Well, there were some races I suppose

by Jarrett Felix

Well I'm always happy to get back to talking track, but unfortunately there wasn't a ton going on this weekend thanks to some brutal conditions in the state of Pennsylvania. However, that didn't mean PA's distance core was completely quiet on race day. Here's a look at a few performances that shined brightly through the clouds.

Olympian Invitational
Indoor state medalist Connor McMenamin of Souderton added yet another sub 4:30 mark to his ever growing resume as he defeated Dylan Bucior of Jim Thorpe in enemy territory 4:27 to 4:31. McMenamin has really honed in on the mile as of late and he's excelled in this event. I'm curious if this ultimately is going to mark a switch in events from the 3200 he ran outdoors last spring. He's definitely very comfortable in this event.

I really liked the day for Bucior. The AA XC Medalist ran 4:31 to hold his own with Connor and then doubled back for the W in the 3200. I think he could end up finishing the year with a very quick time in the 1600 as District 11 has a nice stable of milers on the agenda for end of May. Also getting a win to rep the 11, Tom Matsumara beat Joel Hinkle in a show down at 800 2:02 to 2:05. Both guys are just sophomores. Hinkle is also AA for track at Weatherly.

Golden Ram Invitational
At Golden Ram, Conestoga's multi time state qualifier PJ Murray won the 1600 in 4:36 over Maryland sophomore Kai Muiz (4:37) and XC stand out Jake Ilgenfritz of Avon Grove (4:41). Murray's teammate Aidan Lake was the top PA finisher in the 3200 while Mack Morgan finished tops in the open quarter, also representing Conestoga. They added the 4x4 gold medal for extra bonus points.

Sterling Hoffman
Don't get it confused, this isn't the name of a famous businessman (actually it could be I guess), but it's also the name of a track meet! That actually happened this weekend! I'm assuming it's a relatively new meet as their were plenty of meet records to go around on race day. Andrew Risser of Tulpehocken, just a junior, was one of the those record holders, dropping some killer times in the 400 and 200  (51.16, 23.31). Hamburg Area and Marian Catholic really got rolling on the 4x4s, both running 3:33.9 and being divided by just 0.01 seconds. That's one heck of a duel. Although Marian Catholic ended up on the wrong side of that coin flip finish, they did get a huge 800 victory from Dominic Mussoline who ran 2:02.97 to win by nearly 10 seconds. Watch out for this kid long term on the AA scene.

And that's it I guess? Let me know if I missed anything else. I'm thinking we have our first discussion night this coming Wednesday night. Let me know your ideas for the discussion theme.

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