VASJ senior shows grit at Bruin Invitational

Not a solitary soul with any semblance of track and field acumen would have blamed Jordan Dean on May 6 during Day 2 of the Bruin Invitational if he assessed the situation and simply said, “No way.”

The Villa Angela-St. Joseph senior and multi-sport fixture had just pulled up in the 200-meter dash, not feeling quite right on the back end of the race, with 4x400 still left on the docket.

Dean dug down deep in his reserve for 4x4, though — and there’s no way the Vikings weren’t floating back to Lake Shore Boulevard emotionally after what transpired next.

The VASJ quartet of Andre Terry, Hasheen Priest, Jordan Ellul and Dean dropped a hammer, prevailing at Padua with a time of 3 minutes, 29.59 seconds. The Vikings are the sixth News-Herald coverage area boys 4x4 to break 3:30 this spring.

From doubt following that aforementioned 200 injury scare to domination in 4x4, it’s fair to say it was a chaotic chain of circumstances for Dean to navigate.

“I was just trying to win,” Dean said. “My teammates did all they could. They told me they’d give everything they’ve got, and I told them I would, too. So that last leg, I had to do it. I had to do it. I did all I could do.

“(A sub-3:30) is huge. The first time we ran this year, I think it was a 3:39. We dropped 10 seconds. That’s incredible. It means a lot.”

In the last 40 meters of the homestretch for 200, Dean noted he started to feel some calf cramping. After having similar issues for Day 1 of Bruin, he didn’t want to roll the proverbial dice and overexert himself on the back end of that race.

But with 3,200s and girls 4x4 to follow, that yielded time for Dean to get himself right.

“I was using a massage machine,” Dean said. “I was drinking Pedialyte to get rid of the cramping. And I was good to go.”

Dean rocked his open 400, bettering his own News-Herald coverage area-best time in the event from Day 1 prelims at Bruin with a 49.67 in the final. His 200 attack was strong, and the homestretch flow was smooth, assuredly with room to grow.

“It was great,” Dean said. “I’m just blessed we get to run out here this year, because last year, it felt good and then it was canceled. So I had to get everything quicker, now that it’s my senior year.”

Elsewhere at Bruin from an area standpoint, Lake Catholic’s Alex Mohr and Ellul went 2-3 in 1,600 with two fastest area times in the event thus far in 2021. Mohr went 4:29.97, sitting back strategically and then hammering his last 250, and Ellul went 4:32.81.

Cougars freshman Claire

Duricky had a memorable last-10 reel-in and lean as Lake prevailed in 4x4 with a 4:13.90.

Beaumont’s 4x2 quartet of Candace Johnson, Reese Brady, Mariya Washington and Patricia O’Neill encouraged with a win in 1:47.05, good for this area’s fourthfastest time this season. The Blue Streaks’ Madyson Treharne tied her area-best pole vault, clearing 11-6 to take second.

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin’s boys 4x1 of Andrew Ryan, Noah Coyne, Daniel Yanick and Timothy Herczog recorded a first with a laudable 44.08, the fourthfastest News-Herald coverage area boys 4x1 this spring.