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Sports

Cardozo Track Running After Excellence

"We've lost good girls every year, " said Gail Emmanuel, whose teams have won the last two PSAL Indoor City Championships. "But it doesn't surprise me when other girls step up."

Senior Chamique Francis burst down the back straightaway of the banked, 200-meter indoor track at the Armory Track and Field Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan Monday.

As she finished her 400 meter (two lap) leg of the Sprint Medley Relay at the Martin Luther King Relays, pressing the baton into the hand of junior Lateisha Philson, it had once again become apparent: Cardozo was chasing greatness. 

Gail Emmanuel has seen it before. Emmanuel, who competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in the 400 meters for Trinidad and Tobago, has coached the team since 2002. She has passed All-America runners, like 2008 alumnus Dalilah Muhammed, now a sophomore at the University of Southern California, onto the college ranks.

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She has presided over national champion relays, like last year's outdoor 4x400 team. But no matter who moves on, a tradition of dominance- and excellence- persists. 

"We've lost good girls every year, " said Emmanuel, whose teams have won the last two PSAL Indoor City Championships. "But it doesn't surprise me when other girls step up." 

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After missing the 2009-2010 indoor and outdoor seasons because of a dispute with Emmanuel, senior Claudia Francis is back. The defending national, outdoor champion in the 800 meters, Francis is one of America's top performers in the middle distances (800 meters to the one-mile run). "We can use her in any capacity," said Emmanuel. "The 4x800 (meter relay), the Distance Medley Relay. It's really starting a trend for the younger girls (to follow)." 

Francis will commit to one of the country's elite college track and field programs- among them Oregon, where her sister Phyllis, a former Cardozo star, is a freshman, and Tennessee- on Feb. 2. 

"I've been training harder this year because I'm with a team," said Francis. who will concentrate primarily on the 800 meters during the indoor season. "Basically, I'm just focused on doing (personal bests), training and being healthy and fit." 

Chamique Francis, Claudia's sister and another highly-sought prospect, is a 200 and 400- meter ace who anchored Cardozo's winning 4x400 meter relay at the Millrose Games Trials on Jan. 13. The team's time of 3:46.95 is the fastest in the nation this year. "Our main goal is to qualify as many individuals as we can for the national championships so we have as many options as possible for relays," said Emmanuel. "We're definitely going to put the 4x400 relay up there. That's our signature event." 

In addition to Claudia Francis (800 meters) and Chamique Francis (200 or 400 meters), Cardozo has a number of other athletes targeting the nationals, which will take place from March 11-13 at the Armory.

Philson (55 meter hurldles and 200 meters), sophomore Akayla Anderson (55 meter hurdles), and junior Sabrina Southerland (800 meters or the one-mile run) also have the meet in their sights. The team has drawn inspiration from Ahtyana Johnson.

Johnson, who led Cardozo's 4x400 meter relay to a win at last year's Millrose Games, was diagnosed in December with aplastic anemia, a blood condition where the body stops producing enough red blood cells. She has not been well enough to run, but her presence at practices, and her spirit, have given her teammates a lift. 

"We're definitely going to dedicate the city champs to her," said Emmanuel. "And the Millrose Games to her. ... We're doing this for Ahtyana." 

The PSAL City Championships on Feb. 25 will give Cardozo's runners a chance to show their diversity, grab points in multiple events, and defend their city title.

With "showcase" opportunities, like the one-mile run for Claudia Francis at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational on Feb. 4, and this weekend's New Balance Invitational, the team is primed for top performances.

Nationals loom large over this NYC track power, and, as always, they'll be ready. "We're pretty much on pace for the individual (events) and the relays," said Emmanuel. "I've known these kids for a while. I know what they're capable of." (photo of Cardozo senior Claudia Francis)  

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