Meet Preview
The UMBC retrievers are back baby! This rust buster at Catonsville high school is sure to be one for the books, with a slew of club records sure to fall. With a condensed meet schedule and some good competition from Towson it's truly anyone's day to shine.
Leading off is the 1500 meter dash. We know it's no mile, but it's sure to bring an exciting wake up call back to racing after the long winter of base mileage. Leading the retrievers will be Jess.. I mean Nicole along with Anna Staats. After their stiff head to head competition throughout cross country, this race is gonna be one to watch. Anna Hartmen, after taking much of the fall off with injury, will also be looking to get the season off to a good start. Not to be overlooked is Bella Faccine, who rumor has it has been going to the track for weeks to prepare for this meet. Also rounding out our strong ladies squad are the Corns twins. Hopefully they'll get enough sleep this time and be ready to race in the AM.
On the men's side, Brandon Folio hopes to impress the ladies with a win in the 1500. It'll be tough as he's been marathon training lately and has really had problems with finishing. Looking to usurp young Folio is THE Mike Sack. After a long fall in Rome, the Sack is back and ready for a good race. Also running for the men is Keith. After a strong cross country season and some good track times, Keith is looking to McKick some butt this meet. The real dark horse, however, is Ari Weissfeld. Rumor has it he's been putting in a ton of mileage lately and is sure to come out with something good.
At 1/15 of the distance and 1/5 of the competitors, the 100 meter dash is gonna be a site to see. On the women's side, no one wanted to pull a hamstring. But the men have two brave soles, Cole and Jason, looking to creep up on Usain Bolt's WR. The 800 is also going to be a huge show, with two retrievers on each side looking to duke it out for the win. For the men, Andrew "400" Bowling look to double the distance and run a fast 800. Rumor has it he did 100 400s in a week over the winter, so he's definitely got the endurance. Also running for the men is Raymond Tam, who between game of thrones binges has been putting in a ton of work both in the weight room and on the track. On the girls side, the club record is on the line and it's going to either Julia or Naomi. Both are doubling back from the 1500, so it's sure to be a good race. Then comes the real event of the day, the 5000. Brandon Folio and Anna Staats hope to double back from the 1500 and lead everyone's favorite power couple to four wins on the day. It's not gonna be easy though, as Brandon will have to give it all he's got against some stiff Towson competition. On the girl's side, Nicole Dawson hopes to show em what she's got and take down young Staats.
The last event of the day, the 4x400, is sure to be a sight to see. Rumor has it Towson has elected to not enter a team after being so intimidated by 400 meter monster Andrew Bowling's workouts. The retrievers plan to enter two teams for the boys and one for the girls, so club records will surly fall. When the dust settles, you'll sure want to be here for the action.
MEET RECAP
The UMBC Running club unofficially started the season on a windy Sunday morning with a scrimmage against Towson University at Catonsville High School.
The meet began with the 1500. It started out slow with a close pack consisting of Brandon Folio, Michael Sack, Anna Staats, and the 24 year old Nicole Dawson. Close behind were the inseparable Corn twins followed by Bella Facchine and Anna Hartman. As the bell sounded signifying the last lap, the young Anna Staats bolted ahead in a kick which, unlike Brandon, was a bit premature. Brandon closed the gap quickly and took the lead to finish first at 5:13. Although he was determined to ‘catch ‘em all,’ Michael fell short as he finished just behind Brandon with the time of 5:15. Still regretting her kick, Anna crossed the finish line at 5:29. Struggling to keep up with the younger pack, Nicole, at the age of 26, finished at 5:41. Just as they came into this world, Julia Corns came through the finish just before Naomi Corns with the times of 5:49 and 5:51 respectively. Proudly completing her first ever mile(ish) race, Bella crossed the line at 6:13. Rounding out the retrievers was Anna Hartman, who finished at 6:45 after just recently coming off of an injury.
The 100 meter dash was a train wreck from start to finish. Troubles at the starting line arose as the athletes fought over the single set of blocks that the club was able to afford, followed by the confusion as to when the racers were ready to begin. The race itself did not get much better as the young recruit, Cole Bowen, false started. Coupled with finishing last on the team with a time of 12.72, Cole also strained his hamstring. Even Michael, “The Big Sack,” wasn’t feeling so big as he finished with a lackluster 12.42. As expected, the team’s top athlete, Jason, was able to finish first on the team with a 12.2. When asked to comment on his win, he stated, “Jumpers just do it better. Also no, I didn’t run in Michael’s lane and hit him just so I could win; why do you ask?”
Following the 100 was the 800. As the supreme leader, Drew Bowling was given Matt Glessner as a pacer; this seemed like a good idea, until the start of the race when Matt bolted out of blocks like an enraged gorilla, but could only keep it up for the first 180 meters. Blaming both Matt and the strong head winds, Drew finished with a time of 2:16. Identical to their other race, the identical Corns twins finished within seconds of each other as Julia finished in 2:46 with Naomi finishing in 2:49. With a subpar race that can be described as ‘a Thomas long run’ or ‘four 400s,’ but most notably as ‘trash,’ Bella finished at 3:07. Reaching the bottom of the barrel, we have the freshman, Raymond Tam. Despite all of his eagerness and potential, he was unable to complete the race after running only the first 550 meters. Commenting on Raymond’s disappointing race, Drew said, “We all thought he could be great this season, but now we’ve lost all hope in him.” Trent later added, “He just wasn’t strong enough to finish.”
Next was the gruesomely long 5k. Despite the obnoxious length of the event, only three retrievers competed: everyone’s favorite power “couple” of Brandon and Anna Staats, and the 29 year old, Nicole. Brandon shot out at a blistering 10:30 two-mile and was still able to hold on to finish at 16:47. On the girls’ side, it was a tough race as Anna, whose weekly mileage is in the quadruple digits, was able to beat out her older rival with the time of 20:18. Despite her recent hip replacement surgery, Nicole was able finish just seconds behind with 20:29.
Last, but certainly not least, we had the 4x400 relay. Leading off the race was the steady handed team captain, Alex Hulbert, Jake from Towson, the disappointment, Raymond, and the 34 year old, Nicole. Alex cruised into the lead, passing off his banana at 56.47. Dementia struck Nicole as she forgot to cut into the first lane causing her to hand off her baton last. When asked about her misstep, she responded, “What did you say?” followed by “I’m getting too old for this.” Despite being significantly behind, Drew, the 400 king, was able to run a blistering 56.23 to regain the lead in the second leg. However, Julia Ciatti was able to wittily wager her strength to just barely regain the lead as she passed off the banana to the anchoring Trent Foster. After breaking his leg in the last track meet he participated in, Trent was determined to redeem himself. To his and everyone else’s surprise, Trent was not only able to maintain the lead, but noticeably expand it after running a shocking 57.75 to finish off the race with a victory.
Port-a-potties were flipped, puppies were pet, and bonds were formed as the meet came to a close. Overall, the meet was a breeze, with a run time less than two hours. The team showed some real promise as it starts what appears to be a monumental season.
Leading off is the 1500 meter dash. We know it's no mile, but it's sure to bring an exciting wake up call back to racing after the long winter of base mileage. Leading the retrievers will be Jess.. I mean Nicole along with Anna Staats. After their stiff head to head competition throughout cross country, this race is gonna be one to watch. Anna Hartmen, after taking much of the fall off with injury, will also be looking to get the season off to a good start. Not to be overlooked is Bella Faccine, who rumor has it has been going to the track for weeks to prepare for this meet. Also rounding out our strong ladies squad are the Corns twins. Hopefully they'll get enough sleep this time and be ready to race in the AM.
On the men's side, Brandon Folio hopes to impress the ladies with a win in the 1500. It'll be tough as he's been marathon training lately and has really had problems with finishing. Looking to usurp young Folio is THE Mike Sack. After a long fall in Rome, the Sack is back and ready for a good race. Also running for the men is Keith. After a strong cross country season and some good track times, Keith is looking to McKick some butt this meet. The real dark horse, however, is Ari Weissfeld. Rumor has it he's been putting in a ton of mileage lately and is sure to come out with something good.
At 1/15 of the distance and 1/5 of the competitors, the 100 meter dash is gonna be a site to see. On the women's side, no one wanted to pull a hamstring. But the men have two brave soles, Cole and Jason, looking to creep up on Usain Bolt's WR. The 800 is also going to be a huge show, with two retrievers on each side looking to duke it out for the win. For the men, Andrew "400" Bowling look to double the distance and run a fast 800. Rumor has it he did 100 400s in a week over the winter, so he's definitely got the endurance. Also running for the men is Raymond Tam, who between game of thrones binges has been putting in a ton of work both in the weight room and on the track. On the girls side, the club record is on the line and it's going to either Julia or Naomi. Both are doubling back from the 1500, so it's sure to be a good race. Then comes the real event of the day, the 5000. Brandon Folio and Anna Staats hope to double back from the 1500 and lead everyone's favorite power couple to four wins on the day. It's not gonna be easy though, as Brandon will have to give it all he's got against some stiff Towson competition. On the girl's side, Nicole Dawson hopes to show em what she's got and take down young Staats.
The last event of the day, the 4x400, is sure to be a sight to see. Rumor has it Towson has elected to not enter a team after being so intimidated by 400 meter monster Andrew Bowling's workouts. The retrievers plan to enter two teams for the boys and one for the girls, so club records will surly fall. When the dust settles, you'll sure want to be here for the action.
MEET RECAP
The UMBC Running club unofficially started the season on a windy Sunday morning with a scrimmage against Towson University at Catonsville High School.
The meet began with the 1500. It started out slow with a close pack consisting of Brandon Folio, Michael Sack, Anna Staats, and the 24 year old Nicole Dawson. Close behind were the inseparable Corn twins followed by Bella Facchine and Anna Hartman. As the bell sounded signifying the last lap, the young Anna Staats bolted ahead in a kick which, unlike Brandon, was a bit premature. Brandon closed the gap quickly and took the lead to finish first at 5:13. Although he was determined to ‘catch ‘em all,’ Michael fell short as he finished just behind Brandon with the time of 5:15. Still regretting her kick, Anna crossed the finish line at 5:29. Struggling to keep up with the younger pack, Nicole, at the age of 26, finished at 5:41. Just as they came into this world, Julia Corns came through the finish just before Naomi Corns with the times of 5:49 and 5:51 respectively. Proudly completing her first ever mile(ish) race, Bella crossed the line at 6:13. Rounding out the retrievers was Anna Hartman, who finished at 6:45 after just recently coming off of an injury.
The 100 meter dash was a train wreck from start to finish. Troubles at the starting line arose as the athletes fought over the single set of blocks that the club was able to afford, followed by the confusion as to when the racers were ready to begin. The race itself did not get much better as the young recruit, Cole Bowen, false started. Coupled with finishing last on the team with a time of 12.72, Cole also strained his hamstring. Even Michael, “The Big Sack,” wasn’t feeling so big as he finished with a lackluster 12.42. As expected, the team’s top athlete, Jason, was able to finish first on the team with a 12.2. When asked to comment on his win, he stated, “Jumpers just do it better. Also no, I didn’t run in Michael’s lane and hit him just so I could win; why do you ask?”
Following the 100 was the 800. As the supreme leader, Drew Bowling was given Matt Glessner as a pacer; this seemed like a good idea, until the start of the race when Matt bolted out of blocks like an enraged gorilla, but could only keep it up for the first 180 meters. Blaming both Matt and the strong head winds, Drew finished with a time of 2:16. Identical to their other race, the identical Corns twins finished within seconds of each other as Julia finished in 2:46 with Naomi finishing in 2:49. With a subpar race that can be described as ‘a Thomas long run’ or ‘four 400s,’ but most notably as ‘trash,’ Bella finished at 3:07. Reaching the bottom of the barrel, we have the freshman, Raymond Tam. Despite all of his eagerness and potential, he was unable to complete the race after running only the first 550 meters. Commenting on Raymond’s disappointing race, Drew said, “We all thought he could be great this season, but now we’ve lost all hope in him.” Trent later added, “He just wasn’t strong enough to finish.”
Next was the gruesomely long 5k. Despite the obnoxious length of the event, only three retrievers competed: everyone’s favorite power “couple” of Brandon and Anna Staats, and the 29 year old, Nicole. Brandon shot out at a blistering 10:30 two-mile and was still able to hold on to finish at 16:47. On the girls’ side, it was a tough race as Anna, whose weekly mileage is in the quadruple digits, was able to beat out her older rival with the time of 20:18. Despite her recent hip replacement surgery, Nicole was able finish just seconds behind with 20:29.
Last, but certainly not least, we had the 4x400 relay. Leading off the race was the steady handed team captain, Alex Hulbert, Jake from Towson, the disappointment, Raymond, and the 34 year old, Nicole. Alex cruised into the lead, passing off his banana at 56.47. Dementia struck Nicole as she forgot to cut into the first lane causing her to hand off her baton last. When asked about her misstep, she responded, “What did you say?” followed by “I’m getting too old for this.” Despite being significantly behind, Drew, the 400 king, was able to run a blistering 56.23 to regain the lead in the second leg. However, Julia Ciatti was able to wittily wager her strength to just barely regain the lead as she passed off the banana to the anchoring Trent Foster. After breaking his leg in the last track meet he participated in, Trent was determined to redeem himself. To his and everyone else’s surprise, Trent was not only able to maintain the lead, but noticeably expand it after running a shocking 57.75 to finish off the race with a victory.
Port-a-potties were flipped, puppies were pet, and bonds were formed as the meet came to a close. Overall, the meet was a breeze, with a run time less than two hours. The team showed some real promise as it starts what appears to be a monumental season.