Southern Track Classic Coverage


With plenty of the pre-meet hype centered around Sean Holston and the long jump girls, it was Adams Abuldarazaaq (pictured above by John Herzog) who made the greatest impression in Friday night's Southern Track Classic in a double victory in the boys' hurdles. The Highland Springs and indoor state champion in the 55 meter hurdles, broke two tough meet records in the 110 (14.09) and 300 (38.11) meter hurdles with his state leading performances of 14.04 and 37.79 respectively. However, there were plenty of crowd pleasers along with Abdulrazaaq as Catherine White became the first athlete ever to win three years in a row at STC in the same event as she became a three-time STC two mile champion (10:50.89) after doubling back from a 4:54.33 mile victory. Sean Holston improved his US top 5 time in the 400 with a US #3 46.47 clocking to shatter the meet record. More highlights and additional coverage to come on Saturday as the state leaderboard was given a full facelift with a total of 14 NEW state leading performances with an equal number of 7 each for both boys and girls!
 
 
Collage made by photos from John Herzog 
 
  • Video Interview with Abdulrazaaq - Video interview by Brandon Miles with Friday night's breakthrough star at the Southern Track Classic in Highland Springs senior Adams Abdulrazaaq.
  • Video Clips - By Brandon Miles. To begin to be posted on Saturday. With all clips expected up no later than Sunday.


Dan Ward should get the word "Classic" copyrighted for his meet only in the Southern Track Classic because the meet director of Virginia's most elite regular season invitational continues to produce year in and year out a meet in STC, which can only best described as a classic. All other meets are simply imitations. The meet featured a total of 14 state leading performances, 6 meet records, and a meet first.

 

White becomes first STC 3-time champ 

Northside senior Catherine White became the first individual athlete ever to win at Southern Track for three years in a row in the same event.  The competition is usually too tough for any athlete to win three years in a row at STC in the same event and much less allow an athlete to make the cut as an accepted entry. The University of Arkansas bound senior had won in 2005 and 2006 in the two mile with winning times of 10:54.83 and 10:35.81 respectively.

 

Her win in 2007 would be a lot tougher than those past wins as she went into both of those races fresh, while this two mile would be the last half of a double from the mile run. She did not hold back in mile victory on Saturday night as she posted the fastest high school mile times by a Virginian in the past decade not named Sarah Bowman on Virginian soil in 4:54.33.  Also joining her under five minutes in the race for her first sub five was two-time AAA state 3200 meter champion Sarrah Hadiji of W.T. Woodson in 4:57.15.

 

Both Hadiji and White were coming back in the two mile run to take on two proven sub 11 minute two milers in Lia Divalentin of Chantilly and Courtlin Lareau of Deep Run. A slow first half of the race played right into White and Hadiji's hands to keep them in the race and regroup from their hard mile earlier. White pulled away from the pack in the last half for a 10:50.89, while Divalentin (10:56.04) held off Northern Region rival Hadiji (10:56.06) in a great battle to the line for second place.

 

Neither times for White were meet records, but her consistency over the past three years as a virtually unbeatable force among Virginian girls in the distance events is more impressive than any meet record.

 

Hurdle newbie Abdulrazaaq blows by veteran hurdlers

However, there was plenty to take awe in the meet records set by Highland Springs senior Adams Abdulrazaaq. Abdulrazaaq had dabbled in the hurdles last year as a junior, but still remained primarly a sprinter until near the end of the indoor season when he virtually flew onto the radar with a 55 meter hurdles AAA state championship. However, Abdulrazaaq was still considered as a quite raw and inexperienced hurdler coming into the Southern Track Classic in the 110 and 300 meter hurdles.

 

Against Virginia's best hurdlers, the University of Virginia recruit was a cut above the rest as he shattered two meet records with a 14.04 clocking in the 110 meter hurdles and became the first under 38 seconds in the 300 meter hurdles in a 37.79 win. Few had expected Abdulrazaaq sweep the hurdles, much less break two meet records from six previous years of outstanding hurdlers at the Southern Track Classic.

 

There were no slouches in the fields that Abdulrazaaq dominated on Friday night in Richmond, but the Highland Springs senior was just that good as he was not far from becoming only the second hurdler in the state this past decade under 14 seconds (Granby's Chris Bell, 13.96, 2006). He now has had to readjust his goals for this season, which include a 13.7 in the 110 meter hurdles and sub 37 in the 300 meter hurdles. At the AAA State Meet, Abdulrazaaq could possibly be the first hurdler to crack the state meet all-time top 20 in the 300 meter hurdles since 1999 as the cut off is 37.44.