Ursuline's Lily Flynn talks about running a personal-best time to finish third in the Dr. Sander Invitational girls 1,000-meter race. Nancy Haggerty/lohud
NEW YORK – It was something special – a mix of pros and collegiate competitors and a sprinkling of high school kids.
And those who were either once from the local area or are still from it certainly didn’t disappoint Friday during the Dr. Norbert Sander Invitational.
The meet was renamed from the Armory Invitational in honor of the late Hastings resident, a New York City Marathon winner who created the current version of The Armory, the world-class running facility in northern Manhattan.
Sander knew people enjoyed competing at The Armory and that was clearly the case Friday.
They also enjoyed coaching there.
The latter was true for former North Rockland coach Gene Dall and his son, Ryan. Gene recently left North Rockland to join his son’s staff at Division II Texas A&M-Kingsville. That squad won the men’s team competition in a field that included multiple Division I teams, among them Syracuse, Georgetown and Oregon.
Oregon is the current home of Deajah Stevens, the former Mount Vernon and New Rochelle high school star and Olympian. Stevens, who ran last year for the university, is now a first-year pro. And she was a content pro Friday, winning the women’s open 60-meter dash in 7.24 seconds, despite battling injuries.
Former North Rockland/current American University runner Liam Purdy might be best known for winning last year’s Patriot League men’s 800 championship with a bloodied foot after losing a shoe. But Friday he kept both shoes on while winning the Sander collegiate 800 in 1:52.81, an indoor best for him.
Ursuline junior Lily Flynn lowered her sixth all-time best girls Section 1 (fourth Westchester) indoor 1,000-meter time, finishing third in the high school 1,000 in 2:49.97.
While not thrilled with the distance, Mount Vernon’s Jannah Sharpe celebrated her 16th birthday with a third-place (44-7.25) throw in the girls high school weight throw. Teammate Ludith Campos was fifth )43-7).
Meredith Rizzo, a 2013 Bronxville High graduate, anchored Georgetown’s third-place (11:16.28) women’s distance medley relay team.
Eion Nohilly, a Georgetown sophomore and former New York high school state champion in both the steeplechase and 800-meter run while at John Jay-Cross River, was fourth in the men’s collegiate 1,000, clocking 2:26.64.
Former Nyack star Dante Brown took fifth in the men’s collegiate 60-meter dash (7.03) and eighth in the 200 (22.34), running for Saint Thomas Aquinas College.
Alex Harris, a 2017 North Rockland graduate and freshman at Villanova, ran 4:56.89 for seventh in the women’s collegiate mile.
Flynn’s race was one of mixed emotions. She figured she could have placed higher with a different approach.
“I started kicking too late. I’m a little disappointed that way,” she said.
But she was happy with a personal-best time, especially given the setting.
“It’s so cool,” she said of running with a meet largely devoted to collegians. “It’s a really good experience. I hope to run in college, so it’s a good meet to go get noticed.”
Purdy had no problem getting noticed. He had a nice cheering section with his mom, Breda; dad, Sean; former North Rockland teammate Chris Pagado and two former North Rockland coaches, Barry Baloga and Richie Simko. Baloga and Simko were actually on hand to watch Harris but stuck around to cheer Purdy.
“It’s nice to be home. This is a place where I raced a whole lot,” said Purdy, who noted he’s aiming for a conference title and going to regionals and Nationals.
Ryan Dall also liked his return trip to the Armory.
“I always get up for these meets (here). It’s a big trip,” he said.
By his recollection, his men’s team has won each time it has visited the Armory. This was the first time, though, with his dad as an assistant – something he indicated the two had long looked forward to.
And this win was a surprise since some of their athletes stayed home with injuries. But the Javelinas won going away with 68 points. Their nearest competitor, Youngstown State, had 37.
“We have a really great men’s team this year. … but I honestly didn’t think we’d be able to win,” said Dall, who made the meet a family affair, not just with his dad there, but his mother, Lonnie; wife, Susana; and their kids, Sofia, 7, and Cora, 4.
Stevens, the former University of Oregon star who was seventh at 200 meters at the 2016 Olympics, indicated she may try to compete in the Feb. 3 Millrose Games at The Armory, depending on how she rebounds from injury.
“I’m taking it slow,” she said, indicating her main focus is on Nationals.
Rizzo, who graduated last year from Yale, where she also ran, last spring, is using her last year of collegiate eligibility to run for Georgetown, where she’s study bio technology as a grad student.
“That was good. I’m happy,” Rizzo said after the race.
She noted this was only the second time she’d run at the Armory since graduating from Bronxville but said, “I hope it’s not the last,” explaining she may run in the Millrose Games or another meet there next year.
Of advice to current high school students, she said, “Don’t be afraid to really reach high and just go for it.”
Harris seems to be doing just that.
She indicated going from high school, where she was a top performer to a “definitely different type of competition,” where she’s “mid-pack,” has been challenging but said, “I’m just focused on improving.”
Fellow freshman Brown of STAC, who recently long-jumped a personal-best 23-0.75, pointed to college track as an adjustment requiring “mental toughness” but said, “With the good teammates I have and the coaching staff, they work well with me at staying (strong) under pressure.”
Erin Jaskot, who won the State indoor girls 1,000 title as a senior in 2014 for Tappan Zee, ran 1:17.53 to finish ninth out of 44 in the collegiate 1,000.
The women’s 200 also included two 2016 North Rockland grads.
Emmanuela Lauredent of Stony Brook ran 25.81 for 22nd out of 81 competitors and Camille Cameron of St. Thomas Aquinas was 26th in 26.12.
Lauredent’s time was a season-best but her goal is to get to 24.9 this season.
She noted she was happy to return to a track she knew well. Among other things, she qualified for Indoor States as a senior at the Armory before finishing sixth at States in the 55 hurdles.
“There are a lot of good memories here,” Lauredent said.
The Dr. Sander Invitational will continue Saturday at The Armory.
Twitter: @HaggertyNancy