Eric Albright put down a PA No. 2 to grab the win last week at the John Hay PA Distance Festival at West Chester Henderson.
Albright, a Garnet Valley senior bound for the University of Maryland in the fall, went 1:52.69, a new PR for the win in the 800 meters. He ran relatively even splits, going out in 56.0 and coming back in 56.6. After settling into the pack for the first 500 meters, Albright made a move on the backstretch to the lead. He extended his advantage from there and came home for the win.
Albright, the PIAA District 1 champion, was fourth at the state meet in AAA. Pottstown's Darius Smallwood won the state title in 1:51.91 -- still the fastest time in PA this season. But for Albright, it was nearly a second PR to close out his season on Friday.
Albright's win came in the tenth and final section, but in the ninth section of 800 meters on Friday, Schuylkill Valley's Luke Seymour went 1:52.75 -- just off Albright's winning time. It's a big PR for the junior, who will be one to watch next season. Seymour was second in the 1,600m and fifth in the 800m in Class AA at the state meet a few weeks back.
Watch Albright win in section 10 above and Seymour win in section 9 below.