EEtc Field Notes: USATf Championships day Two
Conditions were once again bright and warm for the second day of competition at Hayward, with spirits at EETC buoyant after a strong showing on the first day. For an unsponsored team funded only by the generosity of donors and a few key partners, it’s worth reflecting that having six athletes qualify for the Championships is a feat not to take lightly. It’s a number that is on par with comparatively larger groups with formal funding, even exceeding some.
Few wear the EE brand on their sleeve - or rather, chest - quite like Luciano, who was our sole name on the start-list for day two’s 800m semi-finals. Since joining the team out of college, his best has been steadily lowered from 1:49 to yesterday’s 1:46.62, testament to the energy and effort he brings day-to-day in training.
He’d line up in Semi-final two alongside Olympian Isaiah Jewett and a number of names from yesterday’s heat. Before stepping out onto the track, the eight men watched as the first heat went out in a blistering 50.something before cooling slightly as Bryce Hoppel and Clayton Murphy took the first two spots around 1:45. The track was starting to hot up and the crowd were simmering nicely after the men’s and women’s bouts of 100m semi-finals.
Off the line nicely, Luc navigated himself clear of danger and into mid pack to down the back-stretch following the break. With a much more controlled pace than heat one, it was nearly three men wide as they approached the bell in 52 seconds. With the constant cycling of athletes pressing into the outside, Luc found the rail on the turn, calmly extracting himself as the moment called to maintain contact on the leaders’ shoulders.
200 left. 4th and moving. Top 3 to qualify.
Luc held the turn well and looked to pass Will Sumner into the home stretch. As the straight opened up, athletes swung into the outer lanes and hit the gas with our man holding strong, but the last 50m just got the better of him as the legs started to fade. It was a 6th place finish, across the line in 1:47.81 (a DQ ahead meant his 7th place finish was upgraded).
12th place overall in the national championships for an athlete who never qualified for an NCAA National Meet is, as an old British saying goes,”better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick”.
This meet shows signs that something is brewing in Dobbs Ferry for Luciano and the season’s certainly not over for him…
Paint it Black.
-EETC