New Grafton Indoor Track Team Site on the way ... Check out the site ...
https://sites.google.com/site/graftonindoortrack/
This site will be the primary indoor track page from now on. I will try to keep up this site until the end of January, allowing the transfer of data from previous years to occur. With the new site, there will be new sites for each sport. Google pages has served this website well but the amount of users and the constant crashing during site updates has caused this move to occur. The new website provides additional capacity and capability.
January 16-17, 2009 Grafton Competition (Liberty Asics Invitational / Suffolk Stars Invitational)
After a long wait to compete at the Liberty Asics Invitational, the seeded heat of the boys 1600m became official at 10:40 in the evening. It took 14 heats to compete the field of over 160 runners. David Gunnerson ran a state-qualifying time and personal best at 4:28.11, finishing in 2nd place. Competing in the 1600m for the first time this season, his time should place him in the top 3 in AA and top 11 or 12 in the state. This time is also a new school record previously held by Kyle King whom set the record at the CNU HS Showcase at 4:34.20. David has qualified for the Nike Indoor National in the 1000m and qualified for the AA state meet in the 500m, 1000m, 1600m, and the 4x800m relay. David will be competing in the 500m where he is #3 in AA and #22 in the state at 1:08.77.
On Saturday, Nike National High Jump qualifier Jessica Dance and State High Jump qualifier Eric Graves will be competing at the Suffolk Stars Invitational at the Boo Williams Sports Complex. Both will be competing in the High Jump, perfecting their performances. Eric is also expected to run the 500m to drop his time down 2.2 seconds to qualify to state in the 500m. Jessica is currently ranked 4th in Virginia, tied with 6 other girls at 5'-4" and ranked 1st, tied with 2 other girls in AA. Clearing 5'-6" will jump her to a tie for 3rd in the state and will provide her that needed confidence going into Nationals. Eric is ranked 22nd in the state in the High Jump, tied with 13 other jumpers, at 6'-0", and tied for 5th place in AA. Eric is ranked 93rd in the state in the 500m and 17th in AA.
CNU High School Showcase - Jan 9-10, 2009
The Grafton boys and girls squads competed well this past Friday and Saturday. Of note, there were four additional school records broken, thirteen personal bests, one additional Nike National qualifying mark, one state qualifying mark, two additional regional meet qualifications, and three district qualifications.
Hot off of the presses....another Grafton Athlete makes a mark that qualifies them for the Nike Indoor National Meet - Congratulations Jessica Dance! Little did we know, she's been qualified since the December 27th. We just hadn't looked at the qualifying standards to notice! Oops!
This weekend she again met that mark and looked relaxed and ready to go. She ended up going out at 5'6", finishing in 2nd place, but people are starting to talk about the girl from Grafton. WAY TOO GO JESSIE! We will see more of Jessica in the next few meets leading up to the AA state championships.
Kyle Manning gave the coaches a reason to smile when he jumped 18'-8" in the boy's long jump, setting a new record in that event, and qualifying him to the district meet. Kyle M. has great potential and we should be seeing jumps over 19 feet and close to 20 feet during this season or during the outdoor season. David Gunnerson continued to drop his 1000 meter time to 2:34.67, breaking his own school record, and winning the 1000 meter. Kyle King set a new school record in the indoor boys 1600 meter, placing 5th, and qualifying to the state in that event with a time of 4:34.20. [Note: Kyle and David are now in a friendly team competition in who will keep the record.] Tara Powell PR'd in the girl's long jump with a distance of 14'-11.25", qualifying for the regional meet. Ashley Bruce took eight seconds off of her 3200 meter time from the Winter Frolic meet and qualified to the regional meet with a PR time of 12:43.28. Leotie Fukawa PR'd and qualified to the district meet. Sami Talibi ran the boys 1600 meter with a time of 5:02.28 and Leotie ran the girls 500 meter with a PR time of 1:34.91.
Additional notables include Ian Vanderhoven who took 16 seconds off of his 3200 meter regional-qualifying time, with a new PR of 10:17.21. Coaches are looking at him qualifying to state by time before states. Brian Gorwitz PR'd in the boy's 1600 meter run, dropping his regional-qualifying time by two seconds to 4:45.51. Conor Wallace PR'd in the boys 300 meter, dropping his district-qualifying time by a tenth of a second to 40.30. Caitlin Comer PR'd in the girls 1000 meter dropping a second in her district-qualifying time to 3:39.51. Dylan Stallings PR'd in the boys shot with a throw of 36'-2" and Katie Maloney PR'd in the girls 1600 meter with a time of 6:49.69. Paul Tyler is getting back to his form in the 800 meter by running a 2:11 split in the boy's 4x800 meter relay. The girls' 4x200 Meter Relay turning in a season's best time of 2:00.95.
All in all, a great meet for Grafton. The next meet for the entire team will be the Jamestown Winter Track and Field Festival at the Boo Williams Complex on Feb 2nd. There are additional meets for specific Grafton student-athletes: Liberty Asics Invitational this coming weekend, Virginia Tech Invitational January 23-24, St Christopher Invitational Jan 30-31, and potentially the New Balance Collegiate Invitational Feb 6-7. Each of these meets have specific entry guidelines and only specific atheltes that meet the standards are eligible to compete. In one case, the athlete must be invited to compete.
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Boo Williams Winter Break Invite - Dec 27, 2008
One Relay Gold, One Silver, and Three Bronze Medals - Grafton brings home some hardware
Seven Grafton student-athletes spent Saturday competing at the First Annual Boo Williams Winter Break Invitational. Jessica Dance started off the meet with a current season best jump of 5'-2" in the high jump, finishing third. The boys 4x800 relay team (Eric Graves, Brian Gorwitz, Kyle King, and David Gunnerson) decreased their current Group AA season-leading time (and school indoor record) by five seconds to 8:25.13, finishing with a gold medal against light competition. Brittiny Wolfe continued Grafton's success by finishing with a silver medal in the girls 500 meter with a time of 1:25.08, just 3/100ths of a second off of her school record time. In the boys 500 meters, David Gunnerson finished with a bronze medal with a season-best time of 1:08.77, dropping his state qualifying time by 3/10ths of a second; Eric Graves finished eighth with a PR time of 1:11.68, dropping his time by 1.5 seconds and a regional qualification; and Mark Yancey running the 500 meter for the first time, finished with a PR time of 1:13.53. Completing the meet for Grafton was Brian Gorwitz and Kyle King in the boys 1000 meter. Running the 1000 meter for the first time, Kyle finished with a bronze medal with a PR time of 2:42.86 and a regional qualification, missing state qualification by 1.75 seconds. Brian Gorwitz also dropped his time by 7/10ths of a second with a new PR of 2:48.77. Additional regional qualification recap: Eric Graves (500m), Mark Yancey (500m), and Kyle King (1000m).
Given the Christmas holiday and school on holiday break, Coaches Pregler and McGrath were very pleased with the performances today. We dropped times and qualified additional athletes for regionals. It was a successful meet for the "Running Clippers."
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Boo Williams Winter Break Invite
Seven Grafton student-athletes will compete at the Boo Williams Winter Break Invitational on Dec 27, 2008. Jessica Dance, Brittiny Wolfe, Eric Graves, Mark Yancey, David Gunnerson, Brian Gorwitz, and Kyle King will compete. Jessica will compete in the high jump; Brittiny will run the 500m; Eric will compete in the high jump and potentially the boys 4x800m relay; Mark will run the 500m and potentially the boys 4x800m relay; Brian will run on the boys 4x800 relay; David will run the 500m and on the boys 4x800m relay; and Kyle will run the 500m and on the boys 4x800m relay.
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CNU HS Winter Frolic - Dec 12-13 2008
Wow, what a meet it was for the Grafton athletes! Although early in the season, Grafton has a US#1 athlete in David Gunnerson in the 1000 meters and a Nike National Meet qualification. Grafton's performances produced one National qualification, four National Elite performances, and five State, eight Regional, and fifteen District qualifications. Additionally, eight indoor school records were broken (four boys - 1000m, 3200m, 4x200, and 4x800 and four girls - triple jump, high jump, 1000m, and 3200m). Congratulations to All - Way to go!!! The coaches are so proud of the efforts they saw at this meet and at the Boo Williams Quad. The overall results of the Winter Frolic are located at http://va.milesplit.us/meets/42877/results/82045.
Congratulations to:
Nike National Qualification: David Gunnerson (1000m)
State Qualification: David Gunnerson (1000m, 4x800m Relay), Kyle King (3200m, 4x800m Relay), Eric Graves (4x800m Relay), Brian Gorwitz (4x800m Relay), and Jessica Dance (High Jump)
Regional Qualification: Tara Powell (300m), Brittiny Wolfe (1000m), Chelsea Page (3200m), Grayson Yang (500m), Eric Graves (1000m), Brian Gorwitz (1600m), Ian Vanderhoven (3200m)
District Qualification: Gabby Pozin (500m), Emily Kehoe (1000m), Caitlin Comer (1000m), Leiotie Fukawa (1600m), Ashley Bruce (3200m), Julie Hansen (3200m), Tara Powell (Long Jump), Grayson Yang (300m), Rehan Talibi (300m), Conor Wallace (300m), Ben Hoppe (1000m), Sami Talibi (1600m), Paul Tyler (1600m), Brian Wilmer (3200m), Kyle Manning (High Jump)
There were many additional performances that were just short of the district standards and many of the district and regional qualifications just fell short of the next higher level. Some of these were separated by as little as .05 of a second. I have a strong feeling that the performances will get better throughout the season and qualifications will increase. Coaches Haigh, Pregler, Gutridge, and McGrath will work hard to make that happen.
The next official meet for the team is the CNU High School Showcase on Jan 9-10, 2009. This meet will bring in additional talent from around the state, increasing the competition-level in each event. Information concerning the meet is at: http://va.milesplit.us/meets/42880.
Coaches will provide all of the student-athletes a workout schedule for over the holidays. Athletes are expected to work out and be prepared when school reconvenes on January 4th, 2009.
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Grafton Track & Field Run-A-Thon
The Grafton School Winter (Indoor) Track team will host its First Annual Run-A-Thon either Wednesday or Thursday this week. This exciting event will be our only fundraiser for the GHS Winter Track team, with the money helping to support our team (uniforms, transportation costs, lodging expenses, meet entry fees, etc.). The goal is to become more self-sustaining, as well as allowing additional meets that are farther away from Grafton.
The athletes were provided their Pledge Sheet at the Dec 11, 08 teem meeting. They will run or jog as many laps as they can complete in 30 minutes. We are asking sponsors to support the athlete on a per lap basis or a flat donation. The athletes are trying to raise a minimum of $25 each, with the total team goal of over $1000.
Please support our great Grafton student-athletes!
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BRD Quad #1 - Dec 10 2008
Grafton's first 2008-2009 indoor meet was a great beginning for the Grafton team. [I have included the coach's e-mail comments within this post.] We learned alot last night and gained some invaluable experience before our [first] big meet this weekend at CNU. While the scores do not show it, we had some very impressive efforts from our young runners and our veterans led the way with some outstanding performances.
Pending notice from Coach Jackson concerning VHSL sanctioning, Grafton had six student-athletes qualify to the state meet: Jessica Dance (Girls High Jump) with a winning height of 5'-0"; Eric Graves (Boys High Jump) with a winning height of 6'-0"; David Gunnerson in the Boys 500 Meter Dash with a winning time of 1:09.07; and the Boys 4x800 Meter team (Brian Gorwitz, Ian Vanderhoven, Kyle King, and David Gunnerson) with a winning time of 8:31.26.
Some of the highlights for our coaches were the Girls 500 Meter Dash where Grafton girls took 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th. Tara Powell surprised the district when she jumped almost a foot further than the rest of the field in the Long Jump with 14'-1.75". Freshman Chelsea Page and Ashley Bruce took 2nd and 4th in the 1600 Meter while Laura Hayward missed 3rd place in the shot put by .25th of an inch with her 24'-1.5" throw.
Andrew Bonorden and Joe Skaja took 3rd and 4th in the 55 Meter Dash while Grafton impressively finished 2nd through 5th in the 300 Meter Dash. Way to go Yang, Spearman, Wallace and Rehan Talibi! Other sweeps include the 1600 Meter Run where Brian Wilmer, Paul Tyler and Sami Talibi finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The Grafton Shot Put crew managed to take 2nd, 4th and 5th with Travis Puakea leading Dylan Stallings and Taylor Collins toward personal bests for all three. Brian Gorwitz and Ian Vanderhoven took 1st and 3rd in the 1,000 Meters while David Gunnerson took the field in the 500 Meter with Ben Hoppe taking 4th in a well run race! But the surprise of the night had to be Eric Graves who cleared 6'-00" in the High Jump. Not bad for a guy who was sick two days this week.
In addition to state qualification, Grafton had three additional regional qualification performances: Tara Powell in the Girls 300 Meter Dash with a 4th place time of 46.10; Brittiny Wolfe in the Girls 500 Meter Dash with a 2nd place time of 1:25.05; and Brian Gorwitz in the Boys 1000 Meter Run with a winning time of 2:49.46. The team had several student-athletes that are close to regional qualification.
Last evening's performances also broke four Grafton Indoor Track School Records: Girls High Jump, Girls 500 Meter Dash, Boys 4x200 Meter Relay (Joe Skaya, Taylor Collins, Connor Wallace, and Andrew Bonorden) with a 3rd place time of 1:44.41, and the Boys 4x800 Meter Relay team (Brian Gorwitz, Ian Vanderhoven, Kyle King, and David Gunnerson).
In terms of team scoring, the Grafton boys team won the quad meet and the girls team finished 3rd.
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Welcome All to the 2008-2009 Indoor Track and Field Season for the Grafton Running Clippers
This season will prove to be an exciting one for both the girls and boys teams. Many cross country runners will participate in the Indoor Track and Field Season. This past 2008 Cross Country season included Grafton's first "All-State" cross country runner in sophomore Kyle King whom finished in 10th place, a 9th place team finish - the highest since the 2003 6th place team finish, three "All-Region" runners, a Bay Rivers District Season Championship - the 2nd in a row for the team, three "All-District" runners, and an undefeated season at 10-0 - the 2nd in a row for Coach Rob Pierce. Kyle also ran at the Foot Locker South Regional Cross Country Meet in Charlotte, NC, placing 4th in the boys sophomore race with a time of 16:09.
Coach's Haigh and Pregler are excited about this year's potential. Joining the track and field coaching staff this year are Matt Gutridge and Jim McGrath. Coach Gutridge was the Assistant Cross Country Coach for Dr. Pierce and will be working with the distance runners on both the boys and girls teams. Coach McGrath is currently teaching English at the Bridgeport Academy in Hampton.
Grafton's first indoor meet is scheduled for December 10th at the Boo Williams Sports Complex in Hampton. Grafton will maximize the 10 meet VHSL rule as much as possible, competing at elite-level meets where practible for selected athletes. The addition of the Boo Williams complex provides the area the capability to host several "indoor" meets versus competing outdoors.
Grafton will be strong in the mid-distance and distance events. Highlighting this year's returning Indoor student-athletes is junior David Gunnerson. David qualified for and ran at the Nike Indoor National Track and Field Championships last year. According to MileStat, he returns as the 9th-ranked 1000 meter runner in Virginia and 4th-ranked in Class AA with a current time of 2:36.82. David plans on dropping that time by 4 seconds. Based on his 2008 outdoor times, he is already qualified for the 2009 Nike Indoor National meet in the 1000 meters. In addition to the 1000 meter, he plans to compete in the 500 meter, 1600 meter, and run on the boys 4x800 meter relay team.
The boys 4x800 meter relay team will be strong with David and Kyle King forming the foundation and several cross country runners vying for the remaining spots. Coach Haigh's goal is to take the 4x800 relay team to nationals, along with several individual runners.
The girls team will be without last year's Daily Press Track Athlete of the Year Michelle Speede due to an injury. Michelle qualified for and ran at the Nike Outdoor National Track and Field Championships last year, finishing 2nd in the Women's Emerging Elite 200 meter and 19th in the Women's Open 400 meter with a new PR and school record time of 56.26.
Senior Britinny Wolfe returns to build upon her 500 meter times from last year's indoor season and will probably be running the 1000 meter and girl's 4x800 meter relay. Britinny ran the 800 meter during spring track and qualified for the state meet where she finished 26th.
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Bay Rivers District Indoor Track Preview
November 30, 2008
Lynn Burke
Bay Rivers District Outlook
Coaches say Grafton, Jamestown and Lafayette, in some combination, will be among the teams to beat on both sides.
Team-By-Team Outlook
Grafton: The boys' strength is in the middle and long distances, with David Gunnerson and Kyle King. The girls won't have sprinter Michelle Speede because of an injury. Brittiny Wolfe and Jessica Dance return for the girls team.
Jamestown: The Eagles' boys finished fifth in the state indoors last winter. Their strength comes from their nationally ranked cross country team, led by Andrew Colley, Colin Mearns and John Holt. Add in some sprinting and hurdle talents, plus state outdoor pole-vault champ Nick Durante, and the Eagles are solid. On the girls side, the Eagles get plenty of distance-running points.
Lafayette: Freshman Heidi Peterson and junior Becky Dobosy were among the top cross country runners in the area.
Tabb: Sprinters Kiara Porter and Jeremy Meredith return for coach George Coulter's 37th year.
York: Sherelle White is the queen of Group AA sprinters. She won the indoor 55 meters last winter and the outdoor 100 in the spring. Maurice Lewis leads the returning boys.
Warhill: The coaching staff looks for continued improvement. Finishing fifth or sixth in the district is a realistic goal.
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2008 Cross Country Addition ....
In addition to the honors that the Grafton boy's cross country team received throughout the season, three additional honors were bestowed on Kyle King, David Gunnerson, and Ian Vanderhoven.
The Daily Press released on Dec 21, 2008, it's fall sports All Stars. These three athletes were selected by the Daily Press. Kyle was selected for the first team and David and Ian were selected with second team honors. The Daily Press released the following concerning Kyle's selection: "He had an outstanding sophomore season that was overshadowed by Jamestown's big three. King had the highest non-Jamestown finish of any Bay Rivers runner in the postseason, finishing fourth in the district and Region I meets, and 10th in the state meet."
Congratulations from Grafton Runners and from your proud coaching staff!
2008 Group AA Cross Country Region I Boys Runner-Up Champions
Pictured (L-R) Sami Talibi, Grayson Yang, Eric Graves (C), Brian Wilmer, Brian Gorwitz, Kyle King, David Gunnerson, Ian Vanderhoven, Paul Tyler, DJ Cooper, and Ryan Tyler
2008 Bay Rivers District Boys Cross Country Champions / 2008 Bay Rivers District Meet Championship Runner-Up
Pictured (L-R) Brian Wilmer, Grayson Yang, Sami Talibi, Eric Sheldon, Ian Vanderhoven, David Gunnerson, Kyle King, Mark Yancey, Eric Graves, DJ Cooper, Brian Gorwitz, Paul Tyler, Ryan Tyler
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
