At some point, being a traditional winner doesn’t tell the whole
story.
Like, for instance, when you win 14 consecutive championships. At that
point, you’ve become a bona fide dynasty.
“We have a lot of kids who have a running background and some
who come out and try it for the first time,” said Holy Ghost Prep
track coach Mike Meistering. “Even though it’s different
than other sports in terms of technique and teamwork, the one common
thread is the hard work and dedication.”
Meistering paused.
“You can’t cheat on hard work,” he said.
Holy Ghost’s outdoor program participants must work extremely
hard, indeed. This past Saturday, the Firebirds seized their 14th straight
Bicentennial Athletic League title, their 162 points well ahead of the
pack.
Although obviously satisfied with the victory from a coaching point
of view, Meistering also lauded the Holy Ghost runners for pushing one
another to improve — and not become complacent with their long
run of success.
“There are some who will come here to run because they want to
be a part of something special,” said Meistering, who is also
HGP’s cross country and indoor track coach. “Some run year-round
and others don’t. It’s really up to them.”
A teacher and part of the coaching staff for 25 years at HGP, Meistering
said he fully supports athletes who participate in multiple sports.
“There is a lot of pressure in the athletic world to concentrate
on one particular sport,” he said. “I think it’s much
better when an athlete is given a chance to develop in each sport, and
then see where his talent lies.”
Although the Holy Ghost track roster is strong top-to-bottom, the “big
three” continue to shine in distance events. Senior Eric Arnold,
who will attend Haverford College (Meistering’s alma mater) next
year, joined juniors Mike Pierce and Matt Chylak as standouts in the
BAL championship.
Arnold anchored the 4x800 relay team to a first-place finish, and placed
second in both the 1,600 and 3,200 meter runs. Pierce, returning from
a late-season appendectomy, ran the first leg of the aforementioned
4x800 relay team and took third in both the 800 and 1,600.
Chylak was also a member of the relay team, but he contributed firsts
in both the 800 and 1,600 runs.
“They’re three of the top 30 runners in the state in the
1,600,” said Meistering. “But even though they contribute
so much, we still need other people to place, too.”
In the field events, sophomore Jim Budzinski tossed the javelin a personal
best 177 feet en route to a gold medal and was second in the discus.
Junior teammate Dave Cyhan was right behind him in the javelin after
a personal best throw of 164 feet, 7 inches. Junior Maxwell Walens was
third in the shot put.
Meanwhile, junior Mike LaBrasca finished second in the 100 and 400 meters,
senior Pat Haneman third in the 3,200, and senior John O’Malley
second in the 300 hurdles.
“There’s no question it was a team effort,” said Meistering.
“Their dedication and commitment really paid off.”
John Knebels may be reached at jknebs@ao.com.