Glynn collects second running championship

WJ junior tops boys 3,200 race in 10 minutes, 10.2 seconds


Hannah Benjamin of Damascus races toward a second place finish in the 1,600-meter 3A/2A state championships. She placed third in the 3,200.

By DAVID HAMMEL
Journal Staff Writer

BALTIMORE - David Glynn likes to see his competition during a race.

That's something the Walter Johnson High School junior can't do if he's in the lead of an indoor track meet. Glynn saw the back of nearly everyone in the 3,200-meter run at Tuesday's 3A/2A state public schools indoor track and field championship meet at the Fifth Regiment Armory, but he came from behind to win the second individual state championship of his high school career.

Glynn was the only county athlete to win a state title. His performance helped Walter Johnson to a ninth-place finish in the boys meet, best among county squads. Woodlawn of Baltimore County took the boys team title.

Damascus, last year's team champion, had the highest team finish among county girls teams, taking seventh place. Frederick Douglas of Prince George's County won the team title.

Glynn led the first 6 1/4 laps of the 1,600 run, which included eight laps, but finished third in 4:37.3, five seconds behind winner Jansen McMillan of Wilde Lake. In the 3,200, later in the day, Glynn began the race well behind the leaders. After 800 meters, he wasn't in the top 10.

"I had two options," said Glynn, who won the 3A state title in cross country in the fall. "One was to go right out from the start and try for a good time. The one I'm more confident with is starting way in the back and picking people off one at a time.

"I knew how things were going to pan out in the mile. I just didn't react to it," he added.

Glynn assumed the lead in the 3,200 with less than three laps remaining and finished in 10:10.2, well below his personal best of 9:50 in the event. The two runners who beat him in the 1,600, McMillan and Westlake's Carlost Huntt, finished second (10:12.8) and third (10:13.3), respectively.

Damascus' girls achieved the most points (20) of any county boys or girls team, led by senior Hannah Benjamin, who placed second in the 1,600 (5:19.6) and third in the 3,200 (11:37.80) and also ran on the Hornets 3,200 relay team, which placed third in 10:03.7.

Walter Johnson's girls expected to win the 3,200 relay and set a state record, but it was Linganore of Frederick County, which took first in 9:54.7, that set a 3A/2A meet record. Walter Johnson, which beat Linganore in the West Region meet Feb. 7, took second in 9:55.5.

The Wildcat girls, who took ninth place with 18.5 points, also got a second-place performance from junior Kristen Smith in the high jump. Smith, who tied McDonough's Karen Crismond for second, cleared 4 feet 10 inches.

Wheaton's boys got a third-place finish in the 300 from senior George Laroche in the 300 (0:37.4) to finish with 10 team points. Laroche also competed on the Knights' 1,600 relay team, which finished fourth in 3:40.4.