June 01, 2003|By Rick Belz
BOYS PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
Tony Cole
Oakland Mills, junior
Cole staked his claim as the fastest public high school runner in the state when he clocked 10.85 seconds in the 100-meter dash for his second straight Class 1A state championship. No runner in the other three classifications dipped below 11 seconds. Cole, who also ran a leg of the Scorpions' winning 400 relay squad (43.96), was second to All-Baltimore City/County Performer of the Year Stann Waithe of Loch Raven in the 200 (22.11) and ran a leg of the fourth-place 800 relay team.
He accounted for 32 of No. 10 Oakland Mills' 51 points - good enough for fifth place at the state meet. Cole set a personal record in the 100 (10.61) to win the event at the Class 1A South region championships. Cole picked up three more first-place finishes in the 200 and 400 and 800 relays. At the county championships, Cole set a personal record of 21.7 seconds in the semifinals of the 200. He went on to collect four gold medals in the 100 and 200 and 400 and 800 relays.
BOYS COACH OF THE YEAR@SUBHEDJames LeMon@SUBHEDMount Hebron
Fresh off their first county indoor track and field championship, the Vikings pursued another first: a county outdoor track crown. To accomplish that, LeMon recruited four players from the county title-winning basketball team to add numbers to his jumping corps. He also developed a cadre of sprinters, dispelling the notion that Mount Hebron only produced distance runners.
The strategy worked as the Vikings upended defending champion Oakland Mills by 62 points to grab their first county crown. A stiffer challenge came in the form of the Class 3A East region championships, but No. 9 Mount Hebron disposed of a nine-team field. The Vikings ended their season by placing seventh at the state meet.
BOYS TEAM@SUBHEDJerry Calixte@SUBHEDMount Hebron, senior
A guard on the Vikings basketball team, Calixte converted his court speed to the track. He was third in the 200 and fourth in the 400 at the county championships. Calixte also ran legs of the team's winning 1,600 relay (3 minutes, 28.14 seconds) and runner-up 800 relay. He found gold running on Mount Hebron's 3,200 relay squad, which finished first at the region meet (8:30.1) and the state championships (8:03.67). Calixte is considering continuing his track career at Frostburg or UMES.
Antoine Eleam
Oakland Mills, senior
Coming back from a hairline fracture in his left foot, Eleam was second in the 300 intermediate hurdles (a personal-best 40.98 seconds) and third in the 110 high hurdles at the county championships. He was first in both events at the region meet. Eleam, who may try out for Morgan State as a walk-on, ran a leg of the team's state champion 400-relay squad.
Damon Gasque
Mount Hebron, senior
Although his bid to add an outdoor state crown in the high jump to the one he captured during the indoor campaign fell short, Gasque wrapped up his high school career as a repeat county champ in the high jump. His mark of 6 feet, 4 inches at the county championships was a personal best. Gasque, who also placed fourth in the 110 high hurdles at the county meet, was second in the high jump at the region championships. Gasque may try out at Temple.
Drew Graybeal
Glenelg, junior
A strained hamstring may have kept Graybeal from his best times, but it didn't bar him from competing. Graybeal, who injured his leg in the Gladiators' 1,600 relay at the Class 2A West region championships, gritted through a sixth-place finish in the 800 - his only race at the state meet. Graybeal swept 400 and 800 at the county and region levels. His winning time of 49.96 seconds in the 400 at the county championships is a school record.
Seth Kampf
Mount Hebron, senior
Training with Matt Sanders produced obvious results for Kampf. The two distance runners motivated each other and frequently conducted practice runs together. Kampf finished second in the 3,200 (9 minutes, 58.5 seconds) and fifth in the 1,600 at the county championships. He collected bronze medals in both events at the region meet before turning in a ninth-place showing in the 3,200 at the state championships.
Sean Martin
Mount Hebron, junior
Academic ineligibility last spring prevented Martin from improving on his second-place effort in the triple jump at the county championships as a freshman. He had no such trouble this season as Martin leaped 43 feet, 7.5 inches to win his first county title. Martin finished second in the triple jump (43-00) at the region championships. He ended his year by placing fifth in the triple jump (43-01.25) at the state meet.
Jason Mead
Oakland Mills, senior
Mead secured a county outdoor crown in the pole vault to accompany the indoor version he claimed last winter. Mead cleared 11 feet, 6 inches at the county championships. He collected another gold medal at the region meet with a mark of 10-06. Mead's bid for his first state title ended when he cleared 11-06 - six inches short of the 12-00 mark registered by Havre de Grace junior Kevin Walsh.
Dan Sagmiller
