Relatively speaking, the weather through January was "a piece of cake" compared to the heavy snow and ice storms that marked last year! That allowed for more training and, perhaps, the excellent performances by Cherokee athletes through the early winter! By late January, winter was half over and Cherokee continued to prepare for the Spring season. The coaches, while allowing their athletes to compete at various meets including the Winter Championships, concentrated on "rebuilding the base" and strength training, and on skill-development and conditioning for the upcoming Spring campaign.
The Lawrenceville School Quad Meet
On January 28, 2012, Cherokee sent a large part of the team to The Lawrenceville School Quad Meet where they competed against Archbishop Ryan and Robbinsville High Schools, and The Lawrenceville School. Highlights included having five Cherokee athletes run sub 2:04 in the 800m: Colin Merrigan, Drew Viscidy, Ross Staudt, Shawn Wilson and Mike Lowinger! Matt Venanzi won the 1600m; Brandon Rapp ran an indoor PR in the 400m; Eric Mudge had a huge PR in the 55m High Hurdles; and the 4 X 400m Relay team of Brandon Rapp, John Barr, Colin Merrigan, and Drew Viscidy ran their own PR as well! All that's good stuff and here are some not-so-good pictures (fire that photographer!) from the meet! Official results not published.
South Jersey Track Coaches Association, Meet # 4
On January 30, 2012, a small group of team members traveled to the South Jersey Track Coaches Association, Meet # 4 at the Bennett Center where Hunter Zarzycki made his season and lifetime debut in the 400m and 55m Dashes, and Sean Smith returned for his first time this year in the 55m Dash! In addition, Mike Gallo dipped under 10 seconds in the 55m High Hurdles for a nice PR; Charles Lee ran a tic faster than his hurdle performance of last week; Eric Mudge had a nice day in the Pole Vault, easily clearing 10' 6" and making several good attempts at 11'; and Mike Conway threw the shot over 40' again! Among the distance guys, Mike Lowinger ran an indoor PR in the 1600m despite being boxed in for much of the race; and, in the most exciting race of the evening, Matt Venanzi ran a PR in the 3200m, dipping under 10 minutes for the first time! He also won the race in dramatic fashion, outdueling a very determined group of competitors! Complete results at: NJRunners/MileSplit.
Poreda Invitational
On February 1, 2012, Cherokee traveled in bright sunshine and 60 degree weather to the 10th Annual Poreda Invitational, an INDOOR meet at the fieldhouse on the campus of The Lawrenceville School! There, they found both the building and the competition to be hot! On the track, the 4 X 800m Relay team of Colin Merrigan, Drew Viscidy, Ross Staudt and Shawn Wilson hoped to break the time they set earlier at the NJ State Relays but, after Colin matched the competition and Drew left them in dust, Ross and Shawn found themselves racing by themselves . . . not a great situation for setting PR's! They won easily but left the record-setting for another day! In the Field, Mike Conway "showed-up big time" by throwing two PR's, with the farthest being 41' 11.5"! And while you're looking at the pictures below, check out Bandon Rapp's and John Barr's side-by-side battle in the 55m Dash: Brandon kicks John's butt 6.92 to 6.93! (insert smilie here!) Further details at: NJRunners/MileSplit.
South Jersey Throw Down, Meet # 4
On February 7, 2012, Cherokee hosted the last in a series of meets for the Shot Putters of the region, The South Jersey Throw Down, Meet # 4. In the Varsity competition, Mike Conway followed his PR-setting performance at the Poreda Invitational with another big PR! Mike threw a long 43' 01" to finish 2nd in the competition! Details at: NJRunners/MileSplit.