BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
Lindsey Gallo and Debra Vento both earned All-American honors at the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships.
Gallo, a fifth-year senior at the University of Michigan (UM), finished sixth in the women’s 1,500 meters (4:15.83), while Vento, a sophomore at Duke University, was third in the women’s high jump (6-0).
The NCAAs were held June 9-11 at Sacramento State University in California.
Gallo and Vento are two of the greatest high school track and field athletes to grace the Freehold Regional District, and both have been distinguishing themselves at the highest level of college.
Gallo, a multiple state champion at Howell High School, concluded a record-setting career at UM at the NCAAs, while Vento is in the middle of her jumping career with the Blue Devils.
Gallo leaves the Wolverines tied for the most All-American honors in school history, six, matching the achievement of Courtney Babcock (1992-96) and Kaite McGregor (1996-99). She is the first UM runner to win two All-American honors at 1,500 meters. (She finished fourth at the 2004 championships).
Gallo was one of the prerace favorites in the women’s 1,500 meters and seemed in position to win it until trouble on the final lap. The pace in the 1,500 final was slow, and Gallo was biding her time at the back of the lead pack, ready to use the kick that won her the Big 10 championship earlier this year. However, running close to the rail, she stumbled briefly, but enough to throw her off pace. By the time she regained her stride, the lead runners were in full sprint.
“I had about 300 to go, and it definitely broke my rhythm a little bit,” she said of the stumble. “That’s not why I got sixth, but I don’t think it helped either. It’s just unfortunate.”
It was not the way the ex-Rebel wanted to end her career, but the disappointment was tempered by what she had achieved at UM, which in addition to six All-American honors, includes a national championship as a member of the school’s championship Distance Medley Relay team this winter.
“Obviously, I would have liked to end it on a higher note because this is probably my worst performance at the NCAAs in a while,” Gallo said. “I feel like I’ve come a long way and I feel good about my career. I wish I could have ended it better, but as a body of work as a whole, I’m pretty happy.”
Gallo is looking ahead to this weekend’s USA Track and Field Nationals. Last year, Gallo finished 11th at these championships, which doubled at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
“I have two more weeks to get work in before the USAs, so hopefully I’ll be two weeks stronger and I can redeem myself, so that my last race in a Michigan uniform is a good one,” she said.
Although still a sophomore, Vento has already established herself as Duke’s finest high jumper. She was the school’s first-ever 6-0 jumper. Her school record stands at 6-1 1/2.
At the NCAAs, Vento finished third at 6-0. Five other jumpers also did 6-0, but the Blue Devil earned third place on fewer misses. She cleared 6-0 on her first jump.
Vento is now a two-time All-American for the Duke. She earned her first AA certificate during the winter when she was eighth at the indoor national championships.
Vento is a graduate of Freehold Borough, where she won the outdoor national championship in 2003 and was a four-time Meet of Champions winner.
Last year, Vento competed in the USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where she finished third and won Junior All-American recognition. Like Gallo, she has qualified for this weekend’s USA Track and Field Nationals.