First off I'd just like to say that I encourage everyone to message me or comment their favorite moment of the year this year. It doesn't have to be related to a big "super star" or a really fast race or high school only or heck even running related if you don't want to. I want to know what everyone liked about 2012 and then I'll throw it all together in a final post to the end the year.
To give you some ideas, here is etrain's 2012 year in review:
January
2012 started off with a bold statement from myself, etrain, as I tried the "post streak" and posted every day starting on January 4th after I got over sickness. There was lots to discuss in the opening weekends as we saw the emergence of a young track stud, Jack Huemmler, as he began to run some key DMR legs for Strath Haven as they went toe to toe with the defending XC state champions, North Penn. LaSalle would later throw their name of DMR powerhouses as well after a very fast time in flats on a flat track.
Meanwhile things got very exciting as we watched Ned Willig and Drew Magaha go back and forth on the track. Things started with Ned dropping a terrific 1:55 opening 800m, unprecedently fast and Drew responded with a 1:54 mark, setting the high school field house record. The two continued to keep things hot as Drew split a 1:52 indoors on his 4x8 and Ned punched a ticket to Millrose. The sky seemed to be the limit for these two young stars.
Ultimately, Magaha did not make it through January without suffering, he contracted Mono and was limited for the rest of indoors. But Willig kept going strong, setting an unbelievable state record indoors in the 800m, breaking a record that had been set the previous year by Wade Endress. There was talk that Willig would be able to chase the sub 1:50 mark indoors. Willig also put a scare on the national 1k record but ended up having an unfortunate DQ for a line violation.
February
As indoor states approached, the big buzz coming from etrain was the DMR. The field seemed stacked with guys like LaSalle, North Penn, Strath Haven, Altoona, GFS, NA, Henderson, HGPrep and Great Valley all running some really stellar marks. State title favorites were fast developing with the likes of Willig, Penn Wood, and Dustin Wilson laying down some impressive marks. The talks of favorites and upsets swirled around the track community as the fields were sured up and the last few qualifiers got in.
Meanwhile, on the college scene my friend Kid had his legendary 800m race at 1 in the morning. You can find that post on the blog archives if your curious what this means (its called True Inspiration). It will never be equaled in my experience at Muhlenberg.
Things started to get a bit less competitive in the relays as we saw Strath Haven and Penncrest as 4x800m teams to focus on. Pennridge would join their ranks as contenders after their performance at Meet of Champions.
At states we saw some really exciting races. Willig and Wilson proved they were studs in their respective events, we saw a boatload of new talents emerge in the open 800m behind state champion Haneef Hardy. We also saw the beginnings of a big spring rivalry between Tom Coyle and Jack Huemmler who both notched almost identical 4:16s behind Willig. Pennridge pulled off a big 4x8 upset and Great Valley behind a killer lead off leg by Willig and a clutch anchor by Billy Wolffe gave the blog's own Demetrius McCary a well deserved Gold Medal. In the Mile we saw Alex Moran run a gutsy race to push the pace in the middle, it wouldn't be the last time for him. Sam Hibbs began a bounce back run after a rough XC season and Sami Aziz came back to the states and started to throw down some times.
There was heartbreak as well and we saw some of the perils of doubling at the state meet as the relays didn't quite pan out as I hyped them up to be (sorry guys). Perhaps the biggest heartbreak was that my post streak ended at the end of the month on February 27th. Looking back on it though, gosh I was a heck of a lot more consistent than I have been recently .... I was kinda a loser ...
Ultimately the indoor season just left me (and many others) excited to see what kind of marks PA was going to put up outdoors.
March
In March we saw Pennridge drop another nice 4x800m to prove not only was their state performance not a fluke, but they were the favorite to take down the relay title outdoors and make noise at Penn Relays. Brendan Shearn also showed flashes of future brilliance with a great 2 mile 5k double at nats. And then things kinda got dull for a while because there wasn't anything to talk about.
I tried to do this bracket thing for March Madness .... not really that great ... eh maybe we will try it again this year we'll see ...
I did some racing things .... those were interesting i guess ...
Looking back there wasn't much to talk about in March ....
April
April started out with ... well should I say it? ... Yeah I'm going to ... My boy Francis Ferruzzi pulling the upset in a very fast early season 2 mile at PW. Of course the real story of that race may have been the break out performance by Zach Trama who was an impressive 2nd. That race gave us a peak at some big name sin the 2 mile like Hibbs, Quinn, Savage and Pitone as well some others that I'm probably missing.
Chambersburg opened up with some nice marks and started to develop as a Penn Relays contender with teams like Pennridge, Penncrest and Starth Haven. Dan Jaskowak also started to roll through the track season with some impressive early season doubles.
Then we watched Brendan Shearn run a remarkable early season time of 9:15 that locked up a place for him at Penn Relays. He test himself all the way out at Arcadia and dropped a sizable PR. The Northeast Bradford Duo also led their DMR to a 10:39. I believe most of those legs are back this year ....
We saw some nice marks from guys who were starting to break out like Ryan Thompson, Christina Kardish, Jeff Wiseman, and Mac Emery as well as the Kiski 4x8. Ryan Smathers also opened a lot eyes with a 4:17 that gave him a 14 second win in the 1600m. We also saw one final great DMR battle with Haven, North Penn and O'Hara all dualing it out in dramatic fashion.
But the big story at the end of April came from Drew Magaha who dropped a 1:51 and then followed it up by motoring to a 1:48.82 state record in the 800m! An unbelievable mark in April for a guy who just had mono. It may have been the most impressive performance of 2012.
At Penn Relays we saw Pennridge and Chambersburg qualify for the COA and LaSalle dropped a bombshell of a DMR, returning the key legs from the relay for the next year. Coyle and Huemmler dropped massive splits in the month.
May
May is all about Districts and States and Championship season. There was a lot to be excited about this year in the month of May. Cumberland Valley and Chambersburg were rivals all the way til the end as they battled in out in a very exciting 4x8 that Alec Kunzweiler ultimately outleaned Ryun Holder in. Kunzweiler completed a great double in the open 8 later that day. Logue and Rivera also led their relays to great performances at the meet.
In the mile Magaha could never quite recover from that bout with Mono during a hot day at states. It opened the door for the next big rivalry in PA track and field as Tom Coyle outlasted Jack Huemmler for the title. Again a big push by Alex Moran that helped make the race. Meanwhile Ryan Smathers may have been overlooked as the best miler in the state as he finished off a season of pure domination with his 4:12.
In the 2 mile, Brendan Shearn proved his doubter (me) wrong with a big win over Rico Galassi (who had quite a break out year of his own with some great 2 mile and mile marks). The AA boys ran a great 2 mile in what would be their last horrah of sorts before being split into 2 classes. Meanwhile, Sam Hibbs completed an amazing comeback from his XC season with a dominating 2 mile victory. Major props to Hibbs for what he accomplished this year after the heartbreak he had on the XC course. We also saw huge 2 mile performances from a boat load of underclassman including Jaskowak and Harriman at states and Macauley and Emery at Districts. Also worth noting is the year that Andrew Kuchta and Logan Steiner had. Both really represented the WPIAL well in the 32.
Speaking of representing the WPIAL, Will Bailey finished off an interesting outdoor track season with a 1:51 bombshell to take the state title. For Bailey, the season had been about trying to kick off slow paces in the mile with Kennedy and Moran as well battling Vinny Tonzo from NA (sometimes in different heats) for 800m supremacy. But when push came to shove, Bailey put all doubters in his wake and stormed to the state title. LJ Westwood also capped off a great comeback run grabbing double gold in the 4x8 and individual 8. For Westwood, he overcame his own XC struggles, and ran two impressive dominating 800m races.
Just want to give a shout out to Nick Rotz who had a killer double at the state meet as well as Brent Kennedy who spent the whole year on the track pulling off impressive doubles and triples.
June
We saw the emergence of Ben Ritz who stunned a lot of people by dropping a 4:12 victory over Dustin Wilson in the mile at the end of the year. At the Henderson meet we saw Joey Logue run a great 1:51 open 800m that was blasted off by a killer kick against Tom Coyle and Andrew Stone who both also ran great times. Haneef Hardy was also in the race representing Pa well.
Not to be overlooked amid all the nice shorter distance marks, Austin Pondel dropped a pretty sick 5k. Sign of things to come? Brendan Shearn also capped off his year with a big 5k at Nationals that gave him confidence heading into XC for sure.
I did some rankings, and we talked about the brutal reclassification system. Goodness, don't get me started.
July and August
I think something about an olympics? World record in the 800m? A couple silver medal american distance runners? Yeah whatever all I noticed was Henderson and O'Hara talk! I couldn't get enough and neither could you guys!
September
XC time! Back at school, starting a new school year and getting excited to see who was going to break out and take down the medals on the trials. Rico Galassi got off to a great start as did Dominic Deluca who mixed it up with the top group in the early part of the year. Then came the big time Briarwood race where we got a look at two of the best XC runners of the year: Brendan Shearn and Tony Russell who both pushed each other to very quick marks on the course. O'Hara got the better of Henderson for the time being. At the foundation meet we saw Connor Harriman put on perhaps the kick of the year in an effort to take the title against Ean DiSilvio. North Allegheny showed up as well. Their spread was impressive and their youngsters were proving they could lead the team to greatness.
October
Henderson continued to gain experience and Tony Russell continued to drop time. He crushed the VanCortlandt Park 4k lay out and the team handled some of the best squads in the region as well. Max Norris made a big return to racing just in time for championship season. So too did Tom Coyle from LaSalle as LaSalle went on a run down the stretch to grab the 5 individual qualifying spots at Districts and make it to states. One of my personal favorite moments of the year was seeing these guys run at states (and run pretty darn well there for only having 5 guys). We aren't going to get into how off I was on some of my picks for the XC season at this point in time ... but we saw some very fast marks out of the District One Championships, led by Tony Russell but also helped by Ross Wilson from CRN who probably had the best race of his breakout season on that day.
November
What was there not to love about November? So many intriguing races unfolded. A big day for Rico Galassi who fought valiantly with Luke Jones for the A state title, followed by a big upset by Vinny Todaro over two of the best in the state in Shearn and Jaskowak. And then Tony Russell topped them all by dominating one of the deepest fields PA has ever seen and taking the course record with him. The team battles were all exciting, none more so than the dramatic Henderson v. O'Hara match up that fittingly lived up to the hype and went to Henderson in a tie breaker. My heart feels for what happened to the O'Hara boys, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. But what a three year stretch for this program. They really emerged from the shadow of LaSalle and made themselves competitors at the state level with 3 impressive performances at the state meet. And of course for Henderson to have 7 in the top 52 is a true testament to their depth and coaching. Unbelievable pair of teams and we were lucky to witness this.
A few shout outs to guys like Colin Martin from Fox Chapel who really had an underrated season as he put a lot of things together to have the stretch run he did. His brother Ethan is pretty darn good as well. Jack Macauley had a great state race despite a bit of a rough year for North Penn he did the school proud with his gutsy performance. And Council Rock North really came back strong. Despite a lot of doubt and pressure they climbed back up to third in the state behind a couple of all time great teams.
But states wasn't all that November had to offer. PA proved that they did not play. It was amazing to see all the PA qualifiers for Nationals and all the great races at Regionals. Tony Russell and Reiny taking 1-2 was pretty sick and Henderson and O'Hara both pushed CBA a bit in the process of qualifying for nationals!
And hey that 2 mile at Henderson deserves some credit. There is no doubt that gave confidence to a lot of guys on both rosters like Alex Knapp and Jim Belfatto who both came on strong at season's end.
December
Max Norris capped off a stunning run in the final stretch of the season by becoming the top PA finisher at Nationals. Considering what he had to overcome this year, his stretch run to the season may be the most inspiring story of the bunch. But there was a lot of other performances to be proud of in December XC. O'Hara took 5th at Nationals! An unbelievable finish after a series of heartbreaks for this squad. Reiny Barchet grabbed All-American status as well. A true break out race for a guy who worked hard and lived in Russell's shadow for a lot of the year. Austin Pondel really came along way from where he was in 2011 to the end of 2012. He has a lot to be proud of. And Brent Kennedy is back next year! Watch out for him at Nats.
A few more shout outs here to hand out to end this post season stretch. Major props to Tony Russell for what he did this year. He didn't have the finish at Nationals he hoped for, but mud will do that. Before that he had one of the best XC seasons that I have seen in PA and took down some big names with ease. He dominated the state course and the state field after he dominated the district race at Lehigh.
And lastly to Kevin James. Kevin, as just a freshman, got a lot of heat for what happened at states freshman year, and I can't claim that I was absolved from being insensitive to this issue at times as well. To have to listen to all that as a Freshman in High School has got to be brutal. But Kevin James came back this XC season and tore it up. He was more motivated than ever, never lacked confidence, and raced with a lot of guts. He medaled at states as a sophomore and was a big time contributor to an O'Hara team that finished 5th at nationals. He led the team at multiple meets this season as well. Congrats on a great year Kevin.
And hey Congrats to all of you out there for working hard in track or school or whatever is that you are passionate about. This is my passion, writing and talking about track and field. I could not have asked for a better year for the blog. It was easily the biggest it has ever been, it took off all of a sudden. But it is nothing without the comments that you contribute and the passion that you bring to this site. Thank you for your support.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone.
Sincerely,
Jarrett Paul Felix
Weekend Action
Nice marks for Zaza, Mathis and Malik Jones this weekend. Certainly state title favorites at this point. John Lewis, however, is quite the sleeper developing here.
And that's all the sprinting talk I've got for you.
A nice upset in the 800m from Tyler Johnston of North Penn. James Zingarini from CRN a nice second place finish. Both times solid but not eye popping. Zingarini always comes on strong at the end of the season so this is a nice start for him. What makes the win interesting is that Johnston may make a nice 1200 leg for a NP DMR attempt. North Penn has not run a DMR in the entire history of indoor states, however, which makes this idea slightly less probable.
In the 800m and the mile UD had a couple medalists, neither of which were named Francis Ferruzzi. Outside chance that they will have a decent DMR down the line as well. Sorry, homer pick, couldn't resist.
Ross Wilson cruises in the 3k in his first ever indoor track race. Solid time for him and I expect him to make states down the line for sure. Big runs by Billotta and Johnson, each of which is often overshadowed by the other big names on their team. Those are a couple of nice 3ks for this early. They could be in the mid 9:30s for 2 miles outdoors if they keep up this kind of pace which would be a nice improvement for both. Its still very early, however. I'd watch out for Balla from Quakertown down the line as well.
Big win for Bensalem in the 4x8. I think LaSalle can drop a lot of time in that relay, but Bensalem has some very underrated legs. Rivera is clearly already very sharp as indicated by his two early individual runs and his convincing anchor to hold a nice lead over LaSalle. Penn Wood a pretty solid mark for this early as well, considering the lack of depth thus far.
And lastly a very nice DMR for Pennsbury. I like Harriman leading off this squad. The way he runs with that big kick, it makes much more sense for me to lead him off like they did. Webb has pretty solid ability behind him. They could be a sleeper for the title depending on who doubles and what not at the state meet. I think Methacton should get a bit more play. Some solid XC results and some nice returners in the mile and such. They could surprise some people with Hopkins and Watro. CB East as mentioned earlier is a threat in both the DMR and 4x8 with the pieces they return. I think as Brophy develops with Kane and older Brophy their DMR could hit the SQS. CB East has been consistently solid in the DMR over the years.
In Division II I was surprised to see this quick mark for Christian Sanders, but considering the stretch run he had to his XC season, this guy is just beginning to scrath the surface of his potential. In a three week period he went from a 17 minute guy at his league championship meet at Lehigh to a 16 flat 5k runner qualifying for states to in medal contention through 2 miles at the state meet. Now he drops a solid fairly uncontested 2:02. I think he can do some serious damage as a sleeper in the mile or 800m depending on what his true event is. Interested to know how the race played out for guys like Wolffe and Smart who will be ones to watch going forward.
Nice run by Jimmy Boyle from O'Hara in the mile. Another nice DMR piece. But I was stunned to see Will McDermott drop the hammer on the mile field. He ran to the SQS and it looks like he pulled the rest of the field to a bunch of PRs. McDermott excelled early last indoor season as well, hopefully he can continue to carry the momentum. This is a great start. The Bonner relay may be a sleeper as well. They qualified in the DMR last year. And heck Upper Merion has proven they have two solid legs with Austin Cooper running a nice 4:37. Upper Merion is no joke this year after winning their league in XC. The sophomore Ben Szuhaj ran a great 3k not too long ago. This mile is a nice mark but the 3k seems to be his main event. He will be dangerous with some extra speed in his legs, however.
Matt Willig still a boss for GV in the 3k. He is continuing to pick up steam and may develop into a nice mile/3k guy for a DMR/individual performance going forward. Not much of note in the relays. Maybe potential for a Penn Charter DMR. They ran fairly solid without Szuhaj on the relay.
And that's all the sprinting talk I've got for you.
A nice upset in the 800m from Tyler Johnston of North Penn. James Zingarini from CRN a nice second place finish. Both times solid but not eye popping. Zingarini always comes on strong at the end of the season so this is a nice start for him. What makes the win interesting is that Johnston may make a nice 1200 leg for a NP DMR attempt. North Penn has not run a DMR in the entire history of indoor states, however, which makes this idea slightly less probable.
In the 800m and the mile UD had a couple medalists, neither of which were named Francis Ferruzzi. Outside chance that they will have a decent DMR down the line as well. Sorry, homer pick, couldn't resist.
Ross Wilson cruises in the 3k in his first ever indoor track race. Solid time for him and I expect him to make states down the line for sure. Big runs by Billotta and Johnson, each of which is often overshadowed by the other big names on their team. Those are a couple of nice 3ks for this early. They could be in the mid 9:30s for 2 miles outdoors if they keep up this kind of pace which would be a nice improvement for both. Its still very early, however. I'd watch out for Balla from Quakertown down the line as well.
Big win for Bensalem in the 4x8. I think LaSalle can drop a lot of time in that relay, but Bensalem has some very underrated legs. Rivera is clearly already very sharp as indicated by his two early individual runs and his convincing anchor to hold a nice lead over LaSalle. Penn Wood a pretty solid mark for this early as well, considering the lack of depth thus far.
And lastly a very nice DMR for Pennsbury. I like Harriman leading off this squad. The way he runs with that big kick, it makes much more sense for me to lead him off like they did. Webb has pretty solid ability behind him. They could be a sleeper for the title depending on who doubles and what not at the state meet. I think Methacton should get a bit more play. Some solid XC results and some nice returners in the mile and such. They could surprise some people with Hopkins and Watro. CB East as mentioned earlier is a threat in both the DMR and 4x8 with the pieces they return. I think as Brophy develops with Kane and older Brophy their DMR could hit the SQS. CB East has been consistently solid in the DMR over the years.
In Division II I was surprised to see this quick mark for Christian Sanders, but considering the stretch run he had to his XC season, this guy is just beginning to scrath the surface of his potential. In a three week period he went from a 17 minute guy at his league championship meet at Lehigh to a 16 flat 5k runner qualifying for states to in medal contention through 2 miles at the state meet. Now he drops a solid fairly uncontested 2:02. I think he can do some serious damage as a sleeper in the mile or 800m depending on what his true event is. Interested to know how the race played out for guys like Wolffe and Smart who will be ones to watch going forward.
Nice run by Jimmy Boyle from O'Hara in the mile. Another nice DMR piece. But I was stunned to see Will McDermott drop the hammer on the mile field. He ran to the SQS and it looks like he pulled the rest of the field to a bunch of PRs. McDermott excelled early last indoor season as well, hopefully he can continue to carry the momentum. This is a great start. The Bonner relay may be a sleeper as well. They qualified in the DMR last year. And heck Upper Merion has proven they have two solid legs with Austin Cooper running a nice 4:37. Upper Merion is no joke this year after winning their league in XC. The sophomore Ben Szuhaj ran a great 3k not too long ago. This mile is a nice mark but the 3k seems to be his main event. He will be dangerous with some extra speed in his legs, however.
Matt Willig still a boss for GV in the 3k. He is continuing to pick up steam and may develop into a nice mile/3k guy for a DMR/individual performance going forward. Not much of note in the relays. Maybe potential for a Penn Charter DMR. They ran fairly solid without Szuhaj on the relay.
Top Returning 4x8s
Did this for fun. There are definitely some teams that could be included on here based on splits/dual meets/projections, but based purely on the information available on penntrack and including no split times here is what I've got:
Henderson
Caldwell
1:57.97
Upper
Dublin 8:12.44
St. Peter 2:04.26
Top 4x800m Relays by Returning PRs (no splits, just
penntrack times used)
LaSalle 7:47.67
Coyle 1:51.78
Stone 1:52.35
Magee 2:00.24
Quain 2:03.30
Chaborek 1:54.93
Miller 1:58.86
Russell 1:59.93
Barchet 2:00.70
Pennridge 7:56.69
Logue 1:51.59
Masgai 2:00.70
Schulberger 2:02.06
Bruder 2:02.34
Bensalem 7:56.91
Rivera 1:53.88 (’10)
Correy 1:58.20
Francis 1:59.48
French 2:05.35 (’10)
Downingtown East
8:07.66
McLaughlin 2:01.39
Carcella 2:04.07
Fitzgerald 2:04.23
DTWest 8:08.15
Leidal 1:56.80
Markle 1:59.63
Mucha 2:05.35
Steadman 2:06.37
Penncrest 8:10.22
Myers 1:59.44
Hanna 2:01.97
Emmanuel 2:02.50
Kamat 2:06.29
Pennsbury 8:10.71
O’Connell 2:01.76
Molloy 2:04.30
Martin 2:05.55
Harriman 1:59.10
Kim 1:59.97
Ferruzzi 2:02.52
Jean-Louis 2:04.06
Stewart 2:06.16
CumberlandValley
8:12.88
Kunzweiler 1:53.14
Coburn 2:07.15
Pawlush 2:08.33
O’Hara 8:13.57
Belfatto 1:57.51
Boyle 1:59.60
Biche 2:08.18
McNulty 2:08.28
Kiski Area 8:14.95
Kennedy 1:59.34
Snider 2:09.13
Miller 2:01.03
Lookabaugh 2:05.45
Central Dauphin
8:15.21
Harkins 1:59.94
Azzato 2:05.23
Notestine 2:06.11
Malinoski 2:06.93
Red Lion 8:15.41
Gatchell 1:59.01
Pardoe 2:02.46
McCabe 2:05.45
Dutton 2:08.49
Race Stories: Complete List
So I think I have now officially done a race story for everyone who submitted something to me. If I forgot anyone just let me know on facebook. So I know some of these are late and I apologize for how long it took me to do them, but I have listed out everyone's here for easy access.
1st Tony Russell: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-tony-russell.html
2nd Brent Kennedy: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-brent-kennedy.html
3rd Austin Pondel: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-austin-pondel.html
6th Jack Macauley: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-jack-macauley.html
7th Ross Wilson: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-ross-wilson.html
8th Connor Harriman: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/12/race-stories-connor-harriman.html
11th Tom Coyle: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/12/long-overdue-states-stories-andrew.html
12th Colin Abert: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-colin-abert.html
18th James Zingarini: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-james-zingarini.html
20th Chris Kazanjian: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-chris-kazanjian.html
21st Reiny Barchet: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/12/race-stories-reiny-barchet.html
22nd Kevin James: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-kevin-james.html
23rd Andrew Stone: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/12/long-overdue-states-stories-andrew.html
1st Vinny Todaro: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-vinny-todaro.html
18th Aaron Benka: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-aaron-benka.html
2nd Luke Jones: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-luke-jones.html
6th Barrett Kemp: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-barrett-kemp.html
1st Tony Russell: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-tony-russell.html
2nd Brent Kennedy: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-brent-kennedy.html
3rd Austin Pondel: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-austin-pondel.html
6th Jack Macauley: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-jack-macauley.html
7th Ross Wilson: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-ross-wilson.html
8th Connor Harriman: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/12/race-stories-connor-harriman.html
11th Tom Coyle: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/12/long-overdue-states-stories-andrew.html
12th Colin Abert: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-colin-abert.html
18th James Zingarini: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-james-zingarini.html
20th Chris Kazanjian: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-chris-kazanjian.html
21st Reiny Barchet: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/12/race-stories-reiny-barchet.html
22nd Kevin James: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-kevin-james.html
23rd Andrew Stone: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/12/long-overdue-states-stories-andrew.html
1st Vinny Todaro: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-vinny-todaro.html
18th Aaron Benka: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-aaron-benka.html
2nd Luke Jones: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-luke-jones.html
6th Barrett Kemp: http://etrain11.blogspot.com/2012/11/race-stories-barrett-kemp.html
Race Stories: Connor Harriman
Connor Harriman came into the state meet ready to run the course for the third time in his career. As a young sophomore, Harriman had no expectations and was maybe overwhelmed by the size of the field and difficulty of the course. He finished 79th. But after a great sophomore track season where he dropped his 1600m PR to 4:20, Harriman had his sights on big goals for the XC state meet, which led him to a top 10 finish as a Junior. It was Harriman's patented big kick up the final hill that brought him to his top 10 mark. He would pull of a similar feat again Ean DiSilvio a little less than a year later.
So this season, Harriman set his sites on taking the next step to state elite. He started of well, winning all 4 of his invitationals to start the meet including some impressive marks at Hershey and Homdel. At the state meet Harriman stayed aggressive, even challenging for the lead with Macauley at certain points during the race. He has no regrets with how he ran, all you can ask is that you give yourself the best chance to win. Although Harriman couldn't quite continue this hot streak into the post season, he ran faster than his Junior year at both Districts and States, proving that it was a very competitive year in the state of Pennsylvania (as evidenced later by 4 Foot Locker finalists and 2 NXN teams). Harriman benefited from working with teammate Sam Webb, who also grabbed a state medal. This duo is looking to do some damage on the track in various miles and 2 miles this season. Harriman also has hopes for a big DMR this year.
Harriman was recently admitted to Stanford, a very prestigious school for both academics and running. Congrats to him on a great season clearly on the trials and in the classroom.
So this season, Harriman set his sites on taking the next step to state elite. He started of well, winning all 4 of his invitationals to start the meet including some impressive marks at Hershey and Homdel. At the state meet Harriman stayed aggressive, even challenging for the lead with Macauley at certain points during the race. He has no regrets with how he ran, all you can ask is that you give yourself the best chance to win. Although Harriman couldn't quite continue this hot streak into the post season, he ran faster than his Junior year at both Districts and States, proving that it was a very competitive year in the state of Pennsylvania (as evidenced later by 4 Foot Locker finalists and 2 NXN teams). Harriman benefited from working with teammate Sam Webb, who also grabbed a state medal. This duo is looking to do some damage on the track in various miles and 2 miles this season. Harriman also has hopes for a big DMR this year.
Harriman was recently admitted to Stanford, a very prestigious school for both academics and running. Congrats to him on a great season clearly on the trials and in the classroom.
Race Stories: Reiny Barchet
Barchet came into the year facing injury obstacles of his own after his missed his entire sophomore year cross country campaign. Barchet's injuries set him back all the way until the end of outdoor track where he finally felt that he started to get back into top shape. Just in time for the season to end. But over the summer and fall Barchet put his trust in his coach, Kevin Kelly, and trained hard to try and make up the gap he felt others had put on him during his time away from running.
Barchet, who does better with higher volume work, didn't start to see big results to the middle of the season. After a somewhat rocky start, things began to come together for Barchet at the Carlisle invitational. He broke 16 minutes for the first time and led his team to the title. It was what Barchet saw as his race that set his mind on bigger things.
At districts Barchet proved that he was ready for said bigger things as he and future state champ Tony Russell pushed the pace the last mile and drove the race under 15:20 for the two Henderson boys and CRN's Ross Wilson. This race set Henderson up nicely for the state championship dual with O'Hara. The Henderson squad had laid low all season, in class Henderson style, and was finally ready to chase the state title. For Barchet, he was disappointed with his personal race, thinking he had let the team down at the meet, unable to see Russell's victory ahead of him or Rimkis's medal performance behind him. But when Barchet finished, his perspective changed. After a nervous amount of waiting and score checking, it was official, the Henderson boys won the title. It was a great moment for the squad and made all the hard work worth it.
Barchet was disappointed with his own individual race, his main advantage of rolling the last mile was sucked away by the hills. But Reiny is looking forward to returning next year with partner in crime Tony Russell and challenging for a state title as an individual.
Barchet took some steps in the right direction after the state meet was all said and done. He placed a surprising 2nd at the NXN regional qualifiers and then took an All-American spot at NXN in a mud pit. He beat out 4:01 miler Bernie Montoya in the process. The future looks bright for Henderson and one of its front runners, Reiny Barchet.
Barchet, who does better with higher volume work, didn't start to see big results to the middle of the season. After a somewhat rocky start, things began to come together for Barchet at the Carlisle invitational. He broke 16 minutes for the first time and led his team to the title. It was what Barchet saw as his race that set his mind on bigger things.
At districts Barchet proved that he was ready for said bigger things as he and future state champ Tony Russell pushed the pace the last mile and drove the race under 15:20 for the two Henderson boys and CRN's Ross Wilson. This race set Henderson up nicely for the state championship dual with O'Hara. The Henderson squad had laid low all season, in class Henderson style, and was finally ready to chase the state title. For Barchet, he was disappointed with his personal race, thinking he had let the team down at the meet, unable to see Russell's victory ahead of him or Rimkis's medal performance behind him. But when Barchet finished, his perspective changed. After a nervous amount of waiting and score checking, it was official, the Henderson boys won the title. It was a great moment for the squad and made all the hard work worth it.
Barchet was disappointed with his own individual race, his main advantage of rolling the last mile was sucked away by the hills. But Reiny is looking forward to returning next year with partner in crime Tony Russell and challenging for a state title as an individual.
Barchet took some steps in the right direction after the state meet was all said and done. He placed a surprising 2nd at the NXN regional qualifiers and then took an All-American spot at NXN in a mud pit. He beat out 4:01 miler Bernie Montoya in the process. The future looks bright for Henderson and one of its front runners, Reiny Barchet.
Long Overdue: States Stories- Andrew Stone and Tom Coyle
I didn't have enough time to finish these back in the day so I'm going to try and knock them out this week before the indoor stuff kicks up.
It was a tough year for the LaSalle boys this year. Injuries plagued a squad that came into the year with the goal of competing for a state title, and finished the year not far from proving they were a top 3 team in the state. To go to the state meet with just 5 guys and still finish as a high as they did is a true testament to the mental fortitude of the athletes on the squad and LaSalle's great coaching staff that peaks right for states.
For Andrew Stone, known by most as an 800m guy, looked to improve his endurance all season. He already had the ability to fly on the downhills and sprint down the final straightaway, he just needed to piece some of the things together in between. Despite early season injuries that would affect Stone's base training to improve said endurance, he still believed he had the potential to bring home a medal for his team. The key phrase being "for his team". Bleeding with his brothers in battle and running through the highs and the lows of injuries only brought the LaSalle squad closer together. According to Stone, "to have such a supportive and dedicated team helped me stay on top of my goals". It paid off as a slew of step up performances from the LaSalle boys surprised a lot of people at Districts and sent the squad to states. Overcoming all obstacles, the LaSalle boys brought 5 guys to states, 3 of whom weren't in the top 5 for some of the year, and came up with a clutch 5th place finish on the a state course that takes 9 or 10 guys to guarantee you will have five guys have a good day.
For Tom Coyle, the season started out quite bumpy. An injury that he saw as "just another week" grew to knock him out for the bulk of racing season. When Coyle was finally ready to come back and work out with the team, he got kicked around. A tough fact for most returning state champions to deal with. But Coyle didn't get discouraged or give up, he kept working hard. At Districts, Coyle's work paid off with a victory and a sub 16 minute mark, an unbelievable time given his injuries. Behind him, Coyle's squad pulled out the impossible, and took the top 5 non O'Hara spots. It was a great moment for the team, given the adversity they faced all the way up til the day of the district meet, Matt Greco suffered a collapse lung that left him hospitalized on race day. Coyle said, "I couldn't be more proud of my team for what we did."
Going forward Coyle is just trying to avoid "another etrain jinx" and stay healthy for the season ahead. If he does this, he believes he and his team can chase a team title in the PCL championships as well as a state title as a team. Coyle hopes to make noise as a DMR at the Penn Relays once again and chase individual goals in the Millrose Mile and the Dream Mile in NYC.
He will be attending Stanford next year.
Between Coyle and Stone, LaSalle has one of the best 12-16 punches in the state for a DMR. The state record indoors and outdoors may be in danger this track season.
Get your popcorn ready.
It was a tough year for the LaSalle boys this year. Injuries plagued a squad that came into the year with the goal of competing for a state title, and finished the year not far from proving they were a top 3 team in the state. To go to the state meet with just 5 guys and still finish as a high as they did is a true testament to the mental fortitude of the athletes on the squad and LaSalle's great coaching staff that peaks right for states.
For Andrew Stone, known by most as an 800m guy, looked to improve his endurance all season. He already had the ability to fly on the downhills and sprint down the final straightaway, he just needed to piece some of the things together in between. Despite early season injuries that would affect Stone's base training to improve said endurance, he still believed he had the potential to bring home a medal for his team. The key phrase being "for his team". Bleeding with his brothers in battle and running through the highs and the lows of injuries only brought the LaSalle squad closer together. According to Stone, "to have such a supportive and dedicated team helped me stay on top of my goals". It paid off as a slew of step up performances from the LaSalle boys surprised a lot of people at Districts and sent the squad to states. Overcoming all obstacles, the LaSalle boys brought 5 guys to states, 3 of whom weren't in the top 5 for some of the year, and came up with a clutch 5th place finish on the a state course that takes 9 or 10 guys to guarantee you will have five guys have a good day.
For Tom Coyle, the season started out quite bumpy. An injury that he saw as "just another week" grew to knock him out for the bulk of racing season. When Coyle was finally ready to come back and work out with the team, he got kicked around. A tough fact for most returning state champions to deal with. But Coyle didn't get discouraged or give up, he kept working hard. At Districts, Coyle's work paid off with a victory and a sub 16 minute mark, an unbelievable time given his injuries. Behind him, Coyle's squad pulled out the impossible, and took the top 5 non O'Hara spots. It was a great moment for the team, given the adversity they faced all the way up til the day of the district meet, Matt Greco suffered a collapse lung that left him hospitalized on race day. Coyle said, "I couldn't be more proud of my team for what we did."
Going forward Coyle is just trying to avoid "another etrain jinx" and stay healthy for the season ahead. If he does this, he believes he and his team can chase a team title in the PCL championships as well as a state title as a team. Coyle hopes to make noise as a DMR at the Penn Relays once again and chase individual goals in the Millrose Mile and the Dream Mile in NYC.
He will be attending Stanford next year.
Between Coyle and Stone, LaSalle has one of the best 12-16 punches in the state for a DMR. The state record indoors and outdoors may be in danger this track season.
Get your popcorn ready.
Weekend Action
There were some interesting results to note state wise this weekend. One of the first things that turned my head was seeing that Vinny Todaro has jumped out to a fast start with a 4:26 opening 1600m, winning the race by roughly 17 seconds. The reigning XC state champion ran 4:16 last spring and was 9th indoors in the mile with a time in the low 4:20s. To run this fast in small meet in December makes me think this guy could beat his outdoor PR indoors this year. I'd love to see him in a Millrose qualifier.
Kyle Francis and Brad Rivera take nice wins for Bensalem. Those are two nice pieces for their relays going forward. Rivera showed nice strength moving up to the mile and beating a very solid runner in Connor Harriman. It was a nice first race back for Harriman, however, and I still believe Harriman's best event will be the 3k. Based on Webb's race in the 3k, I imagine these two guys haven't done a lot of intense training since finishing regionals, meaning we can expect some nice improvements from these guys in the coming months. I like Bodine's mile from Haverford, that time this early indicates he will be down around the SQS at some point this season. A nice start for Alec Brand from CB East. If he can keep up running like this, he adds his name to a long list of 3k state qualifiers. Pennridge and North Penn throw their names into the list for potential 4x8 squads in what is currently a pretty weak field.
In Division II there were some other nice performances dropped. Dan Alexander had a second straight solid individual performance and won the 800 in an SQS. He is a defending state medalist in the 800m. A nice race behind him by Avery Scripture, a sleeper pick in this year's 800m field with a 1:55 800m PR. A solid race for Huemmler, obviously not mind blowing, but his second win of the season and he does it with ease it seems. Pitone, to me, never seemed like a miler, he is better long, but 4:33 is still a great time for him, unfortunately not fast enough to get him to states.
Finally, in the 3k we saw another excellent opening performance. After Macauley and Berry pushed each other to 9 flat performances, we saw Savage and Norris push each other to US #1 and #2 marks in 8:47 and 8:48. That is really impressive for Savage who I would not think would have been able to outlast Norris in a test of speed. I didn't see the race play out, but based on watching Norris at Nats I have to imagine he took it out hard and the beginning, but Savage must have out strengthed him. This is a great sign for Savage, who is now a contender for the state title. Unfortunately, it will probably be a while before we see fast times from either of these guys again. Meanwhile, keep an eye on Ben Szuhaj. He had a killer Footlocker Regionals race and is quickly emerging as an elite PA runner. He just missed the SQS but it's December and he will most likely hit the mark soon. The 3k is stacked. Nice to see GV win the DMR without Willig and Zatlin.
Kyle Francis and Brad Rivera take nice wins for Bensalem. Those are two nice pieces for their relays going forward. Rivera showed nice strength moving up to the mile and beating a very solid runner in Connor Harriman. It was a nice first race back for Harriman, however, and I still believe Harriman's best event will be the 3k. Based on Webb's race in the 3k, I imagine these two guys haven't done a lot of intense training since finishing regionals, meaning we can expect some nice improvements from these guys in the coming months. I like Bodine's mile from Haverford, that time this early indicates he will be down around the SQS at some point this season. A nice start for Alec Brand from CB East. If he can keep up running like this, he adds his name to a long list of 3k state qualifiers. Pennridge and North Penn throw their names into the list for potential 4x8 squads in what is currently a pretty weak field.
In Division II there were some other nice performances dropped. Dan Alexander had a second straight solid individual performance and won the 800 in an SQS. He is a defending state medalist in the 800m. A nice race behind him by Avery Scripture, a sleeper pick in this year's 800m field with a 1:55 800m PR. A solid race for Huemmler, obviously not mind blowing, but his second win of the season and he does it with ease it seems. Pitone, to me, never seemed like a miler, he is better long, but 4:33 is still a great time for him, unfortunately not fast enough to get him to states.
Finally, in the 3k we saw another excellent opening performance. After Macauley and Berry pushed each other to 9 flat performances, we saw Savage and Norris push each other to US #1 and #2 marks in 8:47 and 8:48. That is really impressive for Savage who I would not think would have been able to outlast Norris in a test of speed. I didn't see the race play out, but based on watching Norris at Nats I have to imagine he took it out hard and the beginning, but Savage must have out strengthed him. This is a great sign for Savage, who is now a contender for the state title. Unfortunately, it will probably be a while before we see fast times from either of these guys again. Meanwhile, keep an eye on Ben Szuhaj. He had a killer Footlocker Regionals race and is quickly emerging as an elite PA runner. He just missed the SQS but it's December and he will most likely hit the mark soon. The 3k is stacked. Nice to see GV win the DMR without Willig and Zatlin.
Footlocker/NXN Finalists and Indoors
Footlocker and NXN really take a chunk out of prime training time for athletes trying to get ready for indoors. By season's end the effects seem to be negligible, especially when we are talking outdoors, but there is theory that training hard for the extra month of XC inhibits the ability of athletes to compete at the Indoor State meet with guys who have a month of extra training advantage.
So I figured I'd check the stats.
Here are the last couple Footlocker/NXN Individual Finalists
2006: Paul Springer
2007: Mark Dennin, Chris Aldrich, Vince McNally
2008: Ben Furcht
2009: Brad Miles, Rad Gunzenhauser, Ryan Gil
2010: Wade Endress, Chris Campbell, Zach Hebda
2011: Dustin Wilson
2012: Tony Russell*, Reiny Barchet*, Sami Aziz, Brendan Shearn, Max Norris, Brent Kennedy, Austin Pondel
In 2007, Springer won the mile state championship in a state meet record time. He went on outdoors to set the state record in the 3200m.
In 2008, Dennin was a disappointing 5th before coming outdoors and dominating the 3k at Penn and outdoor 3200m. Aldrich ended up being 4th in the 3k, running his mark out of the slow heat. He was second outdoors in the 3200m. McNally struggled to match his magical outdoor performance of 4:07, finishing 4th in both the indoor and outdoor mile. McNally did, however, run a 9:05 3200m very early outdoors.
In 2009, Ben Furcht battled for the mile and 3k titles indoors but came up short in both. He came close to the 3k and 3200m titles outdoors but couldn't quite pull away from the kickers.
In 2010, Miles did not run indoors, but Gunzenhauser won the 3k and Gil was a surprising 5th indoors in the mile. All three went on to set massive PRs in the 3200m, Gunz won the D7 championship and Gil was 2nd outdoors with a school record.
In 2011, we saw Endress win double gold indoors, including a (short lived) state record. Campbell did arguably his best work indoors taking third in the mile and anchoring his DMR squad to a top spot. Hebda did not run indoors but had a big time performance in the 3200m outdoors.
In 2012, Wilson couldn't quite match his 9:02 mark from the year before but he did grab an indoor state title in the 3k and won the Henderson invite 3200m yet again. He also broke 15 for the first time in the 5k outdoors.
In 2012-2013, we will see a wide variety of samples for the experiment. A stunningly high number of individual national qualifiers emerged from PA this past fall and that will make things interesting this coming winter.
The fact of the matter is, if you qualify for one of these meets, you are one of the top runners in the state and will always be in the mix for a state championship. Out of the 12 runners listed above who qualified for a national championship 4 went on to take a state title indoors. 10 went on to run under 9:20 outdoors the following spring while the final two were both under 4:17 (Endress of course ran the equivalent of 4:11 and 1:51). 7 of the 12 guys placed just as high or higher at indoor states than they did outdoors (Wilson is kind of a wash here because he is not in the PIAA but did win indoors so couldn't really place lower outdoors). Among those 5 guys who didn't have great indoor performances were Zach Hebda and Brad Miles, neither of whom ran indoors at all.
Overall, the conclusion I make from seeing these results is that National qualifiers aren't slowed at all by their XC seasons. If anything they get a nice bit of momentum and confidence that allows them to grab a top spot in either indoor or outdoor track. 9 of the 12 were first or second at a state championship.
As long as these boys stay focused and use their confidence to their advantage we will probably see a state champ indoors from this bunch, and perhaps another 1 or 2 outdoors.
So I figured I'd check the stats.
Here are the last couple Footlocker/NXN Individual Finalists
2006: Paul Springer
2007: Mark Dennin, Chris Aldrich, Vince McNally
2008: Ben Furcht
2009: Brad Miles, Rad Gunzenhauser, Ryan Gil
2010: Wade Endress, Chris Campbell, Zach Hebda
2011: Dustin Wilson
2012: Tony Russell*, Reiny Barchet*, Sami Aziz, Brendan Shearn, Max Norris, Brent Kennedy, Austin Pondel
In 2007, Springer won the mile state championship in a state meet record time. He went on outdoors to set the state record in the 3200m.
In 2008, Dennin was a disappointing 5th before coming outdoors and dominating the 3k at Penn and outdoor 3200m. Aldrich ended up being 4th in the 3k, running his mark out of the slow heat. He was second outdoors in the 3200m. McNally struggled to match his magical outdoor performance of 4:07, finishing 4th in both the indoor and outdoor mile. McNally did, however, run a 9:05 3200m very early outdoors.
In 2009, Ben Furcht battled for the mile and 3k titles indoors but came up short in both. He came close to the 3k and 3200m titles outdoors but couldn't quite pull away from the kickers.
In 2010, Miles did not run indoors, but Gunzenhauser won the 3k and Gil was a surprising 5th indoors in the mile. All three went on to set massive PRs in the 3200m, Gunz won the D7 championship and Gil was 2nd outdoors with a school record.
In 2011, we saw Endress win double gold indoors, including a (short lived) state record. Campbell did arguably his best work indoors taking third in the mile and anchoring his DMR squad to a top spot. Hebda did not run indoors but had a big time performance in the 3200m outdoors.
In 2012, Wilson couldn't quite match his 9:02 mark from the year before but he did grab an indoor state title in the 3k and won the Henderson invite 3200m yet again. He also broke 15 for the first time in the 5k outdoors.
In 2012-2013, we will see a wide variety of samples for the experiment. A stunningly high number of individual national qualifiers emerged from PA this past fall and that will make things interesting this coming winter.
The fact of the matter is, if you qualify for one of these meets, you are one of the top runners in the state and will always be in the mix for a state championship. Out of the 12 runners listed above who qualified for a national championship 4 went on to take a state title indoors. 10 went on to run under 9:20 outdoors the following spring while the final two were both under 4:17 (Endress of course ran the equivalent of 4:11 and 1:51). 7 of the 12 guys placed just as high or higher at indoor states than they did outdoors (Wilson is kind of a wash here because he is not in the PIAA but did win indoors so couldn't really place lower outdoors). Among those 5 guys who didn't have great indoor performances were Zach Hebda and Brad Miles, neither of whom ran indoors at all.
Overall, the conclusion I make from seeing these results is that National qualifiers aren't slowed at all by their XC seasons. If anything they get a nice bit of momentum and confidence that allows them to grab a top spot in either indoor or outdoor track. 9 of the 12 were first or second at a state championship.
As long as these boys stay focused and use their confidence to their advantage we will probably see a state champ indoors from this bunch, and perhaps another 1 or 2 outdoors.
XC State Medalists: What Lies Ahead on the Track
I'm off from school, figure I'll do a fun post.
As you guys may or may not remember me saying last year, the XC AAA State Champion has become a lock to break 9:20 in the spring. Conner Quinn dipped under the last year and kept the trend alive and this year one can argue Tony Russell has already broke the barrier at his postseason time trial. That being said, I think Russell will be a factor to break 9:20 again and contend for the 2 mile title (Weller, Dennin and Tarsnane won the XC and two mile crowns in the same year, Gil won the XC and indoor 3k title).
That's just one trend I picked up. I was also interested as to how many of the state XC medalists come away with state medals in one of the track seasons.
In 2011 for AAA we had:
13 individual medalists + an additional 3 guys who only recieved relay medals. Ironically none of those 16 guys were named Drew Magaha, Brett Kelly, or Conner Quinn, who make up half of the top 6 finishers.
In 2010 for AAA we had:
16 individual medalists + an additional 3 guys who only recieved relay medals. The top 5 in this year were all individual medalists and between the top two finishers we had the 800m, mile and 3000m state champs indoors (Gil and Endress).
In 2009 for AAA we had (last one I swear):
14 individual medalists + an additional 2 guys who only recieved relay medals.
Over those same three years we had a number of runners crack the 9:20 or 4:17 mark in the 3200m and 1600m respectively.
2009: 16
2010: 10
2011: 10
The 3200m at states was especially fast in 2009 and most likely produced the extra people under 9:20.
So we are talking a solid 10 guys or so from the medaling pool should be under 9:20 or 4:17 this year and we also expect about 14 guys to leave the state championships in track with another medal.
Which brings us to the logical question: Which guys will they be?
Now I don't want to step on anybody's toes here but I do think it is only fair to share my opinion, so please no one take offense.
The following guys already have PRs under 9:20 or 4:17 from this year's medalists:
Russell, Macauley, Harriman, Coyle, Quinn = 5
It is only reasonable to expect these 5 guys to perform at this level around next year, although it is by no means guarenteed. I will assume that one slips up and injuries or misfortune strikes and only 4 of them hit the mark. These leaves us with 6 to pick from out of the remaining medalists. My expectations at this point are:
Norris, Martin, Kennedy, Barchet, Stone and then Zingarini
Kunzweiler certainly could do it in the right mile race and Pondel has potential in the 2 mile this spring but those are just my gut picks.
As for the medalists here are the 14 guys I expect to grab medals:
Russell, Kennedy, Norris, Martin, Macauley, Harriman, Coyle, Zingarini, Barchet, Kunzweiler, Stone, and Pondel.
This one also could have a lot of variation. I think Savage and possibly Kevin James grab a relay medal as well (DMR indoors). Colin Martin may be a sleeper. He killed it down the stretch indoors. And of course all the guys from outside the big 3 districts (1, 3, 7) are hit or miss based on the competition they get in smaller meets throughout the season.
Emery and Ferruzzi took the same spots that Todaro and Russell took last year so watch out for them going forward although they didn't quite get medal spots.
As you guys may or may not remember me saying last year, the XC AAA State Champion has become a lock to break 9:20 in the spring. Conner Quinn dipped under the last year and kept the trend alive and this year one can argue Tony Russell has already broke the barrier at his postseason time trial. That being said, I think Russell will be a factor to break 9:20 again and contend for the 2 mile title (Weller, Dennin and Tarsnane won the XC and two mile crowns in the same year, Gil won the XC and indoor 3k title).
That's just one trend I picked up. I was also interested as to how many of the state XC medalists come away with state medals in one of the track seasons.
In 2011 for AAA we had:
13 individual medalists + an additional 3 guys who only recieved relay medals. Ironically none of those 16 guys were named Drew Magaha, Brett Kelly, or Conner Quinn, who make up half of the top 6 finishers.
In 2010 for AAA we had:
16 individual medalists + an additional 3 guys who only recieved relay medals. The top 5 in this year were all individual medalists and between the top two finishers we had the 800m, mile and 3000m state champs indoors (Gil and Endress).
In 2009 for AAA we had (last one I swear):
14 individual medalists + an additional 2 guys who only recieved relay medals.
Over those same three years we had a number of runners crack the 9:20 or 4:17 mark in the 3200m and 1600m respectively.
2009: 16
2010: 10
2011: 10
The 3200m at states was especially fast in 2009 and most likely produced the extra people under 9:20.
So we are talking a solid 10 guys or so from the medaling pool should be under 9:20 or 4:17 this year and we also expect about 14 guys to leave the state championships in track with another medal.
Which brings us to the logical question: Which guys will they be?
Now I don't want to step on anybody's toes here but I do think it is only fair to share my opinion, so please no one take offense.
The following guys already have PRs under 9:20 or 4:17 from this year's medalists:
Russell, Macauley, Harriman, Coyle, Quinn = 5
It is only reasonable to expect these 5 guys to perform at this level around next year, although it is by no means guarenteed. I will assume that one slips up and injuries or misfortune strikes and only 4 of them hit the mark. These leaves us with 6 to pick from out of the remaining medalists. My expectations at this point are:
Norris, Martin, Kennedy, Barchet, Stone and then Zingarini
Kunzweiler certainly could do it in the right mile race and Pondel has potential in the 2 mile this spring but those are just my gut picks.
As for the medalists here are the 14 guys I expect to grab medals:
Russell, Kennedy, Norris, Martin, Macauley, Harriman, Coyle, Zingarini, Barchet, Kunzweiler, Stone, and Pondel.
This one also could have a lot of variation. I think Savage and possibly Kevin James grab a relay medal as well (DMR indoors). Colin Martin may be a sleeper. He killed it down the stretch indoors. And of course all the guys from outside the big 3 districts (1, 3, 7) are hit or miss based on the competition they get in smaller meets throughout the season.
Emery and Ferruzzi took the same spots that Todaro and Russell took last year so watch out for them going forward although they didn't quite get medal spots.
Indoor
My finals are finally done so I'm going to lay down the best indoor predictions post I can muster with not too much research being put in.
Here are some of my early thoughts.
Tony Russell is clearly legit and one of the top guys in the mile or 3k field. He, like Norris, Shearn, Kennedy, Barchet, Aziz etc., are going to have to really be patient with the late start they are getting on indoors. Outdoors all these guys will be mixing it up for state titles no doubt. Indoors, they will all come on strong late in the season I have to imagine.
Which brings me to my next point: the 3k is stacked. I'm not sure how many of the AA/non-D1 guys will actually be competing hard this indoors but in theory the 3k could have a record setting number of qualifiers even at the very difficult 9 flat mark. Guys who I think off the top of my head who I think will be in the 8:50s if they run it:
Russell, Barchet, Aziz, Wistar, Norris, Shearn, Pondel, Ferruzzi, Emery, Wilson, Coyle, Savage, Belfatto, James, Pitone, Jaskowak, Huemmler, Coyle, Todaro, Jones, Galassi, Quinn, Macauley, Berry, Harriman, Webb, Martin, Pondel, Nissley, Groh, Williams, Ritz ... The list goes on and on. That's already 32 names! I didn't even mention guys like Brophy and the Kazanjians and Rimkis or Collins etc., etc. Admittedly not all those guys will stay healthy, run indoors, run the 3k, etc. but there are also always going to be guys who no one sees coming that break onto the scene and run crazy times.
Its hard to imagine that my boy Ferruzzi is one of the top 3 returners from states and is going to struggle to even be top 10 if the field pans out as I expected. It makes me think a lot of top guys will opt for the mile this year in order to compete for a top spot. I think this race is going to be won by an unexpected name. I wish I could give you that name, but I expect too many people at this point. Emery isn't a bad pick I think as a sleeper, but if I had to bet I'd go with Aziz. I still think Jaskowak should run it because he could be the state champ if he focuses on it. And of course you can not count out Tony Russell in this race if he is not focusing on a DMR relay (which I think he will be).
Which brings me to the mile.
The mile is interesting because you have the clear big dogs up front in Coyle and Huemmler and after that a slew of underdogs with potential. I'm liking Coyle to take down the title this year, although both guys had XC seasons that they probably were not too thrilled with and have been dying to get on the track and redeem themselves. I'd bet (and its early) that these guys push it to around 4:13 indoors which is very quick. Russell could certainly be in the mix if he runs. If it's a kickers race, however, I have a hard time imagining he can get either of these guys. They are both 1:51-1:52 types and as of right now. I'd say my projected max for Russell is 4:15ish and his best shot is in the 3k (which I don't think he will run). Certainly, however, if the pace is quick he has got a shot to use his strength to his advantage. I just hesitate to pick against Coyle's kick right now.
Ben Ritz is a sleeper pick here as well. If he can piece together an indoor season on a similar level to his outdoor track year last year he is going to really challenge for the title. He ran 4:12 in a race that benefited from a fast pace where he didn't have to do too much of the work, meaning in a fast state race that Huemmler, Coyle and Russell battle for, he could sneak in for the title. Max Norris certainly has to be in the mix here as well if he can recapture his steam from sophomore year on the track, but I don't anticipate him being a factor until outdoors. Jaskowak of course is a force here as well and certainly has to be hungry.
James Zingarini was state medalist outdoors last year and came on very strong at the end of the XC season to claim an 18th place finish. He could definitely be a factor in this race. Alec Kunzweiler may opt for the mile over the 8 to better help his team go for 4x8 gold. His kick would be valuable in a tactical mile. Andrew Stone would also be a factor in the mile. He expanded his strength this past XC season despite fighting off injury. I do see him running the 800m, however. Plus, Ryan Smathers ran 4:12 last year outdoors and if he gets back on the track to run indoors he could surprise some people. I think he may have been the best miler in the state last year, even better than Coyle, but never got the chance to prove it.
Lastly, you can't count out Vinny Todaro who had an awesome XC season and was a 4:16 miler last year. He very quietly has slipped off the radar for this track season in the craziness that was Footlocker Regionals, but Todaro dominated XC and beat some really talented guys throughout the year. If he can find some fast meets to go to indoors to get himself in the hot heat, anything can happen.
The individual events are just stacked this year with guys like Harriman and Macauley also in the mix for medals (both more 3k guys than milers in my mind). Steve Yannacone could be a factor (I see him the 8) and then somebody like Brent Kennedy can not be overlooked. He could definitely mix it up in this field. He never got a chance to show his true ability during the track season because he was always doubling or in races that went out slow. He will be an interesting one to watch because I am honestly not sure what his limits are.
In the 800m we have a bunch of interesting names. Jeff Wiseman jumps out after this past weekends work and nipped Brad Rivera for the victory. Honestly, every time these two face of head to head it seems like Wiseman finds a way to just barely beat him out. Wiseman showed some seriously potential as a sophomore last spring in the 8. Rivera himself has been competing at the top level for a long time and will certainly compete for a top spot in the meet. He was 9th, just off the medal stand, last year. He also just missed qualifying for states in XC. I'm sure the guy is hungry for a title.
Joey Logue, now shifting his focus to individual events, is a major factor. He has killer foot speed and has the top PR among all returns for this year. He is going to be tough to beat and is my early pick for the title. He will have to deal with District 1 Champ Steve Yannacone who had a solid XC season in his own right after running low 1:54s last year and Andrew Stone who has been running killer 800m teams since his freshman year and had a break out XC season to follow up his break out track season last year. Plus there is Alec Kunzweiler who followed up a dirty 1:51 split last spring with a 2nd place finish in the open 800m at states. He may be thinking double gold in the 8-4x8 this year.
Other factors will be guys like Zach Brehm who put on a great performance in XC after a 1:55 flat track campaign as a freshman. I don't know how much indoor track they do out in Carlisle but hopefully we get to see his wheels. Dan Alexander has a state medal from last year and shouldn't be overlooked. Dave Garton ran 1:55 last year for Perk Valley as just a sophomore and could mix it up with the other top guys for a medal. Ken Leidal from DTWest had a solid XC season and dropped into the low 1:56s in the open 8 last year.
Of course the last name to remember is AJ Chaborek, who I suppose can't really be called a sleeper at this point, but is definitely a name that can take down the title. He has a solid kick and watched his team turn heads all fall, saving up to go get after it this season.
All the individual events are straight stacked this year.
However, that makes me question how the relays will unfold. In the DMR the two front runners are Henderson and LaSalle for sure. LaSalle made a lot of big strides and hopefully will choose the DMR over the 4x8 this time around. Henderson has great depth and has two big guns in Russell and Chaborek. Most of their squad we don't even know about as they weren't big factors on the teams very deep XC squad. Both teams will have to double guys and that may play a role in who takes the Gold.
Don't count out the O'Hara boys from this title conversation. They always have a solid relay or two indoors and with Belfatto taking the next step at the end of the fall he could be a great relay 1200m leg. They ran an under appreciated 4x8 last spring in my mind and return some key legs from that squad to go with emerging guys like James and a stud like Savage. Savage already dropped a 4:30 flat this year. They can afford to drop individual goals and go for the relay gold because none of their guys are really favorites for the title at this stage in the game.
Then you have the GFS boys led by Wistar and Aziz who, if they change around their individual schedules, would be two key pieces for a run at the title. GFS is consistently in the mix for the DMR at states and should not be overlooked this year, especially when they return guys like Wistar and Aziz.
Other sleepers would be squads like Great Valley, returning some members of their 4x8 and state champ DMR group including young Willig and Wolffe, Council Rock North with big guns Emery and Zingarini, North Allegheny's squad which is always tough to beat year in and year out, and Kiski Area led by stud anchor Brent Kennedy. Haverford Township may also be a factor in the race with Fowler and Bodine on the roster.
The 4x8 is a little more difficult to pick. CV and Bensalem both have great squads coming back this year and jump to mind as the two favorites. Maybe DTWest and DTEast will develop into contenders as well going forward. Each has a bit of a way to go, but got off to a nice start. I like CVs squad this year, but they have struggled to peice it all together for indoors in the same way they do for outdoors. Bensalem has some nice pieces and if they focus on the 4x8 they can take gold. The problem will be balancing busy schedules that also include individual goals and a 4x4 that can mix it up for the win. Pennridge may be a sleeper for the title, depending on how much they return behind Logue.
I know better than to doubt North Penn in the 4x8. They may develop a solid relay there as well. State College is also among my sleeper picks if they can continue the success they had outdoors last spring. Strath Haven may also be a sleeper pick with Butera and Huemmler as nice starting pieces.
Hope this satisfied your needs and doesn't get spammed too badly.
Here are some of my early thoughts.
Tony Russell is clearly legit and one of the top guys in the mile or 3k field. He, like Norris, Shearn, Kennedy, Barchet, Aziz etc., are going to have to really be patient with the late start they are getting on indoors. Outdoors all these guys will be mixing it up for state titles no doubt. Indoors, they will all come on strong late in the season I have to imagine.
Which brings me to my next point: the 3k is stacked. I'm not sure how many of the AA/non-D1 guys will actually be competing hard this indoors but in theory the 3k could have a record setting number of qualifiers even at the very difficult 9 flat mark. Guys who I think off the top of my head who I think will be in the 8:50s if they run it:
Russell, Barchet, Aziz, Wistar, Norris, Shearn, Pondel, Ferruzzi, Emery, Wilson, Coyle, Savage, Belfatto, James, Pitone, Jaskowak, Huemmler, Coyle, Todaro, Jones, Galassi, Quinn, Macauley, Berry, Harriman, Webb, Martin, Pondel, Nissley, Groh, Williams, Ritz ... The list goes on and on. That's already 32 names! I didn't even mention guys like Brophy and the Kazanjians and Rimkis or Collins etc., etc. Admittedly not all those guys will stay healthy, run indoors, run the 3k, etc. but there are also always going to be guys who no one sees coming that break onto the scene and run crazy times.
Its hard to imagine that my boy Ferruzzi is one of the top 3 returners from states and is going to struggle to even be top 10 if the field pans out as I expected. It makes me think a lot of top guys will opt for the mile this year in order to compete for a top spot. I think this race is going to be won by an unexpected name. I wish I could give you that name, but I expect too many people at this point. Emery isn't a bad pick I think as a sleeper, but if I had to bet I'd go with Aziz. I still think Jaskowak should run it because he could be the state champ if he focuses on it. And of course you can not count out Tony Russell in this race if he is not focusing on a DMR relay (which I think he will be).
Which brings me to the mile.
The mile is interesting because you have the clear big dogs up front in Coyle and Huemmler and after that a slew of underdogs with potential. I'm liking Coyle to take down the title this year, although both guys had XC seasons that they probably were not too thrilled with and have been dying to get on the track and redeem themselves. I'd bet (and its early) that these guys push it to around 4:13 indoors which is very quick. Russell could certainly be in the mix if he runs. If it's a kickers race, however, I have a hard time imagining he can get either of these guys. They are both 1:51-1:52 types and as of right now. I'd say my projected max for Russell is 4:15ish and his best shot is in the 3k (which I don't think he will run). Certainly, however, if the pace is quick he has got a shot to use his strength to his advantage. I just hesitate to pick against Coyle's kick right now.
Ben Ritz is a sleeper pick here as well. If he can piece together an indoor season on a similar level to his outdoor track year last year he is going to really challenge for the title. He ran 4:12 in a race that benefited from a fast pace where he didn't have to do too much of the work, meaning in a fast state race that Huemmler, Coyle and Russell battle for, he could sneak in for the title. Max Norris certainly has to be in the mix here as well if he can recapture his steam from sophomore year on the track, but I don't anticipate him being a factor until outdoors. Jaskowak of course is a force here as well and certainly has to be hungry.
James Zingarini was state medalist outdoors last year and came on very strong at the end of the XC season to claim an 18th place finish. He could definitely be a factor in this race. Alec Kunzweiler may opt for the mile over the 8 to better help his team go for 4x8 gold. His kick would be valuable in a tactical mile. Andrew Stone would also be a factor in the mile. He expanded his strength this past XC season despite fighting off injury. I do see him running the 800m, however. Plus, Ryan Smathers ran 4:12 last year outdoors and if he gets back on the track to run indoors he could surprise some people. I think he may have been the best miler in the state last year, even better than Coyle, but never got the chance to prove it.
Lastly, you can't count out Vinny Todaro who had an awesome XC season and was a 4:16 miler last year. He very quietly has slipped off the radar for this track season in the craziness that was Footlocker Regionals, but Todaro dominated XC and beat some really talented guys throughout the year. If he can find some fast meets to go to indoors to get himself in the hot heat, anything can happen.
The individual events are just stacked this year with guys like Harriman and Macauley also in the mix for medals (both more 3k guys than milers in my mind). Steve Yannacone could be a factor (I see him the 8) and then somebody like Brent Kennedy can not be overlooked. He could definitely mix it up in this field. He never got a chance to show his true ability during the track season because he was always doubling or in races that went out slow. He will be an interesting one to watch because I am honestly not sure what his limits are.
In the 800m we have a bunch of interesting names. Jeff Wiseman jumps out after this past weekends work and nipped Brad Rivera for the victory. Honestly, every time these two face of head to head it seems like Wiseman finds a way to just barely beat him out. Wiseman showed some seriously potential as a sophomore last spring in the 8. Rivera himself has been competing at the top level for a long time and will certainly compete for a top spot in the meet. He was 9th, just off the medal stand, last year. He also just missed qualifying for states in XC. I'm sure the guy is hungry for a title.
Joey Logue, now shifting his focus to individual events, is a major factor. He has killer foot speed and has the top PR among all returns for this year. He is going to be tough to beat and is my early pick for the title. He will have to deal with District 1 Champ Steve Yannacone who had a solid XC season in his own right after running low 1:54s last year and Andrew Stone who has been running killer 800m teams since his freshman year and had a break out XC season to follow up his break out track season last year. Plus there is Alec Kunzweiler who followed up a dirty 1:51 split last spring with a 2nd place finish in the open 800m at states. He may be thinking double gold in the 8-4x8 this year.
Other factors will be guys like Zach Brehm who put on a great performance in XC after a 1:55 flat track campaign as a freshman. I don't know how much indoor track they do out in Carlisle but hopefully we get to see his wheels. Dan Alexander has a state medal from last year and shouldn't be overlooked. Dave Garton ran 1:55 last year for Perk Valley as just a sophomore and could mix it up with the other top guys for a medal. Ken Leidal from DTWest had a solid XC season and dropped into the low 1:56s in the open 8 last year.
Of course the last name to remember is AJ Chaborek, who I suppose can't really be called a sleeper at this point, but is definitely a name that can take down the title. He has a solid kick and watched his team turn heads all fall, saving up to go get after it this season.
All the individual events are straight stacked this year.
However, that makes me question how the relays will unfold. In the DMR the two front runners are Henderson and LaSalle for sure. LaSalle made a lot of big strides and hopefully will choose the DMR over the 4x8 this time around. Henderson has great depth and has two big guns in Russell and Chaborek. Most of their squad we don't even know about as they weren't big factors on the teams very deep XC squad. Both teams will have to double guys and that may play a role in who takes the Gold.
Don't count out the O'Hara boys from this title conversation. They always have a solid relay or two indoors and with Belfatto taking the next step at the end of the fall he could be a great relay 1200m leg. They ran an under appreciated 4x8 last spring in my mind and return some key legs from that squad to go with emerging guys like James and a stud like Savage. Savage already dropped a 4:30 flat this year. They can afford to drop individual goals and go for the relay gold because none of their guys are really favorites for the title at this stage in the game.
Then you have the GFS boys led by Wistar and Aziz who, if they change around their individual schedules, would be two key pieces for a run at the title. GFS is consistently in the mix for the DMR at states and should not be overlooked this year, especially when they return guys like Wistar and Aziz.
Other sleepers would be squads like Great Valley, returning some members of their 4x8 and state champ DMR group including young Willig and Wolffe, Council Rock North with big guns Emery and Zingarini, North Allegheny's squad which is always tough to beat year in and year out, and Kiski Area led by stud anchor Brent Kennedy. Haverford Township may also be a factor in the race with Fowler and Bodine on the roster.
The 4x8 is a little more difficult to pick. CV and Bensalem both have great squads coming back this year and jump to mind as the two favorites. Maybe DTWest and DTEast will develop into contenders as well going forward. Each has a bit of a way to go, but got off to a nice start. I like CVs squad this year, but they have struggled to peice it all together for indoors in the same way they do for outdoors. Bensalem has some nice pieces and if they focus on the 4x8 they can take gold. The problem will be balancing busy schedules that also include individual goals and a 4x4 that can mix it up for the win. Pennridge may be a sleeper for the title, depending on how much they return behind Logue.
I know better than to doubt North Penn in the 4x8. They may develop a solid relay there as well. State College is also among my sleeper picks if they can continue the success they had outdoors last spring. Strath Haven may also be a sleeper pick with Butera and Huemmler as nice starting pieces.
Hope this satisfied your needs and doesn't get spammed too badly.
Don't Have Time to Think of a Good Title
Congrats to everyone who represented PA well at Nationals these past two weekends! There were some really impressive performances.
I'm swamped with work here at school with finals week and what not going on, but I'm done on Tuesday at around 6:30. After that I should be able to string together a boat load of winter track talk.
Stay tuned.
-train
I'm swamped with work here at school with finals week and what not going on, but I'm done on Tuesday at around 6:30. After that I should be able to string together a boat load of winter track talk.
Stay tuned.
-train
O'Hara v. Henderson: The Big Question
It is ironic right now to consider that this was the big question of hot debate all summer long and the two teams certainly lived up to the hype. Both teams went back forth all day long with big wins at various meets. Both teams left the state and represented at Great American and Manhattan. Both teams went to the state championship and placed at least 5 guys in the top 50. Both teams scored under 70 points at the state championship and tied one another for the title. Then both teams qualified for NXN, the first time PA has ever sent two teams. Both teams capped off their seasons with great performances at Nationals, two of the top performances we have seen despite very muddy conditions.
If anything the two teams exceeded their massive expectations that developed way back in July and August. The original O'Hara v. Henderson discussion started in the middle of August has since amassed over 1,000 page views, 86 total comments and it helped catapult the blog into a main topic of conversation in the summer for the first time in its history.
I think the rivalry has brought out the best in the runners along the way. I never imagined Tony Russell and Reiny Barchet would have exploded like they did. Certainly Kevin James and Ernie Pitone can not be overlooked as they were huge helps to Dan Savage this year. We saw a number of clutch performances from guys like Haugh at states, banged up but still gutting out a top 50 mark and Bobby Rimkis surprising a lot of people with a state medal to help his team get the gold. We saw huge breakout performances at Regionals from Belfatto and Knapp (and a school record on the track for Mr. Belfatto as well).
The knock on O'Hara coming into the year was always about depth. But they overcame that knock early and often. Their JV squad may have been the best in the state and Hayes and Belfatto stepped up into a pair of quality top 5 guys. Drew Pastore also stepped up and filled in for an injured Nick Smart very nicely. At Nationals the O'Hara depth was seen most clearly, their top 7 all ran exceptionally well.
The knock on Henderson coming into the year was always about youth and the fact that they struggled on the difficult state course the year before. To say they proved the doubters wrong seems to be a dramatic understatement. Tony Russell smashes the course record, 3 Warriors medaled at states and their entire top 7 placed in the top 52 runners on the difficult state course.
It has been an honor to report on such an epic dual throughout the season. Both teams have a lot to be proud of and unfortunately at this point I don't feel comfortable saying any time is really better than the other. These teams are the closest I have ever seen two squads from PA be.
Congratulations to everyone who has contributed to these teams this season, you will not soon be forgotten.
-A Fan
If anything the two teams exceeded their massive expectations that developed way back in July and August. The original O'Hara v. Henderson discussion started in the middle of August has since amassed over 1,000 page views, 86 total comments and it helped catapult the blog into a main topic of conversation in the summer for the first time in its history.
I think the rivalry has brought out the best in the runners along the way. I never imagined Tony Russell and Reiny Barchet would have exploded like they did. Certainly Kevin James and Ernie Pitone can not be overlooked as they were huge helps to Dan Savage this year. We saw a number of clutch performances from guys like Haugh at states, banged up but still gutting out a top 50 mark and Bobby Rimkis surprising a lot of people with a state medal to help his team get the gold. We saw huge breakout performances at Regionals from Belfatto and Knapp (and a school record on the track for Mr. Belfatto as well).
The knock on O'Hara coming into the year was always about depth. But they overcame that knock early and often. Their JV squad may have been the best in the state and Hayes and Belfatto stepped up into a pair of quality top 5 guys. Drew Pastore also stepped up and filled in for an injured Nick Smart very nicely. At Nationals the O'Hara depth was seen most clearly, their top 7 all ran exceptionally well.
The knock on Henderson coming into the year was always about youth and the fact that they struggled on the difficult state course the year before. To say they proved the doubters wrong seems to be a dramatic understatement. Tony Russell smashes the course record, 3 Warriors medaled at states and their entire top 7 placed in the top 52 runners on the difficult state course.
It has been an honor to report on such an epic dual throughout the season. Both teams have a lot to be proud of and unfortunately at this point I don't feel comfortable saying any time is really better than the other. These teams are the closest I have ever seen two squads from PA be.
Congratulations to everyone who has contributed to these teams this season, you will not soon be forgotten.
-A Fan
Food Olympics
Some PA guys from around the philadelphia area compete in the annual "food olympics". Events include the Downhill Pizza Run, 3 Soda 300 Hurdles, Breakfast Two Mile and Gallon 4x4. Competitors include LaSalle University runners Alfredo Santana and Vince Perozze, Shippensburg University runner Scott Armstrong and local high schoolers,including Pa's 1600m champ Tom Coyle and some other greats (4:11, 1:52 and another 1:55 guys)as well as many others. This video is not for the week stomached.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CCl5taO8f4
Video was done by FarmPartyProductions aka Chris Torpey and Dave Duryea
If you need more information on it leave a comment here and I'll pass along info best I can to or from the meet director(s). There is a Penntrack post about it as well on their forums (if anyone still reads them ;) ).
This is an etrain approved message.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CCl5taO8f4
Video was done by FarmPartyProductions aka Chris Torpey and Dave Duryea
If you need more information on it leave a comment here and I'll pass along info best I can to or from the meet director(s). There is a Penntrack post about it as well on their forums (if anyone still reads them ;) ).
This is an etrain approved message.
Regional Action
A truly historic weekend for the PA boys. 4 guys qualify for Footlocker from PA for the first time in state history. 2 teams qualify for NXN for the first time in state history! 2 PA boys take 1-2 at NXN, 2 squads were within reach of the #1 team in the nation and oh yeah news on the street now is that Sami Aziz will also be heading out to the NXN championships. Dang son PA don't play.
But I assume no one reads this blog to hear me talk ghetto about how awesome PA is so I refocus.
Let's start at Foot Locker.
A boat load of big time PA boys toed the line for this meet and a lot of people ran really impressive races. First and foremost, the big dog himself Brendan Shearn came out and ran like a pro. Honestly, his season up until this points had few moments that you could really point to and say, dang this kid is an All-American, but he changed things this weekend. At the beginning of the XC season I thought Brendan would for sure be going through to Foot Locker. After states I had him at about a 75% chance. I never at any point pictured him in the top 4 (the best finish since Brad Miles and Mark Dennin in PA history) which is awesome. He will be in the mix to become an All-American out in San Diego.
The biggest surprise (to me anyway) is Max Norris who stunned me with his 7th place finish. He kicked to a spot that I saw as a bit out of his league and put on a great performance to snag a spot to nats. He was determined and stayed hungry, overcoming piles of injuries along the way to get to this point. Seeing how far he has come makes this moment so much more impressive. The way he has improved over the last month makes me think .... dang picking him to win districts was a month too early ... but on a serious note, it makes me think the guy has All American potential out at Footlocker. Having met some of his family at states, I know that this couldn't have happened to a more deserving family so congrats.
Kennedy and Pondel just seemed to be tied at the hip. Stepping up big to take those two spots was impressive. That's big for Kennedy who will be back next year and hopefully be able to use his experience to his advantage. I don't know if PA has had a multi time qualifier since Miller (and I think only Coval has run their twice in the last decade+) so he will have a bit of pressure and history to overcome, but he is another guy who I thought would be happy with his states race and move on to shut it down for track. But the guy stepped it up. As for Pondel, I always thought he was built for a meet like this. He trains really hard and puts in the mileage and the hard work needed to excel in a meet like this. He put himself in position and hung on tough to his spot. A great break out year for a guy who was off most people's radars despite being a medalist last year in XC.
Also there were some other performances here that should not go overlooked just because it didn't end with nationals. Luke Jones ran gutsy and out of his comfort zone perhaps, going out hard and just missing a Footlocker Qualifying spot. There is no doubt the guy gave it everything he had and he just came up a bit short. Galassi and Jones did the A part of the state proud with a great stretch run to the season.
How about Conner Quinn in this race as well? Sure he didn't have the season he may have hoped for winning states again but he really kept his head going into this meet and performed very well, better than his state meet performance I'd say, and ended up being PA's 7th guy (I think either the same spot or a spot better in PA compared to last year in a much deeper year).
On to NXN.
Tony Russell is clearly a beast. He went Brad Miles this weekend and actually the paths they have taken thus far are eerily similar. An All time PA best at Manhattan, then a win at Districts over the top returner from AAA states followed by a victory at the state course in record time and then a regional victory. Literally, the same path as far as I can tell. Unfortunately, Miles underwhelmed at Nats, but I feel that Russell has the advantage of competing for his team this coming weekend. And seeing the results, Henderson has a shot at being a top 10 team at nationals.
Especially if Reiny Barchet runs like that again. Sick race for that guy proving that states was the fluke race, not districts. You have to remember that O'Hara almost put 3 guys in front of Barchet at states, they did put 2 guys ahead. None of the O'Hara guys were close to him on Saturday and that is huge for Henderson. Heck none of the US #1 CBA guys beat Barchet on Saturday!
But O'Hara still beat them. Narrowly edging them out. Unreal. I don't see how people can say that this race was better news for Henderson than O'Hara. Henderson not only had the ultimate front runner, they had the ultimate #2 runner. The best possible 1-2 punch you can have but O'Hara still won. What was big for O'Hara was Belfatto continuing to be on a roll. He beat Pastore and took a surprising 33rd in the race, beating out Bobby Rimkis, who was a state medalist. Pitone faded a bit after states, but it was probably a good wake up call for him and puts the pressure of being a front runner back onto Savage's shoulders who has more experience in that department. James also had a nice bounce back from states. O'Hara looked great and redeemed themselves well at Regionals.
For Henderson it was a big day from Alex Knapp that saved the day. I certainly didn't see that one coming. Huge race for their normal #7 guy to step up like that and be their 3. May have saved them from falling out of National contention. Rimkis had a bit of a down day. He was incredibly clutch at states and ran amazing, but that may have put too big of expectations on him for the future. He was right on Reiny that day at Hershey, but the gap widened in the past month at the 32 and also now at Regionals. Hopefully, this race lets him relax and find himself and run the race he wants to run without as much pressure. Collins also had a rough day after being a big hero at states, picking off a ton of guys in the hills. He has been clutch for this team all season and will bounce back. Losing Haugh hurt these guys. He was the difference at states, outleaning Pastore, and now his presence is missed as they miss out on 2nd.
These teams are both absurdly close to one another. It is amazing to watch these teams run because they are two of the best teams I have ever seen in the state of PA and they somehow managed to come into their own just in time to run two amazing races when it counted. Hopefully they can hold it together for Nats.
It's tough to pick a winner (especially because whoever I pick seems to lose), but I'll go Henderson in 8th and O'Hara in 9th seperated by just 2 points at Nationals (sorry Henderson probably just jinxed you guys). I see guys that can run better on both sides so it basically comes down to who is lucky enough to have all their guys click when it matters.
Yes, Henderson is going to be sick next year, but injuries happen and a lot of things can change. I hope they don't put off their goals until next year and they make a statement at this national meet to give them confidence going forward. Tony Russell is a man on a mission right now and I would love to see him break into that top 10 at Nats.
Honestly, I can't wait. I was incredibly excited sitting by my computer updating my twitter all this past weekend.
Go represent boys. PA don't play.
-train
But I assume no one reads this blog to hear me talk ghetto about how awesome PA is so I refocus.
Let's start at Foot Locker.
A boat load of big time PA boys toed the line for this meet and a lot of people ran really impressive races. First and foremost, the big dog himself Brendan Shearn came out and ran like a pro. Honestly, his season up until this points had few moments that you could really point to and say, dang this kid is an All-American, but he changed things this weekend. At the beginning of the XC season I thought Brendan would for sure be going through to Foot Locker. After states I had him at about a 75% chance. I never at any point pictured him in the top 4 (the best finish since Brad Miles and Mark Dennin in PA history) which is awesome. He will be in the mix to become an All-American out in San Diego.
The biggest surprise (to me anyway) is Max Norris who stunned me with his 7th place finish. He kicked to a spot that I saw as a bit out of his league and put on a great performance to snag a spot to nats. He was determined and stayed hungry, overcoming piles of injuries along the way to get to this point. Seeing how far he has come makes this moment so much more impressive. The way he has improved over the last month makes me think .... dang picking him to win districts was a month too early ... but on a serious note, it makes me think the guy has All American potential out at Footlocker. Having met some of his family at states, I know that this couldn't have happened to a more deserving family so congrats.
Kennedy and Pondel just seemed to be tied at the hip. Stepping up big to take those two spots was impressive. That's big for Kennedy who will be back next year and hopefully be able to use his experience to his advantage. I don't know if PA has had a multi time qualifier since Miller (and I think only Coval has run their twice in the last decade+) so he will have a bit of pressure and history to overcome, but he is another guy who I thought would be happy with his states race and move on to shut it down for track. But the guy stepped it up. As for Pondel, I always thought he was built for a meet like this. He trains really hard and puts in the mileage and the hard work needed to excel in a meet like this. He put himself in position and hung on tough to his spot. A great break out year for a guy who was off most people's radars despite being a medalist last year in XC.
Also there were some other performances here that should not go overlooked just because it didn't end with nationals. Luke Jones ran gutsy and out of his comfort zone perhaps, going out hard and just missing a Footlocker Qualifying spot. There is no doubt the guy gave it everything he had and he just came up a bit short. Galassi and Jones did the A part of the state proud with a great stretch run to the season.
How about Conner Quinn in this race as well? Sure he didn't have the season he may have hoped for winning states again but he really kept his head going into this meet and performed very well, better than his state meet performance I'd say, and ended up being PA's 7th guy (I think either the same spot or a spot better in PA compared to last year in a much deeper year).
On to NXN.
Tony Russell is clearly a beast. He went Brad Miles this weekend and actually the paths they have taken thus far are eerily similar. An All time PA best at Manhattan, then a win at Districts over the top returner from AAA states followed by a victory at the state course in record time and then a regional victory. Literally, the same path as far as I can tell. Unfortunately, Miles underwhelmed at Nats, but I feel that Russell has the advantage of competing for his team this coming weekend. And seeing the results, Henderson has a shot at being a top 10 team at nationals.
Especially if Reiny Barchet runs like that again. Sick race for that guy proving that states was the fluke race, not districts. You have to remember that O'Hara almost put 3 guys in front of Barchet at states, they did put 2 guys ahead. None of the O'Hara guys were close to him on Saturday and that is huge for Henderson. Heck none of the US #1 CBA guys beat Barchet on Saturday!
But O'Hara still beat them. Narrowly edging them out. Unreal. I don't see how people can say that this race was better news for Henderson than O'Hara. Henderson not only had the ultimate front runner, they had the ultimate #2 runner. The best possible 1-2 punch you can have but O'Hara still won. What was big for O'Hara was Belfatto continuing to be on a roll. He beat Pastore and took a surprising 33rd in the race, beating out Bobby Rimkis, who was a state medalist. Pitone faded a bit after states, but it was probably a good wake up call for him and puts the pressure of being a front runner back onto Savage's shoulders who has more experience in that department. James also had a nice bounce back from states. O'Hara looked great and redeemed themselves well at Regionals.
For Henderson it was a big day from Alex Knapp that saved the day. I certainly didn't see that one coming. Huge race for their normal #7 guy to step up like that and be their 3. May have saved them from falling out of National contention. Rimkis had a bit of a down day. He was incredibly clutch at states and ran amazing, but that may have put too big of expectations on him for the future. He was right on Reiny that day at Hershey, but the gap widened in the past month at the 32 and also now at Regionals. Hopefully, this race lets him relax and find himself and run the race he wants to run without as much pressure. Collins also had a rough day after being a big hero at states, picking off a ton of guys in the hills. He has been clutch for this team all season and will bounce back. Losing Haugh hurt these guys. He was the difference at states, outleaning Pastore, and now his presence is missed as they miss out on 2nd.
These teams are both absurdly close to one another. It is amazing to watch these teams run because they are two of the best teams I have ever seen in the state of PA and they somehow managed to come into their own just in time to run two amazing races when it counted. Hopefully they can hold it together for Nats.
It's tough to pick a winner (especially because whoever I pick seems to lose), but I'll go Henderson in 8th and O'Hara in 9th seperated by just 2 points at Nationals (sorry Henderson probably just jinxed you guys). I see guys that can run better on both sides so it basically comes down to who is lucky enough to have all their guys click when it matters.
Yes, Henderson is going to be sick next year, but injuries happen and a lot of things can change. I hope they don't put off their goals until next year and they make a statement at this national meet to give them confidence going forward. Tony Russell is a man on a mission right now and I would love to see him break into that top 10 at Nats.
Honestly, I can't wait. I was incredibly excited sitting by my computer updating my twitter all this past weekend.
Go represent boys. PA don't play.
-train
Quick Results
For all of you not following along on Twitter here is what I got results wise for Footlocker:
1. Ed Cheserek
2. Jonathan Green
3. Shawn Wilson
4. Brendan Shearn
5. Kyle Kroon
6. Trevor Crawley
7. Max Norris
8. Chris Alvarado
9. Brent Kennedy
10. Austin Pondel
1. Catarina Rocha
2. Megan Curham
3. Katie Lembo
4. Regan Rome
5. Anoush Shehadeh
6. MacKenzie Barry
7. Marissa Saenger
8. Marissa Russin
9. Megan Reilly
10. Kennedy Weisner
Awesome job by all these runners! I'm particular excited to see Regan Rome make it after she was absolutely robbed from all state honors. Really showed those haters whats up. PA don't play.
Stephanie Aldrich 12th, Kara Steinke 13th, Mady Clahane 15th
Both PA teams may have won the title as a team. I'll get back to you on that.
1. Ed Cheserek
2. Jonathan Green
3. Shawn Wilson
4. Brendan Shearn
5. Kyle Kroon
6. Trevor Crawley
7. Max Norris
8. Chris Alvarado
9. Brent Kennedy
10. Austin Pondel
1. Catarina Rocha
2. Megan Curham
3. Katie Lembo
4. Regan Rome
5. Anoush Shehadeh
6. MacKenzie Barry
7. Marissa Saenger
8. Marissa Russin
9. Megan Reilly
10. Kennedy Weisner
Awesome job by all these runners! I'm particular excited to see Regan Rome make it after she was absolutely robbed from all state honors. Really showed those haters whats up. PA don't play.
Stephanie Aldrich 12th, Kara Steinke 13th, Mady Clahane 15th
Both PA teams may have won the title as a team. I'll get back to you on that.
Footlocker and Nike
When it gets to be the Thanksgiving season, it is nice to have things to be thankful for. I could sit here on the laptop and blather on to you sentimentally about what I am thankful for and all that stuff but I think that most people just want me to get back to talking about PA XC. And I'm thankful that I've got fans like that out there (I got asked for my autograph the other day, it was pretty awesome, don't get that opportunity that much). But this isn't about me, this is about what everybody out there has to be thankful for. And honestly, looking down the roster of PA entries at Footlocker and NXN I think PA has quite a lot to be thankful for.
Let's start at Bowdoin Park in New York for the NXNE championships. The top 2 teams automatically qualify and the odds are that this means CBA and one other team will make it through. I've seen Henderson beat Don Bosco twice now and I think they have only gotten better since then. It's hard for me to imagine Henderson won't beat Don Bosco again. That being said, PA is at a serious disadvantage: their championship season was practically a month ago. I've seen Henderson underwhelm me slightly at this meet in the past, but I am optimistic that this is a different team.
O'Hara is interesting to me as well. Clearly, like Henderson, they are also in great shape. Belfatto running like he did at the 2 mile time trial is very encouraging because they will need 5 solid guys without the front runner(s) that Henderson has. Kevin James is a bit of an X factor here for O'Hara. They need a tight top 3 pack and a solid 5 guy spread. I am confident if they get 3rd and are reasonably close to 2nd than they will get an at large bid to nationals. They have been just as good as Henderson all season, tying them at states puts them as just as likely to place second at regionals as Henderson. They just don't have the front runner that Russell is and that is huge in a race like this. But if you look at NA in 2008 they got by very nicely with a tight pack and no front runner.
Germantown Friend's will be in attendance as well but I don't see any signs to indicate they will be able to pull of the stunner that they did a few years back and mix it up for nationals. Sami Aziz, however, has shown signs that he is in the mix for a nationals bid as an individual. Lyle Wistar has also shown that he is a top 20 type guy in this meet. Russell, I assume, will be the top PA guy across the line but Aziz and Wistar will be among the guys trying to chase down the next PA spot. If Henderson does miss out on the chance at Nats, Russell should still get through to Portland.
I expect both Henderson and O'Hara to go through taking #2 and #3 in that order. I hope they are still hungry to run hard and run fast. Both sides are still motivated and I am sure O'Hara still has quite a bitter taste in their mouth that only a trip to nationals will strip. Henderson won the big battle, but O'Hara hasn't waved the white flag. I wish NA was running in the meet, although most likely my prediction for them to finish as the top PA team would probably be proven to be a tad too bold.
At Footlocker, here are the names I picked off the entry list that I found worth noting:
Colin Abert
Brendan Shearn
Curt Jewett
Sam Williams
Cole Nissley
Brent Kennedy
Connor Harriman
Sam Webb
Austin Pondel
Jacob Fetterman
Ryan Smathers
Rico Galassi
Luke Jones
Alec Kunzweiler
Jeff Groh
Dan Jaskowak
Ross Wilson
Max Norris
James Zingarini
Ben Ritz
Sam Ritz
Aaron Valoroso
Conner Quinn
And many more
For me Jaskowak is my most likely guy to get through to Nationals. He ran great at this race last year and he is a front runner with a kick. He will benefit from a fast pace and a deep field. He won't be afraid to mix it up out front. Shearn is also a top notch guy in this field. I'm sure losing the state championship stung hardest for him out of all the 2nd place finishers there were. He ran better than I expected at this meet last year. Both guys would be the first AA guys to qualify in a while. I think Jeff Weiss was the last guy to get the spot.
Kennedy and Pondel are also in the mix. Pondel will benefit from the slew of new front runners in the race, Kennedy has been Mr. Consistent this year in the top group of every race. The Ritz bros have the benefit of peaking for this meet. This is their states, not at Hershey so they can peak differently. That makes a big difference and they will hope to use it to their advantage.
Luke Jones, Connor Harriman, Max Norris and the Northeast Bradford boys are also in the mix for a top spot. I'd say Jeff Groh and Conner Quinn are deep sleepers here as well. Ross Wilson is a name worth keeping an eye on, perhaps for next year more than anything.
Ultimately, it comes down to who is ready for track season, and who is still pissed from states. That's how you run well at a meet like this. Should be fun to watch.
Let's start at Bowdoin Park in New York for the NXNE championships. The top 2 teams automatically qualify and the odds are that this means CBA and one other team will make it through. I've seen Henderson beat Don Bosco twice now and I think they have only gotten better since then. It's hard for me to imagine Henderson won't beat Don Bosco again. That being said, PA is at a serious disadvantage: their championship season was practically a month ago. I've seen Henderson underwhelm me slightly at this meet in the past, but I am optimistic that this is a different team.
O'Hara is interesting to me as well. Clearly, like Henderson, they are also in great shape. Belfatto running like he did at the 2 mile time trial is very encouraging because they will need 5 solid guys without the front runner(s) that Henderson has. Kevin James is a bit of an X factor here for O'Hara. They need a tight top 3 pack and a solid 5 guy spread. I am confident if they get 3rd and are reasonably close to 2nd than they will get an at large bid to nationals. They have been just as good as Henderson all season, tying them at states puts them as just as likely to place second at regionals as Henderson. They just don't have the front runner that Russell is and that is huge in a race like this. But if you look at NA in 2008 they got by very nicely with a tight pack and no front runner.
Germantown Friend's will be in attendance as well but I don't see any signs to indicate they will be able to pull of the stunner that they did a few years back and mix it up for nationals. Sami Aziz, however, has shown signs that he is in the mix for a nationals bid as an individual. Lyle Wistar has also shown that he is a top 20 type guy in this meet. Russell, I assume, will be the top PA guy across the line but Aziz and Wistar will be among the guys trying to chase down the next PA spot. If Henderson does miss out on the chance at Nats, Russell should still get through to Portland.
I expect both Henderson and O'Hara to go through taking #2 and #3 in that order. I hope they are still hungry to run hard and run fast. Both sides are still motivated and I am sure O'Hara still has quite a bitter taste in their mouth that only a trip to nationals will strip. Henderson won the big battle, but O'Hara hasn't waved the white flag. I wish NA was running in the meet, although most likely my prediction for them to finish as the top PA team would probably be proven to be a tad too bold.
At Footlocker, here are the names I picked off the entry list that I found worth noting:
Colin Abert
Brendan Shearn
Curt Jewett
Sam Williams
Cole Nissley
Brent Kennedy
Connor Harriman
Sam Webb
Austin Pondel
Jacob Fetterman
Ryan Smathers
Rico Galassi
Luke Jones
Alec Kunzweiler
Jeff Groh
Dan Jaskowak
Ross Wilson
Max Norris
James Zingarini
Ben Ritz
Sam Ritz
Aaron Valoroso
Conner Quinn
And many more
For me Jaskowak is my most likely guy to get through to Nationals. He ran great at this race last year and he is a front runner with a kick. He will benefit from a fast pace and a deep field. He won't be afraid to mix it up out front. Shearn is also a top notch guy in this field. I'm sure losing the state championship stung hardest for him out of all the 2nd place finishers there were. He ran better than I expected at this meet last year. Both guys would be the first AA guys to qualify in a while. I think Jeff Weiss was the last guy to get the spot.
Kennedy and Pondel are also in the mix. Pondel will benefit from the slew of new front runners in the race, Kennedy has been Mr. Consistent this year in the top group of every race. The Ritz bros have the benefit of peaking for this meet. This is their states, not at Hershey so they can peak differently. That makes a big difference and they will hope to use it to their advantage.
Luke Jones, Connor Harriman, Max Norris and the Northeast Bradford boys are also in the mix for a top spot. I'd say Jeff Groh and Conner Quinn are deep sleepers here as well. Ross Wilson is a name worth keeping an eye on, perhaps for next year more than anything.
Ultimately, it comes down to who is ready for track season, and who is still pissed from states. That's how you run well at a meet like this. Should be fun to watch.
Race Stories: Brent Kennedy
In a year where a lot of runners were up and down on the rankings, one consistent force seemed to be Kiski Area's Brent Kennedy. Kennedy, coming off a terrific sophomore XC campaign, proved he not a one trick pony on the track. He led his Kiski relay team to the medal stand indoors and outdoors in the DMR and 4x800m and performed some of the most impressive doubles and triples of anyone in the spring. All of this as a sophomore in high school. Coming into the XC season as the 7th place finisher at last year's state meet, expectations would naturally be high for Brent, but he didn't fold under that pressure: he rose to the occassion.
Early in the season Brent cemented himself as one of the top guys in the state with a big win at the Red, White and Blue invitational in one of the fastest 5k times of the year. He followed it up with an extremely impressive time at the Carlisle course where he was a close second to Vinny Todaro and then two impressive marks in the District 7 area at Tristates and WPIALs, just barely coming in second again to Dan Jaskowak before taking the gold at Districts.
Knowing that Todaro and Jaskowak would both be racing half an hour before him, Kennedy went into the state meet race confident and ready to compete for the title. He ran smart and put himself in perfect position throughout, getting his chance at the title with about a mile to go. After the pack was depleted by the grueling Aloha hills it was just Pondel, Kennedy and Russell left to jockey for state gold. Ultimately, Tony broke away in an impressive move that Kennedy highly respected. "The fact that he hung on to that commanding lead for the entire last mile shows how strong of a runner he is."
Kennedy used his kick to sprint into high gear up the final hill and snagged himself a silver medal as a Junior at the state championships, an achievement few can match. He leaves states without regret and ready for his next challenge at the Footlocker regional championships. He has hopes for the meet and appreciates the support he has gotten on his journey so far.
But really his story is just beginning.
Early in the season Brent cemented himself as one of the top guys in the state with a big win at the Red, White and Blue invitational in one of the fastest 5k times of the year. He followed it up with an extremely impressive time at the Carlisle course where he was a close second to Vinny Todaro and then two impressive marks in the District 7 area at Tristates and WPIALs, just barely coming in second again to Dan Jaskowak before taking the gold at Districts.
Knowing that Todaro and Jaskowak would both be racing half an hour before him, Kennedy went into the state meet race confident and ready to compete for the title. He ran smart and put himself in perfect position throughout, getting his chance at the title with about a mile to go. After the pack was depleted by the grueling Aloha hills it was just Pondel, Kennedy and Russell left to jockey for state gold. Ultimately, Tony broke away in an impressive move that Kennedy highly respected. "The fact that he hung on to that commanding lead for the entire last mile shows how strong of a runner he is."
Kennedy used his kick to sprint into high gear up the final hill and snagged himself a silver medal as a Junior at the state championships, an achievement few can match. He leaves states without regret and ready for his next challenge at the Footlocker regional championships. He has hopes for the meet and appreciates the support he has gotten on his journey so far.
But really his story is just beginning.
A break from race stories
I'm still trying to churn out the rest of the race stories that I have planned out but things haven't been completely smooth. I've gotten a bunch done but still have more to go and they will be up in due time.
But before then I just wanted to talk about the 2 mile time trial that was dropped on the PA XC community today. If you haven't seen the results they are definitely worth a peak. http://pa.milesplit.com/meets/128352/results/227955
Sami Aziz and Tony Russell battle it out for a couple sub 9:20 marks. Extremely fast times and very encouraging heading into the big meets at the end of the season. Both marks were faster than Brad Miles time trialed the year that he won Foot Locker Regionals. Barchet at 9:21 also is a new PR for him and is an encouraging sign for Henderson's #2. Their 3-5 were a pair of 9:35s and a 9:43. No Sam Haugh and Rimkis was their 5th guy (state medalist). Now obviously track teams don't factor directly to XC marks, but these are still encouraging times moving forward. Henderson is clearly in good shape and Russell is in the mix for a spot at Nationals whether the team makes it or not (and Aziz if he goes to Footlocker or NXN is dangerous for a nationals bid).
But more impressive (to me anyway) were the O'Hara boys. A little chip on their shoulder led to 5 PRs from their top 5 including a huge bomb shell from Jim Belfatto, originally an 800m guy who stepped on the XC trails and started making a name for himself in the fall with a top 50 finish at states. Belfatto ran 9:22.1 for 4th, finishing just behind Barchet! Now obviously an 800m guy like Belfatto is going to gain the edge when the race moves to the track but to see this kind of time out of him is simply stunning. Savage, James and Pitone were all right behind in 9:24, 9:26 and 9:32 respectively (I believe all are PRs, Pitone's may be close). We knew that those 3 were all very solid, two of them were top 10 guys at states, all were state medalists, and two of them arguably could have ran much better. Pastore quietly drops in a 9:39 3200m PR as well. That puts the entire top 5 under 9:40 for 3200m. Particularly impressive considering last spring they struggled to find a guy who could break the 9:30 mark. A very good sign for a bounce back race from this team at Nats. Hopefully they will mix it up with Henderson and we can get two teams to NXN for the first time in state history (I'm pretty sure anyway).
Ironically the two squads tied at 36 points a piece in the race when scored. However, this time Matt Hayes was ahead of Henderson's 6th man.
Does that mean anything? No not really, I just thought it was an ironic turn of events.
PS I enabled comments from anyone again on the blog, things were getting too boring, but I won't hesitate to pull the plug again if things get messy.
But before then I just wanted to talk about the 2 mile time trial that was dropped on the PA XC community today. If you haven't seen the results they are definitely worth a peak. http://pa.milesplit.com/meets/128352/results/227955
Sami Aziz and Tony Russell battle it out for a couple sub 9:20 marks. Extremely fast times and very encouraging heading into the big meets at the end of the season. Both marks were faster than Brad Miles time trialed the year that he won Foot Locker Regionals. Barchet at 9:21 also is a new PR for him and is an encouraging sign for Henderson's #2. Their 3-5 were a pair of 9:35s and a 9:43. No Sam Haugh and Rimkis was their 5th guy (state medalist). Now obviously track teams don't factor directly to XC marks, but these are still encouraging times moving forward. Henderson is clearly in good shape and Russell is in the mix for a spot at Nationals whether the team makes it or not (and Aziz if he goes to Footlocker or NXN is dangerous for a nationals bid).
But more impressive (to me anyway) were the O'Hara boys. A little chip on their shoulder led to 5 PRs from their top 5 including a huge bomb shell from Jim Belfatto, originally an 800m guy who stepped on the XC trails and started making a name for himself in the fall with a top 50 finish at states. Belfatto ran 9:22.1 for 4th, finishing just behind Barchet! Now obviously an 800m guy like Belfatto is going to gain the edge when the race moves to the track but to see this kind of time out of him is simply stunning. Savage, James and Pitone were all right behind in 9:24, 9:26 and 9:32 respectively (I believe all are PRs, Pitone's may be close). We knew that those 3 were all very solid, two of them were top 10 guys at states, all were state medalists, and two of them arguably could have ran much better. Pastore quietly drops in a 9:39 3200m PR as well. That puts the entire top 5 under 9:40 for 3200m. Particularly impressive considering last spring they struggled to find a guy who could break the 9:30 mark. A very good sign for a bounce back race from this team at Nats. Hopefully they will mix it up with Henderson and we can get two teams to NXN for the first time in state history (I'm pretty sure anyway).
Ironically the two squads tied at 36 points a piece in the race when scored. However, this time Matt Hayes was ahead of Henderson's 6th man.
Does that mean anything? No not really, I just thought it was an ironic turn of events.
PS I enabled comments from anyone again on the blog, things were getting too boring, but I won't hesitate to pull the plug again if things get messy.
Race Stories: Tony Russell
Expectations can be the death of some runners at the state championship. There is a lot of pressure on guys who are the favorites coming into the state meet and sometimes that pressure is too much to overcome. Just ask guys like Drew Magaha, Zach Hebda, Ben Furcht, Chris Campbell and many more. So when Tony Russell came into the 2012 XC state meet fresh off a 15:11 dominating performance at Lehigh, many saw him as a prime target for pressure. But Russell fought off all the expectations and all the nerves and ran a perfect race en route to a new course record state championship performance and led Henderson to a surprise team title victory in the process.
After Van Cortlandt Park, a meet in which Russell ran the fastest time of any PA runner in the course's famed history, he was confident and ready to roll during the championship season. He used that confidence to run with poise in the state championship meet. He hung back while the others blasted the early pace and then held his spot in the hills before erasing the rest of the field in his final push for home. By the time Russell climbed the final small hill before poop-out, he was in the lead and feeling too good to worry about being caught. At the point it was merely a race between himself, the clock, and the rest of the Henderson and O'Hara boys.
For Russell the individual title was quite the experience, but taking home the team title dwarfed his individual achievements. At the annunciation of the champions Russell said the joy that his team was feeling was "priceless". After seeing the performance by both teams at the state championship, Russell is confident that Henderson and O'Hara have top 10 potential for the national meet. He hopes to lead the team to Portland to experience the course before next season, where almost the entire squad will be back with some high hopes for a bright future.
It will be a lot of pressure, but Russell has proved that its nothing the Henderson boys can't handle.
Race Stories: James Zingarini
For Council Rock North to surprise North Allegheny and take down a top 3 finish at states, the team needed a clutch performance from their third man at Districts, James Zingarini. At states, he did not disappoint.
Zingarini started off his race with a conservative opening mile, rolling through the mark at 4:55, exactly the pace he was aiming for. After that point came the difficult Hershey hills, the true make it or break point of the course. Here, his training on the Tyler State Park kicked in. It was here that all the hard work he and his teammates had put in over the summer helped him push from 38th at mile 1 up to 28th at mile 2, just on the outside of the medal stand.
The last mile was all about one thing, as James said, "Coach always says to run the last mile with our hearts, and I think I did that". He had picked out a couple of guys from the week before at Districts who he wanted to beat and coming up the final straightaway he used his 4:18 speed to begin to pick off those guys. It was his last XC race in a CRN uniform and he didn't want to let the opportunity go to waste. The result was an 18th place finish, his highest ever at the state meet.
His finishing kick paid off big time as the CRN boys upset NA in what James called the "exclamation point" on a great state meet performance. "I am really luck to have amazing teammates to train with. Not only are they sick athletes, but they're also my best friends ... I couldn't be more proud of my teammates."
Zingarini started off his race with a conservative opening mile, rolling through the mark at 4:55, exactly the pace he was aiming for. After that point came the difficult Hershey hills, the true make it or break point of the course. Here, his training on the Tyler State Park kicked in. It was here that all the hard work he and his teammates had put in over the summer helped him push from 38th at mile 1 up to 28th at mile 2, just on the outside of the medal stand.
The last mile was all about one thing, as James said, "Coach always says to run the last mile with our hearts, and I think I did that". He had picked out a couple of guys from the week before at Districts who he wanted to beat and coming up the final straightaway he used his 4:18 speed to begin to pick off those guys. It was his last XC race in a CRN uniform and he didn't want to let the opportunity go to waste. The result was an 18th place finish, his highest ever at the state meet.
His finishing kick paid off big time as the CRN boys upset NA in what James called the "exclamation point" on a great state meet performance. "I am really luck to have amazing teammates to train with. Not only are they sick athletes, but they're also my best friends ... I couldn't be more proud of my teammates."
Race Stories: Barrett Kemp
What was your strategy going into the state meet? How did the race play out relative to your expectations?
Last year the state course took its toll on you, but this year you had a great race. How do you think you prepared differently for this season compared to last?
This season had its ups and downs, but you pulled everything together at the right time. Was there a workout or key moment that gave you the confidence to compete with the best in the state?
Your team made a great run to the state meet and had an excellent finish. How did you feel about your team’s accomplishments?
My team is a constant source of inspiration and support, and I would give up anything to not be leaving them this year. I’ll keep it short: this year we worked harder than we ever have before, and, too, got closer than we ever have before – I’ll leave that to your imagination, but not all of it has been as nice as it sounds. They’re a fantastic bunch of guys, and I’ll miss all of them, come next year.
Quick shout-out to our coaches, too: Josh and Jenn Hoffman. They had their second child just weeks into our season, and still – even with a toddler and a baby on their hands – stayed true to us, and coached us to a great season. They’re a veritable force of nature together, and I love them both. Thanks.
Any postseason plans? Track goals? College plans?
As fun as it would be, I’m not going to be attending the Foot Locker competitions. Instead, I’m going to focus on my winter training and the college search – it’s pretty important stuff. I’d share hopes and dreams, but I like to keep that kind of thing to myself.
A big shout-out to every runner at States this past weekend, congratulations to all of you. Brendan, Sam, Curt, Ryan, and everybody else – it’s been an honor running with you gentlemen for the past four years, and I can only hope to face some of you again in college. I have never felt such a feeling of respect and camaraderie among people anywhere else in my life, as I have as a cross country runner. You guys are what make this sport amazing – let’s keep that running spirit alive! It’s been great, all of it -- love you all.
States has always been the most difficult race of the season for me – it’s everything you’ve been working for, month after month, culminating in one final 16-minute burst of effort. It’s easy to mentally work yourself up over it, and if you don’t watch yourself, that’s something that can seriously affect your race. That being said, my strategy this year was not to stress out – it was to keep calm and relaxed leading up to the race and then, come race day, channel all of my focus into that last, ultimate test of ability – the race itself.
More specifically, as far as the race, my plan was to play it safe. And that’s not as easy as it sounds, trust me. The ‘play it safe’ strategy comes into action the first mile, where my only goal was to settle in with the front pack – not push the pace or anything crazy like that. After that, it’s anybody’s race. As everybody who has ever run the State meet at Hershey knows, the Aloha Hills are one hell of a challenge mid- and late-race, and so in the end it basically comes down to a combination of who has the best training and who has the most fight in their hearts – anybody that tells you anything differently is lying or flat-out wrong.
That being said, I gave the last two miles what push I had – and thankfully, I had enough fire in my heart to keep the pace honest. Unfortunately, for other reasons beyond my immediate control, my body didn’t have the strength to put in that last-mile surge – but still, I finished 6th, a happy place after a long and indecisive season.
Last year the state course took its toll on you, but this year you had a great race. How do you think you prepared differently for this season compared to last?
To be honest, I couldn’t really say that there was too much of a difference in my pre-season preparation this year versus last year. Sure, I upped my summer mileage a little bit, and tried to throw in some more cross training and that kind of thing, but in the end I felt pretty much the same, readiness-wise.
What it boiled down to in the end, I think, was willpower. Sure, this year I was naturally a little stronger, a little faster and a little wiser, but ultimately, it came down to that one thing: that this State meet was the last race of my last year of high school cross country. When you know that going into a race, you try to hope that everything works out perfectly – that you won’t have any cramps, or muscle exhaustion, et cetera – but all of these things inevitably pop up. So, what do you do – you push harder than you’ve ever pushed before, and blot out all that excruciating pain like it’s not even there. You give it your all.
A lot of guys, myself included, would like to say we ‘give it our all’ every race, and that’s what makes us great runners. Well, that’s true, but I’ll tell you something – when it’s your last race, you really are giving it everything you’ve got. And that’s just barely enough.
This season had its ups and downs, but you pulled everything together at the right time. Was there a workout or key moment that gave you the confidence to compete with the best in the state?
I could list a number of important stepping-stones in my journey to states – important work-outs, speeches, et cetera – but I’d be lying if I said that any of those things made the difference going into the State meet. When it really happened, when it really all came together and clicked in my head, was on the starting line with my team. We have a kind of pre-race ceremony, a tradition, where we stride out into the middle of the field, form a huddle, say a few words, swaying back and forth, then – spit all together, in the middle of the huddle. It was only then, standing there with my team -- my true brothers – that it all sunk in, and I was ready to race.
Your team made a great run to the state meet and had an excellent finish. How did you feel about your team’s accomplishments?
My team is a constant source of inspiration and support, and I would give up anything to not be leaving them this year. I’ll keep it short: this year we worked harder than we ever have before, and, too, got closer than we ever have before – I’ll leave that to your imagination, but not all of it has been as nice as it sounds. They’re a fantastic bunch of guys, and I’ll miss all of them, come next year.
Quick shout-out to our coaches, too: Josh and Jenn Hoffman. They had their second child just weeks into our season, and still – even with a toddler and a baby on their hands – stayed true to us, and coached us to a great season. They’re a veritable force of nature together, and I love them both. Thanks.
Any postseason plans? Track goals? College plans?
As fun as it would be, I’m not going to be attending the Foot Locker competitions. Instead, I’m going to focus on my winter training and the college search – it’s pretty important stuff. I’d share hopes and dreams, but I like to keep that kind of thing to myself.
A big shout-out to every runner at States this past weekend, congratulations to all of you. Brendan, Sam, Curt, Ryan, and everybody else – it’s been an honor running with you gentlemen for the past four years, and I can only hope to face some of you again in college. I have never felt such a feeling of respect and camaraderie among people anywhere else in my life, as I have as a cross country runner. You guys are what make this sport amazing – let’s keep that running spirit alive! It’s been great, all of it -- love you all.
Race Stories: Luke Jones
Luke Jones always manages to fly under the radar in the early parts of the season, but come states time the kid is ready to roll. For Jones, it is all about constant motivation and dedication. He is driven by the fact that when he misses a day of training, others are getting a leg up on him. And he is confident because he knows he has not let anyone get that edge.
Jones stepped out onto the state course an experienced veteran. He knew the tricks of the course better than most and had an edge over much of his competition. After Rico Galassi flew through the first part of the course in an absurd 9:55 2 mile split. But Jones was unphased and began to real his D2 rival back in, using his veteran advantage and great hill running. Before long it was just a 2 man race for the title and a matter of if Jones would catch Galassi. The hill training and sprint training that Jones had focused on all summer came into play as he worked up the last hill and made a charge for Galassi. Unfortunately, Jones just missed catching him at the end, but he finished in one of the fastest times of the day at 16 flat, just a second off Galassi but just as fast as the AA champ Todaro and faster than his rival from a year ago Brendan Shearn.
For Jones, peaking at the state meet is not just a fluke anymore, its a trend and his Elk Lake teammates must have picked up a few tricks: they were second in the team battle. Jones was pumped to get out there and race again with his friends, enjoying the moment during his senior year. Maybe that is the secret to performing in the clutch.
Jones stepped out onto the state course an experienced veteran. He knew the tricks of the course better than most and had an edge over much of his competition. After Rico Galassi flew through the first part of the course in an absurd 9:55 2 mile split. But Jones was unphased and began to real his D2 rival back in, using his veteran advantage and great hill running. Before long it was just a 2 man race for the title and a matter of if Jones would catch Galassi. The hill training and sprint training that Jones had focused on all summer came into play as he worked up the last hill and made a charge for Galassi. Unfortunately, Jones just missed catching him at the end, but he finished in one of the fastest times of the day at 16 flat, just a second off Galassi but just as fast as the AA champ Todaro and faster than his rival from a year ago Brendan Shearn.
For Jones, peaking at the state meet is not just a fluke anymore, its a trend and his Elk Lake teammates must have picked up a few tricks: they were second in the team battle. Jones was pumped to get out there and race again with his friends, enjoying the moment during his senior year. Maybe that is the secret to performing in the clutch.
Race Stories: Jack Macauley
Although the North Penn squad didn't make a return to states to defend their title, Jack Macauley made sure the state of PA did not forget that the school still knew how to train to peak well and dominate the Hershey course. Macauley dominated the middle part of the hilly course, working up to 2nd place at his peak and finishing in an impressive 6th place. The 9:15 two miler, track stand out, proved he is also a force on the hills.
The North Penn squad puts a big emphasis on the hills, running hills throughout the summer and regular season on a weekly basis. Those workouts built up the strength Macauley need for states. Couple that with some 1k workouts out that build up his confidence, and the man is ready for a great postseason race.
Macauley proved he was a gutsy runner on race day. After Abert took the race out, Macauley charged to the front of the pack and started to help push the pace to go after him. "Since it was my last race I didn't want to have any regrets and obviously wanted to do anything I could to win." On the hills Macauley really began to push, knowing that it would take a fast pace and big moves on the hills to ensure his victory. His quest for glory may have cost him a bit after that point, but he still put on a great kick at the finish to break away from a lot of the pack he was with and take down a 6th place finish. It was his highest finish at the state meet, and North Penn's highest finish since Brad Miles won the championship. Jack summed it up by saying this: Starting off I had the goal of winning states, as did many others. Even though this did not happen (shoutout to Tony for killing it this year) I am still happy with my finish at the state meet knowing that I put myself in the right position by the two mile and didn't let anyone else control my race.
What makes Macauley's feat more impressive is the fact that he has to dual with state caliber guys week after week in dual meets. Throughout the year Macauley battle guys like Chris Berry, Alec Brand, Jake Brophy and Conner Quinn, all top 30 caliber guys in the state at different points in the season. However, Macauley still enjoys racing the D1 guys and getting great competition and gaining great friendships.
The North Penn squad puts a big emphasis on the hills, running hills throughout the summer and regular season on a weekly basis. Those workouts built up the strength Macauley need for states. Couple that with some 1k workouts out that build up his confidence, and the man is ready for a great postseason race.
Macauley proved he was a gutsy runner on race day. After Abert took the race out, Macauley charged to the front of the pack and started to help push the pace to go after him. "Since it was my last race I didn't want to have any regrets and obviously wanted to do anything I could to win." On the hills Macauley really began to push, knowing that it would take a fast pace and big moves on the hills to ensure his victory. His quest for glory may have cost him a bit after that point, but he still put on a great kick at the finish to break away from a lot of the pack he was with and take down a 6th place finish. It was his highest finish at the state meet, and North Penn's highest finish since Brad Miles won the championship. Jack summed it up by saying this: Starting off I had the goal of winning states, as did many others. Even though this did not happen (shoutout to Tony for killing it this year) I am still happy with my finish at the state meet knowing that I put myself in the right position by the two mile and didn't let anyone else control my race.
What makes Macauley's feat more impressive is the fact that he has to dual with state caliber guys week after week in dual meets. Throughout the year Macauley battle guys like Chris Berry, Alec Brand, Jake Brophy and Conner Quinn, all top 30 caliber guys in the state at different points in the season. However, Macauley still enjoys racing the D1 guys and getting great competition and gaining great friendships.
Race Stories: Austin Pondel
When people looked down the list of returning medalists before the 2012 XC season, not many were picking Austin Pondel as the potential state champion in PA. But that didn't mean Austin wasn't ready to have a break out year on the trails this fall. Pondel stepped up his mileage over the summer and worked on his strength to help carry him through the difficult state course. He also injected some speed into his workouts: it was something he felt he could improve on and would need to improve on in order to achieve his goals.
Pondel realized his hard work had paid off early in the season when he exploded onto the scene at the McDowell invitational, winning big (21 seconds) and scaring the course record. Then Pondel waited for his next chance to prove himself, crushing his competition at a series of meets before finally getting his battle with D10 rival Dan Jaskowak. Pondel and Jaskowak pushed together all the way to the line in an impressive display of mud running and guts. It also proved to Pondel that he had more speed than he thought, holding off a guy like Jaskowak for as long as he did. Everything was coming together for a fantastic state meet.
However, the state meet almost never goes perfect. At the narrow start things were hectic for Pondel as he came extremely close to being knocked down in the crowd. Eventually, Pondel was able to navigate the stormy waters and climb to the lead. He pushed the pace from just before the two mile mark and kept things fast, a gutsy move on the state course that may have helped pull Tony Russell to the CR. Pondel held on strong over the final mile of the race and was just barely edged by Kennedy for 2nd at the finish. It was a truly impressive performance, especially coming off the mud run the weekend before.
Pondel was the top Senior in the race for the state of PA. It is an even more impressive feat when you consider all the individuals who bested him a year earlier at the state meet that returned, including the state champion Conner Quinn. Austin proved that hard work and strong will power can help you achieve your goals. He also kept the respect up for D10 giving the district another top 5 finish to boast.
Pondel realized his hard work had paid off early in the season when he exploded onto the scene at the McDowell invitational, winning big (21 seconds) and scaring the course record. Then Pondel waited for his next chance to prove himself, crushing his competition at a series of meets before finally getting his battle with D10 rival Dan Jaskowak. Pondel and Jaskowak pushed together all the way to the line in an impressive display of mud running and guts. It also proved to Pondel that he had more speed than he thought, holding off a guy like Jaskowak for as long as he did. Everything was coming together for a fantastic state meet.
However, the state meet almost never goes perfect. At the narrow start things were hectic for Pondel as he came extremely close to being knocked down in the crowd. Eventually, Pondel was able to navigate the stormy waters and climb to the lead. He pushed the pace from just before the two mile mark and kept things fast, a gutsy move on the state course that may have helped pull Tony Russell to the CR. Pondel held on strong over the final mile of the race and was just barely edged by Kennedy for 2nd at the finish. It was a truly impressive performance, especially coming off the mud run the weekend before.
Pondel was the top Senior in the race for the state of PA. It is an even more impressive feat when you consider all the individuals who bested him a year earlier at the state meet that returned, including the state champion Conner Quinn. Austin proved that hard work and strong will power can help you achieve your goals. He also kept the respect up for D10 giving the district another top 5 finish to boast.
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