Boys Virtual Preview - Girls Virtual Preview
Last year the Oakdale boys finished second at both the indoor and outdoor 3A state championships, and with a strong returning core they will have their eyes set on capturing a state title or two. That core is led by senior Evan Kowalk who has some of the best range out of anyone in the state. From the 300 (37.24) to the 1600 (4:34.67) Kowalk is at or near the top of Frederick County returning leaderboards in all events. Percy Agyei-Obese (first in the 55 and 300) and Patrick Starrs (second in 300 and third in 500) give them a strong group of sprinters that could dominate the relays as well as open events. They also have the field events covered with the top returnees in the county in the long jump (Todd Case, Jr.), triple jump (George Stultz) and pole vault (Stultz).
Frederick's Jaida Smith broke out as a sophomore in 2015-16, clocking the fastest 55 meter dash in the entire state at 7.04. She picked up another state championship in the spring in the 100, solidifying her status as the top short sprinter in Maryland. She will enter the 2016-17 indoor season looking for another state title and possibly a trip to New Balance Indoor Nationals.
Catoctin's Julien Webster finished second in both the 1600 and 3200 at last year's Frederick County indoor championships, but established herself as the top distance runner in the county this fall, qualifying for Saturday's Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. She's the top returner in the county for both the 1600 and 3200, although capturing a state title will be much more difficult as she would need to take down Patuxent's Hayley Jackson and Hereford's Kelly Wesolowski in the uber-competitive 2A classification this season.
Linganore will feature two of the top returning distance runners in the county in Micah Hewitson and Michael Belmaggio who finished 1-2 at the Frederick County Cross Country championships in October. Hewitson leads the county returnees in both the 1600 and 3200 and will be battling with Ryan Lockett, Andrew Lent, Rahul Reddy and others for the distance titles this indoor season in the 3A classification. Belmaggio, only a sophomore, is not far behind Hewitson and could form one of the top duos that the county has seen in some time.
The Urbana girls came within two points of winning the 3A indoor state championships last winter, and then came back to win it all in the spring. Like Oakdale they feature a very good all-around team, led by senior Delia Sipe who captured her first two state championships last spring in the shot put and discus. She finished sixth last year in the Emerging Elite division of the shot put at New Balance Indoor Nationals and should be one of the top throwers in the state this winter. The Urbana girls are particularly loaded in the 500 in which they feature the top three returners (Shaye Morrell, Abby Grabowski and Susannah Auderset) in Frederick County. With potential scorers in every event the Urbana girls will be hunting for another 3A title this winter.
Important Meet Dates
December 9th - Terry Baker Invitational
December 23rd - Dwight Scott Invitational
December 29th - Mountain Express Holiday Invitational
January 6th - Smithsburg Invitational
January 13th - Warrior Knight Invitational
January 21st - Frederick County Championships
Boys Top Returnees By Event
| TRACK | TIME (W) | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55m | 6.73 | 2017 | ||
| 300m | 36.29 | 2017 | ||
| 500m | 1:08.50 | 2017 | ||
| 800m | 2:01.74 | 2017 | ||
| 1600m | 4:29.24 | 2017 | ||
| 3200m | 9:40.60 | 2017 | ||
| 55mH | 8.28 | 2017 | ||
| FIELD | TIME (W) | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
| Triple Jump | 40-8 | 2018 | ||
| High Jump | 6-3 | 2018 | ||
| Long Jump | 19-8 | 2017 | ||
| Pole Vault | 13-4 | 2018 | ||
| Shot Put | 44-10.75 | 2017 |