Results 12/30

This post will be updated in the coming days as more meets are raced. I will make sure it is easy to tell the new result posts! And Happy New Years to All!

I was fairly underwhelmed by the girls side of the RJB Indoor Classic. In recent weeks as a whole we’ve seen some really fast times and I was hoping the trend would continue at the end of December. Kerry Lawlor ran a solid time of 2:25 for the win, but we didn’t see the races that were expected from Wilson, Weston, Wright, and Brosky. Not sure how the splits went, maybe they went out hard and it ended up hurting the field. I felt similarly about the mile. Anja Weiler got the win, which is no real surprise as she kicked it home. Maybe I over estimated Wismer and Stoudt. 

In the 3k Emily Schumaker ran away from the field to run a solid 10:55 for the win. 3/3 GV girls in these open races were very over seeded, not sure what’s up with that as well.

I was sad to see nobody go sub 2 in the 800, but it was a really solid win by Connor Holm, it seemed the XC strength is working out for him early on. O’Connell has always raced better in relays and I bet he splits 1:57 by the end of the year, so he’s on the right track, same with Kerkula. Tyrell Maddox is running strong for Del Val as well with a 2:02.27, I really underestimated him. But 9 guys sub 2:05 is impressive.

Jaxson Hoey does it again! Man this kid is a total stud. I knew he had it in XC, but I was slightly doubtful that it would translate well on the track, and I will not do that again. Big time win for the young man in 4:26.81, almost two seconds over Billy Caldwell and Austin Cooper. Really glad all 3 guys got the SQS. Cooper struggled in the 3k last weekend and I wasn’t overly impressed with Caldwell in XC, but they both brought it this weekend and this could be their race. They both are probably in sub 2 shape as well. I like Watson Hanson got the Q as well, but just barely. I think he and Holm can do big things in that DMR, as they ran 11:08 on the double (anyone know their 800 leg?, since I assumed Holm runs the 1200). Garton isn’t a big surprise as he’s more of a 800 guy, but I like the 4:32, that’s a solid mark for him. Ryan Tung continues to impress running 4:32 as well.

As for Colin Abert he has been extremely sick in the past few weeks which had led to a rough patch of training. I’m not worried about him at all as I’m sure he’ll get back in the swing of things. Maybe he won’t make a huge splash indoors, but I have no doubt he’ll still medal in the Mile. 

The 3k came out really well as expected! Big win by Brophy as he ran 8:58. He was 6^th at states, so I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised, but out kicking Belfatto is impressive. I’m excited to see how low he can go and I would love to see he and Hoey battle it out in a 3k later this season (States???). Behind him Casey Comber ran really strong for 9:02. I’d like to see him get some more speed as the season goes on to help him medal in the 3k at states, but he’ll be a threat for sure. I’ve been a bit underwhelmed by Belfatto this season as a whole, and maybe that’s a bit too critical, but I feel as though he’s got a ton of potential as a 1:57 sophomore split and then running 9:22 in XC for 2 Miles, but since then he hasn’t shown nearly as much improvement. Hopefully he can find his niche this season. 

Behind them Ryan Grace was solid in 9:13 and maybe at a fast MoC race he could go sub 9, but I think it’s more likely we’ll see him as a DMR anchor or possibly in the 4x800. Lapsansky was solid as well in 9:19 in no-mans-land. Poor Billy McDevitt seemed to be a bit over his head early on and blew up as a result which is tough, but I’m glad he put himself out there. 

On the sprint relay side Cheltenham proved they are back in business as the spring powerhouse of PA taking down Pennsbury in both the 4x2 and the 4x4 which really impressed me. They’ll be blazing up the track all season!

On the Distance relay side, I would love to find out how Penncrest did in the DMR as the DQ’d for Jewelry, which really grinds my gears. I’m not a fan of the strict rules that are enforced indoors, but what can you do. If anyone has splits please let me know on the site or through e-mail at fk246898@muhlenberg.edu (this goes for all races/relays). They had a nice go at the 4x8 state time but just fell short. Malvern Prep boys got a nice double in as well running 8:36. CRS came up big for the DMR win in 10:56, but nobody got close to the Q which is a shame. Not sure who ran for GV, Pennsbury, or NP, but we didn’t see Willig in the 3k which worries me. I see a lot of potential in these teams, and I believe running ~11:00 in December bodes well for any squad. As I said before I really like Radnor as well. 

--ForrestCRN

Robert J. Burdette Indoor Classic Meet Preivew (Boys&Girls)

I am totally stoked for the Robert J. Burdette Indoor Classic. To me the individual distance events get better as you scroll down, so this will be a bit of a buildup post. Here is the Performance List: http://pa.milesplit.com/meets/155789/attachment/279229

Starting with the 800m I’m pretty excited about the group of guys racing. Liam O’Connell rarely races open events so I’m excited if he can pull away with the victory. Connor Holm could be a big breakout guy on the track this season so watch out for him. He ran 1:56 last outdoor season, but made huge leaps in XC placing 53^rd at States and he ran 16:04 at Districts. That’s a solid amount of strength as he ran very well on hills and I like how that can translate to the 800 and possibly the Mile later in the season. Maddox seems to be seeded a bit high, since his PR is only 2:01 that he ran this summer at AAU.  Hopefully Dan Ferraiolo for Malvern Prep can have a bounce back race in the 800. Other sleepers that I like to win are Ramsey Kerkula of Upper Darby who is their anchor from last season’s  4x8 team, he runs strong and likes to go out hard so he’ll be in the mix with 200 to go. Also look out for Eli Mecado of Boyertown who’s got nice 800m speed and Pat Hopkins of Methacton, those boys always run well on the track. I think the winner will be sub 2, but I don’t think anyone else will dip under, but still a solid field this early that we can look for later. I really like Kerkula for 3^rd right behind O’Connell and Holm for the win. 

Wow, look at this Mile field! Colin Abert and Jaxson Hoey banging it out? Are you kidding me? Boy am I excited to see these two young guns battle, and that’s not all! Billy Caldwell of DT East is coming off a solid XC season and he’s got a 4:20 PR to his name and the best 800m speed of the group. Behind him is another 800m man in Dave Garton from Perk Valley. He ran 3:22 last weekend for 1200 which didn’t impressive me too much, but a few weeks later I believe he’ll be able to handle that pace. Watson Hanson is another breakout guy from Radnor who I really like. He didn’t run as well at Districts for XC as his teammate Holm (was 16:26), but has a 4:25 1600m PR and should be able to stick with this group. Ryan Tung of NP had a solid race for 3k last weekend and was sub 16 at districts, so expect good things from him, along with Jae Kim and Austin Cooper. I think we’ll see that top 3 all sub 4:30 pretty easily. I have no doubt Abert is pissed after getting 3^rd a few weekends ago and will hammer out ~4:27 (his seed) for the win. I’m not sure what to expect from Hoey out on the track, he’s got a kick as we saw out at Singer Farms, but I think Caldwell gets him at the end. Look for just under 4:30 for those guys. Kim and Tung could surprise up front as well. 

And now onto the 3k, and what a stacked field we have! Matt Willig is making his comeback appearance and maybe I’m too hype over him, but I think he could go sub 9 with the help of this field. Jake Brophy should be able to dip under 9 minutes and he and Casey Comber will battle it out up front. The two are SOL Continental rivals and won’t let the other one get away. Jim Belfatto never shies away from the front either and I have no doubt will be right there the whole race. And don’t forget about Ryan Grace and Billy McDevitt. Grace is a 15:47 5k guy so 9 flat is definitely possible and McDevitt was 44^th at regionals and seems to be more of a track guy, so I think he’ll be able to hang in there. The only thing that would have made my more excited for this race would have been a sophomore battle between Hoey and Brophy.

All of this being said, how will the race play out?? I see Comber and Brophy rolling out in 2:55 through the 1k with Belfatto on their backs; Willig, McDevitt, and Grace in a chase pack around 3 flat. Through the 2k the top pack continues to pull away being around 5:57 with the second pack around 6:05. In the last 400m Comber will probably fall back as Belfatto and Brophy really start to kick it in, and I think Belfatto takes the win in 8:54.8 to Brophy’s 8:56.1. Comber will hang on for the Q in 8:58.9. I depending on how good of shape Willig is in, he could close well and run ~9:05, but I see Grace and McDevitt around 9:10 to 9:15. Behind them I like Colby Geary of TV to lead the ‘3^rd’ pack with 5 or 6 guys running between 9:18 and 9:25. Don’t sleep on Jeff Kirshenbaum and Kevin Lapansky, both are sophomores, and like to put themselves out there. I think both can break 9:20 on this fast day.

Wow! With so much excitement in the open events, what will we see in the relays?

First off, I’d like to mention the 4x2, where Pennsbury and Cheltenham will battle it out. Both teams have run crazy fast times early this season at the armory, and I’m hype to see them getting together on the quick mondo track at Lehigh. DVC is seeded at 1:30 as well, but I don’t think they’ll be able to hang. I would recommend watching that for an awesome race.

For the 4x8 Penncrest and Bonner are shooting for the SQS as they’re putting really strong teams out on the track. I be the Kazanjian twins will be working hard at the faster event not that track has rolled around. Don’t sleep on Malvern Prep or Pennsbury, I’m not sure who will be doubling for either team, but they could be strong up front as well. This is one of the last events of the day however so most teams will be on the double. I think Penncrest is the only team who could get the SQS and it'll be tough for them. This race seems to be more of a workout for the teams entered.

The SMR is rarely run, but I see Pennsbury taking the win handily. With Alec Sauer not racing an open even, I bet he’ll be anchoring this team of very strong sprinters who will be coming off the 4x2. Not sure who Bonner has racing as their seeded first at 3:40, but Joe Sullivan (1:56.94) should be anchoring them.

Finally we have the DMR where 8 teams are ranking at 11 flat or faster! CR South should be lead off by Jeff Wiseman (my bet at least) which I would personally love to see. I think I’d be good for him to move up in events on occasion and this is perfect for him. GV will load up with Zatlin and Doran on the anchor/lead (not sure which on each spot, but that’s my guess) and hopefully we’ll see the Kazanjian twins lead/anchor their team as well with Evan Emanuel and Colin Myers taking the 800 and 400 leg’s respectively. The DMR is before the 4x8, and I’d love to see this squad double for a workout and I have no doubt they could so sub 10:50. RC has Matt Brown to anchor who had a big breakout XC season, but also has a 4:30 1600 PR to his name. Don’t sleep on what Cardinal O’Hara could put together, I have no idea who they’ll run (maybe Smart/James combo), but if that’s the case, I don’t know why they’re only seeded at 10:55. Either way this team has the most potential and I think there is a chance the MR of 10:41 goes down! I would guess 1 or two teams hits the SQS, but 5 will find themselves sub 11.

On the girls side I like the 800m battle between Hanna Brosky (awesome last name btw) from Emmaus and Lawren Wright of PW. Wright ran a swift 600 just two weeks ago at the armory and we’ll see how it translates to Lehigh’s track, but I think she can break 2:20. Brosky is seeded at 2:18, but hasn’t run anything too stellar yet this season, although a 42.66 300 and then on the double a 3:11 1k does get my attention. Both of these girls are 4/8 runners than 800/Milers, which will make for a good battle and the winner will most likely run 2:18. Behind them Jada Wilson has already gotten the Q for the 800m and is now looking to dip under 2:22. With 4 other girls seeded at 2:24 or better we should see a few more Q’s out of this group.

For the Mile Tabitha Wismer opens her Lehigh season after running a solid 1k in 3:12 last weekend at the BL Games. Her seed seems a bit overboard for me, but she should get the Mile Q of 5:23. Mikayla Stoudt from Parkland is a dark horse to watch. Just yesterday she doubled a 5:30/11:06. Later in the season she should be a threat, since she ran 5:09 as just a freshman last year and placed 14^th at states this XC season. Anja Weiler is opening up her season and has a 5 flat PR under her belt and will be challenging Wismer for the win. All 3 young ladies should dip under the Q and if Wismer and Weiler go at it hard early we could see a new state lead.

In the 3k Haley Quinn, Emily Schumaker, and Jenna Reimer will all be looking to push the pace a bit to try and dip under the SQS of 10:45. I think Quinn just misses it and the other two ladies fall off the time around the 2k mark. 

Much like on the Boys side, the Girls 4x8 seems to be a workout for most of these teams as the DMR is stacked. I am excited to see how the NP girls do when coming off the DMR or if it’s a totally different squad that’s shooting for sub 10. 

DMR: This is by far the most stacked race on the ladies side and I’m really excited for the results. Great Valley is putting all their big guns in with a seed of 12:30! North Penn and DTown East will be battling again much like they did two weeks ago at the DVGTCA Meet #2 when they both got the Q. SCHA will be joining in the fun as well. Terri Turner is a very strong leg for them and I bet she gets the lead by running the 1200. They have a great 400 leg in Brooklyn Broadwater and I like Jamie Costarino on the anchor. They’ll need someone else to step up into the 800 role however. Although GV girls haven’t had the best start to their season I really like Anna Willig on the anchor and Elise Claffery hanging with Turner on the 1200 leg. They’re strong all the way around and I think they win in 12:46 with NP right behind in 12:48.

Extra Note: RESULTS!

The Wm. H. Emrey Christmas City Relays is new to me, but some solid runners showed up: (Full results here http://pa.milesplit.com/meets/155234/results/279231/raw)

On the boys side Joe Logue solo’d a 1:58.17 to get his 800m qualifying time in which is great to see. If you’re like me and were wondering, who is North Warren?, they’re a team from NJ, so no need to worry about Charlie Eiserle, but that’s a nice time of 9:15 for the senior. Back to PA guys I wasn’t super impressed by Ben Ziegler as he only ran 9:24 for second place, I really would have like to see him win the race, but the District 11 teams always end up running much better outdoors than indoors, so I’m not worried. 

On the girls side I am ecstatic about Paige Stoner’s double of 5:19.65 in the Mile (win by 8 seconds) into a 10:35 3k! That’s really great to see this early and I have no doubt she’s on the hunt for some high placing finishes at the state meet. Usually I would say she’s got a shot at top 3 no doubts, but with the strength of PA girls this season, nothing is for curtain, but keep her on your radar for sub 10 in the future potentially.

 

Best of luck to everyone tomorrow!

Also, on the 30^th will be parts 2, and 3 for the year and part 4 will be out the 31^st, so look out for those. I will not be attending the RJB Indoor Classic as I will be travelling to CT.

--ForrestCRN

2013 A Year In Review - Part 1 of 4

2013 – A year in Review!

Now I know that the year is not yet over, but I had some extra time during this nice holiday break to write up a review on the 2013 year! Before I begin, I would like to apologize to the female viewing audience. I did not follow much of the female scene last year and I didn’t believe I could do the year justice for all of you. That being said, let’s get down to it!

January

January is usually a down month for runners as the winter track season is just getting started, but we did see some strong results from around PA. Ross Wilson showed some early speed during 4:29 in the Mile to beat out Sam Webb, Alec Brand, Connor Quinn, and Chris Berry in one of the best races to hit the TFCAofGP scene, while later that day the LaSalle squad showed just how good they would be in the DMR running a blazing 10:33 for a meet record on just January 5^th. . . Talk about starting the right! 

Just a few weeks later the Henderson and GTF squads traveled up to Yale with Great Valley to run some fast 3k’s. Tony Russell placed second in 8:38.01, while Sami Aziz and Reiny Barchet also ran some quick times of 8:49 and 8:51 to boot! Lyle Wistar won the slower heat in 8:47 and his quick pace helped Seamus Collins qualify for states in 8:59.15! Behind them we saw 7 other PA runners break 9:10. The next day at Kevin Dare the PA boys who stayed in state wouldn’t be outdone with Logue and Kunzweiler battling in the 800m for 1:56.60 and 1:57.61 respectively while Jack Huemmler broke Wade Endress’ mile MR in a 4:20.74 effort. Jon Colwell shocked the PA scene as he dropped a 8:45 3k out of seemingly nowhere! Things were very bright for PA early. The next day CRN showed some strong DMR potential running 10:38.9.

On that same weekend I opened my collegiate running career with a heat victory in a fantastic 2:10.16 leading start to finish. Wow I am slow!

February

The PCL Championships proved to be the first big meet in Febuary with LaSalle and O’Hara battling it out on the distance side in every event with Tom Coyle running a 4:20, 8:46 for the double gold! Dan Savage showed off his 3k prowess as well with an 8:48 for second. LaSalle came out on top 136 to 99. Just 4 days later Cumberland Valley ran 10:29.90 for a new state lead in the DMR to show they too were a relay threat. 

Right before the state meet were the Meet of Champions on both the east and the west sides of PA. On the east side, O’Hara ran 10:27 to overtake CV’s DMR state lead, while James Zingarini and Ross Wilson took victories in the Mile and 3k respectively. Out west the Martin Twins threw down 8:47 and 8:51 3k’s to show the state that they were no joke.

It’s now February 23^rd, time for the PA State meet. Distance was started off in the Mile with Jack Huemmler recovering from a poor showing at the Millrose games running 4:17.95 with a big kick for the victory as he grabbed his first state title! Russell, Coyle, and Zingarini followed all running sub 4:21. 

Brad Rivera ran what could be seen as the most impressive performance of the day leading wire to wire in the 800m with a fantastic time of 1:52.43, a race that could easily be argued as his best of the year. Christian Sanders finished off his amazing indoor season with a second place finish out leaning the lean champion, Jeff Wiseman, for second place. 

Max Norris continued his comeback running 8:28 off of a massive kick to take the win in the 3k. The race was lead out by Ross Wilson and Tony Russell as they went through in 60 and then 4:30 through the Mile allowing the top 8 to break 8:45 in the deepest 3k field PA has ever seen. Both runners paid for it however placing 8^th and 9^th respectively. XC studs Martin, Savage, Quinn and Shearn all showed they could run fast in February after extended XC seasons. 

Bensalem made the 4x8 win seem easy as Rivera ran a solid double and Kyle Francis blew away the field running a 27 last 200 for the win. The DMR saw a battle of the milers as LaSalle, CRN, and Strath Haven’s Coyle, Zingarini, and Huemmler all came off the double to anchor their squads putting out very strong efforts to all run under 10:21! In the end Coyle’s kick brought home the team victory to hold off charging runners. Mac Emery came off mono to split 3:09 in the 1200, shocking many as he was thought to be a pure distance guy.

March

After such a fantastic (and deep!) indoor track state meet it was only fitting for PA to show off at the national stage.

The kicker Max Norris was out dueled  in the 5k, but placed second in 14:55 none the less! Ben Ritz won his heat of the Mile in 4:14.67 just missing that top 8, finishing 9^th overall. 

Ethan Martin came back off his 8:33 3k to run 9:16 in the 2 mile, proving that it was no fluke and he would be a major threat outdoors in the 3200.

Despite all of this success, PA made the biggest splashes in the relays. In the 4xMile CRN opened the day running 17:40 in a solo effort out of the slowest of 3 heats. In the end this would hold out to be strong enough for 9^th, causing them to just miss All-American. In the fast heat, O’Hara mixed it up out front the entire race, placing 3^rd in 17:25! Tony Russell however ran his best race of the year bring his team back from inside the pack as he challenged for and took the lead with 600m to go. His 4:10 split would not be enough to hold off CBA as Jack Boyle charged home for the victory. Henderson finished in 17:23.43 for second place. Cardinal O’Hara doubled back in the DMR running 10:13.13 making a statement to LaSalle that they were the best DMR squad in the state. This statement, as we will see later on, is answered at Penn Relays. All in all it was a great set up towards the outdoor season.

Before the month could end, Kevin James and Ben Ritz met at the Pennsylvania Track Classic on the 30^th with James outlasting Ritz in the 3200, running a very fast 9:15.72! Ritz ran 9:19, while Jack Macualey of NP came off injury to run 9:24 for 3^rd place. I was also able to open up my outdoor season in a solid 2:12! Luckily I didn't run that poorly for too long.

Look out for parts 2, 3, and 4 in the coming days and Happy Holidays to All!

--ForrestCRN

Weekend Result's 12/21

State College HS Invitational #1

Well needless to say I’m extremely impressed by Will Cather’s 50.9 400m time! That is incredibly fast for a sprinter let alone an XC state Medalist! Cather has ridiculous range and reminds me quite a bit like Wade Endress in that manner. He doubled back in 9:23 which isn’t too bad either. He went sub 9 in the 3k last season and I have no question he could do that again.

State College also dominated the 800m with Kyle Adams winning in 1:59.4! He won by 6 seconds and really pushed himself.  He wasn’t their top XC guy, but clearly the speed is still there from last season. 

The Mile was won by Matt Beyerle, also of State College in 4:39, which is a pretty solid mark early for this guy. He’ll be one of many fighting for those final spots in the 4x8 behind Cather and Adams.

In the 3k we saw Brad Foust doubling back (from the 4x8) with Cather winning in a 9:20 effort. Not super impressed by the mark, but they went out in 4:55 and just chilled it out after they released SQS wasn’t really possible at that point. Both guys have big futures in the distance events and I hope to see them in the Mile next meet. Golembeski and Milligan looked strong as well running 9:33 and 9:34. Milligan is only a sophomore, so I’m very excited about his future. I’d love to see Golembeski in the Mile or 800 *but really he should run the 1200!

In the 4x8 Altoona battled with the 5-8 guys of State College to run 8:21 and 8:22! State College could easily send 2 4x8 teams to states if that were possible this season. They’re at the beginnings of reminding me of Abington from a few years ago when they put two teams on the track sub 8. They’ve got a while, but the extraordinary depth this early is impressive. 

DVGTCA Indoor Meet #2

In the open 800 Maddie Villalba of CB West ran a very strong solo time of 2:17.83 to easily grab an SQS, beating Jada Wilson of Upper Merion (2:23.59) quite handily, but Wilson also got herself the SQS. This is the top time in the state by .02 seconds!

Kaelyn Heineke of CR North won the Mile over a strong field in 5:15.86, beating out Amy Kelly of O’Hara (5:18), and Marissa Sheva  of Pennridge (5:20) all of which got the SQS. Olivia Sargent (Pennsbury – 5:24) just missed it placing 4^th. I’m a bit surprised to see Sheva running so early in the season after contracting Mono during the end  of XC, but it’s good to see her back and running strong again. She should drop a lot of time as the season goes on, but Heineke seems to be a big threat and now as Q’s in both the 800 and Mile. She’ll be one to watch.

The DMR was blazing with Pennsbury running a very quick 12:42, easily dipping under the SQS early in the season. They helped bring along CB East, North Penn, and DTown East all to the SQS as well! It’s really fantastic to see so many teams running sub 13 this early in the season. CB South was just .9 seconds off of the time as well. Hopefully we’ll see some of these squads out in the Armory later in the year for some even faster times before states!

TFCAofGP Meet #2 – Division 1

It was nice going to see the Division one side of the Meet, and I’m sorry I couldn’t stay for the second one, but we saw some good races. 

3 of the state’s best 800m runners banged it out with Jeff Wiseman of CR South coming out on top running 1:57.09 for the win! John Lewis of Chltenham was second in 1:57.19 and Kyle Francis was 3^rd in 2:00.90 (just missing the SQS). Behind them was Rob Simmons of CR North hitting 2:01.71. I was really stoked about this race with Wiseman and Lewis battling up front the whole time. I was surprised that Francis held back as much as he did, as he even split the race, while the top two went out in 58. Really even al the way around for everyone and just shows how good this year will be in that event. I’m starting to think Francis will move up to the Mile this season however. 

Nothing too special in the Mile or 3k, but Andrew Hanna of CR South won in 4:37 which is pretty solid for the sophomore who lead wire to wire. In the 3k, Matt Aham benefited off a quick pace from Brian Arita (2:23 first 800, 3:00 first 1k) winning in 9:23. Steve Hanna of CR South also ran very strong, planning a nice kick the last 800m from 5^th place to finish second in 9:24. Arita paid for his early leading running 9:30. 

Upper Darby seems to be back again this year in the 4x8, running a solid 8:26 for the win, which starts their season off nicely. I was impressed by CR South who went 8:29.99 without Wiseman or either Hanna who will be solid legs. With no trials I don’t see why they won’t qualify and run that relay at states. They could be a dark horse for sub 8:10, especially since Wiseman could double back for an easy 1:55 leg. Another quick note is Casey Comber (HH) split ~2:05.8 for the 4x8. He was in the lead off leg in the slow heat and had a huge lead by the end. It’s good to see him getting in some speed for the 3k.  

In the DMR Pennridge won in 11:02 over North Penn (11:04) which are very solid races this early in the season. Joe Logue split 3:14 for 1200 which is pretty solid this time of year and he looked very smooth doing it. Dave Garton of Perk Valley and Ryan Tung of NP were behind him splitting ~3:21. I didn’t expect Tung to have that type of speed this early and with Grace as the anchor this team should easily be able to qualify later in the season.

 TFCAofGP Meet #2 Division 2

I’ll start off with the most impressive result, Chris Cummings dropping a solo 8:50 for the 3k! I’m not sure if he took a break after XC (I doubt it), so he won’t be back in this shape until later January, but that’s a great mark this early. Glad to see him pushing it. I think he’ll be sub 8:40 by the end of the season. Kris Lizins from TV came in 2^nd in 9:24 which impressed me from the young gun.

Jonathan Perlman won the Mile in a fairly solo effort of 4:38, but I expected a bit more after his stellar XC season. It does get him into MoC’s which is good. 

XC stud Chris Kazanjian is back and running the 800 again, placing 4^th in 2:06.4, I really hope he runs the 3k at some point this season, but we’ll see. Dan Ferrailolo is a 1:55 guy who opened in 2:04.7, but if Malvern Prep wants to run some fast relays he’ll be a key for them, so that time will need to drop. 

Radnor took the win in a fast battle in the DMR winning in 11:02 over challengers Malvern Prep (11:03) and Penn Charter (11:06). I’d love to know the legs and splits for all of these teams if anyone has them! All 3 teams have SQS potential for sure if they’re running low 11’s this early.

Bishop Loughlin Games

On the girls side Crosby Spiess of GV ran 1:38.38 to place 7^th in the 600m dash. That transfers to about a 2:17 low, while Lawren Wright of Pennwood ran 1:38.91 to place 9^th overall. It is a banked track so the times will be a bit faster, but they’re solid times this early as the two girls went head to head in heat #2. 

The rest of the GV girls didn’t have as good of a day with Elise Claffey running 5:25, just missing the SQS, and Anna Willig running 12:20 for 2-Miles.

Christian Kardish (HGP) really impressed me running 4:29 in the Mile to open up his season. It’s been a rough for seasons for Kardish, but maybe this will be the start of a big campaign from the recent Harvard commit. Behind him were O’Connell and Sauer of Pennsbury running 4:32.34 and 4:33.79 a piece for 16^th and 17^th. I really like that they’re running fast this early, and will need to carry the Pennsbury distance squad since Webb is injured. They’ll have a strong DMR is my bet with Charles Snorweah running 34.88 to die to 5^th in the 300m dash which is incredibly fast. 

In the 2 Mile Andrew Marston had a tough time translating his recent XC success to the track running 10:03 which was good for 14^th of 18. I’m not sure if he went out too hard and felt it pace later one, because Kyle Levermore won in 9:15 (he’s an 8:55 guy). That does translate into a PR for him however so I'm not worried at all. I think he'll be able to drop under 9 minutes for 3k by the end of the season. Remember it's a full 2 miles or 3218m. Sam Ritz however ran fairly well as he's back in his element running 9:44.76 to take 9th place. He didn't have a strong XC season, but it seems as though he is much better on the track and it's showing already.

--ForrestCRN

Splits are always encouraged as well! :)