Spotlight on top U.S. times on Gately Park’s fast track in Misfits Invitational

 

Roisin Willis solos top Girls 1000 time; Audrey DaDamio turns proposed workout into U.S. best in 3200-meters; Niko Schultz drops under 1:20 for US #1 in Boys 600-meters.

 

By Michael Newman

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Chicago – What came out of this inaugural CYUP Misfits Invitational is how fast this track at the new Gately Park Indoor Complex is. What it showed was if you get some great athletes racing against each other, you can come up with some unbelievable performances.

 

MEET RESULTS | VIDEO INTERVIEWS

 

That is what happened on Saturday as distance races ruled the day with three United States High School best indoor performances and numerous top 10 times made by high runners just itching to compete again.

 

Roisin Willis of Stevens Point WI perhaps had the jaw dropping performance of the meet in the Girls 1000 Meter Run. Willis has run in all type of distances in her three years of high school running. She had never raced at this distance and said that she did not know what to expect.

 

“My coach told me before the race to shoot for the 2:40 mark,” Willis said afterwards. “That is the national record. I wasn’t trying for a national record. I was just looking for a good tune-up for a distance over 800-meters.”

 

The record she was not going after was the 2:40.72 run by Sammy Watson in 2017. The tune-up she was referring to was for an 800 Meter Run she will race in next weekend at a Texas Qualifying event. She will look to go after the 2:02.5 Olympic Trials standard.

 

Willis was the overwhelming favorite in this race with her nearest competitors seeded within five seconds of her. She had the lead in the race 50 meters after the gun went off. This was a race against time with the rest of the runners behind her racing for second.

 

What was impressive was how relaxed Willis was in this effort. The junior passed the first 200-meters in 30.3 seconds. She then proceeded over the next 600-meters in 33 seconds per lap in business-like manner. Her final 200-meters was in 31 seconds crossing the line in 2:41.53. The time is the fastest high school time indoors for 2021. It is also the second-fastest time ever run by an American High School Girls’ runner.

 

Willis 1000m Race Splits: 30.3, 63.5 (33.2), 1:37.2 (33.7), 2:10.3 (33.1/66.7), 2:41.53 (31.2)

 

Willis had not raced since the 757 Showdown at Virginia Beach on January 31. “I came into January with a lot of speed,” Willis added. “I just needed to work on my distance strength. That is why I came out her today. We have been doing some distance work to work on my last 400 of the 800.”

 

Ava Parekh of Latin School stepped down a distance and finished second in this race (2:53.64) just ahead of Oak Park-River Forest’s Josephine Welin (2:54.41) who won the 1600 Meter Run the night before. Marianne Mihas of Latin School was clocked at 2:57.50 to finish fourth.

 

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Audrey DaDamio of Birmingham Seaholm HS MI had entered this meet week ago. Her thought process changed after running 2:10 for 800-meters at the SPIRE in Geneva, Ohio last weekend. It was a race that she had not planned to run in. It got her thinking if she would race in this meet. She scratched on Friday out of the 1600 Meter Run.

 

“I thought after the 800 race, I would do 800 or mile reps for a good tune-up (for next week in Virginia),” DaDamio stated. “With the weather the way was in Michigan, I did treadmill on Tuesday. I really did not want to do another treadmill. We went into this race with the mentality of a workout. It is kind of ironic now.”

 

DaDamio knew she wanted to get to running 2:28’s like clockwork in races. Her plan was to run 9:50 on this day. She had the splits written on her left hand.

 

She just missed that 9:50 goal by a second clocking a US Girls HS best of 9:51.28 for 3200-meters. She ran the race like clockwork.

 

“My goal was to run 4:56 for the first mile,” she added. “I just wanted to run 2:28’s until I could not do it. I figured that pace would get me to 9:52. A kick would get me to 9:50. If I could not do it, at least I got a good workout.”

 

The excitement showed in her first mile where she passed 400 in 68.1, 800 in 2:20.8, and the 1600 ahead of pace in 4:50. “The first mile felt really good. I was kind of spooked that the first 800 was so fast, but I kept telling myself I feel really good,” DaDamio said.

 

The pace slowed down in the second mile, but lapping runners kept her under 10-minute pace. Her final 200-meters of 36.1 got her to the US lead of 9:51.28.

 

“I felt pretty smooth through the race,” DaDamio concluded. “It did not feel bad as I thought it would.”

 

DaDamio Splits:

 

By 200’s: 33.1, 35.1, 36.0, 36.8, 37.4, 36.8, 38.6, 37.1, 37.6, 37.8, 37.1, 38.1, 38.1, 38.1, 37.5, 36.1

 

By 400’s: 68.1, 72.8, 74.2, 75.7, 75.4, 75.2, 76.2, 73.6

 

By 800’s: 2:20.9, 2:29.9, 2:30.6, 2:29.8

 

By 1600’s: 4:50.8, 5:00.4

 

Inner 1600 (from 800 to 2400): 5:00.5

 

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Niko Schultz of Plainfield South HS is a football player turned stud half-miler. He was the school’s starting quarterback his junior year in 2019. With the COVID-19 pandemic moving football in Illinois to the spring of 2021, Schultz went out for cross country this fall and a great base for this up coming track season.

 

Before the track season shut down last March, Shultz gave us a glimpse of his talent running 1:56.99 on a 178m track almost a year ago to this meet.

 

On Saturday he showed his stuff by running the fastest time in the nation for 600-meters (1:19.86). It is an Illinois State Indoor record for the distance.

 

Matthew Griffin of Londonberry NH running for the New England Elite Track Club took the pace out from the gun passing the first 200 in 25 seconds. Schultz and Nathan Cumberbatch of Shorewood, WI were close behind as Griffith led through 400-meters in a fast 51.6. Shultz came off the first curve on the back stretch trying to take the lead. He had it with 100-meters left. His speed took him to the line with the win. Griffith ran a US #2 1:20.32 to finish second. Cumberbatch finished third (1:22.14).

 

“It really has not hit me yet,” Schultz said about his time right after the race. “This has been crazy running 1:54 two weeks ago until today. I don’t think I’m going to play football spring. I’m planning on going to Virginia to run against some of the top 800 runners next weekend.”

 

Other Meet Highlights

 

Boys 3200 - The final section of the Boys 3200 Meter Run occurred before DaDamio stepped to the track. It brought the crowd to a fever pitch. Micah Wilson of St. Charles East and Arthur Graham of Naperville Central traded off the lead for the first five laps going through the first kilometer in 2:49.5. Lucas Guerra of Highland IN, who had finished second in the 1600 the night before joined the pack up front as they passed 1600-meters in 4:31.6. Drew Rogers of Herscher, who ran 4:11 for the in in that 1600, was content to stay in fourth but close to the lead.

 

The unknown to most in the race was Luke Wiley of Warren Township IL. The junior entered this race with a 9:31 personal best. He was way ahead of that pace taking the lead just after 400-meters to go in 8:00.4. Wiley held that advantage as he crossed the line pumping his left fist with the win in 9:02.65. Guerra was a second behind in second place. Rogers moved in the final lap to finish third in 9:05 completing a great weekend double. Nick Falk of New Trier nipped Wilson at the line for fourth. Peter Walsdorf of Woodstock Marian Central Catholic finished fifth. All three of those runners went under 9:10.

 

Boys 60m – The finals changed up when three runners scratched from it including preliminary leader Marshall Ellis of Homewood-Flossmoor who ran 6.92 in his heat. Jett Rose of Quincy took the win in 7.10.

 

Boys 60m Hurdles – Zachary Winger of Calabasas CA came into the final with the fastest seed time in the prelims at 8.29. He duplicated that in the finals also timed at 8.29. Fellow Californian Austin Hernandez of Canyon Country ran 8.32 to finish second.

 

Boys 1000m – Nicolas Dovalovsky of Neuqua Valley took the lead with 300-meters to go and held off Izaiah Steury of Angola IN to win the final section. Dovalovsky’s winning time was 2:32.63 to win by under a second ahead of Steury (2:33.16). Ismail Tineh of Sandburg IL won the third section in 2:35.23 to finish third overall.

 

Boys 300m – Max Mitchell of Neuqua Valley gave his school the second win on the day. He ran 35.43 to win his section just ahead of Zachary Winger (35.60). Mitchell came back to run 1:24 in the 600 Meter Run finishing fourth.

 

Girls 600m – Kaylie Politza of Valparaiso IN hung back and waited for the bell lap before taking the lead. The Indiana junior ran a US #4 1:34.26 for the win. Ava Parekh (1:36.33), Lainey Fitzpatrick of Assumption HS IA (1:36.48), and Marianne Mihas (1:36.80) finished second thorough fourth.

 

Girls 60m – Jetta Mays of Wings of Glory TC WI ran 7.72 to lead all qualifiers in this event. She was clocked in 7.76 for the win ahead of another Wisconsin runner Delea Martins of Milwaukee Mustangs TC (7.81). Martins was dominant in the 300 Meter Dash running 39.51 for the win by almost two seconds ahead of Alana Springer of Avon IN (41.15).

 

Girls Shot Put – Jayden Ulrich of East Alton-Wood River again was dominant in this event. She easily won with a 14.34m put (47’ 0.5”) which placed her in the top four nationally.