(William Hall senior Ari Klau charges up the "Green Monster" en route to his win in the championship race)
William Hall senior Ari Klau has confidence in his ability.
But when it comes to Alex Ostberg, the recent Manhattan Invitational winner and the defending national outdoor 5K champion, Klau also knows he has to be sensible whenever he's on the starting line with the Darien standout
"If I am second in the states that would be awesome," said Klau, a tenth-place finisher at last year's Open. "I am not going to be close to Alex. He's not human. My sights are not really set on him right now, maybe he can pull me along to a fast time. But if I can be second in everything that he is in that would be awesome."
While Ostberg was making history in New York, becoming only the second runner to break 12 minutes for the 2.5-mile course at Van Cortlandt Park, Klau took advantage of his absence at the annual Wickham Park Invitational Saturday afternoon with a fine tune-up for the upcoming class and state meets. Taking control from the onset, he captured the championship race with a time of 15 minutes, 58 seconds for the challenging (and soggy) five-kilometer course.
Klau, the top seed entering the race, surged away from Glastonbury junior Randy Neish just past two miles for a 20-second victory. Neish was second at 16:18. Placing third was Cheshire freshman Brendan Murray at 16:31. Staples defeated William Hall, 66-72, for the team crown.
"I guess there was a lot of pressure on me to win it, especially considering that Alex wasn't here," Klau said. "I have over-trained a tiny bit. I caught it this week. I was showing a lot of symptons. I was way more tired than I should have been so I backed off the last few days and I didn't feel particularly fresh. I just tried to get out there. I originally want to run fast but once we knew it wasn't going to be a fast day I just wanted to win and go kinda after two miles maybe or like a thousand (meters) to go kind of pull away. I just ended up at the front."
For two thirds of the race, the William Hall runner was pressured by Neish. He knew he had to make a move early.
"I could hear him," said Klau. "I could hear his breathing and footsteps. Everybody was telling me you have 10 meters, you have 10 meters. That went on for like two miles. It felt like a constant distance the whole time until finally I was like, 'Alright, I got to go here or he's going to out-kick me.' He runs 2:27 in the 1,000. I can't out-kick him so I just kind of went for it with like a mile to go. And then with a 1,000 to go I kind of pushed it. I just kept pushing."
(Coe Brown's Hannah Parker, middle, battles with Tolland's Hayley Collins, left, and Pinkerton's Morgan Sansing, right, in the championship race)
Hannah Parker, a top middle-distance ace from Coe Brown Academy, N.H., captured the girls' championship race with a time of 18:56. Parker utlized her 2:06 speed for 800 meters by sprinting by eventual second-place finisher and fellow state rival, Morgan Sansing of Pinkerton Academy, with just 30 meters remaining. Sansing crossed the line at 18:59. Coe Brown junior Brooke Laskowsky was third in 19:09 and Tolland sophomore Hayley Collins placed fourth in 19:10. With four of its runners among the first nine placements, Coe Brown snared the team title, defeating Tolland, 33-56.
Parker had to contend with a determined Sansing throughout the race.
"I was battling with her and I finally passed her the last hill and then again at the end," the Coe Brown harrier said. "I was a little down on myself, thinking that she was going to win it. I had it right there (with 30 meters left), I thought so I just went for it."
Besides focusing on her own accomplishments, Parker also is hoping for some special happenings for her teammates. Coe Brown is the defending state and New England champion.
"We are trying to make the nationals this year," Parker said. "We are really working hard to try and get to that point. I think my team has been doing really well and I am excited about the rest of the season."
Comprising the scoring for the first-place N.H. squad was Parker, Laskowsky, junior LIz Danis (fifth, 19:11), sophomore Alli Pratt (ninth, 19:31) and senior Julia Cormier (15th, 19:58).
In the other varsity races, Brien McMahon junior Eric van der Els was a winner in the seeded boys' race at 16:30 and St. Joseph junior James Mas copped the unseeded event at 16:57. Senior Haley Hasty of Rockville was first in the seeded girls' race with a time of 19:14 and senior Megan Dustin of Agawam, Ma., took the unseeded section at 19:52.
