Above: Championship of America Boys Mile
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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - On Friday night, Brian DiCola (Hatboro Horsham) and Rory Lieberman (Danville) completed the Pennsylvania Sweep; by winning the Mile and 3000m Championship Of America races back-to-back.
Typhoon-like conditions ravaged the track on Friday evening, which made for dramatic race conditions. Soaked by the time they took the line, strategic races developed early.
The boy's Mile went out at a meandering 2:11 clip through 809m. DiCola took control and laid down a 1:59 last 800m to take the championship. California's Justin Pretre pressured him late, but DiCola's relentless nature carried him to victory.
Pretre has run 1:52 over 800m. Earlier this week, we predicted that he would have a shot if the race became strategic. He sure did, and he finished in second with a 4:12.98.
Ringgold's Ryan Pajak finished in third (4:15), while Matthew O'Brien (Susquehannock), Liam Davis (East Stroudsburg South), and Aidan Hodge (Hempfield (3)) joined them in the Top 10.
Lieberman stepped on the track immediately after his fellow Pennsylvanian won the Mile, and ran a masterful 3K to earn a Penn Relays title on the track he will call home as a 2023 UPenn commit.
Through the first 1k, Lieberman found himself in 17th. He picked his way through the field over the next 1k, eventually moving into the lead over the last 800m. He ran a blistering 2:07 last half-mile by closing in a 60-second last quarter. He held off a pack of boys, and six finished within three seconds of him.
Andrew McGonigle crossed the line in eleventh (8:41.59) as the second PA boy in the field.