Weekend Recap

Bruce Dallas
So remember last week when I talked about Alex Coburn not putting it together for open races? Well as much as I'd like to claim I was a motivator for his success this weekend, I'm going to go with saying that I was wrong, the much more likely to be true fact. Coburn ran a solid 3rd leg on the 4x8 before Kunzweiler brought it home. Splits were apparently 2:02-2:01-1:58-1:57. Coburn and Kunzweiler then doubled back for some solid individual 800s against Sanders (also doubling from his teams solid 8:11 relay). Coburn pulled off the win in an open 800 PR (I believe) of 1:56.33. Really impressive double for him. Sanders was solid and so too was Kunzweiler in 1:56 and 1:57 giving chase. Coburn has looked at least on the same level as Kunzweiler this season if not better. Impressive stuff for him and a good sign for the relay.

Meanwhile the boys from Lower Dauphin were looking very good behind them. 4:21 uncontested for Groh is a great sign. I'd like to see him run a 32 with Nissley and have the two of them work together to something really fast. Nissley soloed his was to a 9:37. I'd bet both these guys could mix it up in the competitive state meet at the end of the year and launch under 9:20. It looks like Groh is going to try his hand in the less competitive 16, which he could drop towards 4:15 in the right race. Penn Manor had a nice 4x8 despite a dropped baton. If they got it all around the track clear they may have been down around 8:05.

Thanks to Jon Carroll for some of the on site info.

Colonial Relays
Alright let's head down south. In VA, LaSalle ran pretty sick, and their 4x8 did it without Billotta. Billotta had himself a sick double with the 4:28 and 9:06 mile and 3k and they used the youngster Patrick Grant in the 4x8. He is a sleeper pick for big things outdoors. LaSalle pulled off a 10:17-7:56 double gold. Behind them, not to overlooked, was a very nice run by GFS who had a 10:21-8:02 double which should get their DMR into Penn (but this year who really knows, the place is crazy). Obviously LaSalle looks really strong and as long as the group stays healthy they should represent the state very well at Penn. Indoor states we didn't quite get to see this team at full strength, but this spring they have something to prove.

DT West
On what can only be described as a windy day, the DT West meet was run with some solid performances. The most notable (and most likely to be talked about) was the run by West Chester Henderson who ran to a 10:25 for a dominating DMR win. It improves their seed time for Penn but is far from guarenteed to get them in. Obviously the win was a factor but the effect of the wind is amplified when you are running out front with no one to cut the wind for you. The Henderson boys will bounce back as always and if they get into Penn for the DM they will be ready.

On a side note though, if they do not their 4x8 could be very compelling. Russell's 3 flat 1200 leg suggests he can run very quick in the relay, at least 1:55, and Chaborek is close to that mark as well (assuming he is healthy). You also have Moy, Barchet, Collins and probably some other solid dudes to pick from to fill out the relay. Could be one of the surprises of the weekend.

In other news, a solid win for Yannacone in about 2 flat despite the conditions. He beat out stud Ken Leidal from DTWest who ran 2:01 for 2nd. Solid mark for Alex Hughes of WCE with a 2:01 of his own in the conditions. If the wind is as bad as claimed that is probably worth around a 1:58ish. Markle was also solid behind him in 2:02.0.

In the 1600 and 3200 WCE asserted their dominace once more with a 1-2 finish in the 16 by Diestelow and Crump in 4:34 and 4:35. Cummings won the 32 in 10:15. I'd like to see Cummings in a 16 sometime soon to see what his speed is like. Crump and Diestelow maybe in an 800. Chris Coates ran a solid 4:38 in that 1600m and was an underrated XC guy who may be one to watch outdoors.

Tamaqua
It's not quite the Arcadia race that he ran in a year ago, but I like the more modest approach by Shearn at the start of this season. Sure he could probably go out West and run 9:15 again, but he is determined to peak at the right moment, at the state championships the spring and the outdoor nationals in the 5k. He started things off right with a 12 second win in the 1600m running 4:32 and a 54 second win in the 3200 in 9:30. Jaryd Flank from Wilson was second in the race. He wrestled in the winter but was a AA XC state medalist. At season's end he might be a name worth remembering if he can hang around and grab a state spot.

Kiwanis
The 5k was very quick and Dan Savage and Conner Quinn made it so running 15:25 and 15:27 which are both very solid marks for this meet, close to the meet record set by Chris Campbell. Conner Quinn is going to be a great 10k guy one day in college, he has great stamina, but this year on the track he should continue to have success as a clutch racer. He was 4th? indoors and he will be dangerous at outdoor states. Savage continues his great success streak, bouncing back from what was still a solid performance in the 32 at PW with this 5k moment. He and James are trading off moments to shine. Behind them, Chris Pastore ran a fantastic 15:47 5k. Shane Connor ran 16:06 from CB South in a surprise performance that I was impressed by.

Penncrest has go some bodies to work with for relays. They ran a nice 10:51 DMR uncontested without the Kazanjians I believe. They will likely run 7:55ish without the twins who can be solid 32 guys this year. Not sure what their health status is but they were clutch down the stretch in XC this past fall. Bensalem ran a solid 8 flat uncontested 4x8 but it was far from mind blowing. The story was more their sprinters than their distance crew. Qhyle Elijah looked fantastic from the results that I could see. I'm really impressed by CB East's 8:02 mark which should hopefully get them into Penn for the 4x8.

The 1500 was quite the fast event highlighted by Joe Logue moving up in distance to a very successful mark of 3:57 in the 1500, converting to roughly 4:14 for 1600m using milesplit conversions. Logue left a group of the states best milers in the dust including Kev James (4:02), James Zingarini (4:04), Curt Jewett (4:05) and Jeff Wiseman (4:10). The Wiseman experience was more of an experiment than anything, his sweet spot is the 800m. It is interesting now to consider what Logue will do moving forward this outdoor season. The 1600m could be his event to lose with his powerful kick and improving strength. He would join a field that outfront includes Tom Coyle and Jack Huemmler as well as possibly Tony Russell (who has the 32 to worry about). I think Logue will stay at 800 (maybe using his improved strength to dip down towards 1:50) but in a year when he is a senior he will have to consider the 16-8 double at outdoor states. It has rarely been successfully completed. Kevin James continues to run well, 4:02 is a very solid mark, right around 4:20 and he beat out Zingarini who is no joke of a miler. I would be intrigued to see Zingarini in a 3k or a 32 with his teammates Wilson and Emery, that may be more of his sweet spot. Although the guy has a bunch of 4:18-4:20 marks now in the books as well and in a strength race over 1600m can run with the best of them.

I'll tell you what I didn't see coming, the reemergence of Nick Smart. When he moved to O'Hara there was a lot of talk about his potential to improve the team in XC, and perhaps he received a little too much pressure. Now he has come out and dropped a sick 1:57 to start of the year beating a group that includes Kyle Francis and Brad Rivera. I'm not worried about the Bensalem guys because I know they will bounce back. In the 3k, Ross Wilson put on a great performance. He has never been someone afraid to push the pace and got a very nice mark that might be good enough to get into Penn. Sam Williams had a very nice mark as well in 8:41. That was no joke either. The NE Bradford guys will be in great shape this outdoors, this is the first outdoors they have had after that serious of an indoor season. Chris Berry had a nice bounce back race as well. 8:48 3k guy with a low 9:20s PR last spring. Gosh I'd hate to be a guy in the 32 in D1 right now. Chris Berry gets no love and is going to have to work his tail off to make states but he has some really impressive credentials. Wow.

PW Colonial Relays
Not too much to comment on but solid runs of the SOL American squads. Wissahickon a dominating 3:37 SMR and UD a solid 8:13 in the 4x8 to win by roughly 20 seconds. Stellato was under 2 for Wiss.

Still more meets to cover and I will continue to update tomorrow so stay tuned!

Altoona Igloo Invite
Interesting to see Williamsport with an 8:09 win over Kiski's 8:10, that's a big win for a relative unknown in Williamsport. Perhaps a sleeper pick down the line, we shall see. Herb Steely seems to be the member of the team to watch as far as individuals go. Altoona a solid 8:11 right with those two teams. Kiski is a sub 8 team in my mind, so anyway close by should see similar results in the coming weeks. It's nice to see Brent Kennedy is back to racing. A modest 4:29 for an easy win over teammate Tyler Snider (4:34) is a nice start to the year for him.

Haverford Invitational
To anyone who was watching the meet of champs 800, it probably wasn't a surprise to see this race out of Billy Cauldwell. He ran a sick 1:56.29 to beat out Jack Huemmler (1:57.08) in the 800m. This breakout race was a long time coming, and I don't expect this to be a fluke. Huemmler should continue to improve, the 1600 is his strongest event. Right behind these two were a couple newcomers to the game in Connor Holm (1:58.1) and Eli Mercado (1:58.3). Holm is leading a Radnor team that has quietly put together a pair of nice DMRs in the past couple weeks, winning with a sub 11 mark this week. Holm may be a guy on the verge of a breakout looking ahead. As for Mercado, I honestly never heard of him but 1:58 this early is no joke and he should be one to watch going forward if he continue to breakout.

Sick race by Adam Bodine to dominate the 1600m in 4:24. Bodine was a great XC guy that I kept a close eye on all indoors. He couldn't quite get the state SQS, but I'm sure that was all the more motivation to run hard this spring and it is paying off thus far with this big win. Bodine could be dangerous, especially at 3200m. Unfortunately, that race will be stacked so the 1600m may be a worthwhile investment in order to make states. Nice races by James Hare and Eric Murray who both ran to 4:28 times for Marple Newton and Father Judge respectively. Marple Newton had a pair of guys hit the district qualifying time this weekend which is worth noting (the other was Matt Moore in 1:59 in the 800m). And of course it is always a good sign when you can run 9:26 in the first weekend in April. Add it in the fact that Max Norris won his race by roughly 35 seconds, and it is clear that Max Norris is in great shape. The 3200m this year is going to be insane and Norris can hit something like 4:12 and 9:00 this year if all goes right. At Penn Norris may be in store for close to 8:20-8:22 if the race sets up nicely for him. That's one of the fastest 3ks in state history and would put him in state record talks.

South Hills Classic
Never count out the WPIAL, they always have guys, even people you have never heard of. No team exhibits this quality better than North Allegheny. After an XC season in which we watched NA go from a team of unknowns to a stud group of potential medalists, we now see the first of their breakout track performers as Mike Becich opens up the season in a 1:57.06 mark for NA to win the 800m over James Smith (1:58) and Dylan Wilhoite (1:59) of Upper Saint Claire and Penn Hills respectively. Smith was on the double from a 4:29 1600m. NA also had youngster Seamus Love at 2 flat. The two NA boys were seeded at just 2:02 and 2:04.

Moving up in distance, Dan Jaskowak appears to be returning to top form. The runner up at states twice a year ago in XC and outdoor track, now steps forward with a 4:23-9:34 double gold. But behind him in both races were a string of up and comers.

In the 1600m Ean DiSilvio had one of his best track races of his career. Always an XC power, DiSilvio dropped 4:26 and 9:47. He was seeded at just over 10:20 for the 3200m so he may not have even had a chance to run in the top heat. Tyler Palenchek from Gateway ran 4:28 and Cordon Luoco from NA ran 4:29. Possible 4x8 credentials for NA.

In the 3200m, we saw a slew of very solid early season times out of the WPIAL boys. Matt McGoey earned the silver behind Jaskowak in 9:35 and was chased hard by Ethan Louis (9:36), Josh Zemet (9:37) and Ryan Archer (9:38). The WPIAL 3200m is led by stud Ethan Martin and his twin Colin Martin, but the sophomore McGoey looks very good for this early in the season. If he can hang with the Martins he could find himself landing a massive PR by season's end.