Top finishers take veteran roles, new talent to fill record-setting shoes
By Michael Moroney ’13
THE ROUNDUP
A year after winning its first state championship and competing at the Nike Track Nationals, the Brophy track team returns with multiple athletes from last season.
However, the Broncos will be without a few talented athletes from last season. Most notably, Will Firth ’11 and Tommy Williams ’11 have graduated since guiding the Broncos to the state championship last May.
“Compared to last year, we are basically the same in sprints and throws,” said sprinter/jumper D’Amani Grayer ’13. “The distance team will step up and I know we will get more jumpers.”
Firth owns the school record for the one-mile run with a time of 4:15.19 while Williams broke the 800-meter record with a time of 1:54.10. These long-distance records were both set at the Nike Track Nationals in June.
Also, Firth finished second in both the 1600-meter and 3200-meter while Williams won the 800-meter competition for the second consecutive year.
Marco Ruiz ’13 will be the only returning distance runner with experience from last year’s state meet after he ran in the 3200-meter race.
Devon Allen ’13, the Broncos strongest sprinter, will return for the 2012 season. He finished second in the state in the 100-meter sprint and 110-meter hurdles and third in the 200-meter.
Allen is projected to win the 110-meter hurdles this season after running the event in 13.80 seconds last year, which was the second best time in the nation for sophomores.
Brophy will also have its top pole-vaulter Cole Walsh ’13 and top discus thrower Danny Vimmerstedt ’12 back after both competed at the state and national championships.
“I want to build on what I did last year,” Walsh said. “Last year was my best season so far and I want to be able to repeat as state champions.”
Also, high jumper James Harper ’12 finished at the 2011 state meet with a sixth place finish.
Brophy will also miss Josh Dennard ’11, who finishied seventh in state for the long jump and competed in the triple jump last year.
“I think Patrick (Dampare ’13) could fill in for Josh in long jump,” Grayer said.
The Broncos will once again travel to Arcadia, Calif. in early April for the prestigious Arcadia Invitational where they will face other west coast track teams. Brophy will again host the AMDG Invitational at home in March.
