We compiled some of our favorite moments from Maryland's 2021 indoor track and field season, all of which came from the VA Showcase. We showcased three special moments that happened at the meet, and all three races ranked nationally.
Video: Jason Byrne
Centennial's Antonio Camacho-Bucks had a breakthrough performance at the 2021 VA Showcase. As a sophomore, Camacho-Bucks ran a US #2 of 4:14.50, as demonstrated above. To add, during his last indoor track season, he ranked first in the state for at least three events, all of which happened to rank in the top 10 nationally: 1500m (3:59.32, US #2); 1600m (4:12.96, US #6); mile (4:14.50, US #8). Now, a junior, Camacho-Bucks has continued his dominating streak after multiple first-place wins during the 2021 cross country season, including his first-place finish at the MPSSAA State Championships where he not only won his section (3A Boys), but also had the fastest time of the day (3 Mile: 15:51.38).
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(Boys' 1600 SMR at the 2021 VA Showcase)
Video: Jason Byrne
The DeMatha Catholic boys ran a US #1 in the Sprint Medley Relay Invitational at the 2021 VA Showcase, and with an outstanding lead. The squad ran a time of 3:34.54, becoming one of three teams to break the 3:40 barrier during the 2021 season. The relay team, in order, consisted of four athletes: Malcolm Beckford, James Long, Sage Phillips, and Dawson Grogan. All four athletes are returners for the 2022 indoor season.
Beckford quickly got the team a first-place standing as the first leg. However, during the transition, they lost some of that ground. Next, Long, a freshman at the time, kept pace with their opponents (New Image Training Group) throughout his leg. Then, Phillips took over with an incredible kick as soon as he was handed the baton. He continued covering more and more ground, while their opponents (F.I.A. Lions) followed right beside them. Their last leg was Grogan, completely dominating the field. Grogan gave himself a huge lead, and the competition wasn't close. The team finished with a lead of over 10 seconds.
These four athletes are expected to dominate Maryland's indoor track season, and they've already started taking over the rankings. Grogan recently ran a US #2 in the 1000m event. Phillips and Long both have incredible performances in the 500m event, ranking first and second in the state, respectively. To add, the DeMatha Catholic team boasts a current US #4 4x800m relay performance of 8:26.94.
(Hear from the winning SMR team about their race strategy)
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Video: Jason Byrne
(Hear from Whittaker about her record-breaking race)
We compiled some of our favorite moments from Maryland's 2021 indoor track and field season, all of which came from the VA Showcase. We showcased three special moments that happened at the meet, and all three races ranked nationally.
Video: Jason Byrne
Centennial's Antonio Camacho-Bucks had a breakthrough performance at the 2021 VA Showcase. As a sophomore, Camacho-Bucks ran a US #2 of 4:14.50, as demonstrated above. To add, during his last indoor track season, he ranked first in the state for at least three events, all of which happened to rank in the top 10 nationally: 1500m (3:59.32, US #2); 1600m (4:12.96, US #6); mile (4:14.50, US #8). Now, a junior, Camacho-Bucks has continued his dominating streak after multiple first-place wins during the 2021 cross country season, including his first-place finish at the MPSSAA State Championships where he not only won his section (3A Boys), but also had the fastest time of the day (3 Mile: 15:51.38).
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