2/23-Quotes from Auston Papay, Chris Spooner and Ian Fitzgerald after winning ways on Friday at Pen

Quotes from Auston Papay, Chris Spooner and Ian Fitzgerald after winning ways on Friday at Penn.

Auston Papay, 63-11 Shot Put, 1st Committed to University of Akron.

Did the Canadian (Kyle Helf, Ontario) throwing over 62 in the second flight (Papay threw in the 1st flight) get you more pumped for your finals?

Yeah, it got me excited, but I was still focused on trying to throw as far as I can. I don't know what happened in the finals, but I just screwed up. I've thrown 66 indoor, so I don't know what I did. It's kind of disappointing, but it's still good enough to win, so I guess it's not that bad.

Are you on track for your goals this season?

As of right now, I'd like to be in the 65's at least, but I guess I'm there because the last meet I threw a couple of 64's, so today was just a down day. But I'm on track, though. I know what I have to do.

Was it mechanicals or mental?

It was a little mechanical today. It was a bit physical. I got cooled down too much. I should have been warming up a little more. Overall, I guess I'm happy with it.

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Chris Spooner, Lewisburg, 4:09.91 Mile, 1st

That was a big PR and a big race.

I did not expect that at all. I was tired from the 4x800 (2nd fastest split of the morning trials-1:52.6). We were hoping to go for the finals. That's why I was kind of bummed out today, but it's so much better after this.

Were you feeling that 800 from this morning? Did it go out at the pace you wanted?

Yeah, I was kind of tired, so my coach told me not to lead the first lap, so I just decided to drop back. Victor Gras had a perfect pace throughout the whole race… exactly what I wanted to do. I knew it was going to come down to a sprint at the end. I didn't know what way it was going to go, but I was just hoping for the best, and it turned out my way.

Did you feel good the whole way?

Yeah, it was a comfortable pace the whole way. I was happy with that. I was content even going into the last lap. He picked it up a little bit. But it was just a dead sprint at the end, and that's when I started feeling it, going down the stretch. I just had to get up on my toes and pump my arms faster and hope for the best.

What about all the talk from Victor Gras about going sub-4:00 by the end of the year? Did that motivate you?

Oh yeah, definitely. And seeing his PR indoor, a 1:51.8, I knew he had the leg speed for a great mile, and that's what made me comfortable with following him. I knew he was capable of running sub-4:10, so I was happy with everything.

Was the goal 4:10.

For this race, yeah.

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Ian Fitzgerald, North Hills, 8:22.42 3000, 1st

You were second last year, so what was your plan coming in this year?

I just wanted to sit, and stay there until a lap to go. I thought I could outkick him (the top seed, Mohamed Khadraoul).

After five laps he seemed to gap you a little bit. Did that concern you?

No, he was throwing in surges on the backstretch, and a little bit on that corner (turn four), and he slowed down each time. So I figured he'd do it again. I'd just pick it up a little. I was ready to go on the last lap.

How big a PR?

I ran 8:30 last year, and a 9:11 was my fastest 3200, so it's a pretty good PR.

Did your 4:14, 1:57 at a meet last week give you confidence for today.

Yeah, because I ran that 4:14 by myself the whole way, and I went 66-64, a high 63 and then a 60, so I got progressively better, so I figured I could take the abuse a little bit.

What about championships?

We're not sure about States or adidas. If I get invited to Golden West, that could be a possibility. So we'll see. That 8:22 should help.

What about the split in the 4x800 this morning?

I was happy with my new PR with the split, but we missed the final by just two seconds. We ran 7:56, and we got to the finals last year with an 8:02, so we were excited about our time. The last heat killed us with so many teams beating our time. One of our had an injury, and he ran a 2:04, and he's usually sub-2