by Jarrett Felix
The Henderson post states meet is always a pretty cool event. The meet has a great feel, a relaxed atmosphere, yet a super talented group. There's community athletes, high school runners, collegiates and post grads. In the same meet that I watched some of my readers and subject matter over the past year chase that final PR, I also got to see what one of my old high school teammates, one of my current writers and even one of my friend's parents compete on the track. Always a fun experience and shout out to the fans who showed some support for the blog out there. I had fun meeting you guys.
Mile
Although there were plenty of top flight PA guys, it was actually an out of stater who won the mile. The top Keystone finisher ended up being Matt Wisner of Carlisle who dropped a massive PR of 4:14.37 (for a full mile) to kick down almost the entire field on the final lap. Even with 300m to go, he was well out of it before turning on that 800 speed to nearly steal the whole race. He only needed another couple meters for gold.
GFS's Nick Dahl dropped an open PR of his own in 3rd, running a decent amount faster than he did last year at this meet and definitely running much more competitive at the front. That's a good sign considering Dahl ended up running about 9:02 for a full 2 miles at last year's New Balance Nationals. So sub 9 over the same distance is very much in play. I believe that would put him in a club with just Chris Spooner and Paul Springer in PA history.
One of the most impressive under the radar performances of the entire meet was Colin Wills of Malvern Prep. The senior raced to a 4:15.52 full mile (pretty strong PR) and kicked right with the top group down the home stretch. He's run 1:54 and the equivalent of 4:14 this year, but, as an independent leaguer, he's probably not as much of a household name as some of the other guys with similar (or slower) PRs. First McDevitt, now Wills put together very underrated seasons. Shout out to those guys.
Rock Fortna of CB West added a 4:16 full mile PR while the LaSalle duo of Patrick Grant and Evan Addison also set big PRs, each running 4:17. That's a pair of well deserved individual accolades for a couple guys who gave up their open races to help LaSalle grab a team medal in the 4x8. Small shout out to Rob Morro for running a strong race to win heat 1 in 4:22. Also, really strong race from Joe Cullen of Wyomissing in the open section of the mile. The sophomore ran 4:26 and was right in the mix for the win after a 1:54 split at states for the runner-up DMR.
800m
Mike Kolor capped off an impressive PA career by clocking a 1:52.57 to cruise to gold. It was a PR for Kolor, but also a pretty dominant and smooth looking effort. I was quite impressive with Kolor's run and many considered it the most impressive mark of the meet. Worth noting, Kolor's recent rival, Josh Hoey, got tripped up a bit coming through the 400 and lost some momentum. I'm not sure he was the only one either as there was a decent amount of jockeying.
The WPIAL swept both heat 1 and heat 2 of the elite 800 as Eric Kennedy ran an incredibly strong 1:56.04 to runaway with the heat 1 victory and place 4th overall from the slower section. Kennedy, more of a miler this year, showcased some very nice speed and looked powerful on the second lap. Kid is just a junior. Also, a very nice showing from Jonnie Plass of GFS. Plass ran 1:57.40 to finish second in that section and ended up 6th overall. Plass is also returning next season. When you add in Grayson Hepp's 1:55, it was a monster day for GFS who's top 3 open runners ran 1:55-1:57 and 2:01. None of them were Nick Dahl, who holds a PR around 1:54. They could put together a nice 4x8 at Nationals (although schedule may interfere with Dahl's 2 mile).
EDIT: Also, completely forgot to mention Dennis Manyeah! He ran in the elite section and dropped a big PR, running 1:53.52 with a gutsy, front running tactic. He's still just a junior and will mix in with a very interesting group of returners who have a ton of mid distance talent and raw speed. When Manyeah is on, he's definitely one of the biggest 800 talents we have in PA.
5,000m
There aren't a lot of chances to race 5k on the track in high school, so a few PA runners took advantage of the opportunity on Friday. DT West raced XC returners Jake O'Neill, Drew Alansky and Patrick Blair, who ran 15:58-16:00-16:41. That's a pretty strong sign for this squad as they look ahead to a possible title defense in 2016. They will also have Josh Hoey, Ryan Barton and Jonah Hoey in the mix for varsity spots.
The top PA high schooler in the field was Brian Iatarola who clocked a 15:55 for 6th place overall.
What's Next?
Besides our NCAA and Professional coverage (which will still go strong), we will be moving into recap mode for the PA HS season. I did see the comments regarding an "etrain awards" which I think is a pretty cool idea. Maybe I can bring back the Etrain Oscars from a long, long time ago. Personally, I'm also planning to start work on "The Etrain 11", similar to last year. I'll be dropping the first post in the series this coming Friday.
Have more ideas on how we should celebrate the PA season? Feel free to comment, email, etc. and we will incorporate your ideas as best we can!
Usually someone posts 'It's never too early' for the fall XC predictions by now. Etrain alludes to Downingtown West being good despite losing a Hoey and Sappey. Who else will be good? That is besides NA, OH and WCH who are always there.
ReplyDeleteI like CRN (also a frequent flyer on the XC posts over the years) to kick their young team into the next gear. They return Bryan Keller (1:55/4:25/9:37), Sam Earley (1:57/4:31), Matt Haldeman (1:59/4:29), Ryan Campbell (4:26/9:32), Tim Haas (4:30/9:51), Ethan Koza (4:41/10:05) and Alex Breslin (4:46/10:16). There are others, but that's certainly a strong returning 7th.
DeleteCentral Bucks West appears to have some strength returning as well, with 9:21 3200m runner Brian Mass heading the charge. Ben Bunch (9:38), Ben Smullen (9:41), and Mark McClenahan (10:03) also return. Additionally, this team has got a handful of mid-distance guys looking to make their mark on the grass. Teagan Fortna (1:58), Luke Fehrman (1:59), Alec Hofer (1:59), and Carter Laatsch (2:04) come to mind.
Finally, look out for Carlisle to put together another great year on the grass as their young studs broke out behind Matt Wisner this year. Isaac Kole (1:59/4:27/9:33) is no joke, and Jack Wisner (2:00/4:32/10:08) is making a name for himself as well. Guys like Max Fiorentino (10:07), Tyler Hallman (10:21), Bjorn Prandtner (10:49), and Thomas Hallman (10:57) will also look to contribute. Carlisle always seems to develop young talent (Bryce Dunkleberger and Caleb Padgett), especially on the grass, so I'm sure a name that I missed will come out next season and shine, particularly at their home invite.
Take this all with a grain of salt, but this is a quick look at next season from a New Yorker. Feel free to share your thoughts!
-Dylan