The Etrain 11: Four Years In the Making

As runners, we typically put a lot of pressure on ourselves. Each workout could be overanalyzed-recycled through your mind with the hope of finding one small thing to make yourself better. The weight of that pressure can sometimes be crushing. So imagine having expectations thrust upon you from outside forces. Not just teammates or coaches, but also fans you’ve never met before.

At the 2014 Paul Short Championships, Owen J Roberts freshman Liam Conway turned heads with a blazing fast 16:10 in sloppy conditions. He was the top 9^th grader in the marquee invitational and his time was one of the best we’d ever seen from such a young runner at the beginning of October. His name popped up in the comment section on PA’s distance running blogs. Conway likely didn’t know it then, but from every point forward, XC fans would be looking for his name in results. Could this top tier freshman maintain his prowess? Would he develop into a future star?

It had to be quite a bit of pressure. A few weeks later, when Conway returned to Lehigh, he ran a mark of 16:21. Although he qualified for the state championships as a freshman (a rare feat from District One) and posted a terrific time, because of his early season success, these outstanding results were surprisingly underappreciated.

It was here, at this same district championship, that another freshman started to become a household name. Henderson’s Spencer Smucker took an impressive 18^th overall in this meet. The result was easily Smucker’s best race of the season, dropping a 16:15 in tough conditions. Smucker’s big breakthrough was the main reason Henderson came within a few points of winning the district championship for an unthinkable 6^th straight season.

Of course, Smucker wasn’t finished. A week later, Spencer topped all freshmen in the state by posting a 24^th place finish in the AAA state championship. Smucker’s medal winning performance marked the first time a freshman had cracked the podium since Vince McNally did it in 2004. All of a sudden, the expectations for this freshman went from reasonable to extraordinary. He entered a class of names that include some all-time greats and anything less than the best ever would suddenly be a letdown to some people.

As just a freshman in high school, that pressure can be overwhelming. It’s why some top young athletes disappear from the state landscape by the time they are seniors. Smucker and Conway, the top two AAA freshmen at states, were going to be featured names on Penntrack’s top returning list for an entire summer. They would instantly have bullseyes on their back from every kid who with a milesplit subscription: from District One all the way to Erie.

It’s hard to stay at the top. Even the previously unbeatable Mo Farah and Usain Bolt couldn’t close out their world championship careers with gold medals. People will always come along to challenge the throne. But as sophomores, the expectations really start to climb. The runners have had a year in the system, a year of growth and maturity and a year of experiences. Conway and Smucker were not the top 2 in AAA as sophomores, but they were #2 and #4 in the class. Smucker improved from 24^th to 15^th while Conway jumped into the top 30 for the first time with a 28^th place finish.

Although these results were excellent, other names were starting to permeate the class of 2018. Josh Hoey of DT West was a national qualifier, leading his team to a regional championship. Rusty Kujdych, one of the state’s fastest 3200 runners as a freshman, was making waves as an aggressive, gutsy racer. Other districts were creating contenders as well such as Noah Beveridge of Butler and Morgan Cupp of Mechanicsburg. All in all, 7 sophomores took top 50 spots at the 2015 state championships, one of the best totals in recent years.

By the time Conway and Smucker got to be juniors, they were still top tier names, but the narrative around them had clearly changed. The pressure of being the #1 runner in the class had drifted away, landing on runners like Kujdych and Hoey instead. Meanwhile, Conway and Smucker had other goals. Liam raced to his first individual championship in the Pioneer League. Smucker led his West Chester Henderson teammates to a seemingly impossible state qualifying performance as a team in the 2016 district championships. As juniors, “class ranking” titles didn’t matter so much. Other goals became more important and these two raced admirably, making many of those goals reality.

Ultimately, when the dust settled at states, Smucker was the #4 junior in AAA, placing 12^th overall. Conway suffered an injury at the end of the season and slipped back out of the medal hunt entirely.

Three plus years in high school gives you some perspective. For Smucker and Conway, they had seen what pressure was. They had been under the microscope from practically the time they entered the sport. That type of scrutiny would break certain types of athletes, but not this pair. They were determined to succeed.

During their sophomore and junior seasons, even though they were not “tops in their class” anymore, these two runners were consistently improving. Conway had yet to grab a state medal in XC, but he helped lead Owen J Roberts to a top 10 finish in the district and his school was suddenly emerging as a legitimate XC force. Plus, he made huge strides on the track. His junior season included two medals on the indoor oval and another outdoors, only denied state championships by Carlisle’s three-headed monster.

As for Smucker, he led Henderson to back to back state qualifying performances after they graduated the last ties to their state championship teams in 2012 and 2013. He started a new era by consistently improving as a front runner. Each year he went to Hershey, he got better and was closer to the front of the field. On the track, Spencer had his best ever season as junior, making the state final in the 1600 meters.

Conway and Smucker entered their senior seasons more battle tested than arguably any other runner they faced. In time, that would prove to be a blessing rather than a curse. The OJR senior made the first big statement, dropping a 15:08 at Paul Short to join a truly elite all-time list. The same meet that had originally put him on the map as a freshman also provided the result that would set the tone for his senior season. Smucker added some marquee moments of his own, breaking 16 at Carlisle and 13 at Manhattan for the first time. Both runners won their league championships, a first for Smucker, and Conway even led his Owen J Roberts team to a surprise third place finish in the district.

Entering the state championship, neither Smucker nor Conway had posted a top 10 finish in Hershey. In perhaps their final race, the pressure was on both to find a breakthrough. When the final standings were posted, Conway took 8^th place and Smucker took 9^th as the boys capped off their last state meet with career best finishes. For Smucker, it was his 4^th straight state medal, each one a higher place than the last. No one can boast that resume of elite running and consistent performance. Not even the all-time greats that freshman medal put him in the league of.

At the end of the day, the two top freshmen from the class of 2018 left Hershey with careers that almost all would be envious of. But they weren’t finished.

Entering national qualifying weekend, Smucker and Conway, once the first names on everyone’s minds, were relative afterthoughts in the conversation for who would punch tickets to the west coast. At Bowdoin Park, the runners both lined up with confidence. Under a surprisingly little amount of scrutiny, they raced. The same way they had every race leading up to that point.

After weeks of training outside of the regular season, most runners would be mentally worn out or defeated. But these two were stronger mentally than most. Conway stuck his nose in it for the win and was rewarded with a 2^nd place overall finish at the regional championships. Smucker put himself in a qualifying position and held on through to the finish, claiming the last of 5 automatic qualifying spots for Nationals.

When the results went official, it was revealed that Conway (2^nd) and Smucker (5^th) had posted the best two regional finishes from PA high schoolers at either Footlocker or Nike Northeast. In other words, Conway and Smucker capped off their regional meets just as they started their careers: as the top two PA runners in the class of 2018.

The talent that these runners displayed at an early age was undeniable. Anyone who looked at their results could tell you they had potential. But what you couldn’t know at that time was the determination and resiliency these runners had at their disposal. And, ultimately, that is what will define your success as a runner.

Congrats to Liam and Spencer on terrific careers. The next generation of PA runners is looking up to the positive examples you set.

Good luck to both runners at nationals. And, hey, have fun out there because, for once, there’s no pressure.