Believe
it or not, there is a national championship meet this coming weekend. And while
most people out there are not hype for the events, it’s important to show
support for the dudes willing to push through the extra month or so it takes to
advance this far. I’m hoping we can see some nice PRs to round out the year and
that PA can once again show it’s stuff on the national stage.
Let me
know if I missed anyone the entries as I was going through quickly. This is
based on the heat sheets that I pulled from this link: http://www.milesplit.com/meets/281392/entries/531299#.WUF1iWjyuUk.
Keep in mind, some guys may end up scratching.
Also, I’m
going to go ahead and plug the Etrain Oscars whenever possible. Voting is still
open now. We will acknowledge the top 3 in each category at the awards show, so
feel free to vote 3 times for all your favorites.
Hudson
Delisle – 800m
The
Quakertown junior was a state medalist both indoors and outdoors this season.
His 1:52 flat performance at states gets him in the fastest heats of this
national championship and hopefully he can continue to drop time. Only Bishop
Shanahan’s Josh Hoey has been faster from the junior class in 2017. Hudson is a
2016-2017 Oscar nominee for best range, given his raw, sub 50 second 400 speed
and his top end strength under 4:20 in the 1600, but the 800 is his sweet spot.
Tristan
Forsythe, Isaac Kole, Josh Hoey – Mile
Three
state champions will duel in the mile at the outdoor championships. Tristan
Forsythe and Isaac Kole each used different tactics to claim their state gold last
month as Forsythe went to the front and controlled the pace while Kole used a
big kick (Oscar nominated kick might I add) to grab his. They both ran almost
identical times at 4:12 and I’d guess both have more in the tank if things aren’t
overly tactical at this meet. Kole just recently PRed at 800 meters at the
Henderson Distance Festival, showing his speed is ready. Meanwhile, Forsythe
was one the road back from injury when he toed the line in Shippensburg,
implying that he’s only just now getting into his real groove from a training
perspective.
Speaking
of which, Josh Hoey said he basically didn’t open his season until states,
where the junior clocked a 1:50 in the 800. He led wire to wire and looked
really strong on the last 100 meters when he started to turn it on. Hoey has
been mainly an 800 guy this year with mixed results in the mile. He’s had some
big results (a top 10 PA time indoors and an Oscar nominated upset over DJ
Principe), but also some forgettable results. Let’s see which version of Hoey
shows up here. The good news, Hoey is fresh off
a 1500 win against an elite field at the PA Distance Festival.
Rusty
Kujdych, Nick Dahl – 2 Mile
Nick
Dahl has run the 2 mile out at nationals each of the past three seasons and
will go for a fourth this year. Dahl ran sub 9:20 in his freshman season at
this meet and then ran the equivalent of a sub 9 minute mark for 3200 his
sophomore season before adding another All-American certificate in rainy
conditions last year (and splitting 4:08 on the DMR might I add). Dahl is
looking to prove he is the best 2 miler in the state after the impressive
results thrown down at Shippensburg’s championships.
One of
those big results? Rusty Kujdych of Neshaminy. The junior was 3rd in
the AAA state championships with a 9:04 clocking for 3200, a nice PR. Kujdych
had to do a good chunk of pacing work in that meet, but at nationals he should
be able to sit back a bit and ride the wave. That should be a pleasant change
for the aggressive junior and could result in another personal best.
This
race will also serve as Kujdych’s last chance to boost his stock in preparation
for the Top 50 XC Rankings that will be released this July. By the way, the Top
50 rankings is an Oscar nominated post.
North
Penn, State College, Penn Wood – 4x800m
State College
may not have been able to defend their state title from 2016, but the Little
Lions will use the national championships as a shot at redemption. It’s the last
race for all 4 of these guys so we will see how they handle the moment.
The
boys from North Penn are always strong in the 4x8 and, unsurprisingly, the
added yet another state medal to their trophy case in 2017. North Penn and
State College are perhaps the most decorating programs in the state’s history
for this event so it’s very exciting to see both of them head to head on a
national stage.
And
lastly, the boys from Penn Wood are set to compete. Penn Wood is new to the
elite 4x8 crop as this school has transitioned into the longest relay extremely
well in recent years. They’ve medaled at either indoor or outdoor states each
of the past three years, with their biggest breakthrough yet coming this season
with a 7:46.07 clocking. There should be no bigger opportunity for this squad
to prove their potential than a match up with two all-time great programs. By
the way, Penn Wood’s squad also has 4 seniors in their last race.
William
Tennent – 1600m SMR
William
Tennent is scheduled to go in this event with 800 studs Matt Kraus and
Christian Craig set to be featured. Craig probably should have gotten an Oscar nomination
for his rise this past season, culminating in a state medal and low 1:54
clocking at 800 meters.
GFS,
State College – DMR
GFS has
been amazing at the DMR in recent years. Led by their two back legs, Jonnie
Plass and Nick Dahl, this program has the potential to run down anybody at the
end of the race. Colin Riley had an underrated race at the Penn Relays and if
he can cut a couple more ticks off his lead off split, this squad could dip
under 10 minutes. That would give us two sub 10 minute squads in Pennsylvania
when we never had even one do it before.
Don’t
sleep on State College in this race. This may be the perfect relay to showcase
their skills. It looks like they will be running Owen Wing at the lead off
position, but they could even theoretically anchor him after his monster 4:14
at states this May. State College really surprised me with their finish at this
past indoor state championship and the relay powerhouse could be ready to turn
even more heads at Nationals. They match up really well with GFS and, if they
get a clutch performance out of whoever is anchoring, they could topple the independent
league stand outs.
Derek
Jones, Derin Klick, Kamil Jihad – EE 800m
Evan
Addison – EE Mile
Jack
Zardecki – EE 2 Mile
Some
names you may not know are among the emerging elite entrants for nationals, but
these guys are worth learning. Derin Klick was 4th at states with a
1:53.24 marking the second straight year he finished in the medals. Klick made
this push til nationals last year as well, proving he can hold his peak with a
1:53 clocking. He will be joined by Derek Jones and Kamil Jihad in the emerging
elite 800s. Jihad, remember, has a 1:52 PR from his sophomore season chasing
Dom Perretta. He led for the majority of the state AA 800 final before being
outkicked by Oscar nominee Robert Reichenbaugh and Tyler Leeser. He’s going to
be back with vengeance in this race.
Evan Addison
finished just outside the medals during the outdoor state championship in the
mile, but bounced back immediately with a new PR in the 800 at Henderson’s
Distance Festival (lots of fast times there, plus they had etrain shirts,
sounds like a good meet). Addison and fellow junior Jack Zardecki of Dallas
(running the 2 mile) are both looking to gain some positive momentum heading
into the fall. Addison was a district champ in 2016 while Zardecki finished top
10 in AA. Both guys figure to be featured prominently in the Top 50 discussion this
summer.
GFS –
EE 4x800m
The Haverford
School – EE SMR
Episcopal
– EE DMR
The
independent league schools get a chance to show their stuff this weekend after
the PIAA stole their shine in the last few weeks. Jonnie Plass is one of the best
800 dudes in the state and he showed it with a 1:53 open 800 at Henderson.
Plass is joined by a crew of potential sub 2 guys and, even without Nick Dahl,
this squad could make noise. It’s a good chance for the best supporting actor
nominee and his teammates to show their worth to those who forgot about the
double silver performance they put on indoors.
Episcopal
Academy is one of the best stories from this past outdoor season. Really liked
what I saw from them and wouldn’t be surprised at all if they have a huge day
in the DMR. I like this team and am excited to see what Elias Lindgren and
Jakob Jorgensen bring to the table.
Garrett
Baublitz – Freshman Mile
Carlos
Shultz – Freshman 2 Mile
One of
the biggest story lines this season was the emergence of an incredible freshmen
class. The class of 2020, ironically enough, had perfect vision when it came to
… no, you know what, I can’t even finish that one. It’s too lame. Even for me.
But
anyway, Garrett Baublitz of Juniata is fresh off a sub 4:20 clocking in one of
the deepest outdoor 1600s we’ve ever seen for the AA classification. And Carlos
Shultz, the top freshman during XC with a sub 16 clocking, has something to
prove after not one, but two freshman stole the show at the District One
championships 3200. Man, this is a loaded group of ninth graders.
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