Which Pennsylvania State Record is going down next? A series - dedicated to predicting and celebrating state records in Pennsylvania.
The Boys 3000m has to be on the chopping block. The state record of 8:16.57 was set by Noah Affolder at the 2017 New Balance Nationals Indoor Championship. That was en-route to a second place finish in the 2 Mile there.
But with Ryan Pajak and Drew Griffith in the wings, that record is in serious trouble. The Western PA natives just went 1-2 at Foot Locker Cross Country Nationals. And before that, they each won a state cross country title. Drew also ran 14:21 at the MileStat Invitational, which means he came through 3K right around 8:37.
On the track Drew has already run 8:16.55. Sure, it was on the Outdoor Oval at New Balance Nationals Outdoor, but Drew walked away from that race surprisingly disappointed with his performance.
Pajak actually has a faster 3200m PR. He ran 8:48.2 at last year's PIAA Outdoor State Championship, finishing second to only Brian DiCola. Drew was third. An 8:48 converts roughly to an 8:11.78.
So we have two guys in Pennsylvania that are arguably two of the best runners in the nation... So what do you think? Can they get the job done?