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Passing a tough test
Oakton senior Joe LoRusso wasn't finishing this race in second place.For the Northern Region's most prolific distance runner, last weekend's Virginia AAA track and field championships at Todd Stadium in Newport News served as a comeback of sorts, an invigorating foray into his comfy and familiar spot at the top.
After a pair of second-place finishes in the 1,600-meter run during both the Concorde District and Northern Region championships, LoRusso, battling the residual effects from a bout with mononucleosis, emptied the tank during his penultimate performance. LoRusso will race his next mile at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, to be held June 19-21 in Greensboro, N.C.
“I had to do something. I couldn't end my season the way it's been going,” said LoRusso, who won his first-ever outdoor state title by finishing with a personal-best time of 4 minutes, 13.38 seconds. “I had to make a comeback.”
Not that he's ever really disappeared. See, LoRusso's lengthy legacy would be more aptly described in an encyclopedia volume than in newsprint.
The 5-foot-7, 120-pound dynamo didn't compete on any of Oakton's varsity teams during his freshman year, but almost reminiscent of his victorious push on Saturday, LoRusso bounded onto the Northern Region distance scene during his sophomore campaign.
LoRusso has starred for Oakton's cross country team, as well as for the school's indoor and outdoor track and field squads. Though Saturday's win resulted in his first-ever outdoor state title, LoRusso has been recognized 40 times as either an All-District, All-Region or All-State performer, according to Oakton coach Phil Tiller.
“He's just an inspiration,” said Tiller, who admitted to an early celebration in the stands Saturday as LoRusso kicked out the final 400 meters. “He didn't give into [mononucleosis], and he just decided to give it all he had. It was a joy to watch him.”
Entering the Concorde District meet on May 15-16, LoRusso started to feel some discomfort in his throat. Breathing became more of a chore than an assumed occurrence, and soon bodily weakness would follow at the region meet on May 22-23. T.C. Williams senior Brad Kenimer (Dartmouth) outkicked a weakened LoRusso to take the 1,600, and all of a sudden LoRusso's high school career and legacy teetered on this one race.
“I decided 'mono' or not ... this is my last race,” said LoRusso, whose time was the third fastest in the state this season. “Even if my body wasn't 100 percent, I wanted to be at least mentally and effort-wise 100 percent. And luckily my body pulled through with me. I just think everything clicked together and I gave it everything I had.”
That LoRusso shook off lassitude and fatigue on his way to a title wouldn't elicit too much sympathy from Herndon junior Hiruni Wijayaratne, who toughed out her own medical issues to win the girls 3,200 at the state meet in 11:00.23.
Her time -- which was almost nine seconds slower than her performance at the region meet -- didn't come to close to setting a personal record for Wijayaratne. Still, none of it mattered to the first-time state champion, who ran with constant knee pain but passed Tallwood's Octavia Rinehardt on the last lap to earn the win.
“I didn't think she looked right during the race,” said Herndon coach Pete Sherry. “Then about a mile into the race, her knee, which had been giving her some problems, really flared up on her.”
Wijayaratne added, “I'm guessing it's tendinitis because it's been bugging me this entire season. We don't know exactly what the diagnosis is, but we're going with tendinitis for now.”
Regardless, Wijayaratne brought home Herndon's first girls track and field title since 1992.
“It's huge and I can't believe I've been blessed with such an honor,” she said. “I'm excited that I'm the one who can bring it back.”
The South Lakes boys team, which won its first-ever region title on May 23, finished eighth with 19 points. Deep Creek won the boys title with 62 points.
Several Seahawks starred, particularly senior A.J. Price, who finished third in the long jump (24 feet, 00.50 inches) and ran the anchor leg on South Lakes' third-place 4x100 relay team (Vincent Brown, Nick Vaughn, Adrian Vaughn). Kevin Hickey subbed for Price as the 4x400 relay team posted another third-place finish (3:20.89).
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