Stepping toward goal
Sophomore wins Mars Invitational in record fashion
Marianne Abdalah lapped the field and then some in the girls 3,200meter run Friday at the Mars Invitational en route to her record-setting win. And if she had been running with the boys, she likely would have lapped a few of them, too.
Abdalah, a Vincentian Academy sophomore, ran a season-best 10 minutes, 48.14 seconds to beat the meet record — set in 2010 — by more than three seconds and the runner-up by nearly 30 seconds. And while she still isn’t quite to her season goals of beating her personal record of 10:45.54 and to go under 10:40, she bested her meet record from Butler last week by more than a second to keep chipping away.
“My competition helped me during the first mile, and the second mile I just had to take it and go,” she said.
“The first couple laps really judge how I’m going to run the race. So they were taking it out, and I was just going to follow and then strike.”
Vincentian coach Dan Carlino said while he was pleased with Abdalah’s performance, it’s nowhere close to what she can accomplish.
“She trained really, really well through the last two weeks or so, so I really expected her to break this meet record and I expected her to [get a personal record],” Carlino said. “We talked about getting down to 10:42, but I think the wind played a little factor and not really being pushed, I think, hurt a little bit, too.”
Abdalah wasn’t the only runner to set a meet record despite the chilly and breezy weather, as Seneca Valley junior Mike Kolor ran 4:16.17 in the 1,600 meters to beat the 2006 record by nearly four seconds. Kolor also won the 800 at 1:58.25 and ran a leg in the winning 1,600 relay at 3:36.32.
“I’d be lying if I said coming in I thought it was going to be three golds in three events,” he said. “I was worried coming in with the strong wind. … But I felt really strong.”
Hickory claimed the boys and girls team titles by dominating the field events. Sophomore Evan Blaire won the discus throw at 161 feet, 9 inches and the shot put at 53-5. Senior Elena Marchand won the discus throw at 135-7 and the shot put at 44-5½. Senior Danielle Collier also won the javelin throw at 127-5.