Runner's High Podcast

I thought this would be something interesting that readers on here would also enjoy. Here is a brief blurb of information on this Podcast:

The Runner's High Podcast is a weekly online radio show that covers the top stories in the running world. It focuses on NCAA Division 1 track and field and cross country, professional running and road racing, as well as some high school action. The show is hosted by Ryan Hogan and Nick Scarpello. You can hear it every TUESDAY. 

Ryan graduated from Cumberland Valley High School and currently runs Club XC for Penn State. Nick is from Central Bucks West and now runs on the varsity XC and track teams at Penn State. 

Each week the guys talk about running news and results from the past week as well as debate hot issues in the running world. Each week's podcast also features a "training topic of the week" segment, where they talk about something related to running and training. Just last week they had a sports nutritionist on the show to talk about nutrition during summer training. 

The show has featured athletes such as Brooks Hansons runner Neely Spence, Tasmanian mile record holder Ryan Foster and 2008 Olympic marathoner Brian Sell, just to name a few. 

You can follow The Runner's High Podcast on Twitter @RunnersHigh_PC, like them on Facebook.com/runnershighpodcast and email them atrunnershighpodcast@gmail.com. They are also on iTunes. 

School Record Contest

So I was given a cool idea recently by Coach Don Betterly at Wissahickon. It would be like a school record state championship. Basically you submit your school records across the board, any event contested at the outdoor state championships (relays, field events, track events, etc.) and the top 8 school records submitted will score. Coach Betterly has offered to keep the information on file and keep things up to date as times change and improve over time. I think it is a really cool idea so please submit your school records in to Coach Betterly at DBetterly@Hotmail.com and will keep the scores updated for us. You don't need to send every record if you don't see some being significant enough to score. Right now Wissahickon is probably destroying everyone else because their records are the only one's being counted so get in the records!

Girls?

Alright I'm trying it folks but I'm going to need help. First of all I only got to 40 on this list. Second of all, after like 10 I'm not confident at all about the rankings. I'm hoping as the season goes on I will get a better feel for the girls rankings if I am looking at results but please critique this but don't be too harsh, I am a newbie at this.

1.      Kennedy Weisner, Jr Elk County Catholic

2.      Adair Gennocro, Sr St Mary’s

3.      Sara Sargent, Sr Pennsbury

4.      Marrissa Sheva, So Pennridge

5.      Regan Rome, Jr Dallas

6.      Paige Stoner, Jr Pottsville Area

7.      Great Lindsey, Jr Penn Manor

8.      Kara Steinke, Jr Methacton

9.      Courtney Smith, Jr Unionville

10.   Tessa Mundel, Sr Governor Mifflin

11.   Shannon Malone, Sr North Hills

12.   Veronica Eder, Sr CB East

13.   Lillie Brown, Sr Boiling Springs

14.   Brianna Schwartz, So Shaler Area

15.   Stephanie Aldrich, Sr Henderson

16.   Mary Malone, Jr North Hills

17.   Meghan Mcgarrity, Jr St Basil

18.   Carol Strock, Sr Cumberland Valley

19.   Kate Scott, Sr CR North

20.   Marissa Durako, Sr Holy Redeemer

21.   Emma Cousins, Jr State College

22.   Elise Claffey, So Great Valley

23.   Elizabeth Chikotas, Jr Saucon Valley

24.   Katelyn Callaghan, Sr Downingtown East

25.   Amber Hontz, So West Chester Rustin

26.   Julie Friend, Sr Uniontown Area

27.   Tess Meehan, Sr Haverford

28.   Erica Gray, Jr Pennsbury

29.   Summer Hill, Sr Honesdale

30.   Caitlyn Sheva, Sr Pennridge

31.   Erin O’Connell, So Pennsbury

32.   Rachel Sowinski, Sr Holy Redeemer

33.   Morgan Ansell, So Hempfield Area

34.   Casey Norton, Sr Troy

35.   Alysssa Brandis, Sr Central Cambria

36.   Maria Synder, Sr Northern Bedford

37.   Molly Davies, Sr Lower Moreland

38.   Jullia Hunsberger, Jr Mt Lebanon

39.   Tessa Barrett,  Jr Scranton Prep

40.   Madison Elliot, Sr Allentown Central Catholic

Alright Folks Just One More Time

So I just want to put this on the record. Please everyone, let's move on from what has recently happened on the blog. There was a bit of a disagreement and I didn't react in the proper way going to the blog and just stirring up more controversy. I'm sure I could have explained to Mr. Shearn what upset me about his post in a better way. But I assure you that post was not because of one person. There had been a stream of built up ideas on this blog from critiques and I wanted to try and set the record straight.

I apologize to Mr. Shearn for causing such a big commotion over this and I hope my explanation was at least adequate enough for him to see my side even if he does not share my opinion (and I don't expect him to share it honestly because it is just that, an opinion).

So please everyone, let's stop commenting on this stuff before thing's get out of hand. We have XC season to get excited about and hopefully some other things in store.

Anything offensive or overly argumentative from here on in I am deleting. I have let this get too far, and I am not going to let things go any farther.

Now if anyone has any XC stuff they would like to talk about to break the awkward silence right now hit me up :)

Yours now and forever,
Train

Teams for the 4x8 Dream Race

These are the teams I found that hit the qualifying time (7:45.0) that I outlined before. Please send me splits of anyone that you feel may be undervalued or unknown or unlisted so I can update my records. After the fact, I won't change my splits at all.
Teams:
1. Pennridge
2. Abington
3. Bensalem
4. CR South
5. CR North
6. Carlisle
7. Perk Valley
8. Souderton
9. North Penn
10. CB West
11. CB South
12. Cumberland Valley
13. Chambersburg
14. LaSalle
15. O'Hara
16. Altoona
17. Strath Haven
18. DT West
19. Spring Ford
20. Kiski Area
21. North Allegheny
22. Hatboro Horsham
23. Holy Ghost Prep
24. Germantown Friend's
25. Boyertown
26. Unionville
27. Baldwin
28. Great Valley
29. Coatesville
30. Cedar Crest
31. Methacton
32. Hempfield
33. Hershey
34. Penn Hills
35. Quaker Valley
36. Wissahickon
37. Upper Dublin
38. West Chester East
39. State College
40. Penncrest
41. Henderson
42. Norristown
43. E and S
44. Father Judge
45. Trinity
46. North East
47. Central Dauphin
48. JP McCaskey

Alright Folks

So I've had a couple of comments recently about my own running and how it relates to my blog. Look folks, I'm not on the same level of these guys I talk about and I've never tried to pretend I was. I put up my opinions about track and field. I have gotten 20,000 views so far in May so I figured people care about what I have to say. If you don't, you don't have to read, I assure you. I spend a year period where I never had more than 2,000 views in a month so I'm not doing this for views. I almost had 2,000 yesterday alone. I haven't made a single penny of this blog. My google adsense account was shut down before I got my first check because I clicked on my own ads and violated the adsense contract. So I'm not doing this for money. I do this because I love the sport and I hope you do to.

I'm not offended by most criticisms honestly. I'm 20 years old, and I know that I am not perfect and know there are things on the blog I can improve. I have been following track and field in PA closely since my sophomore year in high school. I certainly have some experience and I know a lot of stats but I am not, nor have I ever tried to imply, that I am a wise, sage-like, old student of the game.

On the blog, I'm not going to just give everyone high fives and congratulations all the time. Anyone can do that. I analyze races and runners to the best of my ability and do my best not to come off as offensive or judgmental. Not everyone has a good race everyday and I try not to be too harsh on those guys because I have been there too. But doing what I do means I'm going to say some people are better than others and that means people may take offense from what I am writing. I assure you, I don't mean to offend anyone with what I am writing. You can read what I say and be offended, or, as I hope most of you by the age of high school have learned, you can use it as motivation to go out and prove me wrong. If I say you are going to lose or not going to make states, it doesn't affect your ability to go out and do it at all.

Lastly I'll just figure I'll throw this out there for the record because a few people have mentioned it recently. These are my running PRs:
51.66
1:58.94
4:10.04 for 1500
9:17 for 3k
28:05 for 8k

in high school I ran
51.9 split
1:59.8 split
4:41 for 1600
10:23 for 3200
17:05 for 5k

I am a mid-distance, track guy.

I am not as good, nor have I been as good, as essentially all the runners I talk about on the blog. If that means you can't respect my opinions, that is perfectly fine, I encourage you to go somewhere else. I am perfectly comfortable with who I am as a runner. Like everybody else, I train hard and work my best to try and get to new PRs by the end of the season. I don't care if you think I'm slow because I don't run so that people will tell me how awesome I am on a blog. And I certainly don't put people down on my blog so that I'll feel better about my own running achievements.  Not much makes me upset, but I take offense to comments like that.

So now you know me. I have done my best to operate this blog respectively, carefully, and effectively. I have never intentionally taken shots at anyone on my blog, or insulted people intentionally or used any type of insulting language or attacking tone that I know of. Personally, to me it doesn't matter if you run 2:10 or 1:40, as long as you know what you're talking about I respect your opinion. If it matters to you, now you know and you can peace off the blog.

Haters gotta hate.

-train

Abridged Version

This version just has the rankings no explanations. For explanations, see the post below this one.

1. Dan Jaskowak, Sr Grove City
2. Brendan Shearn, Sr North Schuylkill
3. Conner Quinn, Sr Hatboro Horsham
4. Tom Coyle, Sr LaSalle
5. Ryan Smathers, Sr North East
6. Brent Kennedy, Jr Kiski Area
7. Dan Savage, Sr O’Hara
8. Rico Galassi, Sr Holy Cross
9. Sami Aziz, Sr GFS
10. Luke Jones, Sr Elk Lake
11. Connor Harriman, Sr Pennsbury
12. Mac Emery, Sr CR North
13. Jack Macauley, Sr North Penn
14. Sam Williams, Sr Northeast Bradford
15. Alec Kunzweiler, Sr Cumberland Valley
16. Curt Jewett, Sr Northeast Bradford
17. Vinny Todaro, Sr Big Spring
18. Tony Russell, Jr West Chester Henderson
19. Jack Huemmler, Sr Strath Haven
20. Jeff Groh, Jr Lower Dauphin
21. Ben Ritz, Sr Germantown Academy
22. Lyle Wistar, Sr Germantown Friends
23. Steve Yannacone, Sr Unionville
24. Reiny Barchet, Jr West Chester Henderson
25. Ross Wilson, Jr CR North
26. James Zingirani, Sr CR North
27. Ethan Martin, Jr Fox Chapel
28. Ernie Pitone, Sr O’Hara
29. Liam Corcoran, Sr James Buchanon
30. Cole Nissley, Jr Lower Dauphin
31. Barrett Kemp, Sr Oswayo Valley
32. Chris Culley, Sr Moon Area
33. Austin Pondel, Sr Corry Area
34. Caleb Wakely, Jr Shaler Area
35. Chris Berry, Sr Central Bucks West
36. Ean DiSilvio, Sr Allerdice
37. Christian Kardish, Jr Holy Ghost Prep
38. Jon Faye, Sr Hempfield Area
39. Dominic Deluca, Jr Dallas
40. Aaron Valerosa, Sr Towanda
41. Jordan Jackson, Sr Wellsboro Area
42. Max Norris, Sr Harriton Area
43. Francis Ferruzzi, Sr Upper Dublin
44. Sam Webb, So Pennsbury
45. Andrew Stone, Sr LaSalle
46. Ryan Hertzog, Sr Southwestern
47. Chris Pastore, Sr O’Hara
48. Will Cather, Jr State College
49. Dan Alexander, Sr Lower Moreland
50. Ryan Archer, Sr Vincentian Academy

Just missing: Colwell, Louis, Monroe, Luoco, Seel, Schettler and more … should be fun to see who can move up this fall

Early Top 10 Teams

1. O’Hara
2. Henderson
3. CR North
4. LaSalle
5. Cumberland Valley
6. Kiski Area
7. Lower Dauphin
8. North Penn
9. Great Valley
10. Pennsbury

Long Awaited ... Etrain's XC Top 50

Etrain's XC Top 50

1. Dan Jaskowak, Sr Grove City- No offense meant the defending state champion Conner Quinn, but it seems Dan Jaskowak took the next step this spring and has become a force to be reckoned with. He was PA’s top finish at Foot Locker Regionals in 2011 and returns the fastest 3200m PR of the bunch in less than idea l weather at states. He has been clutch with big wins over guys like Alex Moran and now has plenty of big race experience after being a factor in each of this year’s state championship meets. Rumor is he may be in AA next year.
2. Brendan Shearn, Sr North Schuylkill- Shearn gets the nod for #2 here. He was the AA state champion last year and has to be an early favorite to repeat (although Jaskowak dropping down would make things intriguing). Shearn has run some very solid 3200s/3ks and capped off his spring campaign with a state championship in the outdoor 3200m. He gets better longer as exhibited by his 5k performance indoors on the double where he mixed it up with the All Americans. All this came from a guy with limited leg speed (I think his 1600m PR remains around 4:24?) which means the XC hills should only benefit him.
3. Conner Quinn, Sr Hatboro Horsham- Its hard to place the defending state champion at 3^rd. Obviously Conner didn’t disappoint this season, dropping his 3200m PR substantially and dipping under 9:20. He knows how to win the state meet race and that is certainly a huge advantage. Additionally he dropped his 1600m PR to around 4:21 which means his speed is increasing. He has never been much of a track guy so seeing some other runners dip ahead of him is not of concern. What is slightly of concern is the way Quinn won in such a surprising matter at states last year. His XC gold is almost an outlier on his resume.
4. Tom Coyle, Sr LaSalle- The 1600m state champion as a Junior, Coyle showed great ability on the track after his 8^th place finish in XC. 8^th was probably not even his best effort, taking the lead at surprising points in the race for a guy with such a kick. He beat Savage for most of the season in XC and track (that indoor 3k double was pretty sick) and Savage ended up grabbing 4^th at states in 2011. 4:11 speed is something that not many runners that step on to the state course have (Willig and Drew both placed top 10 last year after never medaling at the state meet before).
5. Ryan Smathers, Sr North East- Smathers quietly dropped a mostly solo effort 4:12 (if he was in Coyle’s shoes maybe he would have ran faster) and one can argue he was the states most dominate miler this year. Smathers was also 5^th at AA states as a sophomore. The problem is this past fall he was also 5^th as a Junior. I feel that Smather’s last XC season is more of an outlier than his spring campaign. He should be dangerous in a deep AA field.
6. Brent Kennedy, Jr Kiski Area- Kennedy had a strong track season and showed great strength doubling 4x8 and 1600m all season effectively. Kennedy was also 7^th place at XC states last fall as just a sophomore. The biggest jump for a runner often comes from their Sophomore to Junior season and a Junior is always at least competing for a top 5 finish in the state meet unless the Senior class is exceptionally strong (see AA boys 2012), so I expect Kennedy to be strong this season.
7. Dan Savage, Sr O’Hara- Savage was 4^th in XC this past fall and has great training partners like Pitone and Pastore and state title aspirations to drive him through the summer. I’m sure that their heartbreaking loss at last year’s state meet is still fresh in his mind and that should only help him in 2012. Savage didn’t quite throw down the big 3200m race that a lot of the other guys on this list have, but he was certainly solid all season long and pushed down and around the 9:30 barrier plenty of times this past spring.
8. Rico Galassi, Sr Holy Cross- Rico is coming off a killer spring track season where he dropped a 9:19 3200m and finished a tough second to Brendan Shearn at the state meet. He also ran a very nice 4:18 1600m. Often overlooked by people like yours truly, Galassi was the 3^rd place finisher at last year’s AA XC state championships in XC. He has a pretty killer resume and seems to only be on the upswing in 2012.
9. Sami Aziz, Sr GFS- Aziz was great on the track in 2012 after switching over to GFS this winter. He was a medalist indoors of 3000m and was 2^nd to Dustin Wilson at Henderson in a near sub 9:20 effort for 3200m. He didn’t have an XC season in 2011 so that is a little worrisome, but in 2010 he had done enough to earn an early appearance on etrain’s top 50 before I learned he would not be competing in 2011.
10. Luke Jones, Sr Elk Lake- Jones was the runner up in the AA XC meet in a very impressive race against Brendan Shearn. Jones finished just 2 seconds back of Brendan Shearn and 9 seconds ahead of Galassi. On the track, Jones, who is more of a trials guy than a track guy, still posted a 3200m PR in the 9:20s and mixed it up with Burke and Galassi all spring.
11. Connor Harriman, Sr Pennsbury- Harriman was a strong 10^th in 2011 at the AAA race. He added a 9:18 3200m PR in brutal heat at the outdoor state meet to his resume this past spring. Harriman has a very dangerous kick and faces tough competition week in and week out in District One. Also he has youngster Sam Webb to train with and an up and coming team, looking to make Districts.
12. Mac Emery, Sr CR North- Emery had a rough end to the XC season this past fall, struggling with illness at Districts and States. Before that point, Emery had posted some very impressive marks at the Viking Invite and the Suburban One Championships. Then Emery followed a relatively quiet indoor season with a killer outdoor season, highlighted by his 9:11 3200m. He comes from a team with footlocker finalists in the past like Chris Campbell and Kieth Capecci. Plus he has Ross Wilson and James Zingirani as well as team title aspirations on his mind.
13. Jack Macauley, Sr North Penn- Macauley was 17^th at last year’s state meet for AAA, easily his strongest race of the season after a relatively disappointing district meet. Macauley and the North Penn squad peaking perfectly, earning the state title in a stunning upset. North Penn has a record for getting their team to states and doing with 3 recent team titles and one individual state champion in Brad Miles in 2009. Macauley was great on the track, medaling indoors in the mile, running a strong leg on their indoor 4x800, anchoring the team’s DMR at Penn Relays and running 9:15 for 3200m at Districts. He showed great range and strength throughout the season.
14. Sam Williams, Sr Northeast Bradford- Williams was one of the most impressive runners as the Henderson Distance Festival mixing it up well and running his way to a low 9:20s 3200m. He also broke the 9:30 barrier at the state championships where he was 4^th. 4^th was the magic number for Williams who also was 4^th in the AA XC state championships, making him the 4^th returner in the meet unfortunately. Williams showed great strength adding a 1600m medal on the double and he has one of best training partners in the state, Curt Jewett. Williams, who was bested by Jewett at his District Meet in XC in 2010 and 2011, beat Jewett both times at the state meet, really rising to the occasion on the Hershey course.
15. Alec Kunzweiler, Sr Cumberland Valley- Kunzweiler was a surprise at the XC state meet in 2011 finishing 14^th after he was a ways back from Groh at the District 3 Championships. But Kunzweiler showed he was consistently clutch in the big moments after anchoring his 4x8 to victory in a 1:51 split and then following that up with a second place finish in the open 800m. He has the potential to climb these rankings quickly if he can continue to prove his 800m speed is coupled with the strength of an XC runner.
16. Curt Jewett, Sr Northeast Bradford- Jewett has been a force on the AA scene for 2 years but has struggled to run his best race at the brutal Hershey course. He has training partner Sam Williams to work with and the two should keep each other honest and fast. Jewett had an impressive spring of his own running a 4:16 1600m and finishing second to superstar Smathers in the 1600m at states.
17. Vinny Todaro, Sr Big Spring- Todaro just missed a AAA medal in 2011, finishing 26^th. Indoors he had similar heartbreak, just missing a medal again despite another great race. However, outdoors he proved he was a force running 4:16 for 1600m. Unfortunately, he didn’t make the finals outdoors in the 1600m in tough conditions, but his Junior year campaign proved that he was a guy on the verge of a break out season.
18. Tony Russell, Jr West Chester Henderson- Russell is the top runner on a Henderson team with just team title aspirations. He will have great coaching and teammates and a lot of added experience this year. He dropped a solid 9:30 and also ran 4:18 for 1600m outdoors. He made the state meet indoors and outdoors and just missed a medal at XC states last spring as a sophomore. He was 6^th at District 1 as a sophomore with a time in the 15:40s and certainly has a lot of potential.
19. Jack Huemmler, Sr Strath Haven- Huemmler is sort of the Drew Magaha of this year’s top 50: a great 1600m with relatively little XC credentials. Except Huemmler arguably has been better than Magaha was at this time in XC. Huemmler dropped a couple of 4:12 1600ms to close out his season and if not for a killer kick by Coyle would have state gold around his neck. He has proven he has a great amount of track speed and has the ability to run solid 3200m races (he has beaten the O’Hara boys this past spring). He also was the 13^th finisher at the District 1 Championships last spring. He has to prove he can handle the hills of XC, but if he does he will jump the rankings in a hurry.
20. Jeff Groh, Jr Lower Dauphin- Groh won the D3 Championships in 2011 over a field that included Styrnkowski, Kunzweiler and Todaro. He couldn’t repeat his impressive feat at states, but he was only a sophomore at the time. He has now grown an extra year and added a sub 9:30 run at the outdoor state championships in 2012 to his resume after an injury plagued track year. He also has rising stud Cole Nissley to train with.
21. Ben Ritz, Sr Germantown Academy- Ritz had some solid moments this past XC season, but the highlight of his year was in the Spring with an impressive race in Henderson, nearly breaking 9:20 and running under 4:20 for 1600m. He was hidden behind the GFS boys and Wilson for most of the year, but he should be a name to watch in the fall.
22. Lyle Wistar, Sr Germantown Friends- Wistar proved he was more than just a miler this past year as he ran on Aziz’s shoulder in a 3k and a 3200m dipping under 8:55 and 9:30. He also has the abilty to run 4:18/4:19 in the 1600m. He has a great training partner in Aziz and GFS has produced a lot of great talent on the XC course, including a team that went to nationals in 2009.
23. Steve Yannacone, Sr Unionville- Yannacone ran some great 800m in 2012, including the District 1 meet, where he won the race. He also added a 1600m under 4:20. However, Yannacone looked like more of an XC guy at the end of 2011 when he looked like he was running 4:20ish off strength. He failed to qualify for the state meet in 2011 XC, but Yannacone comes from a line of runners that includes Springer, Fischer and Burkhardt, so I expect things to take a turn for the better this year. He just needs to prove he is not a pure speed guy and more of strength racer.
24. Reiny Barchet, Jr West Chester Henderson- Barchet didn’t compete last fall for Henderson (they managed fairly well without him admittedly) and having him back will be a huge help. He was 14^th at Districts as a Freshman and the top Freshman at states in 2010. Now back and healthy he broke 9:30 in the 3200m this year and will have the advantage of training with Tony Russell and a host of other strong XC guys looking for state gold.
25. Ross Wilson, Jr CR North- Wilson was in the top 35 last year at states and also ran 9:30 for the 3200m at Districts this year. He has Emery and Zingarini to look up to and push him as the team looks for state gold. Wilson was the team’s top runner at Districts and States in 2011 when he was just a sophomore and shows great potential for the future.
26. James Zingirani, Sr CR North- Zingarini dropped a nice 4:18 mile this year after really coming on down the stretch in XC in 2011. He is one of the best runners you have never heard of and is looking to carry his momentum into the 2012 season with Wilson and Emery. He seems to be more of a strength 4:18 guy than speed 4:18 guy as well which is a good sign for cross country.
27. Ethan Martin, Jr Fox Chapel- Martin has been consistently improving at state meets. A solid run at XC states, a better run indoors, and capping off his season with a medal outdoors in a great field in the 3200m. This all came as just a sophomore. He  looks like he has surpassed Caleb Wakeley for the second best in his year in the WPIAL (Brent Kennedy still holds #1) and Wakeley was a medalist in 2011.
28. Ernie Pitone, Sr O’Hara- Pitone has run a series of solid 3k and 3200m runs and qualified for the state meet indoors and outdoors at said distances. He was in the top 35 or so in XC last fall and of course has great coaching and big goals in mind for this fall. Savage and Pastore should help push him to his full potential.
29. Liam Corcoran, Sr James Buchanon- Another runner that you probably have never heard of with greath strength and a sub 9:30 3200m PR. He didn’t have a big XC season last fall but he has made great improvements this spring and is one of my sleeper picks to sneak onto the scene in 2012.
30. Cole Nissley, Jr Lower Dauphin- Nissley was second fiddle to Groh for most of cross but made a name for himself indoors in the 3k. Outdoors he couldn’t quite hold on to his killer times indoors, but he has made it clear that Lower Dauphin has two stud Juniors not just one in 2012. He should run tough with Groh and maybe even beat him this fall which makes him a state medalist contender.
31. Barrett Kemp, Sr Oswayo Valley- Kemp was a AA force this past fall but unfortunately didn’t have his best day at the important state meet. He struggled a bit in the spring as well, unable to quite match his marks from 2011. However, Kemp is still a great XC runner with a lot of potential and a deep group of AA runners to push himself amongst.
32. Chris Culley, Sr Moon Area- Culley was 18^th in 2011 at the state meet in XC as one of the big surprises in the race. He is one of the few top seniors in the WPIAL this fall  which means he could be dangerous for a title in the WPIAL and a top finish at states. If he wins the WPIAL it is hard to imagine him finishing outside the top 10 or so at states, especially after his performance last fall. He also added an impressive 1:56 PR in the 800m and was in the low 4:20s for 1600m this spring.
33. Austin Pondel, Sr Corry Area- Pondel is a returning state medalist from last year’s state meet and spent most of his 2011-2012 year being overshadowed by D10 stud Dan Jaskowak. Pondel managed a 9:36 3200m hanging tough to Jaskowak’s pace. Last year his finish at the state meet indicates that he is a top tier XC runner.
34. Caleb Wakely, Jr Shaler Area- Wakeley was 25^th in 2011 and had a solid indoor and outdoor season. He failed to qualify for the outdoor state meet in the 3200m and also the WPIAL championships meaning that he missed his key chances to run fast in the 3200 and boost is ranking stock. He will mix it up outfront in District 7 this year and be in the medal conversation again.
35. Chris Berry, Sr Central Bucks West- Berry really broke onto the scene at Districts when he dropped a low 9:20s effort in the 3200m and qualified for states in a deep field. He had two great 32s to close out the year and hopefully the momentum carries through to the fall. He squeaked into the XC state meet in 2011 as one of the last D1 qualifiers.
36. Ean DiSilvio, Sr Allerdice- DiSilvio rarely gets a chance to race top competition running in District 8 and is more of a cross guy than track guy. He didn’t have any jaw dropping performances this spring, but he was a medalist last year at the XC state meet and that gives him a leg up on most runners in the state already.
37. Christian Kardish, Jr Holy Ghost Prep- Kardish ran 4:18 this past year as just a sophomore and showed consistent improvement from the fall through to this spring. He was in the top 75 or so last fall at states and had teammates Ryan Horgan and Zach Israel (a state medalist in 2011) to help teach him the tricks to being one of the best.
38. Jon Faye, Sr Hempfield Area- Faye finished around 40th at the XC state meet in 2011 and was one of the top Freshman in the state when he first broke onto the scene. He broke 9:30 for the 3200m this past spring and showed signs he was starting to hit his true potential. Hopefully the momentum carries through to the fall.
39. Dominic Deluca, Jr Dallas- Deluca was my big sleeper pick in 2011 for the state meet and although it didn’t pan out, I have a hard time letting go of the people/teams I’m high on (especially after North Penn last XC season). Deluca capped off his season running 9:33 as just a sophomore. He trained with Chris Ehret this past year who was sub 9:30 for 3200m and Dallas has a solid group of guys out in District 2. He is a sleeper pick again for me this year.
40. Aaron Valerosa, Sr Towanda- Valerosa ran solid marks this spring and medaled at the AA state meet in the 3200m. This combined with his efforts at last year’s state meet (he was 7^th in AA) make him a good bet for a solid season and another AA state medal.
41. Jordan Jackson, Sr Wellsboro Area- Jackson failed to qualify for the 1600m finals but made up for it with a solid showing of range, running 1:56 in the 800m to finish 3^rd. Jackson was just behind Valerosa last year at 8^th place in the XC state meet for AA.
42. Max Norris, Sr Harriton Area- Norris has been injured for longer than I can remember, but when he is healthy he is a state title contender. He beat Quinn at Districts in 2011, but didn’t have his best day at states. He also ran 4:19 as a sophomore a while back. The potential is there but there is no way to know if he is healthy or not at this point.
43. Francis Ferruzzi, Sr Upper Dublin- Ferruzzi was the top D1 freshman way back when in 2009. He has had a few solid finishes since including a sub 15:45ish performance at the District meet in 2011. He suffered from some sickness at states and after medaling indoors at 3k in 8:51 and beating Sam Hibbs in a sub 9:30 effort to start the season, injuries caught up to Ferruzzi and he slipped out of the state meet. There is lots of potential for a quick climb in the rankings.
44. Sam Webb, So Pennsbury- Webb is the only sophomore cracking the list. There are always sophomores in medal contention at the state championships and Webb seems like the most likely candidate for 2012. He ran right around 9:30 for 3200m as a Freshman and trains with a growing team that includes stud Connor Harriman. He was the top D1 freshman in 2011.
45. Andrew Stone, Sr LaSalle- Stone was a killer 800m man for LaSalle but was also in the top 75 at states in 2011. If the team is going to compete for state gold, they need Stone to step up and become a medalist contender. His ability at 800m and 1600m suggests he has the potential to improve in XC again this fall. LaSalle also is very well coached, especially in XC.
46. Ryan Hertzog, Sr Southwestern- Hertzog was one of the top runners at the District 3 meet and came back the next week to finish in the top 40 at states. He had a relatively quiet track season but showed a lot of promise at the end of the fall of 2011.
47. Chris Pastore, Sr O’Hara- Pastore was in the top 50 at last year’s state meet and has Pitone and Savage to chase. He didn’t drop the 3200m times the other 3 OHara names did, but he was consistently running with that pack all last fall. The team will need a strong season from him to go after the title.
48. Will Cather, Jr State College- Cather was a force last spring in the 4x8 and ran some solid miles as well. His freshman year he was a great cross runner as well, but this past year he was not much of a factor on the XC scene. Seeing state college run as fast as they did this past spring, signs point to Cather getting back to top form in the fall.
49. Dan Alexander, Sr Lower Moreland- Alexander was 17^th at last year’s AA state championships and this winter and spring added a series of 1:56-1:57 time marks to show he has made great improvements in speed. But there are a lot of top AA guys returning in 2012 and he needs to prove he has the strength to hang tough for a full 5000m.
50. Ryan Archer, Sr Vincentian Academy – He added a sub 9:30 3200m time to his name and ran solid races behind Josef all spring. He was 10^th last year at AA states and despite the high amount of returners above him, a lot of signs point to him improving his place in 2012.

Just missing: Colwell, Louis, Monroe, Luoco, Seel, Schettler and more … should be fun to see who can move up this fall

Early Top 10 Teams

1. O’Hara- The best team in 2011. You have to prove something to overturn their number 1 ranking.
2. Henderson- Return just about everybody and gain Barceht back. Scary good team.
3. CR North- Their top 3 are studs and they return a solid group behind them. Consistently well coached.
4. LaSalle- Another well coached team that knows how to run the hills and has experience out front with Coyle and Stone.
5. Cumberland Valley- Kunzweiler and Coburn lead a group that returns everybody and just won a 4x8 in the Spring.
6. Kiski Area- A solid relay this past spring and Kennedy is one of the best in the state to lead the group.
7. Lower Dauphin- Groh and Nissley are going to make a lot of improvements this year. This team was young in 2011 and should improve a lot with age.
8. North Penn- They were state champs this past fall, but they did it in a surprising fashion, not a dominate one. They lose Trimble and Davis who were two very key pieces. However, they don’t rebuild at North Penn, they reload. They still have Macauley as well.
9. Great Valley- In theory, if Great Valley ran like they did at Districts they would have been state champions in 2011. They have a solid pack including indoor state champs Willig and Wolffe. Most of these guys have been to states twice already as a team.
10. Pennsbury- A young group of runners with leader Harriman and youngster Sam Webb could surprise by the end of the season. They return a solid amount of their team.

Race by Race Analysis: 1600m and 800m

AA 1600m
Smathers. I mean there isn't much more to say than that. The kid took over the pace, hammered the whole way and ran a brilliant time. I thought Jewett would challenge a little more honestly, but the weather did not cooperate for these guys to run really fast. Smathers just looked great throughout, so smooth. Its a shame he didn't get to race Coyle and Huemmler, I'm not sure he could have hung on to a kick by Coyle (or even Huemmler), but he certainly would have helped push everyone involved to a faster time, especially Huemmler who had to do a lot of work out front just like Smathers, running similar paces. Great race by Dalton Zebrak who I didn't think was a 4:18 guy. If he is a Junior (which I honestly don't know if he is or not) it just adds to the AA depth. Shearn made a lot of big moves in the 32 and he won so he had to be pretty satisfied. Combined with the heat, you can't expect much in the 16. Williams and Josef had great doubles considering they ran PRs or near PRs in the 32 and came back in that heat to medal and run close to their PRs again.

AAA 1600m
In AAA obviously there is the Magaha story and of course the story I posted about with Huemmler and Coyle, but once again have to give props to Moran for running tough. I bet Moran continues on to Nationals and hopefully he can run down around 4:12. Those 3 were the race for first, but behind them was an exciting race for the medals. Jaskowak obviously had his hands full doubling from the 32, but Kennedy and Rotz ran great doubles off the 4x8 in the morning, I was very impressed by that, especially considering Kennedy is just a sophomore. He is very clutch and will be dangerous in XC this coming fall (did it again folks). Chris Trimble continues to run impressive 1600m races. Thought for sure the kid was an 800m runner who would thrive in North Penn's system, but who would have guessed that he, not Jack Macauley, would be the guy with a 4th place state medal outdoors. Totally deserves it, fantastic series of races down the stretch. Zingarini from North has been solid all season as well. He doesn't have quite the leg speed the others do, so maybe the 32 is in his future with guys like Wilson and Emery to train with. They have a nice little group of 3 very strong XC guys. The only thing I will say about Drew is it was unreal that he could run 1:48 and 4:08 this season considering all the training he missed. A true testament to his talent and hard work and determination. That being said, he probably should have ran just the 800m and not the 1600m. I think that would have suited him better (and I'm not trying to sound like an I told you so guy here so sorry if that is how it came across). I'm hoping for something impressive at nationals.

AA 800m
Westwood is a straight killer. Limited training, no problem, he unleashed a furious last 400m and broke away from the field. I'm not going to pretend I know a lot about the guys in this race. I know Fox ran a pretty sick double as well off the 4x8 and Jordan Jackson bounced back nicely after missing 1600m finals yesterday. Nice race by Smeltz as well, he almost had the victory. I don't know if that was a massive PR for  Dylan Friday or not, but he ran 1:57.64 and he just ran 2 flat in qualifying. Talk about raising to the occassion.

AAA 800m
I picked the wrong WPIAL guy. I thought Tonzo's solo effort last week was a sign of big thinks to come, but unfortunately it was Bailey's solo effort that I should have keyed in on. He made a great decision to drop the 1600m (I think his 1600m training was great, however, really got him that extra strength for the 8). Kunzweiler I have talked about already, great double, showed great strength for sure. After his XC race this past fall I predicted he would be a 1:53 guy in the spring. However, after indoors I had my doubts, but the kid came out firing this outdoor season and capped off his season with one of the most impressive performances of the entire meet. Andrew Stone perhaps a surprising performance. He is still a little inexperienced on this top level but he was a 1:52 guy at Henderson. Thought more was there, but he has plenty of time to improve and grab gold next spring. Drew Gerberich may be the best guy you never heard of. A solid run in a deep 800m field in hot weather. Great last two meets of the season for him. Kind of wondering where he would have been in that 1600m. I think he had 4:14 in him. I still think Yannacone's future is in the mile. He ran it last spring and had success and I think the way states shaped up he could have been 4th in that race. But hindsight is always 20-20. The young guns grabbed valuable experience this year. Garton, Brehm and Wiseman with Logue will all be scary good in the 800m next year as Juniors and Sophomores. I hope all these guys keep improving, there may be a chase to go under 1:50 when all is said and done.

Race by Race Analysis: 3200m and 4x800m

So I'm going to try to break these down in depth, but some races I have much less to say than others. Alright going off memory from the PCN coverage here is what I got:

AA Boys 3200m
Clearly Shearn knew that the main concern in his chase for state gold was Rico's kick. He picked up the pace even after the first lap and the race quickly became a two man race. It was the way he had to run, but it was a dangerous move to take the pace that long and run slightly irrational splits. That's all the more reason to be impressed by his win. The race results make the race seem closer than it was. At 800 to go Shearn really broke open the race. Unfortunately he couldn't hold that move and Galassi, Josef and Williams came back a bit on him. None of those results were particularly surprising, but the times were solid under the conditions. DeBarbarie had a nice race, his best race since indoor states. Luke Jones, however, was a victim to the elements. He is, like Brendan, more of a cross guy than a track guy.

AAA 3200m
Hibbs also knew what the main obstacle for gold was for him and it was his front running style. He let Strynkowski take some of the early pace and made his move when he had to make sure only the strongest runners would hang on. When Hibbs did make his move only Steiner was ready to go with him. Kuchta had a strong effort a week ago, but unfortunately some early surges on the opening laps and the heat appears to have caught up to him. Steiner hung tough all the way to the bell just like he did against Kuchta a week prior and from there he had nothing left and Jaskowak managed to catch him over the last 200m. The guys who were most successful were not worried about winning the first mile, they ran their race strategy and hung tough in the heat. Harriman had another huge kick and his kick makes him very dangerous come cross country and next year's 2 mile. Burke has been consistently solid all year, with better weather the kid could have scared the 9:15 mark for sure. Great break out senior season. Strynkowski paid for his early pace setting for sure, might have been able to finish higher if he hadn't. Ethan Martin was impressive and he is going to be a force in XC going into his Junior season. He has gradually improved his performances at each state meet and is clutch. Groh too is coming on well recovering nicely from his injuries and runnning a competitive race outdoors at states.

AA 4x800m
I don't have much to say here, props to Hadfield for hanging tough after the 3200m. Quaker Valley hung in there, but they had the advantage of having the best 800m runner in the state for AA. Alexander ran hard and Lower Moreland improved dramatically from Districts, but ultimately Quaker Valley had two big time legs on the back end of their relay and they took control.

AAA 4x800m
The heat and doubling ended up catching up to Spring Ford for the second straight year. The Henderson boys are young they will be back and they will be hungry in XC. The Henderson kids really needed the state experience this year in XC, indoors and outdoors. They were young and it showed. But next year, watch out. As for the real race out front, Rotz really killed the opening leg, but the second legs were fairly slow. In the end the race developed between just a few teams out front. Pennridge's 3rd leg and Chambersburg's 3rd leg really had step up days, but in the end Kunzweiler was the hero. Have to respect Pennridge and CBurg's third legs though. That was the main knock on these relays and those guys stepped up to the occassion. The anchor legs really made the race awesome, Rivera tried to get back up there but didn't have the gas to run the 1:50ish effort he would need to stay competitive. The D3 boys ran killer anchor legs, but the sophomore Logue's effort is pretty darn impressive as well. O'Hara was up in the mix for a lot of the race. Billotta looks like he had a killer split. Great way to end his season. State College also had an impressive run. I'm not sure where all their fast splits came from, but I'm assuming the youngster Cather had a bit of a breakout season. Penncrest also did well to bounce back after a disappointing indoor meet.

States Stories: The Second Coming

As a track and field fan, I can think of nothing better than two super stars of the sport going head to against one another. My favorite race I have ever had the privilege to witness was a battle between Robby Andrews and Andrew Wheating, the two best 800m runners in the NCAA, in the 4x800 at Penn Relays. So naturally, I was drawn to the potential for the PA equivalent of this match up in 2012: Drew Magaha vs. Ned Willig. Both were under 4:12 as Juniors at the state meet and Drew destroyed the old state meet record rocketing off a 4:07.32. Ned responded with an indoor state championship in the mile and an indoor state record in the 800m. To which Drew responded with an outdoor state record in the 800m. However, despite the impressive performances of these two and a metaphorical back and forth chasing records and times, there were 0 head to head match ups between Ned and Drew and in the end injuries and sickness held the two back from matching their epic 1600m performances from a year ago. It was a bit of a let down for me that I never got to see this potentially historic duel.

But if I had altered my focus, I could have been watching an epic duel unfold all season long with head to head match ups between the two new stars of the mile in PA. I am of course talking about Tom Coyle from LaSalle and Jack Huemmler from Strath Haven. 

For anyone who didn’t have a crystal ball, at the end of the Spring of 2011, Tom Coyle and Jack Huemmler certainly didn’t seem like the super star pairing of the outdoor state meet. Coyle came into his junior year just looking to stay competitive in the PCL and maybe win a league titles. Witnessing the achievements of the state’s elite, the marks seemed inhuman. Coyle reminiscences, “I still remember last year catching the last two laps of that 1600 outdoors and asking myself if that was even possible. Last summer I honestly thought Drew and Ned were going to duel it out for a sub 4 minute mile, never did I think that I would be in the mix for a state championship!” 

Coyle entered a local 5k I was watching and introduced himself. He told me after the race he wanted to get his name out there for Top 50 consideration because, at the time, he wasn’t even on my list (not that I didn’t know who he was, I mean I am etrain). But as cross country developed Coyle’s confidence only increased with top finishes at Carlisle and Paul Short, his impressive Junior season ending with a trip to Hershey where he realized his potential was beyond just mixing it up for state medals, but racing smart and going for Gold. Coyle finished the season an impressive 8th at the state meet after being a complete non factor in 2010 at Hershey. 

Huemmler too surprised in XC. After dropping from 4:58 to 4:25, Huemmler set his goals high for his XC season, trying to continue his dramatic improvement. He wanted to break 17 minutes and maybe, if things went well, ride along with his buddy Jeff Seelaus to the state meet at Hershey. Quickly, Huemmler jumped up to the state XC level and jumped on etrain’s Top 50 (although originally I incorrectly called him Jake). He ended up finishing 13th at the always competitive District One meet clocking a time of 16:07. My friend from Dickinson made sure I knew that his Strath Haven boys were on the rise.

Indoors Huemmler continued his meteoric rise starting his season with a 4:25.18 at the Hispanic Games and helping his Strath Haven distance medley relay mix it up with XC state champions North Penn. Huemmler still hadn’t realized, as Coyle had with his impressive XC states performance, that he was on a state caliber level. “I only started to set my sights on states when I saw the standings and saw that few people were running those times. I didn't know what upper level times were until then, so I assumed that people were running 4:18s and the like indoor.” 

But Coyle was grabbing headlines as well. He and his LaSalle teammates were quickly becoming favorites for state gold in the DMR and eventually Stone and Coyle were thrown into the individual gold medal conversation. After an impressive performance at Kevin Dare and state championship aspirations as a team, Huemmler was also thrown into the open mile as a title contender.

In that state championship mile, Ned Willig, the heavy favorite, took care of business and won the race, but behind him the real race was for 2nd. Huemmler and Coyle pushed each other all the way to the line and in a dive Coyle ended up taking the victory 4:16.42 to 4:16.50, but neither man could go home upset. Both ran massive PRs and had their top finish at a state championship.

At indoor states a friendship and a rivalry were born, although Coyle prefers camaraderie rather than rivalry. But as Jack said, “Clearly we kind of have to have a rivalry.” Feeding off each other’s times mid season, the two were motivated to continue to drop time, battling against one another in an 800m at Coatesville, where Coyle was the victor, but Huemmler had earlier dropped a 4:13 DMR split. There next race wouldn’t be until the outdoor state championships.

It’s a classic runner relationship: you want to beat everyone you race against, but ultimately you are each running to try and hit the fastest time you can, and both individuals can celebrate the others successes. Even before the biggest race of their lives (so far) the two were hanging out talking about all sorts of things, not just limited to the race and track and field. Huemmler says, “Our relationship is weird. I'm friends with a lot of PA track kids, including Tom, but with Tom I know that I have to compete against him”. 

On race day, things unfolded surprisingly slow considering this was hyped as a record chase and Jack felt he had to do the work and lead the pace out front, an interesting change from the prior week where Drew was out front. As the group approached the bell with Huemmler still in command, Coyle could be seen looking around trying to spot Drew, gearing up for a final kick. Off a slow pace Coyle thought, “Drew was going to burn us in the last 400”. 

But it was Alex Moran who made the push at the bell that helped the racers get going with a lap to go. Huemmler, finally challenged for the lead, battled with Moran on the back stretch while Coyle tried to hang tough to the move. Ultimately, Coyle and his coach knew he needed to have something left for the final 150m, and he did. Both men were grateful and impressed by Moran’s effort. 

The flashbacks to indoor states were instant. The two once again battled to the line in a thrilling finish and once again were separated by an extremely small amount. The two men were clocked at 4:11.97 and 4:12.54, both PRs and both massive drops of 10+ seconds from the previous season. 

So now the comparisons begin to pour in between “Drew and Ned” and “Tom and Jack”. Both Tom and Jack are honored by the comparison, knowing that Drew and Ned are two of the greatest PA has ever seen. As Jack reminds me, Drew and Ned did drop times faster than Coyle and Huemmler during that state race in 2011. Naturally, there has to be questions about whether these two will drop down to faster marks or whether they will meet the same unfortunate look as past Juniors with fast times Sam Bair, Craig Miller, Drew Magaha, Wade Endress and Ned Willig, who failed to stay healthy come their senior campaign. Both Jack and Tom do a lot of injury prevention and stretching and neither are worried about suffering similar fates to these greats. As Huemmler claims, there is no use worrying about injuries, if it happens, it happens. 

Coyle is looking for Gold again in 2012-2013, but this time he wants to be sharing the gold with his teammates come the cross country state championships in November. For Huemmler, his eyes are set on a team berth at XC states, a fast DMR indoors, and a continued effort to crack the 4:10 mark. The future for PA looks bright with these two stars heading a very strong class of distance runners in 2013. In the words of Tom Coyle, I hope they rise to the occasion and push each other to some very fast times.

More States

States is always a great time of year and it leaves us with a summer to think about everything that went down. I'm working on some Penntrack style articles about some of the races but I would like to hear opinions from you as well. Any of the AA guys who medaled at states that would like to be included in my article about the AA runners can facebook message me and I'll ask you some questions. Also anyone from the Chambersburg and Cumberland Valley 4x8s I was planning on writing an article about that as well. Plus, hopefully, much more ideas to keep people reading.

Now what else can I say about states? Well obviously Steiner had a great 3200m and proves that North Allegheny knows how to breed talent and prepare their top guys for the state meet. Justin Taylor, Matt Jacob, and Ryan Gil are all past runners who have been in medaling contention at the state meet in the 3200m and run great PR type races. Steiner continues the tradition. Bad luck for Kuchta, Baldwin has had their fair of struggles in the state meet in the past few years between Kuchta and Degregorio and their 4x8. But like any team with struggles (NA at the XC state meet for a few years had bad luck), I expect them to break out of it soon. The AAA District 1 Juniors had a rough state meet as well but those kids killed in the week before. Its hard to run 2  amazing 3200s back to back weeks. Ask even an experienced guy like Sam Hibbs. He couldn't quite match his effort from a week ago. But Harriman did step up at the state meet. He had a great kick and he ran within himself like Jaskowak and that worked out well.

In the mile I have to give major props again to Alex Moran. He really went for the win and made a big push and it helped these guys get down to these PR times. Like I have said, best race I have seen from Moran in my etrain career. Huemmler definitely has room to run faster, he had to lead the whole way and I don't care how good you are, if you lead the whole way unless you are the class of the field you are going to have a tough time not getting outkicked. Plus the heat means all these guys have room to drop. PS I don't mean to take anything away from Coyle, the kid ran amazing and had a killer kick, just throwing out some other ideas.

I'm really impressed with Kunzweiler's double as well in the 800m (and Nick Rotz in the 1600m too that was pretty sweet). Jeff Wiseman really desereved that nice 1:54 time. And of course he will have quite the duel with another great sophomore Joey Logue who split 1:52ish. Wiseman had been racing great all season and is nice to see the race pan out as it did. Then of course the stud freshman from Carlisle Zach Brehm is in the race as well.

But that's a long way off for sure. 

One thing is for certain when you look at this state meet, the young guns were firing and they will be very fun to watch in 2013. 

Dream Races

So now that spring is almost officially over, I have decided to restart the dream race season. Here's how this will work. The following relays will happen at this meet:
DMR (12-4-8-16): 10:10.0
SMR (2-2-4-8): 3:24.0
4x800m: 7:45.0
4x400m: 3:18.0
4x1600m: 17:20
4x3200m: 38:00

The make up of this team can include anyone from the past 6 seasons. Any team can be entered as long as they hit the qualifying standard I have put next to the relay. If your team didn't run the time, but they have the talented legs to run that time, suggest that team to me with reasoning and I will add them to the field. Every relay is assumed to be completely fresh for every race to make things more interesting so your team can enter all the races they qualify in.

Any questions let me know.

Congrats again to all the state championship participants.

Post States

The problem inevitably with making predictions for a state meet is you are going to overestimate some people and underestimate others. And naturally the people that you underestimate are going to tell you about it. But hey, I love seeing someone break out onto the scene and drop jaws.

So where do I begin? I guess the natural thing is to give out some congrats to the guys who did the best job proving me wrong. First off nice race by Brendan Shearn, nice gutsy front running style. Maybe made a move a a lap too early ... But hey that's what broke Galassi. Jaskowak was sick in the 3200 as well, running from the back and making a huge push. The kid has to be one of the favorites to win states in XC in 2012 (did somebody say etrain top 50?? it's coming folks). Congrats to the District 3 squads! Big runs by both of them and a very exciting race. I believe that Holder and Kunzweiler dropped 1:51s and I think Logue was in the 1:52 range. Those times are sick. Rotz too with a nice double to hold on in the 1600m finals. Moran really capped off his season nicely out there. Really worked hard for the win and pulled out his best state meet race I have ever seen him run. And lastly killer run by Wil Bailey, pretty sick run. Kunzweiler too, pretty sick double for the youngster.

I'll get back to you guys on some of my other opinions as the days go on (I'm going to need stuff to post about let's face it). I don't know what happened to Magaha guys sorry :(.

Also splits! Relay splits and order! (Down to the tenths ideally folks) I not only want to update my file, but I want to help update a friend of mine's file as well.

Congrats again to everyone who competed at the meet, you are all champions in your own right.

Anyone who won a state medal and wants to talk about their experience please message me and I get you up here on the blog.

1st Day

So there were some solid surprises on day one (or at least surprises for me but obviously there are some of you out there who never better than I do). Worth noting was Todaro missing finals in the 1600m and same with Jackson in the AA race. Congrats to Nick Rotz and Brent Kennedy who had great doubles and not only helped their team into the 4x8 finals, but also burst into the 1600m finals. Magaha only had to run 4:18ish to get to finals. Thats a good sign for his record chase. Colt Snyder had a little trouble making 800m finals today, not getting an auto bid, but don't forget about him, he is dangerous. Dan Alexander looked great, even off the double like that. Tonzo and Yannacone got a easier 800 prelim and should be rested for the finals. Kunzweiler and Holder both had to run quick (Kunzweiler ran a PR) and both will run the 4x8 tomorrow and try to double back for the 8 finals. The two have proven they are strong doublers, but you still have to watch this situation with caution. Rivera misses finals unfortunately for Bensalem, but still has 2 races tomorrow to go bananas in. Zach Brehm I sincerely apologize for doubting you. Great race for the youngster, he just keeps getting better all the way through to the finals. But admittedly and his friends in the heat ran quick races and had strong efforts in the prelims. That makes things a little scarier for them in the finals.

But if there is one thing I learned from today, everybody wants to win and no one is thinking about how tired they are. They are going for gold and that is what we as fans love to see. May the best man win tomorrow.

PS Evan Mao, you rock man, great job today and this season. Turned that throwing crew into a great squad. Congrats and have fun in college.

Live Updates For All You Playing Along at Home

These are the 4x8 results so far from the day. Pretty solid times, I managed to get 11/12 AAA teams and 8/12 AA teams for you guys keeping tabs on my hits and misses. If you are looking to see the results for yourself rather than wait for my update, they can be found here:

http://www.piaa.org/news/details.aspx?ID=2491

Your Help Would Be Greatly Appreciated

A friend of mine Mr. Art Hindle has been putting together files recently for the past few state championships. They are very impressive files and really helpful from a historical perspective. However, the file can not be completely finished on his own, we need your help.

What we need is names, splits and order for all relays that run in the trials and/or finals at this weekends state championships. Any help would be greatly appreciated and it would really make a difference in the long run as these files are really cool and benefit a lot from the added names and splits.

So let me know after states is all done, you can message me on facebook, comment here, or email me, but please use your name so that we know who the source is for each of these pieces of information.

Thanks again,

Jarrett .... that's my real first name

Futch Info Again

I strongly encourage everyone to sign the petition started by Mr. Devlin below and spread it around to everyone you know. I will admit at first I was under the impression that rules are rules and Futch acted out and in the end there wasn't much to prevent the rules from taking effect. However, I have been reading and researching the situation in classic etrain matter and I have come to realize the outrage around this situation isn't just Eric Futch won't be able to chase records and we will miss that, it is there has been a serious true injustice at the District 1 Championships.

The following stories shed shocking light on the situation:

http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2012/05/23/sports/high_school/doc4fbc66195a653951562823.txt?viewmode=fullstory

http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2012/05/23/sports/high_school/doc4fbc660db6732049590416.txt

After reading these and even reading the word for word report of the situation, my perspective of the situation has changed dramatically. Yes, Eric acted out, he yelled and he is not completely out of fault here. However, the charge failed was one that was designed to keep him out of the state meet when another violation could have also taken him out of the d1 meet but not the state meet.

It appears here that although Futch acted out with his yelling, the officials acted most immaturely of all. There seems to be a conspiracy to remove him from the meet. I was under the impression that Futch had acted out violently or over the top with his yelling at that was the reason the police were called in, but they were called in simply because he walked away from the official and tried to avoid a conflict!

It's not fair at all to have this happen to athlete who has given so much to the state and so much to the PIAA. He brought fans and revenue to the state for over a year now and they just throw him to the wolves for a bit of heat induced anger and some questionable actions by the meet officials.

This is outrageous and we as athletes of the PIAA should not stand for it. Please stand the petition and spread it around to those who yo can. I promise that I will use my blog and my resources as best I can to ensure that Futch gets at least his appeal and a fair shot to race at states.

Here again is the petition to reinstate Futch:
http://www.change.org/petitions/dear-piaa-let-eric-futch-run-let-eric-futch-run-at-the-2012-piaa-state-track-championships?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition&utm_term=share_button_modal 


-the real train

For Futch

Everyone who supports Mr. Eric Futch and his state championship hopes I ask you to sign this petition:
http://www.change.org/petitions/dear-piaa-let-eric-futch-run-let-eric-futch-run-at-the-2012-piaa-state-track-championships?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition&utm_term=share_button_modal

Thank you very much

Stay Classy

Predictions

AA Distance
4x800m
I'll be honest, I don't know much about this race. I like Christopher Dock's district effort a lot and I think they will give Quaker Valley a great challenge, but in the end I think Westwood will be too much to overcome on the anchor leg, but this race could potentially be very quick up front. After that group the big things that jump to mind for me is Alexander's 1:56 for Lower Moreland which makes them potentially scary on the anchor leg. Paul Robeson had two guys substantially under 2 minutes indoors and Lewisburg is the defending champions.
1. Quaker Valley 7:53
2. Christopher Dock 7:54
3. Merchuyst Prep 8:01
4. Milton Area 8:02
5. Lower Moreland 8:04
6. Annville Celona 8:04
7. Paul Robeson 8:07
8. Lewisburg 8:08
1600m
This race is going to be fast out front as well with Smathers on the verge of something pretty outstanding. The Junior will be battle Curt Jewett and I expect the two to keep things fast. In the end I think Smathers pulls Jewett to a fast time but Smathers is too much to be beaten. Jackson seems to be the clear 3rd best runner and then I peppered in the guys doubling back. Shearn should be very motivated if he goes down in the 3200m like I am predicting and he should bounce back well. Josef is the other guy I see with the potential to double effectively. Hess was a top finisher a year ago and I'm guessing he will show up at this meet again.
1. Smathers 4:12
2. Jewett 4:14
3. Jackson 4:19
4. Hess 4:22
5. Shearn 4:22
6. Hause 4:22
7. Dipietrantonio 4:25
8. Schieb 4:25
800m
This race should be very tight knit with a lot of guys who can mix it up. Broadwater ran 1:56 indoors, but I'm not sure if he will double effectively. Alexander has run a lot of 1:56's as well, but is also on the double. I think he can double a bit better and run low 1:57s to snag a medal. Snyder is one of my guys I really like out of District 4 and he could surprise in this race. But out front I think Smathers has enough strength to take down the defending champ LJ Westwood. It should be very tight down the stretch and I think Smathers pulls off the Havko esque double to get the job done.
1. Smathers 1:55.7
2. Westwood 1:55.8
3. Snyder 1:56.3
4. Blose 1:56.5
5. Downs 1:56.8
6. Alexander 1:57.1
7. Sturges 1:57.2
8. Decker 1:57.4

AAA Distance
4x800m
This race should be quite competitive. The teams like Henderson and Penncrest left off the medal stand could easily slip in. O'Hara is dangerous as well. Bensalem really impressed me last week across the board at Districts and their 4x8 will be fresher than they were a week ago in theory without the non Rivera legs running individual events. They could have used a few other teams like Chambersburg and Cumberland Valley to help them out as Rivera got the baton with a solid lead against Pennridge and the others and had to do a lot of work on their own out front. Pennridge changed up their plan and is going to skip Kohler's open 8. I like this move a lot and I'm counting on their experience winning a state championship indoors and relatively fresh legs pulling them through to a top finish. Then behind them Chambersburg and Cumberland Valley have been next to each other all season. Both have the potential to drop some time here and surprise, but with the doubling they are doing I am hesitant to pick them for the win. I really like Kiski, they have potential to really run fast, they won easily at the D7 meet and can drop a lot of time in theory. Then there is Spring Ford who is fresher as a team and has experience on this stage. I'm not ready to give up on my boys from DT West just yet. I think they can snag 7th and then State College has run solid all year long and this team should end up on the medal stand.
1. Bensalem 7:45
2. Pennridge 7:46
3. Chambersburg 7:47
4. Cumberland Valley 7:48
5. Kiski 7:49
6. Spring Ford 7:49
7. DT West 7:52
8. State College 7:52
1600m
Now I went bold last week, but c'mon. A fresh, motivated Drew Magaha is hard to pick against in this state  meet. He will challenge his meet record again for sure. I think he won't have enough help to beat his own state record but he should be close. I doubt anybody else is taking the pace and Drew looked uncomfortable doing the work out front last week. Coyle has a great kick and is focused on the 1600m this year. He should edge out Huemmler by a little bit, maybe the extra 800m trials making the difference between Huemmler and Coyle in the race. Both guys, I believe, will run faster than Ned Willig did. After the big three, I'm picking Vinny Todaro to surprise Moran after a bounce back race for Todaro, who was edged at the D3 meet. Moran is very strong and has been on this stage before, but he has yet to drop any time in the 4:17 realm outdoors and Todaro has been living in the 4:16-18 range all season. Then I have a combination of solid D1 guys rounding out the group.
1. Magaha 4:07
2. Coyle 4:10
3. Huemmler 4:11
4. Todaro 4:15
5. Moran 4:15
6. Metzler 4:16
7. Trimble 4:16
8. Zingarini 4:17
800m
This was a tough race to pick, but I went with my gut on this one. Tonzo, who soloed his 1:53 mark a week ago, is my pick to win the race. He and Stone should be neck and neck and I am worried about Stone outkicking Tonzo for the win in this race. Both guys will be fast. Baily and Holder should mix it up as well, Baily kicking to his spot and Holder holding on for his. Baily with fresh legs seems very dangerous. Holder is going to be able to double effectively I believe, but that extra little bit he needs to win may not be there. Yannacone is the D1 champ and he only showed a glimpse of what he had last week. Gerberich is impressive because his 1:55 mark last week was on the double off a 4:16. He should surprise here with fresh legs and improve a solid amount. Don't overlook Damiani out of D2, he has already run 1:54 this year at Henderson. Kunzweiler will be doubling from the 4x8, but he seems to be a step above the other 1:55-56 types that he will be racing.
1. Tonzo 1:52.2
2. Stone 1:52.4
3. Bailey 1:52.9
4. Holder 1:53.0
5. Yannacone 1:53.6
6. Gerberich 1:53.9
7. Damiani 1:54.1
8. Kunzweiler 1:54.8

The Real Train

So here are some of my picks for the outdoor state meet. I'm really excited to see how everything pans out at the big dance. Here are the boys that I think will qualify for the finals in the distance events. The AA 4x8 I definitely am unsure about. The AAA 800m has a lot of guys who I didn't throw down on there who can definitely make finals. I'll list some sleepers who I didn't have qualifying for finals.

AA 4x8

Quaker Valley Q

Annville Celona Q

Merchurst Prep Q

Titusville Q

Lower Moreland Q

Christopher Dock Q

Milton Area Q

Paul Robeson Q

Greenville q

Boiling Springs q

Lewisburg q

Trinity q

AAA 4x8

Pennridge Q

Bensalem Q

Kiski Q

DT West Q

 CValley Q

Chambersburg Q

Spring Ford Q

Henderson Q

 O’Hara q

Nazareth q

State College q

Penncrest q

AA 1600m

Jackson Q

Josef Q

Jewett Q

Shearn Q

Smathers Q

Naff Q

Williams Q

Scheib Q

Hause q

Ford q

Hess q

Archer q

AAA 1600m

Huemmler Q

Todaro Q

Moran Q

McWilliams Q

Magaha Q

Jaskowak Q

Coyle Q

Trimble Q

Metzler q

Zingarini q

Russell q

Robinson q

Deep Sleepers: Reinhardt, Yousif, Schettler, DiSilvio, Colwell

AA 800m

Bevan Q

Blose Q

Alexander Q

Struges Q

Westwood Q

Smathers Q

Snyder Q

Downs Q

Broadwater q

Jackson q

Decker q

Goodson q

AAA 800m

Yannacone Q

Rivera Q

Tonzo Q

Gerberich Q

Chaborek Q

Baily Q

Stone Q

Holder Q

Kunzweiler q

Damiani q

Moon q

Culley q

Sleepers: Wiseman, Bednash

3200m Predictions: AAA

Gosh. This was an agonizing decision for me. So many guys who can make some noise in this race its unfair. If the weather is nice and these guys all push each other we could potentially see all the medalists under 9:20, perhaps even a few non medalists under the mark. The only big name that will be running a race outside of the 3200, is the XC state runner up Dan Jaskowak, who will run the 1600m prelims (and I suppose possibly the 4x8, although I doubt it). Just about everyone in this race has a lot of potential. The pack should be very tight, even with a 4:35ish pace. If Hibbs does choose to take it out (which seems like it will happen), he isn't going to drop any of these guys easily. And if the weather is warm, Hibbs is very vulnerable. That being said, statistically the District 1 Champion or District 1 runner up has won the state meet the next weekend since I believe Bixler in 05.

So needless to say this was heartbreaking for me to try and pick between all these guys for predictions. I think this race will unfold with Hibbs and Kuchta out front. Steiner should hang around with them as well. The Altoona boys have never been afraid to go for it, they should be pushing the front pack pace. Quinn, Macauley and Emery should try to hang after their District meet results and Burke as well I expect to be running in the front group. There should also be a few guys like Israel who are front runners who tuck into that top pack.

And of course there is Jaskowak. I am honestly not sure what to make of him. He has yet to drop a mark under the 9:30 mark which does worry me, but I have also said that I think he could win this race if he goes for it. I expect him to be in the front pack, and I hope that his 1600m trials heat doesn't require him to run 4:15 to make finals.

I don't know how Wilkinson and Ehret run out of District, but both may try and go with Burke after they ran with him at the District 2 meet to impressive results. Liam Corcoran is one of my sleeper picks out of District 3. I think he is a very solid runner who has been on the rise of late.

You also have the District 12 boys, Savage and Pitone. But they have never broke the 9:30 barrier this season. I think they will probably go for it, but I am worried about these two fading quickly if this race is going to take sub 9:20 to medal.

Overall as the race goes on I foresee some people falling off the pace. I'm worried about Kuchta in this race. His buddy Paul won the D7 meet last year and beat a lot of big names, but struggled to follow up at the state meet the next weekend. Kuchta too was a tad slower than his 9:16 effort the week before. He also struggled at the indoor state meet 3k this year. BUT Kuchta has been pretty untouchable this year outdoors.

But my big pick here is going to be Steiner. I think he couldn't hang a week ago, but is going to be back with a vengeance and ready to have a clutch state meet once again. Kuchta is going to be feeling a bit more pressure than Steiner for sure.

The youngster who are on this kind of stage for the first time worry me as well. Macauley, Emery and Quinn I see all fading over the course of the race and not being able to hang on to medaling.

I see Jaskowak mixing it up, but ultimately just not having enough to take the win. If he makes finals in the 1600m, if things start to slip, the second race may sneak into the back of his mind.

I like Burke a lot in this race, he was on my fantasy XC team and he has also quietly been beating some quality fields. I think the increased competition will benefit him most.

Styrnkowkski also is a guy to watch in this race. He is one of the top returners from a year ago and seems to finally be over his injuries and ready to drop a great time.

Ultimately there are so many factors in this race it is tough to touch on everyone, but this is how I see things playing out in the end:

1. Hibbs 9:07
2. Steiner 9:10
3. Burke 9:12
4. Kuchta 9:14
5. Strynkowski 9:16
6. Jaskowak 9:17
7. Mountain 9:18
8. Replogle 9:18

But any of the guys I mentioned earlier could definitely surprise and steal a medal. Even the D7 guys I neglected like Appman, Martin, and Faye could have a great day and scare the 9:20 barrier. It is a very deep race and if someone doesn't have their day, a lot of people will be ready to come back and steal your spot.

3200m Predictions: AA

Out of this group of two milers Williams, Josef, Shearn, and Archer will be doubling with the 1600m so they will have one extra race under their belt in comparison to the other guys in the field. That being said it is the day before and I don't see a 4:25ish effort really killing any of these guys. In the race the two front runners are clearly Shearn and Galassi. Both guys have very solid PRs and Shearn dropped a very solid solo 9:20 effort last weekend. I expect this thing to be fast, Galassi has a kick and Shearn has never been one to just sit around.  This is a pretty talented field for a AA 3200m so I expect things to be quick and the groups to string out. It is going to be tough for some of these guys to hang around on the quick pace and there should be two packs that develop. I foresee Shearn heading the group and Jones, Williams, Josef and maybe Kemp to be able to hang. Archer should be up there as well, maybe Valoroso. Not all those guys can handle 9:20 pace obviously, so there could potentially be some blow ups in the top group, especially if things are hot.

Ultimately, I think Shearn has to do most of the work, and will make the race, but I think Rico is going to have the wheels at the end to take the W. Not only that, but Rico put all his eggs in the 3200m basket, and I think that may help if this thing is close (which I anticipate it to be). Shearn, however, is much stronger than the rest of the field and won't go away easily. I have him a close second. After these two things could go in a number of directions. I opted for Luke Jones at the 3 spot, he was clutch in XC and I feel a fast pace will help him. Williams has been there before and has a low 9:20s PR so I have him hanging in there for 4th, potentially for 3rd as well. Josef Di has been flying under the radar all season and I think he will show everyone that he is a force in this race, could have a very strong last 800m. I have Barrett Kemp taking down 6th, purely on past results at the state meets. He is a great cross guy and I anticipate him showing up at states for the second year in a row. I have Schatz picking off some guys in the middle of the race and Archer hanging on as these two take 7th and 8th for the medal spots.

I was pretty off on times last week, so hopefully these will be a little closer:

AA
1. Galassi 9:15
2. Shearn 9:15
3. Jones 9:22
4. Williams 9:24
5. Dipietrantonio 9:25
6. Kemp 9:32
7. Schatz 9:34
8. Archer 9:35

Sleeper picks for deeper fantasy leagues: Tallada, DeBarbarie, Valoroso (mentioned earlier)