The 4x800m will close the meet for the distance events which means teams will either have a long day of waiting around or a bunch of tired legs running the 4 laps. Either way there should be plenty of surprises and success stories. Especially because there are just 12 spots (for now) to states on the line for the 4x800m. Currently, I've projected somewhere around 8:15ish banked track conversion is the last time in (Wissahickon). But that could (and likely will) change this weekend at meet of champs. Taking a quick look down the performance list shows a loaded race on paper. The following teams all have realistic shots of running around 8:15 this weekend:
Abington, Bensalem, Bishop Shanahan, Boyertown, O'Hara, CB East, CB West, Cheltenham, Coatesville, CR North, CR South, DT East, DT West, HG Prep, LaSalle, Neshaminy, Neumann Goretti, Penn Wood, Penncrest, Pennridge, Pennsbury, Radnor, Strath Haven, Haverford School, Upper Darby, Upper Merion and Wissahickon
That's an absurd line-up. Now some of those squads are already secure (Pennsbury, LaSalle and Penncrest are sub 8 already) but others are very much fighting for position. A bunch of these teams also will likely be running hard in the DMR which makes it a bit tougher to run fast at the end of the day. Add in the fact that many guys are going to be running individual events in hopes of securing those state spots and the 4x8 is in a very difficult position to predict. I'd speculate that Wissahickon, Bishop Shanahan and DT East (3 of the teams closest to the bubble) will be toeing up completely fresh squads in hopes of securing a state spot. Neshaminy may be on that list as well, however, with the 4x8 and 4x4 back to back it's unclear whether Marrington and co. will be on 800 duty or 400 duty.
The crew of sub 8:10 teams will likely be competing for the victory at this event. Abington, O'Hara, LaSalle, Penncrest (no individuals in the distance events), CB East, Pennsbury and Pennridge jump out as early favorites. Not all teams will load up, but some will even without the need for a fast seed time. There is pride on the line in addition to some hardware and awesome shirts.
Keep an eye on Boyertown, Radnor and the Haverford School as potential sleepers. Also things could get interesting for Cheltenham and Penn Wood if they don't have too many 4x400 duties to worry about this weekend. Lewis by himself could carry a crew to close to the state standard with his potential 1:51 leg. Bensalem and Upper Darby are teams that have excelled in this event in this meet in recent years. They have a knack for putting together solid 4x8s.
I'm still of the belief that there's a chance they expand the field to 24 teams if enough teams crack that 8:22 barrier (very doable for a lot of these squads). So don't give up hope even if you're not in the top 12 (or more importantly the projected top 12), there is still a chance your team can get a ticket to PSU. But until that's official, it will be important for every team to run hard and try and secure a top finish. If it's only 12 teams that are on the line, it may take the equivalent of 8:10 banked to get in. Or quite possibly even faster.
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