Chmiel runs fast times back to back at Loucks Games

By Brian Towey for DyeStat

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- After leading Saratoga Springs, N.Y. to a victory in Thursday's distance medley relay (11:41.57) with a powerful 4:42 1,600-meter anchor leg on the first day of the 50th Glenn D. Loucks Games, the expectations for Kelsey Chmiel in Friday''s 3,200 were understandably modest.

Yet, anytime the sophomore hits the oval, a great performance is possible.

Chmiel broke the New York sophomore class record Friday in 9:59.75, a US#3 time that surprised everyone, including her.

"I didn't think she'd be capable of (the double)," longtime Saratoga Springs coach Art Kranick said, somewhat stunned. "But she's always full of surprises."

Chmiel, who already holds sophomore class records in the indoor 3,000 and 2-mile, pressed the field through a brisk 2:20/4:56 pace. New Hampshire's Jacquelin Gaughan was the only competitor to maintain contact with Chmiel, hanging six or seven meters back.

"I just wanted to take it out," Chmiel said. "And leave it on the track."

Chmiel opened up a 15-meter gap on Gaughan by 2,000 meters.

"She was right where she usually is (time-wise) and she was able to pick it up (in the second half of the race)," Kranick said.

When the bell lap rang, it was clear that the 10-minute barrier was in sight. Chmiel's Saratoga teammates cheered her on the backstretch. Wincing, she came across the line in 9:59. The track-savvy crowd roared.

"I'm pretty surprised I was able to run as as fast as I did," Chmiel said.

The time was also a Saratoga Springs school record, according to Linda Kranick (Nicole Blood ran 10:10).

"You always hear about the really fast runners on this team," Chmiel said of the program's history. "You know how our coaches are, so motivated, and you just want to run even faster."

In the pantheon of great Saratoga Springs runners, Chmiel is finding her spot.

"The kid's got a lot of heart," Linda Kranick said.

Gaughan's time was also notable as she smashed her own New Hampshire all-time best by nearly 20 seconds, finishing in 10:05.71.