2008 GIRLS OUTDOOR TRACK RUNNERS OF THE YEAR: Triple Threat

It's a topic of great discussion among the Newton track community, the condition of the Newton South High track, a beaten-up surface badly in need of repair. Yet, ironically, the crumbling oval, thanks to the ongoing construction of the new Newton North High, is the practice site for the most impressive collection of track and field stars in the state.

Four teams, all among the top 10 at the All-State Championships at Durfee High on June 6, representing two schools and one city, crossed paths there this spring. Loaded with fantastic individual talents, this wide array of talent has a number of stars. But among the girls there are three who shine the brightest, one who is the clearly the finest athlete on her team, the other two in a virtual dead-heat as the leaders of theirs.

And much to the pleasure of their coaches, and chagrin of opponents, they're all coming back for an encore next year.

After examining the accomplishments of all three runners this season, you're left with one conclusion: all three are deserving of the 2008 Daily News Tribune Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

So how do you choose between North junior Carolyn Ranti and South juniors Bridget Dahlberg and Kelsey Karys? You don't.

``I have never had two kids come along at the same time like this,'' says South coach Steve McChesney. ``Usually, you're lucky if you get someone this good once in a decade, but it's certainly a rarity to have two at the same time. It's amazing what they've been able to accomplish.

``They're both better than the best I've ever had,'' says McChesney without hyperbole.

Postseason honors have become old hat for these three Division 1 prospects, each of whom has already ascended to rarified air within the illustrious history of their respective programs. Along with Bromfield's Emily Jones, Dahlberg is perhaps the most well-decorated distance runner in the state, taking home her fourth Tribune Athlete of the Year in only six seasons at South. Ranti and Dahlberg are each claiming Athlete of the Year for the second time, with Ranti having won as a member of North's All-State champion 4x800 last spring, and Karys having split this past fall's cross country honor with South sophomore Madeleine Reed.

After tearing up the Bay State Conference and Dual County League, respectively, Ranti and Dahlberg and Karys each put the stamp on perhaps their finest seasons at the Eastern Mass. Division 1 Championships at Lincoln-Sudbury on May 31 and at All-States a week later.

Ranti placed third in the 800 in 2:14.83 before running a 2:15.8 anchor leg on the third-place 4x800 relay as the Tigers took fourth at L-S with 36 points. Disappointed with that performance, during which she'd gone out too early and faded in the last 160 meters, Ranti, fittingly wearing a pair of gold spikes, alleviated that problem the next week, cruising to an All-State title in 2:13.04. In so doing, she outdueled Bishop Feehan's Meg Looney, Attleboro's Alex Neville and Lincoln-Sudbury's Emily Mepham after finishing behind the latter two at D1s.

``She took a different mental approach as the race unfolded and it made a huge difference,'' says North coach Joe Tranchita of Ranti, making her sixth Tribune All-Star appearance in nine seasons between cross country, indoor and outdoor track. ``She was racing mostly the same people as in the Division 1 Meet and she was in control until they sandbagged her with 160 meters to go. This time, she had a clear understanding of what she wanted to do and that was a huge difference maker.''

Speaking of ``difference makers,'' one could accurately describe Dahlberg and Karys as such, though that would be drastically understating the matter. After winning the D1 Relays and the Andover Invitational, but losing to L-S in dual-meet competition, the Lions exacted some sweet revenge at the DCL Championships, racking up a meet-record 132 points to dominate the proceedings and run away with a win. South returned to L-S for D1s later seeking a team crown to match individual titles they'd won. The Lions claimed three events that day with, predictably, Karys and Dahlberg leading the way. Karys won the 2-mile in 10:52.95, while Dahlberg, still suffering from a nagging hamstring injury sustained earlier in the season, paced the mile in 5:03.62 and anchored the second-place 4x800 quartet (junior Juliet Ryan-Davis, senior Julia Frieze, freshman Kathy O'Keefe and Dahlberg; 9:31.62) as South compiled 74 points to run away from host L-S.

The task was substantially more daunting at All-States, where the Lions, projected to finish second based on seeds, faced mid-90s heat and Central champion Bromfield, led by Jones, the state's only 2-miler better than Karys. But, while other distance runners faltered, the deep and talented Lion crew buoyed South's championship hosts, scoring 28 of the team's 29 points en route to the first All-State outdoor track title in program history. Operating at ``about 70 percent,'' Dahlberg, seeded third, shaved .14 seconds off her D1 time to take second in 5:03.48.

``That showed a lot of courage and grit,'' says McChesney. ``She's developed a lot of patience aside from her talent.''

Karys then finished behind Jones in second, breaking 11:00 (10:55.23) for the seventh time this year, a Lion record.

``Breaking 11:00 is really a high-water mark and she did it so many times against good kids,'' says McChesney of Karys, a seven-time Tribune All-Star over her nine seasons at South. ``She showed a lot of range this year from the 800 to the 2-mile. Her speed has developed to the point where she could run the 800 and she has so much talent and such great instincts for the relay.''

If the topic is track ``instincts,'' there is no more suitable example than Dahlberg, a tenacious racer, fierce competitor and natural talent who is gradually embracing the cerebral realm of running, whether it's knowing when to pass the runner in the lead or whether to turn on the jets when she has the lead and leave the trailing runners in the dust. Obviously, Dahlberg has much more experience with the latter, as was the case with the New England Championships in Saco, Maine on June 14 when she led off the winning 4x800 relay team. Along with Ryan-Davis, O'Keefe and Frieze - all Tribune All-Stars in their own right - the Lions dusted the field in 9:19.26.

Dahlberg and Karys further lengthened their resumes in the Nike Outdoor Nationals at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C. on June 25 by leading the the Newton Centre Athletics 4xMile team (Karys, O'Keefe, Reed and Dahlberg) to a second-place time of 20:37.51. The performance highlighted how far Karys' range - she can now run anywhere from the 800 to the 3.1-mile cross country races - had come, as well as signaling Dahlberg's return to peak form after more than six weeks of running at less-than-optimum capacity.

``I didn't get the training I normally get,'' says Dahlberg. ``I had to take two weeks off after the injury (at the Division 1 Relays) and couldn't do much (training) at the end of the season. It wasn't good for my confidence going into the last few meets, but it was much better at New Englands and Nationals.''

An assist for Dahlberg's quick recovery goes to Karys, who has progressed to a point where she can push her classmate during workouts, a function once performed by the Lions boys. In terms of their outward personalities, they are diametrically opposed: Dahlberg is more vocal and effusive, at ease joking with the South coaches, while Karys is soft-spoken and ``never ripples the stream,'' according to McChesney. The surface differences aside, the two have forged a friendship rooted in a common goal - an All-State championship - and a common interest - competition.

``They both have a deep-rooted competitiveness,'' says McChesney. ``They both like to challenge themselves, but they can keep that competitive nature in check and bring it out when they need to.''

Still, the desire to win is secondary to bringing out the best on the other, which is the point of the spirited workouts. As important as their own success, says McChesney, is that of their teammates, with whom they share what they consider to be the greatest reward, team titles.

``They're leadership is one of the things that makes the other kids do what they're able to do,'' says McChesney. ``They're presence inspires the other girls and is a safety net for them because they know Bridget and Kelsey will come up with some big points and take the pressure off of them to do so.

``The first thing they do after a race is to see how the rest of the team is doing,'' adds McChesney. ``They're willing to help pace their teammates and do whatever it takes. They enjoy taking pride in teaching the other kids the mental toughness and to thrive under pressure.''

A lesson which all three seem to have mastered, though the pressure will be ratcheted up that much more for Karys and Ranti, both of whom will be looked upon as leaders for their respective cross country teams this coming fall. While Ranti's crew will again be among the state's elite, Karys' squad, the reigning Division 1 champions, is expected to contend for the DCL, D1 and All-State titles, particularly if Dahlberg opts to give up soccer and join the team.

``We have kids who, on any other year on any other team would be superstars, but because of the caliber of Kelsey and Bridget, we have such great depth,'' says McChesney. ``Because of that, we're sitting in a position of envy and they've really boosted our reputation as a powerhouse in the state.''

Envy? Over the past three years, Ranti, Dahlberg and Karys have left many a runner feeling that way.