Oxon Hill recaptures spirit of '79 with record 4x800

By Jim Lambert for DyeStat

PHILADELPHIA -  Gary Ross was curled up on the ground in pain and had to be helped into a wheelchair just off to the side of the track Friday morning at Franklin Field.

The senior from Oxon Hill MD was paying the price for taking his body to a place it had never been before as Ross had just spilled everything in his tank on the oval with a sizzling anchor split of 1:50.49 to bring his team across first in its 4x800 relay heat in a Maryland state record 7:40.35 at the 123rd Penn Relays.

Oxon Hill’s US#1 7:40.35 broke the Maryland standard of 7:40.9 set in 1979 by Fairmont Heights of Chapel Oak and sent the team into Saturday’s 12-team Championship of America final as the top seed.

The 4x800s produced some of the fastest trial times in several years as a staggering 36 teams broke 8:00 and 11 of the 12 teams that advanced to the C of A ran under 7:50. The fastest non-qualifier was Pennsbury PA at 7:50.23, a time that would make the final most years. Last year, 7:53.43 was the final qualifier.   

Ross, whose 1:50.49 equaled the 13th-fastest high school 800 split in meet history, said the pain was well worth it.  

“Yeah, I was hurting after the race with the heat and everything and running that fast, but it was worth it,’’ Ross said. “I didn’t see my 1:50 coming . I’ve been trying to run a time like that, and have been kind of struggling, but I have run 1:53 by myself so I knew if I got into a fast heat that it could be possible.’’

The first three legs for Oxon Hill, Anthony Wimbish (2:00.10), Aaron Robinson (1:53.75), and Randy Serville (1:56.03), all ran personal-best times as the quartet dropped a whopping 14 seconds off its previous best of 7:54.82 that it ran March 25 at the Central Invitational in Capitol Heights, Md.

This past indoor season, Oxon Hill only ran 7:56.82 when it was 14th at the New Balance Nationals.

“We weren’t expecting this,’’ Ross said. “We’re all kind of shocked right now. Our best time coming in was 7:54, but all of us PR’d and we rose to the occasion.’’

Oxon Hill won its heat Friday by more than eight seconds, and its 7:40.35 was more than three seconds faster than the second-fastest team, 2015 winner St. Elizabeth Tech, which ran 7:43.99.

Ross feels he and his teammates have what it takes to become the first boys team from Maryland to win the 4x800 C of A since Fairmont Heights in 1979.

“I’m pretty confident,’’ Ross said.  “I think we can all run faster and get it done.’’