Etrain's Pre-Millrose Top Five

by Jarrett Felix

My compatriots did a fantastic job summarizing most of the action we can expect to see in NYC this weekend. I’m extremely excited to have the opportunity to watch this meet in person for the first time. It finally feels like I’m taking advantage of my New York transplant status. Although I’m definitely looking forward to the Centro vs. Willis rematch, the stacked 3k and Andrew Hunter, here’s a few more things that I’m looking forward to watching.

5. The Women’s 5k: The Exercising of Demons

Molly Huddle is been an absolute monster on the roads and on the track throughout her career. She holds a variety of US titles and US records (and when this race is over she might have one more). But last summer she missed out on what might have been her best shot at a World Championship medal. In a now infamous moment, Emily Infeld (also of the US) snuck by Huddle in the final meters to steal the bronze. Now the two are set for their first rematch since that race in Beijing. It’s unclear just how fit either woman is (neither of them have a huge track record in the indoor circuit the way someone like Shannon Rowbury does), but considering it’s a world indoor championship year and there is a little extra motivation for Huddle, we could see something fun.

Also in the race are runners like Jordan Hasay, Abbey D’Agostino and Marielle Hall who have each proven themselves with titles at the NCAA level and world championship qualifying performances as a professional. This trio is perhaps the nucleus of the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Teams for the women’s distance squad of the future. Also, PA connection, Liz Costello of New Balance will be competing in this field as well.

4. Erik Kynard High Jumping

I won’t pretend I know much about the high jump, but I know Erik Kynard is good at it. He’s been the United State’s top dog in the event and scored a medal in the London Olympics. Watching a dude jump really high in the air, isn’t only popular in the slam dunk contest. This and the pole vault are probably my personal favorite events to witness in person.

3. Loaded Women’s 60m Hurdles

In 2013, Brianna Rollins ran 12.26 for the 100m hurdles. That’s the fastest time this century and just 0.05 away from the world record. In 2015, Jasmin Stowers ran 12.35, the second fastest mark in the US last season behind only USA teammate Sharika Nelvis (12.34 with better wind). Again, I’m no expert when it comes to sprinting and jumping, but those are some stacked resumes. Throw in the star power of Lolo Jones, an intriguing heptathlete in Brianne Theisen-Eaton and a couple other world class stars in Queen Harrison (12.43) and Nia Ali (12.48) and you got yourself a shoot out.

2. Allyson Felix in the 60m Dash

One of the best sprinters of all time, currently preparing for one of the most historic doubles of all time. Shout out to my (probably very distant) cousin Allyson who will be competing in the 60m dash. This isn’t exactly in her wheelhouse (more of 200m/400m stand out), but she’s still world-class at the shorter sprints and should be really cool to watch in person.

1. Ashton Eaton (Twice) including an absolutely stacked Long Jump

The best athlete in the world: world record holder, Olympic and world champion. Ashton Eaton is a beast and can do it all. His best event is arguably the long jump (he’s jumped 8.23 meters in Eugene) and he will be throwing down in that event against a loaded field that includes Marquise Goodwin (the NFL player who is likely the US’s best talent in this event), Omar Craddock, Will Claye and Marquise Dendy. That gives Ashton a chance to show how truly world class he is in each of his events.

Plus we get the 60m hurdles in there as a bonus! And remember, the last time Ashton was here, he just straight up jumped over the finishing pad. So get your popcorn ready.

PA Track Classic Preview

By Sean Collins

 

I don’t pretend to be as much of an expert as some of the other writers, but I wanted to give a preview of the Classic at P-W this week. If I forgot you, I apologize and hope that you prove me wrong by winning this weekend.

 

Girls Sprints/Hurdles:

The Girls 100 appears to be lacking a single indoor state qualifier in the 60m and will likely not be a strong event, especially with the cold expected this weekend. In terms of guessing a winner,  look to someone wearing a Norristown,Methacton, or Neshaminy jersey to cross the line first, as total 14 of the 32 competitors. I know this is weak reporting here, but this is not the event to highlight this weekend.

 

The 200m, however is stacked much more heavily with Taylor Chapman of Pennridge and Jayana Webb of Norristown, both state medalists from indoor. Chapman is debatably the best sprinter in the state right now and should standout but Webb will provide stiff competition in her first HS outdoor race. Another name to watch is Chapman’s teammate Ariana Przybylowski.Przybylowski is known most for being a stellar long jumper, but is a very good sprinter, and should held Pennridge this season redeem themselves after the DQ fiasco at states in the 4x100m. (Note*: The officials wrongly disqualified them after the exchange happened within the zone). Look to Chapman to come out on top.

 

400: If you thought the 200m had a big star, think again. The 400 stars with Springside Chestnut Hill’s Brooklyn Broadwater after her amazing runs this indoor season. I expect her to run away with the event. If Broadwater falters, expect UcheNwogwugwu of North Penn to take the gold, as she finished 4that this year’s indoor states.

 

100H: This race should be a dogfight between NicoletteSerratore of Methacton and Alyssa Zukowski of Neshaminy. Both of these runners advance to PSU in the 60h this winter and should contest a strong hurdle race in the cold weather. Serratorehas been on the national stage before in the heptathlon and that experience may provide a slight edge with the nerves of the first race of the outdoor season.

 

300H: With there being no long hurdle event indoors, I expected not to recognize too many names in this event. This combined with the lack of practice time over the intermediates should provide tough conditions for a fast time. BUT WAIT! Coming right off the 400m, Brooklyn Broadwater will also be contesting the 300h. I have no prediction for a time, but if she doesn’t win I would be greatly surprised. Would say anything 46 or above is probably a disappointment for her, even after coming off the 400.

 

Boys Sprints:

100m:  only needed to see one name to know who is going to win this race. Christian Brissett. While the Cheltenham girls are not running, the boys are and I expect Brissett to put the hammer down and set the bar high for people to get this season. Sub 11. I’m calling it.

 

200m: The men’s 200 is the men’s equivalent to the women’s 100m. There does not appear to be any big names here, allowing someone to really prove themselves on the big stage. That’s all I have to say here… Sorry guys. Provide a result to talk about!

 

400m: This race features 3 Penn Wood runners and after their 3rdplace at NBIN in the 4x4, I have to imagine that one of these guys is going to run 50.?? . Another interesting addition to the race is Billy McDevitt of Malvern Prep. He has focused on longer distances all of indoor and I expect him to only be getting some speed work in early in the season. I’d be surprised to see anything faster than 50.9 from him, and in the next couple of weeks, we should see him back in the distance races again. Sean Conway of Neshaminy is an outsider for the win as well.

 

110H: Kornelias Klah of Pennsbury and Malik Jefferson of Swenson Arts and Technology are the two main favorites for the title in my opinion. Swenson knows how to put out amazing hurdlers on the female side and I don’t know why that can’t transition to the men. Klah did not have the best season indoors, but he is still a fantastic hurdler. He is my pick to win the title.

 

300H: Of all the events, I am most excited about this one. It is absolutely STACKED. John Lewis, Cordell Richardson (both of Cheltenham), Andrew Dillon (Norristown), Malik Jefferson (Swenson), and Kornelias Klah (Pennsbury). If I am correct, all of these athletes have won a state medal at some point and this race is absolutely stacked. I just can’t get over how fast this race is going to be. I would be dumbfounded if a 38 second race isn’t run if the wind is low. My pick is Lewis for the win, but I wouldn’t be surprised if any of these guys took the win.

Year of the Vault

By Sean Collins

It’s the #YearoftheVault! Here’s Why?

When it comes to PA track and field, the pole vault is one of the most varying events in terms of talent level. Sometimes, athletes like Chris Williams are attempting state records as the last event of the state meet (was vaulting as the 4x4s finished), while other years a height of 15-0 is far and away the best in the state. On a more general note, pole vault is possibly the most technical event of all in our sport. It requires daring, concentration, strength, body control, and technical precision. In almost all other events, someone can “out-effort” the rest to win the competition. But pole vault is different, which makes it so impressive that 2015 indoor has provided records in almost all high school and collegiate categories.

2015’s first records were set by collegiate duo Demi Payne of Stephen F. Austin and Sandi Morris of Arkansas. After starting the year with the NCAA record around 4.50m (14-11 ish), Payne and Morris both broke the record multiple times during the year. Morris ended with a personal best of 4.66m (15-3.5) as the second best collegiate vaulter in history. This mark was easily overshadowed though by the incredible season of Payne. Payne broke the NCAA at least 4 times this indoor season, ending with a PR of 15-7, 4.75m. What’s even more impressive is Payne not only set the collegiate record, but she also won the USATF indoor championships beating Olympic medalist Jenn Suhr.

 

Payne wasn’t the only collegiate record holder at the end of 2015 though. University of Akron’s Shawn Barber became the first collegian to ever vault over 5.90m by going 5.91m (19-4.75) and becoming the first collegian ever to attempt 6.00m. While his attempts at 6.00m failed, attempting such a height stop is a huge accomplishment and is a challenge to the collegiatevaulters of the future to break the 6 meter barrier. And sadly we won’t be seeing Shawn Barber in the red, white and blue as he is a Canadian, but expect to see Barber in World Championship and Olympic finals for next 10+ years.

 

The next men to challenge that 6 meter barrier might just be a trio of high school vaulters. Deakin Volz of Indiana and Paulo Benavides of New Mexico who traded the National High School record multiple times this season. Early in the season DeakinVolz stole the national record from then record holder Devin King (now graduated and jumping for Southeast Louisiana) at a height of 17-10.75. A mere 3 hours later, Paulo Benavides took to the runway in New Mexico and beat out Volz’s height by a quarter inch, jumping 17-11 stealing the record away. Finally,Volz and Benavides competed face to face at the Armory at NBIN. That day, Volz got the better of Benavides and the National High School record at 17-11.25.

 

The final man in this high school trio is Armand Duplantis, a freshman national record holder at 16-9.5. More than Volz and Benavides, Duplantis is the future of USA pole vault. I expect this man to be the first high schooler over 18 feet. He might even do it as a junior. Talking about him as a Superman type in the vault seems extreme, but his freshman year heights are incredible. His heights, and the duo of national record holders have overshadowed the other 17 foot vaulters in a way that’s unfair to these master athletes, but deservedly for those three.

The real question might be: “What in the world does this have to do with PA track and field?”

On the surface, nothing. But, PA had Ryan Wilkes of Valley View jump 16-6 at NBIN and gain zero national attention. Wilkes’ jump appears to be #2 all-time indoors in PA, and tied #2 indoor and outdoor combined. Wilkes and the rest of the #YearoftheVault is inspiring a huge number of vaulters to pick up this sport. We may not see the results in the next year, but just wait until 2018 when the freshmen from this season take the stage as seniors with all the inspiration these athletes have given them.

 

Vault high. I dare you.

Breaking Down a Record Relay

Cheltenham set the SMR indoor state record this week (a result which I somehow missed the first time through), running 3:26.11 and getting a huge carry from Jon Lewis (1:51.3 reported split). 

When Lewis ran his initial 1:52.8 against Ritz and the 4x4 dropped to 3:20, the potential for a legendary SMR was there, but a state record and #7 AT mark before February even begins is more than I could have predicted.

Keep in mind the record used to belong to Simon Gratz, a team that ended up winning the 4x8, 4x1 and 4x4 at the same state championships the following indoors (2006). The key piece there was Khaliff Featherstone, only a sophomore, who ran anchor on the two longer relays and key leg on the 4x1. He also anchored that record setting SMR indoors.

Lewis doesn't have quite the game breaking speed that Featherstone had, but he is a better 800m (as proven by his mind numbing 1:51.3 split) who still probably has room to drop with nationals still almost 2 months away. In theory, if Lewis decides to take a shot at either states or nationals, he could become the 5th different 800m indoor state record holder in the past 7 years! 

The SMR 800m leg is arguably the most important relay leg in the sport, so having one of the best ever at that position immeaditley puts you in record territory. The state record is gone, so what of the national record?

The record listed is 3:24.69 from Muir in California, about 1.5 seconds faster than the Panthers ran this past weekend. That's a feasible amount of time to drop. The 200m legs were excellent (21 high and 22 low), but I get the feeling Chelt could swing the 400m leg (50.9 or so) down a bit by Nationals, the next logical time to run the SMR. I would certainly consider moving Brissett to the 400m leg. I have always felt you have to get your best talents on the longest possible legs and this relay is no exception. 

What kind of splits could get you a record? Well 3:24.5 is 49.5-22.0-22.0-1:51.0, so play with the tenths how you like and you are within record range. It takes the right kind of day no doubt, but we could certainly see it happen. 

O'Hara nearly got us a record last winter. Maybe this is the year we get over the hump. Good luck to the Cheltenham boys and congrats on your state record.

Welcome to etank

Welcome to etank! This will focus on the sprints, jumps and throws for PA high schoolers. As this is outside of etrain's area of expertise, additional writers and contributors are a must! Please contact Jarrett Felix on Facebook or by email at jarrettfelix1130@gmail.com if you would like to join the team!

The 4x400m etrain Soft Spot

The transition to sprints and field events will be tough for me. I won't pretend I know much about the events (and this is obviously a big part of why I want to get more people involved).

So to start the transition, we begin with the longest of sprints: the 400m. My favorite race to run whether in college or high school was the 4x400m relay. It closed out just about every meet and it was a thrilling race in part because of the running and in part because of the fantastic crowds. 

At the state championship meet, this is certainly true. I ran in the fast heat at the 4x4 at indoor states as a senior and although our lead off leg fell, the build up for the race was certainly unreal. 

This year the title run should be one to remember. The obvious favorites are the defending champs, the same team that won my race in 2010 and the team that has the state leader at 400m: Cheltenham. Cheltenham has already clocked a 3:20 this indoor season at the armory and John Lewis has busted loose a 48 and a 1:52 this year. He's the best anchor in the business and can run a speedsters race or a strength runners race. Chelt also has speedster Christian Brissett on their squad, one of the best 200m men in the nation, already breaking into the 21 range for 200m and looking like a serious threat for 60m and 200m golds. 

But there are a few concerns about Cheltenham's gold medal prospects. For starters, the ultimate goal will likely be a team championship, which means Brissett and Lewis will be running for gold in at least one individual event each with room for two, both may be on a 4x2 or 4x8 and then they will be finishing off triples or quadruples on the 4x4. That's some seriously tired legs and a lot of pressure on the panthers two stallions.

Meanwhile, this team has a target on it's back and a slew of contenders breathing down their neck. For starters, there is the team that just defeated them on Monday night, Upper Darby. Now I'm not sure how much of an A team was on the track for either squad, but the fact is Darby is running fast and confident right now. They have 3 state qualifier types in the 200m already and are led by an excellent 400m runner in Donovan St Louis. 3:29 doesn't sound like much, but for Glenn Mills, that time is really good. Like really good. Now this squad will have it's own doubling issues as they are quickly becoming a dark horse team trophy contender and their 4x2 is gold medal favorites in my eyes at this early point of the season. 

Neshaminy has already clocked a flat track 3:29 in flats to start the month and has title hopes of their own looking ahead to March 1st. Dave Marrington, an excellent 300 hurdler, has been a weapon in the 60H all the way up to the 800m. He's got excellent speed, but even better grit and determination. He's joined by Sean Conway, one of the best 400m men in the state despite the fact that he hasn't traveled up to a bank track (which makes a nice difference for the top flight sprinters). Neshaminy has produced a ton of excellent 400 and 200 types over the years and is an excellent sprint program. With these two runners at the helm, big things are possible.

Penn Wood hasn't even been mentioned yet, despite their PA #2 status at 3:22. They have shown fantastic mid distance ability with a variety of strong marks at 800, 600 and 400. Penn Wood handled Cheltenham's 4x8 nicely at Glenn Mills last Monday. They are also PA #2 for the 4x200m. That combination of strength and speed should make for a dangerous contender.

The last team to mention now is Pennsbury. They have been medalist type contenders for a number of years now and their likely anchor Charles Snorweah has a personal rivalry with John Lewis that he wants to turn in his favor. The motivation is here for a successful title push and Snorweah is joined by Kornelius Klah, a strong 200m and 60mH and Alek Sauer, one of the state leaders at 800m. The 4 likely isn't the sweet spot for either runner, but both have thrown down strong enough races to give me confidence they could provide excellent legs for the falcons.

The race often features a slew of tired squads, but if these guys have enough in the tank, I'd expect to see as many as 4 teams fighting to crack 3:20. Some sleeper teams in the early going to crash the party include Penncrest and Pennridge. It's also likely that by the time you are reading this, the results of Kevin Dare have changed the game as well.