Watch the Full Race Above
With the wind still somewhat at bay and the sun gleaming on Central PA - the boys' milers took the line at the Altoona Igloo Invitational.
What garnered attention was the stout list of names set to toe the line; Kevin Sherry (Coudersport), Tyler Rader (Huntingdon), Amberson Bauer (Riverview), and Connor Pivirotto (Plum).
Sherry finished fourth at last year's PIAA 2A Championships, running 4:16. He then finished fourth at the PIAA 1A XC Championship this past fall. Rader was one of the boys who beat him in that race; he finished runner-up.
Amberson Bauer is coming off an indoor campaign that saw him finish 6th at the PTFCA Championship in the boys' 800m. He displayed 1:55.85 speed to pair with the 1:55.19 mark he ran at last year's PIAA 2A Outdoor State Championship.
Pivirotto is not a well-known miler, but he had a breakthrough during the indoor campaign and ran as fast as 4:28.
Off they went as the gun sounded. With the wind a constant down the front stretch, the field strung out early as a pack of five lined up behind Sherry. Rader followed suit, with Pivirotto in third, Bauer in fourth, and Sam Viglione (State College) in fifth.
They remained in that order until 900 meters when Pivirotto jumped to Sherry's outside. Bauer saw the move develop and slotted himself into third, but a ten-meter gap had opened.
With 400m to go, Pivirotto again tried to surge on Sherry's hip and took the lead this time. Bauer began to close the gap on the two purple-vested runners ahead of him, but Pivirotto had stretched his lead to 10 meters.
His lead was not safe. Bauer rocketed off the curve to pass Sherry, and with 80 meters to go, he was stride-in-stride with Pivirotto. Neither of his counterparts could respond, and Bauer crossed the line in a meet record and personal best of 4:23.13.
Sherry crossed in 4:24.19 to edge Pivirotto, who finished in 4:24.83. Tyler Rader joined them under 4:30 with his 4:29.94.