Broadneck's Centrowitz Wins at Penn Relays, Caps Special Event for Family
By Sean P. Flynn
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, April 29, 2006
PHILADELPHIA, April 28 -- As the boys' 3,000-meter run reached its final 800 meters at the Penn Relays on Friday, the Franklin Field announcer barked out, "Here comes a familiar name . . . it's Matt Centrowitz!"
This Matt Centrowitz making a late kick and grabbing the lead was the Broadneck junior All-Met, a two-time Maryland cross-country champion and son of the two-time Olympian of the same name.
Hours after his sister Lauren, a sophomore at Stanford, ran on the U.S.-record-setting 4x1,500-meter relay, Matt won the 3,000 in 8 minutes 20.09 seconds, third best in Relays history, to complete a day in which the famous Centrowitz name added a new generation of accolades.
"Today is a great feeling for a family," the younger Matt said. "We have some off days where none of us run good, but I guess this is a day where we all came through."
Centrowitz's win was the highlight of a day of fine performances among area athletes at the 112th Relays. In the girls' 4x400 and 4x800 relays, Eleanor Roosevelt fell short of its elusive first title but still was splendid with a pair of top U.S. times. Sophomores Dominique Lockhart and Tasha Stanley and juniors Marika Walker and Tameka Jameson took third in the 4x800 in 8:53.12, behind Holmwood Tech (8:45.87) and Edwin Allen (8:52.57), both of Jamaica.
The Raiders' 4x400 of sophomore Elan Hilaire, freshman Doris Anyanwu, Jameson and her twin Takecia finished second in 3:39.44, behind Holmwood's 3:36.98.
Park View sophomore Natalie Baird showed veteran poise in the discus on Friday morning, throwing a career-best 144 feet 3 inches to take first place and walk away with a Penn Relays gold watch.
"I didn't really expect anything, just to do my best," Baird said. "It was just exciting to be here, so I was just having fun."
With an impressive 1,600-meter split of 4:13.6, Herndon junior Ermin Mujezinovic led the team to a third-place finish in the distance medley relay. Mujezinovic was in sixth place going into the final 400-meter lap, but he passed four runners and the relay, which started with junior Abe Dagnachew, senior Ben Leopold and junior Adin Kavazovic, finished in 10:11.73.
Centrowitz has been one of Maryland's top runners for two years, but he had not yet raced against the nation's best. At the Nike Indoor Nationals, Centrowitz was placed in a slower-seeded section, denying him a chance to prove his mettle.
Six weeks later, though, Centrowitz got that chance and seized it. He ran a magnificent race, conserving energy early but staying with the lead pack. Centrowitz said that with 800 meters left, he heard the heavy breathing of his competitors and decided he had to make his move. He finished almost two seconds ahead of second-place Craig Forys of Colts Neck (N.J.), one of the nation's top distance runners.
After the race, the son hugged his father, who is now the coach at American, and then joined Lauren, his mother Beverly and his coach Dana Dobbs on the Franklin Field podium.
"Really, I'm numb," said the elder Matt Centrowitz, who once held the national record in the 5,000 meters. "For the two of them to come together, really, it's beyond my wildest dreams."
Penn Relays Fast Relays: No area boys' teams qualified for the Championship of America in the 4x100 relay, but three will run in consolation races tomorrow. DeMatha and Eleanor Roosevelt qualified for the "large schools" race, and Carroll will run in the "small schools" race. No Place Like Holmwood: In an impressive triple, Holmwood Technical of Jamaica swept the championships in girls' 4x100, 4x400 and 4x800 relays.
View all comments that have been posted about this article.