PA Mile Entries:
Josh Hoey, Shanhan
Liam Conway, Owen J. Roberts
Evan Addison, LaSalle
It wasn’t that long ago that Josh Hoey was crossing the
line first in the Penn Relays mile. As a sophomore, Josh Hoey clocked a 4:11.90
mile to jump past a star studded field that included future PA stand out Noah
Affolder (second in 4:12.19). A year later, Hoey was back in the line up again,
but this time he had to settle for 4th place as Dalton Hengst was
crowned champion. Will the third time be the charm for Josh? He comes in as the
favorite with an indoor best 4:07 and a Millrose Championship. All that was
before he clocked a 1:47 to smash the indoor national record in the half. He’s
got the speed and the experience to win a title, but nothing is ever guaranteed
at the Penn Relays as Josh proved only two years ago.
Liam Conway, the now two-time state champion, from Owen J
Roberts is also in the field. He clocked a 4:15 and 1:53 at PSU to take the
golds at indoor states a month ago. Conway has some very fast season bests, but
he’s also proven he is a strong tactician. This has been Conway’s best year to
date and he’s poised for a fast run at the Penn Relays if things click.
Evan Addison of LaSalle will round out the PA entries in
the mile. After competing as a part of the LaSalle DMR last spring, it appears Addison
may get a shot at the individual mile (although the relay entries aren’t final
yet). Addison has placed in the top 4 at indoor states each of the past two
years. He’s run 4:17.08 this year during the indoor campaign and has 1:54 800
speed dating back to last year. Addison has the tools to hang in a strength race
or a speedy one.
PA 3,000m Entries:
Rusty Kujdych, Neshaminy
Mitchell Etter, State College
Tyler Rollins, DT West
Brenden Miller, Upper Dauphin
The top four finishers from the PTFCA State Championships
will all contest the Penn Relays later this month. Neshaminy’s Rusty Kujdych
will lead the field after a dominant indoor campaign that included an 8:30.88
time in the 3k with a near 12 second margin of victory. That time has put Rusty
in a good spot in the rankings – it appears he is the #2 seed.
Etter had a strong indoor campaign, but the State College
senior really caught fire when the lights were brightest. Etter stormed to
second place overall in the 3k final, running a career best 8:42.70. State
College is no stranger to the 3k, but they’ve typically been here for the 4x800
relay.
DT West has put together an impressive stretch of
distance running and now they finally have a chance to represent in the 3k.
Tyler Rollins, who dropped PR type runs in back to back weeks, has punched a
ticket to the Penn Relays to represent the D1 XC champs. Rollins is in thanks
to an 8:45 run at states that was 10 seconds below his seed. He’ll look to
duplicate that magic after a strong 1600 win at his home invite.
Brendan Miller of Upper Dauphin will represent the small
schools in the Penn Relays. Dominic Hockenbury and Ben Bumgarner, future AA
state champions in the 3200, have both competed in Philly in the past and
Miller will be looking to have similar success. Brenden ran an 8:47 season best
at the 3k and is coming off a monster XC campaign. This is a pretty big stage
for a guy from as small as a program as Upper Dauphin, but Miller has never
backed down from a challenge when the lights are bright. He will try to be the Cinderella
in this field.
PA has had their fair share of 3k champions at the Penn
Relays, but we are in a bit of a drought. PA took the wheel in 2008 (Dennin),
2009 (Micikas), and 2013 (Norris). Nate Henderson was PA’s top dog in 2017 (4th)
and 2016 (3rd) and none of our four entrants have prior individual
Penn Relays experience.
4x8 and DMR entries are out.
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