03-09-2009, 12:51 PM
Two local state champions battle to the wire indoors; Cross Country
Advance Newspapers, March 02, 2009 7:41 p.m.
TWO LOCAL STATE CHAMPIONS BATTLE TO THE WIRE INDOORS: West Catholic senior Tony Schafer and Kenowa Hills junior Reed Kamyszek claimed cross country state titles in Division 2 and Division 2 respectively last fall, and now that the two have joined forces even bigger things may be in store.
The two state winners have spent time together training this winter and put on a show at Saturday's MITS indoor track state meet. First, Kamyszek and Schafer teamed with Kent City's Alex Wilson and Calvin Christian's Edwin Wainaina to take second place in the 3200-meter run as the "Cold Machine" club team.
Then the two cross country champions and Wilson moved on to the 3200-meter run. All three stayed in the lead pack for much of the race, and a few laps into the race Kamyszek passed leader Tec Adams (the Division 4 cross country champ last fall) and took the lead. Adams and Kamyszek traded the lead for a few laps before the Kenowa runner surged ahead and made his bid for the win. Adams fell back, but Kamyszek's training partner was closing in. Schafer caught Kamyszek with less than a lap to go and went on to win in a personal best time of 9:22.29 with Kamyszek right behind 9:23.61. Wilson wound up in 11th place in 9:42.72.
"We train together about three times a week," said Schafer. "Greg Meyer (Grand Rapids native and former world-class marathoner) trains us and we work out quite a bit."
Kamyszek said that training on Grand Valley State's new 300-meter indoor track has been good for his workouts, but the adjustment to the smaller 200-meter track at CMU was difficult.
"This was a pretty different track compared to that nice 300-meter track," he noted. "It has tighter corners here. I actually took the twice. I passed Tec after about five laps and then he held on and eventually regained the lead. I took it a second time and eventually ended up breaking him and that was a relief for us."
Schafer said he "should have" started a bit faster and stayed close to Kamyszek during the early stayed of the race, but he had a hard time moving up through the pack.
"I kind of got boxed in for a while," said Schafer. "I finally caught up to Tec Adams and Reed in the last two or three laps. I thought Reed was going to take it because I was tired from catching up. I just caught up and we brought it in together."
Many other local athletes competed at the meet as well. Sparta senior Brandon VanDriel was fourth in the 60-meter dash, West Catholic's Olivia Sydow finished 10th in the 1600 and competed in the distance medley relay on a team that placed fifth, Kenowa Hills' Kari Kenney and West Catholic's Kelly Morrissey tied for 10th in the pole vault and Kent City's Sadie Ringer placed eighth in the 3200.
Advance Newspapers, March 02, 2009 7:41 p.m.
TWO LOCAL STATE CHAMPIONS BATTLE TO THE WIRE INDOORS: West Catholic senior Tony Schafer and Kenowa Hills junior Reed Kamyszek claimed cross country state titles in Division 2 and Division 2 respectively last fall, and now that the two have joined forces even bigger things may be in store.
The two state winners have spent time together training this winter and put on a show at Saturday's MITS indoor track state meet. First, Kamyszek and Schafer teamed with Kent City's Alex Wilson and Calvin Christian's Edwin Wainaina to take second place in the 3200-meter run as the "Cold Machine" club team.
Then the two cross country champions and Wilson moved on to the 3200-meter run. All three stayed in the lead pack for much of the race, and a few laps into the race Kamyszek passed leader Tec Adams (the Division 4 cross country champ last fall) and took the lead. Adams and Kamyszek traded the lead for a few laps before the Kenowa runner surged ahead and made his bid for the win. Adams fell back, but Kamyszek's training partner was closing in. Schafer caught Kamyszek with less than a lap to go and went on to win in a personal best time of 9:22.29 with Kamyszek right behind 9:23.61. Wilson wound up in 11th place in 9:42.72.
"We train together about three times a week," said Schafer. "Greg Meyer (Grand Rapids native and former world-class marathoner) trains us and we work out quite a bit."
Kamyszek said that training on Grand Valley State's new 300-meter indoor track has been good for his workouts, but the adjustment to the smaller 200-meter track at CMU was difficult.
"This was a pretty different track compared to that nice 300-meter track," he noted. "It has tighter corners here. I actually took the twice. I passed Tec after about five laps and then he held on and eventually regained the lead. I took it a second time and eventually ended up breaking him and that was a relief for us."
Schafer said he "should have" started a bit faster and stayed close to Kamyszek during the early stayed of the race, but he had a hard time moving up through the pack.
"I kind of got boxed in for a while," said Schafer. "I finally caught up to Tec Adams and Reed in the last two or three laps. I thought Reed was going to take it because I was tired from catching up. I just caught up and we brought it in together."
Many other local athletes competed at the meet as well. Sparta senior Brandon VanDriel was fourth in the 60-meter dash, West Catholic's Olivia Sydow finished 10th in the 1600 and competed in the distance medley relay on a team that placed fifth, Kenowa Hills' Kari Kenney and West Catholic's Kelly Morrissey tied for 10th in the pole vault and Kent City's Sadie Ringer placed eighth in the 3200.