Boys 3000 meter run explodes into overdrive!
For those of you that followed the 2014 cross country season closely, you would recall the incredible depth on the boys side of the state, as over 40 runners broke the 16 minute mark. The PA boys ranked in the national top 10 for number of sub 16 runners, an incredible sign for the quality of performances that could come our way during the track season.
But up to this past weekend, the cross country depth had yet to surface outside of Sam Ritz, Colin Abert, and Paul Power. When would we see the quality on the indoor oval? Our answer took place on a small four lane banked track at Yale University.
The seeded 3000 meter run was a who's who of PA's top runners from this past season and they made the most of their five to six hour trip north. Dominic Hockenbury of Lake Lehman led the PA charge with a top ten finish in 8:38.39, which broke the previous state best by 17 seconds. Four others broke the nine minute mark behind him, resulting in a huge shake up in the 3000 meter table.
Back home, however, more fireworks took place, as Kevin James of Cardinal O'Hara ran a solo 8:40.46 at Haverford in the 3000. Despite just missing the state lead, the performance arguably could be considered more impressive as he did it on his own and in his first race since the NXN Finals.
In a matter of a few hours, the 3000 meter run went from having two sub 9 minute performers to a whopping 10! Considering the state meet only takes 12 for the championship race, there is the possibility that the 3000 meter cut off could be the best in meet history. How fast under 9 minutes will boys have to run to make the state meet? Time will tell.
Sarah Walker has taken her outdoor track form to the indoor oval
For the past two years, the fastest 800 meter time during the outdoor season has come from the Germantown Friends star Sarah Walker. From a 2:08 as a freshman to a 2:06 as a sophomore, Walker has proven to be one of the top runners at the event PA has seen.
But those exploits had yet to take shape during the indoor season. After missing the indoor state meet as a freshman, she qualified last year and finished 4th. She finished the 2014 indoor season with a 2:13, several seconds off of her incredible outdoor form.
The next step was to see if she could replicate one of her sub 2:10 performances from her outdoor career and run that well indoors. At Yale, we were treated to such an honor. Taking control in the middle of the 2nd lap, Walker turned the seeded heat into a one person showcase, running a US#1 time of 2:10.52 and winning by a large five second margin.
Walker is now set to be the favorite in the 800 meter championship race at states, and will be able to show once and for all in a head to head competition, who truly has been the best 800 meter runner in PA the past 2 ½ years. She's always had the time to prove it, now she'll have a chance to prove it with indoor state gold!
Small Schools lead weekend charge at Yale
One thing that is so special about indoor track in Pennsylvania is that the state championship meet put all schools together in one meet. The schools that have 100 students can square off against the schools with over 1000 students to crown one undisputed champion in every event.
In most circumstances, the schools that boast the most kids are seen contending for state titles year in and year out. But in a few events a year, one person or one team from a small school comes up and goes head to head with the big boys and girls.
On Saturday, we were able to get a glimpse of some of the small school talent that will be contending for the state's highest honors. Germantown Friends stole the headlines on Friday by taking control of both the boys and girls distance medley relay state leads at Yale. The boys snagged the lead from Independent school rivals Malvern Prep, who achieved the top spot moments before, while the girls took the state lead from Great Valley, who also had the top spot for under an hour.
On Saturday, the seeded 3000 meter race had the likes of Colin Abert and Alex Knapp lining up to try and run a fast time. Their ambitions were curtailed by the top two PA finishers, Dominic Hockenbury of Lake Lehman and Nick Dahl of Germantown Friends. Malvern Prep's Billy McDevitt was the top PA miler at Yale with a PA#2 4:23.08, and Sarah Walker became the US#1 girls 800 meter runner.
The big weekend had by the small schools will get everyone watching what they will be able to do next. What kind of impact will they have in the next few weeks and at the state meet. Whether defined by medals or by performances, these small schools are ready for the challenge of taking on the big programs for state supremacy.