HACKENSACK — Quazier Dailey has always been fast. But he admits his commitment to getting even faster wasn’t always there. Until last winter’s North Jersey Interscholastic Conference championships.
It wasn’t a loss at the league meet that propelled Manchester’s Dailey into finally understanding that hard work plus speed equaled even more speed — it was a win in the 55 meters in 6.6 seconds.
“I was lazy and just coasted through on my natural speed, winning medals here and there and not winning much,” said Dailey, who doubled in the 55 and 300 meters at the Season Opener at Rothman Center on Tuesday night. “But after I became a league champion, I realized I could do so much more.”
It didn’t happen immediately, as Dailey missed the 55 meter finals at the indoor Group 2 championships last winter. But by the end of spring season, he had doubled the North 1 Group 2 sectionals 100 and 200 and took fifth in State Groups at 200 meters, earning a berth in the State Meet of Champions for the first time.
And Monday, his win in the 300 meters might hint at his ultimate track destination — the 400 meters.
“Coach (Jon Banta) just told me to sprint at the start (of the 300) and when I got to the finish line the first time, keep sprinting,” said Dailey, who has received interest from Bucknell, St. Francis (PA) and Rhode Island already. “I was able to do that all the way to the finish.”
The result was a win in a good early season time of 37.2 seconds, enough to make Banta salivate at the thought of a potential 100-200-400 triple by his standout this spring.
“If he looks at the 400 and keeps pushing he can do very very well,” said Banta.
The girls 300 winner, Park Ridge junior has already shown her speed at 400 meters and after her 43.0 win at 300 Tuesday, might surpass her seasonal goal of a sub 60 second 400 as soon as the league meet January 9.
“Running has always been my passion, around the soccer field, around my backyard, around the block and around the track,” said Gasnick, who had 18 assists as a midfielder on the Owls’ state sectional champion soccer team this fall. “When I got to eighth grade, people told me — you’re fast you should go for track.”
And she did, buoyed by the recruitment of winter coach Mike Farrell. And last spring, Megan was part of an all-underclass 4-x-400 team that ran a stunning 3:58.55 for 14th place in the State Meet of Champions, the fastest Bergen Group 1 time in county history.
“Running with girls like Allison (Uhl), Nicole (Thomas) and Rachel (Spagnola) pushes me,” said Gasnick. “I love to run.”
By: Paul Schwartz, Staff writer for the Record Sports Department
