Aisling Cuffe punched her ticket to Spain on Saturday with a dominating victory during the USATF Junior Cross Country Championships in San Diego.
Cornwall Central's Aisling Cuffe.
File photo by Kirby Lee
The 5-foot-2, 100-pound
Cornwall Central (New Windsor, N.Y.) superstar remained undefeated during her brilliant senior year by claiming the coveted title in 21 minutes, 13 seconds – 26 seconds ahead of Molly Grabill, a senior from Rancho Bernardo (San Diego).
The top six junior men and women qualified for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships March 20 in Punta Umbria, Spain.
Cuffe, who recently was crowned Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year, told MaxPreps, "I was really happy, because this was all different ages of people (16-19). The Foot Locker (the national high school title which she also won) was a huge stage, but this was equal size and different. It was fun to get a win in front of a bunch of (older) running fans."
Cuffe noted, "The course was three loops. Everyone stayed together on the first loop. At one-fourth of the second loop, I started to break away. Performance-wise, I ran a better race at Foot Locker. The Foot Locker (on Dec. 12) was the end of six months of training. I wasn't as well-trained for this race.
"You have to take time off and give your body a rest. I was about 70 percent from Foot Locker. I was in crazy shape for Foot Locker."
Still, she conceded, "I'd give this definitely an A-minus."
Also qualified for Spain are Californians Julie Nacouzi, who placed fifth in 22 minutes, 9 seconds; and Hannah Valenzuela, who was sixth in 22 minutes, 17 seconds.
* In the boys race, senior Craig Lutz of
Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) had the highest high school finish with a third in 25 minutes, 6 seconds. Also qualifying were Californians Justin Vihauer, fourth in 25 minutes, 9 seconds; and Ammar Moussa, sixth in 25 minutes, 20 seconds.
NEW BALANCE INDOOR GRAND PRIXSandburg (Orland Park, Ill.) superstar Lukas Verzbicas placed eighth in the elite open mile field of 14 during the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston. His time of 4 minutes, 3.88 seconds is the third-fastest indoor clocking in national prep history. Alan Webb, who holds the USA prep mile record, was seventh in an even 4 minutes.
"It began very badly," Verzbicas told MaxPreps. "I was way in the back. I thought last place would be fine as long as I had a good time. I was right on pace for a sub-4 (minute mile). The group started slowing down. I was feeling good, but got stuck. I had to pass and wasted a lot of energy.
"I made some tactical mistakes. By the end I got in front of that (middle) pack. If I was in the middle (early), I think I could have run three seconds faster. Maybe if there was another lap … "
* In the junior mile races, the boys title went to last-minute entry Miles
Schoedler of
Ocean City (N.J.) in 4 minutes, 16.92 seconds, while the girls title was claimed by Lindsay Crevoiserat of
Glastonbury (Conn.) in 4 minutes, 52.60 seconds.
Last year's national triple jump
leader Marquis Dendy has started
strong again in 2011.
File photo by Kirby Lee
senior Marquis Dendy, a University of Florida recruit, leaped 24 feet, 8.75 inches to win the long jump and was named boys MVP during the Junior Trilateral Friendly Indoor meet in Osaka, Japan. The meet included top juniors (ages 16-19) from the USA, Germany and Japan.
The girls MVP was Myasia Jacobs, a junior from
Paramus Catholic (Paramus, N.J.), who won the 60-meter dash in 7.41 seconds. The USA's other first was posted by
St. Mary's (Albany, Calif.) junior Trinity Wilson, who captured the 60-meter hurdles in 8.41 seconds.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS * Senior Ben Glauser of
Athens Academy (Ga.) became the third person to surpass 70 feet in the shot put during the indoor season when he placed first with a personal-record throw of 70 feet, 4.5 inches at the KTC Niswonger Invitational in Johnson City, Tenn.
St. Pius X Catholic (Atlanta) senior Shelby Ashe won the shot put at 47 feet, 9.75 inches and the weight throw at 64 feet, 9.5 inches.
* Strymar Livingston of
Columbus (Bronx, N.Y.) won the 600-meter run in 1 minute, 18.01 seconds – No. 2 in USA history – during the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York City.
* Super sophomore Kendall Baisden of
Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) won the 60-meter dash in 7.46 seconds and the 200-meter dash in 24.6 seconds during the Sid Sink Open in Bowling Green, Ohio.
