Locals best in the long run

Mary Nusloch ran 14 laps in East Baton Rouge Parish on May 6 while her competition – the best Class 3A had to offer – appeared to be running in West Baton Rouge Parish.

Miss Nusloch was in a different zone and almost zip code than the other competitors in the girls’ 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs.

Just a sophomore at the Academy of the Sacred Heart, this thinly built athlete has just scratched the surface of her capabilities.

In winning the triple crown of distance races at the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA state track and field meet, the young runner became a force to be reckoned with for two more years on the track and in cross country races, in which she is also a champion.

New Orleans Catholic schools have been the staples of outstanding distance runners for decades. Add Mary Nusloch’s name near the top of the list.

After winning the 1,600-meter run in 5:21.88 (nearly 50 yards ahead of the rest of the field), she pushed herself to win the 800-meter event by 14 seconds. Her time of 2:19.95 in the two-lap event, was her fastest.

She later earned the Class 3A Most Outstanding
Mary Nusloch ran 14 laps in East Baton Rouge Parish on May 6 while her competition – the best Class 3A had to offer – appeared to be running in West Baton Rouge Parish.

Miss Nusloch was in a different zone and almost zip code than the other competitors in the girls’ 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs.

Just a sophomore at the Academy of the Sacred Heart, this thinly built athlete has just scratched the surface of her capabilities.

In winning the triple crown of distance races at the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA state track and field meet, the young runner became a force to be reckoned with for two more years on the track and in cross country races, in which she is also a champion.

New Orleans Catholic schools have been the staples of outstanding distance runners for decades. Add Mary Nusloch’s name near the top of the list.

After winning the 1,600-meter run in 5:21.88 (nearly 50 yards ahead of the rest of the field), she pushed herself to win the 800-meter event by 14 seconds. Her time of 2:19.95 in the two-lap event, was her fastest.

She later earned the Class 3A Most Outstanding Athlete honors in the final individual event, the grueling eight-lap, 3,200-meter run in 11:34.54. She beat her best time by 45 seconds as the remainder of the field faded into the darkness of Bernie Moore Stadium far behind her.

Her male counterpart
Nusloch may be the only triple event winner from the Archdiocese of New Orleans, but Louisiana prep track and field has seen the last of another brilliant performer.

St. Paul’s Eric Coston, who will wear a blue-and-gold graduation cap and gown in a few weeks, has run his last race for the Wolves.

In winning the Class 5A 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs, Coston ended his high school career with 11 state championships in distance events. He follows another St. Paul’s great, Zach Albright, who set the class record of 4:12.82 in 2014. Coston, who has not lost a race since Albright moved on, won the event in 4:15.86.

The composite record of 4:12.0 was set by the late Keith Iovine of Archbishop Rummel. It has stood firm since 1982.
Coston repeated as the 3,200-meter champion as well, running away from his competition in the time of 9:11.56.

Three repeat champions
Coston was one of three area Catholic school athletes to repeat as gold medalists.
Joining him were Jesuit’s Jandon Briscoe and Ursuline Academy’s Alysia Terry.

After finishing second in the boys’ Class 5A 400-meter dash, an event he won in 2016, Briscoe flew home first in the 200-meter dash to redeem himself with a finishing time of 21.23.

Terry was the second-place finisher in the girls’ 4A triple jump with a mark of 38 feet, 4 1/2 inches. The winner, Keke West of Benton, won by 2 inches.

Terry earned her gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles, an event she won last year. She glided over the rails in 15.16 to nip McDonogh 35’s Daisha Nickerson by 2/100ths of a second.

Caroline Standley of Archbishop Hannan and St. Scholastica’s Henly Crosby added gold medals to their accomplishments.

Standley topped her Class 2A competition in the girls’ discus throw with a winning distance of 134-8.

Crosby bested the talented field in the Class 4A girls’ 3,200-meter run to join Nusloch and Coston as a champion distance runner. Crosby was clocked in 12:09.82, a step ahead of Neville’s Marissa Perez (12:10.95).

Catholic High repeated as the Class 5A team champion. Jesuit was the highest-scoring local Catholic school with 31 points and a sixth-place finish.

Behind Destinee Jeanpiere’s fourth-place finishes in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, Archbishop Chapelle finished as the highest District 9-5A Catholic school with eight points.

The Academy of the Sacred Heart matched its fourth-place finish of 2016, but fell five points shy of the 50 points the Cardinals accrued last year.

The 45 points was the result of performances by Nusloch and senior Claire Moreau, who tallied 15 points by placing second in the high jump, third in the javelin and fifth in the discus throw.

Terroll Jolla of St. Augustine was one of three local Catholic school athletes to earn silver medals by placing second in the boys’ Class 5A 100-meter dash.

Brother Martin’s Hunter Appleton was second in the boys’ 5A 3,200-meter run, and Alex Lewis of Holy Rosary ran second in the boys’ Class C 1,600-meter run.

Ron Brocato can be reached at [email protected].

We are the champions!

St. Paul’s Eric Coston closed a fabulous high school career with victories in the 1,600-meter run, above, and the 3,200-meter run at the state track and field championship meet on May 6. Coston’s victories gave the senior 11 Class 5A individual distance titles.

Multi-sport standout Ja’Marr Chase of Archbishop Rummel splashes down in the Bernie Moore Stadium pit en route to winning the Class 5A long jump event. His winning leap of 24 feet, 2 1/2 inches was a personal best for the junior, who is also a member of his school’s football and basketball teams.

Mary Nusloch
Academy of the Sacred Heart
Class 3A 800, 1,600, 3,200

Eric Coston
St. Paul’s
Class 5A 1,600, 3.200

Henly Crosby
St. Scholastica Academy
Class 4A 3,200

Alysia Terry
Ursuline Academy
Class 4A 100-meter hurdles

Jandon Briscoe
Jesuit
Class 5A 200 meters

Caroline Standley
Archbishop Hannan
Class 2A discus Athlete honors in the final individual event, the grueling eight-lap, 3,200-meter run in 11:34.54. She beat her best time by 45 seconds as the remainder of the field faded into the darkness of Bernie Moore Stadium far behind her.

Her male counterpart
Nusloch may be the only triple event winner from the Archdiocese of New Orleans, but Louisiana prep track and field has seen the last of another brilliant performer.

St. Paul’s Eric Coston, who will wear a blue-and-gold graduation cap and gown in a few weeks, has run his last race for the Wolves.

In winning the Class 5A 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs, Coston ended his high school career with 11 state championships in distance events. He follows another St. Paul’s great, Zach Albright, who set the class record of 4:12.82 in 2014. Coston, who has not lost a race since Albright moved on, won the event in 4:15.86.

The composite record of 4:12.0 was set by the late Keith Iovine of Archbishop Rummel. It has stood firm since 1982.
Coston repeated as the 3,200-meter champion as well, running away from his competition in the time of 9:11.56.

Three repeat champions
Coston was one of three area Catholic school athletes to repeat as gold medalists.
Joining him were Jesuit’s Jandon Briscoe and Ursuline Academy’s Alysia Terry.

After finishing second in the boys’ Class 5A 400-meter dash, an event he won in 2016, Briscoe flew home first in the 200-meter dash to redeem himself with a finishing time of 21.23.

Terry was the second-place finisher in the girls’ 4A triple jump with a mark of 38 feet, 4 1/2 inches. The winner, Keke West of Benton, won by 2 inches.

Terry earned her gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles, an event she won last year. She glided over the rails in 15.16 to nip McDonogh 35’s Daisha Nickerson by 2/100ths of a second.

Caroline Standley of Archbishop Hannan and St. Scholastica’s Henly Crosby added gold medals to their accomplishments.

Standley topped her Class 2A competition in the girls’ discus throw with a winning distance of 134-8.

Crosby bested the talented field in the Class 4A girls’ 3,200-meter run to join Nusloch and Coston as a champion distance runner. Crosby was clocked in 12:09.82, a step ahead of Neville’s Marissa Perez (12:10.95).

Catholic High repeated as the Class 5A team champion. Jesuit was the highest-scoring local Catholic school with 31 points and a sixth-place finish.

Behind Destinee Jeanpiere’s fourth-place finishes in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, Archbishop Chapelle finished as the highest District 9-5A Catholic school with eight points.

The Academy of the Sacred Heart matched its fourth-place finish of 2016, but fell five points shy of the 50 points the Cardinals accrued last year.

The 45 points was the result of performances by Nusloch and senior Claire Moreau, who tallied 15 points by placing second in the high jump, third in the javelin and fifth in the discus throw.

Terroll Jolla of St. Augustine was one of three local Catholic school athletes to earn silver medals by placing second in the boys’ Class 5A 100-meter dash.

Brother Martin’s Hunter Appleton was second in the boys’ 5A 3,200-meter run, and Alex Lewis of Holy Rosary ran second in the boys’ Class C 1,600-meter run.

Ron Brocato can be reached at [email protected]. 

We are the champions!

St. Paul’s Eric Coston closed a fabulous high school career with victories in the 1,600-meter run, above, and the 3,200-meter run at the state track and field championship meet on May 6. Coston’s victories gave the senior 11 Class 5A individual distance titles.

Multi-sport standout Ja’Marr Chase of Archbishop Rummel splashes down in the Bernie Moore Stadium pit en route to winning the Class 5A long  jump  event. His winning leap of 24 feet, 2 1/2 inches was a personal best for the junior, who is also a member of his school’s football and basketball teams.

Mary Nusloch
Academy of the Sacred Heart
Class 3A 800, 1,600, 3,200

Eric Coston
St. Paul’s
Class 5A 1,600, 3.200

Henly Crosby
St. Scholastica Academy
Class 4A 3,200

Alysia Terry
Ursuline Academy
Class 4A 100-meter hurdles

Jandon Briscoe
Jesuit
Class 5A 200 meters

Caroline Standley
Archbishop Hannan
Class 2A discus