BOYS PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
Frankie Wright
Mervo, junior
His athleticism helped the Mustangs win the city and region titles before coming in third in the Class 4A state meet. Wright won the long jump (22 feet, 11 1/2 inches) and triple jump (46-7 1/2 ) before running the first leg on Mervo's victorious 400- and 800-meter relays. The 800 group broke a 19-year-old record with a time of 1 minute, 26.9 seconds. Wright showed his great versatility all year long: At the city championships, he won the triple jump (44-8 3/4 ), long jump (22-0)and helped on the relays as the Mustangs racked up 226 points en route to another title. He'll help Mervo be one of the state's best again next year. "He was just great this year," Mervo coach Freddie Hendricks said. "He did it all."
BOYS COACH OF THE YEAR
Freddie Hendricks
Mervo
The Mustangs won the city and region before taking third in the state at Class 4A for Hendricks, who faced some real obstacles with this team. Renovations left the team with no locker room or gym and robbed them of many places to practice. Some field-event participants never got to practice until the meets. And the Mustangs still have no track. "We faced a lot of obstacles this year," Hendricks said. But Hendricks, now in his 30th year, just keeps the wins coming. Mervo has won the city title 11 of 12 years and the Mustangs are a true force at the regionals and states every year.
BOYS TEAM
Tommy Breaux
Randallstown, junior
Breaux proved that he's one of the area's top triple jumpers with some big victories this season, capped by an impressive win at the state meet last weekend. His jump of 45 feet, 9 3/4 inches gave the Rams 10 of their 38 points (they finished fourth overall). He was second in the Baltimore County meet - behind state champion Broderick Maybank of Eastern Tech - with a leap of 45-7 3/4 . Next year should be even better for the lanky triple jumper.
Ryan Cartwright
Eastern Tech, senior
Cartwright combined with teammate Broderick Maybank to help the Mavericks finish third in the Class 2A state championships last week. The senior clocked a personal best of 9 minutes, 47.88 seconds to win the 3,200 - using a blazing final lap of just 61 seconds to set the mark and help the Mavericks lead with 20 points after the first day of competition. He then came back to win the 1,600 (4:29.17) the following day.
Billy Duffy
Dulaney, senior
Duffy closed out his high school career with a great performance at last week's state meet. He finished second in the 1,600, having little chance to win as River Hill's Shane Stroup broke a 28-year old, all-class record (4 minutes, 7.11 seconds). But Duffy's time of 4:22.43 was just fine. Duffy, who is headed to Bucknell next year, also won the 800 and 1,600 at the Baltimore County championships as the Lions finished second to Woodlawn.
Glenwood Edwards
Lansdowne, junior
He came up big for the Vikings in the postseason. Edwards started by winning the shot put (55 feet, 6 inches) and the discus (149-9) at the county meet. He then won both at the region meet before taking second in each event at the Class 2A states last weekend. Edwards will be looking to win both at the states next year.
Adam Grossman
Pikesville, senior
The best sprinter in school history, Grossman concluded his career by helping the Panthers to a second-place finish in the Class 2A state meet. He won the 100 (11.03 seconds)and 200 (22.44) while also running on the victorious 400 relay team. The UMBC-bound Grossman won five individual state titles at Pikesville and set a state record while winning the 55 meters during the indoor season.
Drew Hackett
Mervo, senior
Despite competing with a broken wrist, Hackett still fared well at the state meet last weekend. He ran on the winning 3,200 relay and took second in the triple jump. The cast on his arm held Hackett out of the high jump. He won the high jump and ran on the first-place 3,200 relay at the regions and took second in the triple jump and 300 hurdles. At the city meet before that, Hackett ran on two winning relays, captured the high jump and was second in the triple jump.
Kelley Jackson
Mervo, senior
Jackson was another cog in Mervo's big machine, giving the Mustangs solid efforts every meet in the shot put and discus. He closed out the year in style, winning the Class 4A shot put with a throw of 57 feet, 1 inch. That toss beat his mark of 54-5 1/4 that won the city title. In the discus, Jackson threw his personal best at the city meet, winning in 144-9.
Rob Ludwig
Mount St. Joseph, senior
Ludwig went undefeated this spring and remained one of the area's top vaulters. Headed for Mount St. Mary's, Ludwig's vault of 14 feet, 2 inches set a Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association meet and conference record as well as a school mark. His vault of 13-6 last winter was the area's best, and he was an All-Metro selection in the indoor season as well.
Broderick Maybank
Eastern Tech, senior
Maybank just keeps getting better and better. He won Class 2A state championships in both the long and triple jumps. He set a personal best in the long jump with a leap of 22 feet, 10 1/4 inches - right after fouls on his first two jumps. Maybank then returned the next day to win the triple jump (46-3 1/2 ) for the second straight year as Eastern Tech took third place overall.
Mark McKenzie
Woodlawn, senior
McKenzie has been one of the area's top hurdlers - a former All-Metro pick - and showed that form for the Warriors once more this spring. He captured both the 110 hurdles (14.5 seconds) and the 300 hurdles (39.6) at the Baltimore County title meet to help Woodlawn win the boys team championship over Dulaney.
Josh Perry
McDonogh, senior
Perry is going to Princeton following a strong senior year. He was unbeaten in the 800 outdoors, capping it by winning the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (1 minute, 55.9 seconds) to set a meet record. Perry took second in the 400 (50.97) behind teammate Shomari Taylor and anchored the winning 3,200 relay as well as the runner-up 1,600 relay. He set a personal record of 1:53.9 while winning the Draper Invitational in Alexandria, Va., earlier.
Charles Sarbib-Brown
Gilman, senior
Sarbib-Brown was one of the big reasons that the Greyhounds won the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association championship meet, edging out talented Mount St. Joseph. He won the 110 hurdles (15.54 seconds) and the long jump (20 feet, 10 inches) and finished second in the triple jump (40-10) as Gilman jumped out to a big early lead and hung on for the title.
Shomari Taylor
McDonogh, senior
Taylor is one of the area's best athletes and gave McDonogh a bunch of points this spring. He went undefeated in the 300 hurdles - setting a personal record of 38.2 seconds in the McDonogh Invitational. Going to Yale next year, Taylor also took first in the hurdles at the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association championship meet (38.91), won the 400 meters (50.66), was second in the long jump and fourth in the 110 hurdles. He also set school records while running on the 1,600- and 3,200-meter relay teams at the Penn Relays.
Stann Waithe
Loch Raven, junior
A top sprinter who followed a great indoor season - he was an All-Metro pick there - with a strong outdoor campaign. His win in the Class 1A state 400 (48.50 seconds) and second-place finish in the 200 (22.08) helped the Raiders take second behind champion Oakland Mills. Waithe also won the 200 and 400 in the Baltimore County meet and, with Pikesville's Adam Grossman gone, he'll be the county's top returning sprinter next year.
Mike Watson
Randallstown, senior
Watson closed his Randallstown career with a number of great performances. At the Baltimore County meet, he took second in the 100 and 400 and third in the 200. At last weekend's Class 3A state meet, he finished second in the 400, third in the 200 and third in the long jump as the Rams took fourth overall. Randallstown will miss this multi-talented athlete.
Ambrose Wooden
Gilman, junior
Wooden is a multi-talented athlete who helped the Greyhounds pull off a mild surprise and win at the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association championship meet. He captured the 100 (11.45 seconds) and 200(23.05) but saved his best for last. Wooden ran the anchor leg on the 400 relay, passed two runners and gave the Greyhounds the win in that race - and eventually the overall victory over defending champion Mount St. Joseph.
Chris Wright
Mount St. Joseph, senior
One of the area's top distance runners, Wright helped the Gaels go undefeated in the regular season. He topped off his season with a great performance at the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association title meet, clocking 9 minutes, 44.40 seconds to blow away the field. He's previously been named All-City/County Performer of the Year and was a three-time All-City/County Cross Country Runner of the Year.
Ronald Wright
Mervo, junior
He was part of yet another strong group of sprinters that carried the Mustangs to city and region titles. Wright swept the 100 and 200 at the city meet and then did the same thing a week later at the regions before taking fourth in both at the state meet. He also ran in the record-setting 800-meter relay for Mervo and the victorious 400 relay.
GIRLS PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
Latosha Wallace
Western, junior
Wallace had a spectacular day last weekend as the Doves won their first state title. She won the Class 4A 400 meters (55.17 seconds), ran leadoff on Western's winning 1,600- and 3,200-meter relays and took third in the long jump. In other words, she had a hand in 36 of her team's 93 points. Wallace also took home four gold medals at the regionals (two relays plus the 400 and the long jump). She won three at the city meet (400, long jump,1,600 relay) in addition to a silver (200). Total count for the postseason: 12 medals. "That's a lot of medals in three weeks," said Western coach Jerry Molyneaux with a laugh.
GIRLS COACH OF THE YEAR
Jerry Molyneaux
Western
The Doves have been a force in this area ever since Molyneaux took over the program in 1988. His teams always have a solid mix in both running and field events, and he squeezes every point out of every place. This year might have been the most satisfying as Western won its first state title, edging Largo by five points. The Doves got a break as Eleanor Roosevelt sprinter Tiandra Ponteen, one of the state's best, was disqualified from the meet but Molyneaux said he would have loved to have seen her. The Doves have won13 straight city titles, but this spring's team might have been his best. "Nobody made any errors all year long," he said.
GIRLS TEAM
Novia Brown
Milford Mill, junior
The All-Metro Performer of the Year during indoor track, Brown had a stellar outdoor season capped by big efforts in the postseason. She won the Class 3A state 400 meters in 55.46 seconds - the second-best time in any class - and took second in the Class 3A state 200. Brown also had two individual state titles during the indoor season and ran on the victorious 1,600 relay as the Millers won the Class 3A-2A title last winter.
Ashley Campbell
Bryn Mawr, junior
Her performance at the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland title meet helped the Mawrtians win for the second straight year. Campbell took it to the limit by running in four events as Bryn Mawr had just 10 athletes on hand. She won the 1,600, took second in the 3,200, fifth in the 800 and helped the Mawrtiams to second in the 3,200 relay. She helped score 28 of Bryn Mawr's 124 points.
Asha Cooke
Owings Mills, junior
Cooke firmly established herself as one of the area's elite in both shot put and discus. She won both events in the Baltimore County championship meet for the second straight year and then did it again a week later at the region meet. Cooke then finished third in the state meet in the shot put (35-6 1/4 ) and took seventh in the discus. She holds the school record in both events.
Laura Drossner
Bryn Mawr, sophomore
Drossner duplicated teammate Ashley Campbell's feat, going in four events (no athlete can complete in more) to help the Mawrtians defend their Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland title. The sophomore won the 3,200, took second in the 1,600, third in the 800 and joined in the second-place 3,200 relay. She had a hand in 32 of the team's points to fend off second-place Mount de Sales by five points.
Mariama Gondo
Western, senior
A versatile runner, Gondo was part of a solid group of sprinters that led the Doves to their first state title. She took second in both 100 and 200 at the state meet and then ran a spectacular final leg that helped Western rally for victory in the 1,600 relay and lock up the state crown.
Ruth Hedrick
Franklin, junior
The hurdler emerged as one of Baltimore County's best this year. She won the 100 hurdles at the county championship meet and took third in the 300 hurdles as Franklin finished third overall. Hedrick also finished in the top three at the regionals for the Indians.
Melanie Morrow
Franklin, senior
Morrow had a strong season that was capped by her second-place finish in the Class 3A triple jump. Her leap of 36 feet, 2 3/4 inches was one of the best overall at the meet in any class. She also had taken second in the long jump at the Baltimore County meet and won the triple jump.
Christine Myers
Dulaney, senior
Headed for Penn in the fall, Myers will be missed at Dulaney. A consistent performer who combined with Tenke Zoltani to give the Lions a solid 1-2 punch in the distance events, she finished in the top three four times in individual races in the Baltimore County and region meets before helping the Lions' 3,200 relay team take second at the states. An All-Metro pick during the indoor season, Myers also finished fourth in the open 3,200 and sixth in the 800 at the states.
Brandi Preston
McDonogh, senior
A pulled hamstring ended her season early, but Preston still did plenty. The Temple-bound Preston won the 400 at the McDonogh Invitational (1:00.2), where she also finished second in the long jump. Preston also ran some spectacular legs on relays at the Meade Stampede before doing the same thing on the 400-relay at the Invitational, where she suffered the season-ending injury.
Kate Smalkin
McDonogh, junior
A versatile performer who helped the Eagles in the pole vault and the hurdles, she set meet records in winning the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland championship (9 feet, 0 inches) and McDonogh Invitational(9-3). Her personal best is 9-6. She also took third at the IAAM meet in the 300 hurdles, running well despite windy conditions.
Lena Tillett
McDonogh, freshman
Tillett already is one of the area's best sprinters - and she's only a freshman. She swept the 100 (13.26 seconds) and 200 (27.02) at the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland meet and took second in the 400, narrowly missing what would have been a great hat trick. She also ran a leg on the second-place 400 relay team. Tillett also took the 100 (12.6) and 200 (26.5) at the tough McDonogh Invitational.
Dominique Washington
Milford Mill, junior
Washington did a little bit of everything for the Millers. She finished second in the long jump at the Class 3A state meet. In addition, she took second in the 300 hurdles. Washington also pulled off the tough feat of winning the long jump (17-1 1/2 ), high jump(5-2) and 300 hurdles (46.9 seconds) at the county meet as Milford Mill took second to Dulaney.
Ashley West-Nesbitt
Western, junior
Another member of the Doves' fast group of sprinters, West-Nesbitt finished third in the 100 hurdles at the state meet and helped with relays during the season. She also won the 100 hurdles at the city championships and took second in both the 100 dash and 300 hurdles. West-Nesbitt should be one of the area's top hurdlers next year as the Doves try to repeat.
Alicia Williams
Western, junior
She did one of the most important things for Western at the state meet, something that will never show up in the statistics but that saved the title for the Doves. Williams got her shoe partially knocked off during the second leg of the 1,600 relay but calmly got it back on and kept going to help Western get its first state title. Williams also took second in the 800 at the state - as she had in the city meet that Western won for the 13th straight time.
Tenke Zoltani
Dulaney, senior
She's been one of the area's best distance runners throughout her career at Dulaney and will move on to Columbia University in the fall. Zoltani won the Class 3A state 3,200 (11 minutes, 18.5 seconds) at in leading the Lions to a fourth-place finish. Her strong effort at the county meet, which included wins in the 1,600 and 3,200, paced Dulaney to another easy title. Zoltani was City/County Performer of the Year indoors.
Team selection
The Sun's 2002 All-Baltimore City/County track and field teams were selected by Jeff Seidel after consultation with The Sun staff and area coaches.