(7/1-7/7): Yes, It Really Happened: GSTC Wins USATF National Championship

Board Meetings This Week

Wednesday, 7:30, Morristown Running Company in Morristown. (ordering pizza!)

Sunday, 6:00, Mike's Courtside in New Brunswick. (ordering dinner!)

We don't meet much, but when we do, you know it's gotta be important.  All GSTC members are welcome to attend and partake in our team's decision-making process.

Oh, and team run this Sunday at Columbia Trail at 8:30.  Team runs will be a bit scarce in July as folks are on vacation, taking some time off between seasons, etc.  Email Karen at karenmarie47@yahoo.com for more information.  The address is 24 Schooleys Mountain Road, Long Valley.

Okay, on to the real news.......

GSTC Wins USATF National Championship

Relays Put on Magic Show as Team Racks Up Meet Record Point Total

Randall's Island, NYC- After two days and nineteen individual events, the USATF Club National Track and Field Championships had just five relays remaining.  And, if the crowd at Icahn Stadium wasn't convinced who the best team was by then, the relays sure showed which team wanted it the most.

In perhaps the greatest display of teamwork and synergy all weekend, the Garden State Track Club won four of the final five relays by a combined time of 1.02 seconds, as the Distance Medley, Sprint Medley, 4x800, and 4x400 all were won by gold uniforms on finish line leans.  These four victories helped the club stockpile 277 points, a record number in meet history, outdistancing the three-time defending champions, Central Park Track Club (CPTC), who tallied just 150.

It was a classic David vs Goliath storyline, as CPTC (1972) and Shore AC (1934) have been mainstays in the sport for generations, dwarfing the relatively fledgling life of the GSTC (2010).  Despite the lack of history, membership, and money when compared to their two primary rivals, this didn't stop the upstart blue-collar club from New Jersey to top the sixty other clubs from across the country that entered athletes.

This is the first national title for the GSTC, who finished 7th at this meet in 2011.  The Gold was down 15-7 after the first event, the hammer throw, but then took the lead for good after event two, the javelin.  Matt Tholis, Brian Florek, Tyler Yee, Patrick Mulrooney, and Dillon Rodgers went 1-2-4-6-7 respectively in that event, as only the GSTC triple jumpers dominated an event more over the weekend, as Isaiah Harris, Myles Hartsfield, Steve D'Aiutolo, Steve Brown, and David Njoku went 1-2-3-4-8.  Overall, there were fifty-two athletes who contributed points to the team's final score, also a meet record.

 number of total point scorers

Individually, the GSTC had five national champions:  Tholis in the javelin (213-8), Stephen Mozia in the shot (60-7), Lutalo Boyce in the long jump (24-8), Isaiah Harris in the triple jump (49-7), and Montez Blair in the high jump (7-3).  All five marks were club records, and Blair's leap was a meet record.  But again, it was the relays that stole the show in the meet's final hour.      

In the 4x800 relay, Mike Saparito set the tone for the relays as he stormed into the lead after the first leg, blowing past the CPTC lead-off who earlier beat him in the open 800m.  From there, training partners Kyle Price and Ricky Garcia kept the relay close, but anchor Tony Harris got the baton 20m behind in second.  After a hard opening 100m, he closed the gap, sat on the orange CPTC jersey for  another 400m, and then took the lead with 300m to go.  The two anchors of the cross-river rivals battled the entire final stretch, with Harris winning with a gutsy final 50m push.  See it right here, and watch their interview on RunnersSpace here.  The margin of victory here, a mere .49 seconds, was the largest margin out of the four wins.

In the sprint medley, Julius Frederick, Chris Turner, and George Erazo put together three sprint legs that put anchor Jared Hanko a step behind the leader, Norfolk Real Deal TC from Virginia.  However, the NRD anchor set a blistering pace in the first 700m, leaving Hanko several seconds behind.  As he tied up in the final 100m, Hanko surged, resulting in a stride-for-stride battle with NRD diving across the finish line in futility, as Hanko had crossed just .18 before him.  Watch their race here, and their post-race interview here.

The GSTC won the distance medley by .10, an unusually close race for the 2.5 mile distance.  Peter Bolgert handed off in 2nd after a strong 1200m leg, Mike Brito opened up a huge lead in the 400m leg, but the Kansas City Smoke and CPTC closed the gap and ran up on half miler Mark Parisen on the relay's third leg.  Anchor Chris Heibell, who pulled off a huge upset in the 1500 a day earlier with his silver medal, ran yet another tactically perfect race.  With two teams stalking him from behind, he pulled the group through a fast opening 400m, 61 seconds.  He then settled in and continued to control the race for the next 1000m, whereas CPTC dropped off but Kansas City had moved to the lead.  Heibell remained patient and covered the move, making his final push to the finish line with 50m to go.  His win capped off, arguably, his biggest weekend in black and gold.  See the entire race unfold here, along with the post-race interview here,

The meet's final event, the 4x400 relay, was equally as exciting, as the GSTC battled CPTC the entire race.  Ali Ejaz handed off in second, but teammate Demetrius Rooks stormed back and pushed the gold back to the front.  Tyrone Ross, the founding father of the GSTC Sprint Group, held onto the lead, handing off a touch in front of the orange jersey.  Anchor Selasi Lumax let CPTC take the lead, coasting behind him for the first 300m.  On the final stretch, Lumax put on a huge surge, ran up on CPTC's shoulder, and for a fourth time in the meet's final hour, a GSTC relay battled for gold in the final 50m.  The half miler from Franklin prevailed, making a final push in the final 20m that brought the GSTC fans to their feet for one final time, victoriously holding up the baton upon crossing the finish line.  Watch this incredible race here, and the interviews here.      

Several athletes won prestigious USATF National Championship medals for finishing in the top three.  Those included Mozia (2nd/discus), Ken Goglas (2nd/5k), Myles Hartsfield (2nd/triple jump), Brian Florek (2nd/javelin),  Nafee Harris (2nd/long jump), Peter Bolgert (3rd/steeple), Chris Heibell (2nd/1500m), Eugene Asimou (3rd/shot), Steve D'Aiutolo (3rd/ triple jump), and Mike Fonder (3rd/10k).  Just as impressive were the small group who scored in two individual events: Goglas (steeple/5k), Mozia (shot/discus), Harris (HJ/TJ), Eric Masington (shot/discus), Paul Matuszak (10k/5k), and special props goes to John Wlasuk- who scored in the shot, discus, and hammer--an incredibly impressive accomplishment at the national level.

Oh wait, one more thing.  Dan Teichmann got DQed in the 5k racewalk, joining the prestigious ranks of Tim Morgan to get the red paddle of doom in this event.  That said, one of his new-found friends from Shore AC did give him two CDs on how to racewalk, so perhaps Mr. Teichmann will come back next year hungry....to simply finish the race.

Post meet article here, and meet preview article here.

Women Finish 5th at Nationals

4x800, DMR, Ogletree, Czohla, Peacock, Douglas Medal for WIG

Randall's Island- In an equally impressive display of effort, the women finished 5th at the USATF Club National Track and Field Championships this weekend.  To put this achievement in perspective, the men debuted at this meet in 2011 in 7th place.  Two years later, they won it all.

 Shauntierah Douglas and Jena Peacock recorded the highest finishes for the Women in Gold, as they both earned silver medals.  Douglas finished second in the javelin with a 47.61m toss, while Peacock finished the 3,000m steeplechase in 11:49.76.  Cheyenne Ogletree ran an very tough 10k and finished in 36:39.70 for the bronze, as Danielle Czohla snagged bronze in the 3k steeple with her 11:53.27 effort.  

Alyssa Douma impressively medaled in the 800m and 1500m just hours apart, finishing 5th in both the 800m (2:16.17) and 1500m (4:50.43).  The only other WIG who pulled off such a feat was Erin LaCosta, who scored both in the 400IH (7th/68.98) and high jump (7th/1.54m).  Also picking up individual points were Erika Meling in the 5k (8th/18:33.01) and Allyson 

In the relays, both the 4x800 and Distance Medley medaled in third place.  Douma, Chelsea Callan, Czohla, and Ogletree were on the former relay, with Ogletree running an incredible 2:13 anchor leg while fighting Club Northwest (Seattle, WA) on the final stretch.  The latter relayed was comprised of Meling, Douma (yes, Douma ran four events!), Callan, and Allie Dublinski anchored in the mile.  Their respective times of 12:51.33 and 9:26.08

 are both outdoor club records.

The GSTC men (1st) and women (5th) combined to score 336 points, second only behind Central Park TC's 366.5.

Don't believe how awesome we did?  Check the results here.  Peep all race videos on the GSTC youtube channel here (races aren't labeled yet....sorry).

Quotes of the Week

"I hope for many more meets with you guys in the future. I love being in a team environment, and you have a great group of guys I'd love to be teammates with."  -adidas-sponsored long jumper Nafee Harris, via text, who finished 2nd in the LJ this weekend for the GSTC.  His PR is 26-2....for those that don't know, that is a serious jump--and this text is a serious compliment.  

"I never guessed in a 100 years that I would be asked to compete with another team, and it would be a truly awesome experience, even if my performances weren't exactly what I wanted them to be.  I was only with you guys for two meets, and that was enough not only to observe some amazing talent, but genuinely amazing people who were welcoming beyond recognition.  I'm gonna do my best to get back on a solid training regiment throughout the coming year, and hopefully i'll be able to come back out and bring my a-game to GSTC!"  -Sacred Heart hammer thrower Matt Wagner, via text, two days after the national championships. 

"Thanks I appreciate the opportunity.  I'll be ready to help with next year's repeat."  -multi-talented thrower John Wlasuk, via text, days after the meet.

"I saw.  Jealous of it lol.  Congrats on the win...You can count me in for next year!"  -ESU 6-8 high jumper Will Berry, via text.  He wasn't able to make it this year, but look out in 2014...

"Proud to be a part of a national championship team.  You guys are a great group to be around.  I' looking forward to next season as well."  -Ellis Gaulden, 7-2 high jumper from UConn, who came out of three year's retirement to jump for the Gold this year, lacing 6th in 6-8.  He's got that itch again...

"Great job yesterday, saw you smashed the competition...I'll be right back to respresenting black and gold and contributing not only for the glory but for the grit in the months prior.  Getting back in shape is priority #1 ad highland park will hopefully be a second home soon."  -Aaron Lucas, former club record holder in the high jump at 7-0, via text.  He couldn't compete this year due to injury, but if he and Berry hop in next year, the GSTC will have seven jumpers entered over 7-0.  Yikes.

"Congrats on the win today!"  -Joe Ryan, Manhattan College sprints coach, via text.  When a guy like this who coaches Olympians on the side is noticing, you know you're doing something right.

"Just tell me what to do and I'm your guy."  -David Hightower, stud high hurdler from Rider, via text.  He finished 5th in a very fast field.

"Alrightttt I always refrain from making long sappy track statuses but today I don't care! I can't believe how many freezing and boiling hot practices we had out here this year. I'm so grateful for every second of every one of them. I will never forget using all my will power just to walk to the creeper van every monday after classes turned me into a zombie...and then going back to my dorm feeling like an entirely new person. And calling my mom to tell her how much I love track. Lolol. But it wouldn't be nearly as fun without our awesome teammates who love it just as much. You all did fantastic over the past two days and year, I look up to all of you and I'm extremely proud to be part of GSTC:)"  -Erin LaCosta, via Facebook post.  She opened the year with a 68 second 400, and finished it with a 68 second 400....with hurdles.  Yeah, she had a heck of a season.

"just want to put it out there that the time difference between us and the 2nd place teams in the 4x8, SMR, DMR, and 4x4 added up all together only comes out to 1.02 seconds. We win in EPIC fashion."  -Jared Hanko, via Facebook post.  His SMR anchor was maybe one of the most exciting come-from-behind wins of the entire meet. 

"If this doesn't warrant a TMA, I don't know what does."  -Peter Bolgert, via text, after asking for shorts Thursday night, and then....unable to find his uniform Friday. 

"if those guys can ride to the top of a mountain, then I can get up and put my pants on."  -Peter Bolgert, regarding the Tour de France, while awaking at Goglas' house.   While these two are hanging out without pants on is a question we are wondering, as well.

"I'm even more excited about Club XC Nationals now, and it's still more than 6 months away! This is an awesome team, because so many of you are awesome people. So remember, how much this means to all of us. This expression of our spirit through sport and competition. I can't wait to see who else joins us as we grow and compete! I've got a ton of fight left in me, and I'll go down swinging for this club."  -Mike Anis, Facebook post.   This was about 1/15 of it, so we just cut out our favorite sentences.

"I heard this program was a great one from my coach, and I will text you right now."  -Teaneck HS grad Eric Greaves, via email.  The GSTC loves 2:03/50 second 400/800 guys no doubt.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh yall won....great."  -Trevor Green, Zenith Velocity coach, via text.  

"Congrats on Club Champs.  Good to see NJ represented so well."  -Rich Kenah, 2000 Olympian, 1997 Bronze Medalist at World Championships, 1:43 800m PR, via email.  Maybe the fastest guy we'll ever get an email from!  

"I know track season just ended...Yes GSTC National Champions!...Anyone who wants to lift or run "sprinting, distance, 5k's" let me know. I am going to be putting in serious work this summer. Winter season can't come soon enough!"  -Sean Kelly, GSTC sprinter, via Facebook post.  

Tim Morgan Award

Shore AC:  First they enter a triple jumper who lives in Florida and doesn't show up, then they enter a half miler in three events who has run for NJ/NY Track Club all year, then they enter a long jumper who isn't even healthy and doesn't show up....the list goes on and on.  After the USATF forced the half miler to change back to his original club affiliation, it's safe to say this is a TMA, especially after the triple jumper's agent told us on Saturday, "What?  Shore AC entered him in the meet?  He was never going to come here, and we didn't know about this.  He lives in Florida!"

USATF:  After four GSTC athletes competed at the regional meet two weeks ago, and after all four of these athletes drove to the meet this weekend, the USATF claimed they couldn't compete due to a quite ambiguous "Rule 4" provision.  After a thirty minute discussion, we were luckily able to convince them this Rule 4 business is about as clear as a Mike Anis anecdote, and thankfully they recanted.  Don't get us wrong- we are all for rules and following them- but after they competed two weeks prior at a USATF championship meet, after we paid for their entry, and after they traveled to the meet....it's probably not an appropriate time to start breaking out some obscure rule with vague wording.        

Peter Bolgert:  On Thursday night, the PhD candidate at Princeton has a major crisis about shorts and requests that WE get him a pair.  A day later, he "turned his room upside down and can't find his uniform."  Luckily he didn't leave his speed at home as well!

Steady Striders and Couch to 5k
This weekend the steady striders welcomed two new runners into the group - Sapna and Colleen.  The group ran 3 miles in Tatum Park on Saturday and another 3 miles in Colonial park on Sunday.  While no official group run is planned for the July 4th holiday weekend, the steady striders will be running together the following weekend.

GOLD STAR by Ashwin Anantharamn

Tom Visicaro 

Tom joined GSTC a few weeks ago as he wanted to find a team that would challenge him to be a better runner as he is currently coming out of retirement after not running in college.. I think it is pretty safe to say that he has found the right team. His prs include 5k:1654, Mile: 448, 3200: 1010 and ran his first marathon in 2 hours 57 minutes and 24 seconds. His pre race rituals include the usual warmup, stretch and strides but why change it if it has worked so far. Although he wants to get better with every race he has the ultimate goal of running sub six minute pace for the half marathon. His hobbies outside of running include photography, hiking, swimming and enjoying the outdoors. 

Allyson Guieb 

 Allyson  joined GSTC just for the summer because and currently runs for Seton Hall University. She is friends with everyones favorite race walker Dan Teichmann. He has been trying to get her to join for like a year because she took a year off of track when she went to college but then decided she really missed it and started running for my university. she finally met Chuck this year at a track meet and decided to train for the summer with GSTC. She doesn't have any crazy pre race rituals, just the typical runner of carb loading, getting sleep, and stretching a lot because she hurdles. Her pr for 400 hurdles is 70.2 and for the 400 with her fastest 4x4 split of 61.2.Her goals are just to stay consistent with my times this year since shes's just getting back into racing after taking a year off. Outside of running she loves going to the beach but a lot of her time is spent working and volunteering at a nursing home.