Carlos smashes Alabama 3,200 record
February, 4, 2012
Feb 4
2:25
PM ET
By Arthur L. Mack | ESPN.com
The Alabama State Indoor Track and Field Championships returned with a splash on Friday.
It had been five years since the state of Alabama held an indoor track and field championship meet, and at Birmingham’s Crossplex Athletic Facility, Mobile’s McGill-Toolen Catholic’s Carmen Carlos provided the highlight — a blazing 10 minute, 34.02 second time in the 6A girls 3,200-meter run. That time not only broke the old state meet record of 10:42.83 by Decatur Austin’s Jennifer Dunn, it was also a new US#1.
Last week, at the Last Chance Invitational, Carlos ran 10:45.04, giving her two of the four fastest times this season. She lapped the field in Friday’s 3,200. Her teammate, Sage Blackwell, was second in 11:13.71.
“I was looking to go around 10:30, just like last week,” Carlos said. “I’ve finally gotten to the point where I like to push myself. I felt pretty good in the beginning, but in the second half of the race, I was just focused on keeping my pace. I was really surprised when they told me that I had the fastest time in the country.”
Carlos’ 800-meter win was almost as impressive. She was in fourth with about 200 meters to go, but picked up her pace and blew past frontrunner Veronica Lyle of Hewitt-Trussville in the final turn. Carlos’s 2:14.96 just missed the state mark of 2:14.46 set by Mountain Brook’s Catherine Diethelm in 2007.
“She set a strong pace for the first three laps,” said Carlos of Lyle. “I didn’t want her to get too far away. When I got close to her, I said, 'Okay, I’m going to try to kick.'”
Another 6A girls record fell in the 4 x 800-meter relay. Hoover ran a 1:42.25, besting the old record by almost three seconds. Hoover’s Joy Maniece-Marbury set a new state meet record in the 60-meter dash, running 7.73 in the prelims. Going into Saturday’s finals, McGill-Toolen Catholic held a slim 40-36 lead over Mountain Brook in 6A girls competition, while Spain Park — which got wins from Brandon Hazouri in the 3,200 (9:25.57) and Joseph Williams in the shot put (58 feet, 5 inches) — led 6A boys competition with 43 points, while Mountain Brook, which got a win from Payton Ballard in the 800 (1:55.89) and Hewitt-Trussville were tied for second with 22 points apiece.
In the 6A boys 60-meter dash prelims, four runners — all in different heats — equaled or went under the old mark of 7.00 set by Tuscaloosa County’s Titus Ryan in 2002. Jakayrus Redwine of Oak Mountain ran 7.00, Tracy McKinney of Smiths Station ran 6.97, and Jamarcus Howard and Derrick Johnson, both of Northridge, ran 6.98 and 6.96 respectively to set up an explosive final.
The most exciting race of the day, though, was in the 6A boys 4 x 200 meter relay. Four teams broke the record of 1:32.12 set by Montgomery’s Jeff Davis in 1995.
Smiths Station, anchored by Quincy Smith, ran 1:30.23. Smith teamed with Tracy McKinney, Antonio Morgan and Terrance Nellon to set the new mark.
Smith made a strong push near the finish to secure the win, edging Hoover (1:30.40), Northridge (1:30.45) and Auburn (1:31.20).
Several records fell on the first day of 5A competition as well. In the 60-meter dash prelims, Mobile’s St. Paul’s Episcopal’s Kylen Towner ran 7.02 to break the old record, while Central-Tuscaloosa’s Brandon Bell set a new state record mark of 8.36 in the 60-meter hurdle prelims.
St. Paul’s, however took a 38-28 lead over Walker on the first day of competition, while Scottsboro, aided by Evan McGee’s win in the 3,200 (9:49.74) was third with 25.
Walker got a strong 1-2 finish from Andrew Harris and Hunter Hawkins in the 800-meter run. Harris’s time was 1:54.17, while Hawkins ran 1:56.11.
“I’m hoping to get three more medals,” said Harris, who is also scheduled to run the 1,600 as well as the 4 x 800 and 4 x 400 meter relay. “Hunter is just now running under 2 flat, and he PR’ed by a second. I’m fortunate to have somebody to push me.”
In 5A girls competition, St. Paul’s used three first place finishes to take a 60-34 lead over Scottsboro, with Central-Tuscaloosa third with 32 points. Anna Braswell won the 800 (2:19.47), Shelly Spires won the high jump (5-6 ¼), and Katy Bodet the pole vault (9-0).
A 5A girls record fell in the 4 x 200 meter relay. Birmingham Parker, comprising of Iris Robinson, Tiffany Holloway, Rochelle Knight and Kia Dowdell, ran 1:47.91, breaking the old record of 1:48.63 set by Northridge in 2002. Central-Tuscaloosa was also under the old record, running 1:48.28.
Mobile’s UMS-Wright led in the 1A-4A boys and girls competition. The boys led Beauregard 32-24, with the highlight for UMS-Wright coming on Robert Hope’s win in the 3,200 (10:00.00). Beauregard got firsts from Shaquille Williams in the triple jump (42-1 ¼) and Jadarius Sims in the high jump (5-10).
It was in 1A-4A girls, though, where another meet record was broken. UMS- Wright’s Kathryn Lazarchick, who started the day with a win in the 3,200 (11:23.55), came back a few hours later to win the 800 in 2:19.23 — breaking the state meet record in the process.
Lazarchick’s two wins boosted the Bulldogs to a huge 71-37 lead over Montgomery Academy, while Bayside Academy was third with 26 points.
“In the 3,200, I was just trying to pace myself, and in the 800, I just didn’t have the kick (I’m accustomed to having),” she said. “I was trying to go for the place more than anything else. I didn’t even realize what the old record was.”
It had been five years since the state of Alabama held an indoor track and field championship meet, and at Birmingham’s Crossplex Athletic Facility, Mobile’s McGill-Toolen Catholic’s Carmen Carlos provided the highlight — a blazing 10 minute, 34.02 second time in the 6A girls 3,200-meter run. That time not only broke the old state meet record of 10:42.83 by Decatur Austin’s Jennifer Dunn, it was also a new US#1.
Last week, at the Last Chance Invitational, Carlos ran 10:45.04, giving her two of the four fastest times this season. She lapped the field in Friday’s 3,200. Her teammate, Sage Blackwell, was second in 11:13.71.
“I was looking to go around 10:30, just like last week,” Carlos said. “I’ve finally gotten to the point where I like to push myself. I felt pretty good in the beginning, but in the second half of the race, I was just focused on keeping my pace. I was really surprised when they told me that I had the fastest time in the country.”
Carlos’ 800-meter win was almost as impressive. She was in fourth with about 200 meters to go, but picked up her pace and blew past frontrunner Veronica Lyle of Hewitt-Trussville in the final turn. Carlos’s 2:14.96 just missed the state mark of 2:14.46 set by Mountain Brook’s Catherine Diethelm in 2007.
“She set a strong pace for the first three laps,” said Carlos of Lyle. “I didn’t want her to get too far away. When I got close to her, I said, 'Okay, I’m going to try to kick.'”
Another 6A girls record fell in the 4 x 800-meter relay. Hoover ran a 1:42.25, besting the old record by almost three seconds. Hoover’s Joy Maniece-Marbury set a new state meet record in the 60-meter dash, running 7.73 in the prelims. Going into Saturday’s finals, McGill-Toolen Catholic held a slim 40-36 lead over Mountain Brook in 6A girls competition, while Spain Park — which got wins from Brandon Hazouri in the 3,200 (9:25.57) and Joseph Williams in the shot put (58 feet, 5 inches) — led 6A boys competition with 43 points, while Mountain Brook, which got a win from Payton Ballard in the 800 (1:55.89) and Hewitt-Trussville were tied for second with 22 points apiece.
In the 6A boys 60-meter dash prelims, four runners — all in different heats — equaled or went under the old mark of 7.00 set by Tuscaloosa County’s Titus Ryan in 2002. Jakayrus Redwine of Oak Mountain ran 7.00, Tracy McKinney of Smiths Station ran 6.97, and Jamarcus Howard and Derrick Johnson, both of Northridge, ran 6.98 and 6.96 respectively to set up an explosive final.
The most exciting race of the day, though, was in the 6A boys 4 x 200 meter relay. Four teams broke the record of 1:32.12 set by Montgomery’s Jeff Davis in 1995.
Smiths Station, anchored by Quincy Smith, ran 1:30.23. Smith teamed with Tracy McKinney, Antonio Morgan and Terrance Nellon to set the new mark.
Smith made a strong push near the finish to secure the win, edging Hoover (1:30.40), Northridge (1:30.45) and Auburn (1:31.20).
Several records fell on the first day of 5A competition as well. In the 60-meter dash prelims, Mobile’s St. Paul’s Episcopal’s Kylen Towner ran 7.02 to break the old record, while Central-Tuscaloosa’s Brandon Bell set a new state record mark of 8.36 in the 60-meter hurdle prelims.
St. Paul’s, however took a 38-28 lead over Walker on the first day of competition, while Scottsboro, aided by Evan McGee’s win in the 3,200 (9:49.74) was third with 25.
Walker got a strong 1-2 finish from Andrew Harris and Hunter Hawkins in the 800-meter run. Harris’s time was 1:54.17, while Hawkins ran 1:56.11.
“I’m hoping to get three more medals,” said Harris, who is also scheduled to run the 1,600 as well as the 4 x 800 and 4 x 400 meter relay. “Hunter is just now running under 2 flat, and he PR’ed by a second. I’m fortunate to have somebody to push me.”
In 5A girls competition, St. Paul’s used three first place finishes to take a 60-34 lead over Scottsboro, with Central-Tuscaloosa third with 32 points. Anna Braswell won the 800 (2:19.47), Shelly Spires won the high jump (5-6 ¼), and Katy Bodet the pole vault (9-0).
A 5A girls record fell in the 4 x 200 meter relay. Birmingham Parker, comprising of Iris Robinson, Tiffany Holloway, Rochelle Knight and Kia Dowdell, ran 1:47.91, breaking the old record of 1:48.63 set by Northridge in 2002. Central-Tuscaloosa was also under the old record, running 1:48.28.
Mobile’s UMS-Wright led in the 1A-4A boys and girls competition. The boys led Beauregard 32-24, with the highlight for UMS-Wright coming on Robert Hope’s win in the 3,200 (10:00.00). Beauregard got firsts from Shaquille Williams in the triple jump (42-1 ¼) and Jadarius Sims in the high jump (5-10).
It was in 1A-4A girls, though, where another meet record was broken. UMS- Wright’s Kathryn Lazarchick, who started the day with a win in the 3,200 (11:23.55), came back a few hours later to win the 800 in 2:19.23 — breaking the state meet record in the process.
Lazarchick’s two wins boosted the Bulldogs to a huge 71-37 lead over Montgomery Academy, while Bayside Academy was third with 26 points.
“In the 3,200, I was just trying to pace myself, and in the 800, I just didn’t have the kick (I’m accustomed to having),” she said. “I was trying to go for the place more than anything else. I didn’t even realize what the old record was.”
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