July 24 - - Competing for the Providence Cobras Track Club, Classical High incoming sophomore Maddy Berkson won a pair of events over the weekend at the Russell E. Blunt East Coast Invitational age-group meet, held at Duke University’s track in Durham, N.C.
La Salle incoming senior Dakota Dailey-Harris, meanwhile, cleared 5 feet, ¼-inch (1.53 meters) to win the girls’ high jump. Both competed in the “intermediate division’’. Berkson clocked 4 minutes, 43.90 seconds to take the intermediate 1500 finals, handily beating the second-place finisher, Cindy Forde, of the Freedom Striders (5:04.80).
“I felt good,’’ said Berkson, “but I was hoping to go under 4:40.’’
Berkson’s winning time in the 800 was 2:14.07; a 5-second spread between her and the next runner (Forde again). Berkson was the state 800-meter champ, clocking 2:13.18 at the State Meet. “I was going for the state record,’’ Berkson said. (A 2:09.72, set in ‘05 by Westerly’s Samantha Gawrych.)
Berkson returned to the oval in the girls’ intermediate 400, and placed second in 57.70. She clocked 57.65 in her preliminary heat.
Temperatures topped 100 degrees on the first day of the three-day meet last week, according to Berkson, though she didn’t have to compete in any events on that day. “[Heat] was brutal,’’ she said. “But the [Duke] track was great, and I got to run around the campus on a cool-down.’’
In the girls’ 4x100, the Cobras finished eighth (50.78), and third in the 4x400 (4:07.42).
