell count in Flagstaff and has gone to Everest to increase his gains. The women’s race features Nicole Dawson (Gr.) who had an epic showing at the Earth Day 5k and looks to hang with the UMD girls to a blazing time.
The women’s 200m dash spotlights Julia Ciattei (Jr.) who after running a blazing time in the 400m at UMD is looking to put her raw speed to the test. The men’s race features Cole Bowden (Fr.) who is looking for a hopeful top 5 performance.
The women’s 1500m features Anna Staats (Fr.), Nicole Dawson (Gr.), Bella Facchine (?), and Sarah Lively (Jr.). With the slew of 5:20 seeded girls in the field, Staats is looking not only for the club record, but for the win. However its been quite cold this past week and we all know Staats does not like ice. Dawson will be coming back from the 5k but will without a doubt be eager to put her mid-distance prowess to the test. Facchine and Lively both return to the track after what seems like a really long time to run hopefully very fast. The men’s race headlines Tomas Aker (So.), Alex Hulburt (So.), and Jason Winkler (Jr.). After a solid week full of lots of 69 second 400m reps and a definitive win at the Earth Day 5k, Aker knows this is his chance to mathrock & roll. Hulburt makes his debut at the 1500m distance... we are all just as curious as you to see what happens. Winkler was a surprise entry to the field. After a solid performance at the Earth Day 5k, Winkler realized he was a distance runner all along. Instead of moving up to the 200m or 400m, he went straight for the 1500, god bless you Jason.
The women’s 400m highlights Julia Ciattei (Jr.) and Bella Facchine (?). Ciattei will be looking to lower her record and Facchine will be on the hunt for a PR. The men’s race features Drew Bowling (Sr.) who has a shot at winning the whole race but concerns of double bass leg fatigue could be the deciding factor.
The women’s 3000m steeplechase features Anna Staats (Fr.) who after miraculously recovering from dysentery after her last time running steeple looks to take another shot at the club record. The men's race, however, is the real one to watch. Brandon Folio (Sr.) and Matt Glessner (Adult.) decided they didn't get wet enough at Boston and are looking to take down the club record. It won't come easy though, with Thomas Ryba (Sr.) and Jim Lahey (Sr.) looking to repeat their strong showings from the Terrapin Invitational. With some fast UMD guys in it as well, it's truly anyone's race.
Showing off her mid-distance skills, Julia Ciattei (Jr.) headlines the 800 for the retrievers. Could we see her take three club records in a single meet? On the men's side, it's an a-Tom-ic showdown between Tomas Aker (So.) and Tom Kersting (Adult.). Who will win? Only Tom will tell.
The men's 4x400 is sure to be a race to watch as the retrievers will face some stiff competition in the form of UMD and Loyola. Alex Hulburt (So.), Thomas Ryba (Sr.), and Trent Foster (So.) all look to lower the club record of 3:46. The only question is who will the fourth leg be?
The final race of the day is sure to raise hell. With no one knowing how far the race is or even who's in it, The Devil-Takes the Hindmost is anyone's race to win. With 20 dollars and a stuffed dog on the line, it'll be a fiery competition.
In the field events, the girl's shotput is one to watch. With Katelyn Gregory (Jr.) and Sarah Lively (Jr.) as the two girls entered, it'll be an epic showdown for first place. On the men's side, it's another dual between Jim Lahey (Sr.) and Jason Winkler (Jr.). After the 100m at the Towson scrimmage, Winkler and Lahey are more competitive than ever. Ben Jones (Sr.), however, hopes to usurp both as he competes in the final meet of his career.
Jason Winkler (Jr.) hopes to put the Terrapin Invitational behind him as he takes another stab at the long jump. Hopefully he doesn't scratch with all the girls will be gushing at his results. The surprise entry, however, is Tomas Aker (So.) who looks not only to take down Jason, but more importantly Jason's self worth.
With the weather looking to be in the mid-60s with light wind, club records are sure to fall. Come down to the track to support your retrievers! 'SCO BIG DAWGS!!
The Meet
Results
Photos
Videos
Records
The men’s 100m dash features Thomas Ryba (Sr.), Cole Bowden (Fr.), and Keith Ferguson (So.). After an incredible leg in the 4x100 last week, followed by the destruction of his leg in the steeple, Ryba finally makes his debut in his most promising event. But Bowden is the new club record holder and won’t just be satisfied with top dawg, he’ll be looking for some points. Ferguson makes his return to the track after being uninjured for the first half of the season. All eyes will be on Keith to see what he can do.
The men’s 5000m headlines the one and only Tom Kersting (Adult.) who aims to hop on the PR bus and school this stacked field. Once again, Dawit Tegegn (So.) has gone missing. Rumor has it he maximized his red blood cell count in Flagstaff and has gone to Everest to increase his gains. The women’s race features Nicole Dawson (Gr.) who had an epic showing at the Earth Day 5k and looks to hang with the UMD girls to a blazing time.
The women’s 200m dash spotlights Julia Ciattei (Jr.) who after running a blazing time in the 400m at UMD is looking to put her raw speed to the test. The men’s race features Cole Bowden (Fr.) who is looking for a hopeful top 5 performance.
The women’s 1500m features Anna Staats (Fr.), Nicole Dawson (Gr.), Bella Facchine (?), and Sarah Lively (Jr.). With the slew of 5:20 seeded girls in the field, Staats is looking not only for the club record, but for the win. However its been quite cold this past week and we all know Staats does not like ice. Dawson will be coming back from the 5k but will without a doubt be eager to put her mid-distance prowess to the test. Facchine and Lively both return to the track after what seems like a really long time to run hopefully very fast. The men’s race headlines Tomas Aker (So.), Alex Hulburt (So.), and Jason Winkler (Jr.). After a solid week full of lots of 69 second 400m reps and a definitive win at the Earth Day 5k, Aker knows this is his chance to mathrock & roll. Hulburt makes his debut at the 1500m distance... we are all just as curious as you to see what happens. Winkler was a surprise entry to the field. After a solid performance at the Earth Day 5k, Winkler realized he was a distance runner all along. Instead of moving up to the 200m or 400m, he went straight for the 1500, god bless you Jason.
The women’s 400m highlights Julia Ciattei (Jr.) and Bella Facchine (?). Ciattei will be looking to lower her record and Facchine will be on the hunt for a PR. The men’s race features Drew Bowling (Sr.) who has a shot at winning the whole race but concerns of double bass leg fatigue could be the deciding factor.
The women’s 3000m steeplechase features Anna Staats (Fr.) who after miraculously recovering from dysentery after her last time running steeple looks to take another shot at the club record. The men's race, however, is the real one to watch. Brandon Folio (Sr.) and Matt Glessner (Adult.) decided they didn't get wet enough at Boston and are looking to take down the club record. It won't come easy though, with Thomas Ryba (Sr.) and Jim Lahey (Sr.) looking to repeat their strong showings from the Terrapin Invitational. With some fast UMD guys in it as well, it's truly anyone's race.
Showing off her mid-distance skills, Julia Ciattei (Jr.) headlines the 800 for the retrievers. Could we see her take three club records in a single meet? On the men's side, it's an a-Tom-ic showdown between Tomas Aker (So.) and Tom Kersting (Adult.). Who will win? Only Tom will tell.
The men's 4x400 is sure to be a race to watch as the retrievers will face some stiff competition in the form of UMD and Loyola. Alex Hulburt (So.), Thomas Ryba (Sr.), and Trent Foster (So.) all look to lower the club record of 3:46. The only question is who will the fourth leg be?
The final race of the day is sure to raise hell. With no one knowing how far the race is or even who's in it, The Devil-Takes the Hindmost is anyone's race to win. With 20 dollars and a stuffed dog on the line, it'll be a fiery competition.
In the field events, the girl's shotput is one to watch. With Katelyn Gregory (Jr.) and Sarah Lively (Jr.) as the two girls entered, it'll be an epic showdown for first place. On the men's side, it's another dual between Jim Lahey (Sr.) and Jason Winkler (Jr.). After the 100m at the Towson scrimmage, Winkler and Lahey are more competitive than ever. Ben Jones (Sr.), however, hopes to usurp both as he competes in the final meet of his career.
Jason Winkler (Jr.) hopes to put the Terrapin Invitational behind him as he takes another stab at the long jump. Hopefully he doesn't scratch with all the girls will be gushing at his results. The surprise entry, however, is Tomas Aker (So.) who looks not only to take down Jason, but more importantly Jason's self worth.
With the weather looking to be in the mid-60s with light wind, club records are sure to fall. Come down to the track to support your retrievers! 'SCO BIG DAWGS!!
The Meet
Results
Photos
Videos
Records
Meet Recap
On Sunday, The UMBC Running Club hosted the Retriever Invitational which was nothing short of huge success. Not only did the meet run smoothly but there were incredible performances across the board. Truly the meet of the year.
The meet kicked off with men’s 4x800m relay which featured Nicole Dawson (Gr.), Anna Staats (Fr.), Bella Facchine (?), and Julia Ciattei (Jr.). Dawson split 2:56.00 and we have video evidence that she split exactly 44.00 for all four 200m segments in the race. Thats 4 sig figs folks. Staats took the baton a few seconds back from UD and came through in 2:40.90. Facchine took the 3rd leg and decided on the unique strategy of standing completely still until she got the baton. She closed the gap on UD and split 2:59.58. It was up to Ciattei to seal the deal, but the UD anchor was on her A game. Ciattei split 2:57.18 and the team placed 2nd in a time of 11:33. The men’s race featured Alex Hulburt (So.), Brandon Folio (Sr.), Matt Glessner (Adult.), and Thomas Ryba (Sr.). Hulburt took it out with a blistering 2:29.30. Folio took the baton next and looked strong for the first 700m, then out of nowhere a strong wind gust zoomed down the home stretch. The lift generated by Folio’s hat allowed him to literally fly and bust out a deadly sub 15 last 100m for a 2:32.21. A discouraged Glessner attempted the same strategy. An identical gust came with 100m to go. However he had no hat and thus came in devastated in 2:34.47. With a massive lead over UD, Ryba cruised his leg to save it for later races. He split 2:40.41 and the team won in a time of 10:18.79.
The men’s 100m dash featured Thomas Ryba (Sr.), Cole Bowden (Fr.), and Keith Ferguson (So.). Ryba pulled an anti-Alex and realized that he’s been wasting his time with distance running. Ryba scorched a club record time of 12.05 to place 2nd! Bowden ran a strong race placing 7th with a 12.40. The big surprise of the day was Ferguson who just barely snuck under 14 seconds with a 13.99 to place 10th. Actual fact: he’s as fast as Mo Farah.
The women’s 5k headlined Nicole Dawson (Gr.) who after only 30 minutes rest, started in last and worked her way through the field to place 3rd in a club record time of 19:32.67! The men’s race featured none other than Tom Kersting (Adult.) who attempted to hop on the sub-17 bus running the first mile in 5:19. He faded slightly but still held on to a 7th place finish in 17:42.29.
The women’s 200m featured Julia Ciattei (Jr.) who put her raw speed to the test in the 3rd most interesting sprinting event. Flying around the bend and down the home stretch, she came in to a 3rd place finish in a club record time of 32.04! The men’s race was lead by Alex Hulburt (So.) who was running on the fumes from his dinner the night prior. He still managed an impressive 3rd place finish in 24.81. Close behind was Cole Bowden (Fr.) who was slightly off his club record but still placed 4th in 24.96.
The women’s 1500m headlined Anna Staats (Fr.), Nicole Dawson (Gr.), Bella Facchine (?), and Katelyn Gregory (Jr.). Staats set out at unimaginably fast 78 seconds at 400m. For reference, if she held that pace for just one more lap she would PR in the 800m by 2 seconds. The winded Staats became the first women in history to sprint an entire 1500m. She amazingly held on to a solid 2nd place finish with a club record time of 5:17.01! Dawson, exhausted from her 5k, decided she had not had a painful enough day so decided throw another surge of lactic acid in her legs placing 6th in 5:48.66. Facchine had the most surprising performance running almost the same pace for the 1500 as she held in the 800 an hour earlier finishing 7th in 5:52.95. Gregory also had an incredible performance with a solid 2 second PR placing 12th in 7:13.19. The men’s race spotlighted Jim Lahey (Sr.) who despite having burning lungs from a supposed pollen surge 2 days prior, had the race of his life placing 9th in a huge PR of 4:47.20.
The women’s 400m featured Julia Ciattei (Jr.) who made another go at her club record. In a race of pure bravery she nailed it, running the exact time she wanted placing 2nd with a club record time of 67.69! Bella Facchine (?) was also in the race and despite suffering from lactic poisoning held on to a 77.77. The race of the day was the men’s 400m which featured Drew Bowling (Sr.) and Trent Foster (So.). Bowling ran a gutsy race from lane 8. Bowling showed true heart, pulling the 2nd Van-Niekerk maneuver of the season for the win in 52.42. If only his heart worked this well in cross. As impressive as that was the retriever race of the day went to Foster who PR’d by almost 2 seconds with a 54.30.
The men’s 4x100m team featured Alex Hulburt (So.), Jason Winkler (Jr.), Thomas Ryba (Sr.), and Cole Bowden (Fr.) who put together a string of 11.8 legs and good handoffs to come away with a school record time of 47.46 to place 2nd! The women’s 4x100m was lead off Nicole Dawson (Gr.) who showed that she is indeed 100% slow twitch muscle, handing off right over the 20 second barrier. Julia Ciattei (Jr.) maintained her position and handed off to Anna Staats (Fr.) who thought it’d be best to save her shoes for the steeple. Anchoring for the retrievers was Bella Facchine (?) who brought the dawgs home in a crisp 67.65. Turns out that’s actually a school record.
If there was any race of the day that was worth seeing, it was the women’s 3000m steeplechase which featured the Anna “Sam 2.0" Staats (Fr.) who is 2 for 2 in getting a mouthful of steeple pit water. The soaked Staats proceeded to come through 800m in an unprecedented 3:10 before drowning to a 2nd place 13:29.18 finish. Could the meet get any more exciting? Well Brandon Folio (Sr.) was in the steeple... so yes. However, the top UMBC runner was Matt Glessner (Adult.) who hurdled every barrier to run place 3rd in an insane 11:35.32. It was amazing Glessner made it over all the barriers... rumor has it he donated his eyes to science after witnessing some traumatic events that morning. Coming in 4th for the retrievers was Thomas Ryba (Sr.) who beat Folio for the first time since the xc time trial 2 years ago. He came in with a time of 12:15.50. Against all odds, Folio was able to get his body over all 35 barriers without dying... or even worse... a Thomas level injury. Folio placed 5th in a time of 12:31.27.
The men’s 800m featured an extraordinary run from Tomas Aker (So.) who didn’t let any comments about him being a bad ex boyfriend to one of the UD long jumpers stop him from running an insane club record time of 2:01.90 to place 2nd! Not to be forgot is Tom Kersting (Adult.) who placed 5th in 2:20.11.
At this point, everybody was sick of the massive number of awesome races they were witnessing, so our 4x400m relay team decided one more couldn’t hurt. Trent Foster (So.) lead the retrievers off with a blazing 56.01 to get the retrievers the lead. A mysterious underground team known as “The Dirty Dawgs” had their leadoff runner run in jeans... a unique strategy to say the least. Thomas Ryba (Sr.) took the baton tied for first and held his place running a 57.20. Despite having jello for legs, Tomas Aker (So.) came back after a 15 minute break to run 56.29 and giving the Retrievers the lead. It was all up to Drew Bowling (Sr.) to seal the deal. However, within 100m, one of the Dirty Dawgs runners surged up to Bowling. Dirty Dawg #4 came through 200m in an unbelievable 23.0. Kinda makes you runner why he’s wasting his time in the 800m? Then it became clear Dirty Dawg #4 had made a mistake as Bowling through in a surge to nip The Dirty Dawgs at the line. The winning time of 3:42.70 was good for a new club record!
Not to be forgotten were the field events. The women’s shot-put featured Katelyn Gregory (Jr.) who absolutely demolished the competition, taking the win with a 19’0”. The men’s shot was lead by Ben Jones (Sr.) who competed in both the first and last track meet of his life just 1 inch off the club record placing 3rd with a 30’4”. Rumor has it Ben will make a reappearance to the track Saturday night. Stay tuned. Close behind was Jim Lahey (Sr.) who placed 4th with a 24’1.” Behind him was Jason Winkler (Jr.) who was defeated before the day even began, placing 5th with a 21’1”. Despite superior genetics, Keith Ferguson (So.) failed to pull it together placing 6th with a 16’9”. There was also a solid battle in the long jump with Tomas Aker (So.) taking it for the Retrievers with a surprise club record by 2 inches placing 5th with a 16’10.5”. Jason Winkler (Jr.) was a foot back placing 6th with a 15’10”.
Many thanks to all the athletes and volunteers who made this meet possible! We know our younger Retrievers will make sure this meet continues each track season for years to come. Join us this weekend for the last meet of the season at The Paul Kaiser Invitational!
The meet kicked off with men’s 4x800m relay which featured Nicole Dawson (Gr.), Anna Staats (Fr.), Bella Facchine (?), and Julia Ciattei (Jr.). Dawson split 2:56.00 and we have video evidence that she split exactly 44.00 for all four 200m segments in the race. Thats 4 sig figs folks. Staats took the baton a few seconds back from UD and came through in 2:40.90. Facchine took the 3rd leg and decided on the unique strategy of standing completely still until she got the baton. She closed the gap on UD and split 2:59.58. It was up to Ciattei to seal the deal, but the UD anchor was on her A game. Ciattei split 2:57.18 and the team placed 2nd in a time of 11:33. The men’s race featured Alex Hulburt (So.), Brandon Folio (Sr.), Matt Glessner (Adult.), and Thomas Ryba (Sr.). Hulburt took it out with a blistering 2:29.30. Folio took the baton next and looked strong for the first 700m, then out of nowhere a strong wind gust zoomed down the home stretch. The lift generated by Folio’s hat allowed him to literally fly and bust out a deadly sub 15 last 100m for a 2:32.21. A discouraged Glessner attempted the same strategy. An identical gust came with 100m to go. However he had no hat and thus came in devastated in 2:34.47. With a massive lead over UD, Ryba cruised his leg to save it for later races. He split 2:40.41 and the team won in a time of 10:18.79.
The men’s 100m dash featured Thomas Ryba (Sr.), Cole Bowden (Fr.), and Keith Ferguson (So.). Ryba pulled an anti-Alex and realized that he’s been wasting his time with distance running. Ryba scorched a club record time of 12.05 to place 2nd! Bowden ran a strong race placing 7th with a 12.40. The big surprise of the day was Ferguson who just barely snuck under 14 seconds with a 13.99 to place 10th. Actual fact: he’s as fast as Mo Farah.
The women’s 5k headlined Nicole Dawson (Gr.) who after only 30 minutes rest, started in last and worked her way through the field to place 3rd in a club record time of 19:32.67! The men’s race featured none other than Tom Kersting (Adult.) who attempted to hop on the sub-17 bus running the first mile in 5:19. He faded slightly but still held on to a 7th place finish in 17:42.29.
The women’s 200m featured Julia Ciattei (Jr.) who put her raw speed to the test in the 3rd most interesting sprinting event. Flying around the bend and down the home stretch, she came in to a 3rd place finish in a club record time of 32.04! The men’s race was lead by Alex Hulburt (So.) who was running on the fumes from his dinner the night prior. He still managed an impressive 3rd place finish in 24.81. Close behind was Cole Bowden (Fr.) who was slightly off his club record but still placed 4th in 24.96.
The women’s 1500m headlined Anna Staats (Fr.), Nicole Dawson (Gr.), Bella Facchine (?), and Katelyn Gregory (Jr.). Staats set out at unimaginably fast 78 seconds at 400m. For reference, if she held that pace for just one more lap she would PR in the 800m by 2 seconds. The winded Staats became the first women in history to sprint an entire 1500m. She amazingly held on to a solid 2nd place finish with a club record time of 5:17.01! Dawson, exhausted from her 5k, decided she had not had a painful enough day so decided throw another surge of lactic acid in her legs placing 6th in 5:48.66. Facchine had the most surprising performance running almost the same pace for the 1500 as she held in the 800 an hour earlier finishing 7th in 5:52.95. Gregory also had an incredible performance with a solid 2 second PR placing 12th in 7:13.19. The men’s race spotlighted Jim Lahey (Sr.) who despite having burning lungs from a supposed pollen surge 2 days prior, had the race of his life placing 9th in a huge PR of 4:47.20.
The women’s 400m featured Julia Ciattei (Jr.) who made another go at her club record. In a race of pure bravery she nailed it, running the exact time she wanted placing 2nd with a club record time of 67.69! Bella Facchine (?) was also in the race and despite suffering from lactic poisoning held on to a 77.77. The race of the day was the men’s 400m which featured Drew Bowling (Sr.) and Trent Foster (So.). Bowling ran a gutsy race from lane 8. Bowling showed true heart, pulling the 2nd Van-Niekerk maneuver of the season for the win in 52.42. If only his heart worked this well in cross. As impressive as that was the retriever race of the day went to Foster who PR’d by almost 2 seconds with a 54.30.
The men’s 4x100m team featured Alex Hulburt (So.), Jason Winkler (Jr.), Thomas Ryba (Sr.), and Cole Bowden (Fr.) who put together a string of 11.8 legs and good handoffs to come away with a school record time of 47.46 to place 2nd! The women’s 4x100m was lead off Nicole Dawson (Gr.) who showed that she is indeed 100% slow twitch muscle, handing off right over the 20 second barrier. Julia Ciattei (Jr.) maintained her position and handed off to Anna Staats (Fr.) who thought it’d be best to save her shoes for the steeple. Anchoring for the retrievers was Bella Facchine (?) who brought the dawgs home in a crisp 67.65. Turns out that’s actually a school record.
If there was any race of the day that was worth seeing, it was the women’s 3000m steeplechase which featured the Anna “Sam 2.0" Staats (Fr.) who is 2 for 2 in getting a mouthful of steeple pit water. The soaked Staats proceeded to come through 800m in an unprecedented 3:10 before drowning to a 2nd place 13:29.18 finish. Could the meet get any more exciting? Well Brandon Folio (Sr.) was in the steeple... so yes. However, the top UMBC runner was Matt Glessner (Adult.) who hurdled every barrier to run place 3rd in an insane 11:35.32. It was amazing Glessner made it over all the barriers... rumor has it he donated his eyes to science after witnessing some traumatic events that morning. Coming in 4th for the retrievers was Thomas Ryba (Sr.) who beat Folio for the first time since the xc time trial 2 years ago. He came in with a time of 12:15.50. Against all odds, Folio was able to get his body over all 35 barriers without dying... or even worse... a Thomas level injury. Folio placed 5th in a time of 12:31.27.
The men’s 800m featured an extraordinary run from Tomas Aker (So.) who didn’t let any comments about him being a bad ex boyfriend to one of the UD long jumpers stop him from running an insane club record time of 2:01.90 to place 2nd! Not to be forgot is Tom Kersting (Adult.) who placed 5th in 2:20.11.
At this point, everybody was sick of the massive number of awesome races they were witnessing, so our 4x400m relay team decided one more couldn’t hurt. Trent Foster (So.) lead the retrievers off with a blazing 56.01 to get the retrievers the lead. A mysterious underground team known as “The Dirty Dawgs” had their leadoff runner run in jeans... a unique strategy to say the least. Thomas Ryba (Sr.) took the baton tied for first and held his place running a 57.20. Despite having jello for legs, Tomas Aker (So.) came back after a 15 minute break to run 56.29 and giving the Retrievers the lead. It was all up to Drew Bowling (Sr.) to seal the deal. However, within 100m, one of the Dirty Dawgs runners surged up to Bowling. Dirty Dawg #4 came through 200m in an unbelievable 23.0. Kinda makes you runner why he’s wasting his time in the 800m? Then it became clear Dirty Dawg #4 had made a mistake as Bowling through in a surge to nip The Dirty Dawgs at the line. The winning time of 3:42.70 was good for a new club record!
Not to be forgotten were the field events. The women’s shot-put featured Katelyn Gregory (Jr.) who absolutely demolished the competition, taking the win with a 19’0”. The men’s shot was lead by Ben Jones (Sr.) who competed in both the first and last track meet of his life just 1 inch off the club record placing 3rd with a 30’4”. Rumor has it Ben will make a reappearance to the track Saturday night. Stay tuned. Close behind was Jim Lahey (Sr.) who placed 4th with a 24’1.” Behind him was Jason Winkler (Jr.) who was defeated before the day even began, placing 5th with a 21’1”. Despite superior genetics, Keith Ferguson (So.) failed to pull it together placing 6th with a 16’9”. There was also a solid battle in the long jump with Tomas Aker (So.) taking it for the Retrievers with a surprise club record by 2 inches placing 5th with a 16’10.5”. Jason Winkler (Jr.) was a foot back placing 6th with a 15’10”.
Many thanks to all the athletes and volunteers who made this meet possible! We know our younger Retrievers will make sure this meet continues each track season for years to come. Join us this weekend for the last meet of the season at The Paul Kaiser Invitational!