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Home > Blogs > High School Huddle > Archives > 2011 > May > 28 > Entry
Clueless and fast a winning combination for Alter’s Albers
The following are highlights provided by Dave Long from the Division II track and field regional at Welcome Stadium on Saturday. The top four placers qualify to next week’s state meet at Columbus:
• Alter junior Olivia Albers won the girls 1,600 meters (5:13.89) with little knowledge of the other 15 runners in the field.
“I don’t really want to know anyone else’s time,” she said. “I just want to concentrate on running my own race and react to what’s happening on the track. I know some girls go online and look at the other runners around the state.
“I don’t do that. I stay off the track websites and tell my friends and parents not to talk to me about other runners.”
Albers was in a pack until the final lap when she broke away from second-place Emily Stites of Cincinnati Wyoming (5:13.68) and Sophie Chatas of the Columbus School for Girls (5:13.72).
Alter (36.25) was third in the team race behind Columbus Hartley and Chaminade Julienne.
• Eaton freshman Michelle McKinney was a surprise winner in the 800 (2:18.13).
She had been running the 100, 200 and 400 most of the season. Eaton coach Randy McKinney, her uncle, decided four weeks ago to move her up to the 800.
“She has good speed, but not good enough to get to state in any of those races,” he said. “So I asked her if she wanted to move up to 800 and she said OK. (Saturday) was only her fourth 800 of the season.”
McKinney was fourth coming into the home stretch and passed second-place finisher Rebecca Esselstein of Alter (2:18.89) with 10 yards to go.
“All that speed work I did all year in the dashes paid off,” she said. Her father, Rick, made it to state three times in the 800, but never as a regional champion.
She has been coming to district and regional track meets “since maybe I was in the fourth or fifth grade. I’d always kind of gaze at the girls on the winner’s stand and wonder what it would be like to stand up there. Now I got to do it. It’s a pretty cool feeling.”
This was the fourth consecutive year Esselstein has qualified to state in the 800.
• Stivers and Columbus Hartley put on the best relay race of the day in the 1,600. Sophomore Rolisha Slade led most of the final leg, but couldn’t hold off Hartley’s Alisha Cavin (who won the 400), who caught her five yards from the finish line.
Hartley ran 3:54.53 while the Stivers’ team of Slade, freshman Candace Pettiford, sophomore Darrea Ragland and senior Jasmine Lee ran 3:54.78. Oakwood was third (3:58.49) and Alter fourth (4:00.20).
Stivers’ same foursome qualified to state in 800 relay (third in 1:43.43). Lee was also fourth in the long jump (17-4.50).
• Ja’Naye Scott of Thurgood Marshall ended two years of frustration by finishing second in the closely contested girls long jump.
DaVanae Mitchell of CJ was the winner (17-9.75). Scott was second (17-9.50), Camille Dickens of CJ third (17-7) and Jasmine Lee of Stivers fourth (17-4.50).
Scott won the City League long jump title all four years and qualified to state as a freshman. She won the Dayton D-I district as a sophomore but was sixth at the regional. Last year she was third in the D-II district but ninth in the regional.
This year she won the Dayton D-II district with a record jump of 18-3.50.
“After district I didn’t want to come to regional and blow it again,” she said. “I was jumping very consistently (Saturday) so I thought I had a good shot at going to state unless a couple of people got off some big jumps.
“I thought I had beaten DaVanae, but she got me by this much. Now I have a chance to go back to state and do better than I did my freshman year.”
As a freshman Scott scratched on all three of her preliminary jumps and came in last in the field of 16.
• Dunbar boys coach Sidney Booker had reason to be doubly proud Saturday. Not only did his team win the regional, but first-year Dunbar girls coach America Henson, his daughter, had a winning relay.
The 400 relay of Ryan Russell, Chantell Kee, Lasha’ Packnett and Mehgan Cherry came in first in 49.26 seconds. Cherry also qualified to state finishing second in the 200 meters (25.78).
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