On May 3rd, despite the cool temperatures and the constant rain, Cherokee held its dual meet with Washington Township and faired well, winning the meet 114 - 17! Highlights included many PR's! Al Tsang took first in the LJ at 18' 3.5"; Freshmen Steve Watson and Adrian Lu took first and second in the TJ; Tom Nessler won the Disc in 145' 5"; and Rick Baker won the Jav in 140' 5". Whirledge, Scialabbo and Smith took all but one point in the sprint events; while the distance guys did the same in their events! Other PR's that scored included Tom Yersak (2:02.5) and Rich Nelson (2:04.5) in the 800m; and Vin Marziano's (10:23.3) 17 second PR in the 3200m!
No pictures are available from this meet because the photographer has more sense than to stand around in the pouring rain!
On May 6th, the Chiefs met Eastern at their track and, while everyone knew it was going to be one of the most difficult meets of the season, no expected it to unfold as it did. Indeed, Cherokee did unexpectedly well on the track, amassing a 54 - 27 lead, but things did not go well elsewhere.
The meet began well, with Long Jumpers Al Tsang, Steve Watson and Adrien Lu doing PR's over 18' on their final jumps and taking 2nd and 3rd from Eastern. Then on the track, in the Intermediate Hurdles, Brett Wintermute did another PR in 58.0 and John Convery, after falling and getting up, followed him in 61.2 to take 1st and 2nd. In the 100m, Eastern swept the event; but in the 1600, Cherokee's Tom Yersak, Mike Candy and Greg Bredeck swept the event. In the 400m, Alex Whirledge and Will Andes went 1st and 2nd; in the Hurdles, John Convery took 1st; and in the 800, Rich Nelson and Sean McLaughlin went 1st and 2nd. Cherokee was looking great but word from the field, however, dampened the spirit: Eastern swept the Jav and Ryan Forbes managed only a 3rd in the Vault! In the 200, Alex Whirledge and Joe Scialabbo took 2nd and 3rd. In the 3200m, Cherokee swept, with Nick Freeman, Paul McFadden and Matt Dolan. And the 1600m Relay team of Brett Wintermute, Will Andes, Mike Candy and Alex Whirledge won! But the disc had not gone well, only 3rd place; and the Shot was in trouble. Indeed, near the end of the meet, two things had to happen for Cherokee to win: they needed to take 2nd in the HJ and 2nd in the Shot.Thinking this might happen, Coach Shaklee kept Alex Whirledge out of the
100 and called on him or Ryan Forbes to take 2nd in the HJ. Alex hadn't jumped
in two years but he managed to clear 5' 8" and take 2nd! Shaklee looked like
a genius! Alas, the shot putters were unable to match that achievement and the
team lost its first dual meet in years, 69 - 71.
Before the meet, it was already clear that Cherokee won the Olympic
Conference, American Division Championship because Eastern had two losses,
both to teams that Cherokee beat, but this hard-fought meet was one that
Cherokee Track and Field athletes will remember for a long time!
Since the sun was shining brightly, the photographer actually showed up for this meet!
On May 11th, the Cherokee Track and Field team hosted the 8th Annual Cherokee Invitational, a meet designed for "novice" athletes who probably will not qualify for Sectional or Group State meets. Several of our athletes competed in the meet and made significant marks for themselves. For example, Vin Marziano finished 1st in the 1600m (a PR time of 4:51.36), Andrew Medvec took 1st in the Disc (112' 6"), and Adrian Lu took 1st in the Triple Jump (17' 9"). Steve Watson took 2nd in the Triple Jump (37' 1/4") and 3rd in the Long jump (17' 9"). Kevin Cannon took 2nd in the Shot (36' 9") and Charlie Spencer took 3rd (36' 6"). Rich Nelson ran the 400 in 55.86 and took 3rd, and the 4 X 400 relay team of Eric Sczepanski, Steve Nelson, Matt Raychert and Rich Nelson took 3rd in 3:48.9.
Special thanks to the many parents and other family members who supported the meet in a variety of ways. These pictures capture only a few of those who helped to make the meet a success.
And additional thanks to the team's athletes who helped to run the meet in a variety of ways. This picture shows one of our Captains resting at the end of the meet from the rigors of running the high jump!
Full results and other pictures from the meet can be found at: Cherokee Invitational Main Page
On May 12th, selected Chiefs traveled to Pennsauken High School for the Conference Championships and reinforced their positions in the American Division of the Conference. Indeed, four athletes were named to the 1st team of the American Division. Senior Alex Whirledge took 3rd overall in the 400m (49.6); Sophomore Will Andes took 1st overall in the 800m (1:58.9); Brett Wintermute took 6th overall in the 400 IH (58.6); and Paul McFadden took 3rd overall in the 3200m (10:10.6). In addition, Whirledge, Andes, James Maneval and Wintermute combined to take 3rd overall in the 4 X 400 (3:28.4) and they were named to the 1st team American Division.
No pictures are available from this meet as the photographer was fly fishing in West Virginia!
On May 15th, a depleted Cherokee team (several key seniors were celebrating the Prom) competed in the Burlington County Open at Maple Shade High School. Highlights include Sophomore Will Andes' 1st in the 800m (1:58.14), and Junior Tom Yersak's 1st in the 3200m (9:38.74)! Greg Bredeck took 4th in the 3200m (9:52.92), and Vin Marziano took 8th (10:21.70). Finally, Tom Nessler threw the Disc 139' 10" and took 4th. Full results are available at: Burlington County Open Results
Having no prom date, the photographer continued to fish in West Virginia!
On May 17th, a small group of Cherokee athletes traveled to Willingboro High School for the Eastern Regional Relay Classic. Highlights included the winning 4 X 800 relay team of Alex Whirledge (2:05.7), James Maneval (2:01.5), Mike Candy (unofficial PR of 2:00.5) and Will Andes (1:56.6) for a time of 8:04.3. Also, the Distance Med of Tom Yersak (3:13), Rich Nelson (2:06.2), Brett Wintermute (53.8) and Sean McLaughlin (4:33.9) took third in the event. Finally, Tom Nessler, throwing the Disc as an individual, set a PR at 144' 11".
The regular photographer, perhaps waterlogged from days of fly-fishing, failed to get decent pictures from the meet but Pat Montferrat of Sports-Shot.com, a friend of Cherokee CC and Track and Field, provided the following shots.
On May 18th, the coaches took the Freshmen sprinters, hurdlers and weight men to the Frosh Finale at Pennsauken High School, for their last opportunity to compete this year. Performances included Adrien Lu's 65.6 (400IH), 18' (LJ), and 25.3 (200m); Steve Watson's 12.1 (100m), 17' 10" (LJ), and 24.8 (200m); Aaron Decarnies 67.2 (400IH), 19.1 (100HH) and 26.2 (200m); Kyle Magulick's 69.0 (400IH), 16' 5" (LJ), 20.0 (100HH) and 26.6 (200m); and Sam Shapiro's 12.1 (100m) and 26.5 (200m). In the weight events, Dan McCusker threw the Jav 108' 5" and the shot 29' 6"; Brian Wong threw the Jav 88' and the shot 27' 11"; and Austin Dill threw the Jav 47' 5" and the Disc 66' 10". The Freshmen distance squad did not participate in this meet. No places were reported.
On May 19th, many of the distance runners competed in an unusual time-trial/race at Haddonfield High School. It was unusual because only the 800, 1600 and 3200 were involved, and a pacer was provided in each race to set a challenging pace through the first half of the event. For those not going to Sectionals, it was an ideal opportunity to run the fastest time of their lives; and for those going to Sectionals, it was an intense sharpening drill for the upcoming races.
Just to illustrate the effect on runners when they are at their peak in the season, and when they are relieved of stress in the first half of a race, eighteen Cherokee runners ran PR's in their events. Top performances came from Tom Yersak (2:00.6) and Sean McLaughlin (2:01.3) in the 800; Will Andes (4:27.7) and Mike Candy (4:28.6) in the 1600; and Matt Dolan (9:55.6) in the 3200!