Persistence Pays Off For Rizzo, Goldstein At New Balance Games

By Brian Towey of DyeStat

NEW YORK -- Bronxville NY senior Alex Rizzo had three tries at the NYRR Millrose Games High School Mile race.

Saturday, at the New Balance Games at The Armory, things just felt right.

Reeling in leader Tobias Wolfson (Riverdale Country Day NY) with 50 meters left, Rizzo, a noted kicker, used his speed to get the result, 4:17.69 to 4:18.04.

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"This time I played it just perfectly," Rizzo said. "I didn't get sucked in. I let people come back to me. I waited, I took my chance and I did it."

Rizzo joins his brother, Matthew, who'd claimed a mile spot in the Hispanic Games two weeks earlier. Wolfson earned a qualifying spot for the NYRR Millrose Games based on his time.

A Naval Academy recruit who doffed a USNA sweatshirt pre-race, Rizzo dispatched a quality field by making sure he had something left.

"I think that in a kick finish I'm going to get 90 percent of the people," Rizzo said. "I held it in and the last lap, I let it loose."

Germantown PA junior Issy Goldstein had chased a qualifier all winter as well. On Saturday, she left no doubt.

Goldstein, with a withering final 400, ran away from Notre Dame Academy NY's Sierra Dineen for a 4:56.33 win.

"I've been here for every qualifier," said Goldstein, whose sister, Abby, runs at Harvard. "I've definitely had a change in my workouts and the way I've been feeling with regards to running.

"I was doing some 200s on Wednesday. My coach was telling me to elevate myself, run high, because I always run low. I've been trying to physically stay on my toes and mentally, whatever the competition throws at me."

One of Florida's top runners, Spanish River's Rylee Pustilnik (third in the invitational 2-mile on Friday, 11:11.06) used the opportunity to visit colleges as well as compete on the Armory's famed track.

"I came here for college visits: the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia and Princeton," Pustilnik said.. "I said, 'Why not do an indoor race?' It is a lot of fun. I would do it again. The track is really fast and the girls are so nice."

Pustilnik wasn't the only Floridian getting a taste of the indoor circuit this weekend.

"Florida teams are venturing out and trying indoor track," Pustilnik said. "Pine Crest is in Virginia (for The Virginia Showcase)."

Passaic NJ senior Luis Peralta, fresh off a commitment to Oregon, blasted a US#1 1:19.14 to win the 600 meters. For Peralta, who owns a 1:49.14 800 best, it was a statement win.

"I was hoping to run faster," Peralta said. "I wanted to go out in 51 (for the first 400) but I was in lane five. I wanted to run low 1:18s. I had more to give."

Derby CT senior Ja'Kwan Hale, in his first 500-meter race, won in 1:05.52 (He later returned to win the high jump at 6 feet, 6 inches).

Girard College PA senior Thelma Davies won the girls 55 meters in US#2 6.96.

Randolph NJ posted a US#3 time of 12:08.76 in the girls distance medley relay, as the team of Meredith Finley, Maya Wilkins, Chloe Whiting and Abby Loveys pulled away from William Penn Charter PA (12:24.83).

"(That) was the time we were going for because we want to run at nationals," Loveys said.

Lawrenceville NJ's boys sprint medley relay of Jakob Kunzer, Jerlan Fish, William Murray and Robert Enck won in 3:33.66.

One of the day's most inspirational races came in the boys distance medley. Just a few weeks ago, Rye NY coach Jim Yedowitz had planned for his boys to run in the Marine Corps Invitational (Dec. 29) while he was in a hospital bed. He had told his athletes about his illness, pancreatic cancer, in November. He died Jan. 3.

Rye anchor Cian Galligan, trailing Brooklyn Tech at the exchange, appeared a longshot to win. 

With a churning final quarter, Galligan chased down Brooklyn Tech's Evan Sherman in the final stretch for a 10:32.32 win.

"It's unbelievable," said Galligan, who ran with Bradley Squarek, Connor Maloney and John Goldszer. "We owe the majority of our training (to Yedowitz). He was definitely there every step of the way."