Weekday Meet Results!

BOYS DELCO CHAMPIONSHIPS

Upper Darby really impressed me in the mid-distances going 1-2 in the 400m dash was Donovan St. Louis and Shua McLean running 52.15 and 53.14. Then in the 800 Ramsey Kerkula took second place in 2:01.42. I like him as an anchor and from watching him race a few times he always looks much better with a baton in his hand. Gregory Dix placed 5^th in 2:05.41 which isn’t a great result for him, but it seems as though the heat went out slow. I’d love to know what it went out in (400m split)

Nick Smart won the 800m in an SQS of 2:00.27 which is pretty solid. Based on other times it probably went out slow meaning he’s got some real strength on him. I’d have to guess he’s in 1:57 shape right now. Connor Holm placed 3^rd in 2:03.69 which is surprising to me. He’s been racing very well lately and should be in sub 2 shape given a good pace. The most shocking result however was Kevin James’ 2:04.81 putting him in 4^th place! Last season at this meet he doubled a 4:22.80 Mile into PR of 8:54.25 for the 3k while this season he went 4:29.02 to win the Mile and came back in 2:04. I’m not sure if he got injured or was just taking it easy at this meet, but after their 7:58 4x8 that was seeded at 7:50 I’m starting to worry the O’Hara boys aren’t in as good shape as expected. This is a smaller meet this year however since LaSalle is no longer loaded, but still, I’m a bit surprised by the slow times.

James may have made the Mile a kickers race as second place was Joe Sullivan who grabbed the Mile SQS in 4:30.53. He’s been having a pretty solid season so far and could be a medal contender in the open 800m. Connor Holm took 3^rd in 4:36 while he’s teammate Watson Hanson went 4:44. If they want to make noise in the DMR they’ll need to drop some time. My hope is this is an up week for the Radnor team and they’re tired from workouts. 

I liked what I saw from Rob Morro of O’Hara however who ran 4:38 which is a pretty solid time for a sophomore. Alex Kim of Haverford and James Hare continued to improve by a bit of time both running low 4:37.

In the 3k we saw a win from the freshman Ryan James in a solid time of 9:30.25putting him 8 seconds ahead of a solid runner in Ryan Rastatter. There were 5 guys between 9:38 and 9:46 meaning James must have put some time on them towards the last 1k or just solo’d the race, either one being quite impressive. I’d love to see him race the 3k at another meet to try and qualify for the MoC’s. 

Poreda Invitational 

Ross Wilson looked strong running 4:26.65 winning by 6 seconds. He hasn’t run the 3k yet this season but there is obviously still time and he’s still getting back into it. I think he’s got low 4:20 potential if he gets into a fast race as well. Jake Brophy continued a good season placing 3rd in 4:32.88. I can’t wait for him to run the 3k again and I’m thinking he could be in sub 8:50 shape by states.

In the girls Mile was saw a big win by Kaelyn Heinicke in 5:06.28 over Meridith Twomey (PB) who ran 5:23.37. Heinicke has been running really strong all season, but PA is so loaded this year in the Mile I think she’ll go 800 to try and grab the highest medal spot possible. Behind them freshman Tate Dawson looked pretty good in a 5:29.04 effort for 4^th place. She’s young and clearly is better the longer the distance, but the speed will come and I’m excited for her future.

Bensalem went 8:18.92 in the 4x800 after running 10:42.20 in the DMR. I think the DMR is by far their stronger even, mostly because Francis on the Mile or 1200 leg will do more damage than he will anchoring their 4x8. 10:42 is a strong time as well and they could sneak in for a medal spot with only one guy on the double. They may have lost 3/4ths of their 4x8 from last season, but they’ve rebuilt quickly and look strong again this season.

Speaking of the DMR how about HGP running 10:34.58!! That’s a huge result for this squad and clearly Kardish is back in the swing of things. If they run this relay fresh it’s got top 4/5 potential depending on which teams runs the relay, especially if they’re all fresh they could make a splash with a sub 10:30 effort. Kardish could medal in the Mile however, but HGP guys often double back strong. . . think Ryan Horgan back in 2012 going 1:54/3:07.

CRS surprised me running 10:52.73 which misses the SQS. I really thought Wiseman could run a strong 1200m, but I think the 800 is his max distance really since he trains so mid-distance heavy. Also Hanna and Bogg’s seasons’ have slowed down the past couple of weeks and I’m thinking that many of the CR South team peaked a bit early. I would love to see them try again to get the SQS and Meet of Champions would be a great opportunity for them to bounce back.

--ForrestCRN

Millrose High School field!

Hey guys, it's RTJ here. Forrest has a lot on his plate right now and has asked me to fill in for a little while. He will be back as soon as he can. I remember what the pledging process was like and I sincerely hope the odds are ever in your favor, Forrest. The best six weeks you'll NEVER want to do again. With that being said, let's get to the stuff you guys wanna hear about: Track.

The Millrose field was finally announced and it is looking impressive to say the least. I cannot remember the last time PA has had this many athletes attending the games in such a variety of events. Let's start with the glamour event: The mile.

No PA boys have qualified or been invited to the mile, but not to worry because there are still four invitations left. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Zach Brehm, Sam Ritz, or Tony Russell among the invite list in a few weeks. Sadly, Russell has allegedly stated that he will not be running in the games and will run in the New Balance Grand Prix instead, leaving Ritz and Brehm to represent the guys out there. I think Russell will change his mind if he gets the auto bid since they are a week apart. With the current field, Luke Gavigan is the leader with a 4:15 to his name, but don't count out Sean Kelly who has the fastest 1600 and 800 in 4:09 and 1:52, respectively. He lost to Gavigan at the Millrose Games Trials, but that race will be a whole month before the Millrose Games. As of now, Sean Kelly is the most dangerous guy in the field.

The 4x800 gets interesting with State College, O'Hara, and Penncrest getting invitations! I am very excited to see a fully fresh State College and O'Hara race, it will definitely be a great race. With Cather and Adams fresh I can see this squad going sub 7:53, which is a huge accomplishment for any team during indoors. O'Hara will hold their own as well with a fresh Belfatto. With James and Smart getting some speed under their belts from last week's 4x800, this team is also a sub 7:55 squad. Last, but certainly not least, Penncrest. This school is known for their middle distance relay success. Their coaches know how to produce great 400-800 runners and I think it will show with them running very close to 8:00. With their 8:03 last week, going way under their seed time, they should have the confidence to run with the big guns and get pulled slightly under 8:00.

We even had a few sprinters make the cut with Christian Brissett in the 55m, Cheltenham and Del Valley Charter qualifying for the 4x200 with Pennsbury and North Penn being the first two alternates!

To accompany the boys we have  Kennedy Weisner, Marissa Sheva, Mady Clahane, and Tessa Barrett all qualifying for the mile in the same race, wow. Great Valley and CB South qualified for the 4x800. Chanel Brissett and Desia Pressley qualifying for the 55, and Cheltenham qualifying for the 4x200, with Overbrook an alternate. Last, but not least, Kennedy Shank qualifying for the Pole Vault.

All-in-all, PA should be very proud of their accomplishment. Qualifying 16 individuals and relays, with 3 alternates potentially making it. More could be added to the count since the mile has 8 more people to invite still; four girls and four boys. Like I said, I'd expect Brehm, Ritz, or Russell to receive an invite. I'd also expect Brianna Schwartz and potentially Greta Linsley to get an invite.

For some quick Alumni action going on: Indoor State Champ, Haneef Hardy, ran a 48.7 and 2:00.55. XC State medalist Alex Izewski ran a 15:19.09. Ben Ravetz, Will Kellar, Dan Savage, Jeff Seelaus, James Zingarini, and Pete Sisson ran 8:21, 8:29, 8:47, 8:52.28, 8:52.54, and 8:55, respectively. Ned Willig ran 2:22 in the 1k. Last, but not least, Nate McClafferty and Alec Kunzwiler ran 4:09 and 4:13 in the mile. Good to see our stars from the past still doing well in college.

-RTJ

More Weekend Results!

Hey guys, things on my side have been super busy as I have just started the pledging process. I may not have as much time to blog in the next week or so as I am trying to figure out how my new schedule will work out. I am sorry for not being here the past two days, honestly I haven’t opened my computer for anything other than homework since Saturday afternoon. I’m going to try and do a video on Friday if that’s in the cards. 

I am glad to see that some PA guys out to the Youngstown Meet #2 so I’ll talk about that now.

Dylin Wilhoite of Penn Hills opened his season very well with a 1:59.87 to win the open 8 over District 7 rival Marcus Smail (1:56 guy). I wasn’t sure how much of Smail we would see this indoor season but his 2:00.50 opening is a very good sign. Wilhoite is going to be a beast this indoor season I have no doubt and although Wiseman, Cather, Lewis, and Logue seem to be on another level altogether, Wilhoite could surprise. Penn Hill’s has a history of putting out big time 800m guys and I think Wilhoite can be a threat.

Seneca Valley’s Mike Kolor had a very solid double running 4:35 for 1600m and 2:04 for 800m. Nothing crazy, but he’s got the potential to grab that SQS at a later weekend. 

Hopefully next weekend we’ll get to see the Martin twins opening up their seasons. 

At the New Balance Games I was quite impressed with freshman Seth Slavin’s 10:05 for a full 2 Mile. He beat out Dan Shalala (still has an amazing name) who ran 10:09 and ran very well in XC. Slavin is a real talent for us to keep an eye on. If he’s in this type of shape now I have no doubt he could break 9:40 for 3200m towards the end of outdoors, putting him in very strong company.

O’Hara looked strong in the 4x8 running 7:58.76 for the win. We didn’t see anything killer from them, but I think the DMR is a better overall event for them. State College went 7:57 with 3 guys on the doubt and O’Hara’s only guy on the double was Belfatto who placed 9^th in the Invitational Mile in 4:25.42 which is pretty solid for him. I still think the 1200 is his ideal distance and I like Kevin James anchoring their DM. Clearly they’re a top tier relay squad so I’m picking hairs here. They should easily be able to go top 2 to 3 in whatever relay they choice with the depth and pieces they have. They’re B and C relays did not fare as well, both teams running 8:48. This shows some solid depth all around from the team, but they were clearly seeded a bit fast.

Behind them was a fantastic time for Penncrest in 8:03! I wasn’t sure why they were seeded at 8:24, but I’m glad they got into a fast race. I’d love to know the splits for those guys to see if both Kazanjian’s were in the race. Looks as though they’ll be looking for a top 5 medal spot at states and they’ve got pretty even splits all around which is good to see.

Abington ran pretty solid grabbing the SQS in 8:12. It’s nice to see them on the upswing and they should be under 8:10 by states, although often times they peak a bit too early. Either way if the relays get slow they could sneak in for a medal. Upper Darby ran 8:19 which was a bit disappointing since they seemed to be ready to break 8:10. They did peak well last season however and are still an outside medal threat in my opinion.

Jeff Wiseman of CR South looked really great running 1:21.07 which was good enough for 3^rd place. I’m sure he took it out hard, but he’s got some work to do with Logue and Cather going out in 1:24 through 600 this weekend. I think he could have gone 1:54 with them this weekend. He’s got the best lean in the state and you can never count him out for the win.

RTJ was spot on with his prediction for the O’Hara girls as they went 12:15.91 in the DMR which puts them at a new PA #1 and placed them 3^rd in the race. They’re looking really strong as a relay team and I think they’ll be all fresh unless Kelly runs the Mile. Behind them Garnet Valley had a nice repeat performance running 12:41. They’re a legit team and were in no man’s land which makes it difficult for them to PR. Last race they had much more competition. I see them as an outside medal contender.

--ForrestCRN

Meet Results 1/25

Kevin Dare Results have been posted so here go the analysis (although I'll leave the Logue and Cather bit up).

Allie Wilson won the Mile by 5 seconds in a very strong time of 5:08, which I thought she would run. Dominating this field is impressive, but the real question is what race does she run knowing 4-6 girls can go sub 5:00. Grace Galligan of Springfield Delco surprised with a second place finish in 5:13.84 as she finished over 3rd place Olivia Sargent and, 4th Place Elizabeth Morris, and 5th place Terri turner who were all under 2 seconds behind. Strong race overall as 11 girls went under the SQS.


Logue and Cather brought the HEAT in the open 800! Cather took it out in 55.8 and Louge was pretty close on him in 56.2. Cather continued to lead going into the bell lap at 1:24.7 to Louge's 1:25.1. Logue brought on a massive kick passing Cather for the win with a PA #1 clocking of 1:53.67 to Cather's 1:54.05. These boys are in sick shape right now and I'm super impressed. Logue is back in the 800 and is killin it.


Behind the next PA guy was Kyle Adam’s placing 4^th in 1:58.07. He’s looking really strong and State College’s 4x8 is going to be very scary at states, even on the double (7:57 4x8!). Also going under two was Joe Sullivan (MB – 1:59.23), Brian Piscitelli (NP – 1:59.48), and Ryan Myers (McCaskey – 1:59.90). Right on the boarder were 4 more in Mitch Endress (Altoona – 2:00.02), Matt Schulberger (Pennridge – 2:00.10), Joseph LeConey (NP – 2:00.47), and Andrew Miller (Wyomissing). I love the NP relays they’re got 4 fantastic 800 runners, but Tung and Grace have range. Also Wyomissing could probably put together a strong relay with their pieces. Sullivan doesn’t have a relay squad this year, but he’s been quite successful in the 800 showing he could be a threat. I also like Adam’s to double.

The girls 3k was won by Mady Clahane in a PA #2 time of 10:05! A really fantastic race for her.

Behind Clahane was PB’s Hannah Molloy running 10:22 which is a nice comeback for her after a rough XC ending and freshman stud Tate Dawsone was very solid in 10:45 for 3^rd.

The boys 3k turned into quite a battle between Marston, Reilly, and Kardish! Kardish took the lead late and won in a swift time of 8:47.83! Patrick Reilly didn't have the kick at the end finishing up in 8:53.94. Marston grabbed the SQS running 8:57.58. He's made some really great strides this season and I think he'll only get better. Kardish has had an up and down season, but this is a fantastic race, almost as breakout-ish as Colwell's last season. I'm glad he's found the right distance. Hopefully he can pop another one of these in the low 8:42's by states. Reilly had an off day, but he's clearly in strong shape. I think mid to high 8:40's at states would be really great for him. Cole Nissley from LD had a nice result of 9:00.88, but that misses the SQS, although I have no doubt he'd get a bid in. Another big surprise of the day came from sophomore Jack DiCinto of Wyomissing as he ran 9:02.44. He ran a fantastic race at regionals (he won the sophomore race in 17:31) and clearly he is ready to take it to the next level this track season. I doubt he'll get into states with that time, but I really love if he gets in. Ari Bortman (so-PB) ran 9:07 for 5th which is a breakout race for him. PB is so strong on the track.


Now we're waiting for those 4x8's! Altoona or State College?



TFCAofGP Meet #6 Division 1

In the 800m Kyle Francis broke the Meet record in a time of 1:59.86 which gets him an SQS. Running that fast on Glen Mills' track is very impressive. I think he's going to be a real threat in the Mile come the state meet, but he broke Jason Weller's record, that's no joke. But right behind him was Eli Mercado running 2:00.30! He's having a true breakout year and is getting into really strong shape right now. It seems as though the 800 is his perfect distance and at states if he can hold on to a solid pace I think he's got a real shot at medalling, especially after this weekend. Fitzgerald didn't have a stellar meet running 2:03 for 3rd place, but that shows how slow this track is. He ran a great double last weekend and I have no doubt he'll split ~1:58 at states. XC studs Fowler and Brown got some speed in, both running 2:08.

Bensalem and CR North rivalry showed in the Mile with a very tactical race out of Ramirez and Griswold with Ramirez taking the win in 4:44.96 outleaning Griswold by .02 seconds. Nothing too fast, but both of them have run really solid splits this year and I think they’ll be ready to go to help relays in the next few weeks. 

Nothing big in the 3k either with Steve Hanna of CR South winning in 9:36, a time which is 12 seconds slower than he raced in December. He is a sit and kick kinda dude so I’m not shocked he didn’t kill it.

There was no DMR run and the 4x8’s weren’t too fast as some ‘B’ teams ran for most squads with CBE (8:39) winning over UD (8:42).

TFCAofGP Meet #6 Division II
Matt Moore of Marple Newtown ran a solid race in 2:04 beating an up and coming Brendan Stec from Malvern Prep. Remember that a 1:53 guy just barely went under two and Fitzgerald who split 2 flat went 2:03. I would say Moore has a shot at making states if he gets into a good heat at the Meet of Champions.

Julian Degroot-Lutzner from Masterman opened his season with a big win over Hare and Zatlin. We don't usually see too much from Masterman, but they had a very good XC team this year and I would love to see them get a 4x8 or DMR SQS, but it would most likely be very close.

Hoey opened his 3k season up with a fantastic 9:08, just a second off the MR by Mike Bilotta from a few years ago. He beat Willig who ran 9:26 (this is a guy who just ran mid 9:06 on the double last weekend) and Waltz (WCH) was 9:36. That's how slow this track is. Hoey could have easily gone low 8:50's at Lehigh if not dipping into the 8:40's. This kid is on fire, but I don't think we'll see him run another 3k, since the Mile to DMR Mile double seems to be their plan.

Henderson through together a solid 4x8 running 8:28 for the win. I'd love to know who was on that relay team, but that's a nice turnout after some great racing last weekend.

More to come as the day continues, so keep checking in! The Kevin Dare results will be posted at the top of the page!

--ForrestCRN