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Athletes Compete In Elite Meets Ludtkes Run In Oregon, McClung In North Carolina
Three Rockbridge County High School runners competed in national track and field meets this month – two at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Ore. and one at the adidas Track Nationals in Greensboro, N.C.
Representing the East Coast Elite Track Club, Deena and Tyler Ludtke raced at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, held June 1215, while Oscar McClung ran at the adidas Track Nationals, held June 14-16.
Deena Ludtke, who graduated last month, placed 24th of 34 runners in the women’s 5000meter run in 17:52.96, a personal record (PR) by about 18 seconds. The winner of the race was Rylee Blade in 16:18.17.
“Deena ran outstanding in Eugene,” said Drew Ludtke, her father and coach of the East Coast Elite Track Club.
Reviewing her race, Deena said she was pleased to break 18 minutes for the first time and was grateful to be able to run at Hayward Field, the University of Oregon’s world-famous track and field facility where the U.S. Olympic track and field trials are being held right now. In the running boom of the 1970s, frequent runners on the track were Olympians Steve Prefontaine and Frank Shorter. “It was super cool to run there,” said Deena.
She added that the race was “a good way to close out” her high school career. She ran cross country and track throughout her high school career, competing at the Class 3 state cross country meets her sophomore through senior years, helping the Wildcats place sixth her junior year. She was an all-state runner in the 3200-meter run in indoor and outdoor track and was a member of the girls’ 4 X 800-meter relay team that set a new school record. Early in her senior indoor season, Deena switched from the RC team to the East Coast Elite Track Club.
In the fall, Deena will join the cross country team for Division I school East Tennessee State University, and she’s committed to running track there also.
Deena’s younger brother Tyler, who just completed his freshman year, competed in the freshman boys’ mile in the Nike Outdoor Nationals, placing 34th of 70, improving his seeding from 64th, in 4:39.83, right at his PR. Winning the race was Yosuke Shibata in 4:20.04.
In addition to going to the meet, the Ludtkes enjoyed exploring Oregon, including visiting the Pacific Coast.
Also qualifying for the meet was Bri Marando, but she did not attend because the meet was full. Marando, who graduated last month, had qualified in the girls’ discus with a PR throw of 106 feet, 2.75 inches at the Meet of Champions on June 1 at Stevenson University in Maryland.
Reviewing her year, Marando said, “My senior year was great as soon as I started with East Coast Elite. I loved the team and the positive environment it had.”
Marando will attend Roanoke College and plans to continue to throw and to study forensic anthology.
At the adidas Track Nationals, McClung, who just completed his freshman year, placed 30th of 34 runners in the freshman boys’ 800-meter run in 2:10.11 and finished 33rd of 34 runners in the freshman boys’ mile run in 5:24.55. Coach Ludtke noted that McClung struggled with cramps, but he “had a great season, running 4:37 in the [1600-meter run] and improving a lot.”
Coach Ludtke also noted that Nicole Black had a strong senior year. After competing as the No. 2 runner (behind Deena Ludtke) for the RC girls cross country team, Black briefly joined the RC indoor track and field team before switching to the East Coast Elite Track Club. Even though she didn’t qualify for nationals, Black had PRs in the 800-meter run, the 1000-meter run and the 1600-meter run. She plans to run track and possibly cross country for Division III school Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, where she intends to study biology, with a focus on chemistry.
Looking back on her high school career, Black said she enjoyed running cross country and track and “absolutely loved running for Drew,” improving throughout her time with the East Coast Elite Track Club.
Also helping Ludtke coach the club this year was Paul Spangler, whose son Preston, a rising sophomore, was one of seven members of the club who competed in the adidas Track Nationals during the indoor season in March. The Spanglers have moved to northern Virginia. Preston, who placed 21st in the Class 3 state cross country meet last fall and was the RC boys’ lone state qualifier, will attend Patriot High School in Nokesville.
In addition to Preston, the other high school club members who competed in the indoor nationals were Deena and Tyler Ludtke, McClung and freshman Sammy Eastwood. Two middle school students, eighth-grade boy Leif Guse and seventh-grade girl Reagan Imler, also competed there.
