Of the events at New Balance Nationals Outdoor, the 800m races were incredibly deep. Numerous Pennsylvania stars shined under the pressure of the big stage. Photo by Ryan Comstock.
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Championship Girls 800
Olivia Cieslak (Haverford Township) added another strong 800m race to her resume, with Alli DeLisi (Penn Charter) and Gwen Hamilton (Archbishop Wood) not far behind.
Cieslak ran a new PR of 2:06.53 to finish 7th in heat seven and overall. She was a strong contender mixing things up in the lead pack the entire race. Her time is the fastest sophomore time in the US this year and ranks her PA No.5 All-Time.
Cieslak has had an incredible season capping it off with a phenomenal race.
DeLisi ran tough in heat six, setting the tempo through 400m in 1:03.91. She gave up the lead on the backstretch but was able to hang on for a 3rd-place heat finish in 2:08.59. She was 10th overall, just missing All-American by two places.
Hamilton ran a smart race setting a demanding pace from the gun resulting in a strung-out pack. She gave up the lead to Laina Friedmann (Smithtown, NY) at about 450m. Hamilton remained patient on the backstretch and through the final turn, making her move in the last 100m. She dropped the hammer powering her way to a heat five win in 2:09.35. She finished 12th overall.
Championship Boys 800
With seven athletes in the Championship Boys 800m running sub 1:50, it can go without being said that this NBN event was stacked.
Aidan Hodge (Hempfield) mixed things up with the nation's best, hitting a PR of 1:51.55 to finish 18th overall.
Hodge took the race with a bold move early, leading the pack through 400m in 54.06. He led until Devan Kipyego (St. Raphael Academy, RI) and Caleb Levy (Waukegan Invaders, IL) made passes going into the final 200m. Hodge responded well, remaining in contact with the pack, impressively mustering one last surge with 50m to go. Unfortunately, he couldn't find an opening and remained boxed in until he picked off Levy at the line. Hodge finished 4th in his closely contested heat.
An impressive end to Hodge's remarkable senior season.
Jacob Puhalla (Moon Area) and Amberson Bauer (Riverview) performed solidly in Heat 3 of the Championship 800m.
Puhalla set the pace rolling through the first 400m in 54.71. The field moved on the back stretch setting up an exciting WPIAL showdown for 4th in the heat. Puhalla and Bauer went back and forth over the last 150m, with Puhalla running 1:52.50. Bauer finished 5th in 1:52.68. Puhalla was 31st overall, and Bauer was 35th overall.
Rising Star Girls 800
Kate Moncavage (Southern Columbia Area) was the top PA girl in the Rising Star division of the 800m run, clocking a time of 2:15.40. She ran a solid sit-and-kick race to finish 3rd in her heat and 18th overall.
Freshman Girls 800
Ryan Dankanis (Haverford Township) was the top PA girl competing in the freshman race. She PR'd by 2.75 seconds to run 2:25.44 and finish 31st overall. Dankanis's time shows a lot of potential for the young runner.
Middle School Girls 800
Nieve Keitel (Penn Charter), an 8th grader, impressively ran a PR of 2:20.24 to finish 10th overall. Running sub 2:20 is no easy feat, and Keitel is already knocking on the time's door. Keitel demonstrates a lot of promise in the 800m.
Rising Star Boys 800
Stefon Dodoo (Springside Chestnut Hill Academy) and Gabriel Cuffey (Archbishop Carroll) stood out in the Rising Star section of the 800m.
Dodoo was the overall runner-up clocking a time of 1:53.09. He won his heat in a dominant wire-to-wire performance.
Cuffery cracked the top five, finishing 4th overall with a huge new PR of 1:53.97. He was 2nd in his heat, losing to Matthew Schutzbank (Nyack, NY), the eventual overall champion.
Two very impressive races for some of PA's future top 800m runners.
Freshman Boys 800
Ahijah Goins (Haverford School for Boys) and Aiden Janowicz (Wallenpaupack) had impressive races cracking the 2-minute barrier. Goins was 9th overall in 1:58.56, and Janowicz was 10th overall in 1:58.69. Both boys show great potential to continue developing into strong 800m runners.
Middle School Boys 800
Musa Herzi (Pennridge) was the top PA middle schooler in the 800m finishing 3rd overall. He ran 2:05.44, which is no easy feat at such a young age. Keep an eye out for him a few years from now.