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Netters:
What happened in
the girls' 800M run at the Varsity Classic last night at the New York Armory
Cehnter (see tjheir website for full results) will be talked about for years by
those privileged to see it.
The Classic is not
exactly the kind of meet where such gems are usually to be found. Not that there
is not great competition down the line, but this is not the Easterns or the
Nationals where each event is designed for greatness. It, at times, resembles a
three-ring circus.
For example, the
meet opened with the dash and hurdles ebing held in the infield, simultaneously
with the 3200M runs and DMRs around the track. Later on, there were three or
four races at a time on the track in the unseeded sections of the 200M races.
Also, there was no auto-timing, so the boys 55M was clocked at 6.0, for
example.
In the midst of all
this came the first (seeded) section of the 800. There was little surprise when
Erin Donohue stepped on the track. The Haddonfield star, 2nd in the recent
MIllrose mile in a near dead-heat with Sarah Bei, took this opportunity to run
her "3rd" event, while teammate Holly Cosnett stepped up to (and won)
the later 1600M. But as Erin predictably stepped out into the lead, she was
followed by a blue and red clad youngster running trhe first 800 of her career,
Tawana Watkins of Paterson Kennedy.
Between them, the
two own 10 New Jersey indoor and outdoor all-group titles---Donohue in the 1600
and 3200, Watkins in the 400 and 400Hs. Donohue has a pair of AG CC titles for
good measure. In fact, these two could, between them cover adequately just about
every event on the HS schedule, Watkins taking care of everything from 60
through 400 plus both hurdles, as well as the LJ and HJ, Donohue the 800 through
3200 and all the weights.
Erin naturally set
the pace hitting 31.6, 64.2 and 1:36, but couldn't shake Tawana. They battled
head-to-head on the final lap with Watkins finally getting by on the final turn
to win in 2:09.6 (some devbut) and Erin running 2:10.0. Only one NJ girl has
ever gone faster indoors and all of her bub-2:10 races were in open competition.
Need we name her?
It is unlikely that
either will run the event again this winter. Donohue will likely go either the
1600 or 3200 at the Easterns and Nationals; Watkins will revert to the 400 (One
worry her coach had last night was that her season-best of 57.60 would not get
her a berth in the seeded section at the Easterns)
There was no real
surprise that Watkins would do well at the longer distance. She had a very good
CC season this fall, qualifying for the AG meet.
Donohue is a
senior, already committed to Noth Carolina. Watkins is a junior.
Ed Grant.
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