500k: The Man Behind Etrain

By: The Etrain Crew (minus Jarrett)

*Before we get started, we would like to congratulate fellow writer Caleb Gatchell for qualifying for D2 nationals in the 1500! It is an outstanding accomplishment and we are happy to know that he will represent PA as well as the Etrain brand at NCAA's. Congrats again Caleb!*

If you're reading this post, thank you! This means that the blog has reached over 500,000 total views (half a million!) and we couldn't thank you enough for the support.

Jarrett Felix started the blog because he loved the sport. He wasn't in it for recognition, he wasn't in it to bash/criticize certain individuals, and he wasn't in it for money. He simply loved the sport (and that's pretty rare when we talk about track and xc coverage today). Jarrett started the blog because it was a way to facilitate discussion and give credit where credit was due.

For over a decade now, athletes, parents, and coaches have tuned into the blog to read the outstanding content Jarrett has posted. Now, the Etrain writers felt it was time to give Jarrett some of the recognition he deserves, and what better way to do it than to interview the man himself?

Below are a list of questions from the Etrain writers asking Jarrett about himself and his blogging career. As you can see by his answers (and probably by most of his content), the guy is pretty selfless which is why he was initially hesitant to do this interview because he "didn't want the blog to be about him". After some convincing, we got him to agree.

Be sure to read up below and ask any questions we missed in the comment section below! Again, thank you for the support!

-The Etrain Crew

Click here for Jarrett's most recent District Preview/League Recap post

GETTING TO KNOW ETRAIN

1.     If you could interview any runner, who would it be and why?

Unsurprisingly, I think the answer to this would have to be Robby Andrews. As most people probably realized if they read my stuff, he’s my favorite runner and he’s been a part of some of my favorite races to watch over the years. If nothing else, I’d enjoy just reliving all his awesome moments in his career. However, he’s also had a ton of ups and downs in his career with some big highs and big lows, seemingly on the brink of retirement from the sport just a couple years back, so it would be cool to hear and write about his journey first hand.

2.     What was your favorite state meet (XC or Track)?

This a tough one because there have been so many individual races that stand out as extraordinary. However, I’ve only had the privilege of attending a select few meets in person over the years and those experiences have definitely been memorable than watching anything back on replay. So I’d say the 2012 XC State Championships was up at #1. The races were pretty epic including a crazy finish between Galassi and Luke Jones in A, a battle of three of the best AA talents ever in Shearn, Jaskowak and Todaro and, of course, the climax of the Henderson vs. O’Hara debate that had dominated the blog since the summer (I think the original post I made on who would win states back in August is still the most viewed post I’ve had in my career). I’ve found over the years, it’s rare that a race will live up to the hype or turn out how you dream it will. But when they do come together, like that race did, ending in a 6 man tiebreaker again, they are unforgettable.

3.     If you could put together a dream PA alumni race (all in their prime) what event would it be and who would be in it?

Man, another really tricky question. Personally, I always loved relays. I think they are what really made the sport fun and seeing everyone come together to do something special is a great time. Honestly, my favorite race to see would be a 4x800 battle with the top programs from the last decade facing off with their 4 best alumni. I’ve done mock versions of this before, but seeing it live and in person would be fascinating. I’d probably have CB South, Abington, CB West, Upper Dublin, O’Hara, LaSalle, Henderson, Cumberland Valley, Pennridge and State College on the agenda for this race as of right now. If we give it another couple weeks, we may sneak another team or two in based on their performances down the stretch this year. I think 10 teams is probably the perfect amount for a 4x8, but I can push for 12 if need be.

And it’s really hard to pick which schools belong in (Baldwin, DT West, Wissahickon, etc.). Upper Dublin has to get because they are my alma mater, sorry fans.

4.     What is your proudest racing moment?

I feel fortune to say I have a lot of moments I’m proud of in my racing career. I’m definitely not the fastest kid (pretty much everybody I blog about is better than I was at my apex), but I think the best thing about running is that each person can have individual success regardless of their starting point/ending point and each other runner can related to that success. Not to get too philosophical or anything.

But to answer the actual question, I think if I have to pick one moment, my proudest moment is probably the first time I (officially) broke 2 minutes in the 800. It was a goal of mine ever since I overachieved my sophomore year of high school and, despite one split under 2 minutes that I can’t really count, it took me until my sophomore year of college to actually do it. It was fresh off a miserable 1500 and a rough indoor track season, which had made me really question whether I wanted to keep training so hard if I meant I wasn’t going to continue to make any progress.

But on Muhlenberg’s home track on a random day, I pulled out a 1:59.62 and won my heat of the 800 (which wasn’t the fast heat, but still feels good). It was my first time under 2 minutes and I got to celebrate with all my friends after the race was over. I’ve been under the barrier again since, but I’ll always remember that first time.

5.     What are your hobbies outside of running?

Um, nothing really. Just kidding. Does writing about running count? Just kidding. Guys, seriously. I do other things. I really like basketball. It’s probably my favorite sport to actually play, I’m just not particularly good. Ultimately, I’m a pretty competitive person so I’m always down to play games and compete. There’s this game we play called spike ball. It’s pretty sick, look it up. I also listen to a lot of sports podcasts and Bill Simmons stuff. Grantland/Simmons was/is kinda my blogging related inspiration.

6.     If you could go on an easy run with anyone, who would it be?

Well, the cliché answer here (but true answer) in order would probably be my girlfriend Nicki and then my college team, then my high school team. But those aren’t really fun answers, so I’ll give you my fun one.

I think it would have to be Chris Derrick. I feel like he’s the kinda sarcastic, smart, runner dude that would be very entertaining to go on a run with. There’s also like a 50 percent chance I wouldn’t like him much at all and he would think I was lame and stupid. But I’ll never know unless I find out right?

Merber would be invited too. For sure.

7.     Anything the readers should know about you?

I just want to take a quick sec to clear the air about the Steph Curry thing. Yes, I am a bandwagon mega-fan of Steph, but I was a band wagon fan circa 2012-2013 rather than circa the year the Warriors won the title and stuff. It started with NBA 2k and hit its full peak in the Warriors-Spurs series. So, like, don’t get it twisted.

ETRAIN AND THE BLOG

8.     For any new readers or those who might not know, just tell us a little bit about how you got the nickname Etrain and how you began blogging.

Well, at Upper Dublin High School, we had a number of guys who were real into the Penntrack forums (believe it or not they used to be hugely popular among runners, not just people complaining about things). So, naturally, by the time I hit sophomore year I wanted to get involved. My dad had already made an account using our family email (didn’t have my own email back then) so I started borrowing his account. So the name “etrain11” was actually the name my dad created based on his nickname (“Earl” was his nickname because of the basketball player Earl Monroe and “train” comes from the act of training in the gym, my dad powerlifts as a hobby. The 11 comes from the month we were both born, November). Once I got the account, I just got hooked posting and discussing track. I was on the website all the time and became something of a well-known name.

We realized at a couple meets that people recognized the name “etrain” so we (my friends at Upper Dublin) made a fan page on Facebook and got a ton of followers through it (relatively speaking of course). I also made a Top 50 list for XC that became kind of popular on the site and something of a trademark for me personally. My brother then came up with the idea for a blog. He created the very first one for me personally and inspired me to give it a shot and have a bit more freedom to get readers. That was really the birth of the site.

9.     What is it that you think separates the Etrain brand from other track and field websites? Any one aspect in particular?

Honestly, I feel people recognize the name because I’ve been around so long. I strive to be knowledgeable, fair and fun in my work and I hope people are attracted to that aspect. I feel like many people could do what I’ve done, however, I had the advantage of doing it first and growing a bit of a fan base for it. From there, the commenters and the readers have really blown the things up. Without the community of readers we have, the blog is nothing. I get many of my best ideas from them, a ton of information and they are the motivation to keep me working harder and dreaming bigger.

Also, I feel like I’m not afraid to treat the high school sport a bit more maturely. I’m not afraid to make predictions or rankings that aren’t just strictly numbers, but considering the subjective parts of the sport as well (and there are way more subjective pieces than objective). Many sites are afraid to be subjective because they are so concerned with offending people. I trust that my readers are mature enough to know that I don’t mean any offense and I’m just having fun and trying to keep things interesting. I’m always proud to hear that people read what I had to say and were motivated to prove me wrong. It’s just a perfect attitude to have about the site and the sport in general.

10.  When did you realize the blog was going to be this big?

Haha, never. I never had high expectations honestly because I know it’s a very small, niche market and I guess I just never thought I would get any readers at all. I’ve done a lot of writing just because I love it and I love the sport, but when you are behind your computer you have no idea who is actually reading. You can’t get a feel for it at all.

I think in 2012, when the blog really hit it’s stride, I realized just how big of a deal it was to some people. When I went to states and parents were coming up to me and saying that they loved the site it was just amazing. I couldn’t believe it. I never really thought about kids caring what I had to say, let alone parents and coaches.

As long as I have one reader who gets joy or motivation from what I (and now we) do, it’s “big” to me. So in a way I guess never might be a bad answer haha.

11.  What is it like to have a community of runners know who you are and regard your opinion so highly? Why do you think that is?

Again, I don’t really think I’m doing anything ground breaking. It’s amazing to have like a “fan base” of sorts and to have people who I admire and respect reciprocate is really unbelievable. The best part of my blogging career has been readers reaching out and talking track with me. It’s unreal.

But there’s a ton of guys who have brought a lot to the table for our site and I’m just one of the few that was willing to put my name on everything. Really my biggest advantage is I’ve been doing this for a long time. Experience, as I’ve said like a million times on the blog, is important in any part of life. So definitely for the blog as well.

12.  What is your most memorable post and why?

Alright you’ll have to let me over indulge a bit on this question. I have a couple posts that I really like. I think a lot of my best work probably came in the 2014-2015 seasons, just because I had the most time and really got into it. But my favorite actual posts might be on my old blog. I did this one post on Valentine’s Day in like 2012 or so where I just kind of starting writing and then, by the end, I had ending up accidentally making an elaborate running-girlfriend metaphor that I had not envisioned when I started. I thought it was one of my cooler posts.

But my most memorable post is probably the post I made right before the 2012 XC state championships about one of my best friends, Francis Ferruzzi. It was right before his last race and I came up to Hershey to watch him run. The post still brings a bit of a tear to my eye and makes me very nostalgic and happy. Sometimes the best part of running has nothing to do with races or times and has everything to do with friends and teammates.

13.  Is there a certain writer you try to emulate?

I love Bill Simmons. He’s definitely like a writing icon of mine and I get inspired by reading his stuff. I like to be factual and knowledgeable, yet funny and casual. I aim to try and write in a way that lets you imagine we are just talking to each other. I want people to hear my voice when I write and seem like they could talk back. And I definitely want people to laugh and to think. That’s the way Simmons writes a lot of stuff and I really like it.

14.  What went through your mind as you were writing the Brett Favre post on the old blog? What was the reaction to that post like?

Retiring from blogging before my senior year of college was really sad. I think that last year, it had gotten a little overwhelming. When you have a lot of readers commenting and sharing thoughts and making requests, it can take a toll on you, especially because I like to try and please everyone. So I just decided to take a break, especially because I could feel myself getting so old.

But writing the post was very sad and thinking back on all the memories and experiences was crazy. The support the post received was unbelievable. The comments I received both on the blog and off it were unreal. I felt so touched and appreciated and a part of the community. It really meant a lot to have so much support even after I was finished.

15.  What was it that made you comeback to blogging? Any one instance in particular?

Like I said before, I retired originally because I just felt like I was trying to please too many people and I was getting overwhelmed. But I never really stopped writing or following the sport, I just changed tactics. I was doing a decent amount of D3 stuff and crunching a ton of numbers for my XC team that year. I started a new blog on the side, didn’t really tell many people about it and just went about business as usual. I decided that if I was gonna start up another blog, I was going to write about whatever I wanted to and do things my way. Stop trying to be what everyone else wanted me to be and just do what I felt like.

From there, things just kind of grew. I always knew the most about PA High School stuff and, not to brag, but I feel that the time and effort I’ve put into study the sport in the last decade has made my knowledge base pretty darn extensive. So it just was easy to write about that kind of thing and slowly the site became more and more PA central.

I think what really made my comeback complete was finding Grantland.com. I started reading that stuff all the time and it reminded me how much I loved writing. I really love the stuff so it didn’t feel like a job or a duty anymore, it just felt like a passion and things really took off after that. I think people saw my passion and got on board and then the site became as popular as ever.

16.  How have you noticed the impact of the blog on the running community?

I’m not sure how much of an impact it’s had on the runners themselves. I think people like reading it and talking about it, but the kids make the results on their own with hard work and determination. I do, however, think that the way we talk about running has shifted dramatically thanks to the blogs that have existed.

When I was in high school, penntrack forums used to be all the rage. They were huge, bigger than this site was for sure. Now, I feel like the blogs have taken on the role of the discussion which is interesting. I also feel like the small level of competition we have injected into the market has helped push Penntrack and ourselves into better coverage. I’ve seen some of our ideas reflected in their work over the years and obviously I’ve incorporated some of their ideas into our work.

17.  If you could go back and change anything about the blog, what would it be?

I definitely made some big mistakes, especially in the beginning. I was still a kid when I started up and I made some posts and handled some situations very poorly. Even now, there’s a lot of times where I just don’t what the right thing to do is morally. I have had some sleepless nights for sure trying to think about that.

But honestly, I’m not sure I would change anything. The mistakes I made proved to be lessons for the future. I have goals to improve the site in the future for sure, but I’ve kind of accepted what the past of the blog was and I’m very happy with the experiences I’ve had and the positive feedback we’ve received over the years.

18.  What’s your most memorable fan interaction fan from the blog?

The most memorable time period was my junior and senior year of high school. That’s what I started to realize the people actually knew the name “etrain” outside of the UD circle. We met up with the CB South 4x8 that was on the verge of the state record a few days later. CB South knew our 4x8 because they were both really good teams and I was just chilling as an alternate gawking. Then one day in the hallway at Shippensburg, I was talking on the phone and Tom Mallon, future state record holder (and current indoor state record holder), walked by and just said, “What’s up, etrain”.

And I just inwardly lost my mind like nobody’s business.

19.  What is the vision for the blog moving forward?

Moving forward, my #1 goal is to increase the site’s legitimacy. I feel like a lot of people just see the site as “some kid with a blog” and, although that’s technically at the most basic level what it is, I feel like we are so much more than that. I feel like we’ve received some great feedback over the years, but it still kind of feels like no one wants to associate themselves with us at some level. I think I can help improve this by hopefully opening up more of a dialogue with coaches and athletes and getting a more active twitter following going forward and, if things go well, we can continue to make strides in the right direction. We’ve already come a long way from our initial “blacklisting” of sorts where we were the “he who must not be named” of the penntrack forums and stuff and I think we can continue to become more respected in the community if we can continue to respect the sport, promote a fun environment and create strong contact.

I’ve been unbelievably blessed to be joined by a talented and passionate group of writers who want this blog to be just as big as I do (if not more so) and work really hard to expand our range and build on our ideas. I’m so thankful that these guys have come along and done so much. We’ve expanded into a variety of new areas and I think we will hopefully continue to expand in those areas. It’s a much trickier market as there are a ton of sites out there that do what we do for college and professional athletics, but I do think my fellow writers are knowledgeable and creative and bring a lot to the table.

The next big focus will probably be a YouTube channel that we will be working to update and develop. I think we can do a lot of fun stuff through the video avenue in addition to continuing to come up with new ideas for writing pieces. We can’t lose sight of what made us who we are and what got us to this point and, hopefully, we will continue to bring great content to the community.

A Cap on League Recaps

by Jarrett Felix

Let's roll through the last couple league meets so we can get set for full on district championship action. And stay tuned because tomorrow night, we will likely be debuting our new YouTube channel with a special district edition of TheRoundHouse. 

District 3

Cedar Crest asserted itself as the potential district favorites with their first honest attempt of the season. The boys from CC clocked an 8:02 for gold and also boasted quality individual performances from Jesse Cruise and Matt Royer (4:17 and 1:57) to back that time up. Cedar Crest is the defending champions in the event and have represented the district well with two straight trips to the state finals and a state title back in 2010. Of course the boys from Carlisle, who clocked 7:52 this year, will be waiting for them eagerly at districts next week. Personally, I lean towards Cedar Crest to beat out Carlisle for gold on race day, but it should be an excellent race.

One team looming, ready to create an upset is JP McCaskey. They ran 8:04 to finish just behind Cedar Crest and, if the line up listed online is correct, they did it without their star runner Nathan Henderson (who won the 16 and the 32 at Lancaster Lebanons). Henderson is a big x-factor on race day who, because of the schedule, will be able to get his state qualifying mark out of the way for the 3200 on Friday before then having the option to double back on Saturday with his teammates and chase a state spot. In theory, a triple of 32-4x8-16 is not out of the question.

Also looking strong this weekend were Milton Hershey (8:05 for second at Mid Penns and a 1:56 open for Austin Padmore), Daniel Boone (8:14 for the win at Berks) and Eastern York (big, big sleeper for districts next week, crushed the YAIAA with an 8:05 17 second margin of victory). I also like what I’ve seen from Lower Dauphin who has the depth to compete, but just needs the breakthrough star.

In AA, both Wyomssing and Camp Hill appear to be in good shape for a match up at districts. Wyomissing took gold in the 400, 800 and 4x4 at Berks, including a strong 1:57.22 from sophomore Joe Cullen. Meanwhile, Camp Hill clocked yet another sub 8:10 4x8 mark and Cooper Leslie went off on an absurd 4x8-4:20-1:56 triple! I’d imagine he will try the triple again at districts (he’s been doing it all season and has been doing it quite well) and maybe even the Zach Brehm quadruple if he adds in the 32. In theory, he is arguably the favorite in all of those events, especially after dropping an open PR on the triple at Mid Penns.

As mentioned, Nate Henderson looked strong again, pulling out 4:17 and 9:29 times for the double win at LLs. He defeated Jesse Cruise narrowly in the 1600 and defeated Zach Lefever narrowly in the 32. Henderson will be the big favorite for 3200 come districts (he ran the equivalent of about 9:01 at Penn Relays), but the race behind him is going to be madness. Lefever has been excellent this spring and was the runner up in the fall for XC, hanging closest to Henderson. His recent 9:30 run puts another strong mark on his resume. His Ephrata teammate Nate Becker has been consistently at about 9:40 (that’s what he ran at LLs) but just needs to find that extra gear to breakthrough into the top tier of D3.

Zach Seiger ran a very strong 4:21.31 for 1600, showing excellent speed, at Mid Penns. He defeated Hershey soph Andrew Sullivan in the process. Both of those guys could definitely be factors in the 32, especially Seiger who has cracked 9:30 before and qualified for states last year. However, both may be confident enough in their 1600 times (now well under the SQS) to attempt that event fresh. The same could be said for Mechanicsburg sophomore Morgan Cupp (4:24 at Mid Penns) and East Pennsboro Senior Sam Signor (sub 4:20 earlier this year, 4:22 at Mid Penns plus 9:33 for the win). Add in Tomasko (just ran 9:35 for second at Mid Penns, but also is in the low 4:20s) and Kyler Shea (seems like a lock to contest the 32 and focus on that event) and you have a slew of sub 9:40 guys who all have realistic chances of cracking the top 5 and punching tickets to states.

But the biggest surprise for me out of District 3 this weekend was the emergence of a new 800m star. Derin Klick of Lebanon exploded for a 1:54.60 gold medal run, defeating Cole Sunderland by two and half seconds. Klick held a previous invitational best around 1:57 and bowed out of the district 3 championships last year. Assuming he runs this year, he’s a must watch. Wisner will be the favorite given his excellent credits, but a fresh and focused Klick, getting a level of competition he didn’t necessarily have this past weekend, could be extremely dangerous. I’m very intrigued to see how he matches up with Wisner. If he can dip into the 1:53s at Districts, he suddenly becomes a state title contender (the 800 is wide open). Unreal for a guy I’d never heard of before this weekend.

The aforementioned Cole Sunderland completed a terrific double with his silver medal mark of 1:57.09. He ran 4:24 in the 16 earlier in the meet and doubled back for this mark, which falls under the SQS. I’m interested to see what event he focuses on at districts and, with fresh legs, if he can dip into the 1:56s or 1:55s. Also coming through with a big, out of nowhere run, was Warwick’s Drayk Cassamajor who ran 1:57.55 for 4^th. He’s another guy I’d never heard of who dropped an impressive time on the big stage. He’s got momentum at the right time.

The emergence of these runners, along with Mid Penn runner Austin Podmore, makes for an interesting open 800 field. It appears Jesse Cruise (who may be a clear favorite in the 16 if Wisner and Henderson bow out) will be focusing on the longer 1600, so it’s going to be a group of relative newcomers preparing to chase Wisner for gold.

District 6

State College looks good. It’s a simple takeaway, but it’s great to see a 7:49 runaway gold followed by some strong doubles. Alex Milligan ran a huge open PR (1:54.79 was rough a 2.5 second drop) and Nick Feffer gave Wisner a good fight in the 1600, dropping another 4:20 for second off a reported 1:55 split. Owen Wing didn’t run on the team’s 4x8 so that he could contend in the 16 and he delivered with another 4:23 mark, under the state qualifying time for the event. Plus Tony Degleris dropped an open PR of 1:57.01 in the 8 on the double. So things are setting up for a busy weekend at districts and then perhaps again at states.

District 10

This district is a sneaky fun one. On the AA scene, the district may have AAs two best 4x8 teams. Harbor Creek ran 8:02 to defeat Seneca (who ran 8:04 at Baldwin), likely utilizing a big run from Dan Kuhn. Kuhn also ran a 50.16 400 and a 1:58 in the 800. In said 800, Seneca stand out Donovan Myers turned the tables on Kuhn, narrowly defeating the Harbor Creek senior by 0.03. We will see a slew of rematches at districts and, perhaps, our first sub 8 for AA in the 4x8.

District 12

PCLs is usually a pretty nice preview of the District 12 championships with many top schools overlapping between meets. O’Hara, who had just dropped strong marks at DELCOs, continued to roll with a 1:56.24 from Justin Jones and mile PRs for Rob Morro and Ryan James (4:21 and 4:22). They also clocked an 8:09 4x800 for the win. It’s still unclear if they have any interest in chasing the 4x8 or if they will go all in on the individual events instead. Morro and James are state medal contenders in the 3200 if things break right and Justin Jones will be locked in a very competitive battle for the district championship in the 800. However, if they decide to load up on the 4x8, they have at least 2 sub 2 minute 800 legs ready and waiting, plus a few other strong pieces. They could certainly crack 8 minutes and compete for a state medal at Shippensburg.

The same questions are likely swirling in the LaSalle locker room. LaSalle has an abundance of riches in the distance events (don’t they always?) and some of those gems looked pretty good at PCLs. Most notably, Patrick Grant dropped a 4:20.37 for a full mile to take gold in the event. It was an impressive bounce back from his run at Henderson, giving him 1:56 and 4:20y marks on the year. Evan Addison, who likely was hoping for a bit faster in the mile, doubled back from an open 800 PR of 1:58.08 and Frank Livolsi continues to roll in the longer distances, winning the 32 in 9:33. The pieces are there for a sub 8 minute clocking in the relay, but that may not be the puzzle they decide to build.

The race of the day, in my opinion, was definitely the 800. And that race was not won by anyone from LaSalle or O’Hara, but rather sophomore Kamil Jihad of Neumann Goretti. The sophomore clocked a blistering time of 1:54.89 defeating an impressive field that included last year’s district champion Stephen McClellan (4^th in 1:56.60) and the DELCO champion Dave Whitfield (1:56.26 for 3^rd). How fast can Jihad go? And how will he contend among the state’s elite out at Shippensburg? As just a sophomore? Only time will tell, but he does have a ton of state experience already considering he ran 1:55 as a freshman last year at Chester and has competed in the last two indoor state 800 finals (plus a 400 state final).

I’ve got a little extra time so I’ll drop in my quick take on the AAA District 2 Championships. D2 AA and D11 AAA are kicking off as I type this, so you can expect some recaps on those events in the coming days. Shout out to Lakeland, Parkland and Emmaus on their 4x8 runs so far.

District 2

Matt Kravitz has decided to pursue the 3200 over the 1600 (the event he competed in last year, grabbing a state medal). Kravitz has already cracked 9:20 twice this season (including this recent performance at districts) and in both races he has completely dominated the field. With some competition at states, Kravitz could cut off a lot of time and that would put him right in the mix with the pre-race favorites. Maybe, considering his mile ability, he could have that extra gear at the end of the race to surprise for gold.

One of the races of the day must have been the 1600m. Based on the splits posted online, Franco Balbuena was buried in the field with a lap to go (somewhere around 7^th) before posting a 60 second final lap to pull all the way into first place at the finish line! It was an important surge as only the winner was guaranteed a spot on the line at Shippensburg next weekend. Congrats to Franco on the epic kick!

I know the 400 isn’t really my thing, but be sure to check out Richard Ray from Wyoming Valley West next weekend at states. He ran a 49 for the victory in the open quarter and came back to add an absurd 47.98 anchor leg on his team’s come from behind state qualifying 4x4. This junior should be fun to watch on the big stage.

The Weekend Review: Cheserek Back to Winning; Tommy Awad Grabs OT Standard!

By: Garrett Zatlin

The Weekend Review is finally back and with conference week finishing up, there is a lot to cover.

Unfortunately, I just started my internship and just entered the heavy portion of my training before I run my first half-marathon (anyone know anything about the ODDyssey half course?). I wasn't able to get all the details from everyone or our PA Alumni so if there's something I missed or should be pointed out, be sure to let me know!

Let's begin...

BIG 10's
800
Penn State frosh Isaiah Harris continues to grind through top-tier talent and get wins. He was the winner of this event with an excellent time of 1:46.21. Indiana's Daniel Kuhn was a second off in 1:47.01 while Wisconsin's Austin Mudd was third in 1:47.52 and Iowa's Carter Lilly was fourth in 1:47.54.

Surprisingly, established and consistent runners like Munley (Michigan), Deng (Minnesota), and Kidder (Penn State) were all towards the back of the back. None of them broke 1:48.

1500
Kidder was the victor with a time of 3:44. Justine Kiprotich (MSU), Morgan McDonald (Wisconsin), and PA alum Colin Abert (PSU) took the next three spots. The interesting thing about those three is that they are all technically freshman (McDonald and Kiprotich are redshirt freshman).

5000
Mason Ferlic continues his season of excellence with a win over Matt McClintock, 14:06 to 14:10.

10,000
No Ferlic, no problem. The Michigan dominance continued with Ben Flanagan getting the win over Matt McClintock, 29:35 to 29:39.

3000 Steeplechase
Mason Ferlic was the favorite and sure enough he came out on top with a blistering time of 8:37 which easily trounced teammate Connor Mora's 8:52. Ferlic is on another level right now, and the idea of him being a lock for the gold at NCAA's isn't too crazy of a thought.

SEC's
800
One of the best 800 conferences in the nation put on a show for us as we saw Brandon McBride run a very smart race and snag the title with a time of 1:45.68. Not only is he running fast, but he's running incredibly smart as well. That's a dangerous combo for his competitors at NCAA's. In second was Hector Hernandez who took the pace out quickly in hopes that he could get away from McBride. Although he couldn't pull it off, he did run a great time of 1:46.15 to get a PR. He's so close to running 1:45 and it would be great to see him do it at NCAA's/Regionals.

Of course, the biggest headline wasn't in first or second place, but rather third with freshman phenom Donavan Brazier claiming third with a 1:46.19. It seems that Brazier is getting back into the groove that we saw him in during indoors. He just went from 1:47mid to 1:46low in about two weeks so it seems that he's peaking at the right time and gaining confidence. That said, he simply doesn't look nearly as dominant as he did during the winter.

A nice surprise in this race was seeing Christian Harrison (Georgia) dip under 1:47 to finish fourth. However, the not-so-nice surprise was seeing Arroyo fall to eighth. Championship season is never friendly to this guy...

5000
Jacob Thompson of Kentucky put another win on his resume with a 13:54. He was able to out run Mississippi's Ryan Walling who ran 13:56.

10,000
Thompson (Kentucky) got another win with a time of 29:47

3000 Steeplechase
The steeplechase did not disappoint. Frankline Tonui (Arkansas) ran a very fast time (and PR) of 8:39 to get him the win over his teammate Cale Wallace who also ran a PR with a time of 8:41. In third was MJ Erb who ran a pleasantly surprising time of 8:43. His PR at Cuse was 8:50, but the hasn't shown any indicators that he was capable of time like this. Possible NCAA qualifier? It's certainly not out of the question.

American Conference
800
Freshman Brian Bell (Houston) got a conference title with a 1:48 as he beat Church LaForrest (Memphis) who ran 1:49.

5000
Marc Scott and Tim Rackers (both of Tulsa) go 1-2 in the 5k running 14:07 and 14:09.

3000 Steeplechase
Ben Preisner (Tulsa) gets the win running 8:58.

ACC's
800
Freshman Robert Heppenstall (Wake Forest) runs an easy 1:49.27 to get the title. Behind him was Patrick Joseph (Virginia Tech) who ran 1:49.30. Overall, the race was extremely tight with sixth place being 1:49.70.

The VT men have impressed this season in the mid-distances especially the 800. Joseph and Ciattei ran 1:47 in the prelims (PR's) while sophomore Kevin Cianfarini was under 1:50. The speed workouts seem to be successful in Blacksburg.

1500
Henry Wynne (UVA) just can't be stopped as he takes down VT rival Neil Gourley 3:42.16 to 3:42.97. Adam Palamer and Joel Hubbard (both of Syracuse) were the next two through the line, each with times of 3:43.

5000
Thomas Curtin (Virginia Tech) put the race away with a ridiculous 55 second last lap to get the win with a time of 13:52. Luis Vargas (NC State) was second with a time of 13:53. Edwin Kibichiy (Louisville) and Shaun Thompson (Duke) were third and fourth each running 13:54. This entire top four are all grind-it-out type of runners so I'd be interested to see how this race played out and who took the pacing duties.

10,000
The top two were the same as the 5k with Thomas Curtin getting that second gold with a time of 29:42 while Vargas was 29:44. Justyn Knight was third running 29:46.

3000 Steeplechase
It was a bit of an upset in this event as Louisville's Edwin Kibichiy barely overtook FSU's Zak Seddon 8:34.46 to 8:34.85. It is a great sign for both guys who are clearly in shape and ready to run fast in a very underrated and competitive steeplechase field this year.

However, Seddon's loss does concern me a little bit. If anyone is going to beat Ferlic I imagined it would have been him. His loss to Kibichiy doesn't make me as optimistic anymore, but I still don't think it's unrealistic.

Meanwhile Meron Simon (NC State) was able to grab third with a time of 8:39 (nearly a 9 second PR) while Shaun Thompson was doubling off the 5000 and finished fourth with a time of 8:43.

PAC 12's
800
Colins Kibet (Arizona) is looking a bit sharper this season as he gets another victory this spring. He ran 1:47.23 to beat Oregon's Grant Grosvenor who ran 1:47.72.

Third place was a nice surprise from Colorado's Nick Harris who cracked under 1:48 to finish with a time of 1:47.89. Colorado seems to be developing some speed in the 800/1500. Fourth place was Izaic Yorks off the double running 1:48 flat.

1500
Once more, we saw Izaic Yorks pursue the Olympic Trials 1500 mark and once again he came up short running 3:39 (to get the win). However, the more exciting development was seeing Matthew Maton less than a second behind running 3:39.97! What an absolutely incredible race from the Oregon Duck who has really been super underrated this season. Even more exciting, was seeing teammate Sam Prakel right behind him in third with a time of 3:40.11. Prakel was able to hold off Stanford's Brinkley and McGorty who both ran 3:40 as well.

5000
Colby Gilbert deserves our respect. The Washington Husky didn't get a lot of love when he beat Cheserek earlier this season, but this guy has not let up. Gilbert took the title with an excellent time of 13:35 over established 5Ker Morgan Pearson. Gilbert can run with any kind of pace and has a big kick to top it off. Gilbert is a huge wildcard for NCAA's.

In third place, was another forgotten Husky in Aaron Nelson who ran 13:42.46 which was just enough to hold off Colorado's Pierce Murphy (who ran 13:42.43).

Leingang (Oregon) and Klecker (Colorado) also put together some nice races running 13:43 and 13:44 respectively.

10,000
The King has returned and this time with a win! Edward Cheserek got the title and the NCAA qualifier running 28:58. It may be too early to say that Cheserek is back at full strength, but it is certainly a positive sign for him in what has been an otherwise lack-luster season.

In third was UCLA's Lane Werley who ran 29:07 while Washington's Tyler King was third in 29:09. Stanford's Jack Keelan and Garrett Sweatt rounded out the top five running 29:13 and 29:15 respectively.

3000 Steeplechase
Washington's Aaron Nelson and Colorado's Connor Winter went at it in a great battle. When the dust settled, it was Nelson who came out on top with a time of 8:39 while Winter was 8:40. Both of these guys have been focusing on the steeplechase for a good bit of their collegiate careers now, and it's great to see them run so well before they approach the big stage that is NCAA regionals.

Third was taken by Colorado's Adam Peterman while Washington's Andrew Gardner was fourth. They ran 8:43 and 8:44 respectively.

Big East's
Lots of tactical racing led to slow times overall...
-White (Gtown) won the 800 running 1:50
-Bile (Gtown) won the 1500 running 3:55
-Tiernan (Nova) won the 5k running 14:12
-Green (Gtown) won the 10k running 31:06
-Fahy (Gtown) won the steeplechase running 8:54

Heps (Ivy League)
800
PA Alum Ned Willig (Brown) brought home the gold with a time of 1:48. That's another great race for him and getting the win can only increase his confidence heading into regionals. It's not unrealistic to think that he could make nationals.

Swarthmore Final Qualifier
1500
The field was absolutely stacked with some top-tier professional athletes. Yet, the real story line was Tommy Awad. The Penn senior has done some pretty special things in his career. He helped an under-dog Penn XC team make nationals, he's earned multiple All-American honors, and displayed a stunning kick at Penn Relays to win the 4xMile title. Now the man can add Olympic Trials qualifier to his senior year sendoff.

Awad finished 5th overall in the race with a time of 3:37.75 which is just enough to get him the OT. This is an unbelievable mark from Awad. He was showing that he was in shape and that he was fast, but no one would have guessed that he would run under the OT standard before Yorks did.

Originally, I was convinced that Awad was going to pursue the 5k this season. Now, I'll be shocked if he does anything other than the 1500.

District One: Alive and Kicking

by Jarrett Felix

I may provide some predictions for the district one meet once I take a look at a full qualifiers list, but for now I’ll just highlight some of the action from leagues and what that could mean for the upcoming championships at Coatesville. District 3 and Miscellaneous still to come. Shout out to those competing at District 2 right now as well!

District One

3200m

Jake Brophy made a big statement about his fitness this weekend. Choosing to focus on just one event, the reigning XC and indoor state champ dropped a 9:15.39 for an impressive meet record. He also won by roughly 14 seconds over Brian Mass of CB West (who had an awesome race for 2^nd). Although Brophy has a variety of up and coming competition in the state’s other districts, he still has a bit of a stranglehold on favorite status in D1. And he reminded us all of that this weekend.

Outside of Brophy, there were not a ton of jaw dropping marks in the 32, however we did some intriguing performances. Unionville, who has produced 3 state champions over 3200m since 2006, seems to have their next great runner in Kent Hall. Although Hall isn’t quite at 9 flat pace, he did run 4:23 and 9:42 at Ches-monts for a pair of runaway gold medals. Sophomore sensation Rusty Kujdych dropped a strong 9:35 for the victory at his league championship, pulling away from CRN’s duo by roughly 16 seconds. And Spring Ford Senior John Conner may have had the most impressive meet of all, winning the 3200 in 9:42.02 and adding a 3^rd place finish in the 1600 and a close 5^th in the 8. Spring Ford also ran 8:11.88, possibly with Conner. The Rams took 4 of the top 6 spots in the 3200 with 3 sophs filling in the spots behind Conner (McKenna, Smith and Ainscoe). Watch out for this team next cross season.

4x800m

It was an interesting weekend for the 4x8 as the favorites dropped some fast marks while some sleepers put in work as well. In the Suburban One League, we saw District One’s top team continue to excel. CB West ran 7:46.70 for the victory over Pennridge (7:49.82). Both teams are faster than they were this time last year and have an estimated 5 or so guys under 2 minutes. West’s #2 man, Jake Claricurzio, also had a big individual performance, pushing Tucker Desko all the way to the line in the 800 with a 1:55.22 PR to Desko’s 1:55.19. Desko was, admittedly, on the double from the 1600 in which he defeated West’s #1 Rock Fortna 4:19 to 4:20.

In the National Division, Abington, West’s long time rival, won with a 7:52 time. It’s Abington’s best time thus far this outdoor season. Worth noting, CR North was disqualified from this race, but apparently ran a 7:52 of their own to finish right with Abington. CB East and CB South were also disqualified in the Continental 4x8. I don’t know what East’s time was, but it will be interesting to see if missing the shot at a fast 4x8 time could influence Brophy’s decision looking ahead. Although CRN didn’t technically drop a massive season best as a relay, it’s clear this team is clicking at the right time. After an impressive showing at Penn Relays, CRN went toe to toe with Abington again and then followed it up with a 1-2-3 sweep in the 1600. They also picked up the gold in the 800 as Bryan Keller left with a pair of individual golds.

The American Division supplemented the sleeper category for districts as Wissahickon showed some strong upset, winning the 4x8 in 8:06.98 and adding the top 2 spots in the 800: 1:57.06 from Chris Cameron and 1:58.37 from Andy Harman. I’m not sure if this team has any interest in the 4x8 long term, but they ran away from a strong UD relay in the relay this weekend and also got a solid individual 1600 performance from Lukas Marcelis.

Joining the sleeper party were Pioneer League Champs Perk Valley (8:03.79) and Chesmont runner ups Rustin (8:03.73). Rustin pushed Bishop Shanahan, a solid sub 8 minute squad, to the line on race day and have Jack Carmody and Brandon Hontz (1:58 for 2^nd in the open 8) to lead the way. They’ve also got a little extra experience in their back pocket from strong efforts at districts a year ago and state championship trips in XC. Perk Valley took 3-4 in the open 800 after their victory and have a very realistic shot at breaking 8 minutes at Coatesville.

We haven’t seen anything jaw dropping on a relay from West Chester Henderson, but the always dangerous program did have 8 guys between 1:24.65 and 1:29.51 for 600 meters at their recent invitational. Led by Kavond Jones, Spencer Smucker and Josh Richard, Henderson could potentially throw together a well-balanced team with multiple sub 2 minute legs. They have terrific footspeed on this roster, having won the 4x4 recently at Ches-monts with a 3:22.

Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the defending champions. Pennsbury is gaining steam at the right time and, although they still have a ways to go to get into state qualifying position, Pennsbury did get a killer performance from Eric Kersten in the open 800, winning the slow section and running a big season’s best at 2 flat. Kersten is the last tie to Pennsbury’s state championship squad last year and ran 1:55ish on the lead off leg of the team’s 7:38.

1600m/800m

It’s unclear which events certain guys will chase at districts this year. My tentative guess is that Desko will go after the open 8 as opposed to the open 16 (easier double with the 4x8 and arguably his better event). I’d also wager Sean McGinnis, who had quite the match-up with Liam Conway this weekend, will be thinking 800 over 16. McGinnis ran 4:18 for silver and then doubled back with a 1:58 victory while Conway ran 4:16-1:59. I think both McGinnis and Desko will be state qualifiers and atop the list of medal contenders for district one in the event. Both runners have had terrific seasons and should be hard to stop down the stretch.

Like both of these athletes, Owen J Roberts sophomore Liam Conway has a ton of range and, therefore, a ton of options for districts this coming weekend. I’m think Conway goes with the 16 over the 8 and the 32 (1:54 and low 9:20s, but 4:15 for 16). Outside of the Hoeys, few runners have been as consistently strong at the mile this season in district one (and quite frankly the state in general). Plus this most recent victory over a strong finisher like McGinnis should give him a little extra confidence in his mile fitness.

We may see Rock Fortna in the 1600 this coming weekend. He raced the 4x8-16 double last year at districts (it’s really hard) and I’d imagine the plan will be to give him another shot at it. It’s probably his better event and it also seems like West will throw 3 other guys in the open 8 (Claricurzio, Zerweck and McIlhinney perhaps?). Of course, West may also push all their chips into the pot for the 4x8 to maximize their odds of beating State College (who will likely be doubling a ton of guys in hopes of challenging DT West for the state title).

James Abrahams and Liam Galligan will both be factors in whatever event they choose. Galligan is an indoor state medalist in the mile and an XC medalist who just pulled out double gold at Central Leagues. He’s a strong contender for a top 3 spot in the 16. Abrahams has great speed with 1:56 ability, but could also run low 4:20s in the 16 as he proved against the O’Hara boys at DELCOs. I’m thinking he throws his hat in the ring at 1600, but it’s hard to say for sure which event is more open to grabbing a state qualifying spot.

Despite all the fast times the past couple weeks, one of the most intriguing developments so far has been the emergence of DT West’s “other” monster sophomore Chase Semanyk. Semanyk came out of nowhere in recent weeks to become the surprise Ches-mont champion at 800 and followed it up with a 1:24.15 victory in the 600m at the Warrior Inviational. While he’s only sitting at a 1:58 PR, it apparently came off a negative split at leagues and his momentum is outstanding heading into districts. We’ll see if he gets tied up in the 4x8 at all (can you imagine if DT West suddenly threw us for a huge curve ball going in on the 4x8), but I think he could be a 1:55 guy by the end of next weekend, depending on how he handles the spotlight.

Quakertown’s duo of Brett Wolfinger and Hudson Delisle dropped 1:55.39 and 1:56.44 times at leagues, pushing them up the standings in the district. Delisle is just a sophomore (with strong mile chops as well) and Wolfinger is an indoor state medalist for the 800 who has only gotten stronger in recent weeks.

Shout Outs

Here’s some performances I wanted to highlight even if they didn’t necessarily flow in the initial body of the post. Joseph Cardie of Springfield DELCO. He’s had a terrific season alongside Galligan and dropped a 4:27-9:53 double at Central League’s for the bronze-silver double.

Ben Ryherd continues a terrific season as well with a 4:28 run at Ches-monts for third. We will likely see Ryherd in the 3200 (Barton-Hoey-Hoey would take up the 3 spots in the 1600, and yes there is a max 3 per team which makes literally no sense to me) which I think is a good thing as he could maybe even surprise and sneak into the top 8. I could see him running in the high 9:20s and jumping in with that crowded pack around that zone.

Big run by freshman Matt Eissler from Pennridge. He finished 3^rd in the 1600 with a 4:27.28 and then added a 1:58.98 mark in the open 800 on the double (likely 3^rd race of the weekend counting the 4x8). Crazy to see freshman doing such big things for the second year in a row. It’s going to be a crazy couple years for PA in the future with all this talent in the freshman and sophomore class.

Guess I won’t be having my third retirement anytime soon. Or if I do, I’ll probably be un-retiring real quick.