Affolder Brings Home A New Record For Loudoun Valley In DMR

By Brian Towey of DyeStat

NEW YORK -- Sam Affolder hasn't always thrived in the anchor role at Loudon Valley VA. Yet in Friday's championship distance medley, when the senior took the stick, he put those demons to rest. 

Affolder and his Jungle TC teammates broke the national record he set with his older brother Noah at Carlisle PA in 2017.

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"When I got the baton at such a record pace, I knew I didn't have to run my best, just decent," Affolder said.

Affolder's 4:06.21 anchor leg keyed Loudon Valley's national record, 9:54.41 win. Jacob Hunter led the team off with a strong 3:01 1,200-meter leg, Akere Simms ran 50.92 on the 400-meter leg and Connor Wells split 1:55 for 800 meters.

St. Anthony's NY (10:02.55) finished second, with Bronxville NY (10:07.15) in third. Matthew Payamps split 4:05.7 on the anchor leg.

Affolder retains a link to the 2017 Carlisle team (9:56.18), one in which he ran the 1,200-meter leg.

"It's a memorial to that 2017 team," Affolder said. "I go to bed thinking about it every night."

It marked a poignant moment post-race when Affolder reflected on his old team, and what his current team had done.

"To be perfectly honest, this has been on our radar all season," Loudon Valley coach Marc Hunter said. "I think the boys have been kind of bored. We're at that level now, the national level. It's pretty cool. The rest (of the season) is a formality. Just get to the end of the season."

Tuohy and North Rockland Win Fourth Straight Girls DMR Title

Every year, North Rockland NY's NBNI distance medley relay reign looks ever more improbable. 

And Friday's race seemed up for grabs with a competitive field, despite the Red Raiders' three-year streak. 

But with a team-wide effort, and two new runners, and Katelyn Tuohy's steadfastness (and a 4:41 closer), North Rockland took its fourth straight NBNI title (11:41.84).

Haleigh Morales' 1,200-meter leg kept North Rockland in the hunt. But before Tuohy gave chase to the leaders after taking the baton in sixth place, the newcomers, Jahlyah Goodbee (400) and Erin Gallagher (800) put in work.

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"This was a really strong field," North Rockland coach Brian Diglio said. "These girls knew they had to run fast. It seemed like this was the year everyone thought they could take us down.

"Our first three legs ran well. That's what won us the race. All three of them PR'd, and Katelyn didn't today."

Fayetteville-Manlius NY (Stotan Racing), in its first appearance since 2011, finished second (11:45.29), with Natick MA third (11:45.63). 

Eight teams dipped under 12 minutes, including Ann Arbor Pioneer MI out of the second heat. 

For Tuohy and North Rockland, in a winter littered with accomplishments, the team's fourth straight DMR title is special.  

"Every year. thinking back how the season went, this race is probably my favorite," Tuohy said. "I've broken records in the past but nothing compares to this." 

Morgan Smalls Soars In High Jump

Taking on the defedning champion Anna Hall, Morgan Smalls of Panther Creek NC revealed massive talent in winning the high jump with a junior class national record and No. 2 all-time clearance of 6-3.25. 

Smalls, the national leader, won the competition when she cleared 1.85m (6-0.50) but then went two bars higher, making 6-2 and 6-3.25 on second attempts. 

Nyagoa Bayak from Maine finished second and Hall, from Colorado, was third.

Cheeseman, Ariaens Wins 5Ks

Carter Cheeseman rallied in the final 200 meters to re-take the lead from Corey Gorgas and won the boys 5,000 meters title with 14:40.01. 

Cheeseman controlled the second half of the race, but when Gorgas chased him down and passed him with 400 meters to go it seemed like he was beaten. However, Gorgas began to falter just a bit and took a step inside the rail on the backstretch inside the final 200. Gorgas fought to hold on but Cheeseman went by in the final 40 meters to win the race by less than half a second. 

Cheeseman of Fort Worth Christian is a member of the U.S. junior cross country team that will compete in Denmark later this month at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. 

In the girls race, Noelle Adriaens from Pinckney MI, a member of the U.S .junior team that competed at the NACAC Cross Country Championships, ran a big personal best of 17:11.47 to win the girls 5K. Her previous 5,000-meter best, from cross country, was 18:06. She placed ninth in the Michigan state meet in cross country lasr fall.