Hurdles

College Park -- As Maryland junior Dominic Berger's feet touched the ground after the final hurdle last month at the Atlantic Coast Conference track and field championships, the school's most accomplished track athlete and one of the world's fastest hurdlers was waiting for him, eager to present Berger with the gold medal. It was only fitting that former Terp Renaldo Nehemiah was there to congratulate Berger for his league title in the 110-meter hurdles, which he won in 13.54 seconds. Nehemiah, the first man to run the 110-meter hurdles in under 13 seconds, is the only athlete in school history who has run the event faster than Berger, yet those within the program are hesitant to compare the two. "What we've tried to do is create his own identity," coach Andrew Valmon said.

Boys Top PerformerJoel Brown, Woodlawn, senior: The Baltimore County champ in the hurdles (7.4 seconds vs. his best of 7.3), he consistently was a high point scorer in the 55-meter hurdles, the 300 and as a leg on Woodlawn's excellent 1,600 relay team (3 minutes, 36.6 seconds). He won the hurdles at the Pangaea Invitational and was second in the National Guard meet. Woodlawn, defending Class 3A-4A state champions, lost out by 1 3/4 points on the last event this season. But Brown did more than his part, winning the hurdles (7.4)

TOKYO -- Once again, the future of Japan's second-largest car maker, Nissan Motor Co., is uncertain.The announcement yesterday by DaimlerChrysler AG that it was walking away from negotiations about acquiring a controlling stake in Nissan and in its equally troubled truck-making affiliate, Nissan Diesel, ended one topic of speculation and debate only to renew another: What will happen to Nissan? With known debts of more than $20 billion, declining sales in two of its three main markets, a cost structure that is high even by Japanese standards and uncertain plans for fixing its problems, the outlook is grim.

River Hill's boys and Long Reach's girls won indoor county titles last season, and are favored to repeat this season.The Hawks, who won the county boys title by 25 points over Oakland Mills, again will be led by their strong distance contingent. And the Lightning, winners of two straight county championships, has the edge when it comes to sprints and hurdles.A look at each county team:AtholtonDistance runners Matt Barresi (junior) and Steve Miller (senior) will lead the boys, coached by Chad Boothe.

Girls Performer of the YearTenke Zoltani, Dulaney, freshman: For the second straight season (indoors and outdoors), Zoltani earns outstanding performer honors. This spring's honor results from her record-setting season in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. She set meet records in her first five races at invitational events and easily swept the Baltimore County and Class 4A North region titles while lowering her personal best times to 5 minutes, 10.3 seconds and 11: 15.2, respectively, usually without challengingcompetition.

Girls Performer of the YearTeyarnte Carter, Long Reach, junior: She was the only girl to break 56 seconds and ran the fastest 400 meters (55.92 seconds) in any classification at the state championships. This exceptional sprinter added a gold medal in the Class 2A 200 (24.74) to give her eight individual state gold medals in three years.She missed winning the 100 for the first time. But she lowered all of her state times from a year ago. She anchored the Lightning's third-place 1,600 relay at states.

PHILADELPHIA -- James Carter, a native Baltimorean now running for Hampton (Va.) University, won the Penn Relays 400-meter hurdles in 50.23 yesterday morning at Franklin Field.Carter essentially blew away the field; the second-place finisher's time was 51.04.Not bad considering the former Mervo standout was up half the night nervously waiting."I had to adjust to going to sleep early and getting up early," said Carter, who ranked this with the Texas Relays as his biggest victories. "Then I kept waking up periodically."

Mike Sye was standing on the wet track at Hereford High explaining how his top-ranked Woodlawn boys team destroyed the rest of the field in yesterday's Baltimore County Championships when the public address announcer gave him some unexpected news."

In a couple ways, the annual Pangaea International Track and Field Meet last night took on the look of a family affair.That, despite the presence of hundreds of athletes from 42 high schools all over the state and more than a dozen from Kazan, Russia.First, there was Glenelg's Lori Tvarkunas, who captured the girls' pole vault at 9 feet, 3 inches in a jump-off with Leonardtown's Marsh Day. Vaulting runs in her family, it seems.Then, watching Joel Brown skim over the hurdles, which he did impressively while winning the 55-meter highs in 7.5 seconds, and you had to think of his school, Woodlawn -- and its track family.

Performer of the YearChris Smith, Long Reach: This repeat All-County performer won state titles in the long and triple jumps for the second straight season. Only this time, he broke a 17-year-old state record in the long jump by flying 24 feet, 4 inches. He recorded an excellent 46-8 3/4 in the state Class 2A triple jump. He also finished third in the state 100 (11.27), the fastest time by a county runner in any classification. At the county meet he set a meet record in the long jump (22-8 1/4 )

Top-ranked McDonogh turned the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland's championship meet into a display of how much talent and depth the team has - and it became quite a show. The Eagles dominated in every way possible to repeat as team champion. McDonogh's girls finished with 238 points on Saturday at Calvert Hall, beating runner-up Seton Keough (64) by an astonishing 174 points. The second- through seventh-place teams would have to combine their scores to match what the Eagles did by themselves.

Just a year ago, Mount Hebron's Josh "Jay" Bair couldn't so much as qualify for the finals of his best event, the triple-jump, at the Howard County championships. With his other event, the 300 hurdles, taking place just before his first jump, he was simply too spent to be effective. What a difference a year of intensive training has made. At this year's Howard County meet, the senior scored victories in both, also running the leadoff leg on his team's third-place 4 x 100 relay, to help lead the Vikings to a lopsided team victory.

Graham Bazell Atholton Bazell spent much of the winter training to stay in shape after a stress fracture of his ankle sidelined the junior. But Bazell came back strong this spring, looking as good as ever in the 3,200, which he won in the Class 3A division of the state meet. He took an early lead in that race and Bazell held on against rival Joey Thompson of Howard to capture the race in 9 minutes, 18.69 seconds. It avenged a loss to Thompson in the Howard County title meet. Pat Boyle Calvert Hall The senior was one of the state's top performers in the shot put during the winter, and it was more of the same in the spring.

Form was never Steve Delice's ally when he sailed through the 400-meter hurdles, so it was no wonder Coppin State track coach Carl Hicks looked askance at his potential recruit three years ago in Brooklyn, N.Y. "When I first saw him, he wasn't running a good time," Hicks said. "And his hurdling technique wasn't very good." What Hicks saw in Delice, however, were two qualities that have served the program well at Coppin -- tenacity and passion. It was enough for Hicks to invest the cost of tuition in Delice.

The boys of top-ranked Meade and No. 4 Western Tech removed much of the suspense from yesterday's state track and field championships at Morgan State. Meade easily won the Class 3A state title after taking the Class 4A crown last year. Western Tech had pointed toward a Class 1A state championship all year and got it with little trouble. Justin Murdock, Dahmar Smiles, Matthew Brinkley and Anya Uzoh all played big roles in helping Meade (103 points) easily beat Westlake (66). Murdock won the 400 (47.51 seconds)

The McDonogh girls suffered a tough loss in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland indoor track championship meet three months ago. Amanda Kimbers broke her foot in a freak accident the night before, which opened the door for Seton Keough to edge the Eagles and take the title. But Kimbers felt just fine at yesterday's IAAM outdoor title meet at Calvert Hall. She played a big role in helping No. 1 McDonogh crush the rest of the field en route to a fifth consecutive championship.

Freshman Anna Demaree won three races and ran on a victorious relay team as River Hill routed the girls' field in the Howard County championships that concluded yesterday at Long Reach. Demaree won the 800 (2:23.39), 1,600 (5:12.58) and the 3,200 (11:36.72) and ran on the winning 3,200-meter relay team (9:54.82). She beat out teammate Katie Harman (cross country state champion) three times. Harman took second in both the 1,600 and 3,200, was third in the 800 and ran on the same relay team.

Girls Torrie Saunders Annapolis, track and field Saunders, a four-year varsity performer, captured four gold medals at North County's Knights Invite on Friday and was chosen Athlete of the Meet. The senior set a meet record in the 300 hurdles (46 seconds), won the 100 hurdles and triple jump and was part of the winning 400 relay team, which also set a meet record. Saunders is coming off a fine indoor season in which she earned first-team All-Metro honors. She placed second in the 55 hurdles at the Class 3A state meet and finished fifth in the 300. Still undecided on a college, Saunders has George Mason, Long Island and Bowie State as her top choices.

Boys track Performer of the Year Mark Cover Eastern Tech The senior was dominant throughout the season in the 55-meter hurdles in the county and beyond. Cover ended the season by sweeping the county, Class 2A Central regional and state titles in the hurdles. Overall, he lost only two races all season in the hurdles and helped the Mavericks pile up points by running in the open 300 and taking part in the 800 relay. He's headed to Shippensburg next year. Coach of the Year Shedrick Elliott Western Elliott continues to build Western into a strong program.

BOSTON -- Joel Brown (Woodlawn) finished second behind fellow U.S. Olympic hopeful Antwon Hicks in the 60-meter high hurdles at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games at the Reggie Lewis Center last night. In a race not decided until the final stride, Hicks simply outleaned Brown over the finish line, crossing in 7.59 seconds to Brown's 7.61, with Aries Merritt (7.65) and Charles Allen (7.70) right on their heels. Brown will be 28 on Thursday. He has moved his training base from Columbus, Ohio (where he had been an assistant track coach at his alma mater, Ohio State)