With Another PR, Belmont's Carey Runs To New Englands

A few weeks ago, Belmont High's Andrew Carey was just another tall, lanky track runner with a rather pedestrian time for the 800-meters under his belt.

Today, the senior is preparing to race against the best prep runners in New England this Saturday after finishing fourth in the All-State Track Meet in Westfield.

Carey went from middle-of-the-road, middle-of-the-pack plodder into a two-lap speedster by dropping his personal best in the 800 by an eye-opening seven seconds in the matter of weeks.

"I was looking for a PR (at the All-State's) but not this," said Carey who raced a 1:55.88 to finish fourth in the meet, qualifying him with the final spot to the New England meet to be held in Connecticut.

Belmont sent two runners and the outstanding 4x400 meter relay team to the annual track meet held at Westfield Saturday, June 5, that brings the best track and field qualifiers from eastern, central and western Massachusetts.

Senior Ben Levy had been a top qualifier in the 400 meter in the Division 2 Eastern meet a week before and the relay – including Carey, Levy, sophomore Paul Green and junior Tim Deignan – were prepared to beat season bests.

Despite a dropped baton, the relay team came in ninth overall in 3:28.29, bettering by a second what it ran a week earlier at the Easterns.

Due to the great number of runners invited, many of the races are run in heats with the champion and the three other qualifiers determined by the best overall times.

Levy ran away with the second heat of the three heat 400 meters in 49.39 seconds, besting his 50.17-second race a week earlier.

But four runners in the final heat, which included the top qualifiers from across the state, bested Levy's time.

Carey, on the other hand, came into the race with a 1:57.83 best, giving him the 13^th fastest time at the meet, securing a place in the second of three heats.

The first 400 meters in Carey's heat went out in around 55 seconds, a bit quick for the Marauder.

"It was way too fast so I was in last," said Carey. When the race began to heat up in the final half, Carey started moving up on the field with 300 meters to go, much like current US 800 meter champion, Nick Symmonds, stalking before unleashing his sprint speed.

"I was chillin' in fourth or fifth, looking to hang on to the finish," said Carey. In fact, he ran up into third place with 75 meters left, breaking his week-old personal best by a very impressive two seconds, at 1:55. 83.

Now it would be a waiting game for Carey and the other runners in the heat. If just two runners ran faster than his time, Carey would have run his final high school race.

In the final heat, Clint Burns of Whitman Hanson High School, who has been by far the best 800-meter runner this year, took the race out in an unheard of 53 seconds.

Soon Carey and the other runners on the bubble saw their chances of qualifying for New England revive when the runners behind Burns began playing a strategic game of who would finish second rather than keeping their eyes on the clock.

"They were worried about their place and not the time," said Carey, who will be attending The George Washington University in Washington DC in the fall. And as the pack came across the finish line, the second runner finished slower than Carey's effort.

As the times were recorded, Carey had punched his ticket to one of the prestigious high school track meets in the country.

"I'd like to run another PR. That would be something to go for," said Carey.