By Mitch Abramson
“If it was up to her, she would have done all the events,” said Cardozo coach Gail Emmanuel.Muhammad whittled the list down to three during a brainstorming session before the meet. Then she barnstormed the competition, winning the high-jump in 5 feet 5 inches, taking second in the 400-meter relay (47.95) and finishing seventh in the 400-meter dash (58.04).Muhammad skipped the 100-meter dash, 100-meter high hurdles, 200-meter dash, 400-meter intermediate hurdles and the 1600-meter relay during the city championships, but she was hard to miss with one blue sock on her left leg and an orange sock pulled up high on her right.”It's supposed to bring me good luck,” she said.Muhammad didn't even partake in the one event she may be the most talented at: the 400-meter intermediate hurdles. The day after she competes in the high-jump and the 400-meter relay with teammates Lindsay Rowe, Shanequa Wood and Joy Henry at the New York State Outdoor championships in Syracuse, New York, she will attempt to make the cut for the USA Track and Field National Junior Olympics Championships through her club team, the New York Novas on June 5 in the Metropolitan Association qualifiers at Icahn Stadium. The top six finishers from each event advance to the regional qualifiers in Albany July 9-11. The top three finishers there will make the Junior Olympics on July 26-31 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Muhammad also qualified for the United States High School Nationals June 16-19 in Greensboro, N.C. by winning the 400-meter intermediate hurdles at the Loucks Games (1:02.15) in early May.”I'm so excited,” she said after getting second in the 400-meter relay. “I know I have three more years left to do track at my school, so it's a good feeling.” Townsend Harris' Devotia Moore was on the fast track to winning the 1500-meter run when she stumbled on a runner who was close on her heels. Moore was leading after the first lap when she tripped and appeared close to going down- similar to what happened to the horse Afleet Alex in the Preakness.Moore recovered and found herself in fourth place heading into the final lap. With the eventual winner, Channel McGregor (4:53.65) of Boys & Girls pulling away, Moore took third (4:59.43) and discussed what could have been.”I was on a real good stride when I was tripped,” the sophomore said. “I recovered and tried to get back into the race. It is what it is. I knew Channel had it. She has an amazing kick at the end.Moore appeared to set a new meet record in the 2000-meter steeplechase, finishing in 7:22.61, but a PSAL official removed one of the barriers during the first lap because the wheels on the bottom wouldn't slide down, and the old record was later upheld.Fortunately for Moore, she holds the record (7:28.68), which she set at the Freshman-Sophomore championships May 22. Each lap of the steeplechase consists of five oblong barriers.”He panicked,” one PSAL official said. “He didn't know what to do so he removed it from the race.”Reach reporter Mitch Abramson by E-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300 Ext. 130.
