Millrose Professional Events Primer

By Jarrett Felix

I’m very excited for the upcoming Millrose Games at the Armory in New York City. For the second straight year, I’ll be attending the meet and hoping to see something as fantastic as last year’s meet. It was one of my favorite meet experiences I’ve had.

So in honor of the Millrose Games I’m going to try and break down all the professional events that are listed on the schedule at the entry link here: http://www.nyrrmillrosegames.org/fields-2017/. Let’s do this.

Men’s 60m

Olympic Long Jump Champion Jeff Henderson tests his speed in the 60 meter dash. He will be battling with elite talent Mike Rodgers, 200 meter stand out Ameer Webb and the young, newly turned professional, Noah Lyles. Lyles just ran a fantastic 300 his last time out, but I think the 60 is probably too far out of his peak range to make him a contender for gold here. My money would be on Rodgers, even at his slowly advancing age.

Men’s Invite Mile

The Invite Mile doesn’t have the same star power as the Wannamaker, but it’s a pretty darn good field. Remember that just last year, then high schooler Andrew Hunter set the indoor national record for the mile with a blazing 3:57 performance. This year another top high schooler, DJ Principe, will look to join the sub 4 club. Principe has already run 4:04 and 4 flat this indoors, but he looked a bit tired up in Boston when Josh Hoey of PA pulled off the upset. Let’s see if he comes back hungry or looks tired when he returns to the track in NYC.

Former NCAA champions Andy Bayer, Chad Noelle and Mac Fleet are all in this race along with current NCAA talents from the Ivy League Chris Hatler, Conor Lundy and Rob Napolitano. But my pick to take this race actually isn’t any of those guys. I think I like Julian Oakley for the win. If not him than I guess I would say Bayer. I’m interested to see how his fitness looks under his new training group. Rooting for Mikey Brannigan, Peter Callahan and Travis Mahoney to make noise.

Men’s 60m Hurdles

There’s a PA connection in this one with Jarret Eaton of Abington set to compete. He will have his hands full with former NCAA Champ Andrew Riley and reigning Olympic Champion Omar McLeod in the field. Aleec Harris is another national class hurdler toeing the line. I actually think Eaton has an outside shot at victory if McLeod is a little off his game, but it’s hard to bet against the Olympian who absolutely dominated the circuit a year ago (and I believe is the defending champion in this event).

Men’s HJ

Two words for you: Derek Drouin. The world’s best High Jumper is a must watch for field fans at the Millrose Games. I wish he was battling Kynard (who won last year), but regardless it should be fun to watch a world and Olympic champion in action.

Men’s 1k

This race should be a blast. First of all, you have the American Record Holder in David Torrence. He ran 2:16.76 back in Boston in 2014 to take that record. Then you have freshly minted 600 meter world record holder Cas Loxsom from Brooks. This event is probably stretch Cas’s range a bit (600 is definitely his sweet spot), but he will have plenty of teammates to help push him Brannon Kidder (collegiate 1k record holder) and Shaq Walker (formerly of BYU).

But the names I’d imagine most will focus on are Brandon McGorty and Donovan Brazier. McGorty is a high school superstar who will set his sights on the 2:22 high school record, currently held by Robby Andrews. Brazier turned pro this past summer after one fantastic year at A&M, where he set the US collegiate and junior records en route to the NCAA title. He actually has a nice distance background from his high school days and this event could be a really nice fit for him.

The sleeper here that I figure I should mention is Andrew Osagie of Great Britain. I haven’t seen much from him recently, but in 2012-2013 he made back to back world championship finals in the 800 and clocked a 1:43. If he is back and healthy, he has the talent to run with anybody in this field and maybe win the thing, but he also may not have the same pop he had 3-4 years ago.

Men’s 500m  

Brycen Spratling, formerly of Pittsburgh, is a master of the 500 meters. In his college days, he was a beast at the distance and then, in one of his first major professional races, Spratling set the world 500 record at the Millrose Games with a 60.06. That world record was broken last year as Abdalelah Haroun became the first man to dip under 60 seconds. I’d imagine Spratling will be gunning for revenge.

He’ll have to contend with 400 hurdler Breshawn Jackson (60.70 PR), Chris Geisting (ran 60.58 on an overzied track) and Lalonde Gordon.

Men’s Wannamker Mile

The signature even of the Millrose Games is lacking some of its usual firepower. No Nick Willis, no Matt Centrowitz, no Bernard Lagat. Considering that Lopez Lomong and Will Leer (other recent champs) are not among the entries either, we will have a new face of the event this year. Many suspect that face will be Clayton Murphy. Murphy won two NCAA championships last year before adding a US championship and an Olympic Bronze medal. He has all the tools to be a great championship racer with excellent top end speed and strong tactical prowess. He will also be looking for redemption after a lackluster start in the 3k (an off event for him).

The Nike Oregon Project’s Eric Jenkins is no stranger to the bright lights of the Millrose Games. After competing in the 3k at this meet the past two seasons, Jenkins will drop down to test his speed. Although Jenkins was a 5k/10k for most of the spring, he won the 5^th Avenue Mile in a blazing fast time against Olympic Gold Medalist and training partner Matt Centrowitz. So Jenkins may have more wheels than we think.

Drew Hunter, in his first year out of high school, will take his first stab at the Wannamaker Mile. As mentioned, he ran 3:57.8 at this meet last year and, after a great 3k in meet #1, he looks like he may be in even better shape than he was this time last year. Hunter battles with a couple other young stand outs in Henry Wynne and Izaic Yorks.

Olympic medalist Leo Manzano will toe the line, hoping to bounce back from a disappointing end to his 2016 campaign. Leo is a bit streaky, but when he is on his game, there’s nobody better. Colby Alexander, who had some memorable victories in 2016 including a fantastic win at the Tracktown Team Challenge. Robby Andrews is always dangerous, considering his signature closing wheels, but the mile has been a bit of an enigma for him. He had a huge PR at this meet last year, so maybe he is over those issues and ready to roll.

Sleeper would be Cory Leslie.

Men’s 2 Miles

This race should be the best of the day. Reigning Olympic Champion Matt Centrowitz is moving up for his usual mile/1500 focus to jump in the 2 mile. But standing in his way of a victory is Ryan Hill, the indoor 3k world medalist and defending champion from the 3k last year. Hill has terrific closing speed of his own and will give Centro all he can handle whether the race is tactical or not.

The guys who could crash this US party are Mo Ahmed and Andrew Butchart. Both of these guys were excellent in the Rio final over 5,000 meters and Butchart in particular is off to a very promising start to this indoor campaign. He just crushed a mile to show his speed is in good shape. An upset is very much in play for the Brit.

Women’s 3k

This field doesn’t have quite the same star power than others have, but it does include world class 3k steepler Stephanie Garcia and one of her American steeple rivals in Ashley Higginson. It also includes PA alum Angel Piccirillo and multi time NCAA champion Molly Seidel.

Women’s 60m

Tianna Bartloletta should be the heavy favorite in this one. Not only is she the Olympic champion in the long jump, but she also is an Olympic 100 meter finalist. She ran well under 11 seconds for 100 meters. Without her US rivals Bowie and Gardner in the field, she may be able to run away with this one.

Women’s 800m 

Ajee Wilson has been terrific at 600 meters to start 2017. She just recently ran 1:24 for that distance, making her the 4^th fastest woman ever at that distance inside. That came just two weeks after she ran the 7^th fastest 600 ever. So now she jumps up to her favorite event, looking to drop a sub 2 minute 800.

Also in this race is high schooler Sammy Watson who is fresh off her own fast 600m: a 1:27 national high school record. Watson has run 2:03.94 for 800, the 3^rd fastest by a female high schooler. Ironically, she is one spot ahead of Ajee Wilson on that list.

Women’s 300m

Olympic 400 meter champion Shaunae Miller were traverse to the USA for the 300 meters at Millrose. She takes on a stashed field that includes 400 hurdle medalist Ashley Spencer and US veteran at 400 Natasha Hastings. Also in the field is high schooler Sydney McLaughlin who, after running in the Olympics this past summer, just contributed a 400 leg to a world record DMR. McLaughlin is already #2 ever for high schoolers at this distance, but will chase the 36.96 national record currently belonging to Francena McCorory. Miller will be looking to better her 36.10 personal best which ranks 6^th all-time.

Women’s Pole Vault

In one of the most star studded events of the day US Olympic Medalist Sandi Morris will go after the Olympic Champion Katerina Stefanidi in a battle for the ages. Morris is the 3^rd best indoor performer ever, having jumped 4.95 in March of last year. She joined the 5 meter club last outdoors when she set the outdoor American record. Stefanidi has jumped 4.90 for Greece, but she was clutch when it counted last summer.

Women’s 60m Hurdles

Despite the US Women’s amazing depth in the 100 hurdles (we swept the medals last summer), we don’t have an Olympic medalists in this one. We do, however, have the very talented US hurdler Sharika Nelvis and PA high school alumn Leah Nugent from Abington High School.

Women’s Wannamaker 

Shannon Rowbury has her fair share of US records. But the multi time world medalist is still gunning for the indoor US record of 4:20.5. She ran 4:22 in 2015 and also ran 4:24 twice. She won the Wannamker last year as well, but she faded a bit from the fast early pace. This year, however, she has a secret weapon to help her chase the standard. New training partner Sifan Hassan, who has run 3:56.05 for 1500 meters, is ready to help attack this field and make the race face. She’s never been afraid of a hard early pace (chased hard after Dibaba during the 1500 world record) and also has great closing speed for a kick.

Outside of these big two, there’s plenty of other talented names. Most notably, Olympic 800 meter finalist Kate Grace (who has been crushing the longer stuff this year), collegiate stand out Kaela Edwards from OK State and recent world record setter Brenda Martinez. Also in the mix will be Amanda Eccleston, a US finalist at 1500 and near Olympian, Alexa Efraimson, the US Junior record holder and recent grad Leah O’Connor, an excellent steeplechaser who is #2 in NCAA history for the mile.

Women’s 500m 

Courtney Okolo was a dynamite 400 meter runner at Texas. She ran four of the fastest ten NCAA quarter miles ever last outdoor season including a blistering 49.71. She faded down the stretch after a long track season and was a surprising miss from the Olympic open 400. But she has used that as motivation heading into the outdoor season, running a super quick 1:25 for 600 at some serious over distance (#6 ever). Okolo could realistically pursue the 500 American record of 1:08.70 or the 1:08.40 non-Russian record.

To help her, we have Alysia Montano, the 600 meter indoor American record holder who has made multiple global finals at 800, and the reigning 400 hurdle Olympic champion in Dalilah Muhammad. Muhammad ran 52 seconds for the 400 hurdles, within striking distance of the world record. The 400 hurdle skill set is often associated with the 500 meter skill set as that extra strength can help a runner like Dalilah power through the final stretch. She’s got record potential in her own right.

Making of a Murder .. ous DMR

by Jarrett Felix

Recently, we’ve seen a lot of talk about Carlisle and Germantown Friends. The talent level on both teams is tremendous and, as a result, these two schools have posted the top two DMR times in the state. With third place well outside of ear shot. However, we’ve seen upsets before. The best team on paper doesn’t always win the title, especially when you factor in doubling. And doubling is something that Carlisle’s Sam Affolder made clear his teammates will do.

Look no further than last year’s state championship for evidence. The best regular season team was Downingtown West, the XC champs who had two all-time mile talents on the roster. However, West decided not to pursue the DMR with an “A” squad at the state championships. So that left the door open for Pennridge, CB West, GFS or CB East, the next four best teams by seed time. Or maybe State College, the soon to be 4x800 state champs with soon to be state 1600 champ Alex Milligan on the anchor. Or maybe the two most winningest relay programs in Henderson and LaSalle.

But when push came to shove, it wasn’t any of those guys who ended up with gold. Instead it was the defending champions from Cardinal O’Hara. This squad, whose best miler was outside the top 25 in the state and whose anchor was outside the top 40 during the regular season, stormed away from everyone to steal a stunner of a title. The win was in large part due to a fantastic PR run by Ryan James, who completely soloed a time some 6 second faster than his season best. But it was also thanks in large part to a couple of doubling legs in Rob Morro and Justin Jones who opened up that dramatic lead that tired anchors waited a fraction too long to bite into.

It’s unclear exactly which teams will be entered in the state championship DMR for 2017 and the next few weeks will go a long way toward shaping the exact picture. And let’s be clear, a couple of relays anchored by Nick Dahl and Noah Affolder, each of whom have already gone under 4:10 in some form or another in their careers, would be the best credentialed we have ever seen in a state final. But those teams have gotten some love and will undoubtedly get more (especially after a likely run at the National Record at NBIN). I’d rather talk about some of the contenders who are hoping to be this year’s surprise winners if the door is left open for them.

But first let’s break down how teams have been successful in the past.

Fresh Legs Help, But They Aren’t Everything

Doubling is hard, especially at the state championship level. It’s pretty hard to save something when you have elite runners chasing you around the track in any event you pick. And with the new schedule, there appears to be more doubling and harder doubling for those trying to couple individual events with relays.

The meet record holders, LaSalle in 2008, hold that record in large part because they decided to run a completely fresh relay at the state championship meet. That Explorer squad knocked off the favorites from E&S who were doubling everybody on the relay.

But honestly, most of the champions have doubling. Take a look at two of the other sub 10:20 teams in state meet history. Upper Dublin was doubling ¾ legs when they took the title in 2009. LaSalle’s 2013 title team was doubling their 1200 and 1600 legs as well. In fact, the 2008 LaSalle team seems to be more the exception than the rule. Every other DMR state champ has had at least one guy doubling on their line-up card.

So while some teams have been derailed by doubling in the past, it’s not like it’s a fool hearty concept. These guys are elite and they can pull off a couple good races in a row with the pressure on.

Elite Guys Tend to Win Titles

So why are these teams filled with doubling guys? Because those teams have the best guys! It’s not quite rocket science. The DMR heavily favors its longest leg: the 1600. I pull this stat out every year, but look at the relay champs we’ve seen in the DMR. 2009 Upper Dublin, 2010 Henderson, 2012 Great Valley, 2013 LaSalle, and 2014 Henderson all featured state championship winning milers/800 runners. The 2008 LaSalle team had the PCL mile champ who ran 4:12 (not in the PIAA back then). 2011 Wissahickon had the state champ at 800. And 2015 O’Hara had Kevin James on the anchor, who is #2 in indoor state meet history for the mile. As usual, Kevin James ends up being the exception to the rule because he never actually won an individual state title despite being one of the fastest dudes ever in basically everything.

So for those of you checking things off with a checklist at home, the only state champs I didn’t mention were 2007 Henderson and 2016 O’Hara. Now go back and take a quick look at those races. In 2007, the 2^nd and 3^rd place teams were GFS and Wissahickon. In 2008, GFS anchor Max Kaulbach won the indoor state title before Wissahickon anchor Nick Crits won the outdoor state title in the mile/1600. Now we jump to 2016. Last year, the 2^nd and 3^rd place teams were GFS and State College. We will see what happens with Dahl (it’s possible he gets a mile title in less than a month), but State College’s anchor, Alex Milligan, was crowned state champion in the 1600 meters last spring.

I mean that’s unreal set of circumstance and one that hints favorably in the direction of GFS and Carlisle who have 3 potential mile/1600 state champions on their roster and will likely house this year’s mile champ as Josh Hoey has indicated he will skip the mile for the 800.

This all seems obvious, but consider the 4x800 as it compares to the DMR. If having an elite talent was so important, you would expect to see a similar number of state champions peppering the 4x8 gold medalists. So let’s take a quick look. The 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015 4x8 champs all had 0 individual state champs on the roster. That’s 7/10 without as opposed to 7/10 with for the DMR (if you are counting Lowry as a state champ which is admittedly self-serving).

Also in the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that the 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2015 relays had state runner ups (Montijo, Montijo, Moran, Sauer) and the 2012 relay had a 3^rd place finisher (Joey Logue). However, the 2011 squad from CB West (i.e. the state record holders) had no individual state medal winners either indoors or out. Connor Manley, who held a PR of 1:51.50, was gassed outdoors and faded hard from the final after his herculean split to give his team the title.

Get to the Lead and Hold On

But as much as I love to talk about the importance of having a championship caliber anchor on your DMR, the recipe for success has rarely been: let our anchor leg catch everyone and win us a title. In fact, the best way to win this event appears to be to have a strong 1200 meter leg.

Consider this, I just spent a lot of time talking to you about all these awesome state champions. Well in 2011, 2012 and 2014, those state champions were actually the lead off runners, not the anchors. Ned Willig was the poster boy for this get out hard strategy as he clocked a 3 flat type split to bust the race open for Great Valley, but we also saw it from Tony Russell of Henderson two years later. Those teams ended up anchored by Billy Wolffe and Eric Stratman who, while excellent runners who thrived in the clutch, never bested 4:17 in their careers. So sometimes you don’t need the fastest guy on anchor, you just need a poised, smart runner who can handle being all by himself.

Of course, other times the anchors were the team’s best runners. But even many of those runners got the baton with a lead. The 2009 and 2013 state champions both had leads for their champion anchors and who looked fairly tired from their earlier races but still held on for some of the fastest winning times in meet history. I think very few teams, if any, haven gotten the baton outside the top 5 or 6 and even broke into the top 3. I didn’t think about it particularly hard to be fair, but a lot of times the top 4 at the final exchange end up the top 4 in some order at the end.

Know Your Personnel, Practice the 1200

I think the 1200 is one of the coolest events that has ever been created. If I could be really good at one event, I think it would be the 1200. OK, I wouldn’t because that event is never run, but it’s just such a cool event that I had to consider it.

But like I said, it’s never run. Like ever. Besides on the DMR where guys are leading off and trying to set their teams up for something absurd. It’s a critically important leg for a DMR squad, but you never get to practice it unless you run it on a DMR. That makes it very important for coaches to prepare the guys they put into that slot and coach them up for the moment.

Some guys just have a knack for the 1200. Joey Waddington of CB South always comes to mind for me. He’s probably the best pure 1200 guy I’ve ever known. And that’s why CB South was able to grab two high priced medals in 2010 and 2011. Rob Morro for O’Hara was a really good 1200 guy as well. I think his open PRs were in the 4:20s and 1:58s, but he still handed off at the front of fields that were loaded with guys who, on paper, were better. He led off two state championship relays. That’s no joke.

In 2009, our Upper Dublin squad had a guy who just seemed to have a knack for the 1200 in Matt Lorenzo. He was really the key to us winning our DMR wheel in 2009. He’s another guy who had PRs in the 4:20s and 1:58s but could run under 3:10 consistently in the 12.

But sometimes you don’t have that natural 1200 guy on the roster and you have to improvise. That’s what some other top teams like Great Valley and Henderson have done. Like I said about Willig, he dropped a nasty 1200 leg at states. But that arose because the Great Valley boys had tried him on anchor in previous seasons and come up short of their goals (I think I picked them to win states in 2011, a year before they earned the title). The coaching staff made a gutsy change that I was skeptical of at the time and it paid off with state gold. They knew their personnel and it worked out.

So … Didn’t You Say This Was A Post About Beating Carlisle/GFS?

Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that. Well, let’s keep it simple. What teams outside of Carlisle and GFS have attributes that fit with some of these descriptions?

In terms of knowing your personnel, it’s hard not to look at CR North and be impressed. They’ve run a couple strong DMRs this year and we know they are well coached. This team came up clutch at states both indoors and out a year ago, plus they have an experienced lead off runner in Keller. Keep in mind, Keller led off at Penn Relays and Outdoor States last year for the team’s 4x8. With Keller, Welde and Early, this is a team that could get out to a lead and maybe steal a title.

In terms of star power, I really like this LaSalle team’s upside. Evan Addison has been fantastic this year. The junior ran 4:19 for a big win at Ocean Breeze and clocked an 8:46.99 in his “off” event. Addison has the skill set to maybe be a state champ one day and gives his LaSalle boys an “x-factor” few can match. Plus, Brendan Price has all the tools to be an elite 1200 runner. For the record, LaSalle has two of the fastest DMRs in state meet history thanks to their 2008 and 2013 wins plus they were state runner ups in 2014.

O’Hara and Henderson have combined for 5 state championships in this event and helped to create some of the greatest PA Distance running moments in my decade’s long career. You can’t question their work ethic, gamesmanship and coaching. And oh by the way, their teams look pretty good this year. Henderson just put themselves in the top 5 on the state rankings and they’ve got an experienced group that grabbed medals in this race last year. O’Hara has 3 sub 4:30 milers, Ryan James running at the top of his game to anchor and the confidence that comes with two straight titles. Plus, I could see both of these teams saving up and going fresh in this event to give themselves a little extra spark.

And hey, don't sleep on State College. We will see what they do at the Carnival this weekend and if they are serious about trying to grab a title in the "other" distance relay.

So what do you guys think? If you have to pick a team other than Carlisle or GFS to win this year’s state championship in the DMR, who you got?

2/7 Indoor Standings

By Jarrett Felix

We are starting to get down to the wire with state championship qualifying so I figured, in addition to my usual indoor standings posts on LXV+, I’d attach a little bit of analysis to fill you in on my thoughts.

4x800m (16 Teams)

Currently we have 17 teams under the SQG, with Cumberland Valley the odd team out at 17. Since schools can enter both relays, odds are that none of these qualifying teams will scratch. Last year, we saw essentially all teams enter the relays they were qualified in and just run “B” squads if they weren’t going to run “A” teams. So I’d put money down that we see no scratches in 2017.

This event actually increased in numbers from 12 to 16, implying to me that they will now have two heats of the 4x8 at states. That’s an awesome sign for us distance fans and extends the opportunity to compete at states to a whole new section of athletes. In addition, I could see them taking a few more than 16 under the right circumstances. I may be optimistic, but I could see them going up to 20 teams without too much issue. If you are already having two heats, it’s not outrageous to fit 9 or 10 in each heat rather than 8. So if there are 19 teams that enter the state championship with the SQG, there’s a chance the PTFCA will just take all 19 teams. However, by similar logic, if there are 24 teams who enter with the SQG, they may just take 16.

But regardless of 16 or 20, there will be two heats. Assuming they do hold strong at 16, there will be only 8 teams in the fast heat. As of right now the bubble for the fast heat would be State College (#6), Abington (#7) and Penn Wood (#8). 8:08.31 by Penn Wood is the cut off. Looming behind them are teams like CB East (two guys well under 2 the past two weeks), Bensalem (cruised an 8:18 in early January) and North Penn (one of the most decorated programs in this event). Plus you have CR North, the reigning XC state champions, who ran in the 7:40s last spring. They are currently not even in the state qualifying window with an 8:22c seed. I gotta imagine at least one of those teams makes a serious run at the fast heat at states which could mean we get SC or Abington (the top 2 teams from outdoor states last year) in the slow heat.

Cumberland Valley sits on the bubble right now at #17. I didn’t see them on the entries for the Carnival so, unless they are running a meet at SC, it appears that CV may be stuck on their 8:19c seed time. On the flip side, District 3 bubble school Ephrata does have a 4x8 entered at the Carnival. They are currently #15 in the standings. The 4x8 is first, but Ephrata has all their individuals entered in big events later in the meet so it’s unclear if they will try to better their time or not.

Watch for William Tennent, DT East, Wissahickon and Upper Darby as teams that could make a big run at this in the last few weekends. Spring Ford and DT West are also intriguing teams who are both entered at the Carnival. And the #1 team on my list is CR South. They have a lot of potential to throw down an 8:17 kind of time.

Mile (20 Individuals)

The mile will always be interesting because of scratches. I’m betting on a bunch of them occurring. As of now, 25 of the top 35 on this list are potential scratches. That makes guessing where the cut off is very tricky. By my count, 37 guys have the SQG and my current projections put the state qualifying bubble right around that spot. Stephen Gray of Southern Lehigh is my current last guy in (4:31.16c), but he is far from safe. Just one flip from the LaSalle guys and he drops out. However, if things go well down the stretch, we could see a bunch of additional scratches. Like Nate Henderson if he qualifies in the 3k, Ryan James if O’Hara gets in for the DMR maybe even Brendan O’Toole if he stays in the 3k hunt.

The TSTCA’s final meet could be huge for this one. You have guys like Phoenix Myers, Sam Snodgrass and Sam Owori who I currently have slotted in the state meet but outside the fast heat. Then you also have guys like Cameron Binda, Eric Kennedy, Logan Lukonic and Mark Brown who are among the first 5-6 names out, but could definitely flip up a notch in the right race.

This field should be a hard line at 20. It’s one of the few events where they have not wavered. Last year’s cut off was 4:29.08.

800m (24 Individuals)

This has been the best event in the state through the first weekend in February. A total of 41 guys have run at or under the 2:00.13 SQG. By my current count, 14 guys who have the SQG and would like to run this event are not going to get in as of right now. Keep in mind that the previous two years, the cut off for this event ended up above the SQG: the only event that was above the SQG for two years in a row. So I guess people are making up for lost time.

Part of the problem is certainly that lots of dudes are running fast, but another part is that I don’t have a ton of guys projected to be scratches. Of the top 32 names, I’ve only got 3 guys listed as scratches and those aren’t necessarily set in stone. Sam Affolder is my top scratch, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him line up for this event. Jed Scratchard’s name literally has scratch in it so he seems like a good bet to dip out of this event to run the DMR-4x8 double for Pennsbury.

There are a few other guys who could potentially scratch down the stretch that aren’t currently on my list. It’s unclear what CB West wants to do with that DMR so Jake Claricurzio (currently #7 in the state) could be a scratch. CB East has a busy schedule on paper with a 4x8, a DMR and a 4x4 all currently qualified and sitting in medal contention. Marc Motter and Ata Shahideh would, if they stack them all, each be on all 3 of those relays. And bubble contenders in the 800 should be rooting for big days at the Carnival from the WC Rustin DMR and the State College DMR, as qualifications in those two events could make Nick Feffer and Brandon Hontz into scratches.

Perhaps just as interesting as the crazy fast state cut off (it’s currently at 1:59.16 but I expect it to dip into the 1:58s before all is said and done assuming the scratches hold up), is the heat cut offs. There are going to be 3 heats of the 800 with 8 guys in each section. As of now, the cut off for the fast heat is at around 1:56.8. The cut off for the second fastest heat is roughly 1:57.9. As of this moment, Kamil Jihad (1:52 PR) would be sitting in Heat 3 and Nick Feffer (1:53 PR) would be barely in Heat 2. I expect Jihad to make a jump over the final stretch of the season (he’s got PCLs, MoCs, Last Chance), but I think Feffer is perfectly content to pour everything into the two relays and skip the individual 800. He isn’t running it at the Carnival this weekend, but may take a stab at one more fast time at the last State College meet (especially if the Carlisle guys and Joe Cullen of Wyomissing swing by).

Currently sitting outside my projected hot heat as well would be Hudson Delisle of Quakertown, Chris Cameron of Wissahickon and Luke Everidge of CD East. Liam Conway (1:54/4:15) is also in that tier. I believe Everidge, Conway and bubble man Derin Klick are among the names projected to race this event at the Carnival. Outside my projected top 24 is also a bunch of TSTCA names including Donovan Myers, Zach Ehling, and Isaiah Bailey, all of whom have ran at least 1:56 in the open 800 before.

3,000m (12 Individuals)

The 3k still hasn’t gotten too crazy. The past two weekends we have seen a bit of a shake up as a slew of 2 milers were followed by a strong TFCAofGP 3k to bump the projected cut off down under 9 minutes. That has left O’Hara’s Ryan James and Conestoga’s Carlos Shultz currently on the outside looking in with a few weeks left to go.

This is an event that I could see being really influenced by the Carnival 3k results. Bubble guys like Colin Mihalak, Thomas Matsumara, Carlos Shultz, and Dominic Derafelo are all trying to flip from just out to just in. Nate Henderson doesn’t have a qualifying time yet, but was 3^rd at states last indoors. The District 3 contigent of Nate Kaplon, Ian Miller and Nick Norton hasn’t really had a chance to get in a race on this nice of a track with this level of competition. Zach Lefever and David Haines are both looking to bolster times that, while currently are safely in, could look a lot more precarious after the next few meet results coming rolling through.

The DMR bubble is also looming large. O’Hara has two guys under the SQG who would almost certainly scratch if their school makes it through in the DMR (they aren’t in right now, but are two time defending champions). CB West’s Ben Bunch has an outside chance of scratching for his team’s DMR if they plan to use him on anchor (they have a couple options). Butler (Noah Beveridge) has danced around the idea of DMR, while Lower Merion and Cheltenham seem very dedicated to it (both of their anchors seem like probable 3k scratches if their teams qualify). CR North’s recent explosion should knock Ryan Campbell out and LaSalle, always a strong relay school, is likely bringing Evan Addison onto the scratch list.

DMR (12 Teams)

The DMR has the toughest SQG in my opinion, as it takes 10:40.73 on a banked track to be under the guideline. Just 4 teams have hit that mark. And just 9 teams have even cracked 10:50 by conversion. Last year we had 22 teams under 10:47 by conversion at season’s end. So yes, I do expect things to heat up down the stretch. But where is it going to come from?

Well, the first wave of action should come at the Carnival this weekend. That’s the last chance for non TFCAofGP schools to realistically get a qualifier. But the TFCAofGP Meet of Champions DMR should also be super fast. Some teams at the Carnival include Cheltenham and Pennsbury (currently in), State College, Spring Ford, Kennett, Conestoga and Penn Wood (not qualified for meet of champs) and WC Est and WC Rustin.

In my humble opinion, unless you are GFS, Carlisle, CR North or DT West, you’ve got to run this DMR at least one more time to improve your seed. I think it’s going to get down around 10:45 at the slowest just based on historic precedent for this event. Maybe we are in a weak year, but it doesn’t really feel like we have those anymore. Just look at the crop of 800 and mile types who are under the SQG. We’ve got nearly 40 in both categories. I can’t imagine we won’t see a few teams put together line ups on fast tracks with spikes and attack the first event of the day at Meet of Champs.

 

The Weekend Review: Buff's Put 3 Sub-Four (Converted); UVA Puts 3 Sub-14 in Boston

By: Garrett Zatlin

Colorado Open
Mile
The Colorado Buffaloes have been criticized the past few year for being a team "that can only excel in one season" (cross country). But those critics were silenced this past weekend as CU flexed their dominance and put THREE men under four minutes (after being converted from an altitude of 5500 ft). Ben Saarel led the way with a time of 4:01 which was converted to a 3:55! The same was done for redshirt freshman Joe Klecker and senior Zach Perrin as they had times converted to 3:55 and 3:56 respectively.

Some may argue that these conversions are too generous, but these adjusted times have historically been very accurate when compared with other performances later on in the season (see Cristian Soratos in 2015).

Regardless of the conversion debate, these three just threw down wicked fast times and now hold the top three spots in the NCAA. Now things are getting interesting. Will the Buffs pursue the 3000 and/or 5000 later on in the season? If so, then which event do they choose? Could we even see them go for the DMR (unlikely, but possible)?

Although the Buffalo trio got all the attention, we need to give some love to Colorado State's Cole Rockhold who put together another spectacular performance with a converted time of 3:57! That's good for #4 in the nation right now. This is a runner who has been overshadowed by Mock and Jefferson in the past, but now he's making a name for himself and doing quite well. I like to think he could be an All-American by the time March comes around.

3000
CSU's Jerrell Mock led the way and the win with a converted time of 7:59! Great run and win for Mock who should be able to take this as momentum and pursue a faster time for the NCAA's.

Grant Fischer (CSU) was second with a converted time of 8:04.

New Mexico Classic
800
Another meet at altitude led to some very fast times...mostly from UTEP. The freshman duo of Emmanuel Korir and Michael Saruni made sure the NCAA didn't forget about them as they took the top two spots with converted times of 1:46.15 and 1:46.30 (respectively). These two have been outstanding so far this season and don't show any sign of slowing down. They hold the top two spots in the nation ahead of guys like Isaiah Harris, Daniel Kuhn, and Andres Arroyo.

Mile
The top two spots went to UTEP...again. Jonah Koech easily separated himself from the field and won by over 10 seconds. His 4:02 was eventually converted to a big time of 3:57 which is good for #5 in the nation.

Antony Kosgei was runner-up with a converted time of 4:07.

Meyo Invitational
800
Indiana's Daniel Kuhn is back and an entirely different level than last year. The Hoosier junior took the victory with a huge time of 1:46 which puts him at #3 in the nation. I am a big fan of Kuhn and I like to believe that he could fight for the NCAA title. This is over a 1 second indoor PR for him so I like where he's at in terms of fitness.

Close behind Kuhn was Iowa's Carter Lilly who we saw breakout last spring. The junior was .01 seconds off his PR with a time of 1:47.33. He's someone I could realistically see him fighting for an All-American position. He has great experience against big names and has had very few poor races as of late.

Indiana's Jordan Huntoon rounded out the top three with a time of 1:49. He was trailed by Ohio State freshman Alex Lomong who ran 1:50 for fourth.

PA ALUMNI
Andrew Stone, Rs. Senior, Notre Dame: 1:53.64 (25th)

Mile
Indiana redshirt frosh Kyle Mau continues to roll this season with another excellent performance of 4:00.13. He's been flirting with that sub-four mark for a while now and I imagine he'll get it soon. He defeated a great field this weekend (including guys who have gone sub-four minutes before) and I think he'll get the mark within the next few weeks.

Indiana sophomore Joseph Murphy took 2nd with a time of 4:02.

PA ALUMNI
Matt McGoey, Sophomore, Pittsburgh: 4:16.15 (38th)
Nick Wolk, Freshman, Pittsburgh: 4:16.83 (40th)
James Hare, Junior, Pittsburgh: 4:21.66 (50th)
Nate Sloan, Rs. Sophomore, Pittsburgh: 4:33.19 (58th)

3000
Butler's Erik Peterson looks SCARY good. In his second 3K of the season, Peterson ran another PR and took the win with a time of 7:51. He is one of the most experienced runners in the NCAA who has the capability of winning any races he toes the line on. He's is a sure-fire All-American in my eyes and I believe he could be flirt with the top five at NCAA's.

Indiana's Jason Crist was runner-up with a time of 8:02.

PA ALUMNI
Billy Caldwell, Junior, Pittsburgh: 8:37.35 (41st)

5000
Nicholas Raymond (E. Michigan) battled hard with Nate Jones (McNeese State). Both ended with times of 14:21 with Raymond getting the win.

PA ALUMNI
Brent Kennedy, Junior, Notre Dame: 14:46.23 (27th)
Aaron Lauer, Junior, Pittsburgh: 15:01.27 (37th)
Sebastian Curtin, Sophomore, Pittsburgh: 15:06.92 (38th)

DMR
PA ALUMNI
Nick Wolk, Freshman, Pittsburgh: 4:08 (2nd overall) <--split

Boston University Scarlett & White
800
Myles Marshall (Harvard) and Ethan Homan (Boston U) went head-to-head in an exciting finish that led to both runners earning times of 1:48. Marshall earned the 4th individual win of his career while Homan came up short of the second win of his season.

Mile
In a surprise upset, Syracuse's Joel Hubbard took down defending indoor mile champion Henry Wynne (Virginia) with a time of 3:59. Wynne settled for second with a time of 4:00.80. Hubbard is now Syracuse's third man under four minutes so far this season. They have to be thinking DMR...right? They could definitely contend for the title if Cheserek isn't on the Oregon relay (although many could argue that he will run it).

Michael Clevenger (Georgetown) and Matti Groll (Boston U) settled for third and fourth with times of 4:03 and 4:04 respectively.

PA ALUMNI
Liam O'Connell, Junior, Boston U: 4:17.46 (24th)
Henry Sappey, Freshman, Monmouth: 4:25.90 (26th)

5000
Virginia displayed absolute supremacy over the rest of the field as they took the top four spots with three of them going sub-14 minutes! Zach Herriot led the way with a time of 13:45. That time puts him at #2 in the NCAA and should be fast enough to get him qualified for the championships.

Chase Weaverling and Brent Demarest followed Herriot with times of 13:54 and 13:56. Those times are good enough for #3 and #4 in the nation at the moment, but I'd be surprised to see those performances be fast enough to qualify for the NCAA championships. Still, this is a great sign at the unofficial halfway point in the season for the Virginia Cavaliers. They still have time to go faster and secure their spots to the big-dance in Texas.

Alex Corbett was the fourth and final Virginia Cavalier to cross the line with a time of 14:12.

DMR
Paul Duffey anchored Northeastern home to a 9:39 win. They defeated Boston U. who ran a time of 9:41.

Armory Track Invitational
800
Arizona's Collins Kibet got an easy win over Sacred Heart's Trevor Guerrera 1:48 to 1:50.

PA ALUMNI
Ryan Paradise, Freshman, Lehigh: 1:57.91 (22nd)
Joe Espinal, Freshman, Lehigh: 2:00.66 (32nd)
David Fletcher, Freshman, Lehigh: 2:07.98 (46th)

Mile-Hot Heat
Chris Hatler (Penn) puts together another impressive performance to finish as the top collegiate finishes with a time of 4:00.50 for the full mile. Carlos Villareal of Arizona was the next collegiate in with a time of 4:03.

Mile-College Oklahoma's David Blankenbaker took the win with a 4:03.81.

PA ALUMNI
Sam Ritz, Sophomore, Columbia: 4:07.61 (4th)
Ryan Grace, Junior, Lehigh: 4:24.03 (24th)

3000-Hot Heat In the fastest heat of meet, Morgan McDonald (Wisconsin) battled with former Colorado Buffalo Morgan Pearson. In the end, McDonald fell just short of the win and settled for second with an excellent time of 7:51. He defeated Drew Hunter in the process. That time should be good enough to make NCAA's. I would like to see McDonald pursue the mile as well, but I think he could thrive at either distance at nationals.

3000-College
PA ALUMNI
Matt Kravitz, Freshman, Lehigh: 8:25.57 (13th)
Patrick Reilly, Junior, Lehigh: 8:26.16 (15th)

Charlie Thomas Invite
800 Freshman Devin Dixon (Texas A&M) took down PA alum John Lewis (Clemson). Dixon ran 1:48 while Lewis ran 1:49. Two other Texas A&M Aggies, JaQwae Ellison and Efrain Hernandez, went under 1:50 as well (each running 1:49).

Interesting to note that Brian Barraza (Houston) got some speed work in and ended up with a time of 1:52.

3000
PA ALUMNI Seamus Collins, Junior, Cincinnati: 8:27.38 (2nd)

Camel City Elite
800
In his first 800 of the season, Eliud Rutto (Middle Tennessee State) unleashed a flat-track conversion of 1:47.41 to get the win and place himself at 7th in the nation. Rutto is an established name among 800 runners and I feel like he should be almost guaranteed All-American. I'm not sure I'd put him in the national title conversation yet, but I believe he could get there.

Behind Rutto was New Hampshire transfer and Virginia Tech senior Drew Piazza who also recorded a flat-track conversion of 1:47.87. That should be good enough to get into nationals assuming we don't have another record-breaking year in the 800 again. He's currently 10th in the NCAA.

The next few in were Sampson Laari of MTSU (1:48.68) and Patrick Joseph of Virginia Tech (1:48.78). Those times probably won't be fast enough to get into nationals, but you have to think that these two will each be excellent pieces for their respective programs should they choose to pursue the DMR.

Mile
In the fastest section of the day, we saw Virginia Tech's Neil Gourley finish as the top collegiate in the race and earn a flat-track conversion of 3:58.11. That puts Gourley at 8th in the nation which will most likely be good enough to qualify for nationals.

With Gourley now under four minutes and two others under 1:50, Virginia Tech could put together a very dangerous DMR squad and contend for an All-American spot. I'm sure that last year is fresh in their minds after being the kicked out of the final qualifying spot in the last weekend of competition before nationals.

We can also put Vincent Ciattei into Virginia Tech's DMR conversation as he was the next best collegiate in with a converted time of 4:03. I may be biased, but the Hokies are looking very deep across the board.

PA ALUMNI
Todd Gunzenhauser, Freshman, UNC Charlotte: 4:18.93 (16th) <--unconverted...ran unattached Aaron Gebhart, Rs. Sophomore, UNC Charlotte: 4:19.83 (18th) <--unconverted

3000
In a very deep of 3k runners, Campbell's Amon Terer emerged as the top collegiate. Terer ended up with an outstanding time of 7:54 which puts him at 7th in the nation! Behind Terer, we saw freshman Kigen Chemadi (MTSU) finish with a converted time of 7:56.41 (NCAA #8). However, he was pushed to the line by a new Campbell star not named Terer or Kipkoech. Instead, it was freshman Amon Kemboi was finished with a time of 7:56.50 (NCAA #9). These freshmen are not messing around this year.

The next man in was George "Sam" Parsons of NC State who finished a time of 7:58 (NCAA #14). He helped pace Furman's Troy Reeder to be the last man under 8 minutes with a time of 7:59 (NCAA #17).

Parsons joins a slew of experienced talent in the 7:57-58 range that is itching to breakout for a faster time. The 3000 cutoff time for nationals will be very competitive once the season gets closer to an end.

PA ALUMNI
Daniel Jaskowak, Senior, Virginia Tech: 8:12.61 (11th)

MSU, ISU, WSU Dual Meet
Mile
First came Cristian Soratos, now we have Diego Leon. Montana State has another sub-four minute runner in their books after Leon ran an unconverted 4:07 to get the win. An altitude AND flat track conversion gave Leon the sub-four minute mark of 3:59. His time currently ranks 11th in the NCAA right now.

NAU Mountain T's Invitational
Mile
The NAU men went out seeking fast times. Andy Trouard earned an altitude converted time of 4:01 while Tyler Day ran 4:02 and Matthew Baxter ran 4:04.

Let's Put A Cap On It

By Jarrett Felix

TFCAofGP Meet #8

Division I

Things have been a little slow lately in the Greater Philly meets, but with the switch back to Lehigh this weekend (plus, I think people could double and may have been able to wear spikes?), things heated up in a hurry.

First of all, if you are an 800 runner this year, I apologize. Because it’s going to be crazy at the top. The SQG list got even longer this week as the Division I race featured 6 runners who hit the standard and an impressive 13 runners under the 2:05 meet of champions qualifying standard. Junior Jake Claricurzio picked up the big time win with a very strong 1:57.35. Just behind him was another stand out in Hudson Delisle of Quakertown. Both these guys are medal contenders on paper in this event, although Claricurzio will be interesting to watch as CB West currently has two relays in qualifying position. I’m hoping to see the yellow jacket in his first major open 800.

CB East added another impressive open performance with Ata Shahideh dropping a 1:58.09 to pair with Marc Motter’s 1:57. That’s two top tier 800 talents. As of now, they’ve yet to dip below 8:10 in the 4x8, but they also haven’t given it a true go in a while. Should be interesting to see how they attack the relay and then what they want to do with these two individuals in the 800. Are they going to scratch? They have the DMR and a very strong 4x4 looming later in the schedule.

Calvin Willie of St Joe’s had one of the most interesting results of the day, running 2:00.43 for 6^th. The time was not only an SQG for Willie (although, I think that will likely end up outside the accepted qualifiers), but it bolstered a strong 4x8 contingent from St. Joe’s Prep. Remember, they have Stephen McClellan in house (he’s run 1:53 outdoors), Miles Green (he’s run 2:04ish indoors, but also under 50 seconds in the quarter) and Robert Dupell (sub 2 in the 8, really fast 600 at 1:22ish). In theory, that relay could get down near 8 minutes outdoors and go well under outdoors if they decide they want it. No clue if they do as they haven’t truly pursued it so far this year. I would just say stay tuned.

Also worth noting, CR South’s Thayne George dropped a 2:03.27. This their third excellent performer in the 800 as Evan Kutney and Collin Ochs have already both posted terrific marks. Their 4x8 is another sleeper you can’t count out.

In the mile, Sean Brown of Roman Catholic picked up the win in 4:31.31, also a SQG time. He defeated Colin Mihalak of Coatesville who runs a second straight impressive mile with his 4:32 (ran 4:30 in NY last weekend). Brown is a really good runner within the PCL who has a knack for the mile. He may need to run a bit faster than this to ultimately punch his ticket for states, but he could be a slow heat sleeper like Sean Sullivan was a year ago. Worth noting, Jed Scratchard of Pennsbury was DQed for interference. He likely was up near the front of this one as his PRs from this winter are sub 1:58 and sub 4:30.

Marc Motter extended his range very well up to the mile, running 4:36.89 and North Penn’s Colin Grace had a strong day as well dipping under 4:40. Motter’s 1200 chops for a DMR run are looking pretty good while Grace could end up in a similar role for North Penn if they decide to attack the relay one more time before season’s end. They had a top placing 800 man in Santiago (already sub 2 in the open this year) and a huge breakthrough in the 3k.

Let’s jump straight to that 3k. Connor McMenamin of Souderton came ready to play as the senior debuted in the event for the first time this winter. He ran an 8:55.70 for a new indoor PR and a big win. His time let 3 others under 9 minutes and 10 others under the 9:20 meet of champs qualifying time. I thought McMenamin had this kind of ability (he ran under 9:20 for 3200 at the end of XC) and I think he’s still got room to drop a decent chunk more. However, the guys behind him really impressed me with some big PRs.

Sean Rahill and Ben Bunch had been running solid in the 3k, but were struggling to even break 9:10. However both guys were running at the front of their races and putting in strong, competitive efforts. They kept that same winning attitude headed into this race and were rewarded with big PRs at 8:57.30 and 8:58.72 respectively. This could be the first results in a potential run on the 3k.

The other big sub 9 runner was Brendan O’Toole of North Penn. The junior has focused mostly on the mile this year, but he jumped back in the 3k at the right time. O’Toole dropped a big season best with his 8:58.10 time and joined the sub 9 troop. This could mean O’Toole is sitting on a nice drop in the mile, but it could also signal an event change for the XC state qualifier.

State medalist from XC Eric Kersten dropped a strong 9 flat, Stephen Paul of LaSalle had a big drop down to 9:04 and Tyler Rollins of DT West had a really run with his 9:10.19.

Speaking of LaSalle and DT West, those two schools were the 1-2 punch in the 4x8 this weekend. Of course LaSalle was quite a bit ahead as they set a meet record with an 8:06.05 mark to win by some 20 seconds. The Explorers had been sitting on a big mark with guys like Evan Addison and Brendan Price having terrific starts and they did not fail to deliver when they got the chance. This time puts them right in line with that top tier of performers. I honestly couldn’t tell you right now who the winner of this event is going to be. It’s loaded with strong teams, but those teams are all very comparable on paper, especially if Carlisle and GFS are leaving guys out for individual events.

The reigning XC state champions made a big statement in the DMR. In an event which has been all Carlisle and GFS so far this season, CRN pushed their name at least into the conversation as they rolled to a 10:38.19 victory over CB West (who was also under 11 in 10:56). North has a very strong team on paper with milers Early and Keller as well as 2 miler Campbell. I think this is a team that could be in the low 10:20s at states and maybe a sleeper to pull off an O’Hara type steal of state championship gold if doubling teams don’t come to play. Keller, Welde and Early could give Campbell a solid lead and the 7^th place finisher from XC states can hold his own in the strength conversation.

Upper Dublin ended up winning the 4x4 in a time of 3:29 in a tightly contested race. UD has 3 guys under the SQG in the 400 and although they don’t have any super star in the event, they have had guys who have won events in the open 4. Is there a dominant team in the 4x4 right now? I wouldn’t necessarily say so, but there are a ton of great teams with Glen Mills, Abington, Bishop Shanahan, Pennridge, CB East, Upper Dublin, Wissahickon, St. Joe’s Prep and more. This could be an unreal end of meet experience, but Upper Dublin is going to have lower their seed time if they want to get in the fast heat. It’s going to be one heck of an end to the meet. Terrance Laird of Coatesville in his last race of the day? Don’t sleep on that either.

Division II

Dave Whitfield of Bonner, fresh off his first indoor sub 2, runs a 2 flat for an easy victory at this meet. Whitfield is picking up steam at just the right time. Don’t forget, this kid caught absolute fire at the end of the spring, running a 1:53 low to win the District 12 championships. He’s running the best we’ve ever seen from him during the winter time and, although he’s not super high on the state leader board, he’s a name that is looking increasing dangerous as a medal contender.

In relay speculation news, Lower Merion sophomore Diarmid Rae dropped a strong 2:04.48 for 5^th. In our The Commit piece with Matt D’Aquila (check it out if you haven’t already), he mentioned that LM wants to pursue both relays at the upcoming state championships. Rae could go with McFadden (low 2:03s I believe), D’Aquila (strong mile and 2 mile marks) and Neckowicz (mid to low 4:30s for the mile) to make an interesting line up. Remember, 16 teams qualify this year in the 4x8 so, unlike year’s past, you may be able to get in with an 8:16ish type mark. The previous two seasons it took 8:12 (and in 2015 it took 8:12 despite the fact that schools had to pick between the relays).

Excellent mile performances by Matt Peshek of New Hope and Saabir YasinSpann of Overbrook, both of whom ran 4:36s to take the top 2 spots in this one. I’ll be honest, I don’t know if I’ve ever written down either of these guys names in a post before, but those times are no joke for indoors. If they can cut a few mores seconds they are right there with the projected mile cut off. Peter Borger of Malvern Prep and Ben Hoyer of Wissahickon were also under 4:40 on race day.

Bonner picked up a second distance gold behind Anthony Harper in the 3k. The XC state medalist dropped a 9:15.47 to win over Wissahickon’s Matt Maiale who ran 9:16.09. This was a strong result for Harper who, like Whitfield, is gaining steam at the right time. By the way, Maiale is having one heck of a season. He’s been consistently dropping big chunks of time every week. I’m telling you, keep Wissahickon in the back of your mind to make noise in a variety of events. I like what I’m seeing from that squad right now.

Not to be outdone by their PCL rivals, Cardinal O’Hara opted to attack the 4x8. They ran 8:13.48 to defeat Radnor, who dropped an SQG time of 8:19.50. O’Hara, who had 3 sub 4:30 milers last weekend at Ocean Breeze, is the two time defending champions in the DMR. But as of right now, they aren’t in a qualifying position for that event. This 8:13 indicates to me, they are ready to go after a strong DMR time and maybe make one more little run at an upset.

Wyomissing Team Challenge

We talked a tiny bit about Ephrata’s pieces last weekend, but they showed exactly what those pieces look like together this weekend. At Kutztown, the District 3 squad dropped an 8:21.04 to win the 4x8 relay and defeat JP McCaskey (8:25.91). It’s unclear of that time will be fast enough to get into states (probably not as stands), but I think Ephrata has a chance to be a really good sleeper in the event. Sub 9 3k runner Zach Lefever was listed on anchor duty.

Boyertown’s Dominic Derafelo, who ran under 9:10 for 3k at Lehigh, dropped a 4:32.67 for 1600 to win a hotly contested mile this weekend. He bested a strong group of District 3 runners led by sub 4:20 man Jesse Cruise (4:34.02) and the Cumberland Valley duo of Higgins (4:34.70) and Soliman (4:42.50). Soliman ended up coming back to win the 800 in 2:02, defeating Cruise and Josh Endy of Boyertown. I’m looking forward to Boyertown taking another shot at a sub 11 DMR.

Cumberland Valley took the W in the 4x400, running 3:33.28. The won the race by some 7 seconds. The duo of Higgins and Soliman were both listed on this relay as well. I know I say this every time, but I just want to pound it into everyone’s heads in case in means something come end of winter/early spring. CV knows how to coach up the mid-distance talent. They should be contenders in the 4x8 at some point. They aren’t quite 2012-2013 level, but they will be in the mix.

SPIRE #3

Ryan Thrush of Brookville continues to make me excited about a potential Thrush v Hoey (v Affolder?) battle at the state championship. Thrush dropped a big season best with a 1:54.43 victory against out of state competition. That makes Thrush #1 on the state leaderboard (#2 if you count conversions). He’s also one of the best by overall PR, having run 1:52 last spring. He’s run 48 for 400 from scratch, a speed component I’m not sure Hoey or Affolder could realistically hope to match (although they have the strength factor with their mile times). Thrush also defeated one of the early state favorites in Nick Wagner head to head last weekend.

But that won’t matter much if he decides to pursue the ultra-difficult 400-800 double at states. I don’t think he can overcome that hurdle and be a contender for the title.

Frankie King and Dylan Binda of Greensburg Salem both dipped under the SQG extending an already long list with their times of 1:59.84 and 2:00.02. Their GS teammates Mark Brown and Cameron Binda took 5^th and 8^th in the 1600 as well. Mark Brown ran 4:31.58 from Heat 5. To give you context, the next fastest runner in his heat was at 5:18. It doesn’t appear like Salem has much interest in pursuing a relay this indoors, but they have the pieces if they want to. Outdoors may be a better bet.

Earlier in the week out in Ohio, Derek Jones of Cathedral Prep hopped on the Spire track and dropped a 1:57.92 to bolster his state qualifying standard. It’s Jones’s second trip under 2 minutes this season and a big drop from his previous season best. The 800 is crowded …

Armory Track Invitational

Penn Wood jumped into the sub 8:10 club this weekend with their best 4x8 performance of the year. Using their signature strategy, the Penn Wood boys led off their star Dennis Manyeah, who rolled a 1:57.99 split. From there, the rest of the line-up was able to hold serve and drop an 8:08.31 with 2:01, 2:04, 2:04 splits on the back end. They defeated Abington who ran close to straight splits with three 2:02s and a 2 flat. Worth noting, Abington has two sub 50 relay carriers on the 4x4 and both of those guys were listed on the 4x8 as well.

The Running Diaries: Chapter Twenty Nine

Chapter Twenty Nine

Ben Havleck, May 2016

He pushed the door open to the dining hall, his stomach in knots. He probably wouldn’t be able to eat much, but it was worth a try. The cafeteria was packed with other athletes, up early to grab a bite before a full day of competition. Most of the benches were occupied by teammates, some laughing and joking, others discussing strategy. Even the schools that only had one or two athletes had a coach sitting among them. No one was alone. Well, no one else was alone.

Ben walked slowly through the food displays, looking for a suitable breakfast. After a careful perusal, he decided on a wheat bagel. He lightly toasted it before adding a small layer of peanut butter. With his main course now set, he grabbed a banana and filled a cup of water. With his morning meal set, he walked out to the tables, looking for a place to sit. 

His options were, expectedly, sparse. He paced uncomfortably through the seats, his circumstance oddly reminiscent of his first day at his new high school. Mercifully, he spotted a small table in the far corner that appeared to be unclaimed. He quickened his stride and set off straight toward his target. When he reached the open spot, he slid carefully into the booth. At the same moment, appearing perpendicularly, another boy pulled out the chair opposite him and flopped ungracefully onto it.

“Oh, sorry,” Ben said as he realized the newcomer’s presence. 

“Nah, it’s my fault, dude, I didn’t see you there.” He prepared to return to his feet, looking back over his shoulder. Then, turning around to face Ben, “Actually, do you mind if we just share? Not sure there’s much else available.”

“No, I don’t mind.”

“If you’re saving this for somebody else, like a coach or teammate-”

 “Seriously, it’s not a problem. I’m the only one from my team here.” Ben cut across glumly.

“Same here.” The boy leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his disheveled head of hair. He looked uncomfortable, perhaps even sick. Although he was seated, Ben could tell this runner was significantly taller than he was. He stretched his long legs underneath the table, extended his arms above his head and yawned. 

The stranger dipped into his breakfast: a plate full of eggs and a cup of Gatorade. Ben followed suit, taking his first bites of bagel and doing his best to keep it down within his nervous stomach. As they ate, a pair of girls passed by the table. One spotted the boy across from Ben and stared unabashedly, whispering something to her friend, who then copied. He was either unaware or ignored this odd behavior as they continued past without so much as a word from their target.

What was that about? he thought, trying to covertly examine the boy’s face for any clues about his identity. There was something familiar about the angles of the cheeks, but it was hard to get a good read while his face was down. And he didn’t look up much. In between bites, he would diligently check his phone. Not in a rude or standoffish way, but instead as if he was expecting a message or a call.  

“Excuse me, Mr. Springer?” A small boy, probably only a freshman or sophomore had approached their table. “Can I touch your leg?”

“Sure, kid,” he replied as if this was a perfectly natural question. While Mr. Springer continued to eat his eggs, the young boy reached out a tentative hand toward his calf. After a brief moment of contact, he ran away, back to a table of his teammates who were laughing and smiling.

Ben watched in shock, his bagel fixed halfway between table and agape mouth.

“You good, man?” His tablemate asked nonchalantly, taking a drink from his cup of Gatorade.

“What the heck just happened?” Ben asked unable to control his curiosity. His voice tended loud and high pitched in his angst. 

“What-that? Well, I wish I could say that was the first time ...” He removed the long sleeve shirt he was wearing in favor of a cooler option. His top layer was now a blue and orange colored fabric with the name “Union Valley” in bold font across its face. As Ben’s eyes flicked across the letters, he finally realized who it was that was sitting across from him.

Jimmy Springer, May 2016

Jimmy picked a little more at his eggs. He could feel the uncomfortable gaze of his table mate lingering on his chest. Even as he threw down his fork, giving up on any additional food, the boy’s stare remained steady.

Jimmy checked down at his phone again. Nothing. Damn it, he thought to himself. He checked up again on his shorter compatriot who still remained silent. Lost in thought. For whatever reason, the boy’s mind always seemed to be cycling through a complex level of ideas. Feeling uncomfortable, he prodded at conversation.

“So what are you racing today?” 

The boy opposite was finally brought back to reality. “I’m running the 3200. How about you?”

Why do these kids insist on calling it a 3200? Jimmy thought to himself as he took yet another drink of Gatorade. Just call it a two mile. No normal person knows what a 3200 is.

“Yeah, I'm racing that as well. Should be a fun one. Good luck.”

“Thanks. Same to you.” 

I think you’ll need it more than me, Springer thought as he looked the small runner up and down. He took another long drink from his cup. His headache was refusing to subside. 

“Well, I should probably get going,” Jimmy said finally, pushing creakily up from the table, his meal half eaten. “Won’t be long before that warm up jog.”

The boy popped up eagerly. “Did you want to warm up together?” He asked hopefully, “Since, you know, you said you were the only one from your team here and-”

Jimmy’s head pounded painfully again. “No offense kid,” he said clutching at his forehead with one hand and holding his tray in the other, “But I don’t think you could keep up with me.” And he walked away from the disappointed runner opposite him, hoping to find something else that could cure his hangover.

Ben Havleck, cont.

Feeling rather insulted, Ben slumped back into his chair. For the first time since he woke up, he wasn’t nervous. Instead, surprisingly, he was angry. Absentmindedly, he resumed eating, finding room to put away his breakfast. Once more he retreated back into his comfort zone: his own swirling head of thoughts.

He imagined himself racing head to head against Jimmy later that morning. Throwing down a surge at the perfect moment. Leaving a stunned state champ in his wake. Of course, he knew it was an impossible dream. Not necessarily because of a lack of ability, but because their schools were not in the same classification.

To give different sized programs equal opportunity to compete at states, the Pennsylvania Athletic League had split the championships into essentially two separate meets happening under one umbrella. For every event, like the 3200 for example, there would be two different sections contested. The first would be only for schools under a certain enrollment threshold, the next for those schools that were above it. Union Valley was in the large school division while Ben’s school, Bloomsburg, was classified as small. So no matter how fast either of the two harriers ran, neither could defeat the other.

With a deep sigh, he abandoned his daydream and refocused on the competition he would actually be competing against in less than two hours. McKenzie, Davis and Griffin. Those are the guys you have to worry about, he thought as he gathered up his dishes, Jimmy Springer should be the furthest thing from your mind.

“Excuse me.” One of the girls who had passed by the table earlier had reappeared at Ben’s shoulder. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” Ben said nervously. He could feel his hands getting slightly sweaty against his tray.

“Are you, like, friends with Jimmy Springer?”

“Uh, not really. We just kinda sat down at the same table.”

“Oh,” She responded disappointedly. The girl looked back over her shoulder. Following her gaze, Ben noticed her friend standing in the corner, mouthing instructions. “Well, if you see him again, can you give him my friend’s number?” She said, relaying the directions.

“Er-I guess so. But-”

“Awesome! Thanks,” she said placing a napkin on his tray. It had a string of numbers jotted neatly across it’s surface. “He’s sooo dreamy, right?”

He gave a fake smile and accepted the paper as the girl turned to walk back over to her comrade. Yeah, he thought, I just can’t seem to get him out of my head.