28th Manhattan Invitational

The Girls Story

Team (below) Sun shines on Saratoga all day. Individual (R) Pudlin's "one last burst" catches Donohue at the finish

Team - Saratoga, Saratoga, Saratoga

Before the races, Saratoga Springs NY girls coach Art Kranick said he never had this many quality runners before.  Then the girls showed what he meant.  

The varsity girls dominated the Girls Eastern States Championship, the seeded race of the day, with 44 points for an 88-point margin.  And in the junior varsity races, Saratoga split its squad and won both races with better than perfect 15s, pouring in the first 7 finishers in JV A and the first 6 finishers in JV B.  Ana Hoyos' winning 15:47 in JV B would have been 20th in the Eastern States championship.  

Danielle Coon's 3rd place finish (left) paced the Saratoga varsity and all 7 runners were in the top 15.

Individual - Julia Pudlin wins with "one last burst" over Erin Donohue

Don Rich Interview: Pudlin was confident she could stay with the pack 

This figured to be a 3-way race between Saratoga ace Danielle Coon, New Jersey champion Erin Donohue, and rising Pennsylvania star Julia Pudlin - and these three went out on top from the very start.  

On the flat before the hills, it was Coon, Donohue, Pudlin, and Randy Buzzell (Middletown MD) in front.

Donohue and Pudlin broke away midway in the woods, and the rest of the race was a pulsating battle to the finish with the all-sports star Donohue holding the edge.  Pudlin said she kept trying to pass Donohue, "but she kept accelerating."

As the runners came into view of the finish line officials, Donohue held a slight lead, with Pudlin alongside.  Then, in the very last strides, Pudlin surged again "in one last burst" and Donohue could not respond.  Pudlin covered the 2.5 mile course in 14:41 and Donohue 14:42.

Frustrated Donohue finishes 2nd

When did Pudlin think she could win?  "Not until the last second."

The race continued a stirring junior year by the slender PA girl:  course records in PA, third in the Great American Race of Champions in Charlotte, first on the difficult Salesianum DE course a week ago.  Now she looms as a strong contender in the Foot Locker series.  

Angela Kudla, Starpoint, and Karen Pulliam, Quince Orchard MD, finish 4th and 5th

6-7-8 finishers are Saratoga's Kristen Hornbach and John Jay's Sally Briggs and Laura McCloskey