Southern Track Classic / Victor Cahoon Track Classic
Friday evening could be called Michelle Speede's evening for the Grafton runners. Michelle, already a MileSplit US 2nd Team Elite member in the 200m, won the bronze medal in the girls 400m with a PR, new school record, and a MileSplit US 2nd Team Elite designation with a time of 57.31. Michelle also bettered her current school record in the 100m with a time of 12.37. She set both of these records last year. Currently, Michelle is ranked: 100m (#18 State, #2 AA, #2 Region I), 200m (#8 State, #2 AA, #1 Region I), and 400m (#8 State, #2 AA, #1 Region I).
The boys 800m was the fastest since the 2002 Southern Track Classic II with two boys running sub-1:54 and qualifying to the Nike Outdoor Nationals Open 800m run and a third qualifying to the Nike Outdoor Nationals Emerging Elite 800m. David finished 8th with a PR of 1:58.14. This time keeps him #20 in the State, moves him up to #6 in AA, and keeps him #1 in Region I.
Danny Sitton and Cameron Askew finished 6th and 8th in their respective events. Danny cleared 6-1 in the high jump and Cameron ran a time of 11.34 in the boys 100m. After this weekend's meets, Danny is ranked: #19 state, #6 AA, and #2 Region I. Cameron is ranked: 100m (#54 state, #11 AA, #5 Region I); 200m (#19 AA, #7 Region I); and 400m (#39 state, #19 AA, #2 Region I).
Saturday brought Lorenzo Sheppard a 3rd and 6th place at the Victor Cahoon Track Classic. Lorenzo finished 3rd in the 110m hurdles with a time of 15.16 seconds and 6th in the 300m hurdles with a time of 41.69. He is currently ranked: 110m hurdles (#28 state, #9 AA, #2 Region I) and 300m hurdles (#45 state, #11 AA, #3 Region I).
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Congratulations
Nike Outdoor National Meet Qualification (Lorenzo Sheppard x 1 & Michelle Speede x 2)

http://www.nationalscholastic.org/nikeoutdoor/
Over the past few days I have been away from a computer bringing my daughter home from college. While I was on the airplane to Nebraska, I was reviewing this year's current performances and came across the following: Michelle Speede and Lorenzo Sheppard had qualified for the Nike Outdoor National Meet at the North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro, NC June 19-21, 2008. Both qualified for the "Emerging Elite" category in their respective events. Lorenzo qualified for the Boys Emerging Elite 110m Hurdles and Michelle qualified for the Girls Emerging Elite 200m and 400m Emerging Elite events. Michelle qualified through the Suffolk Invitational and Lorenzo qualified through his performance at the Grafton Tri-Meet. They are following a trend that started with Dean Gonsalves and has followed with David Gunnerson this past Indoor season.
Since the meet began 16 years ago, the qualifying standards stiffened based on performances at the meet and the pool of "qualified elite" decreased. The "Emerging Elite" category came about last year to allow for more "elite-level" athletes to participate and be on the "national stage" and be seen by the 100+ college coaches who be present at the meet. This year's Outdoor Nationals will include eight "Emerging Elite" events.
Deadline for normal entry to the meet is June 9, 2008 and Grafton has 2-3 more athletes that can meet the "Emerging Elite" standards with Danny Sitton, Cameron Askew, and David Gunnerson.
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Change of Meet Site for Wednesday, May 7, 2008
The tri-meet at Jamestown High School has changed its site to Bailey Field at York High School. A fully automatic timing system will be used with hopes that the performances can be used for district and regional qualification. The meet will be run with York High School's tri-meet, but will be scored separately after the meet's conclusion. Results of the meet will be available by Thursday morning. The meet will start at 3:00pm with the field events and 3:30pm for the running events. This change will give more BRD student-athletes the opportunity to qualify for post-season competition.
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Suffolk Invitational - Lakeland High School, Suffolk - Saturday, May 3, 08 - a Double Trifecta for Grafton (100m, 200m, and 400m State Quals)
Coach Gary Haigh saw some great performances yesterday at the very windy and hot Suffolk Invitational and was happy in the progress of the dedicated student-athletes. There are many student-athletes that are getting better and better with each week and are looking at peaking at the right moment later in the season.
Sophomore Michelle Speede and junior Cameron Askew pulled off the double trifecta for Grafton. Each either reaffirmed state-qualifying times or earned out-right state-qualification. Michelle added to her state-qualifying 100m and 200m with the 400m and Cameron state-qualified in all three - 100m, 200m, and 400m. Each accounted for 28 points to the respective squads.
Michelle won the 200m and 400m and placed second in the 100m with a new PR and school record in the 200m with a time of 24.97 and a season best time in the 400m with a time of 58.61. Michelle's 200m time places her on the MileSplit US 2nd Elite Team, the first Grafton student-athlete to do so this outdoor season. Michelle is ranked in the top 3 in Group AA in each of these events - #1 (200m), #2 (400m), and #3 (100m). She is ranked #6, #18, and #31 respectively in the state rankings.
Cameron won the 100m and 400m while finishing 2nd in the boys 200m. Cameron's times in the 100m and 200m are season best times of 11.17 and 22.89 seconds respectively. Cameron is ranked #8 (400m), #10 (100m), and #20 (200m) in the Group AA rankings. Cameron has become better each week.
Current other Grafton state-qualified student rankings include: Danny Sitton - High Jump (#4 AA, #15 State); Lorenzo Sheppard - 110m Hurdles (#9 AA, #23 State); and David Gunnerson - 800m (#7 AA, #20 State).
Additional performances included Brittany Wolfe's continued 800m sub-2:30 time, winning the girl's 800m by over 2 seconds ahead of Jamestown's Hannah Supplee. Coach Haigh said of her, "... she has learned how to run the open 800m and is performing better each time she runs it." The boy's 4x800m relay team of Eric Graves, Mark Yancey, Grayson Yang, and David Gunnerson finished overall first. Mark and Grayson were fill-ins and did a great job. Coach Haigh has two additional 800m runners to look at for the 4x800m as well as the open 800m.
Bay Rivers Double Quad Meet - 30 Apr 08 (Updated)
The Bay Rivers Double Quad Meet that included all of the Bay Rivers District except Poquoson, Southampton, and York gave Grafton three new school records and two state-qualifying equivalent performances. Michelle Speede broke two of her own records in the long jump and 200m dash. Michelle’s long jump distance of 16 feet 10½ inches would have qualified her to states if the meet was a state-sanctioned meet. Michelle’s 200m time of 25.53 seconds bettered her previous PR and record from last year’s AA state meet. Lorenzo Sheppard continued to bring his time down in the 300m Hurdles with a school record and PR with a time of 40.74. This time would have qualified him to states in the 300m (he has qualified in the 110m Hurdles) if the meet was a state-sanctioned meet. Cameron Askew ran state-qualifying equivalent times in the 200m with a time of 23.04 and 400m with a time of 50.33, winning the latter event. The 2008 Outdoor Track Season has brought Grafton so far nine new school records; five for the girls and four for the boys.
Region I and Bay Rivers District Qualifying Standards Have been Added (Updated)
The Region I and BRD qualifying standards have been added to the 2008 National/MileStat Gala/State AA Qualifying Standards sheet. In addition, qualifying to the regional meet also includes: "... any [individual] athlete that finishes in the top six in the District [top 3 relay teams in relay events] or if the athlete exceeds the standards listed in a sanctioned meet of at least five teams." The latter includes: CNU HS Captains Classic, Peninsula Relays, 30 April 08 Bruton Double Quad Meet, Suffolk Invitational, Southern Track Classic, and BRD District Meet (if the athlete meets the standard but does not place in the top 6). The same would occur if a relay team meets the Region I qualifying standard but does not place in the top 3 relay teams at the BRD District Meet.
With the addition of the Bruton Double Quad Meet results, the following is a current list of BRD and Region individual qualifiers (does not include potential relays that are determined by being the top 3 going into BRD):
- Kate Bullard: 100m and 200m (Region)
- Jessica Dance: High Jump (BRD)
- Haley Kopczynski: 100m Hurdles (BRD)
- Michelle Speede: 100m and 200m (State), 400 and Long Jump (Region) - Long Jump distance is state qualifying equivalent
- Robin Taylor: Shot (BRD)
- Brittany Wolfe: 800m (BRD)
- Cameron Askew: 100m, 200m, and 400m (Region) - 200m and 400m times are state qualifying equivalence
- Ryan West: 100 and 200m (Region)
- David Gunnerson: 800m (State)
- Lorenzo Sheppard, Jr.: 110m Hurdles (State), 300m Hurdles (Region) - 300m Hurdle time is state qualifying equivalent
- Danny Sitton: High Jump (State), Pole Vault (Region)
- DJ Cooper: 300m Hurdles (BRD)
- Darral Rogers: 100m (BRD)
- William Schroeder: 100m (BRD)
- Austin Sneath: 100m (BRD)
Congratulations to 4 Student-Athletes - Accepted to the Southern Track Classic
Senior Danny Ditton, junior Cameron Askew, and sophomores Michelle Speede and David Gunnerson were accepted to participate at the prestigious Southern Track Classic on May 9th, 2008 at the Virginia Commonwealth University's Sports Backers Stadium, Richmond, VA. Danny was accepted in the men's high jump; Cameron was accepted in the men's 100m; David was accepted in the men's 800m; and Michelle was accepted in two events - the women's 100m and 400m. The Southern Track Classic is an invite-only meet that brings the best of the best of Virginia, DC, Maryland, and North Carolina into one meet. Expect new personal bests for each of these student-athletes.
Change of Meet Schedule (Updated)
The April 30th 5-team meet at Bruton (Warhill, Smithfield, New Kent, Bruton, and Grafton) is being changed to a larger meet with up to 11 teams participating, becoming a state-sanctioned / state-qualifying meet. The meet will move down to Bailey Field at York High School with the same 3:00 pm start time. More to follow ...
Updated Meet Schedule (As of April 26, 2008)
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Gunnerson Makes it Four (Updated)
On a day finally free of rain showers and heavy to moderate wind, David Gunnerson finally broke the two minute barrier in the 800 meters. David ran at the Norfolk State Invitational on Saturday, placing second behind Landstown's senior Bruce Thompson. David finished the run in 1:58.41, a personal best and an automatic bid to the Group AA State Meet at the end of May. David remained in third to fourth place heading to the 300 meter point and then made his move heading on to the straight away, moving into second place with about 100 meters to go. He closed the gap at the end but fell short at the finish. David joins Danny Sitton, Lorenzo Sheppard, and Michelle Speede as the current Grafton state automatic attendees. David's time places him:
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#8 in State, #5 in AA (4 of the top 5 in the state are AA runners)
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Tabb - York - Grafton Tri-Meet 16 Apr 08 (Updated)
[UPDATED] Results posted on MileStat ... Brandon Miles has converted the hand times to FAT ... rankings below are being updated ... [UPDATED]
The Grafton Girls and Boys Teams fared well at the Tabb and York Tri-Meet held at Bailey Field this past Wednesday. The boys finished 2nd behind Tabb, only separated by 3 points and the girls finished 3rd. Of note, eight state qualification-equilavent times were run and five school records were broken. Seniors Lorenzo Sheppard and Ryan West, and junior Cameron Askew accounted for two of these times each for Grafton. Lorenzo Sheppard won the boys 110m Hurdles and 300m Hurdles, running a PR, MileSplit US 2nd Team designation, and a new school record 14.6 in the 110m Hurdles and a PR and new school record 41.05 in the 300m Hurdles. Lorenzo held each of these records previously. Cameron Askew ran a 11.1 100m, placing 2nd behind Tabb's Marcus Brown, and won the boys 400m with a season best time of 50.54. Ryan West won the boys 200m with a PR time of 22.6 and finishing 4th in the boys 100m with a PR time of 11.18. Sophomore David Gunnerson won the 800m with a then current PR time of 2:00.00. Junior Austin Sneath finished 6th in the boys 100m with a PR time of 11.3. Each of these times, if competed at a meet with 10 or teams competing would have qualified them for the state meet. Three additional school records were broken on Wednesday - Robin Taylor set a new record with a toss of 82 feet, shattering the previous record by ~ 22 feet; Michelle Speede broke her own record in the long jump with a jump of 16 feet 8 inches; and Brittany Wolfe broke Dynasty Sicay's 2001 record in the 800m with a new time of 2:28.00. There were also several regional qualifications and additional PRs set. The results will be posted on MileStat for official record use and overall rankings. Tabb_York_GraftonTri-MeetCompleteRe.html Once results are posted - waiting for MileStat to post - the rankings may look like this:
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Lorenzo Sheppard:
- 110H - #9 in State (MileSplit US 2nd Team), #2 in AA
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300H - #45 in State, #9 in AA
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Cameron Askew:
- 100m - #21 in State, #5 in AA
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200m - #78 in State, #13 in AA
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400m - #27 in State, #4 in AA
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Ryan West:
- 100m - #33 in State, #7 in AA
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200m - #37 in State, #5 in AA
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Austin Sneath: 100m - #54 in State, #14 in AA
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Michelle Speede:
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100m - #22 in State, #2 in AA
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200m - #15 in State, #3 in AA
- 400m - #40 in State, #3 in AA
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Long Jump - #30 in State, #9 in AA
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Kate Bullard:
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100m - #23 in State, #4 in AA
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200m - #74 in State, #14 in AA
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Brittany Wolfe: 800m - #75 in State, #17 in AA
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Peninsula Relays - One More State Qualifier (Updated)
The rain held off long enough to get all but the 4x400 relays contested. Grafton came away with one more state qualifier in Michelle Speede. Speede's time in the 100m and 200m. MIchelle ran a season best time of 12.58 seconds in the 100m dash and a new school record time in the 200m dash in 25.59 seconds. Michelle placed 3rd overall in the 200m dash beating out Cherelle White of York High School. Lorenzo Sheppard ran a school record time of 42.52 seconds in the 300m hurdles. Lorenzo has already qualified for the Group AA State Meet. The boys 4x800m relay won the event in a season best time of 8:35.81. David Gunnerson who also anchored the 4x800m relay team, ran the open 800m run and won it in a time of 2:00.53 missing state qualification by .07 of a second. A few other outstanding performances were by Kate Bullard, Cameron Askew, Austin Sneath, and Ryan West. Kate placed 10th overall in the girls 100m dash with a time of 12.97, missing state automatic qualification by .03 of a second. Cameron ran a 11.35 100m, placing 9th overall, missing state qualification by .05 of a second. Austin ran the 100m dash in 11.65 placing 19th while placing 22nd in the 200m dash with a time of 24.53. Ryan also ran the same events as Austin placing 21st in the 100m with a time of 11.69 and 13th in the 200m with a time of 23.62.
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CNU Captain's Classic - 4-5 April 08 - 2 Automatic State Qualifications and 4 New School Records (Outdoor Track Record Sheet is Updated)
Grafton's first big meet of the season brought home two automatic state qualifications and four new school records. The cold and rain held off long enough to allow Lorenzo Sheppard to qualify for the state meet in the boys 110 hurdles with a time of 15.20 seconds, shattering the previous school record of 15.93 seconds held by Stephen Tozer since 2002. He also broke his 2006 300 meter hurdles school record of 42.73 with a new record time of 42.29 seconds. Lorenzo finished second in both events.
Danny Sitton qualified for the state meet with a jump of 6 foot 4 inches, finishing 3rd in the event. Danny tied his outdoor record previously set last year.
Keith Person, improved his own school record distances in the boys shot with a throw of 39 feet 4.75 inches and discuss with a throw of 112 feet 10 inches. Keith finished 6th in the discuss.
The Grafton girls were without seniors Haley Kopczynski and Kate Bullard and sophomore Michelle Speede. Several girls stepped up and did well. The cold, wind and rain came in right after the boys 300m hurdles causing slower than expected times in the 800m, 200m, and 3200m events.
Other Grafton scorers included:
Cameron Askew - 3rd, boys 200m - 23.17 Ryan West - 6th, boys 100m - 11.75 David Gunnerson - 5th, boys 800m - 2:03.46 Boys 4x100m relay team (Taylor Bouchard, Darrel Rogers, Nate Guilloty, Tyli Alexander) - 7th, 4x100m relay - 48.29 Boys 4x800m relay team (Eric Graves, Sami Talibi, DJ Cooper, David Gunnerson) - 3rd, 4x800m relay - 8:49.54 DJ Cooper - 6th, boys 300m hurdles - 45.03, 8th, boys 110m hurdles - 18.70 Eric Graves - 8th, boys high jump - 5-06 Paul Tyler (running for Luke Irwin) - 7th, boys 1600m - 4:55.55 Girls 4x800m relay team (Kristen Andleton, Lauren Clark, Erika Kieklak, Brittany Wolfe) - 6th, 4x800m relay - 10:57.08 Brittany Wolfe - 6th, girls 400m - 1:06.54 Jessica Dance - 4th, girls high jump - 4-08The Grafton girls finished 11th out of 17 teams and the boys finished 5th out of 18 teams. Grafton's next meet is the Peninsula Relays on Saturday, April 12, 2008 at Hampton's Darling Stadium.
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Welcome to the 2008 Outdoor Track Season
Lafayette/Poquoson/Grafton Tri-Meet
The Grafton girl's and boy's teams opened the 2008 outdoor season with a promising start at Lafayette on Wednesday with a tri-meet with Lafayette and Poquoson.
The boys won the boys section with winning performances in many of the events. The boys look strong in the sprints with the return of Cameron Askew after a hamstring injury and Ryan West, Austin Sneath, and Lorenzo Sheppard. Lorenzo is returning to run the hurdles and looked strong at the meet. Coach Haigh has seen progress in the depth chart with performances of Darrell Rogers (sprints), Tyli Alexander (sprints), DJ Cooper (hurdles), and Mark Yancey (mid-distance). Mark will add the needed depth for the 800 meter and possibly the 1600 meter runs. The Grafton boys has many returning athletes and many new faces. This should be a banner year for the team with several state qualifiers and district and regional championships.
The girls performed well despite the absence of Kate Bullard, Haley Kopczynski, and Michelle Speede. Of significance was Brittany Wolfe's 4x400 relay split time of 65 seconds. As with the boys, the girls have many new faces that will add to the success for the girls.
Grafton 2008 Outdoor Track and Field Girls and Boys Teams
Girls Team:
Front (L-R): Rachel Choi, Erika Kieklak, Brianna Rahall, Elizabeth Troxell, Rachel Saunders. Second (L-R): Amy Skaja, Haley Kopczynski, Mia Cherry, Kathryn Graves, Kacie Yang, Ali Myers. Third (L-R): Coach Christine Pregler, Lauren Clark, Kate Bullard, Jasnique Rolle, Kristen Andleton, Brittany Wolfe. Last (L-R): Coach Brandon Burrest, Michelle Speede, Jessica Dance, Nichole Bromell, Cherese Beatty, Coach Gary Haigh. Not Pictured: Samantha Gregson, Victoria Howe, Jasmine Madison, Kyndall Ramsey, Stephanie Salvatore, Robin Taylor, Kira Thibideau, and Coach Melvin Dillard. Photo Courtesy and Property of Candid Color.
Boys Team:
Front (L-R): Tyli Alexander, Taylor Bouchard, Rehan Talibi, Kyle King, Sami Talibi, Ryan Tyler, Mark Yancey, Nate Guilloty. Second (L-R): Ben Hoppe, Paul Tyler, Clark King, Eric Graves, David Gunnerson, Justin Spearman, DJ Cooper, Hunter Thurmond, Ryan Gestwick. Third (L-R): Coach Christine Pregler, Darrel Rogers, Austin Sneath, Cameron Askew, Travis Puakea, Grayson Yang, Steven Sloan, Coach Gary Haigh. Last (L-R): Coach Brandon Burrest, Joe Kirby, Luke Irwin, Ryan West, Danny Sitton, Lorenzo Sheppard. Not Pictured: Ro Burnett, Kieth Person, William Schroeder, Alec Vigil, and Coach Melvin Dillard. Photo Courtesy and Property of Candid Color.
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Congratulations to Danny Sitton and David Gunnerson - Daily Press All Star First Team
Congratulations to Senior Danny Sitton and Sophomore David Gunnerson for being selected to the Daily Press All Star First Team. Danny was selected for the Boy's High Jump and David was selected for the Boy's 1000 meter run. Grafton had no other athlete selected. Excerpt from Sunday's Daily Press follows:
High Jump: Danny Sitton, Senior, Grafton: The defending Group AA state champion could not retain his title, finishing third with a 6-foot, 4-inch clearance, but that same height earned him a Region I championship to add to his Bay Rivers District crown. 1,000 Meters: David Gunnerson, Soph., Grafton: Gunnerson's 2:36.82 was the second-fastest sophomore time at the Group AA state championships and good enough for eighth place overall. That improved upon his Region I-winning time by nearly three seconds and his Bay Rivers District-winning time by almost five.US MileSplit 1st and 2nd Team Distinction
A question has come to my attention concerning the US MileSplit 1st and 2nd Team distinction. These distinctions are honors the student-athlete meets based on his/her cross country or track and field performances. The US MileSplit network that represents almost two-thirds of the US states and territories (MileStat is a member representing Virginia) provides the 1st and 2nd Team standards on the Event Ranking pages. Here is the definition of each:
US MileSplit 1st Team Elite (US-wide) - US Gold Elite - Met the National Meet Qualifying Standards and is eligible to compete at the National-level. US MileSplit 2nd Team Elite (US-Wide) - US Silver Elite - Met National-level high school performance level but is not eligible to compete at any of the National Meets. MileStat (Virginia only) parallels the US MileSplit standards. Refer to the 2008 Outdoor T&F Standards link to the right for the 2008 Outdoor US MileSplit 1st and 2nd Team standards.----------------------------------------
Congratulations to Coach Christine Pregler - the new "official" Girl's Head Outdoor Coach. Coach Pregler has been coaching the girl's and guy's indoor squads with Coach Haigh without the pay and definitely has earned her position.--------------------------------------Dateline - March 16, 2008 - Nike Indoor Track and Field NationalsSophomore David Gunnerson finished the Nike Indoor National Meet boy's 800 meter with a personal best and school indoor record with a time of 2:00.15 and finished overall in 22nd place out of 50 runners. David finished as the top sophomore out of a field of 31 seniors, 14 juniors, and 5 sophomores, as well as beating out 17 of the seniors, 7 of the juniors, and the 4 other sophomores. His time places David as the #4 (updated) US Sophomore in the nation (regardless of banked or unbanked track) and a spot on the US MileSplit 2nd Team, missing the US MileSplit 1st Team time of 1:59.20 by less than a second. David is ranked as the #6 US Sophomore in the 1000 meter and has a spot on the US MileSplit 1st Team. During the indoor season, David ran a consistent 2:00 flat 800 meter in the boy's indoor 4x800, anchoring the relay to a state qualifying time. This was David's first indoor open 800 meter run of his career. Plan to see him tearing up the track with sub-2:00 open 800 meter runs in the outdoor season.Video of David's 3rd section of the indoor 800m run is at these links: http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1459191611 or-----------------------------------2007-2008 Indoor Track and Field Information Has Moved to the 2007-2008 Indoor Track and Field Webpage. I am presently trying to recover data after the site crashed. I will have the site back up within the next couple of days. Please excuse the inconvenience.----------------------------------------------------------
Let's show the area that the Grafton Track and Field Team is more than what they are talking about below -
Outdoor Track and Field Preview - Transcibed from the Daily Press, Sunday, 16 Mar 08 Edition Paper:
Bay Rivers District Boys
The Favorite - Jamestown: No one can offset Jamestown's phenomenal distance runners, and adding Curtis Stevenson (sprinter), Greg Ferrell (mid-range runner) and Nick Durante (pole vault) to that mix make the Eagles potent. They posted a narrow victory over Lafayette in the winter [indoor] track district meet, and the Rams should be their biggest obstacle again.
The Other Contendors - Lafayette: The Rams boast good balance and could defeat their 2007 outdoor crown if hurdler DeAngelo Scales and mid-range runner Sam Schultz can repeat their winter-season success. Grafton: Sophomore David Gunnerson is emerging as an excellent mid-distance performer, and high jumper Danny Sitton paces the district in that event.
10 Athletes to Watch - Garrick Piggot, jumper, Lafayette, senior; Andrew Colley, distance, Jamestown, junior; Danny Sitton, high jump, Grafton, senior; Damien Brown, shot/discuss, Lafayette, senior; Nick Durante, pole vault, Jamestown, junior; Will Mulherin, distance, Tabb, senior; David Gunnerson, mid-range, Grafton, sophomore; DeAngelo Scales, hurdler/jumper, Lafayette, junior; Colin Mearns, distance, Jamestown, sophomore; Cornell Jones, jumper, Smithfield, junior.
District Buzz - All events at the district winter track championships were won by athletes from Jamestown, Lafayette, or Grafton.
Bay Rivers District Girls
The Favorite - Jamestown: The Eagles were champs in 2007 and showed they are poised to defend by capturing the winter track district title. With quality athletes such as Christine Bingham (mid-range runner), Rachel Apostoles (distance), Aurielle Green (sprinter/jumper and Adrianna Carter (shot/discuss) in each major event categories, they are tough.
The Other Contendors - Lafayette: Their strength in the pole vault boosted the Rams to second in district winter track. If Becky Dobosy and Heather Delacruz deliver points in distance events, they'll remain near the top. Grafton: Michelle Speede (sprinter/jumper) and Haley Kopczynski (hurdler/distance) should score well in enough events to keep the Clippers competitive. York: York's Sherelle White was the district's only female state-title winner in winter track (55 meters). She's a solid jumper as well, so she will dictate the Falcon's fortunes.
10 Athletes to Watch - Sherelle White, sprinter/jumper, York, junior; Nakia Williams, sprinter/jumper, Bruton, sophomore; Quaniesha Green, shot/discuss, Bruton, senior; Christine Bingham, mid-range, Jamestown, junior; Jaimie Lull, distance, New Kent, senior; Michelle Speede, sprinter/jumper, Grafton, sophomore; Rachel Apostoles, distance, Jamestown, junior; Christina Phillips, jumper, Tabb, senior; Haley Kopczynski, hurdler/distance, Grafton, senior; Kayla Christian, sprinter/jumper, New Kent, junior.
District Buzz - Speede won the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter ditrict titles last year as a freshman. Grafton's 14th-place finish at the Group AA state meet was the best team finish by a district squad.
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I have attempted to split out Indoor and Outdoor Grafton Track and Field Records and they are posted to the right. These are still in draft and require additional vetting and correction due to the shortage of historical records.
2008 Outdoor Track and Field Standards Posted to the right:
National Outdoor Track and Field 1st Team and 2nd Team Nike Outdoor National Meet Milestat Gala Meet Group AA State Meet Soon to be added - Region I and BRD________________________________
Pictured (L-R) Sami Talibi, Paul Tyler, David Gunnerson, Kyle King, Michael Clark (C), Clark King (C), Eric Sheldon, Matthew Lombardo, Eric Graves, Ian Vanderhoven, and Ryan Tyler
2007 Bay Rivers District Boys Cross Country Champions / 2007 Bay Rivers District Meet Championship Runner-Up
Photo Courtesy of Mrs. Vanderhoven


