Talk about making the most of your visit to Sudbury.
With the very recent end of the high school year now behind him, Kingston native and Laurentian Voyageurs cross-country recruit Paul Sagriff was planning on making a trip north some time soon, ideally before the end of the month.
It was simply good fortune that would allow Laurentian University coaches Dick Moss and Darren Jermyn to see their 18-year-old incoming freshman in action, with the only Track North Twilight Meet of the summer scheduled smack dab in the middle of the Sagriff family trek to the Nickel City.
Sagriff nabbed first place in the 3000m race, finishing twenty seconds ahead of Bishop A Carter product Caleb Beland.
"I took a week off after OFSAA (track), and just got over a cold, so I just wanted to race hard and see what I can do," said Sagriff.
Arriving in town Tuesday afternoon, Sagriff was making a stop in Sudbury for just the second time ever, having competed at the same venue when the 2013 OFSAA Cross-Country Championships were hosted at Laurentian a few years back.
That familiarity with the area was just one of a few factors that would draw the soon-to-be graduate of Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic High School to don the blue and gold varsity colours this September.
"The coaches contacted me after my cross country race in 2015, they were one of the first schools to contact me, and they have the program I like," said the rookie entering the Concurrent Education (SPED) stream at L.U. "Those were probably the top two reasons."
With all of the finishing touches now in place, Sagriff will be readying himself, mentally this summer, for the transition he will face in year one of post-secondary competition.
"I will have more guys to train with that are at a higher level and are dedicated to running," he said. "I wasn't running a crazy amount of mileage through high school, so I think they will gradually build me up, not too much too quick. I think I need to get my feet wet, see what university running is like, and go from there."
Lo-Ellen Park alumnus Brendan Costello knows exactly where Sagriff is coming from, having just completed his inaugural season with the Western Mustangs cross-country and indoor track and field team.
Finishing first in the 800m in a time of 1:59.13, Costello was at least somewhat relieved to be competing in a distance for which he had gained a great deal of comfort during his time as a Knight.
"Doing the 600m (indoors) is a real adjustment," he said. "Most of the people doing the 600m are 400m guys that are going up. Their foot speed is a lot faster than mine. I have to work to try and beat them with my lungs instead of my feet, and that's a little easier said than done."
Although he trained through both the fall and the winter sessions, Costello makes no bones about where his preference lies.
"I am always focused on track more than cross-country," he said. "It's always my go-to."
"My mileage will be a lot lower than some of the guys who are mainly cross-country guys. I'll be putting in maybe 100 kms, 110 kms a week. These guys will be putting in 130, 140."
Athletes such as Sagriff and Costello provide great role models for many of the younger crew on hand Wednesday, including 15-year-old Kendyn Mashinter, who can now lay claim to having one year of high school studies at Lo-Ellen safely under his belt.
A city and NOSSA champion in the midget boys 1500m event in May, Mashinter was one of very few locals who advanced to the finals at OFSAA, shaving an astounding 14 seconds off his time and eventually finishing eighth in Ontario in a time of 4:25.28.
"I definitely had nerves going in," said Mashinter. "I had to make sure that I did not have too much nerves, because then I would not do well. I was originally going for top four in my heat, but my heat was the fastest one, so I finished sixth and still made it to the finals."
"The final was a little slower, about four seconds off, but that's also because we ran a hard race the day before," Mashinter continued. "In the final, I was sitting in last until the last lap, so then I pushed it and came out with an eighth place, which was good."
With no one on hand to pick up the pace at the Twilight Meet, Mashinter grabbed top spot in a comfortable time of 4:33.31, gaining more and more experience at a distance that he sees as his future bread and butter.
"I see myself as a mixture of speed and endurance," he said. "The 1500m is the perfect fit. I'm also pretty good at both of the other runs (800m and 3000m), but the 1500m is my best."
Following is a complete listing of the first place finishers from the event last night:
Atom Girls Division
100m dash - Lacey Mackinnon - 15.51
200m dash - Lacey Mackinnon - 32.65
400m - Kelly Clark - 1:13.35
800m - Lucia Salmaso - 3:03.60
Long Jump - Kelly Clark - 3.58m
Atom Boys Division
100m dash - Nate Sinclair - 15.02
200m dash - Tommy Pipe - 33.11
400m - Tyler Moore - 1:21.67
800m - Nate Sinclair - 2:52.57
Long Jump - Nate Sinclair - 3.55m
Bantam Boys Division
100m dash - Barima Kyei-Ben - 14.19
200m dash - Nolan Gervais - 30.45
400m - Alex Pharand - 1:07.71
800m - Alex Pharand - 2:45.82
High Jump - Charlie Stemp - 1.25m
Long Jump - Alex Pharand - 4.18m
Javelin - Ben Franz - 19.59m
Shot Put - William Bourre - 8.01m
Bantam Girls Division
Long Jump - Ella Ouellette - 2.80m
Javelin - Faith Michauville - 18.90m
Shot Put - Faith Michauville - 6.69m
Midget Boys Division
Long Jump - Nathan Naves - 4.88m
Open Boys Division
100m dash - Zachari Mainville - 11.84
200m dash - Zachari Mainville - 23.26
400m - Colin Withers - 55.41
800m - Brendan Costello - 1:59.13
1500m - Kendyn Mashinter - 4:33.31
3000m - Paul Sagriff - 9:07.38
High Jump - Nicholas Burke - 1.78m
Long Jump - Jarod Roy - 5.94m
Open Girls Division
100m dash - Christina Robert - 12.94
200m dash - Christina Robert - 26.96
400m - Dominique Baldasaro - 1:03.48
800m - Lindsay Fletcher - 2:37.88
1500m - Lindsay Fletcher - 5:26.22
3000m - Jayde Hurley - 12:21.39
High Jump - Amy Connelly - 1.58m
Long Jump - Jaclyn Groom - 5.10m
Javelin - Grace Michauville - 28.04m
Shot Put - Grace Michauville - 12.24m
