Friday on the Track
Saturday around the Track
The Late Championship Season is a time for the Varsity members of the team to continue sharpening and to peak at Sectionals and beyond! This section includes comments on and pictures from late May - early June, 2016, starting with the NJSIAA South Jersey Sectional Championships (May 27th - 28th at Egg Harbor Township H. S.); then the Cherokee Night Racing #2: 1600s, 800's and Super Sprint Medley Relay (May 31st at Cherokee); and the NJ State Group IV Championships, (June 3rd - 4th at Egg Harbor Township H.S.). In addition, a foursome of milers who plan to compete at Nationals, will do some sharpening in the 800m Dash at the NJ International Invitational (June 11th at Peddie School, Hightstown, NJ); and then they, and another foursome of sprinters, will end their seasons at the New Balance Nationals (June 18th at Greensboro, NC). GO CHIEFS!
On May 27 - 28, 2016, the team's elite performers competed in the NJSIAA South Jersey Sectional Championships at Egg Harbor Township High School. The Sectional meet is the first step towards the Group Championships and the Meet of Champions. Placed in "groups" based on the size of the school (Cherokee is a large Group IV school), the top six in each event advance to next week's Group Championships. The competition is the most challenging they have faced this year and only a few advanced.
Javelin thrower, Matt Gross had the biggest day for Cherokee! He hit 171' 4" on his first throw (a 4' PR) and was 4th going into finals. On his 2nd throw in the finals, he popped a 177' 9" (so he finished with a 10' 8" PR) and took 2nd in the event and advanced! His throw also qualified him for nationals! But Matt's not the only thrower going to Groups! Eli Mitchell was on the verge of elimination but, on his last throw in the pre-lims, went from 10th to 6th to qualify for the finals! There, he held on to that place and advanced with Matt to Groups!
Other throwers did well too! Kieran Kelly and Adonis Giovetis both threw PR's in Discus, and Steve Huber hit his own PR in Javelin! For the record, he just now threw 53' 9" farther than he did last year!
Among the jumpers, Vaulter Mark Kirby matched his PR, cleared 12' for the third meet in a row, and advanced! He is the first Cherokee Pole Vaulter to go to outdoor Groups since Eric Pontrello in 2006! In addition, the team's unofficial High Jump historian, Coach Ed Kramer, pointed out that Senior Sam Kramer, who matched his PR, ended his Cherokee career at Sectionals and marked the end of ten straight years where Kramer boys competed in the High Jump for Cherokee!
Finally, under the most trying conditions for distance racers -- full sun, 80s, humid and windy -- Nick Falk and Justin Kelly advanced in one of the deepest 3200m fields ever assembled for a SJ Group IV Sectional! Nick ran in 4th most of the way and kept a solid pace to the end while Justin had to kick over the final 200m to grab the last qualifying spot! Unfortunately, Jack Shea came up just a bit short in his bid to overcome the late start he had this spring due to injury. He gave it a good effort and finished 10th. In another event, the 1600m Run, Mike Zurzolo ran tough and put himself in a position to advance! With a lap to go, he was in a battle with several others for the remaining two or three qualifying spots before finishing 7th, one spot out of the running! In the 4 X 800m Relay, lead-off runner, Brendan Falzone was literally pushed to the ground in the first few meters of the race but a daydreaming official missed the action and allowed the race to continue. As a result, he, Brandon Marks, Cam Wilburn and Mike Zurzolo all ran alone in the back of the pack! Brendan came back the following morning to set a PR in the Open 800m, finishing a close 2nd in the heat! Cam Wilburn also ran a solid race to place 4th in his heat, while Joey Thompson struggled in his first appearance at Sectionals.
None of the Sprinters advanced but special props go to Senior leaders, Rob Curley and Daulton Hopkins who ended their excellent high school careers by setting FAT PR's in the 100m Dash!
Details at: NJ.MileSplit.
Friday on the Track
Saturday around the Track
On May 31, 2016, the team hosted, Cherokee Night Racing #2, the second of two special meets at their track, with this one offering opportunities to race the 1600m, the 800m, and the Super Sprint Medley Relay! For many on the team, it was a time to excel!
In the 800m Dash, eight of nine runners set new PR's, with Mike Iannotta, Jake Hyzy and Naledge Brown getting past new "barriers." Mike dropped under 2:10 for the first time while both Jake and Naledge dipped under 2:20! In the 1600m Run, eleven of eighteen Cherokee runners set new PR's! Nick Falk ran his best race of the year to date, taking the lead at the 400m mark and leading the last three laps to win with a 2 second PR! Mike Zurzolo dropped a second, while Jack Shea took off 4 seconds to finish 6th and 7th in a very deep field! Brandon Marks, running in the 2nd to last (2nd best) heat ran a very aggressive race, clocking 63 for the first 400! He still managed to hold on and finish 2nd in his heat with a new PR! Joe Falk and Matt Smith joined the sub-5 club while Mike Moraschi dipped under 5:10 for the first time and Nick Kadirisani and Matt Zeitz went sub-5:20 for the first time!
In the Super-Sprint Medley Relay, the team of Matt Powell, Terrance Graves, Daulton Hopkins and Kevin Milligan went into the meet with one goal . . . to qualify for Nationals! The standard is 1:37.60 and they clocked 1:35.73 with a 50.71 FAT split by anchorman Kevin! In addition, the All-Freshman SSMR of Tracy Cabbagestalk, Andrew Parker, Will Delendik and Amir Epps ran 1:38.91, which was well under the qualifying standard of 1:41.0, with a 52.74 split by Amir on the anchor! Unfortunately, the school does not fund trips to the Nats which are in North Carolina!
Official results: NJ.MileSplit.
On June 9 - 10, 2016, the four Cherokee athletes who qualified at the Sectional Championships for the NJSIAA State Group Championships returned to Egg Harbor Township High School to compete: Matt Gross and Eli Mitchell in the Javelin, Mark Kirby in the Vault, and Nick Falk and Justin Kelly in the 3200m. The dream, of course, is to be the Group State Champion and advance to the Meet of Champions! Unfortunately, none of Cherokee's competitors achieved that goal.
Matt and Eli took 7th and 10th in the Javelin competition but failed to advance, Mark failed to clear the opening height (12', his PR) in the Vault; and Nick and Justin had rough outings in the 3200m Run with Justin taking 10th and Nick taking 21st. They all missed the ultimate prize but helped to put Cherokee Track and Field "on the map" this season! Thanks, big time, guys!
The photographer missed Friday night's Field competition but caught the 3200m race on Saturday.
Details at: NJ.MileSplit.
On June 11, 2016, four milers on Cherokee's team traveled to the small but grandly named NJ International Invitational at the Peddie School in Hightstown. They competed in the 800m Dash as part of their "sharpening" for the upcoming New Balance Nationals. Mike Zurzolo, Nick Falk, Justin Kelly and Jack Shea clocked times between 2:03 and 2:07 to further prepare them for the speed required to do well in the 4 X Mile at Nats!
Details at: NJ.MileSplit.
On June 12, 2016, the team, coaches, parents and friends met at school to enjoy a meal together while reviewing the accomplishments of the season and bidding farewell to our graduating seniors.
The team highlight from the season was the winning of the District Cup for the eight time in ten years! It was another close contest: last year only six points separated Lenape, the second place team, from the winning Cherokee team; and this year only nine points separated the same two top teams! A testament to the quality and stubbornness of Cherokee's Track athletes! GO CHIEFS!
Individual awards went to the Team Captains, who shouldered many of the coaches' responsibilities throughout the season: Mike Zurzolo, Steve Gravlin, Daulton Hopkins and Matt Gross!
Competition awards went to Nick Falk, the team's only 1st Place winner at the Burlington County Championships! Nick was the 6th Cherokee athlete to win the 1600m Run at the meet, and he led a 1 - 2 - 5 finish for Cherokee (Justin Kelly was 2nd, and Brandon Marks was 5th)!
In addition, All-Conference 1st Team and 2nd Team athletes were recognized. On the 1st Team, Vaulter Mark Kirby and Javelin thrower Matt Gross; and on the 2nd Team, Daulton Hopkins, Matt Powell, Rob Curley and Terrance Graves in the 4 X 100m Relay; Mike Zurzolo, Nick Falk, Justin Kelly and Brandan Marks in the 4 X 800m Relay; Jack Shea in the 1600m Run; and Steve Gravlin in the 3200m Run!
The Coaches' MVP Awards are by far the most important awards of the season because they are given by people who really know the athletes and know the most-deserving of all! They were selected not simply because they were the fastest runners, the highest or longest jumpers, or the farthest throwers on the team. These factors are important but the coaches also consider their dedication to the team and its values, their leadership, character, self-discipline and self-motivation, sportsmanship, competitiveness, and persistence. Congratulations to the following athletes who were selected to receive the Coaches' MVP Awards:
Nick Falk, Distance
Mark Kirby, Jumps
Daulton Hopkins, Sprints
Matt Gross, Throws
At the end of the evening, most of the Seniors spoke their goodbyes, including a particularly inspirational message from Mike Zurzolo who challenged the returning athletes to put their all into the sport and they will be rewarded with so much more! They also distributed mostly gag gifts for their coaches including a small cheese grater for Coach Shaklee from the distance squad with the comment "You're the gratest!" OUCH! As everyone knows, the pun is the lowest form of humor and, apparently, that was their stated goal: the world record for the worst coach's gift ever!
That said, thanks to Coaches McMichael, Shaklee, Lynn and Thompson for their dedication and expertise this season! And really special thanks to volunteer Coach Ed Kramer who donated so much of his time to the athletes on the team! Finally, thanks to the parents who worked the concession stand at meets, catered the Awards Dinner, and for all the help they gave the team and coaches this season!
Best wishes to all our athletes! We sincerely thank our graduating seniors for their work, leadership and performances, and we hope to see them soon, competing at the next level! Also, we look forward to seeing our undergraduates return even stronger next year to continue the exceptional history of Cherokee Track and Field! GO CHEROKEE!
The team photographer was not at the event but here are several pictures, taken by Coach McMichael, gleaned from the team's Twitter page, @CherokeeXC/TF.
On June 19, 2016, Cherokee was represented at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, NC by three parts of the team! Matt Powell, Terrance Graves, Daulton Hopkins, and Kevin Milligan competed in the Super Sprint Medley; Mike Zurzolo, Justin Kelly, Jack Shea and Nick Falk in the 4 X Mile; and Matt Gross in the Javelin. New Jersey scholastic rules prevent high school athletes from competing under their school's name so each group had new team names!
Competing as the "Clockwork Track Club" in the Super Sprint Medley, Powell, Graves, Hopkins and Milligan raced near their season average and that was pretty good! Powell (100m, HT 11.6), Graves (100m, HT 10.6), Hopkins (200m, HT 23.0) and Milligan (400m, FAT 51.054, PR) finished in 1:36.51 and placed 44th out of 60 teams. They ran the Super Sprint Medley three times this season and this was their second best!
Competing as the "Evesham Harriers," the 4 x Mile team of Zurzolo, Kelly, Shea and Falk ran well. They finished 4th in their heat and 14th overall in 17:51.58. That time converts to 17:45.37 for the 4 X 1600m, breaking the 15 year old school record of 17:52.74 set in 2001 by the team of Josh Joseph, Kevin Hurley, Keith Krieger and Marc Pelerin when they won the East Coast Relays. Sunday's race was a true team effort as they averaged under 4:28.0 per man for the mile (which is 1609 meters) with no one running under 4:27.0! Their converted 1600 times (conversion from mile to 1600 = .9942) were: Zurzolo - 4:25.54, Kelly - 4:26.77, Shea - 4:27.55 and Falk - 4:25.51. It was a great way to end the season and, for Mike, the only senior, a terrific way to close out his stellar career here at Cherokee!
Senior Matt Gross had a disappointing outing at Nats. He went into it with several fine throws this season, including a nice PR of 177' 9" at Sectionals, but this was not his day. He finished down in the results with a throw of 153' 9".
Our photographer was not at Nationals but he has some pictures from parents and from the North Carolina subsidiary of MileSplit. Can't find any pictures of the Sprint team on MileSplit, but there are 500+ pictures of the Boys Javelin! Unfortunately, the thumbnails don't actually show the thrower! Anyone who has the time to go through those pictures one-by-one can look at: MileSplit.NC, and anyone who finds something that's appropriate for our site, please pass it along!
Complete results at: MileSplit.
The competition pictures below were taken by Jeff Sides of MileSplit:
