Valerij Petrulevich described it as a dream come true. For Jenna Grimaldi, it was a relief. For both seniors, a victory in this weekend’s Big East track and field Championships at the Carrier Dome was a fitting way to cap off their indoor careers.

Petrulevich won the 800-meter race in 1:51.61, good for a Syracuse indoor record. Grimaldi finished her indoor career the way it started – with a medal. She jumped 5-9.75 feet to win the high jump. Overall, the men finished sixth out of 10 teams with 53 points. The women came in eighth out of 12, scoring 45.5 points.

Despite the mediocre team scores, the Orange received headliner performances from Petrulevich, Grimaldi, sophomore sprinter Aulton Kohn and sophomore jumper Sheron Mark, who finished first in the triple jump. Kohn zoomed to a career-best 6.73-finish in the 60-meter dash in one of the top races of the weekend.

Petrulevich’s race matched Kohn’s in excitement. The Lithuanian was trailing almost the entire run. By the final 100 meters, Petrulevich pushed past Providence’s Richard Jones and Villanova’s Mark Korich to take first place.

‘I didn’t expect the guys to start so fast,’ Petrulevich said. ‘I was in the middle-of-the-pack. For my luck, I didn’t get scared. I just waited for my chance.’

‘He did an incredible job,’ said assistant coach Jay Hartshorn. ‘It was a little messy at the beginning. When he went around the corner, I knew he had a chance. Sometimes, it’s to your advantage when you’re behind because you can see how it’s going to go; when you sneak up on the guy (in front), he doesn’t really have the time to catch up.’

Over his four years at SU, Petrulevich earned a reputation for rising to the occasion. Hartshorn said Petrulevich’s past experiences eased her during the race.

‘If it wasn’t the Big East (Championship), I might have been worried,’ Hartshorn said. ‘But I knew he wanted it. He has a history of doing well when it really matters. There was a point where you could see him still pushing, and I knew he could do it. A lot of the other (runners in the race) were underclassman. (Petrulevich) has been here. When you’ve been here, it helps you so much compared to not having been in a lot of races like this.’

Petrulevich was never concerned. Ever since arriving at Syracuse, he dreamed of becoming a Big East champion. Even though he fell behind throughout the race, he was confident he would cross the finish line first.

‘For the last 100 meters, especially when I saw the finish line, nothing could have held me back,’ Petrulevich said. ‘I’m a senior so I said I just have to hold on and win.’

Grimaldi can relate to the feeling. Throughout her prolific career, she has won the high jump in several meets, both indoor and outdoor. Even still, Grimaldi’s nerves were catching up to her before her last Carrier Dome event.

‘I was so nervous,’ Grimaldi said. ‘I haven’t been this nervous in a long time – maybe a couple years. In the morning, it was early and I was stiff. Whenever there’s a big championship meet, I put a lot of pressure on myself.’

She did a good job masking the pressure. Grimaldi proved to be the seasoned senior, calmly eclipsing several heights. Grimaldi and assistant coach Enoch Borozinski reached an epiphany a week ago regarding her jumping habits: she had been beginning her ascent too close to the bar. She has been practicing a few crossover techniques. From all indications, the adjustments worked.

‘This was mine to lose, so I was nervous because I wanted to win it,’ Grimaldi said. ‘I was so pumped when I won. I’m happy I brought 10 points to the team and can bring home a medal.

‘I’m going to miss it. It’s been fun. The excitement of jumping in the Dome is something that can never be matched.’

Published on February 20, 2005 at 12:00 pm