USATF U20 Championships: Marissa Sciotto shines in 10km racewalk!

What a great morning at Hayward Field! The weather was picture perfect, the sky an impossibly beautiful blue with no clouds, humidity low, temperatures in the comfortable high 50s/low 60s. Put it this way. I was comfortable wearing a flannel shirt in the shade. Marissa Sciotto had an excellent race. Competing at 10,000 meters for the first time, Marissa settled into a great rhythm and finished strong in seventh place in 56:47.98. She proved she belonged here, and she now has set her sights on bigger and better goals as she will attempt to move up in distance in the future. Our program continues to be a force in the close-knit racewalking community, where we have a reputation as a welcoming place for up-and-coming racewalkers. Coach Chuck Williams deserves all the credit for growing and nurturing this racewalking success, and we are hopeful to continue it for many more years. OK!
 
USATF U20 Championships
Hayward Field, Eugene, OR
Friday, June 24, 2022
10,000-meter racewalk
7-Marissa Sciotto 56:47.98
2:04.09, 2:08.21, 2:09.60, 2:10.46 = 8:32.34
2:12.77, 2:16.19, 2:20.79, 2:18.54 = 17:40.61 (9:08.27)
2:17.81, 2:16.37, 2:15.97, 2:16.65 = 26:47.39 (9:06.78)
2:17.77, 2:19.18, 2:18.37, 2:19.44 = 36:02.14 (9:14.55)
2:21.52, 2:18.75, 2:18.36, 2:20.26 = 45:21.00 (9:18.86)
2:18.78, 2:18.55, 2:19.67, 2:18.35 = 54:36.33 (9:15.33)
2:11.66 = 56:47.98

USATF U20 Championships in photos

 

Pictures from this morning: Top, Marissa being introduced; next, Marissa in the early stages of the race; next, Marissa at the 5km mark; Marissa at the finish. Neat!

Back in Tracktown USA

 

We are back in Tracktown USA for the USATF U20 Championships. We arrived after a long day of travel. Marissa Sciotto had a practice run on Pre's Trail and we parked by Autzen Stadium in Eugene, as you can see by the above photo. Marissa races on Friday morning, 7:30a local time, in the 10,000-meter racewalk at Hayward Field. Glad to be back in Eugene. The weather is MUCH nicer this year after last year's record-breaking heat. 

Career success

We are SO PROUD of another Forever Fox, record-setting sprinter Danisha Craig, who on Monday was sworn in to a governmental position within the Biden-Harris Administration. Yes. That’s right. The president-vice president! Of the United States! For the past four years, Danisha has been a congressional staffer for Senator Blumenthal of Connecticut (Danisha’s home state). On Monday, via Zoom, she was sworn in to join the Biden-Harris Administration at the Department of Energy, in the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs as a Senate Legislative Affairs Advisor. Like most Zoom calls, it was a bit wonky. One guy (not me, but could have easily been me!) forgot to mute. Danisha and another new appointee were asked to read their swearing in oaths at the same time, which was a bit chaotic via Zoom. But hey. This is 2022. This is how these things go, right? It was a really cool moment, and yet another reason to be proud of our Forever Foxes.

Coaching success

Got this photo several weeks ago, but better late than never! Pat Driscoll and Gilby Hawkins (both from the Class of 2022) have forged long and successful high school coaching careers. On the same day a few weeks ago, both of their teams won their respective divisions in the Section One class meet – Pat coaches at Tappan Zee and Gilby at Pearl River. A week later, I saw them both at the state qualifier meet. It was great to see them and catch up on their teams and their family lives (both have young children). We are always proud of our Forever Foxes!

What’s next: USATF U20 Championships

Yes, I know, there haven’t been many posts here. It’s that time of year. However, there should be a few more posts here next week, as we will be back out in Oregon for the USATF U20 (formerly known as USATF Junior) Championships. Rising sophomore Marissa Sciotto will be participating in the 10,000-meter racewalk, carrying on our long and proud tradition – not only at this meet, but also in the racewalk events! Marissa races on Friday morning of next week (Friday, 24 June). OK! (Oh, and in other news, Happy Flag Day)

Remembering Mike Malet

We were saddened to hear the news of the passing of longtime coach and athletic administrator Mike Malet last week, at age 74. Mike was affiliated with the Marist football program from its inception – first as an assistant coach and then as its head coach. He was also the men’s lacrosse coach for many years. And he was an assistant athletic director, in charge of the business operations. I knew Mike in all three of those capacities, especially the latter, after I was hired as coach in the spring of 1991. Mike commanded respect. I learned a lot from Mike. He was a tough administrator, but fair and we always got along quite well. He used to have a sign in his office: “Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.” I always liked that, and it’s a line I still use to this day. He held you accountable to that mantra, and that was exceedingly fair. Mike was an old-school coach, gruff and demanding, and again, commanding respect. The outpouring of love at his funeral service on Sunday afternoon was a testament to his effectiveness as a coach and a mentor. Mike left Marist Athletics in the mid-1990s and embarked on a long career as a school administrator in the Poughkeepsie area, where he positively impacted many more lives as well.

Indirectly, Mike is one of the reasons I was hired as a coach at Marist. We were at a function in Poughkeepsie back in 1990 – I honestly don’t remember what the occasion was – and he saw me and said something to the effect of, “Hey, Pete, Rich Stevens is leaving as men’s cross country coach because we’re adding back track and he only wants to coach cross country. I know you have always been interested in coaching. I think you would be great at it. You should throw your hat in the ring.” The fact that Mike Malet thought it would be a good idea so moved me that I did, in fact, throw my hat in the ring. I submitted my resume (which, of course, lacked any formal coaching experience), figuring that maybe I’d snag a low-level assistant coaching position for whatever legit coach they hired for the job. Well, perhaps you know the rest of the story. The applicant pool was pretty shallow – heck, for all I know, it may have consisted of just me! – and they hired some sportswriter with a mullet and no formal coaching experience. As the head coach. Not the assistant (pffft, there were no assistants!). Well, 31 years later, here I am still. Thanks, in large part, to Mike Malet. A good man, gone too soon.