800m State Preview

In the second distance race of the day we might see another state record go down, how awesome is that?? As I stated in the questions last week, this is the deepest top 4 I have ever seen. It’s rare you get 4 guys outdoors running under 1:54 going into district weekend. And not to mention we’ve got a very solid field behind all of them.

Before we get to the fast heat let’s check out the ‘Slow’ Heat. We’ve got some really interesting names and the ones with the best chance of medaling will be Holm, Ferraiolo and Thompson, in my opinion. Cooper will be on the double, Allen hasn’t been racing well, and O’Connell doesn’t have the pure speed to get into the 1:57 range. They’ll need to get out, because the fast heat will not be playing around. I think that’s what is going to make it so difficult for anyone to medal. I don’t see anyone falling off the pace out of the fast heat and I don’t think these guys will be able to run fast enough to get on the stand. Mercado is the only one who might fall off, but I think he has a really big race.

Wiseman, Logue, Cather, and Francis all have tons of speed, Cather has the best range, but Francis is probably the strongest. Wiseman has run some sick 600’s and has a great league and Logue has the ultimate kick. I can’t imagine this race not going out really hard. Francis, Wiseman, and Cather all love to take it out and they want it to be fast no question. Francis wouldn’t have gone with the 800 if he didn’t want the indoor record. I was talking with his high school teammate Matt French this past weekend and French thought he would be able to break the record, and frankly I believe the winner of this race will go under Endress’ 1:51.73. 

Looking at how these guys race it seems that the top group will roll through anywhere from 53.3-54.3 and I would guess Francis takes the lead. Wiseman let him go last time they raced and will be right on him, with Cather riding the train in 3^rd place. The real question is where will Logue be? Does he sit in 4^th right on those guys or in 6^th behind the next group? I personally hope he’s right there since it will make the race more interesting. 

If the state record is going down I see Wiseman or Cather taking the lead going into the last lap in 1:22.5-1:23.9. I do not think Francis will be able to lead wire to wire like Rivera did last season, and it makes sense that someone would challenge for the lead. The question again comes up where Logue will be. I don’t see him coming through faster than 1:24.2 giving him a sub 28 last lap to catch the field.

Francis will push on the backstretch and overtakes both Wiseman and Cather. Cather will hold second until the final straight away when Wiseman pushes past him and if Logue is in a strong enough position he will be able to take anywhere from 2-4^th. 

Behind this group more questions arise. Nick Smart and Alek Sauer have been in very even races, what happens when they get out fast? Eli Mercado will benefit from a fast pace I believe as well, and Wilhoite might like it as well. I think Mercado leads the next charge in 55 mid, Smart leading at 600 in 1:25.0 with Sauer and Mercado in 1:26.0 and Wilhoite in 1:26.2.

1. Kyle Francis – 1:51.64

2. Jeff Wiseman – 1:51.93

3. Joe Logue – 1:52.36

4. Will Cather – 1:52.72

5. Nick Smart – 1:55.23

6. Eli Mercado – 1:55.90

7. Dylin Wilhoite – 1:56.41

8. Alek Sauer – 1:56.85

9. Steve Thompson – 1:57.13

10. Andy Miller – 1:57.64

I see Francis just being too strong for this field to keep off. He’s thrown down sub 27 last laps on relays and is already a relay state champion and he knows what it takes to win. I see Logue as his biggest threat, but I don’t see Logue racing smart enough to get the win. Wiseman is really strong and the fastest guy in the field, but the extra distance hurts him in the end. From 500-700 he’s the best in the state in my mind. Cather is having an amazing year all around after getting a medal in XC he has incredible strength, but the 3 guys in front of him are All-stars. He did show up huge at XC states however, so maybe I shouldn’t doubt him to pull out something huge. 

Smart hasn’t had a big breakout race and he did it at states in the fall and I see him taking 5^th with confidence. He’s probably the most locked in person that I have in this field. Eli Mercado has run some strong 400’s this season and just had a big race to get from 2 flat to 1:57.46 and I think he continues rolling on the banked track. There is a chance he blows up, but I believe he’s ready to go.

--ForrestCRN

MIle State Preview

Well my spring break has officially started, so it looks like it’s time to blog!  

One thing I did do was check out Etrain’s projected heat sheets and I agree with how he had them set up. Here is a link to check them out: http://www.therealtrain.blogspot.com/2014/02/pa-states-quick-thoughts.html .  (Only mistake I saw was a small spelling error of Malvern Prep Colin Wills, he spelled it Willis. But the kid is a sophomore and Etrain probably hasn’t seen the name yet). Well set up though bud!

I think I’m going to post one at a time and put up the links for the other ones since they’ll be coming out ‘rapid’ fire throughout the day. I will be going in order of when the events are and finishing off the posting with a team score projection.

All of this being said, LETS GET STARTED!

MILE

Heat one should be interesting since we’ve got Colin Abert having just barely qualified and how he does could be a major toss-up. Could he score from the slowest heat? Could he bring along XC medalist Van Kooten or potential breakout stars in Wills and Sullivan?

I see Abert talking it out pretty hard (for the heat) in ~2:11 with a smaller pack not too far behind him. I think Colin Wills continues his strong season (he’s run 3:14 this season for 1200) and takes down Abert in the end, winning in 4:27.8 to Abert’s 4:28.0. Look out for Alex Milligan of State College to have a strong race as well. I just wanted to point out that 3 sophomores are in this heat, one in the second heat, and we’ve got another one in the fast heat, that’s rare to see.

Most years there is one or two runners who will sneak onto the medal stand from the middle heat of the Mile and this heat has got a lot of potential with two 4:16 guys in Moy and Groh along with Grace and Coakley who are having very solid seasons. 

I hate to say this, but it seems like North Penn peaked a bit early this season, but I see Ryan Grace helping these guys to some fast times. Moy and Groh seem to be itching for a big race and I think they are going to end up blazing a quick last 400m. Moy has more speed than Groh does and I see him taking the heat win. Don’t sleep on Mike Kolor, the sophomore might pop off something big. If he can just go out and race he’s got a lot of potential. I don’t see the XC state medalist’s Fowler, Louco, or Barchet getting onto the medal stand, although Folwer dropped a lot of time last weekend.

Moving now to the boys that will be really moving in the fast heat! Henderson looked like they would have a scare in the DMR last weekend with Altoona and O’Hara looking very strong, but both choose the 4x8. This being said I think this will allow Russell to go all out in the Mile without having to worry about the DMR. He is a team player when needed, but I have no doubt he wants that state record and there does not seem to be any consequences in terms of going for it. He’s lead from the start in all of the big invitationals that he’s been in, so we know he can run fast from the front. I’ll make the implicit explicit: Tony Russell will go for the State Meet Record.

Where does that leave the rest of the field? We’ve got some really strong runners and I’m really excited about how this field has turned out. Hoey, Bilotta, and Wilson have looked really strong all season in the Mile with Hoey taking Wilson down last weekend. We’ve got 800m guys moving up in distance in Belfatto, Caldwell, Smith, Becich, and Cooper. I really like Smith and Becich coming from out west who ran both of their times without much competition, how much faster can these boys go?

I see Hoey, Bilotta, Wilson, and Belfatto leading the charge together, probably with Wilson doing most of the leading work. Behind that group I see Ritz  leading the array of kickers.

1.  Tony Russell – 4:11.97

2. Brendan Bilotta – 4:18.73

3. Jaxson Hoey – 4:18.89

4. Ross Wilson – 4:19.41

5. James Smith – 4:21.03

6. Sam Ritz – 4:21.23

7. Kevin Moy – 4:21.96

8. Jim Belfatto – 4:22.45

9. Jeff Groh – 4:23.10

10. Michael Becich – 4:23.71

I do see Russell grabbing that record and I’m really excited about it. He’s in amazing shape right now and I have no doubt will do it. Bilotta holds onto Wilson and Hoey’s pace and out kicks them both in the final lap for the silver. I see either Michael Becich or James Smith having a really big break out race and jumping into the top 6. Right now I see Smith being that guy, but don’t be surprised if Becich pulls it off. I might be stretching with Ritz here, but he’s a 4:11 guy who will hopefully be rounding into great shape, seeing as this will be a tune up for nationals. Moy will get in there from the middle heat, and Belfatto falls off a fast early pace to snag the last spot.

One sleeper/dark horse for a medal in my mind is Billy Caldwell. He’s 6^th on the list, but I’m really not sure where he will fall. I don’t think he’ll be able to hang with a fast pace, nor does he have the speed to keep with guys like Moy, Smith, and Becich. Maybe I’m just dead wrong and he’ll be a top 3 guy, we shall see.

--ForrestCRN

Etrain

Etrain seems to be back and high school blogging at www.therealtrain.blogspot.com so check out his previews. I took over for him so now that he's back that's probably where you guys will want to look. I have a multitude of papers and exams on Wednesday that I have been concentrating on and my previews will not be out until Thursday afternoon/night, so you can check out his in the mean time. I haven't read them and I do not plan on it.

Sorry! I did not mean any animosity towards Jarrett. I just wish to provide separate analysis, so I do not plan on reading them until I write mine, and then I will check them out. If ours sound the same then it's just because we have the same thought process, but not because I am 'copying' his work.  

--ForrestCRN

Weekend Result Analysis 2/20-22

Hey guys, I’ve been really busy the past couple of days! This will be a pretty long post, so get ready. I’m going to try and just do result analysis here and then I’ll have a post up tomorrow that will be about the implications for the state meet of all the races.

State College HS Meet #3

State College showed how strong they were in the 800 as they dominated the open race going 1-3. Adams grabbed the win in 1:57.0; Post wasn’t too far behind running 1:57.2, while Golembeski finished the trio in 1:57.9. These boys are in really fantastic shape, that’s all I will say for now. Behind them Andy Miller of Wyomissing Area ran very strong once again hitting 1:58.8! He’s been dropping time all season and looks to be a real threat next weekend. Brett George had a breakout race for Altoona as the sophomore grabbed the SQS in 2:00.0!! It’s rare for sophomores to run ~2 flat, he might be Altoona’s next super star, watch out! Jon Carroll looked solid as well running 2:01.4 for 6^th place.

Will Cather dominated the Mile, running 4:20.5 for the win over Jeff Groh who ran just 4:27.2. I’m a bit surprised that Groh did not keep with Cather longer, but clearly Cather has the strength as well as the speed right now. The possibility was there after XC for a big breakout year and it is really coming to fruition for him. Groh is still coming off injury and I’m not too worried, I see him as a sleeper for next weekend as a medalist. He also must have had a monster split on there DMR, since they ran really quick.

Alex Milligan is another sophomore who grabbed the SQS running 4:30.9 for 3^rd place! Darien Knudsen of MC also got himself the standard in 4:32.3. Cole Nissley just missed it putting in a 4:32.9 effort to give himself some more speed for next weekend’s 3k. 

Griffin Molino gave the 3k another shot and it paid off as he ran a 5 second PB to get the state standard in 8:58.3. It takes some time to get used to indoors (these were his first two races) and I think he will only continue to improve come next weekend. Kyle Shinn looked strong running 9:03.3 as he placed second overall, while his teammate Jack Dicintio didn’t have as good of a day as he had at Kevin Dare, running just 9:11.1 this time. Either way he’s looking very strong, and I believe he’ll be a big sophomore to keep an eye on.

The Distance Medley was on fire at this meet with Altoona winning in a big performance of 10:29.1, but they were followed closely by Lower Dauphin who was 10:33.7!! I am so glad both teams ran this even, since they clearly have the pieces to be really successful. This brings us a few questions about what Nissley will do at states and what relay will Altoona will choose. These will be addressed tomorrow! These times are really big though.

State College’s 800m guys all came back for the 4x4 where they went 3:26.9 for a solo’d win.

Also to note is State College’s other breakout sophomore Kellin Valentine who is now 12^th on both the long jump and triple jump lists and has senior Bryce Williams as guidance going into the state meet. Lets see if he can drop big PR’s once again to medal…

TSTCA Indoor Track and Field Championships

So glad that they finally had a real meet and it turned out to be as big as I anticipated. In the 800m we saw 5 SQS’s and a big win from Dylin Wilhoite in 1:58.50. Altoona made the trip out west just a day after running 10:29 for the DM with Brad Foust coming in second in 1:59.18 while Mitch Endress placed 4^th in 2:00.25. Marcus Smail beat Endress out for 3^rd by just .01 while James Smith of Upper Saint also grabbed the standard in a 2:00.39 clocking. Wilhoite should be a threat for a mid-level medalist and is clearly the best 800m runner out west right now. Smail and Smith really came into their own last outdoor season, but it’s good to see them running quick indoors. Foust and Endress have a real question in front of them: Go open events or save up for the DMR/4x8?

James Smith looked really strong in the Mile as well winning in 4:24.33 over a pretty solid field. That double of his is really fantastic and he has definitely thrown his name into the Mile medalist conversation after this weekend. Cordon Louco was second in 4:28.55, a time I would have to suspect he is happy with. Ryan Lerda of South Fayette came out of nowhere and dropped a 4:29.13 to get the SQS, beating out the sophomore stud Mike Kolor who ran 4:29.55 this weekend. It’s his second time under 4:30 this season and I really like the consistency. Will he drop time at states? Jeff Van Kooten looked solid once again in 4:31.59, but nothing special for the young man who was a breakout star in XC. I am a bit surprised he didn’t move up in distance this weekend.

Colin Martin won the 3k in dominating fashion as he cruised an 8:49.64 which helped get Matt Mcgoey to the SQS in a solid time of 8:54.58. I bet Mcgoey has a bit more in him for next weekend, but it’s pretty clear that Martin is the class of the state in the 3k right now. The real shocker was 3^rd place finisher Will Loevner of Winchester Thurston. His PR is 4:31 for 1600m and he barely broke 18 minutes at the state meet in XC, but he ran 8:55 for 3k yesterday!! I had hoped we would get more 3k qualifiers, but never would I have believed this was in store. He did run 9:08 earlier this season, but I had brushed it off then. This second performance show’s he is the real deal and is ready to play, oh and did I mention he’s just a sophomore?? This sophomore class is so strong, it’s ridiculous. I will be updating that sophomore post and doing a freshman one this coming Tuesday.

Altoona also ran the 4x8, but all the racing must have got to them as they went just 8:15.28, but it got them the win. They have had 3 runners go 2 flat in the past 2 days and could clearly break 8 flat at the state meet if they choose to run it. Seneca Valley was helped by their tired legs as they put together a nice 8:17.85 to get the state standard. They’re a young team and it’s great to see them getting the chance to race at the state meet.

Did I say Altoona also raced the 4x8? Because they ALSO raced the DMR and won in 11:05! Obviously not a stellar time, but Foust and Endress on the triple while Stroh was doubling. Endress also ran on the 4x4! These boys got a great workout in and should be in amazing shape for next weekend. Canon-McMillan put together a solid DM of 11:11.11 which is just awesome. They’re only a ‘A’ team and I’m impressed with what they put together.

Bible Baptist College HS Invitational Last Chance Meet

In the 1600m Tyler Vella and Matt Kravitz went at it for the 3^rd time this season, this time Vella got the win in a very impressive time of 4:27.20 to Kravitz 4:29.97. Those conversions get both of them the standard. Just a few weekends ago they tired in 4:36.00 and now they’re running some really solid times. Thought both would just sneak in, but Kravitz is another sophomore right around the 4:30 mark! Speaking of sophomores around the 4:30 mark, Dominic Hockenbury was 3^rd place in 4:30.44 which converts to 4:32.2 giving him the SQS! It will be good to see the youngster at the state meet. I’m also impressed with how much speed he has.

Kravitz came back to win the open 800m in 2:01.07, just missing the SQS.

In the boys 3k it seems the rumors of West Chester Henderson entries were false, and Jack Tidball ended up solo’ing a 9:04.32. He’s made some great improvements this season and if he had competition I bet he would have been able to get the SQS which is a real shame. I am excited to see how he does outdoors.

And now what most of you have probably been waiting for

TFCA of GP 49^th Meet of Champions

This was one of my favorite meets in high school and it’s great to cover it. First off in the 400 we saw some interesting figures as Frank Brophy was a strong second in 51.03. I really hope he runs the open 8 at states since he’s clearly got great speed. Right behind him was Joe Logue getting his legs rolling in 51.05. I believe he’s been focusing more on distance this season so a bit less speed giving more weight to this race. It’s clear he’s ready to roll next weekend.

In the open 800 we saw a rematch between Wiseman and Lewis from earlier in the season with Wiseman getting the win and the meet record from indoor state champion Jamar Jones with a very strong 1:54.71 to Lewis’ 1:55.49. I am glad we got to see Lewis try out the 800 once again before states, but it seems that the 400m is where he’ll be taking his talents. They’re quick pace helped a slew of guys (7) grab the state standard: Eli Mercado (1:58.06), Graham Allen (1:59.60), Billy Caldwell (2:00.11), Tre Williams (2:00.42), and Dan Ferraiolo (2:00.48). Most of these guys already had the SQS, but it was a nice tune up. Eli Mercado finally had his breakout race which we’ve all been anticipating after some quick 400’s the past few weekends. He’s got the be in the conversation to medal at this point. Billy Caldwell seems to have been tuning up for the Mile, as he didn’t run that well, but still was solid with his 2 flat effort. I was hoping he would be in 1:57 mid shape by this point in the season. Allen seems to be holding on to fitness he had in December and isn’t fading too much, while Ferraiolo looks to throw down a good relay leg next weekend for Malvern Prep’s DMR.

The Boys Mile was also quick with Wilson and Hoey leading back and forth until Ross took the lead with 700m to go. Francis was sitting back, while Hoey made a pass on Wilson with 300m to go. In the last lap Francis blew everyone’s doors off closing quickly in his last 400m to run 4:19.03. Hoey was second in 4:19.96 and Wilson held on for a strong 3^rd place in 4:21.34. Now Francis has a real qualm on his hands. He could run the Mile where second place looks to be almost on lockdown for him after beating two of his biggest competitors this past weekend. I highly doubt he’d be able to beat Russell unless the pace was very slow. In the 800 the competition for the win is steep and Francis could realistically come in anywhere from 1^st to 4^th. Does he go for the more solidified 8 points in the Mile or take the risk but go for a state record and the win in the open 800? No matter which way you slice it, Kyle Francis is one of the best mid-distance guys in PA with fantastic range. Hoey continues to look like an animal, breaking 4:20 for the second time this season, now on a flat track. He is scary good. 

Austin Cooper had himself another strong race running 4:25.77 for 4^th place, beating out some solid competition behind him. Ryan Grace of NP was 5^th and seems to be fading a bit. We haven’t seen him drop much time recently, he only ran 4:28 this weekend. David Folwer stepped up and had a big race getting the SQS in 4:29.40 for 6^th place. Right behind him were two strong sophomores in Jake Brophy (4:29.91) and Colin Wills (4:30.28). Brophy’s speed keeps improving and he’s going to be a real threat in the 3k. Colin Wills will be great on the 1200 leg for Malvern Prep after running another PR this weekend. He an Hoey are going to run train on PA in two years, boy the thought of that DMR is scary. . . but I’m getting ahead of myself. These two are doing work right now and that’s what matters.

Kardish was 4:30 in the Mile, leaving further questions about what he’ll do at states. Perlman continues with his speed training in 4:30.8. The last time he ran the Mile twice in a row he dropped sub 9 afterwards and he is just getting faster; I think he’ll be dangerous in the 3k at states. Diestelow also grabbed the SQS, while James Hare and Casey Comber just missed it.

The 3k was quite an odd race with Wilson and Comber doubling back so they went out in 3:04 for the first 1k. Arita lead Mason through the first 2k before dying off. There were only 8 guys in the field and it was difficult to grab the time, but Arita’s effort helped lead Scott Mason to a PR of 8:56.73, helping him get a spot for states instead of a bid in. Wilson closed very strong after going out slow winning with a time of 8:56.00. Comber also picked up the pace finishing his last 2k in 6:02, finishing in 9:06.

LaSalle solo’d a strong 8:05.44 4x800m team victory. With some competition (states) they could go sub 8. Will they choose this over the DMR? Behind them was a group of teams getting the SQS who didn’t have it yet: Twin Valley (8:19.53), Downingtown West (8:19.94), Central Bucks West (8:21.09), and Bonner (8:21.49). North Penn and Bensalem also went under the mark, but they’ve done that before. North Penn seems to have peaked early which is really surprising for them,  and Bensalem confirmed that they are better in the DMR. I’m really happy that young squads like TV and Dtown West got the SQS.

Cardinal O’Hara blew everyone out of the water in the DMR with a PA #2 time of 10:22.00. Kevin James anchored in 4:21. This throws another wrench in the relay scene which I will attempt to answer tomorrow. I like O’Hara better in the DMR, but the 4x8 might make more sense for them. We shall see. Ultimately, they threw down this weekend and could give Henderson a real run for their money. I hope we see them at least race each other at Nationals in the DM. 

Radnor finally got the SQS which I am really excited about, as they ran 10:46.98 beating out Saint Joseph’s Prep who put together another really strong relay in 10:49.10 getting the standard again. CB South just missed the Q running 10:50.11 beating out strong teams like Upper Darby (10:53), Bonner (10:55), and Great Valley (10:56).

More to come tomorrow!!

--ForrestCRN

3k Questions

 The only real question about the 3k is: How good will this field be?

I am amazing by all of these comments hating on the 3k this season, when the field is just slightly weaker than it was last season and it’s quite deep. Usually there are only 8 to 10 guys qualified by this point in the season, but so far we’ve got 15 runners with the SQS and quite a few runners right on the cusp. 

The 3k history is all over the place and so instead I will discuss the strength of this season as a whole. It may seem as though this article is similar to what Etrain wrote, but I was thinking on the same lines going into this article and we happen to write similarly. 

Let’s first look at the definite in the 3k: Dominic Deluca, Colin Martin, Christian Kardish, Chris Cummings, Jake Brophy, Patrick Reilly, Paul Power, Billy McDevitt, Casey Comber, Andrew Marston, Jonathan Perlman, and Cole Nissley. That’s a list of absolute studs. I have also heard rumors Kevin James may go for the 3k/4x8 double and Ross Wilson might go 3k/DMR double as well, which seems to be Kardish’s plan (or at least it makes the most sense to me). The only guy with the SQS who probably will not race as Brendan Bilotta (Mile/DMR). On the other side of the coin Scott Mason missed the SQS by .01 and will get in for sure, while Matt Mcgoey and one other North Allegheny runner will get another opportunity this weekend to get the standard. Mcgoey ran 9:05.93 two weekends ago and I have no doubt he’ll be able to get the time. Jack DiCintio might also be able to get a petition in after a strong 9:02 performance at Kevin Dare.

So it seems like we got quite a deep field to me, being headlined by AA state XC Champion Dominic Deluca who is on quite the rampage after missing out on XC Nationals. He ran a SOLO 8:44 which gives him the state 3k lead and he just dropped a 4:22 bomb this past weekend, leading from wire to wire. Both of these times are faster than Max Norris ran last season (4:26/8:48) going into the state meet (who just ran 8:30.08 in the 3k two weekends ago). Deluca is an fantastic shape and has way more speed than I expected, I am on the bandwagon for sure.

Colin Martin has been no slouch this indoor season either, silently running a solo 8:46.98 two weekends ago and this past weekend running 9:13.95 for 3200m at the SPIRE showcase; he won by 4 seconds. That conversion is ~8:36, which is two seconds faster than Russell ran going into the state meet last season. He and Deluca will have a battle, no question and the Martin’s are known for strong finishing speed (his brother dropped a 29.0 last 200m outdoor for the win in terrible conditions). Running a PR in the 3200m indoors is incredible (his previous best was 9:14.73).

So it seems we will have at least two runners under 8:35 at the state meet, much like last season, now who will be behind them? 

Christian Kardish ran a fantastic 8:47 at Kevin Dare, proving he is back and is the real deal in the 3k. He reminds me a lot like Norris in that he was a very strong 1600m runner as a sophomore and went through some injury issues as a junior who is breaking out in the 3k indoors (obviously Norris had a much better XC season). I believe Kardish can break the 8:40 mark. And I believe he’ll have some people to keep him company.

Jake Brophy is running like an absolute animal recently, outkicking FL finalist Ross Wilson is no joke. Chris Cummings ran 8:50 early on and has been running the Mile recently, much like Norris did last season. I have no doubt sub 8:45 will be in his future. Patrick Reilly, Paul Power, Casey Comber, and Andrew Marston are all locks to break 8:50 as well, giving us 9 young men with the ability to go sub 8:50 at states. 

Those comments are made without mentioning the 3^rd and 4^th place XC runners from AAA States who both went to Nationals in Ross Wilson and Kevin James. Both have the state standard and could very well choose to run this event instead of the Mile. It might hurt their relays a bit, but Wilson is doing his DMR a huge favor by running it in the first place, and it makes sense for him to go after the 3k. On the opposite token Kevin James is on a very strong 4x8 team that will look to compete with State College for the state title, and possibly the 4x8 indoor record. Will they let him choose this event over the Mile, leaving him with less recovery time? If only one of them run it, that gives us 10 guys under 8:50 which is fantastic for the state meet and we don’t know Mcgoey’s potential either. Not to mention Jonathan Perlman broke out very well at the end of last season and just ran 8:58 and should drop a lot of time. Billy McDevitt is no joke either as he ran a fantastic 8:56 at Yale.

Do not sleep on the 3k, because it will be a race to be remembered this season. All medalists might not be under 8:43 like last season, but no question it will take 8:48 to medal this year, which gives us the second deepest year in state history.

--ForrestCRN