There are actually 14 items on this list, as it continues to grow but that is pretty close to 10.
The good news is there were lots of great things that happened. Thoughts?
Missing marks?
chasingthestandard@gmail.com
10. Vince Ciattei, Perry Hall/Virginia Tech/OTC Elite
Back in January, Vince ran a 3:54 indoor mile in Boston. In 2021, he made the finals of the Olympic Trials in the 1500. This year, the rounds for Worlds did not go his way. Still 3:54 is a tremendous indoor mile. Vince also went on to defend his Liberty Mile championship in Pittsburgh this summer.
Vince Ciattei Chases World Championships Berth: An Interview
10. Brody Buffington, Catoctin, jumps 23-5.75 in Long Jump on Dec 10 at the Ed Bowie Invite.
As Maryland only keeps track of record performances at the state meet, and there is no long jump at the indoor state meet, it’s difficult to place this, but it assuredly is a tremendous mark. William Henderson of Poly/Penn State jumped 24-8 1/2 in 2016 for perspective.
10. Chimdy Onoh, Dundalk, throws 61′ and 175′
At the Outdoor 4A North Regional Meet at Dundalk last May, Chimdy Onoh launched the shot put 61 feet and the discus 175 feet. Both are very impressive throws. The state has seen some upper 50s in the shot recently, but 175 is out there in discus. Chimdy unfortunately is a football player, and he will not return to the circle until this upcoming outdoor season. While Chimdy did not duplicate those numbers at the state championship, he won two titles, both of which he looks to defend.
10. Wooton Girls Win Oatlands Invitational
The Wooton girls were the best team for most of this past XC Season. They won the highly competitive Oatlands Invitational down in Virginia in late September. Prior to their win at Oatlands, they won the Bull Run Elite division by only a single point over Tuscarora from VA, but they put the Maryland competition far behind. Unfortunately, they did not have the state championship meet they were looking for, but they return most of their top seven from this past season.
10. Aiden Neal
Aiden had a strong career at Manchester Valley, winning five outdoor titles. Aiden was fourth in the mile this past year at the Penn Relays, running a 59.1 bell lap, which was the fastest of everyone in the field. He also ran a 1:50.21 800 this past June. He currently runs for UNC.
Boys 1600 3A East Regional
9. Towson High XC Team
Coming into this season, both their girls and boys teams had reason to believe they could each win state titles. The boys team was far and away the #2 team in the state this season, as they took the 3A title. Kieran Mischke and Evan Cline had standout seasons for the generals. Ryan Wahler, Jack Blanchfield, and John Grandsire rounded out the scoring for the generals at the state meet. The Towson girls team dipped some during the mid point of the season, but they rallied together and put the pieces together for a narrow victory for the 3A title. Cecilia Van Lierop, Isabel Aldana, Anna Wendt, Jillian McNulty, and Yael Nahum all ran great races to pull out the victory.
8. Oakland Mills Boys Track Team
Their program has developed into a well rounded track and field program. They dominated the Indoor State meet winning by 78 points, and they crushed the outdoor meet winning by 121 points. Having one of the nation’s best runners helps your cause, but they were incredibly deep last year. The pressure is on for them to repeat, but they won the HOCO Winterfest Invite, so things are looking good for them this season.
http://www.mpssaa.org/assets/1/6/mpssaa_2a_indoor_track_-_results.pdf
http://www.mpssaa.org/assets/1/6/2022_mpssaa_2a_outdoor_state_championship_results.pdf
7. Calvert Hall’s 2022 XC Campaign
One could easily argue this should be higher, but unfortunately, the Cardinals missed out on the Great American Invitational, which was cancelled due to the hurricane moving through. That race would have given more perspective on their season. Regardless, they were the dominate team in the state, and this could be the start of a long dynasty in Maryland. The Cardinals won the MIAA in very convincing fashion over the Loyola Dons, a team that has ruled the MIAA the past 20 years. With that being said, the Cardinals have won 3 of the last 4 MIAA Championships, and Cam Davis represented the team at Nike Cross Nationals; the team itself finished fifth at the regional meet, missing the national bid by three places. The depth on the team is hard to fathom, so we should expect at least several more years of Calvert Hall on top.
6. Severna Park Triple Crown. The Severna Park Boys pulled off the Triple Crown; they won the 4A State Meet in Cross Country (21), the Indoor Track Championship, and the Outdoor Track Championship. All of their championships were under some sort of unusual condition; the 21 XC Championships were cold and windy with varying forms of precipitation; their indoor championship was at the Armory with the buzzer beater by the MPSSAA to host the meet there; and the outdoor championships were held during that long, slightly bizarre day. Furthermore, the Falcons pulled off the upset to win the boys XC Championship (22), so the Sev Park boys have won 4 consecutive 4A Titles. The girls team also pulled off the upset this past XC Season.
5. Judson Lincoln runs 46.57 in 400 and takes 4 Titles at Maryland State Meet.Â
In April, Judson ran 46.57 at the Urbana Twilight to solidify himself as one of the nation’s top sprinters. In May at the state meet, he won 4 titles, and his team barely missed setting the state 4×200 record. He is a class act, and he now competes for Virginia Tech.
200 meters at Gator Invite
400 at Urbana Twilight
4. Thea LaFond of Kennedy High School Finishes fifth in Triple Jump at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon
Thea LaFond graduated from Kennedy High School back in 2012, and she has trained locally. She has been competitive on the global scene for several years. It’s great to see a local athlete succeed on the world stage.
3. Camden Gilmore, Loyola/Georgetown Breaks 4 Minutes in the Mile
This past February Camden Gilmore, formerly of Loyola Blakefield, and now a junior at Georgetown University, became #621 to break the four minute mile. He is the eighth man from Maryland to break four in the mile. He is one of three currently active track
May 2019 MIAA Championship
Camden Gilmore: Former Don and Current Hoya joins the Sub 4 Mile Club
2. Johns Hopkins Women’s Cross Country Team breaks NCAA Div III record with Eighth National Championship
The success of the Hopkins women’s team has been remarkable. This past November they set the NCAA Div III record by winning their eighth national title. Even more incredibly, those eight titles have come in the past ten years. Coach Bobby van Allen was rewarded with coach of the year honors. Winning one national championship is hard enough, and to do it at a highly selective university and with no athletic scholarships, is mighty impressive.
An Interview with Coach Van Allen on the Blue Jays XC National Championship
1. Juliette Whittaker Breaks 2 Minutes in the 800
Back in May, Juliette Whittaker finally broke through to break the 2 minute barrier. While that was the second fastest high school performance of all time at that moment, Juliette went on to set the national high school record in the 800. One year earlier, she was in Eugene, Oregon competing at the Olympic Trials, where she made it to the semi-final round, missing the finals by .12 seconds.
She wasn’t able to have a full high school career due to COVID, but on the local level, she has one outdoor team title (IAAM), multiple individual titles (IAAM), and several league records (IAAM).
Her performance may be the best ever from a high school athlete in Maryland. For those thinking it may be Centrowitz, while 4:04 is incredible and he went on to win an Olympic Gold Medal, the Mercier Scoring tables put a 1:59 800 for a female as a 3:52 male mile. Furthermore, 4:04 is nowhere near the Olympic Trials, while Juliette was the last one out to make the finals in 2021, when she was still a junior.
Juliette crushing a 4×4 anchor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzFRX8K0ycU
IAAM 1600 2022
IAAM 800 2022
https://chasingthestandard.com/2021/06/an-interview-with-juliette-whittaker-setting-sail-to-the-olympic-trials/