Boys' 3,000 Meters Preview
Is the double doable at the indoor state final?
That was the question on the tip of many tongues when the entries were announced for this year's gathering at Penn State. Can the dominant XC runner over 5K for the past two years in the Keystone State summon enough energy, willpower and tactical savvy to claim both the mile and 3K this Sunday?
In two of his four meets this winter, Mt. Lebanon senior Patrick Anderson has taken on the mile-3K double, claiming victories in each of those races. His TSTCA champs double yielded PA's No. 2 mile against only preps and the No. 1 3K performance a few hours later. The time schedule at the TSTCA championships should have prepared the North Carolina signee well for this latest challenge.
As for challenges thus far in 2020, Zachary Leachman of Mars Area has only run in two meets heading into the state finale. What the senior and Florida State signee lacks in volume, he has made up in quality efforts. His first meet in mid-January at Youngstown State was worth a 1,600 win in 4:23 and a 3,200 runner-up finish to sophomore sensation Larry Josh Edwards of University (W.Va.). Three weeks later, Leachman and Edwards took on Ohio's Caleb Brown over 3,200, and all three went sub-9:00, with the Planet star third in a huge PR of 8:58.27. He was third at indoor states last year.
Germantown Academy's Robert DiDonato has been the cream of the crop from Pennsylvania's independent schools, having won track and XC state titles. He also was a Foot Locker national finalist, finishing 31st in San Diego after placing 10th in the Northeast Regional. This winter, he has run 4:15.78 for the mile and 9:15.73 in his only 3,200 run at the PAISAA meet in late January.
Add in Foot Locker All-American Colton Sands of Penns Valley, North Allegheny's Daniel McGoey, Christian Fitch of Fox Chapel and Cole Walker of Unionville, and this 3K could be one of the best in years.
Event 16 Boys 3000 Meter Run ============================================================ =================== Meet Record: 8:22.65 2/25/2006 Craig Miller, Manheim Twp. 8:58.43 SGQ State Guideline Name Year School ============================== ============================== =================== 1 Anderson, Patrick 12 Mount Lebanon 2 DiDonato, Robert 11 Germantown Acad 3 Fitch, Christian 12 Fox Chapel A 4 Kuhn, Ben 12 Wyomissing 5 Leachman, Zachary 12 Mars Area 6 Maher, Ethan 12 LaSalle College 7 McGoey, Daniel 12 North Allegheny 8 Routledge, Scott 12 Winchester Thurs 9 Sands, Colton 11 Penns Valley 10 Theveny, Patrick 12 Penncrest 11 Thrush, Jonathan 12 Muhlenberg 12 Walker, Cole 12 Unionville