Drezek impresses future coaches
Cumberland senior breaks own 3,000-meter steeplechase record
A little of this, a little of that …
• With his future college coaches and teammates looking on last Saturday, Cumberland High senior/long-distance ace Ben Drezek confirmed his spot at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor (NBNO) Championships, scheduled for June 16-18 in Greensboro, N.C.
What makes Drezek’s accomplishment so unique is that he didn’t solely cover distances through running, the forte of this two-time first-team all-state cross-country selection. There was also leaping involved. This so-called hybrid track exercise has a specific name – the 3,000meter steeplechase in which the 18-year-old Drezek placed second overall with a new Rhode Island mark of 9 minutes, 23.91 seconds. The record he broke was his own. (9:38.99, set in May 2016.)
That Drezek set a record on the UMass-Lowell campus, where he’ll be heading this fall on a scholarship, made what unfolded over the weekend even sweeter.
“It was a chance to run at my future home track. At the same time, I was a little nervous,” Drezek said. “The [Lowell] coaches were there and you want to perform decently in front of them, but everything fell into place and worked out.”
Originally, Drezek’s steeplechase bid was supposed to take him to the prestigious Glenn B. Loucks Games at White Plains High in White Plains, N.Y. The event, scheduled for the first weekend in May, was canceled due to rain.
Forced to scramble, Drezek got on the computer and in no time found a backup plan. The Battle Roads Twilight Series at UMass Lowell was held the same day as the R.I. Class A
Championships, meaning Drezek needed permission from the Cumberland coaches. He received their full blessing.
“We got lucky finding that meet at Lowell,” Drezek said. “My [Cumberland] coaches were fine with it. They said, ‘Go run that race because obviously nationals is more important.’”
The steeplechase isn’t offered by the R.I. Interscholastic League. Even though he has the required hurdle form down pat, Drezek still must improvise. At Tucker Field, he’ll do 1K and 2K repeats and mix in a 1,000-meter hurdles or 4x400-meter hurdles.
“It requires a lot of athleticism. You kind of have to have a mixture of distance and hurdles,” Drezek said. “I keep track of my steps so I’m focused during the race.”
The first 200 meters of the 3,000meter steeplechase have no obstacles to navigate. After that and until the participant crosses the finish line, the course is littered with barriers – taking the place of standard hurdles used during a high school track meet – and water pits where one false move can result in a drenching.
The only competitor to best Drezek on Saturday was Nick Steele, a freshman at Villanova University. Steele’s winning time was 9:17.99.
“He was an All-American at last year’s nationals and [Saturday] only beat me by six seconds,” Drezek said. “I was pretty happy with the way it went because I was with him the entire race.”
• Tolman High 2015 graduate Megan Klemanchuck enjoyed a very productive sophomore softball season for Division III Becker College. The shortstop appeared in 37 games and finished second on the 2017 Hawks in batting average (.361) and slugging (.574) as well as third in both on-base percentage (.461) and RBI (22).
• Mount St. Charles girls basketball head coach Ray Leveille confirmed that his senior star guard, Julia Laquerre, is slated to hoop it up for Division III Bridgewater State University. Also from Mount, softball head coach Cliff Matthews says senior captain/catcher Sky O'Connell is joining the softball family at Division III Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
• Pawtucket native and Boston Bruins veteran radio broadcaster Dave Goucher on the decision to remove the interim tag from Bruce Cassidy and make him the team’s full-time head coach: “I thought he deserved it. What he did over the final two months over the regular season and in the playoffs … I think it was clear the team bought into what he was selling. He brought a fresh voice to everything.
“I would have been shocked if they went in another direction, especially given how hard the Bruins played down the stretch and in the Ottawa playoff series when they were undermanned. That showed what the team thought of Bruce Cassidy,” Goucher added.
• CVS Charity Classic co-host Billy Andrade was recently asked about the prospect of taking the popular annual golfing event featuring PGA, Champions Tour, and LPGA pros to a higher level. More specifically, does Rhode Island have the necessary juice to perhaps one day host an annual Tour stop?
“There’s a lot more money you have to put in and then you don’t have control, which is the biggest thing. Right now, we’re in control of who we want to invite and dictate,” Andrade said.
Wouldn’t a four- or three-day gathering of top talent help put the Ocean State even more on the golfing map than the prestige that’s been and continues to be generated by the CVS Classic?
“It’s a good question,” Andrade said. “You have the U.S. Senior Open [coming to Newport in 2020], the Deutsche Bank up the road [in Norton, Mass.], and the Travelers [in Hartford, Conn.], but what we’re doing is pretty cool. It’s not really broken.”
• Eight weeks into the season, the Red Sox team that was the brain child of careful assemblage over the winter is still hiding out in the dark room. Injuries and inconsistent play have resulted in an uneven start that has kept fans wondering what exactly the ceiling is for John Farrell’s ball club.
A shot of adrenaline and badlyneeded staff stabilization could be on its way in David Price, slated to pitch for the Pawtucket Red Sox at McCoy Stadium on Wednesday. It will be Price’s second rehab start. While Price has made steady gains in his quest to return to MLB duty, the fact remains he still missed just about all of spring training and the entire month of April. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be the worst idea for Boston to have him pitch a third time in a PawSox uniform.
Should such a scenario come to fruition, mark your calendars for Monday, May 29. That would be Price’s next scheduled turn. Just as noteworthy, the PawSox are home that day for a 1:35 p.m. first pitch against Durham.
• Best part of the Celtics’ dramatic last-second win over the Cavaliers on Sunday night? It helped remind the public that there’s more than two teams in the NBA.
Yes, a third-straight finals meeting between Cleveland and Golden State appears inevitable. The Cavs and Warriors might be a cut above the rest of the field, yet last time I checked, the NBA is made up of 30 franchises, not two.