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NTN Profile: Brophy Prep Boys TC

Published by
Scott Bush   Jun 25th 2010, 4:12am
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Nike Track Nationals

Brophy Prep TC (AZ)

Team Website / NTN Profile

Top Athletes: Devon Allen (sprints), Alex Bishop (pole vault), Tommy Williams (distances), Harry Danilevics (sprints & hurdles), Josh Dennard (jumps), James Harper (jumps) and Geoff Roxborough (throws).

Team Strengths: With strong competition coming from their Arizona competition, Brophy Prep is battle tested and ready to face the best of the best at Nike Track Nationals.  This squad has a nice mix of experienced talent and talented youth, offering up a unique combination of talent that could score some big upsets come July 2.  Devon Allen, Alex Bishop and Harry Danilevics all have the potential to score very well and challenge for the win in each event, while Tommy Williams might be able to improve his past PRs based on that he doesn’t need to compete in three events like he did at the Arizona state meet.

Key to Success: Freshman Devon Allen, who is one of the most talented freshman sprinters in the country, will have his hands full with some very talented sprinters, but if he can come up big and finish top three, Brophy Prep will really thrive at NTN.   In addition, Tommy Williams seems poised to run a new PR or two, which could provide an additional spark to this very hard working squad.

Q&A with Coach Tim O’Neil

NTN: The team competed quite well at the Arizona State T&F Championships.  What type of work has the squad been putting in since then to prepare themselves for NTN on July 2? 

Tim O’Neil (TO): Post State competition is an interesting question.  Brophy, unlike many other programs, does not have a feeder track club or a vehicle to allow competition after the high school season ends.  In fact, it wasn't until this past April that Brophy even had its own track facility to train on, making post-season competition possible.

In addition, competing in the summer months can be a challenge for Arizona athletes as the temperatures can be well over 100 degrees.  With all that said, however, this season our guys have been quite busy since the State meet and have had some outstanding performances at the Meet of Champions, USATF AZ Championships, and the Great Southwest Track and Field Classic. 

NTN: What are the team's expectations heading into Nike Track Nationals?

TO: That is an interesting question.  First, this is uncharted territory for our program and the kids are very excited to be able to compete on this type of national stage. Secondly, the format of the meet is so unique that it appears that every team has a chance to win, which makes it even more exciting. 

2010 is the right year for a National Championship opportunity for Brophy track as five of our student-athletes (Allen, Bishop, Danilevics, Harper, and Williams) set Brophy School track and field records and one (Dennard) is inches away from another.  No past Brophy track team (since 1928) would line up as strong as this group. 

NTN: Your squad seems to have a nice mix of youth and experience.  What has it been like having such strong mix of athletes?

TO: Our 2010 track season has been positive and inspiring for the team and coaches.  Our most dedicated seniors (Harry, Geoff, and Alex) came out with high expectations for themselves and the team.  Their leadership and consistency in performances made each outing successful. 

The younger guys (Josh, Tommy, Devon, and James) improved rapidly throughout the season and at certain events they surprised everyone with performances off the charts.  We are enjoyed the whole thing - the development of our seniors in our program and the bright future the young guys will bring to the upcoming track seasons.

NTN: Alex Bishop (pole vault) and Harry Danilevics (sprints/hurdles) were both state champions this year. What have these talented individuals been like as leaders this season?

TO: I think the first word that comes to mind is "unselfish".  Both athletes have offered to do anything and everything they can to ensure the teams success.  Alex Bishop, an elite vaulter, qualified for the State meet in the long jump and ran on our 4th place 4x100 meter relay team.  

Harry Danilevics competed in the high hurdles at the State meet without competing in the event for most of the season and placed sixth.  Harry also volunteered to attempt a crazy event double (400 meters and 300 ih in the same meet) with incredible results running a 49.8 400, followed by a low 38 300ih.  Harry also was a member of the helped score 20 points at the State meet by running the 110, high hurdles (6th place) 4x100 relay (4th place), 300ih (1st place) and 4x400 relay (8th place).  Not sure how either athlete could have done more for a team than either athlete did.

 

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