I figure since I clearly don't want to do any homework today, I can throw out a little high school related stuff today. I'm actually going to be making some state predictions once the performance list comes out in the near future, but until then I guess I will just share some thoughts.
It's Russell in the mile and the doubling back to anchor the DM. That's it. That's all it will be. Henderson isn't worried about making any sort of statement, they are a strong team and they know it. They likely have big national goals the next weekend and are willing to rest up if necessary. You may get to see Moy and some of the other non-DMR legs in the open mile or 800m at states as well, although I wouldn't be surprised if everybody is kept fresh. I think most likely we see Moy to 4 leg to Thompson to Russell, but we also could see Russell to 4 leg to Moy to Barchet in which case you let Moy, Russell and Thompson chase individuals. They have options but clearly since Yale this team has not been about the 3k or the state title as a team. I hope this prediction proves to be accurate.
It's hard to pick against Russell to win the mile as well. He is miles ahead of the field with his most recent effort being an "off performance" and him still running 4:12.1 ... I mean the guy is in phenomenal shape and should dominate the field at states. But you never know I guess ...
Let me tell you something about Zach Brehm. I hope he gets into the fast heat of the 800m at states, but there are no guarentees and if that's the case one of two things could go down: we see a Luke Lefebure type upset or we see an awesome kick off a slow pace and a mid-level medal for a guy who deserves to be competing with the best in the state for gold. The 800m is flat out stacked right now, the top couple times include Wiseman and Francis at 1:53 on a flat track, Logue, Cather, Sauer and Lewis. All those marks will be seeded faster than Brehm's latest time at Lehigh (1:58.41 which will be converted to 1:57.81 banked).
So out of the times so far we have seen this season here are all the guys who could be seeded ahead of him:
1. Francis
2. Wiseman
3. Logue
4. Cather
5. Lewis
6. Sauer
7. Smart
8. Hoey
9. Brehm
10. Wilhoite
Wilhoite finishes just .01 behind him in the seeds at this moment. I'd expect probably 8 in the fast heat if they can help it, with a shot at 10. Everybody on this list besides Smart and Hoey I expect to be in it (perhaps Smart will give it a shot and Belfatto and James will also chase individuals, but O'Hara usually seems to be willing to make sacrifices for a greater team good).
Overall, my point is Brehm is in a precarious position. There are still plenty of big meets left for others around the state to time chase while Brehm (I think?) is done racing at big time invites. Also the Carlisle squad is going to be banished to the slow heat of the 4x8 in all likelihood as well. As a fan of the sport, I hope with all my might that Brehm manages to hold on to a spot in the fast heat, but this situation will be very interesting to watch develop. You gotta think guys like Wilhoite, Caldwell, Belfatto, Cooper and Adams are lurkin.
By the way, just think about how good this final can be? We are talking 1:51s by a couple guys, you run 1:53 and you might get 6th! I'm just sayin.
Colin Martin and Dominic Deluca are beasts. Maybe this isn't the sexy 3k match that everyone was thinking of with James and Russell and Ethan Martin, but I just want to point out that these two guys are straight flying. Deluca got a big upset win in a dominating performance in the mile after he soloed his state leading mark in the 3k. Then Colin Martin dropped a bomb with his 9:13 3200m! He would be lapping a lot of the best guys in the state! These two may not be the big names, but these two appear to be the guys battling for the state title, and perhaps even pushing each other down towards 8:30.
HUGE SLEEPER ALERT: Brendan Bilotta is a beast. The kid just ran 4:21 and beat out the likes of James, Belfatto and Smart the big 3 of O'Hara. Bilotta is going to be good this year and his mile-dmr double at states (purely speculatory here) might be big time. Remember when Magee stepped up big time with his 1:55 leg to get his team a gold? Well we may be seeing something to that effect in the near future break out performance style out of Bilotta.
etrain, as always, just enjoying the ride
Centennial Conference on the National Scene
Here is how some of the Centennial Conference runners stack up on the D3 national rankings.
Aaron Pannell, Dickinson 7th 60m Dash
Aaron Pannell, Dickinson 11th 200m
Andrew Carey, Hopkins 3rd 800m
Trevor Holmgren, Hopkins 9th 800m
Charlie Marquardt, Haverford 26th 800m
Luk Olenginski, F&M 50th 800m
Charlie Marquardt, Haverford 6th Mile
Andrew Carey, Hopkins 22nd Mile
Jonas Oppenheimer, Swarthmore 33rd Mile
Chris Stadler, Haverford 38th Mile
Julian Saliani, Hopkins 41st Mile
Brian Sokas, Haverford 42nd Mile
David Roza, Haverford 50th Mile
Chris Stadler, Haverford 2nd 3000m
Charlie Marquardt, Haverford 3rd 3000m
Ryan Steinbock, Dickinson 9th 3000m
Avi Bregman, Haverford 10th 3000m
David Roza, Haverford 36th 3000m
Greg Clark, Dickinson 37th 3000m
Andrew Carey, Hopkins 50th 3000m
Chris Stadler, Haverford 2nd 5000m
Avi Bregman, Haverford 6th 5000m
Ryan Steinbock, Dickinson 9th 5000m
David Roza, Haverford 11th 5000m
Schaffer Ochstein, Hopkins 17th 5000m
Greg Clark, Dickinson 24th 5000m
Henry Mynatt, Dickinson 33rd 5000m
Andrew Cerruzzi, Hopkins 40th 5000m
Sam Fujimori, Haverford 46th 5000m
Hopkins, 29th 4x400m
Haverford, 1st DMR
Hopkins, 13th DMR
Ryan Walsh, Hopkins 26th High Jump
Andrew Bartnett, Hopkins 18th Pole Vault
Alex Naticchia, Hopkins 48th Long Jump
Alex Jebb, Hopkins 32nd Triple Jump
Aaron Pannell, Dickinson 7th 60m Dash
Aaron Pannell, Dickinson 11th 200m
Andrew Carey, Hopkins 3rd 800m
Trevor Holmgren, Hopkins 9th 800m
Charlie Marquardt, Haverford 26th 800m
Luk Olenginski, F&M 50th 800m
Charlie Marquardt, Haverford 6th Mile
Andrew Carey, Hopkins 22nd Mile
Jonas Oppenheimer, Swarthmore 33rd Mile
Chris Stadler, Haverford 38th Mile
Julian Saliani, Hopkins 41st Mile
Brian Sokas, Haverford 42nd Mile
David Roza, Haverford 50th Mile
Chris Stadler, Haverford 2nd 3000m
Charlie Marquardt, Haverford 3rd 3000m
Ryan Steinbock, Dickinson 9th 3000m
Avi Bregman, Haverford 10th 3000m
David Roza, Haverford 36th 3000m
Greg Clark, Dickinson 37th 3000m
Andrew Carey, Hopkins 50th 3000m
Chris Stadler, Haverford 2nd 5000m
Avi Bregman, Haverford 6th 5000m
Ryan Steinbock, Dickinson 9th 5000m
David Roza, Haverford 11th 5000m
Schaffer Ochstein, Hopkins 17th 5000m
Greg Clark, Dickinson 24th 5000m
Henry Mynatt, Dickinson 33rd 5000m
Andrew Cerruzzi, Hopkins 40th 5000m
Sam Fujimori, Haverford 46th 5000m
Hopkins, 29th 4x400m
Haverford, 1st DMR
Hopkins, 13th DMR
Ryan Walsh, Hopkins 26th High Jump
Andrew Bartnett, Hopkins 18th Pole Vault
Alex Naticchia, Hopkins 48th Long Jump
Alex Jebb, Hopkins 32nd Triple Jump
NCAA Action
Last night I watched Lawi Lalang become the fastest mile in NCAA history when he clocked his 3:52.88 and moments later watched a Division II athlete beat a field of some of the best runners at the D1 level in the 3000m, including my boy Ben Saarel. Then I watched a real disappointing slam dunk contest.
Kevin Batt, a Junior from Adam State, ran 7:52.15 at the UW Husky Classic last night, making him the #4 runner in the entire NCAA at this moment! Unbelievable running by him, just Lawi, Korolev and Geoghegan sit ahead of him at this moment. Korolev and Geoghegan have been two of the most exciting stories this year. Korolev just runs all-out, his face is in permanent pain but somehow every time he looks like he is about to fall off, he finds another gear and holds on. Those Ivy league guys get it down.
Lawi is in flat out domination mode, can't see anybody touching this man this year. He will win whatever he wants to at NCAAs (besides the DMR which he probably can't quite pull off by himself).
For the record, there are 30 guys across all levels who have broken 8 minutes for 3k this year. I saw Jake Hursyz run 7:59.89 yesterday and he was so back in the pack, the flotrack guys thought he dropped out of the race! That's unbelievable depth at the college level and a truly remarkable group that will fight for NCAA spots.
In the mile 19 guys have broken the 4 minute barrier with a large group of others (11) that are under 4:01.00 and looking for more. Jordan Williamsyz of Villanova became the NCAA leader (besides Lawi) when he ran 3:56.84 at the Iowa State Classic.
In terms of DMR stuff, Oregon has two guys under, Notre Dame has two under, Nova has two under (one of whom almost never runs on their DMR A team), Dartmouth has three under 4:01.
In the 800m this weekend PA's own Sam Ellison ran 1:48.40 which I believe is an indoor PR for him and a very nice midseason mark. That being said, the Iowa State 800m was stacked and Ellison actually ran his time dominating the slow section of the meet. In the fast heat, Edward Kemboi ran 1:45.98! Easily an NCAA #1 mark. In the process he pulled Sean Obinwa from Florida, Billy Ledder from GTown and freshman Andres Arroyo from Florida to sub 1:48 marks. There are currently 18 guys under 1:49.00 in the NCAA, two of which run for PSU (Watkins and Kidder). The Division II boys are still representing well on the national scene. Drew Windle of D2 Ashland dropped a 1:46.52 this weekend in an effort that secured him a win by over 2 seconds!
At 5000m, Reed Conner barely edged out Patrick Tiernan, the freshman stud from Nova, both guys running 13:37. Those marks were fantastic, but Eddy Cheserek's 13:40, closing in 58, was the performance of the night. The surprise NCAA champ in XC is eyeing up a repeat performance in the 5000m indoors. He also has interesting DMR duties to consider going forward and maybe we will see a 3k with a nice time. After the dramatic bit of 5k running this weekend nation wide there are now 25 guys under 14 minutes for 5k in the NCAA.
Kevin Batt, a Junior from Adam State, ran 7:52.15 at the UW Husky Classic last night, making him the #4 runner in the entire NCAA at this moment! Unbelievable running by him, just Lawi, Korolev and Geoghegan sit ahead of him at this moment. Korolev and Geoghegan have been two of the most exciting stories this year. Korolev just runs all-out, his face is in permanent pain but somehow every time he looks like he is about to fall off, he finds another gear and holds on. Those Ivy league guys get it down.
Lawi is in flat out domination mode, can't see anybody touching this man this year. He will win whatever he wants to at NCAAs (besides the DMR which he probably can't quite pull off by himself).
For the record, there are 30 guys across all levels who have broken 8 minutes for 3k this year. I saw Jake Hursyz run 7:59.89 yesterday and he was so back in the pack, the flotrack guys thought he dropped out of the race! That's unbelievable depth at the college level and a truly remarkable group that will fight for NCAA spots.
In the mile 19 guys have broken the 4 minute barrier with a large group of others (11) that are under 4:01.00 and looking for more. Jordan Williamsyz of Villanova became the NCAA leader (besides Lawi) when he ran 3:56.84 at the Iowa State Classic.
In terms of DMR stuff, Oregon has two guys under, Notre Dame has two under, Nova has two under (one of whom almost never runs on their DMR A team), Dartmouth has three under 4:01.
In the 800m this weekend PA's own Sam Ellison ran 1:48.40 which I believe is an indoor PR for him and a very nice midseason mark. That being said, the Iowa State 800m was stacked and Ellison actually ran his time dominating the slow section of the meet. In the fast heat, Edward Kemboi ran 1:45.98! Easily an NCAA #1 mark. In the process he pulled Sean Obinwa from Florida, Billy Ledder from GTown and freshman Andres Arroyo from Florida to sub 1:48 marks. There are currently 18 guys under 1:49.00 in the NCAA, two of which run for PSU (Watkins and Kidder). The Division II boys are still representing well on the national scene. Drew Windle of D2 Ashland dropped a 1:46.52 this weekend in an effort that secured him a win by over 2 seconds!
At 5000m, Reed Conner barely edged out Patrick Tiernan, the freshman stud from Nova, both guys running 13:37. Those marks were fantastic, but Eddy Cheserek's 13:40, closing in 58, was the performance of the night. The surprise NCAA champ in XC is eyeing up a repeat performance in the 5000m indoors. He also has interesting DMR duties to consider going forward and maybe we will see a 3k with a nice time. After the dramatic bit of 5k running this weekend nation wide there are now 25 guys under 14 minutes for 5k in the NCAA.
Predictions for the PTFCA Carnival
First off I thought it might be helpful to include the meet schedule for this event:
60m Hurdles trials: (winner plus times to finals)
60m Dash trials: (winner plus times to finals)
Mile run
400 meter dash
60 meter hurdles: finals
60 meter dash: finals
800 meter run
200 meter dash
3000 meter run
4 x 200 meter relay
4 x 800 meter relay
Distance Medley (1200m, 400m, 800m, 1600m)
4 x 400 meter relay
Mile
My top 5 goes as follows,
1. Austin Cooper
2. Sam Ritz
3. Paul Power
4. Dominic Deluca
5. Watson Hanson
Others who could surprise in no particular order include:
Jon Perlman
Liam O'Connell
Dave Garton
Colin Abert
Chris Cummings
Dominic Huckleberry
Alex Knapp
Aaron Lauer
Dan Shalala
Josh Smith
Colin Wills
Nate Endenfield
I see Cooper riding a solid wave of momentum and pulling off a bit of a stunner upset wise. Power is on the verge of big break out in my mind. Deluca may be the fittest out of everyone but I am not yet sold on his mile abilities. Hanson was kind of almost a dice roll pick as I think Perlman, O'Connell or Cummings could easily be in the spot. Huckleberry is certainly the big sleeper if it turns out he is in racing shape which is no guarantee. Sometimes it takes a race or two to get back in the swing of things.
800m
My top 5 goes as follows,
1. Zach Brehm
2. Alek Sauer
3. Colin McLaughlin
4. Gunnar Sjoreen
5. Graham Allen
Others who could surprise in no particular order include:
James Chappell
Nate Edenfield
Jabari Freeman
Sean Dougherty
Here is the thing, Brehm is opting for the 800m at this mean, which kinda locks him in to running this event at states (he isn't going to get into the hot heat of the mile with a 4:30. So Brehm needs to run fast and get himself into the fast heat of a very competitive 800m field. I believe that he will pull out a big performance to lock up that spot. That being said, a desperate guy can take a race out hard and let a kicker come get him. That's why I think Sauer is definitely dangerous for the upset in this field. Watch out. I picked McLaughlin probably almost purely because I'm impressed by what Quakertown could do in the DM and I assume they have to have a leg who is much better than I expected. I'm betting on McLaughlin as a result. Allen and Sjoreen are both consistent and either of them could break out at any moment.
3000m
1. Cole Nissley
2. Patrick Reilly
3. Griffin Molino
4. Alexander Balla
5. Chris Cummings
Others would could surprise in no particular order include:
Kevin Lapsansky
Paul Power
Will Swart
Jack Tidball
First off, I have a hard time picking anyone to finish high who is doubling off the mile in an event like this. Things always move quicker than you think and this is a hard double at any level when you have a mile and a 3k on your plate. I would be picking Molino to win this race, but I am always worried about guys who haven't raced in a while getting out a little over their head. It usually takes one to break off the rust. Nissley needs a big day and I think he may get the W as a result. Reilly is strong as well and not one to mess with. Balla gets the Quakertown treatment that I'm giving McLaughlin as well. Hoping for the best.
Relays
Going have to be careful with these because it is really hard to project who is going to do what and where so first I just listed off some of the names that stood out to me in each of the relays.
4x8
Abington
Avon Grove
Cedar Crest
CB South
CB West
Conestoga
DT West
GFS
Malvern Prep
Pennsbury
Perk Valley
Spring Ford
State College
Strath Haven
Upper Merion
West Chester East
West Chester Henderson
Wyomissing
DMR
Carlisle
Conestoga
Easton
GFS
Pennsbury
Perkiomen Valley
Radnor
State College
Strath Haven
Tunkhannock
Upper Merion
West Chester East
West Chester Henderson
Wyomissing
So those are the names. Here is what I speculate. Carlisle is definitely going hot in the DM. So too, I'd imagine, is State College. But State College will be at Millrose the night before which may complicate things. Radnor isn't racing Holm so I expect they may be trying to hop in a good DMR. The DMR could be loaded with teams like GFS (racing 0 individuals), State College, Pennsbury, Conestoga (no Marston in the open), Perk Valley and sleeper pick Wyomissing (also 0 individuals). That seems more likely to be what people load up on if I had to guess. I'm not sure what Henderson's plan is, but I'm not expecting anything all out from whatever team they bring. Their A team will be at Millrose that weekend.
In the 4x8 Avon Grove is a sleeper as is Haven if they don't go DM. Plus Malvern Prep is only entered in the 4x8 with little individuals to be found so I'd imagine they are trying to run like 8:05 or faster. I think the DMR is the relay to watch, but the 4x8 certainly can surprise if the right teams throw their chips in the pot.
Keep the following facts in mind:
DT West still needs a state spot in the 4x8 as do CBSouth and CB West, these are all teams that may be trying to get it this weekend. GFS possibly as well. Other teams like Radnor, Penn Wood, etc. may be trying to get a faster seed time so they can get in the hot heat at states. Wyomissing is a wild car here as who knows which event they will pick, they need both.
In the DM, there are currently 10 teams qualified state wide, meaning that those low 10:50 times will not be cutting it by seasons end. So teams like CB West who have run 10:54 definitely need to drop time. Conestoga, Haven, Perk Valley, Upper Merion, Wyomissing, Pennsbury, Carlisle and State College all do not have state qualifying marks in the DM but all could be medal contenders come states. I'd expect this to be the loaded race as this is the perfect chance to get a slew of teams down in the 10:40 range like NP and LaSalle just did.
60m Hurdles trials: (winner plus times to finals)
60m Dash trials: (winner plus times to finals)
Mile run
400 meter dash
60 meter hurdles: finals
60 meter dash: finals
800 meter run
200 meter dash
3000 meter run
4 x 200 meter relay
4 x 800 meter relay
Distance Medley (1200m, 400m, 800m, 1600m)
4 x 400 meter relay
Mile
My top 5 goes as follows,
1. Austin Cooper
2. Sam Ritz
3. Paul Power
4. Dominic Deluca
5. Watson Hanson
Others who could surprise in no particular order include:
Jon Perlman
Liam O'Connell
Dave Garton
Colin Abert
Chris Cummings
Dominic Huckleberry
Alex Knapp
Aaron Lauer
Dan Shalala
Josh Smith
Colin Wills
Nate Endenfield
I see Cooper riding a solid wave of momentum and pulling off a bit of a stunner upset wise. Power is on the verge of big break out in my mind. Deluca may be the fittest out of everyone but I am not yet sold on his mile abilities. Hanson was kind of almost a dice roll pick as I think Perlman, O'Connell or Cummings could easily be in the spot. Huckleberry is certainly the big sleeper if it turns out he is in racing shape which is no guarantee. Sometimes it takes a race or two to get back in the swing of things.
800m
My top 5 goes as follows,
1. Zach Brehm
2. Alek Sauer
3. Colin McLaughlin
4. Gunnar Sjoreen
5. Graham Allen
Others who could surprise in no particular order include:
James Chappell
Nate Edenfield
Jabari Freeman
Sean Dougherty
Here is the thing, Brehm is opting for the 800m at this mean, which kinda locks him in to running this event at states (he isn't going to get into the hot heat of the mile with a 4:30. So Brehm needs to run fast and get himself into the fast heat of a very competitive 800m field. I believe that he will pull out a big performance to lock up that spot. That being said, a desperate guy can take a race out hard and let a kicker come get him. That's why I think Sauer is definitely dangerous for the upset in this field. Watch out. I picked McLaughlin probably almost purely because I'm impressed by what Quakertown could do in the DM and I assume they have to have a leg who is much better than I expected. I'm betting on McLaughlin as a result. Allen and Sjoreen are both consistent and either of them could break out at any moment.
3000m
1. Cole Nissley
2. Patrick Reilly
3. Griffin Molino
4. Alexander Balla
5. Chris Cummings
Others would could surprise in no particular order include:
Kevin Lapsansky
Paul Power
Will Swart
Jack Tidball
First off, I have a hard time picking anyone to finish high who is doubling off the mile in an event like this. Things always move quicker than you think and this is a hard double at any level when you have a mile and a 3k on your plate. I would be picking Molino to win this race, but I am always worried about guys who haven't raced in a while getting out a little over their head. It usually takes one to break off the rust. Nissley needs a big day and I think he may get the W as a result. Reilly is strong as well and not one to mess with. Balla gets the Quakertown treatment that I'm giving McLaughlin as well. Hoping for the best.
Relays
Going have to be careful with these because it is really hard to project who is going to do what and where so first I just listed off some of the names that stood out to me in each of the relays.
4x8
Abington
Avon Grove
Cedar Crest
CB South
CB West
Conestoga
DT West
GFS
Malvern Prep
Pennsbury
Perk Valley
Spring Ford
State College
Strath Haven
Upper Merion
West Chester East
West Chester Henderson
Wyomissing
DMR
Carlisle
Conestoga
Easton
GFS
Pennsbury
Perkiomen Valley
Radnor
State College
Strath Haven
Tunkhannock
Upper Merion
West Chester East
West Chester Henderson
Wyomissing
So those are the names. Here is what I speculate. Carlisle is definitely going hot in the DM. So too, I'd imagine, is State College. But State College will be at Millrose the night before which may complicate things. Radnor isn't racing Holm so I expect they may be trying to hop in a good DMR. The DMR could be loaded with teams like GFS (racing 0 individuals), State College, Pennsbury, Conestoga (no Marston in the open), Perk Valley and sleeper pick Wyomissing (also 0 individuals). That seems more likely to be what people load up on if I had to guess. I'm not sure what Henderson's plan is, but I'm not expecting anything all out from whatever team they bring. Their A team will be at Millrose that weekend.
In the 4x8 Avon Grove is a sleeper as is Haven if they don't go DM. Plus Malvern Prep is only entered in the 4x8 with little individuals to be found so I'd imagine they are trying to run like 8:05 or faster. I think the DMR is the relay to watch, but the 4x8 certainly can surprise if the right teams throw their chips in the pot.
Keep the following facts in mind:
DT West still needs a state spot in the 4x8 as do CBSouth and CB West, these are all teams that may be trying to get it this weekend. GFS possibly as well. Other teams like Radnor, Penn Wood, etc. may be trying to get a faster seed time so they can get in the hot heat at states. Wyomissing is a wild car here as who knows which event they will pick, they need both.
In the DM, there are currently 10 teams qualified state wide, meaning that those low 10:50 times will not be cutting it by seasons end. So teams like CB West who have run 10:54 definitely need to drop time. Conestoga, Haven, Perk Valley, Upper Merion, Wyomissing, Pennsbury, Carlisle and State College all do not have state qualifying marks in the DM but all could be medal contenders come states. I'd expect this to be the loaded race as this is the perfect chance to get a slew of teams down in the 10:40 range like NP and LaSalle just did.
Centennial Conference Predicting
So we are at the point in the season now where the Conference picture is starting to come together a little clearer. Before I really get into my analysis of who is going to run what as of right now, let me first note a few things about the conference. This year the 5000m is on Saturday while the rest of the events come on Sunday. This means that the 5000m-3000m double is all the more feasible and that the 5k-DMR double is now not out of the question (although still fairly unlikely). Just about everybody at the top level who runs the 5k is likely throwing their name down for the 3k as well, there isn't much of a point in resting them if they are qualified. And really there isn't too much incentive to rest a guy to keep him fresh for the 3k.
Also I have to note that the 800m isn't looking quite as deep as it has in years past. Sure there are the big front runners in the race, but considering the 4x8 and 800s relative proximity and the importance many schools place on the relay, it is very possible that some slower times and less well known names will score. Many of the mid-range guys who are around 2 flat would drop out in favor of the 4x8 in most years, but this year those guys are top 12ish guys. So for example Swat, who has always been a team willing to sacrifice individuals for relays, has 3 guys at 1:57 or faster, giving them 3 potential top 8 seeds. But those guys may opt to try and win a 4x8 title and all scratch out. Hyland and Rasmussen are prototype relay guys, but could still possibly end up scorers. F&M has bowed out of the open 8 every year in order to capture 4x8 gold and may be in favor of doing that once more this season. So we are looking, as of now, at a variety of 2 flat guys who could sneak a point.
Here is the group that I project will run the 800 with a list of a few possible others:
1. Andrew Carey, Hopkins
2. Trevor Holmgren, Hopkins
3. Charlie Marquardt, Haverford
4. Gebby Kenny, Haverford
5. Drew Mackin, Ursinus
6. Jon Jackson, Dickinson
7. Jake Zamostny, McDaniel
8. Chris Gardner, Haverford
9. Arvind Arikitia, Hopkins
Those are the only guys out of the top 25 in the conference that I have competing! A 2:03 guy is 9th in the toughest distance conference on this side of the Mississippi!
But there are all of these guys who I see saving it for the relay that may opt to switch in:
Oppenheimer, Green, White, Rasmussen, Hyland, Hepner, Branch, Rada, Olenginski, Olenginski ... the list goes on
Now the field looks a little bit more intimidating and more like a centennial conference field should look.
So keeping all of this in mind here is what I see happening for each distance team in the conference:
McDaniel
Surprisingly, this squad actually has nice relay potential this year. They have already run sub 8:20 in the 4x8 despite not having a clear 4th leg. They have a 2 flat and a 2:02 guy on the roster as well as Chris Jones who had a nice XC season this year. But Zamostny, the 2 flat guy, has a real chance of scoring in the aforementioned bizzare 800 scenario. This, in combination with the lack of a clear 4th leg makes me think McDaniel will opt for something along the lines of:
DMR: Merkel, 4 leg, Zamostny, Jones
800m: Zamostny
4x800m: Merkel, Zamostny, Jones, Lapenta
There is potential for some rearranging of the DMR legs if they feel Merkel and Zamostny are better off on longer legs. Also we could see Merkel in the mile or Zamostny pull out of the 800m in order to give his squad the best chance at doing well in both relays.
Ursinus
Ursinus really has two things going for them: Andrew Mackin and Vinny Flood. They could try to use them to throw together a solid DM with one more half way decent 800m leg, but I think they understand that Mackin will do them the most good if he is fresh in the 800. Therefore, no real point of wasting Flood on the DM. He can try and sneak a point in a depleted mile field and then they can bring them back to give their best shot at snagging a point in the 4x8 (although the way the field is shaping up they are almost a definite 9th in both relays). So here is what I would guess:
DMR: some combination of Slade, Wacker, Rudich, Ammons and Hartop with a 400 guy in there
Mile: Flood
800m: Mackin
4x800m: Flood, Mackin, Slade, Wacker (if healthy, otherwise Ammons)
There is potentially here to try for something magical in the DM, but I'd be pretty surprised. Mackin is coming on quickly as a title hopeful in the open 8, they gotta keep him fresh.
Gettysburg
Gettysburg's decision to unleash Sharp and Rausch in the open 8 really changed the balance of power in the entire conference meet as Sharp's fast pace led to the medals falling into the slow heat. Now the question is will Gettysburg look to repeat this feat with the less talented duo of Hill and Hovrath. Rausch may come back and some point this season, but with no races under his belt it's hard to rely on him. Gettysburg is tricky because they don't seem to have enough pieces to really attack the 4x8, but the 4x8 is their favorite event to attack. They have done a pretty solid job in that event as well. If I had to take a stab at predicting, given only what I have seen so far, here's my best bet
DMR: Brown, 4 guy, Horvath, Taber
800m: Hill
4x800m: Hill, Horvath, Brown, Wojick
Now obviously all this can change with the emergence of a healthy Rausch. I also could see Hill being pulled from the open 8 in favor of a bit more stacked off a DMR (Hill likely being the 1200m man in this situation). Gettysburg also has the pieces to run a decent DMR without using any of their key 800m legs (if Rausch comes back) so there is also the outside chance they keep everyone fresh to attack the relay. I'd say that's the least likely situation (although they have like 7 guys at 4:46 or faster to at the very least fill in the slow heats of the mile).
Franklin and Marshall
The biggest question when it comes to F&M will be whether or not they will insist on continued their 4x8 tradition. They have won it the last two years simply by saving all their pieces until the very end and running away from exhausted Haverford and Hopkins teams that have tried to chase them down (and I suppose Dickinson and Gettysburg each had a decent showing in there). It has to be starting to lose it's luster as they know that the other top teams are doubling and tripling guys to use against them. Plus the Olenginskis have become the leaders of the conference at 800 (despite Luk missing the finals outdoors last year). I think they have something to prove at this meet. Plus their 4x4 is very good, having already run 3:28. That required both Olenginskis on the team to do it.
That being said, I'm going to say that F&M opts in a consistent manner and goes after one more 4x8 title. This year they may need all the fresh pieces as Swat is going to be dangerous if they want to be. However, going forward this will be the most intriguing team to watch develop and choose their strategy.
5000m: Andrews
DMR: Eller, 4 guy, Generali, Whalen (potential for Andrews here if he is not developing better or Johnson if he is not on the 4x8, also Pagnelli or Hamilton could prove valuable in this spot)
4x800m: Johnson, Pawlush, Olenginski, Olenginski (potenial again for Andrews if he returns to his form of old).
Muhlenberg
As I run for Muhlenberg, it should be easier to predict what we will do. But I got nothing. There is still too much variability going on to say anything with some sort of certainity. Steve Sroka is coming back from injury while Kline and Munyan have the 5k to worry about as well as the potential to run on the DMR. Plus you have some 4x8 drama in there as well. A lot can change very quickly if guys assert themselves in the next couple weeks, but for now I think it will be something like this:
5000m: Kline, Munyan
DMR: McGetrick, 4 leg, Sroka, Kline (potential to switch around McGetrick and Sroka with Munyan, Kentwell and others)
4x800m: Kentwell, Newcomb, Elkan, Felix (potential for McGetrick, Sroka or even Kline to sneak in here and rearrange the pieces)
I also wouldn't be surprised if the 5k is scrapped to some degree and the Mules opt to stack the DM and the 4x8 with the guys they see fit. Should be interesting to watch it unfold from the front row.
Swarthmore
Another incredibly difficult team to predict. Swat in the past has been more than willing to give up individual glory for a shot at team success. However, the team has never been quite this good before. Oppenheimer, Green and White are sure fire contenders in there top events. However, we also know that Swat has already run 7:59 for 4x8 and probably wouldn't mind taking their shot at a title. Like F&M we will have to wait it out to some degree and see what happens with their priorities. Keep in mind they have a slew of 3k-5k guys with a lot of talent that they may be able to move around to a variety of places. My best bet is the following:
5000m: Russell
DMR: Green, 4 leg, White, Branch (they also have Friske, Creem, Castro-Wehr, Russell and they could easily scrap this DMR entirely and plug in those guys and do well .. Also don't be surprised if White is the 400 leg ... or better yet don't be surprised if they go all in on the DMR with their 50. leg Oppenheimer on the anchor and White and Green doing the rest ... that team can run under 10:20 and would almost definitely win gold)
Mile: Oppenheimer (deserves a chance on the big stage in my opinion), Creem, Castro-Wehr
3000m: Friske, Russell
4x800m: Oppenheimer, White, Green, Branch (go for the W with a relatively fresh group)
As you can tell, I'm not sure we won't see a stacked DM and then guys on the double in the individuals or possibly something completely different, but if I had to predict based on what I have seen in the past this is my best bet.
Dickinson
Hard to imagine Dickinson is an after thought these days in the distance events. They are going to be flat out stacked across the board, but somehow they will fly hard core under the radar with Hopkins and Haverford in a tight battle for the team title (even though from the looks of the things right now Hopkins is winning handily). Dickinson has such strong individuals it makes their relays a little bit more questionable, but I would bet they will put in their 'B' guys and not do what they have done at the past (letting someone like Steinbock anchor the DM). In my opinion Steinbock and Sansevere shouldn't touch the DM with a ten foot pole, but if Dickinson decides they want to try and win it, those are the first guys they will turn to. I don't see it being that way because I see Steinbock going for the triple threat, which is no easy feat. Here is how I see it:
5000m: Basically everybody and their mom, Steinbock, Mynatt, Clark, Smith, Sisson, Simmons, Klein, Strenta, Howard, Rinehardt
DMR: White, 4 leg, Hepner, Brady
Mile: Steinbock, Sansevere
800m: Jackson (defending champion has to have a chance to defend his title right?)
3000m: Steinbock, Mynatt, Clark, Sisson, Simmons, Klein, Steadman (if Smith qualifies him too in all likelihood)
4x800m: Jackson, Sansevere, Hepner, Bayne (possibly instead a doubling White, also possible Bayne is switched into the DM to keep Hepner fresh for this race ... But Bayne has the most potential out of any of these second tier guys)
Haverford
Haverford is very good this year and they obviously have some amazing pieces, but it is challenge to figure out exactly where they all fit. Haverford is probably the only team that is seriously analyzing how to get every single possible point out of their distance squad at this meet. What does that mean? I think it means some fresh guys in the 3k, a strong DMR and 4x8, and a heavy dose of Stadler and Marquardt. Even though Marquardt is the second fastest 3k man in conference history, I'd be stunned if Donnelly doesn't take the points in the mile, 8, 4x8 triple. It's not an easy one, but I think they will give their star a shot. I also see Stadler going after the triple. The question is how will they use guys like Roza and Sokas and Bregman? Hard to leave 4:20 milers out of a race where they could place top 5 or so and disrput a Hopkins onslaught, but I mean are you going to triple everbody? Are you going to leave sub 15 guys out of the 5k? Lots of choices for Haverford, but this is what I see.
5000m: Stadler, Bregman, Roza, Fujimori, Christian
DMR: Rada, 4 leg, Rasmussen, Sokas (could see Gorman or Stackman, but I think they want to try and snag a gold in this event if they can)
Mile: Stadler, Marquardt, Stackman, Brier
800m: Marquardt, Kenny, Dorvil
3000m: Stadler, Bregman, Roza, Fujimore, Gorman, Christian
4x800m: Marquardt, Rada, Rasmussen, Gardner (could switch this around if they aren't too attached to Keny on the 4x4)
Hopkins
Last, but certainly not least, we are looking at the army of blue jays. Haverford may chant about the army, but Hop has got so many guys and has run so many fast times while they have gone through the meet chasing that this is easily their conference meet to lose. That's why I don't think they will pay too much attention to relays and all that good stuff. They will load up the individuals and go after points. Could be misguided, but here is what I would have to guess is going down
5000m: Ochstein, Stecklair, Cerruzzi, Arnold, Dordai
DMR: Rinehart, 4 leg, Wilkes, Butler
Mile: Carey, Saliani, Pavarini, Alvarez
800m: Carey, Holmgren, Hyland, Arikalta
3000m: Ochstein, Pavarini, Arnold, Cerruzzi, Stecklair, Saliani, Butler
4x800m: Holmgren, Hyland, Rinehart, Wilkes (potential to change this one up and pull guys out of event to keep them fresher, but I don't think the 4x8 will mean much by the time Hopkins is done with the field events and such)
So that's it! I'll try to update a few things and tweak if I see fit later on.
Also I have to note that the 800m isn't looking quite as deep as it has in years past. Sure there are the big front runners in the race, but considering the 4x8 and 800s relative proximity and the importance many schools place on the relay, it is very possible that some slower times and less well known names will score. Many of the mid-range guys who are around 2 flat would drop out in favor of the 4x8 in most years, but this year those guys are top 12ish guys. So for example Swat, who has always been a team willing to sacrifice individuals for relays, has 3 guys at 1:57 or faster, giving them 3 potential top 8 seeds. But those guys may opt to try and win a 4x8 title and all scratch out. Hyland and Rasmussen are prototype relay guys, but could still possibly end up scorers. F&M has bowed out of the open 8 every year in order to capture 4x8 gold and may be in favor of doing that once more this season. So we are looking, as of now, at a variety of 2 flat guys who could sneak a point.
Here is the group that I project will run the 800 with a list of a few possible others:
1. Andrew Carey, Hopkins
2. Trevor Holmgren, Hopkins
3. Charlie Marquardt, Haverford
4. Gebby Kenny, Haverford
5. Drew Mackin, Ursinus
6. Jon Jackson, Dickinson
7. Jake Zamostny, McDaniel
8. Chris Gardner, Haverford
9. Arvind Arikitia, Hopkins
Those are the only guys out of the top 25 in the conference that I have competing! A 2:03 guy is 9th in the toughest distance conference on this side of the Mississippi!
But there are all of these guys who I see saving it for the relay that may opt to switch in:
Oppenheimer, Green, White, Rasmussen, Hyland, Hepner, Branch, Rada, Olenginski, Olenginski ... the list goes on
Now the field looks a little bit more intimidating and more like a centennial conference field should look.
So keeping all of this in mind here is what I see happening for each distance team in the conference:
McDaniel
Surprisingly, this squad actually has nice relay potential this year. They have already run sub 8:20 in the 4x8 despite not having a clear 4th leg. They have a 2 flat and a 2:02 guy on the roster as well as Chris Jones who had a nice XC season this year. But Zamostny, the 2 flat guy, has a real chance of scoring in the aforementioned bizzare 800 scenario. This, in combination with the lack of a clear 4th leg makes me think McDaniel will opt for something along the lines of:
DMR: Merkel, 4 leg, Zamostny, Jones
800m: Zamostny
4x800m: Merkel, Zamostny, Jones, Lapenta
There is potential for some rearranging of the DMR legs if they feel Merkel and Zamostny are better off on longer legs. Also we could see Merkel in the mile or Zamostny pull out of the 800m in order to give his squad the best chance at doing well in both relays.
Ursinus
Ursinus really has two things going for them: Andrew Mackin and Vinny Flood. They could try to use them to throw together a solid DM with one more half way decent 800m leg, but I think they understand that Mackin will do them the most good if he is fresh in the 800. Therefore, no real point of wasting Flood on the DM. He can try and sneak a point in a depleted mile field and then they can bring them back to give their best shot at snagging a point in the 4x8 (although the way the field is shaping up they are almost a definite 9th in both relays). So here is what I would guess:
DMR: some combination of Slade, Wacker, Rudich, Ammons and Hartop with a 400 guy in there
Mile: Flood
800m: Mackin
4x800m: Flood, Mackin, Slade, Wacker (if healthy, otherwise Ammons)
There is potentially here to try for something magical in the DM, but I'd be pretty surprised. Mackin is coming on quickly as a title hopeful in the open 8, they gotta keep him fresh.
Gettysburg
Gettysburg's decision to unleash Sharp and Rausch in the open 8 really changed the balance of power in the entire conference meet as Sharp's fast pace led to the medals falling into the slow heat. Now the question is will Gettysburg look to repeat this feat with the less talented duo of Hill and Hovrath. Rausch may come back and some point this season, but with no races under his belt it's hard to rely on him. Gettysburg is tricky because they don't seem to have enough pieces to really attack the 4x8, but the 4x8 is their favorite event to attack. They have done a pretty solid job in that event as well. If I had to take a stab at predicting, given only what I have seen so far, here's my best bet
DMR: Brown, 4 guy, Horvath, Taber
800m: Hill
4x800m: Hill, Horvath, Brown, Wojick
Now obviously all this can change with the emergence of a healthy Rausch. I also could see Hill being pulled from the open 8 in favor of a bit more stacked off a DMR (Hill likely being the 1200m man in this situation). Gettysburg also has the pieces to run a decent DMR without using any of their key 800m legs (if Rausch comes back) so there is also the outside chance they keep everyone fresh to attack the relay. I'd say that's the least likely situation (although they have like 7 guys at 4:46 or faster to at the very least fill in the slow heats of the mile).
Franklin and Marshall
The biggest question when it comes to F&M will be whether or not they will insist on continued their 4x8 tradition. They have won it the last two years simply by saving all their pieces until the very end and running away from exhausted Haverford and Hopkins teams that have tried to chase them down (and I suppose Dickinson and Gettysburg each had a decent showing in there). It has to be starting to lose it's luster as they know that the other top teams are doubling and tripling guys to use against them. Plus the Olenginskis have become the leaders of the conference at 800 (despite Luk missing the finals outdoors last year). I think they have something to prove at this meet. Plus their 4x4 is very good, having already run 3:28. That required both Olenginskis on the team to do it.
That being said, I'm going to say that F&M opts in a consistent manner and goes after one more 4x8 title. This year they may need all the fresh pieces as Swat is going to be dangerous if they want to be. However, going forward this will be the most intriguing team to watch develop and choose their strategy.
5000m: Andrews
DMR: Eller, 4 guy, Generali, Whalen (potential for Andrews here if he is not developing better or Johnson if he is not on the 4x8, also Pagnelli or Hamilton could prove valuable in this spot)
4x800m: Johnson, Pawlush, Olenginski, Olenginski (potenial again for Andrews if he returns to his form of old).
Muhlenberg
As I run for Muhlenberg, it should be easier to predict what we will do. But I got nothing. There is still too much variability going on to say anything with some sort of certainity. Steve Sroka is coming back from injury while Kline and Munyan have the 5k to worry about as well as the potential to run on the DMR. Plus you have some 4x8 drama in there as well. A lot can change very quickly if guys assert themselves in the next couple weeks, but for now I think it will be something like this:
5000m: Kline, Munyan
DMR: McGetrick, 4 leg, Sroka, Kline (potential to switch around McGetrick and Sroka with Munyan, Kentwell and others)
4x800m: Kentwell, Newcomb, Elkan, Felix (potential for McGetrick, Sroka or even Kline to sneak in here and rearrange the pieces)
I also wouldn't be surprised if the 5k is scrapped to some degree and the Mules opt to stack the DM and the 4x8 with the guys they see fit. Should be interesting to watch it unfold from the front row.
Swarthmore
Another incredibly difficult team to predict. Swat in the past has been more than willing to give up individual glory for a shot at team success. However, the team has never been quite this good before. Oppenheimer, Green and White are sure fire contenders in there top events. However, we also know that Swat has already run 7:59 for 4x8 and probably wouldn't mind taking their shot at a title. Like F&M we will have to wait it out to some degree and see what happens with their priorities. Keep in mind they have a slew of 3k-5k guys with a lot of talent that they may be able to move around to a variety of places. My best bet is the following:
5000m: Russell
DMR: Green, 4 leg, White, Branch (they also have Friske, Creem, Castro-Wehr, Russell and they could easily scrap this DMR entirely and plug in those guys and do well .. Also don't be surprised if White is the 400 leg ... or better yet don't be surprised if they go all in on the DMR with their 50. leg Oppenheimer on the anchor and White and Green doing the rest ... that team can run under 10:20 and would almost definitely win gold)
Mile: Oppenheimer (deserves a chance on the big stage in my opinion), Creem, Castro-Wehr
3000m: Friske, Russell
4x800m: Oppenheimer, White, Green, Branch (go for the W with a relatively fresh group)
As you can tell, I'm not sure we won't see a stacked DM and then guys on the double in the individuals or possibly something completely different, but if I had to predict based on what I have seen in the past this is my best bet.
Dickinson
Hard to imagine Dickinson is an after thought these days in the distance events. They are going to be flat out stacked across the board, but somehow they will fly hard core under the radar with Hopkins and Haverford in a tight battle for the team title (even though from the looks of the things right now Hopkins is winning handily). Dickinson has such strong individuals it makes their relays a little bit more questionable, but I would bet they will put in their 'B' guys and not do what they have done at the past (letting someone like Steinbock anchor the DM). In my opinion Steinbock and Sansevere shouldn't touch the DM with a ten foot pole, but if Dickinson decides they want to try and win it, those are the first guys they will turn to. I don't see it being that way because I see Steinbock going for the triple threat, which is no easy feat. Here is how I see it:
5000m: Basically everybody and their mom, Steinbock, Mynatt, Clark, Smith, Sisson, Simmons, Klein, Strenta, Howard, Rinehardt
DMR: White, 4 leg, Hepner, Brady
Mile: Steinbock, Sansevere
800m: Jackson (defending champion has to have a chance to defend his title right?)
3000m: Steinbock, Mynatt, Clark, Sisson, Simmons, Klein, Steadman (if Smith qualifies him too in all likelihood)
4x800m: Jackson, Sansevere, Hepner, Bayne (possibly instead a doubling White, also possible Bayne is switched into the DM to keep Hepner fresh for this race ... But Bayne has the most potential out of any of these second tier guys)
Haverford
Haverford is very good this year and they obviously have some amazing pieces, but it is challenge to figure out exactly where they all fit. Haverford is probably the only team that is seriously analyzing how to get every single possible point out of their distance squad at this meet. What does that mean? I think it means some fresh guys in the 3k, a strong DMR and 4x8, and a heavy dose of Stadler and Marquardt. Even though Marquardt is the second fastest 3k man in conference history, I'd be stunned if Donnelly doesn't take the points in the mile, 8, 4x8 triple. It's not an easy one, but I think they will give their star a shot. I also see Stadler going after the triple. The question is how will they use guys like Roza and Sokas and Bregman? Hard to leave 4:20 milers out of a race where they could place top 5 or so and disrput a Hopkins onslaught, but I mean are you going to triple everbody? Are you going to leave sub 15 guys out of the 5k? Lots of choices for Haverford, but this is what I see.
5000m: Stadler, Bregman, Roza, Fujimori, Christian
DMR: Rada, 4 leg, Rasmussen, Sokas (could see Gorman or Stackman, but I think they want to try and snag a gold in this event if they can)
Mile: Stadler, Marquardt, Stackman, Brier
800m: Marquardt, Kenny, Dorvil
3000m: Stadler, Bregman, Roza, Fujimore, Gorman, Christian
4x800m: Marquardt, Rada, Rasmussen, Gardner (could switch this around if they aren't too attached to Keny on the 4x4)
Hopkins
Last, but certainly not least, we are looking at the army of blue jays. Haverford may chant about the army, but Hop has got so many guys and has run so many fast times while they have gone through the meet chasing that this is easily their conference meet to lose. That's why I don't think they will pay too much attention to relays and all that good stuff. They will load up the individuals and go after points. Could be misguided, but here is what I would have to guess is going down
5000m: Ochstein, Stecklair, Cerruzzi, Arnold, Dordai
DMR: Rinehart, 4 leg, Wilkes, Butler
Mile: Carey, Saliani, Pavarini, Alvarez
800m: Carey, Holmgren, Hyland, Arikalta
3000m: Ochstein, Pavarini, Arnold, Cerruzzi, Stecklair, Saliani, Butler
4x800m: Holmgren, Hyland, Rinehart, Wilkes (potential to change this one up and pull guys out of event to keep them fresher, but I don't think the 4x8 will mean much by the time Hopkins is done with the field events and such)
So that's it! I'll try to update a few things and tweak if I see fit later on.
New Balance Grand Prix
Quite the set of races up in Boston that included a world record form .... a team I didn't even know would be featured in the race! The late entry squad of Richard Jones, David Torrence, Duane Soloman and Erik Sowinski jumped in as the USA All-Stars and stole the world record right out from under the other squads in the race. It took a big time anchor leg by Sowinski and NJ-NY anchor Mike Rutt (ran a pair of 1:46s on back to back days) to get it home in quite the exciting finish. Both of the top two teams were under the old world record.
Splits that I have found:
Richard Jones 1:51.00
David Torrence 1:47.46
Duane Soloman 1:48.60
Erik Sowinski 1:46.66
7:13.11
Kyle Merber 1:49.69
Brian Gagnon 1:48.60
Robby Andrews 1:48.29
Mike Rutt 1:46.60
7:13.22
Matt Sherer 1:54.66
Cas Loxsom 1:47.04
Mark Wizzo 1:47.47
Nick Symmonds 1:49.37
7:18.52
The last squad, the Brooks Beasts, ran Matt Sherer on the lead off in his first 800m race since 2010! It ended up costing them as the best rabbit in the world did just that for 400m before falling off the pace big time. Loxsom actually did an incredible job through 600m getting the team back in the race, but faded a bit. Soloman and Andrews let Wizzo get it kinda close, but Symmonds was about 2.5 seconds back when he got the stick. Sowinski and Rutt got out hard enough that it was just a coast job for Symmonds the rest of the way.
NJ-NY basically had a time trail for the 4 spots on the A team the night before and Merbz dropped a 1:47.9 which got him upgraded. Pretty fast PR for him. Rutt ran strong and Gagnon followed, both under 1:47 with Andrews running what I believe is an indoor PB at 1:47.0x. That may have taken a little extra pop out of their legs that allowed Sowinski to edge Rutt to the line.
In other news, Rupp gets a DNF. Hopefully that is precautionary and nothing too serious. In the same race Nick Willis dropped the hammer on the field rolling home in 3:57 after a 2:04ish opening 800m. Dang that guy is fit. Certainly a favorite at Millrose coming up.
Meanwhile Ryan Hill dropped a monster 3k mark against two of the best 5k runners in the history of the world. He was a close third to Dejen Gebremeskel (2nd) and Hagos Gebrewheit (1st) running 7:34.87 to make him the 3rd fastest American indoors at that distance ... ever. He is only behind Bernard Lagat and Galen Rupp on that list. Not too bad of company ....
Garrett Heath continues to run strong with a 7:37 for 4th. He has put together a nice start to his indoor campaign as well.
Jenny Simpson was a lap miscounting away from a possible American record at 2 miles. She ran 8:44 through 3k though, which means she is clearly in great shape. Gave Defar a nice run for her money in the event.
Meanwhile, Mary Cain continued to grab headlines as she lowered her own world junior record by a fantastic 4 seconds. Cain's time of 2:35.80 is blazing for 1k and is much faster than I can run. Which is awkward. PA's own Chanelle Price dipped down to 2:36 in the 1k which is a fantastic race for her as she tries to take the next step to join the US's elite 800m women.
Splits that I have found:
Richard Jones 1:51.00
David Torrence 1:47.46
Duane Soloman 1:48.60
Erik Sowinski 1:46.66
7:13.11
Kyle Merber 1:49.69
Brian Gagnon 1:48.60
Robby Andrews 1:48.29
Mike Rutt 1:46.60
7:13.22
Matt Sherer 1:54.66
Cas Loxsom 1:47.04
Mark Wizzo 1:47.47
Nick Symmonds 1:49.37
7:18.52
The last squad, the Brooks Beasts, ran Matt Sherer on the lead off in his first 800m race since 2010! It ended up costing them as the best rabbit in the world did just that for 400m before falling off the pace big time. Loxsom actually did an incredible job through 600m getting the team back in the race, but faded a bit. Soloman and Andrews let Wizzo get it kinda close, but Symmonds was about 2.5 seconds back when he got the stick. Sowinski and Rutt got out hard enough that it was just a coast job for Symmonds the rest of the way.
NJ-NY basically had a time trail for the 4 spots on the A team the night before and Merbz dropped a 1:47.9 which got him upgraded. Pretty fast PR for him. Rutt ran strong and Gagnon followed, both under 1:47 with Andrews running what I believe is an indoor PB at 1:47.0x. That may have taken a little extra pop out of their legs that allowed Sowinski to edge Rutt to the line.
In other news, Rupp gets a DNF. Hopefully that is precautionary and nothing too serious. In the same race Nick Willis dropped the hammer on the field rolling home in 3:57 after a 2:04ish opening 800m. Dang that guy is fit. Certainly a favorite at Millrose coming up.
Meanwhile Ryan Hill dropped a monster 3k mark against two of the best 5k runners in the history of the world. He was a close third to Dejen Gebremeskel (2nd) and Hagos Gebrewheit (1st) running 7:34.87 to make him the 3rd fastest American indoors at that distance ... ever. He is only behind Bernard Lagat and Galen Rupp on that list. Not too bad of company ....
Garrett Heath continues to run strong with a 7:37 for 4th. He has put together a nice start to his indoor campaign as well.
Jenny Simpson was a lap miscounting away from a possible American record at 2 miles. She ran 8:44 through 3k though, which means she is clearly in great shape. Gave Defar a nice run for her money in the event.
Meanwhile, Mary Cain continued to grab headlines as she lowered her own world junior record by a fantastic 4 seconds. Cain's time of 2:35.80 is blazing for 1k and is much faster than I can run. Which is awkward. PA's own Chanelle Price dipped down to 2:36 in the 1k which is a fantastic race for her as she tries to take the next step to join the US's elite 800m women.
Millrose Games Entries
Here are some things I picked out of the early Millrose entries
http://s3.amazonaws.com/armory-public-files/2014-nyrr-millrose-games-entries.pdf
First off they have a club DMR race which should be kinda cool. NJNY is trotting out their 'B' squad guys who may not be big names but they do feature recognizable names (especially for PA guys) like Trevor VanAckeren and Sadiki White (NJNY A) and Nick Crits and Wayne Bartholomew both formerly of LaSalle (NJNY B). Also Haverford College and Bonner High School alumn Andrew Golato is on a Garden State TC squad. It will be interesting to see what kind of 400m legs each of these squads have considering that must of these club squads are distance centric and a 400 is really stretching some of these guys speed. Sadiki can probably run something pretty nice and he looks to be slated to be his team's 400 man.
PA's Christian Brissett of Cheltenham (repping SOL American) is in the 55 as PA's lone representative in the event.
I'll be very excited to hopefully catch the Men's 4x800m race at the Millrose games. The top teams in the race appear to be:
Duke (featuring PA's Kyle Moran, Alec Kunzweiler and Nate McClafferty)
Penn (featuring Mato Bekelja and Drew Magaha)
Villanova (featuring Chris Fitzsimmons, a 1:47 high school split to his name, Josh Lampron who has run down around 4 flat in the mile, Ben Malone, a stud kicker and freshman from New Jersey, and Mike Palmisano former Princeton runner and PA state champ who recently ran about 4:08 for 1600m split at PSU).
You can probably tell from my lengthy explanation of who is on which relay that I think Nova has the legs to take down a title in this race. The somewhat humorous part is that is likely their B team when you consider Jordy Williamysz, Sam McEntee (I think he has eligibility left?) and Sam Ellison are just watching court side.
I'm not usually into the 60m hurdles, but Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee, two top flight decathletes are battling Andrew Riley (former NCAA 110 hurdles and 100m not hurdles champion in the same year which is pretty sick) and Terrence Trammell. I'm a big Eaton fan so I will be pulling for him in this spot, although it is likely that he won't be quite as ready to run fast as the other guys who train exclusively for hurdles.
Worth noting, Ashton's new wife and medalist at the world championships in the hep, Brianna Theisen (Eaton) will be also contesting the 60m hurdles.
The women's 3k should be really fun to watch, even though it has slipped under the radar as a marquee event thanks to all the record buzz from Cain and Symmonds. The race features stud collegian Abby D'Agostino, who is the best up and coming 5k girl in the US fresh off her first sub 4:30 mile against Kim Conley who is coming off a strong showing in the mile this year (4:24!) which shows she is not ready to relinquish her top spot among US 5k women just yet. These two along with Betsy Saina, Ashley Higginson and Sara Hall should set things up for a nice assault on an all time type mark. Abby eyes another Simpson based college record (8:42.03) while Conley will chase a sub 8:40 mark, which only three US women have done indoors.
The men's 60m dash features some big names: Ryan Baily, Marvin Bracy, D'Angelo Cherry, Amer Webb and Isiah Young. Absolutely stacked field.
Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee will continue their workout later on in the meet in the pole vault against Brad Walker.
The elite man will contest a 300m dash, not oft contested, that will include Wallace Spearmon (current US #1 in the 200m) against Manteo Mitchell, better known as the guy who put the team on his back running the 4x4 with a broken leg though.
Here is another race that may have caught your attention: the 2000m! How about this for a field: Evan Jager, Donn Cabral, Patrick MacGregor, Bernard Lagat, Dan Huling, Andrew Bumbalough, Travis Mahoney, and David Torrence. This race features the last 3 Olympic steeplechasers from the US, super miler Bernard Lagat and David Torrence who has recently lowered his PR to 3:33.23 in the 1500m! That may give him the fastest 1500m mark out of anyone in this field over the last 5 years or so. Lagat is certainly an expert tactician but is his speed finally going to go? Jager ran about 3:58 last weekend, but can he bounce back and get a strong 2k mark in over a field of guys with solid kicks? I feel like somehow Lagat is going to find a way to pull this out. I don't really want to see it, but something tells me it will happen. Either that or a huge upset from MacGregor.
PA's Tony Russell is the lone boy in the Millrose field for the mile. Should be fun to see how he competes. PA has four girls competing in the event including footlocker national champion Tessa Barrett who is actually the slowest qualifier out of our girls. Kennedy Weisner leads the charge.
The women finally get a Wannamaker mile type headliner at Millrose with a field that includes multiple time US champ Morgan Uceny, Sarah Brown, recent grad and NCAA champ Emma Coburn (won the mile indoors, but is primarily a steeplechaser), super kickers Emily Lipari and Cory McGee, and reigning US champ Treniere Moser.
And oh yeah, perhaps the two greatest high school girls of all time: Mary Cain and Alexa Efraimson. Alexa made huge headlines when she dropped the 3k record down to 9:00.16! As a high school junior herself! She will continue to try and be absolutely Cain like as she travels across the country to try her hand at the mile. Cain has been no slouch herself, coming off a blazing 4:24.11 mark where she ran away from a great field and just missed the World Junior Record in the mile. The WORLD junior RECORD. But hey, Cain is going to have her hands full in this race. Coburn and Moser aren't messing around and Lipari and McGee have kicks that may be able to match Cain's.
But I'm buying in to the Cain hype hard core. I got her for the win and the world junior record. Efraimson still has to prove to me she is on Cain level, but she probably will drop at least a 4:35 which is solid for a high school junior. And super impressive for a high school junior girl.
But that mile race may not even be the best race of the day if you can believe that. The 1k has a phenomenal field which includes France's Pierre Ambrose Bosse who is one of the best young up and coming 800m men in the world. He will look for some revenge against Silver medalist and meet headliner Nick Symmonds, who recently ran 1:48 with his Brooks Beast squad mates in an open 800m in Charlotte. He will be making a world record attempt in the 4x8 before then and look to continue his momentum into the 1k in a chase for the American record. 2:17.86 is the mark to beat in this one.
Symmonds will be toed around the track by his trusty rabbit Matt Sherer who should help get them around the track in record pace. After Sherer's job is done Symmonds will be racing guys like Erik Sowinski, Mike Rutt, Tyler Mulder and Robby Andrews. Mulder has the 1:44 low PR in the 8. Sowinski boasts of an AR in the 600m and fantastic closing speed. Rutt has quietly been a strong and consistent 800m guy who just had a solid mile not too long ago at the armory. He will also be coming off that 4x8 looking for revenge. And of course Robby Andrews the streaky fire ball with a PR of 2:17.90 indoors last year, just off the US record.
Honestly, I think this record should come down, assuming they keep it reasonably honest. This mark isn't particularly scary, I just don't think anyone has taken a real shot at it. If Robby keeps his head in it, this has always been his event to lose, but I think Symmonds is going to come ready to play and represent the beasts to the tune of a kicking win over Mulder. But certainly don't sleep on Mike Rutt. One of these top tier pro races will feature a stunning upset. In this race the guy I see doing it is Rutt.
Women's 800m has got Ajee Wilson going after the WJR in the 800m and her first sub 2 mark indoors. She had a huge year last year that included a world championship final and a variety of sub 2 minute performances. She is a fantastic talent at such a young age and once cheered for my good friend Alex Weiner at a track meet. I run in his spikes now a days. Ajee runs faster than me at 800m. I'm not sure where I'm going with this, so I'm going to just move on.
The Men's Mile! It is always a great event and it features guys like Miles Batty, Kirubel Erassa, Nate Brannen, Brian Gagnon, Lawi Lalang, Will Leer, Leo Manzano, Cam Levins, Craig Miller, Austin Mudd, Chris O'Hare, Alan Webb and Nick Willis! So yeah I basically just listed the entire field besides John Gregorek of Columbia (rabbiting?)
This race is really cool because there is so much depth and talent. I got Nick Willis winning because he has been on a hot streak for some time now, but my #2 is Lawi. Lawi is coming off a 7:44 3k in dominating fashion which is just nuts. Manzano is never one to sleep on but he hasn't been relevant in a non-world championship qualifying race is a while. Austin Mudd is a sleeper if he can hold on to what is sure to be a blazing pace and kick. Chris O'Hare and Miles Batty have both set NCAA records on this track for the indoor mile in this race each of the last two years. I wouldn't be surprised if Lawi drops it down even farther this year, but that doesn't mean Batty and O'Hare aren't sleepers here.
And lastly, brief shout out to the boys from State College, Penncrest, and Henderson for punching your ticket to Millrose! Not 100% positive how Henderson got in there but great news for them! We will see what their 4x8 can do without Russell. State College is the best team from PA in this race as far as I can tell and maybe can even mix it up for a win! Should be cool to see!
(Small editors note here, Genezebe Dibaba of Ethiopia has run 8:16.60 and 3:55.17 in the past two weeks to set world indoor records in both the indoor 3k and 1500 for woman. Holy mother of pearl that is fast ... she won't be at Millrose but I figured it would still be worth mentioning)
http://s3.amazonaws.com/armory-public-files/2014-nyrr-millrose-games-entries.pdf
First off they have a club DMR race which should be kinda cool. NJNY is trotting out their 'B' squad guys who may not be big names but they do feature recognizable names (especially for PA guys) like Trevor VanAckeren and Sadiki White (NJNY A) and Nick Crits and Wayne Bartholomew both formerly of LaSalle (NJNY B). Also Haverford College and Bonner High School alumn Andrew Golato is on a Garden State TC squad. It will be interesting to see what kind of 400m legs each of these squads have considering that must of these club squads are distance centric and a 400 is really stretching some of these guys speed. Sadiki can probably run something pretty nice and he looks to be slated to be his team's 400 man.
PA's Christian Brissett of Cheltenham (repping SOL American) is in the 55 as PA's lone representative in the event.
I'll be very excited to hopefully catch the Men's 4x800m race at the Millrose games. The top teams in the race appear to be:
Duke (featuring PA's Kyle Moran, Alec Kunzweiler and Nate McClafferty)
Penn (featuring Mato Bekelja and Drew Magaha)
Villanova (featuring Chris Fitzsimmons, a 1:47 high school split to his name, Josh Lampron who has run down around 4 flat in the mile, Ben Malone, a stud kicker and freshman from New Jersey, and Mike Palmisano former Princeton runner and PA state champ who recently ran about 4:08 for 1600m split at PSU).
You can probably tell from my lengthy explanation of who is on which relay that I think Nova has the legs to take down a title in this race. The somewhat humorous part is that is likely their B team when you consider Jordy Williamysz, Sam McEntee (I think he has eligibility left?) and Sam Ellison are just watching court side.
I'm not usually into the 60m hurdles, but Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee, two top flight decathletes are battling Andrew Riley (former NCAA 110 hurdles and 100m not hurdles champion in the same year which is pretty sick) and Terrence Trammell. I'm a big Eaton fan so I will be pulling for him in this spot, although it is likely that he won't be quite as ready to run fast as the other guys who train exclusively for hurdles.
Worth noting, Ashton's new wife and medalist at the world championships in the hep, Brianna Theisen (Eaton) will be also contesting the 60m hurdles.
The women's 3k should be really fun to watch, even though it has slipped under the radar as a marquee event thanks to all the record buzz from Cain and Symmonds. The race features stud collegian Abby D'Agostino, who is the best up and coming 5k girl in the US fresh off her first sub 4:30 mile against Kim Conley who is coming off a strong showing in the mile this year (4:24!) which shows she is not ready to relinquish her top spot among US 5k women just yet. These two along with Betsy Saina, Ashley Higginson and Sara Hall should set things up for a nice assault on an all time type mark. Abby eyes another Simpson based college record (8:42.03) while Conley will chase a sub 8:40 mark, which only three US women have done indoors.
The men's 60m dash features some big names: Ryan Baily, Marvin Bracy, D'Angelo Cherry, Amer Webb and Isiah Young. Absolutely stacked field.
Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee will continue their workout later on in the meet in the pole vault against Brad Walker.
The elite man will contest a 300m dash, not oft contested, that will include Wallace Spearmon (current US #1 in the 200m) against Manteo Mitchell, better known as the guy who put the team on his back running the 4x4 with a broken leg though.
Here is another race that may have caught your attention: the 2000m! How about this for a field: Evan Jager, Donn Cabral, Patrick MacGregor, Bernard Lagat, Dan Huling, Andrew Bumbalough, Travis Mahoney, and David Torrence. This race features the last 3 Olympic steeplechasers from the US, super miler Bernard Lagat and David Torrence who has recently lowered his PR to 3:33.23 in the 1500m! That may give him the fastest 1500m mark out of anyone in this field over the last 5 years or so. Lagat is certainly an expert tactician but is his speed finally going to go? Jager ran about 3:58 last weekend, but can he bounce back and get a strong 2k mark in over a field of guys with solid kicks? I feel like somehow Lagat is going to find a way to pull this out. I don't really want to see it, but something tells me it will happen. Either that or a huge upset from MacGregor.
PA's Tony Russell is the lone boy in the Millrose field for the mile. Should be fun to see how he competes. PA has four girls competing in the event including footlocker national champion Tessa Barrett who is actually the slowest qualifier out of our girls. Kennedy Weisner leads the charge.
The women finally get a Wannamaker mile type headliner at Millrose with a field that includes multiple time US champ Morgan Uceny, Sarah Brown, recent grad and NCAA champ Emma Coburn (won the mile indoors, but is primarily a steeplechaser), super kickers Emily Lipari and Cory McGee, and reigning US champ Treniere Moser.
And oh yeah, perhaps the two greatest high school girls of all time: Mary Cain and Alexa Efraimson. Alexa made huge headlines when she dropped the 3k record down to 9:00.16! As a high school junior herself! She will continue to try and be absolutely Cain like as she travels across the country to try her hand at the mile. Cain has been no slouch herself, coming off a blazing 4:24.11 mark where she ran away from a great field and just missed the World Junior Record in the mile. The WORLD junior RECORD. But hey, Cain is going to have her hands full in this race. Coburn and Moser aren't messing around and Lipari and McGee have kicks that may be able to match Cain's.
But I'm buying in to the Cain hype hard core. I got her for the win and the world junior record. Efraimson still has to prove to me she is on Cain level, but she probably will drop at least a 4:35 which is solid for a high school junior. And super impressive for a high school junior girl.
But that mile race may not even be the best race of the day if you can believe that. The 1k has a phenomenal field which includes France's Pierre Ambrose Bosse who is one of the best young up and coming 800m men in the world. He will look for some revenge against Silver medalist and meet headliner Nick Symmonds, who recently ran 1:48 with his Brooks Beast squad mates in an open 800m in Charlotte. He will be making a world record attempt in the 4x8 before then and look to continue his momentum into the 1k in a chase for the American record. 2:17.86 is the mark to beat in this one.
Symmonds will be toed around the track by his trusty rabbit Matt Sherer who should help get them around the track in record pace. After Sherer's job is done Symmonds will be racing guys like Erik Sowinski, Mike Rutt, Tyler Mulder and Robby Andrews. Mulder has the 1:44 low PR in the 8. Sowinski boasts of an AR in the 600m and fantastic closing speed. Rutt has quietly been a strong and consistent 800m guy who just had a solid mile not too long ago at the armory. He will also be coming off that 4x8 looking for revenge. And of course Robby Andrews the streaky fire ball with a PR of 2:17.90 indoors last year, just off the US record.
Honestly, I think this record should come down, assuming they keep it reasonably honest. This mark isn't particularly scary, I just don't think anyone has taken a real shot at it. If Robby keeps his head in it, this has always been his event to lose, but I think Symmonds is going to come ready to play and represent the beasts to the tune of a kicking win over Mulder. But certainly don't sleep on Mike Rutt. One of these top tier pro races will feature a stunning upset. In this race the guy I see doing it is Rutt.
Women's 800m has got Ajee Wilson going after the WJR in the 800m and her first sub 2 mark indoors. She had a huge year last year that included a world championship final and a variety of sub 2 minute performances. She is a fantastic talent at such a young age and once cheered for my good friend Alex Weiner at a track meet. I run in his spikes now a days. Ajee runs faster than me at 800m. I'm not sure where I'm going with this, so I'm going to just move on.
The Men's Mile! It is always a great event and it features guys like Miles Batty, Kirubel Erassa, Nate Brannen, Brian Gagnon, Lawi Lalang, Will Leer, Leo Manzano, Cam Levins, Craig Miller, Austin Mudd, Chris O'Hare, Alan Webb and Nick Willis! So yeah I basically just listed the entire field besides John Gregorek of Columbia (rabbiting?)
This race is really cool because there is so much depth and talent. I got Nick Willis winning because he has been on a hot streak for some time now, but my #2 is Lawi. Lawi is coming off a 7:44 3k in dominating fashion which is just nuts. Manzano is never one to sleep on but he hasn't been relevant in a non-world championship qualifying race is a while. Austin Mudd is a sleeper if he can hold on to what is sure to be a blazing pace and kick. Chris O'Hare and Miles Batty have both set NCAA records on this track for the indoor mile in this race each of the last two years. I wouldn't be surprised if Lawi drops it down even farther this year, but that doesn't mean Batty and O'Hare aren't sleepers here.
And lastly, brief shout out to the boys from State College, Penncrest, and Henderson for punching your ticket to Millrose! Not 100% positive how Henderson got in there but great news for them! We will see what their 4x8 can do without Russell. State College is the best team from PA in this race as far as I can tell and maybe can even mix it up for a win! Should be cool to see!
(Small editors note here, Genezebe Dibaba of Ethiopia has run 8:16.60 and 3:55.17 in the past two weeks to set world indoor records in both the indoor 3k and 1500 for woman. Holy mother of pearl that is fast ... she won't be at Millrose but I figured it would still be worth mentioning)
5 Quick Things
Absolutely swamped with work so this is the fastest 5 things I can get out in between classes:
1. Oregon is stacked and Eddy Ches is for real, the DMR at NCAAs with them and PSU is going to be amazing. Don't sleep on Nova either with Stanford being the deep sleeper
2. Wissahickon 4x4 on the PTFCA scene is shaping up as a nice sleeper pick ... they just ran 3:30 at Glenn Mills
3. Colin Martin was ready to roll ... TSTCA will shake things up nicely for the east coasters
4. Charlie Marquardt 4:10! Centennial conference throws down in a few more 3ks and miles to make the conference list look like it could compete with a few D1 conferences ... With Steinbock throwing down an 8:24 of his own, there are 4 under 8:30 in the 3k with a boat load more under 8:40 that includes new addition Greg Clark from Dickinson ... the 800m still doesn't look all that deep yet, however ... maybe the Olenginskis will change that soon ...
5. I'm not sure NJ-NY or Brooks is going to set that record anymore, I haven't been all that impressed by what they have done so far but hey ... I will probably go back and forth on this like 5 more times between now and race day
PS All the pro runners play settlers of cattan ... I'm not kidding
1. Oregon is stacked and Eddy Ches is for real, the DMR at NCAAs with them and PSU is going to be amazing. Don't sleep on Nova either with Stanford being the deep sleeper
2. Wissahickon 4x4 on the PTFCA scene is shaping up as a nice sleeper pick ... they just ran 3:30 at Glenn Mills
3. Colin Martin was ready to roll ... TSTCA will shake things up nicely for the east coasters
4. Charlie Marquardt 4:10! Centennial conference throws down in a few more 3ks and miles to make the conference list look like it could compete with a few D1 conferences ... With Steinbock throwing down an 8:24 of his own, there are 4 under 8:30 in the 3k with a boat load more under 8:40 that includes new addition Greg Clark from Dickinson ... the 800m still doesn't look all that deep yet, however ... maybe the Olenginskis will change that soon ...
5. I'm not sure NJ-NY or Brooks is going to set that record anymore, I haven't been all that impressed by what they have done so far but hey ... I will probably go back and forth on this like 5 more times between now and race day
PS All the pro runners play settlers of cattan ... I'm not kidding
Centennial Conference
The Centennial Conference has had 23 different guys already this year who have run a 3k under 9 minutes, including Haverford's big guns who have run 8:18, 8:18 and 8:24 already. Out of those 23 guys who have broken the mark 7 are from Haverford (including the top 4 guys), 8 are from Johns Hopkins (including 5-8), 5 are from Dickinson and 3 are from Swarthmore. The Centennial Conference is quickly establishing itself as one of the best in Division III. These 4 teams finished in the top 6 spots in the difficult Mideast Region and finished the year as top 35 teams in the nation in cross country. Now there has been a strong roll over effect into track. And honestly, the season is just getting started. Dickinson has a slew of other guys who can go under as does Swat and a couple guys from Gettysburg, F&M or Muhlenberg may be able to break in there. The times in the other events are sure to drop very quickly in the coming weeks as schools really start to gear up into the real meat of the season. Dickinson has 4 other guys at 9:10 or faster out of the addition 9 other runners who have run 9:10 or better. Keep in mind Dickinson has yet to compete on one of the fast banked tracks in the area and did not compete in the unreal 3k recently contested at Haverford. Thanks to the fairly absurd flat to bank conversions, the Haverford guys 8:18 runs at 3k are converted down to 8:12 in the national rankings! That has helped them take 1-2-4-14 in the nation by themselves!
Keep an eye on the Centennial Conference. It is filled with fantastic coaches, high quality runners, and the ability to compete on the national level in the public eye. It's a great place to consider looking at schools if you are a high schooler who wants to compete on the national scene in college.
Keep an eye on the Centennial Conference. It is filled with fantastic coaches, high quality runners, and the ability to compete on the national level in the public eye. It's a great place to consider looking at schools if you are a high schooler who wants to compete on the national scene in college.
PSU National Invite: PA Alumni
I won't pretend that I recognize every name, but here are the PA alumns I recognized that will be at the PSU meet on the distance side as well as some other big names worth mentioning
Men's 400m
Bernard Bennent-Green PSU/Cheltenham
Brandon Bennent-Green PSU/Cheltenham
Micah Murray Pitt/Penn Hills
Aaron Nadolsky PSU/Altoona
Chidi Okezie Hampton/can't remember the AA schools name I'm sorry on this one
Alex Shisler PSU/State College
Matt Gilmore (Unattached technically) PSU/Cheltenham
Brycen Spratling of Pitt will also contest
Ryun Holder and Hansel Akers of Chambersburg and Hempfield respectively will contest the 500m.
Women's 800m Invitational
Angel Piccirillo Villanova/Homer Central
Emman Keenan Georgetown/GMA
Also contesting is Amy Weissenbach of Stanford
Men's 800m
Sam Ellison Villanova/Upper Dublin
Luke Lefebure Stanford/Henderson
Andrew Smith UMBC/Garnet Valley? (Fairly common name so may not be the same guy)
Also involved will be Zavon Watkins, Edward Kemboi (current NCAA leader), Billy Ledder, Ahmad Bile, Ryan Brennan
In the slower sections Tom Damiani, Andrew Golato, Will Kellar, Dennis Logan, Zach Moon, Mike Palmisano, and Brad Rivera are involved repping PA.
The men's 1k is led by Josh Lampron of Nova, but LJ Westwood of Quaker Valley and Bucknell will represent PA. AJ Chaborek, Brandon Kryszal, Matt McGarvey and Joe O'Such will contest the slow section.
Women's Mile
I'm probably missing a few names but between the slow and fast heats we have Margo Malone, Amber Valimont and Rachel Flynn. Aisling Cuffe of Stanford is the big name of the race.
Men's Mile
I bet you recognize a few of these names
Former state champs:
Thomas Coyle Stanford/LaSalle
Owen Dawson Unattached/Coatesville
Wade Endress PSU/Altoona
Ryan Gil Georgetown/NA
State runner up Jim Spisak and also Logan Mohn are involved
That's just the invite mile by the way, which features studs such as Jim Rosa, Robby Creese, Jordan Williamsyz, Mike Atchoo, Brandon Kidder, Robert Denault and Marco Bertollotti
Women's 3k
Again I may miss some but
Leigha Anderson, Tori Gerlach and France Koons will be in the race against big name girls like Cuffe, Kathy Kroger, Emily Lipari and Sam Nadel
Stephanie Aldrich and Emily Gianotti are in the slower section.
Men's 3k
Kyle Dawson, Matt Fischer, and Alex Monroe
Big names: Both Rosa twins, Patrick Tiernan, Sam McEntee, Martin Hehir, Erik Olson
In the slower section we have guys like
Chris Cambell, Quinn Davis, Ean DiSilvio, Matt Kacyon, Dylan Mountain, Conner Quinn, and Dan Savage
The 5ks
Meredith Speakman and Rachel Brown for the gals as well as Montana DiPietrantonio (fantastic name)
The guys have Kyle Dawson, Austin Gregor, Joe Kush and Juris Silenieks, Austin Pondel, Nick Scarpello and Tom Trainer
Tomorrow there will be some stacked DMRs with a lot of these names running on them which should be really cool.
Sorry for anyone who's name I missed I was trying to do this fast during my study break!
Men's 400m
Bernard Bennent-Green PSU/Cheltenham
Brandon Bennent-Green PSU/Cheltenham
Micah Murray Pitt/Penn Hills
Aaron Nadolsky PSU/Altoona
Chidi Okezie Hampton/can't remember the AA schools name I'm sorry on this one
Alex Shisler PSU/State College
Matt Gilmore (Unattached technically) PSU/Cheltenham
Brycen Spratling of Pitt will also contest
Ryun Holder and Hansel Akers of Chambersburg and Hempfield respectively will contest the 500m.
Women's 800m Invitational
Angel Piccirillo Villanova/Homer Central
Emman Keenan Georgetown/GMA
Also contesting is Amy Weissenbach of Stanford
Men's 800m
Sam Ellison Villanova/Upper Dublin
Luke Lefebure Stanford/Henderson
Andrew Smith UMBC/Garnet Valley? (Fairly common name so may not be the same guy)
Also involved will be Zavon Watkins, Edward Kemboi (current NCAA leader), Billy Ledder, Ahmad Bile, Ryan Brennan
In the slower sections Tom Damiani, Andrew Golato, Will Kellar, Dennis Logan, Zach Moon, Mike Palmisano, and Brad Rivera are involved repping PA.
The men's 1k is led by Josh Lampron of Nova, but LJ Westwood of Quaker Valley and Bucknell will represent PA. AJ Chaborek, Brandon Kryszal, Matt McGarvey and Joe O'Such will contest the slow section.
Women's Mile
I'm probably missing a few names but between the slow and fast heats we have Margo Malone, Amber Valimont and Rachel Flynn. Aisling Cuffe of Stanford is the big name of the race.
Men's Mile
I bet you recognize a few of these names
Former state champs:
Thomas Coyle Stanford/LaSalle
Owen Dawson Unattached/Coatesville
Wade Endress PSU/Altoona
Ryan Gil Georgetown/NA
State runner up Jim Spisak and also Logan Mohn are involved
That's just the invite mile by the way, which features studs such as Jim Rosa, Robby Creese, Jordan Williamsyz, Mike Atchoo, Brandon Kidder, Robert Denault and Marco Bertollotti
Women's 3k
Again I may miss some but
Leigha Anderson, Tori Gerlach and France Koons will be in the race against big name girls like Cuffe, Kathy Kroger, Emily Lipari and Sam Nadel
Stephanie Aldrich and Emily Gianotti are in the slower section.
Men's 3k
Kyle Dawson, Matt Fischer, and Alex Monroe
Big names: Both Rosa twins, Patrick Tiernan, Sam McEntee, Martin Hehir, Erik Olson
In the slower section we have guys like
Chris Cambell, Quinn Davis, Ean DiSilvio, Matt Kacyon, Dylan Mountain, Conner Quinn, and Dan Savage
The 5ks
Meredith Speakman and Rachel Brown for the gals as well as Montana DiPietrantonio (fantastic name)
The guys have Kyle Dawson, Austin Gregor, Joe Kush and Juris Silenieks, Austin Pondel, Nick Scarpello and Tom Trainer
Tomorrow there will be some stacked DMRs with a lot of these names running on them which should be really cool.
Sorry for anyone who's name I missed I was trying to do this fast during my study break!
Fastest Marks in the US 2014
Just throwing out some interesting stats looking at the U.S. leaders in various events so far in the new year.
PSU's Bernard Bennent-Green (Cheltenham alumn) has run 46.61 so far indoors putting him in the top 5 in the nation for the event. He currently sits ahead of world championship participant David Verburg of George Mason and Brycen Spratling of Pitt (one of the best 500m runners in US history indoors) among various other top 20 performers. Neil Brady of Arkansas leads the US with his 46.36 on January 17th, although Arman Hall ran what was technically the fastest mark at an oversized track in Kentucky (45.84).
In Seattle, Luke Lefebure ran an oversized track time of 1:18.39 in a Stanford singlet. That time would be 5th on the current US leader mark if had been run on a banked track rather than a 300m one. Keep in mind the only guys with faster times are 4 professionals including 600m American Record holder Erik Sowinski and Saucony's poster boy Duane Soloman who have both run 1:16. Not bad company. The New Balance games 600m fielded most of the top 10 performers on the list.
PSU currently has the #1 and #2 times in the USA right now thanks to Brandon Kidder (1:48.34) and Zavon Watkins (1:49.47). Quite the mid distance program over there. Ryan Hill's altitude mark throws him up there among the leaders. Counting oversized track marks, Sean Obinwa is the leader from Florida (1:48.20). Freshman Andres Arroyo (1:47/4:04 last year) ran 1:49.22 in his NCAA 800 debut. The track at Lexington that gave way for both of these marks helped 6 Americans break 1:50. Only 3 total have done it on 200m tracks (all coming at PSU).
PA's own Ned Willig has found a nice little pocket in the 1k at the college level. He dropped a 2:22.35 in his most recent race for the win at BU (where Rupp has taken up his assault on records). The time puts Willig #4 in the nation behind 3 times from PSU's 1k race which was won by Robby Creese in the US #1 time of 2:20.65. Ahmad Bile and Billy Ledder of GTown each ran 2:21 in that race. Tyler Mulder, 1:44 man from OTC ran essentially a solo effort of 2:21 on an oversized track in Seattle. He was followed by Izaic Yorks the sophomore from Washington and Marco Bertollotti and Mike Atchoo of Stanford. Jeremy Rae of Notre Dame, at his home track, ran a 2:22 as well, making all four of the collegians sitting at 2:22. PA's Owen Dawson ran 2:22.94 at PSU, a top 10 time currently in the USA (again excluding oversized marks).
PA's Craig Miller has been doing work in the mile! His 3:57 is currently US #2 just ahead of new Heps record holder Will Geoghegan of Dartmouth (3:58.04). Ryan Hill beat out Lopez Lomong in the mile out in Albuquerque as part of a double win and the altitude mark of 3:59.00 puts him in the top 10. Garrett Heath leads all milers with his 3:54.59 at New Balance.Worth noting: Dartmouth has 3 guys at 4:01 or faster, all from the USA. Indoors. In January.
A fast 3k at BU aided Travis Mahoney, Temple alumn and top steeplechaser, to a 7:52 3k opener. It is only behind Rupp's 3k en route and Bernard Lagat's time in Glasgow (7:34 and 7:49 respectively). Dan Lowry, PA alumn from LaSalle, ran 8:00 which puts him among the US top 10. If you include oversized tracks Ben Blankenship and Dan Quigley of OTC have marks of 7:55 and 8:01 that would place them among the top 10.
5k: Rupp 13:01. That's about all that really means anything. Maksim Korolev of Harvard ran a sick race but is a distant 2nd at 13:42.56. At #3 is PA's own Jim Spisak! 13:43 from the Duquesne man.
PSU's Bernard Bennent-Green (Cheltenham alumn) has run 46.61 so far indoors putting him in the top 5 in the nation for the event. He currently sits ahead of world championship participant David Verburg of George Mason and Brycen Spratling of Pitt (one of the best 500m runners in US history indoors) among various other top 20 performers. Neil Brady of Arkansas leads the US with his 46.36 on January 17th, although Arman Hall ran what was technically the fastest mark at an oversized track in Kentucky (45.84).
In Seattle, Luke Lefebure ran an oversized track time of 1:18.39 in a Stanford singlet. That time would be 5th on the current US leader mark if had been run on a banked track rather than a 300m one. Keep in mind the only guys with faster times are 4 professionals including 600m American Record holder Erik Sowinski and Saucony's poster boy Duane Soloman who have both run 1:16. Not bad company. The New Balance games 600m fielded most of the top 10 performers on the list.
PSU currently has the #1 and #2 times in the USA right now thanks to Brandon Kidder (1:48.34) and Zavon Watkins (1:49.47). Quite the mid distance program over there. Ryan Hill's altitude mark throws him up there among the leaders. Counting oversized track marks, Sean Obinwa is the leader from Florida (1:48.20). Freshman Andres Arroyo (1:47/4:04 last year) ran 1:49.22 in his NCAA 800 debut. The track at Lexington that gave way for both of these marks helped 6 Americans break 1:50. Only 3 total have done it on 200m tracks (all coming at PSU).
PA's own Ned Willig has found a nice little pocket in the 1k at the college level. He dropped a 2:22.35 in his most recent race for the win at BU (where Rupp has taken up his assault on records). The time puts Willig #4 in the nation behind 3 times from PSU's 1k race which was won by Robby Creese in the US #1 time of 2:20.65. Ahmad Bile and Billy Ledder of GTown each ran 2:21 in that race. Tyler Mulder, 1:44 man from OTC ran essentially a solo effort of 2:21 on an oversized track in Seattle. He was followed by Izaic Yorks the sophomore from Washington and Marco Bertollotti and Mike Atchoo of Stanford. Jeremy Rae of Notre Dame, at his home track, ran a 2:22 as well, making all four of the collegians sitting at 2:22. PA's Owen Dawson ran 2:22.94 at PSU, a top 10 time currently in the USA (again excluding oversized marks).
PA's Craig Miller has been doing work in the mile! His 3:57 is currently US #2 just ahead of new Heps record holder Will Geoghegan of Dartmouth (3:58.04). Ryan Hill beat out Lopez Lomong in the mile out in Albuquerque as part of a double win and the altitude mark of 3:59.00 puts him in the top 10. Garrett Heath leads all milers with his 3:54.59 at New Balance.Worth noting: Dartmouth has 3 guys at 4:01 or faster, all from the USA. Indoors. In January.
A fast 3k at BU aided Travis Mahoney, Temple alumn and top steeplechaser, to a 7:52 3k opener. It is only behind Rupp's 3k en route and Bernard Lagat's time in Glasgow (7:34 and 7:49 respectively). Dan Lowry, PA alumn from LaSalle, ran 8:00 which puts him among the US top 10. If you include oversized tracks Ben Blankenship and Dan Quigley of OTC have marks of 7:55 and 8:01 that would place them among the top 10.
5k: Rupp 13:01. That's about all that really means anything. Maksim Korolev of Harvard ran a sick race but is a distant 2nd at 13:42.56. At #3 is PA's own Jim Spisak! 13:43 from the Duquesne man.
Entries for Upcoming UW Invite
These are the interesting ones I spotted off a quick glance at the performance list
800m
Alan Webb, Bowerman Athletics
Izaic Yorks, Washington
Mile
German Fernandez, Nike
Jake Hursyz, Colorado
Evan Jager, Nike
Jordan Schillit, OTC
Dan Quigley, OTC
Alan Webb, Bowerman
Izaic Yorks,Washington
3000m
Dustin Fay, UCLA
Lawi Lalang, Arizona
Sean McGorty, Unattached
Chris Solinsky, Nike
Taylor Thatcher, BYU
David Torrence, Nike
Jared Ward, BYU
Jason Witt, BYU
800m
Alan Webb, Bowerman Athletics
Izaic Yorks, Washington
Mile
German Fernandez, Nike
Jake Hursyz, Colorado
Evan Jager, Nike
Jordan Schillit, OTC
Dan Quigley, OTC
Alan Webb, Bowerman
Izaic Yorks,Washington
3000m
Dustin Fay, UCLA
Lawi Lalang, Arizona
Sean McGorty, Unattached
Chris Solinsky, Nike
Taylor Thatcher, BYU
David Torrence, Nike
Jared Ward, BYU
Jason Witt, BYU
4x8 World Record Attempt
So for those of you who follow the professional ranks, you have probably been watching Galen Rupp go on an all out assault on the record books. That has been truly fun to watch, but I think that record breaking is probably done at this point. If he manages to break 3:50 in the mile I will be quite impressed and surprised. He has been struggling the last 600m or so the last few races and bringing home the mile in 56ish pace is going to be no joke. Plus I'm not sure there is a rabbit in his arsenal who can get him to 1200m under pace. Taylor Gilland has been fantastic on the rabbiting jobs thus far, unbelievable work in that 2 mile, but I don't see him getting Rupp around the track for this next one.
Which is why I have set my 800m biased eyes on the upcoming 4x800m record attempt in Boston (different Boston track) at the New Balance Grand Prix. The event will be taking place on February 8th at the Reggie Lewis center and may end up on ESPN or one of its networks. Pretty sweet!
We don't know all that much about the event, but we do know the Brooks Beast relay squad is highlighting the race. Led by new addition Nick Symmonds and his quest to break records this year, the Beasts squad is looking to beat the 7:13.94 World Record mark from 2000 (also the US record). It has also been announced that Symmonds will be joined by Mark Wieczorek (I will refer to as Wizzo because it is not only an awesome nickname but also much easier to spell), Cas Loxsom (PSU's own) and Matt Sherer (perhaps the world's best rabbit).
But obviously this group can not do it alone, they need some competition. The relay willing to give it to them: the NJ-NY team with big name Robby Andrews. It is essentially a battle of two of the under appreciated track training groups in the nation, with no sign of the Nike Oregon Project or the Oregon Track Club.
So what is it going to take to get the record? Well first off it's going to take really strong indoor fitness for this early. The time suggests you "only" need to average 1:48.485 to get yourself the record. Seems like an easy enough mark, but consider the top times recently. 1:47 won a pretty competitive US championships last year indoors if my memory serves me correctly and if you run 1:48 and change you have a chance to be in the final indoors at USAs.
Besides the pros usually aren't jacked up and in sick shape for indoors. Think about the guys on this world record relay. It includes David Krummenacker who is something around 3:31-1:43 PR wise. It also includes Haverford D3 star Karl Paryna (this isn't really relevant to my point, it's just a small shout out to the Centennial Conference). Who is going to line with Krummenacker out there? Nobody on the NJ-NY roster has the chops and Symmonds seems like the most logical guy from the beasts. However, Symmonds usually stays away from indoors and has had seriously quiet years on the circuit ever since becoming a professional.
But the news is not all negative here folks. In the grand scheme of things besides the star Krummenacker, the current record holders are far from names that you recognize (Woody and Kenah are the remaining two legs). In addition, indoor marks are falling left and right this year. If guys really want it, what's to stop them from being in great shape? It's not like it's a world championship year outdoors and, fittingly, it is a world championship year indoors!
So let's crunch a little bit of numbers.
Brooks Beast squad:
Nick Symmonds is the stud of the group. He has a PR of 1:42 in the 800m and has fantastic strength. He is coming of the best year of his career that included a silver medal in the 800m at the world championships. He also has a bit of extra motivation now that he has jumped from the swoosh to try and bring the Beasts to the forefront of the elite. However, Nick still needs to prove he can produce big times indoors. Who knows what kind of shape he is in, especially considering we have yet to see him a race. I may be a hater here, but I can't see faster than 1:46 on his split. I expect Nick, the big name, to be on the anchor leg of the squad and, if they want to get the record, he may have to race hard rather than race (especially if the other team's anchor is Robby Andrews, the ultimate sit and kick man). Overall, I think Nick wants to represent the neon well and will run a great leg when all is said and done, but don't expect anything mind-blowing out of him.
My projected split from Nick: 1:46.91
Cas Loxsom is the big sleeper here. Think about it, Loxsom is perhaps the best guy in the nation at the indoor 600m and if oversized tracks counted for anything he would have the American Record. He could run 1:15ish at the mark and smash guys like Sowinski and Soloman. We have seen Cas run down in the 1:46ish range indoors before and at Penn State they were not ashamed of getting guys in fast shape really early. Cas has all the speed and the tools to run a fantastic split on a 4x8. He is no stranger to important relay legs from his days at Penn Sate and is coming off his best individual season at PSU. But he is a first time professional and that adjustment may take some time. Ultimately, however, I'm banking on Cas getting out hard and holding on in a big way. I think he is the key piece to the puzzle here. If he pops one off the record is gone.
My projected split from Cas: 1:47.04
Wizzo has a PR of 1:45 and made a final at the Olympic Trails in '12 wearing his American Eagle type outfit. That's pretty cool. He is a strong runner and his sweet spot is definitely at 800m. That being said he doesn't boast any amazing indoor credentials (PR at around 1:48 in the open) and had a kinda rough opening mile at UW recently. I think he certainly can bounce back and provide a nice spark for this relay, but I'm not sure if he will run anything blazing fast out there. He is a tricky leg to predict here overall, especially because I wouldn't be surprised at all if he is the lead-off leg. Ultimately, however, this is a record attempt and Brooks needs this mark to prove their worth. But somebody has to have an off-day out of the 4 of them right?
My projected split from Mark: 1:49.22
Lastly, you have the super wild card: Matt Sherer. As mentioned Matt Sherer is one of the best pacers in the world: he has a resume that is off the charts and has paced guys like Kaki and David Rudisha. But now he has to race? How is he going to react to something like that? Is he going to run lead off and drag someone around the track? Will he sit and kick? Keep in mind Matt's 800m PR is from 2008! It's a 1:46.11. He also boasts a 45.19 open PR in the 400 which is straight up moving. But that mark is from 2006! There is no way I can possibly accurately predict this guys time. He has the wheels, he has the ability, he is clearly trustworthy in record setting situations. But he hasn't been a racer since who knows when. I'll give it a guess but don't expect it to be great.
My projected split from Matt: 1:50.11
That all adds up to ... 7:13.28! Just a shade under the record. Keep in mind that I predicted the times without adding them up to see what that would get us so it's very interesting even to me to see what that adds up to (hopefully I did my math right).
But those splits are going to be way off if the Brooks guys don't get a race from the NJNY crew.
Who do they have at their disposal? Well I think Andrews is definitely on the relay based on the way they have been advertising, and Rutt is probably the best guy on that team right now so he will be featured in there as well. I'd expect Robby on the anchor just because that is what he has been doing his whole life, kicking down guys at Penn, but Rutt would be powerful on the anchor as well and must be considered. Both these guys are coming off somewhat disappointing shows at the Armory in the mile (Rutt around 4 flat which is actually fairly strong for him, and Robby DNFing after falling way off pace which is, unsurprisingly, bad for him). Keep in mind though Robby runs excellent indoors at 800m and 1000m when he gets his mind to it.
To join those two pieces they will have to pick between the following names:
-Kyle Merber (3:35 once in a life time untouchable PR and some strong relay legs from Columbia)
-Russell Brown (not even sure if he is healthy or training or anything, have to talk to coach, but he is one of the most talented guys on the roster)
-Tevan Everett (indoor world champs qualifier at 800m, 1:46.02 PR, consistent guy on the roster, gotta think he will be on the team?)
-Sadiki White (LSU boy with 1:47 PR)
-Ben Scheetz (D3 record holder indoors at 800m, would be a compelling story line between him and Symmonds)
-Declan Murray (All-American last year and strong 800m man, 1:46.77 PR)
-Brian Gagnon (He has a 3:42.9 down-hill mile PR. Not really relevant to his current 800m ability but that is an awesome stat to have at your disposal)
And like five other guys including PA alumn Nick Crits who shares a birthday with yours truly. Again not relevant but it was a great birthday gift to find that out when I was 16.
So who are they gonna pick from that group? No idea! Pick your favorite two! They have so many guys, all of whom could easily put down a 1:48ish split. Heck they could even field two relays and both could stay relatively competitive if everyone is healthy and in shape.
For the sake of argument and to stop all this rambling I'll say we have something like this:
Everett 1:48.37
Rutt 1:47.21 (3:35.58)
Gagnon 1:50.02 (5:25.60)
Andrews 1:47.88 (7:13.48)
vs.
Wizzo 1:49.22
Loxsom 1:47.04 (3:36.26)
Sherer 1:50.11 (5:26.37)
Symmonds 1:46.91 (7:13.28)
So a close race! I see it playing out with Everett busting lose from Wizzo down the stretch in a grueling first leg, Loxsom goes out hard and assumes the lead, but Rutt dominates the final 200 as a result. Gagnon handles a rusty Sherer, but it's a bit closer than expected with Robby letting Symmonds go to the lead and work to chase the record. In a surprise pick I do not have Robby outkicking Nick and grabbing the win! Cue the shock and awe! I see Nick holding off Robby's late charge and bringing home a big record for Brooks in his first performance for the team.
Is it a tad ambitious to expect Symmonds to play right into Andrews hands in hopes of getting the record? Yeah probably. But hey, it's my fantasy world and I want to see a record!
-train
Which is why I have set my 800m biased eyes on the upcoming 4x800m record attempt in Boston (different Boston track) at the New Balance Grand Prix. The event will be taking place on February 8th at the Reggie Lewis center and may end up on ESPN or one of its networks. Pretty sweet!
We don't know all that much about the event, but we do know the Brooks Beast relay squad is highlighting the race. Led by new addition Nick Symmonds and his quest to break records this year, the Beasts squad is looking to beat the 7:13.94 World Record mark from 2000 (also the US record). It has also been announced that Symmonds will be joined by Mark Wieczorek (I will refer to as Wizzo because it is not only an awesome nickname but also much easier to spell), Cas Loxsom (PSU's own) and Matt Sherer (perhaps the world's best rabbit).
But obviously this group can not do it alone, they need some competition. The relay willing to give it to them: the NJ-NY team with big name Robby Andrews. It is essentially a battle of two of the under appreciated track training groups in the nation, with no sign of the Nike Oregon Project or the Oregon Track Club.
So what is it going to take to get the record? Well first off it's going to take really strong indoor fitness for this early. The time suggests you "only" need to average 1:48.485 to get yourself the record. Seems like an easy enough mark, but consider the top times recently. 1:47 won a pretty competitive US championships last year indoors if my memory serves me correctly and if you run 1:48 and change you have a chance to be in the final indoors at USAs.
Besides the pros usually aren't jacked up and in sick shape for indoors. Think about the guys on this world record relay. It includes David Krummenacker who is something around 3:31-1:43 PR wise. It also includes Haverford D3 star Karl Paryna (this isn't really relevant to my point, it's just a small shout out to the Centennial Conference). Who is going to line with Krummenacker out there? Nobody on the NJ-NY roster has the chops and Symmonds seems like the most logical guy from the beasts. However, Symmonds usually stays away from indoors and has had seriously quiet years on the circuit ever since becoming a professional.
But the news is not all negative here folks. In the grand scheme of things besides the star Krummenacker, the current record holders are far from names that you recognize (Woody and Kenah are the remaining two legs). In addition, indoor marks are falling left and right this year. If guys really want it, what's to stop them from being in great shape? It's not like it's a world championship year outdoors and, fittingly, it is a world championship year indoors!
So let's crunch a little bit of numbers.
Brooks Beast squad:
Nick Symmonds is the stud of the group. He has a PR of 1:42 in the 800m and has fantastic strength. He is coming of the best year of his career that included a silver medal in the 800m at the world championships. He also has a bit of extra motivation now that he has jumped from the swoosh to try and bring the Beasts to the forefront of the elite. However, Nick still needs to prove he can produce big times indoors. Who knows what kind of shape he is in, especially considering we have yet to see him a race. I may be a hater here, but I can't see faster than 1:46 on his split. I expect Nick, the big name, to be on the anchor leg of the squad and, if they want to get the record, he may have to race hard rather than race (especially if the other team's anchor is Robby Andrews, the ultimate sit and kick man). Overall, I think Nick wants to represent the neon well and will run a great leg when all is said and done, but don't expect anything mind-blowing out of him.
My projected split from Nick: 1:46.91
Cas Loxsom is the big sleeper here. Think about it, Loxsom is perhaps the best guy in the nation at the indoor 600m and if oversized tracks counted for anything he would have the American Record. He could run 1:15ish at the mark and smash guys like Sowinski and Soloman. We have seen Cas run down in the 1:46ish range indoors before and at Penn State they were not ashamed of getting guys in fast shape really early. Cas has all the speed and the tools to run a fantastic split on a 4x8. He is no stranger to important relay legs from his days at Penn Sate and is coming off his best individual season at PSU. But he is a first time professional and that adjustment may take some time. Ultimately, however, I'm banking on Cas getting out hard and holding on in a big way. I think he is the key piece to the puzzle here. If he pops one off the record is gone.
My projected split from Cas: 1:47.04
Wizzo has a PR of 1:45 and made a final at the Olympic Trails in '12 wearing his American Eagle type outfit. That's pretty cool. He is a strong runner and his sweet spot is definitely at 800m. That being said he doesn't boast any amazing indoor credentials (PR at around 1:48 in the open) and had a kinda rough opening mile at UW recently. I think he certainly can bounce back and provide a nice spark for this relay, but I'm not sure if he will run anything blazing fast out there. He is a tricky leg to predict here overall, especially because I wouldn't be surprised at all if he is the lead-off leg. Ultimately, however, this is a record attempt and Brooks needs this mark to prove their worth. But somebody has to have an off-day out of the 4 of them right?
My projected split from Mark: 1:49.22
Lastly, you have the super wild card: Matt Sherer. As mentioned Matt Sherer is one of the best pacers in the world: he has a resume that is off the charts and has paced guys like Kaki and David Rudisha. But now he has to race? How is he going to react to something like that? Is he going to run lead off and drag someone around the track? Will he sit and kick? Keep in mind Matt's 800m PR is from 2008! It's a 1:46.11. He also boasts a 45.19 open PR in the 400 which is straight up moving. But that mark is from 2006! There is no way I can possibly accurately predict this guys time. He has the wheels, he has the ability, he is clearly trustworthy in record setting situations. But he hasn't been a racer since who knows when. I'll give it a guess but don't expect it to be great.
My projected split from Matt: 1:50.11
That all adds up to ... 7:13.28! Just a shade under the record. Keep in mind that I predicted the times without adding them up to see what that would get us so it's very interesting even to me to see what that adds up to (hopefully I did my math right).
But those splits are going to be way off if the Brooks guys don't get a race from the NJNY crew.
Who do they have at their disposal? Well I think Andrews is definitely on the relay based on the way they have been advertising, and Rutt is probably the best guy on that team right now so he will be featured in there as well. I'd expect Robby on the anchor just because that is what he has been doing his whole life, kicking down guys at Penn, but Rutt would be powerful on the anchor as well and must be considered. Both these guys are coming off somewhat disappointing shows at the Armory in the mile (Rutt around 4 flat which is actually fairly strong for him, and Robby DNFing after falling way off pace which is, unsurprisingly, bad for him). Keep in mind though Robby runs excellent indoors at 800m and 1000m when he gets his mind to it.
To join those two pieces they will have to pick between the following names:
-Kyle Merber (3:35 once in a life time untouchable PR and some strong relay legs from Columbia)
-Russell Brown (not even sure if he is healthy or training or anything, have to talk to coach, but he is one of the most talented guys on the roster)
-Tevan Everett (indoor world champs qualifier at 800m, 1:46.02 PR, consistent guy on the roster, gotta think he will be on the team?)
-Sadiki White (LSU boy with 1:47 PR)
-Ben Scheetz (D3 record holder indoors at 800m, would be a compelling story line between him and Symmonds)
-Declan Murray (All-American last year and strong 800m man, 1:46.77 PR)
-Brian Gagnon (He has a 3:42.9 down-hill mile PR. Not really relevant to his current 800m ability but that is an awesome stat to have at your disposal)
And like five other guys including PA alumn Nick Crits who shares a birthday with yours truly. Again not relevant but it was a great birthday gift to find that out when I was 16.
So who are they gonna pick from that group? No idea! Pick your favorite two! They have so many guys, all of whom could easily put down a 1:48ish split. Heck they could even field two relays and both could stay relatively competitive if everyone is healthy and in shape.
For the sake of argument and to stop all this rambling I'll say we have something like this:
Everett 1:48.37
Rutt 1:47.21 (3:35.58)
Gagnon 1:50.02 (5:25.60)
Andrews 1:47.88 (7:13.48)
vs.
Wizzo 1:49.22
Loxsom 1:47.04 (3:36.26)
Sherer 1:50.11 (5:26.37)
Symmonds 1:46.91 (7:13.28)
So a close race! I see it playing out with Everett busting lose from Wizzo down the stretch in a grueling first leg, Loxsom goes out hard and assumes the lead, but Rutt dominates the final 200 as a result. Gagnon handles a rusty Sherer, but it's a bit closer than expected with Robby letting Symmonds go to the lead and work to chase the record. In a surprise pick I do not have Robby outkicking Nick and grabbing the win! Cue the shock and awe! I see Nick holding off Robby's late charge and bringing home a big record for Brooks in his first performance for the team.
Is it a tad ambitious to expect Symmonds to play right into Andrews hands in hopes of getting the record? Yeah probably. But hey, it's my fantasy world and I want to see a record!
-train
PA Great 8
*Note I made these before the results this past weekend, didn't have time to put together explanations but figured I'd get this out there for anyone interested*
3000m
1. Ross Wilson, Sr CRNorth
2. Dominic Deluca, Sr Dallas
3. Tony Russell, Sr West Chester Henderson
4. Kevin James, Jr O'Hara
5. Jake Brophy, So CB East
6. Ethan Martin, Sr Fox Chapel
7. Colin Martin, Sr Fox Chapel
8. Chris Kazanjian, Sr Penncrest
Honorable Mention
Reiny Barchet, Sr West Chester Henderson
Chris Cummings, Sr West Chester East
3000m
1. Ross Wilson, Sr CRNorth
2. Dominic Deluca, Sr Dallas
3. Tony Russell, Sr West Chester Henderson
4. Kevin James, Jr O'Hara
5. Jake Brophy, So CB East
6. Ethan Martin, Sr Fox Chapel
7. Colin Martin, Sr Fox Chapel
8. Chris Kazanjian, Sr Penncrest
Honorable Mention
Reiny Barchet, Sr West Chester Henderson
Chris Cummings, Sr West Chester East
Great 8: etrain Style
Mile
1. Tony Russell, Sr West Chester Henderson (4:14.52/4:16.26)
Russell just missed a state title at the mile last year indoors, but consistently ran top times in the state at this event indoors and outdoors. Russell is coming off an XC season during which he defended his individual and team titles at the state championships while also breaking 15 minutes in the 5k. His strength has never really been in question (he ran 9:07 last season for 3200m), but he has needed to prove he has the speed to compete in the mile at the top level. He started out this season with an incredible 3:02 split at Yale, positioning himself well in the speed category. He also managed to have a strong enough kick to hold off a late charge in the open mile where he won in 4:16.26 (despite some on track antics). With Russell's latest mile mark, he has now run 4:16 or faster for the open mile equivalent 4 times in the last two track seasons. If you count his indoor and outdoor relay splits the number goes up to at least 6.
2. Zach Brehm, Jr Carlisle (4:09.27/4:31.71c)
The same arguments about Brehm that I made in the 800m are just as relevant here. Clearly he has a fantastic resume, especially in the mile, but the only question is whether or not he can find enough momentum during a difficult indoor stretch to be prime and fit come states. His kick would be absolutely lethal against this field, but stars like Vince McNally (4:07.55 miler as a Junior) could even win states their senior year. Brehm's progression will be very exciting moving forward as hopefully he will get a fast enough seed time to be in the fast heat at states in whatever he chooses to run.
3. Jaxson Hoey, So Malvern Prep (4:19.24/4:19.24)
Hoey right now is one of the only guys on any of these lists who can say he has run an overall PR already this season indoors. He ran 4:19.24 for the mile at Yale and he also ran 4:26.81 for Burdette, putting him in an elite class of milers already. Factor in that the guy is a sophomore and it is clear we are looking at something special. That being said, sophomores can have a tough time at the state championship level. At the 800m we have seen legends like Mallon and up and coming stars like Brehm win, but the larger distance events tend to take age and experience in addition to talent. Hoey has run considerably faster than the sophomores of year's past already despite the fact that it is only January, so clearly he is someone not afraid to try and rewrite the history books.
4. Kevin James, Jr O'Hara (4:15.73/-)
Last year as a sophomore, James ran some truly gutsy races. He tried the mile/3k double indoors twice in big meets, ran 3:04.4 1200m (beating established 800m guys like Andrew Stone) and finished 5th at states in a brutally windy 3200m. James got a bit of a late start to his indoor track season thanks to his NXN trip so he has only ran a 3k mark, but looking ahead it is very likely he will try his hand at the mile soon. James will have to consider pulling double duties on relays this year, making the mile more enticing than the 3k, even though I believe the 3k is probably his strongest event. James is much like Russell in the fact that he runs his best marks off honest paces and strength without the flashy 800m PRs of many other top guys in the field. He will look to build off his own strong 1200m marks for confidence late in the race.
5. Kyle Francis, Sr Bensalem (4:17.83c/4:26.54)
Kyle Francis easily could be one of the top ranked 800m guys in the state, but in the past year it seems he has worked hard to establish the Mile as his main event. Francis competed at the mile indoors last year and the 1600m outdoors, both in addition to the 4x8. Brad Rivera was the big name on the Bensalem relay coming into the year, but Francis quickly emerged as a star in his own right. Francis can probably run 48-49 on a 4x4 split and has run 1:51 on a 4x8 split. That speed could be lethal in the right race. Often times these miles are tactical and although I don't expect guys like James and Russell to let things get too slow, Francis's kick could get him an upset victory. And he won't be dropped easily by a fast pace, Francis has run 15:46 for 5k.
6. Sam Ritz, Jr Germantown Academy (4:11.73/4:24.03)
Don't sleep on Sam Ritz out of GA! It's been a while since GA had guys at the top of the state indoors (probably Elliot Rhodes and their 4x8 was the last time), but Ritz early in has shown he would be interested in running fast at top meets indoors. His 4:11.73 and 4:24.03 PR and SB marks add up to the fastest total out of anyone short of Tony Russell. The independent schools tend to perform very well indoors, and I would not be surprised at all if Ritz peaked right and finished the season with a surprise.
7. Kevin Moy, Sr West Chester Henderson (4:17.49c/4:26.84)
Think of it this way: Moy ran 4:42.73 last year indoors and dipped all the way down to 4:16.01 by the end of outdoors. Now he is already starting out at 4:26.84! Moy is something of a converted 800m guy who has managed to translate his 1:55 speed into a great kick that earned him a strong finish last outdoors at the state championship (5th) ahead of his teammate Tony Russell. Moy ran a huge leg on the DMR the night before his season best this season in the mile which makes me think he was running on tired legs. I think there is a lot of room for improvement here and Coach Kelly knows how to push the right buttons to make it happen. Moy has a lot more experience being near the top of the big stage than he did last year at this time and he knows on the right day he can hang with anyone in the state.
8. Christian Kardish, Sr Holy Ghost Prep (4:19.99c/4:29.42)
Kardish made the state championships in the 1600m out of the grueling district one each of the last two years. That right there is symbolic of how well this guy can run. Last year indoors, coming off sickness and a health scare, he ran a great time in a slower heat and followed it up with a clutch kick on the DMR (I believe he outkicked UD's own Francis Ferruzzi). Kardish has been racing the best guys in the state for years now and he isn't afraid to stick his nose in there. He recently jumped in a couple of top miles at the Armory, gaining valuable experience in fast, competitive races on banked tracks. In a meet like states where every second counts, this experience will be incredibly valuable.
Honorable Mention
Brendan Billotta, Sr LaSalle
Ross Wilson, Sr Council Rock North
Still more to come! See the 800m below if interested
1. Tony Russell, Sr West Chester Henderson (4:14.52/4:16.26)
Russell just missed a state title at the mile last year indoors, but consistently ran top times in the state at this event indoors and outdoors. Russell is coming off an XC season during which he defended his individual and team titles at the state championships while also breaking 15 minutes in the 5k. His strength has never really been in question (he ran 9:07 last season for 3200m), but he has needed to prove he has the speed to compete in the mile at the top level. He started out this season with an incredible 3:02 split at Yale, positioning himself well in the speed category. He also managed to have a strong enough kick to hold off a late charge in the open mile where he won in 4:16.26 (despite some on track antics). With Russell's latest mile mark, he has now run 4:16 or faster for the open mile equivalent 4 times in the last two track seasons. If you count his indoor and outdoor relay splits the number goes up to at least 6.
2. Zach Brehm, Jr Carlisle (4:09.27/4:31.71c)
The same arguments about Brehm that I made in the 800m are just as relevant here. Clearly he has a fantastic resume, especially in the mile, but the only question is whether or not he can find enough momentum during a difficult indoor stretch to be prime and fit come states. His kick would be absolutely lethal against this field, but stars like Vince McNally (4:07.55 miler as a Junior) could even win states their senior year. Brehm's progression will be very exciting moving forward as hopefully he will get a fast enough seed time to be in the fast heat at states in whatever he chooses to run.
3. Jaxson Hoey, So Malvern Prep (4:19.24/4:19.24)
Hoey right now is one of the only guys on any of these lists who can say he has run an overall PR already this season indoors. He ran 4:19.24 for the mile at Yale and he also ran 4:26.81 for Burdette, putting him in an elite class of milers already. Factor in that the guy is a sophomore and it is clear we are looking at something special. That being said, sophomores can have a tough time at the state championship level. At the 800m we have seen legends like Mallon and up and coming stars like Brehm win, but the larger distance events tend to take age and experience in addition to talent. Hoey has run considerably faster than the sophomores of year's past already despite the fact that it is only January, so clearly he is someone not afraid to try and rewrite the history books.
4. Kevin James, Jr O'Hara (4:15.73/-)
Last year as a sophomore, James ran some truly gutsy races. He tried the mile/3k double indoors twice in big meets, ran 3:04.4 1200m (beating established 800m guys like Andrew Stone) and finished 5th at states in a brutally windy 3200m. James got a bit of a late start to his indoor track season thanks to his NXN trip so he has only ran a 3k mark, but looking ahead it is very likely he will try his hand at the mile soon. James will have to consider pulling double duties on relays this year, making the mile more enticing than the 3k, even though I believe the 3k is probably his strongest event. James is much like Russell in the fact that he runs his best marks off honest paces and strength without the flashy 800m PRs of many other top guys in the field. He will look to build off his own strong 1200m marks for confidence late in the race.
5. Kyle Francis, Sr Bensalem (4:17.83c/4:26.54)
Kyle Francis easily could be one of the top ranked 800m guys in the state, but in the past year it seems he has worked hard to establish the Mile as his main event. Francis competed at the mile indoors last year and the 1600m outdoors, both in addition to the 4x8. Brad Rivera was the big name on the Bensalem relay coming into the year, but Francis quickly emerged as a star in his own right. Francis can probably run 48-49 on a 4x4 split and has run 1:51 on a 4x8 split. That speed could be lethal in the right race. Often times these miles are tactical and although I don't expect guys like James and Russell to let things get too slow, Francis's kick could get him an upset victory. And he won't be dropped easily by a fast pace, Francis has run 15:46 for 5k.
6. Sam Ritz, Jr Germantown Academy (4:11.73/4:24.03)
Don't sleep on Sam Ritz out of GA! It's been a while since GA had guys at the top of the state indoors (probably Elliot Rhodes and their 4x8 was the last time), but Ritz early in has shown he would be interested in running fast at top meets indoors. His 4:11.73 and 4:24.03 PR and SB marks add up to the fastest total out of anyone short of Tony Russell. The independent schools tend to perform very well indoors, and I would not be surprised at all if Ritz peaked right and finished the season with a surprise.
7. Kevin Moy, Sr West Chester Henderson (4:17.49c/4:26.84)
Think of it this way: Moy ran 4:42.73 last year indoors and dipped all the way down to 4:16.01 by the end of outdoors. Now he is already starting out at 4:26.84! Moy is something of a converted 800m guy who has managed to translate his 1:55 speed into a great kick that earned him a strong finish last outdoors at the state championship (5th) ahead of his teammate Tony Russell. Moy ran a huge leg on the DMR the night before his season best this season in the mile which makes me think he was running on tired legs. I think there is a lot of room for improvement here and Coach Kelly knows how to push the right buttons to make it happen. Moy has a lot more experience being near the top of the big stage than he did last year at this time and he knows on the right day he can hang with anyone in the state.
8. Christian Kardish, Sr Holy Ghost Prep (4:19.99c/4:29.42)
Kardish made the state championships in the 1600m out of the grueling district one each of the last two years. That right there is symbolic of how well this guy can run. Last year indoors, coming off sickness and a health scare, he ran a great time in a slower heat and followed it up with a clutch kick on the DMR (I believe he outkicked UD's own Francis Ferruzzi). Kardish has been racing the best guys in the state for years now and he isn't afraid to stick his nose in there. He recently jumped in a couple of top miles at the Armory, gaining valuable experience in fast, competitive races on banked tracks. In a meet like states where every second counts, this experience will be incredibly valuable.
Honorable Mention
Brendan Billotta, Sr LaSalle
Ross Wilson, Sr Council Rock North
Still more to come! See the 800m below if interested
PA's Great 8: etrain Style
So as you probably now, Penntrack does a nice post about the top 8 times in each event so far this season, so I thought it might be cool to do my own version of it that is purely opinion based rather than purely time based. For the sake of simplicity, I assumed some people who did not yet have qualifying times would get them. In addition, I am comparing all runners at each event as if they were completely fresh. So let's do some analysis.
800m
1. Jeff Wiseman, Sr Council Rock South (1:52.72/1:57.09)
Wiseman is the top returner from last year's indoor state championship and that in itself would be enough to get a lot of people on this list. But this is far from the only reason to slot Wiseman at #1. Last spring Jeff established himself as one of the best runners in the state at mid-distance, running a 1:52.72 at Henderson and a 48.64 in the 400m. Few other guys in this field boast that kind of raw speed. He has continued that trend indoors running a flat track 1:57.09 and 50.73. As an added bonus, in Wiseman's career he has won a slew of incredibly close races, meaning he brings that extra umph necessary to win a state title.
2. Joe Logue, Sr Pennridge (1:51.59/1:58.17)
Logue won a state championship two years back when he anchored his Pennridge squad to an upset victory in the 4x8 and also grabbed state gold in the 4x4 last year indoors. Now he is looking to add an individual gold to his mantle. Logue has built quite an impressive resume for himself over the past few seasons. He notched a 1:51 PR at Henderson, added some quick 4x4 splits and even went up in distance and excelled, running an impressive 3:57.49 for 1500m which earned him a Penn Relays spot. He is a fantastic combination of strength and speed and has experience winning titles. He is no stranger to the big stage and will be ready to compete come states.
3. Zach Brehm, Jr Carlisle (1:54.40/-)
Brehm is easily the hardest guy to place on this list. He is coming off an outdoor season where he ran under 9:20, sub 4:10 in the mile and 1:54 in the 800m to claim the state title. He followed that up with an impressive XC season that included a 15:28 and a top 10 finish at states. Wow! The problem is it will be hard for the guys outside of District One to get in top training and top competition on a weekly basis, which may put Brehm at a disadvantage this indoor season. Carlisle hasn't had a medalist in the past 5 years and Brehm's indoor PR currently sits 2:14.31 (not including any fast splits). There have been top District 3 talents like Rotz and Kunzweiler who haven't been able to grab the title, but Brehm may be able to break the streak and bring the title back to the middle of the state.
4. Will Cather, Sr State College (1:55.53/1:56.9h)
Cather's biggest advantage coming into this race: he has a hometown crowd to support him. With the meet being held at Penn State, Cather will gain extra support from a supportive crowd. But it's not just the crowd that will help Cather, he has also established himself as one of the best up and coming talents on the distance scene. He has already qualified for states this season in the 400 and the 800 (with 1:56.9h that puts him atop the list), but he also has the potential to qualify in the Mile and the 3k (as he did last season). This would be a nearly unprecedented feat. Cather's range is clearly superb and he is clearly a gutsy runner: he fought his way to 25th at XC states, just edging out the last medal spot, and he also ran a strong race out of the slow heats at states last year to grab an indoor medal.
5. Jon Lewis, Jr Cheltenham (1:54.93/1:57.19)
Lewis started off his indoor season by coming within a tenth of a second of our #1 on this list, Jeff Wiseman. He has been on the quiet side since, but he did drop a 49.1 at the Armory in the 400m and ran some power legs on 4x4 and 4x2 relays for the state leaders: Cheltenham. A lot of Lewis's achievements over the years (including a 48.79 PR at 400m) indicate that he may opt for the sprints over the distance, but Lewis has made it clear his true love is the 800m. He ran a huge leg on the Cheltenham 4x8 last year and raced long into the summer to grab a 1:54.93 open 8 PR. Lewis may lack a little experience at the top of the 800m scene in PA, but he is learning quickly and appears to be on the verge of a break out season. He is a sleeper pick for the title come season's end.
6. Billy Caldwell, Sr Downingtown East (1:55.12/2:00.57)
Caldwell has been one to watch ever since he began to emerge on the team's relays last year. He ran a pair of brilliant legs at Districts to get his team to states and once he got there, his third leg brought DTEast on to the medal stand. Caldwell followed it up by finishing 7th outdoors in the 800m for his first individual state medal. He was a sleeper pick last year, but this year he is on everyone's radar and so to his DTEast relay squad. Caldwell has been working hard on improving his mile strength and is among the state leaders in this category as well, so we may not get to see him at this event come states, but if we do, we will see a gutsy runner with a lot of talent and heart.
7. Alek Sauer, Jr Pennsbury (1:56.85/1:57.17)
Sauer opened up his season with a blazing 1:57.17 800m up at the Armory to suddenly catapult himself into the state title conversation. As just a sophomore, Sauer developed into a huge contributor to the Pennsbury relays, running some huge 4x8 legs for the squad as they worked their way to bronze in the 4x8. Although Sauer wasn't the big name on the relay with state medalists like Sam Webb and Connor Harriman on the team, Sauer ended the season as the best 800m man out of them all. Now, as he makes the signature sophomore to junior jump, he is looking to build off a sub 16 XC season and head towards an upset in the 800m.
8. Jim Belfatto, Sr O'Hara (1:55.19/1:59.96)
Belfatto has done it all over his career. He has run on some fantastic XC teams, some great relays indoors, and was a key leg on O'Hara's Penn Relays squad from a year ago. But he is still hungry for more. Belfatto, who has range from in the low 9:20s for 3200m all the way down to 1:55 in the open 800m. He ran a 1:54 split for his DMR at Nationals a year ago as well. Belfatto has always been willing to sacrifice individual glory in pursuit of team achievements, so like our previous couple runners, we may not get to see him compete for a state title this season, but he and the O'Hara boys are always dangerous on the big stage.
Honorable Mention
Dylan Wilhoite, Sr Penn Hills
Frank Brophy, Sr CB East
More to Come!
800m
1. Jeff Wiseman, Sr Council Rock South (1:52.72/1:57.09)
Wiseman is the top returner from last year's indoor state championship and that in itself would be enough to get a lot of people on this list. But this is far from the only reason to slot Wiseman at #1. Last spring Jeff established himself as one of the best runners in the state at mid-distance, running a 1:52.72 at Henderson and a 48.64 in the 400m. Few other guys in this field boast that kind of raw speed. He has continued that trend indoors running a flat track 1:57.09 and 50.73. As an added bonus, in Wiseman's career he has won a slew of incredibly close races, meaning he brings that extra umph necessary to win a state title.
2. Joe Logue, Sr Pennridge (1:51.59/1:58.17)
Logue won a state championship two years back when he anchored his Pennridge squad to an upset victory in the 4x8 and also grabbed state gold in the 4x4 last year indoors. Now he is looking to add an individual gold to his mantle. Logue has built quite an impressive resume for himself over the past few seasons. He notched a 1:51 PR at Henderson, added some quick 4x4 splits and even went up in distance and excelled, running an impressive 3:57.49 for 1500m which earned him a Penn Relays spot. He is a fantastic combination of strength and speed and has experience winning titles. He is no stranger to the big stage and will be ready to compete come states.
3. Zach Brehm, Jr Carlisle (1:54.40/-)
Brehm is easily the hardest guy to place on this list. He is coming off an outdoor season where he ran under 9:20, sub 4:10 in the mile and 1:54 in the 800m to claim the state title. He followed that up with an impressive XC season that included a 15:28 and a top 10 finish at states. Wow! The problem is it will be hard for the guys outside of District One to get in top training and top competition on a weekly basis, which may put Brehm at a disadvantage this indoor season. Carlisle hasn't had a medalist in the past 5 years and Brehm's indoor PR currently sits 2:14.31 (not including any fast splits). There have been top District 3 talents like Rotz and Kunzweiler who haven't been able to grab the title, but Brehm may be able to break the streak and bring the title back to the middle of the state.
4. Will Cather, Sr State College (1:55.53/1:56.9h)
Cather's biggest advantage coming into this race: he has a hometown crowd to support him. With the meet being held at Penn State, Cather will gain extra support from a supportive crowd. But it's not just the crowd that will help Cather, he has also established himself as one of the best up and coming talents on the distance scene. He has already qualified for states this season in the 400 and the 800 (with 1:56.9h that puts him atop the list), but he also has the potential to qualify in the Mile and the 3k (as he did last season). This would be a nearly unprecedented feat. Cather's range is clearly superb and he is clearly a gutsy runner: he fought his way to 25th at XC states, just edging out the last medal spot, and he also ran a strong race out of the slow heats at states last year to grab an indoor medal.
5. Jon Lewis, Jr Cheltenham (1:54.93/1:57.19)
Lewis started off his indoor season by coming within a tenth of a second of our #1 on this list, Jeff Wiseman. He has been on the quiet side since, but he did drop a 49.1 at the Armory in the 400m and ran some power legs on 4x4 and 4x2 relays for the state leaders: Cheltenham. A lot of Lewis's achievements over the years (including a 48.79 PR at 400m) indicate that he may opt for the sprints over the distance, but Lewis has made it clear his true love is the 800m. He ran a huge leg on the Cheltenham 4x8 last year and raced long into the summer to grab a 1:54.93 open 8 PR. Lewis may lack a little experience at the top of the 800m scene in PA, but he is learning quickly and appears to be on the verge of a break out season. He is a sleeper pick for the title come season's end.
6. Billy Caldwell, Sr Downingtown East (1:55.12/2:00.57)
Caldwell has been one to watch ever since he began to emerge on the team's relays last year. He ran a pair of brilliant legs at Districts to get his team to states and once he got there, his third leg brought DTEast on to the medal stand. Caldwell followed it up by finishing 7th outdoors in the 800m for his first individual state medal. He was a sleeper pick last year, but this year he is on everyone's radar and so to his DTEast relay squad. Caldwell has been working hard on improving his mile strength and is among the state leaders in this category as well, so we may not get to see him at this event come states, but if we do, we will see a gutsy runner with a lot of talent and heart.
7. Alek Sauer, Jr Pennsbury (1:56.85/1:57.17)
Sauer opened up his season with a blazing 1:57.17 800m up at the Armory to suddenly catapult himself into the state title conversation. As just a sophomore, Sauer developed into a huge contributor to the Pennsbury relays, running some huge 4x8 legs for the squad as they worked their way to bronze in the 4x8. Although Sauer wasn't the big name on the relay with state medalists like Sam Webb and Connor Harriman on the team, Sauer ended the season as the best 800m man out of them all. Now, as he makes the signature sophomore to junior jump, he is looking to build off a sub 16 XC season and head towards an upset in the 800m.
8. Jim Belfatto, Sr O'Hara (1:55.19/1:59.96)
Belfatto has done it all over his career. He has run on some fantastic XC teams, some great relays indoors, and was a key leg on O'Hara's Penn Relays squad from a year ago. But he is still hungry for more. Belfatto, who has range from in the low 9:20s for 3200m all the way down to 1:55 in the open 800m. He ran a 1:54 split for his DMR at Nationals a year ago as well. Belfatto has always been willing to sacrifice individual glory in pursuit of team achievements, so like our previous couple runners, we may not get to see him compete for a state title this season, but he and the O'Hara boys are always dangerous on the big stage.
Honorable Mention
Dylan Wilhoite, Sr Penn Hills
Frank Brophy, Sr CB East
More to Come!
Strike One
The prediction thing is hard. I had Rupp just missing the record and he smashed the darn thing closing in around 2:01 and 4:03. He ran a 29 lap from like 800m to 600m to go which was crazy but then he really kinda started to tie up and couldn't quite hold that pace, but he wasn't far from sub 13. He is once again in absurdly fast shape indoors which is stunning to me because it is so far away from any major meets! It's January for goodness sake. So it will be interesting to watch his continued development.
It looked like a pretty grueling finish for Rupp who managed to make it to the line and out last old rival Sam Chelenga (who had a phenomenal day by the way) so now with not too much time to recover, the question becomes can he come back and do it again at 2 miles? I'd have to guess no but I've been wrong once ...
As for Cain I was a bit off on her time (and Rowbury didn't even race) but it was really cool to see a World Junior Record. If they had hyped up the race as a bid for that mark (as it most likely should have been hyped) then the race would have been much more exciting. The flotrack guys tend to live in a fantasy world sometimes with these record attempts, gotta just analyze the race as it progresses. Sure the pacing wasn't perfect but Cain is just not an all-time kind of performer yet. She is still just 17 years old and not the best runner in the US for women. She is a fantastic story with a lot of potential whose best even is in the 15-3k range I'd imagine. She made a world champ final and probably could run 4:02 outdoors. Those marks are great but not a resume that suggests anything like 2:34.
All the same I look forward to her chasing more world junior marks going forward! It's really cool to have an american distance runner making any sort of waves on world records. Even if they are just world junior records.
It looked like a pretty grueling finish for Rupp who managed to make it to the line and out last old rival Sam Chelenga (who had a phenomenal day by the way) so now with not too much time to recover, the question becomes can he come back and do it again at 2 miles? I'd have to guess no but I've been wrong once ...
As for Cain I was a bit off on her time (and Rowbury didn't even race) but it was really cool to see a World Junior Record. If they had hyped up the race as a bid for that mark (as it most likely should have been hyped) then the race would have been much more exciting. The flotrack guys tend to live in a fantasy world sometimes with these record attempts, gotta just analyze the race as it progresses. Sure the pacing wasn't perfect but Cain is just not an all-time kind of performer yet. She is still just 17 years old and not the best runner in the US for women. She is a fantastic story with a lot of potential whose best even is in the 15-3k range I'd imagine. She made a world champ final and probably could run 4:02 outdoors. Those marks are great but not a resume that suggests anything like 2:34.
All the same I look forward to her chasing more world junior marks going forward! It's really cool to have an american distance runner making any sort of waves on world records. Even if they are just world junior records.
Predictions for Tomorrow Night
For those of you who don't know, Mary Cain and Galen Rupp are chasing some records in the not so distant future. Tomorrow night on Flotrack Pro Cain goes for a slew of different 1k records and Rupp goes for the American record in the 5000m.
I was foolish enough to get sucked into the hype of Flotrack Pro and purchased the sucker for myself so I will be able to watch the race. So if you really want to watch come to Muhlenberg tomorrow night around race time. Unless I don't really know you then that may be awkward.
Cain is joined by Rowbury and Moser in this race, both of whom I seriously doubt are willing to just let Cain walk all over them. I honestly think Cain isn't winning this race out of the American crew, which may be foolish, but I'm not sure that she can beat either of these girls at this distance. My money would be on Rowbury who just jumped on the Salazar plan and is a complete wild card here. I don't think the American Record is falling here. Sorry folks.
But Cain can go after plenty of records in this race, she isn't just limited to the American Record (although that is what the meet directors are hyping her up for).
Here is a list of records she is eligible and the high school record just for fun (she is a pro now so she can officially chase any more USHS records, despite the fact that she is still a senior in HS!)
Note that all of these are indoor track records
HS: 2:43.40
American Junior: 2:40.1
World Junior: 2:40.1 (go USA!)
I think Cain is taking all three of these down (even though only two will count) which is pretty amazing.
Interesting side note: Tirunesh Dibaba owns the world junior indoor record at 3000m with a time of 8:33 which is roughly 2:50 pace per 1k .... so maybe the world junior record is a little soft at 1k?
I'm predicting Rowbury at like 2:36ish maybe and Cain 2:37 right near by, Moser falling of the pace a bit. Hard to say with any sort of certainity on times though because this is far from my area of expertise. But hey I'll give it a shot!
As for Galen, I think he is going to miss the record as well, but just barely. He and his buddy Bernie have been trading indoor american records for the last couple years in a truly dramatic fashion. I love it, even though I'm not a big supporter of either guy.
But then Lopez Lomong said screw you guys and came flying in to steal the record from both of them! Easy to forget that he was the guy who ended up grabbing the record among all the trading between Bernie and Galen.
Bernie originally set the record in that race at Millrose with Ches and Lawi where he was pushed hard the whole way by Lalang. I'm not sure who is going to be out there dragging Galen around the track: Cam Levins is said to be in the race too, but he hasn't looked like a sub 13:20 kinda guy in over a year now.
When Lopez did it he was far from alone either: He had both Evan Jager and my boy Chris Derrick to help him with pacing. Lopez did it with a big time kick at the end.
Look does Galen have skills? Yeah any guy who can run 3:50.92 up to 26:48 is a straight thug on the track.
I'm sorry I have to pause to laugh briefly at the fact that I just said Galen Rupp and straight thug in the same sentence. Back on point.
Galen clearly is taking indoors seriously and after grabbing the 3k record in 7:30.16 indoors last year, I feel that Galen and Alberto are not afraid to put a big emphasis on indoors. But I'm nervous that a guy trying to run 3:49 in the mile in just a few weeks is going to struggle to run 13:07.00. He has the talent, but will the pieces fall in to place for him to break a record that has slowly been becoming more and more impressive? I don't think so.
I'm saying 13:08ish for Galen with Cam not really in the picture.
But what's great about this is I'm wrong a lot so I think anybody who can should find a buddy with Flotrack pro and jump on to watch this because it is going to be exciting. Alberto Salazar is a great coach and he will get his guys ready to chase records if he says they are chasing records.
So as Bane would say,
Let the games begin!
I was foolish enough to get sucked into the hype of Flotrack Pro and purchased the sucker for myself so I will be able to watch the race. So if you really want to watch come to Muhlenberg tomorrow night around race time. Unless I don't really know you then that may be awkward.
Cain is joined by Rowbury and Moser in this race, both of whom I seriously doubt are willing to just let Cain walk all over them. I honestly think Cain isn't winning this race out of the American crew, which may be foolish, but I'm not sure that she can beat either of these girls at this distance. My money would be on Rowbury who just jumped on the Salazar plan and is a complete wild card here. I don't think the American Record is falling here. Sorry folks.
But Cain can go after plenty of records in this race, she isn't just limited to the American Record (although that is what the meet directors are hyping her up for).
Here is a list of records she is eligible and the high school record just for fun (she is a pro now so she can officially chase any more USHS records, despite the fact that she is still a senior in HS!)
Note that all of these are indoor track records
HS: 2:43.40
American Junior: 2:40.1
World Junior: 2:40.1 (go USA!)
I think Cain is taking all three of these down (even though only two will count) which is pretty amazing.
Interesting side note: Tirunesh Dibaba owns the world junior indoor record at 3000m with a time of 8:33 which is roughly 2:50 pace per 1k .... so maybe the world junior record is a little soft at 1k?
I'm predicting Rowbury at like 2:36ish maybe and Cain 2:37 right near by, Moser falling of the pace a bit. Hard to say with any sort of certainity on times though because this is far from my area of expertise. But hey I'll give it a shot!
As for Galen, I think he is going to miss the record as well, but just barely. He and his buddy Bernie have been trading indoor american records for the last couple years in a truly dramatic fashion. I love it, even though I'm not a big supporter of either guy.
But then Lopez Lomong said screw you guys and came flying in to steal the record from both of them! Easy to forget that he was the guy who ended up grabbing the record among all the trading between Bernie and Galen.
Bernie originally set the record in that race at Millrose with Ches and Lawi where he was pushed hard the whole way by Lalang. I'm not sure who is going to be out there dragging Galen around the track: Cam Levins is said to be in the race too, but he hasn't looked like a sub 13:20 kinda guy in over a year now.
When Lopez did it he was far from alone either: He had both Evan Jager and my boy Chris Derrick to help him with pacing. Lopez did it with a big time kick at the end.
Look does Galen have skills? Yeah any guy who can run 3:50.92 up to 26:48 is a straight thug on the track.
I'm sorry I have to pause to laugh briefly at the fact that I just said Galen Rupp and straight thug in the same sentence. Back on point.
Galen clearly is taking indoors seriously and after grabbing the 3k record in 7:30.16 indoors last year, I feel that Galen and Alberto are not afraid to put a big emphasis on indoors. But I'm nervous that a guy trying to run 3:49 in the mile in just a few weeks is going to struggle to run 13:07.00. He has the talent, but will the pieces fall in to place for him to break a record that has slowly been becoming more and more impressive? I don't think so.
I'm saying 13:08ish for Galen with Cam not really in the picture.
But what's great about this is I'm wrong a lot so I think anybody who can should find a buddy with Flotrack pro and jump on to watch this because it is going to be exciting. Alberto Salazar is a great coach and he will get his guys ready to chase records if he says they are chasing records.
So as Bane would say,
Let the games begin!
Centennial Conference Rankings 1/13
| Hopkins | 218 |
| Haverford | 137 |
| Ursinus | 84 |
| Dickinson | 82 |
| F&M | 76 |
| McDaniel | 29 |
| Muhlenberg | 29 |
| Gettysburg | 26 |
| Swarthmore | 21 |
| 60m | Team | Points | |
| Pannell | 6.96 | Dickinson | 10 |
| McWilliams** | 7.21* | McDaniel | 8 |
| Naticchia | 7.25 | Hopkins | 6 |
| Friend | 7.28 | F&M | 5 |
| Amin** | 7.11* | F&M | 4 |
| Signore | 7.31 | Hopkins | 3 |
| Jebb | 7.25* | Hopkins | 2 |
| Belin | 7.35 | Gettysburg | 1 |
| Grant | 7.47 | Hopkins | - |
| Ainsley | 7.37 | Haverford | - |
| 200m | |||
| Pannell | 23.31* | Dickinson | 10 |
| Jones** | 23.32* | Ursinus | 8 |
| Naticchia | 23.06* | Hopkins | 6 |
| McCormick | 23.58 | Ursinus | 5 |
| Callon** | 23.33* | Haverford | 4 |
| Grant | 23.72 | Hopkins | 3 |
| Amin** | 23.36 | F&M | 2 |
| Ainsley | ** | Haverford | 1 |
| Friend | 24.04* | F&M | - |
| Rozanski** | 23.52 | Hopkins | - |
| 400m | |||
| Jones** | 50.91* | Ursinus | 10 |
| Signore | 52.42% | Hopkins | 8 |
| Rozanski** | 51.3 | Hopkins | 6 |
| Keyser | 52.64 | Ursinus | 5 |
| Poore | 52.82% | Hopkins | 4 |
| Yellets | 53.24 | Haverford | 3 |
| Onimus** | 52.07* | Muhlenberg | 2 |
| Schulz** | 51.60* | Ursinus | 1 |
| Gabriel | 53.82 | Haverford | - |
| Callon** | 51.91* | Haverford | - |
| 800m | |||
| Carey | 1:55.87* | Hopkins | 10 |
| L. Olenginski** | 1:57.49* | F&M | 8 |
| Jackson** | 1:56.11* | Dickinson | 6 |
| Keny | 1:58.53. | Haverford | 5 |
| Mackin | 1:58.52. | Ursinus | 4 |
| Marquardt** | 1:56.98* | Haverford | 3 |
| G. Olenginski** | 1:57.41* | F&M | 2 |
| Hyjek** | 1:59.44* | Dickinson | 1 |
| Rausch** | 1:58.02* | Gettysburg | - |
| White | 2:03.95% | Swarthmore | - |
| Mile | |||
| Stadler** | 4:12.65* | Haverford | 10 |
| Carey | 4:20.78% | Hopkins | 8 |
| Marquardt** | 4:13.18* | Haverford | 6 |
| Oppenheimer | 4:25.44. | Swarthmore | 5 |
| Steinbock** | 4:27.72* | Dickinson | 4 |
| Hyjek** | 4:23.32* | Dickinson | 3 |
| Saliani | 4:21.57* | Hopkins | 2 |
| White | 4:29.30. | Dickinson | 1 |
| Sansevere** | 4:22.29* | Dickinson | - |
| Butler | 4:26.32* | Hopkins | - |
| 3000m | |||
| Stadler** | 8.31.38* | Haverford | 10 |
| Steinbock** | 8:43.18* | Dickinson | 8 |
| Robinson** | 8:42.40* | Hopkins | 6 |
| Oppenheimer | 8:54.62% | Swarthmore | 5 |
| Clark** | 8:42.09* | Dickinson | 4 |
| Mynatt** | 8:46.22* | Dickinson | 3 |
| Saliani | 9:00.14% | Hopkins | 2 |
| Bregman** | 8:49.80* | Haverford | 1 |
| Marquardt** | 8:36.85* | Haverford | - |
| Pavarini | 8:55.12. | Hopkins | - |
| 5000m | |||
| Stadler** | 14:23.36* | Haverford | 10 |
| Robinson** | 14:57.20* | Hopkins | 8 |
| Bregman** | 14:43.17* | Haverford | 6 |
| Cerruzzi | 15:14.87% | Hopkins | 5 |
| Roza | 15:08.63. | Haverford | 4 |
| Christian** | 15:17.30* | Haverford | 3 |
| Stecklair | 15:37.18% | Hopkins | 2 |
| Ochstein | 14:56.70* | Hopkins | 1 |
| Clark** | 15:12.82* | Dickinson | - |
| Mynatt** | 15:08.22* | Dickinson | - |
| 60mH | |||
| Michaelis** | 8.52* | F&M | 10 |
| Ainsley | 8.58 | Haverford | 8 |
| Jebb | 8.83 | Hopkins | 6 |
| Mu** | 8.63* | Dickinson | 5 |
| Keyser | 8.96 | Ursinus | 4 |
| Spadaro | 9.05 | Hopkins | 3 |
| Avino** | 8.96* | Gettysburg | 2 |
| Knight** | 9.20* | Muhlenberg | 1 |
| Stelmach** | 9.07* | Hopkins | - |
| Heo | 9.19 | Swarthmore | - |
| 4x200m | |||
| F&M | F&M | 10 | |
| Hopkins | Hopkins | 8 | |
| Ursinus | Ursinus | 6 | |
| Haverford | Haverford | 5 | |
| Dickinson | Dickinson | 4 | |
| Muhlenberg | Muhlenberg | 3 | |
| Gettysburg | Gettysburg | 2 | |
| Swarthmore | Swarthmore | 1 | |
| McDaniel | McDaniel | - | |
| 4x400m | |||
| Ursinus | Ursinus | 10 | |
| Hopkins | Hopkins | 8 | |
| Muhlenberg | Muhlenberg | 6 | |
| Haverford | Haverford | 5 | |
| Dickinson | Dickinson | 4 | |
| F&M | F&M | 3 | |
| Gettysburg | Gettysburg | 2 | |
| Swarthmore | Swarthmore | 1 | |
| McDaniel | McDaniel | - | |
| 4x800m | |||
| F&M | F&M | 10 | |
| Hopkins | Hopkins | 8 | |
| Dickinson | Dickinson | 6 | |
| Haverford | Haverford | 5 | |
| Swarthmore | Swarthmore | 4 | |
| Muhlenberg | Muhlenberg | 3 | |
| Gettysburg | Gettysburg | 2 | |
| Ursinus | Ursinus | 1 | |
| McDaniel | McDaniel | - | |
| DMR | |||
| Haverford | Haverford | 10 | |
| Dickinson | Dickinson | 8 | |
| Hopkins | Hopkins | 6 | |
| Swarthmore | Swarthmore | 5 | |
| Muhlenberg | Muhlenberg | 4 | |
| Gettysburg | Gettysburg | 3 | |
| F&M | F&M | 2 | |
| Ursinus | Ursinus | 1 | |
| McDaniel | McDaniel | - | |
| HJ | |||
| Walsh | 6'4.25 | Hopkins | 10 |
| Jones** | 6'4.75* | Ursinus | 8 |
| Ainsley | 6'4.75* | Haverford | 6 |
| Birden** | 6'2.75* | McDaniel | 5 |
| Graves** | ** | Haverford | 4 |
| Shea** | 6'0.75"* | Ursinus | 3 |
| Uzamere | 5'10.75" | F&M | 2 |
| Tauber** | 6'0.75" | Muhlenberg | 1 |
| Thompson | 5'10" | Gettysburg | - |
| Avino** | 5'11.25"* | Gettysburg | - |
| PV | |||
| Bartnett | 15'1" | Hopkins | 10 |
| Iannacone | 12'5.5" | Haverford | 8 |
| Vozzo** | 13'11.25* | Hopkins | 6 |
| Pressman | 12'5.5" | F&M | 5 |
| Spadaro | 12'5.5"* | Hopkins | 4 |
| Civetta | 11'11.75"* | Hopkins | 3 |
| Miller-Sobel | 11'11.75"* | Muhlenberg | 2 |
| Mehta | 11'5.75"* | Hopkins | 1 |
| Sato | 11'6"* | Dickinson | - |
| Rollow | 11'11.75" | Dickinson | - |
| LJ | |||
| Kaiser | 21'1.25" | Gettysburg | 10 |
| Naticchia | 21'0.75" | Hopkins | 8 |
| Jebb | 20'5" | Hopkins | 6 |
| Spadaro | 21'0.75" | Hopkins | 5 |
| Graves** | ** | Haverford | 4 |
| Ainsley | 20'0.5" | Haverford | 3 |
| Pannell | 19'10.75" | Dickinson | 2 |
| Evans | 19'4.25" | Hopkins | 1 |
| Thompson | 19'5.5" | Gettysburg | - |
| Andrews | 21'9" | Gettysburg | - |
| TJ | |||
| Jebb | 44'4" | Hopkins | 10 |
| Fromell | 43'5.75" | F&M | 8 |
| Evans | 43'3.25" | Hopkins | 6 |
| Spadaro | 41'10"* | Hopkins | 5 |
| Kaiser | 40'0.5" | Gettysburg | 4 |
| Graves** | ** | Haverford | 3 |
| Bennett** | 42'11.75"* | Haverford | 2 |
| Pannell | 42'10.75"* | Dickinson | 1 |
| Boucher | 39'0.5" | Hopkins | - |
| Nienius** | 38'11.5" | Ursinus | - |
| SP | |||
| Wilson | 45'8" | Ursinus | 10 |
| Clancy | 40'2.25" | Ursinus | 8 |
| Dunn | 42'4.25" | McDaniel | 6 |
| Acosta** | 43'7.5"* | F&M | 5 |
| Wetherhold** | 43'0.5"* | McDaniel | 4 |
| Cano** | 40'1.25"* | Muhlenberg | 3 |
| Weiner** | 42'2.5"* | McDaniel | 2 |
| Hamden** | 43'0.5" | Muhlenberg | 1 |
| McCarron | 39'9.75" | F&M | - |
| Vecchio | 38'7" | Dickinson | - |
| Hepthalon | |||
| Spadaro | Hopkins | 10 | |
| Ainsley | Haverford | 8 | |
| Jebb | Hopkins | 6 | |
| Walsh | Hopkins | 5 | |
| Smith | McDaniel | 4 | |
| Reutter | Muhlenberg | 3 | |
| Rollow | Dickinson | 2 | |
| Conley | Hopkins | 1 | |
| Stelmach | Hopkins | - | |
| Tyson | Hopkins | - |
| Hopkins | 218 |
| Haverford | 137 |
| Ursinus | 84 |
| Dickinson | 82 |
| F&M | 76 |
| McDaniel | 29 |
| Muhlenberg | 29 |
| Gettysburg | 26 |
| Swarthmore | 21 |
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