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The Montgomery Journal
Lake, Saunders, Walsh Win Champion Crowns
Originally Published in The Montgomery Journal on Wednesday, June 14, 1978
By: Katy Williams
Photographer: Julia Galmes


Republished with permission granted by The Washington Newspaper Publishing Co. LLC d/b/a MediaDC. Back to Montgomery Journal articles

Lake, Saunders, Walsh Win Champion Crowns

By Katy Williams
Special to the Journal

After inadequate funding forced its cancellation last year, the Meet of Champions was revived last weekend to prove the year's lapse was hardly a set-back in track and field competition for high school performers.

Meet director Bob Rothenberg accomodated 350 competitors from nine states and the District, his broadest field ever since the meet's 1973 inception, over the meet's seven-hour span Saturday at Gallaudet College in Washington.

The Meet of Champions, sponsored by the D.C. Striders and the United Black Fund, served as the United States Track and Field Federation Northeast Junior National Championship. It gathered the East Coast's finest trackmen for a post-season target nestled between the Atlanta Track Classic and the Coca-Cola Meet in Chicago later this month.

"The day provided excellent competition for the athlete," said CYO coach Skip Grant, whose private club runners include Georgetown Prep junior David Saunders and Bethesda-Chevy Chase junior Carolyn Hughes. "You won't see competition much better than that in the Junior National (June 24-25 at the University of Indiana)."

Top local competitors were supplemented by busloads of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North and South Carolina athletes who read about the meet in Track and Field News. Two runners from Ontario, Canada were housed by Rothenberg, and pole vault winner Charles Suey, flew in from California.

His arrival, however, prompted Rothenberg to list it among the faulty sound system and schedule delays as meet complications. American University coach Steve Lurie had driven from New Jersey to meet Suey's 6 p.m. flight into Dulles. But Suey arrived at National hours later after missing his California plane.

"These kids will carry the news about this meet back to their states," Grant said. "A meet like this is going to grow. Some meets grow painfully, and some mushroom. And this meet is going to mushroom."

The influx of outside competitors provided top-flight performances, the four outstanding athlete awards went to visiting competitors. Sandra Farmer, a sophomore from Brooklyn, broke her own national high school record in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles, earning the outstanding female trackman honor.

"Someone like her gives the other kids incentive and goals. And they could stay in their own neighborhood to compete against her," Grant said.

"The true high school competitor is going to take this meet as incentive. He can't be complacent about competing."

Three Montgomery County bested the outside challengers and came away winners Saturday. Perp's Saunders lowered the area 400-meter record to 47.1; Northwood senior Mary Walsh took the women's 3000-meter run; and Einstein's Donna Lake captured the discus.

"I think David's got one of the best heads for competing that I've seen," Grant said. "He's got tremendous pride in what he does, and he can mentally prepare himself for any run. He's been the hub of the Georgetown Prep team this year."

Walsh won her 3000-meter race in 10:20.2, and O'Connel junior Eve Brennan followed on in 10:28.6. Damascus' Colleen Desmond was third in 10:55.

Walsh did not control the race until Robin Roughton, the Mt. Vernon freshman who lead through the first half-mile, dropped out.

Lake, the University of Tennessee bound discus thrower, broke the meet mark by throwing 133-1.

"That's still not my best throw," said Lake, whose personal record of 142 feet came in the county meet. "I'm not consistant, but I'm glad my throws are up there."

Lake also considered the county's finest shot putter, did not enter the shot put competition at the meet. "I'm leaving my shot put at home for awhile," she said.

"I've already sprained both my ankles, hurt my elbow and my back this season. There's also been poor weather, and I want to concentrate all my energy and time on the discus."

Gaithersburg junior Jim Joyce, who won the shot put Penn Relays competition by three centimeters over George Scribellito of New Jersey earlier in the season, lost to Scribellito in Saturday's meet, this time by 1 1/2 inches. Joyce heaved 60-2 feet.

In the men's 1500-meter run, Seneca Valley state mile champion Tom Cuff ran 3:57.5, a 4:16.5 mile equivalent. Landon sophomore Don Kerwin was fourth in 3:58.8.

In the women's 1500-meter race, Carolyn Hughes took third (4:47.0), a 5:06 mile equivalent, behind High Point junior and CYO-trained Aileen O'Connor and Roosevelt's Beverly Stell. Northwood senior Walsh followed Hughes in 4:51.5.

"This whole meet had more depth and more good performances than any other meet in this area," said meet director Rothenberg. "I wish I could have seen more of the races. I was too busy with the meet's paperwork, though. I had the worst seat in the house."


Photo caption: Journal Photo by Julia Galmes. Jim Joyce, a stalwart of the Gaithersburg high school track team, placed second in the Meet of Champions in the shot put, taking a back seat to the same New Jersey athlete he beat in the Penn Relays.




Williams, Katy. "Lake, Saunders, Walsh Win Champion Crowns." Montgomery Journal, 14, Jun. 1978, p. C1.
Transcribed by: Kevin Milsted 03/02/2020


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