Best Actor

Best Individual Performer
Awarded to the best runner in the year. Voters can choose to consider an athlete’s full body of work over three seasons or one particularly exception performance or season. It’s up to each reader’s own interpretation of “best”.

And the nominees are  …

Jake Brophy, CB East

Brophy won his second straight XC state title to start the year, winning in a thrilling finish over DT West’s Jaxson Hoey. He followed that gold up with a silver at the Northeast Regional meet and a top ten finish at Footlocker Nationals. During the indoor season, Brophy won the 3,000m at states and clocked one of the fast associate 3ks ever. In the spring, he added his first ever district title in the 3200m.

In addition to Brophy’s excellent individual achievements, Jake also helped the CB East team qualify for the state championships during all three seasons. He provided a key anchor leg on the team’s medal winning DMR as well as a 1:55 split in the prelims of the outdoor state championships in the 4x800 relay.

Nick Dahl, GFS

Dahl competes for a school outside the independent league, so he may not get as much hype as some of the other big names, but that doesn’t mean he’s not one of the state’s best. Dahl already had proven himself as a 2 miler in 2015, but in 2016 he expanded his abilities across all distances. He ran a 1:54 in the 800 and split a 4:10 indoor DMR anchor as well as a 4:08 outdoor carry at New Balance Nationals. Dahl competed in the Penn Relays mile as well as the USA Junior National Championship 5k. He also won an individual state championship in cross country.

The GFS team really excelled behind Dahl’s leadership. They won a title in XC and grabbed medals in both the DMR and the 4x8 at indoor states. The team’s DMR finished in the top 8 at outdoor nationals and ran a blazing 10:03 time thanks in large part to Dahl’s herculean 4:08 carry. He will be back next year.

Nathan Henderson, JP McCaskey

JP McCaskey’s Junior Nate Henderson was dominant during the 2015 XC season. He was undefeated against District 3 competition and finished 5^th at states in 15:53. After placing 3^rd at indoor states over 3,000m, Henderson continued to roll during outdoors, breaking 8:30 in the 3k and finishing as the top PA athlete at Penn Relays. He also clocked a 4:14 and a 1:53 split.

Dominic Hockenbury, Lake Lehman

Hockenbury added two more state golds to his trophy case this year as well as a hard fought silver in the indoor 3k. He absolutely dominated in both Cross Country and Spring track against AA competition and surged to a sub 15:50 mark on the difficult Hershey course. He placed 11^th at Footlocker Northeast Regionals and was an All-American indoors in the 5k. In Hock’s career, he has 5 state golds and 3 state silvers.

Jaxson Hoey, DT West
Jaxson Hoey capped off a fantastic senior season recently with a 3:50 1500m for 7^th at the USA Junior Championships. His time converts to 4:07.75 for 1600m, easily one of the best marks in state history. Jax overcame a ton this season, including sickness and injuries, and still finished with a massive breakthrough in the 15 and a 1:51 800 (also a big PR). During indoors, Jax racked up state gold in the mile as well as individual honors in the 800. In XC, Jaxson was second at the state championships with a 15:40 at Hershey. It puts him in the top 5 performances in the course’s history.

DT West excelled with Jax in the line up as he helped lead the squad to a state gold in XC and a team title during indoor track. They also just missed the outdoor title. Jaxson ran an important leg on the team’s 3:15 state gold winning 4x4.

Josh Hoey, DT West

As only a sophomore, Josh is already getting buzz as one of the state’s best. He finished in the top 3 at each of the major state championships this year and surprised a ton of people with a win at the Penn Relays. He finished as West’s top runner at the Nike Northeast Regional meet and the Manhattan Invitational, both historic wins for the DT West program. He clocked marks of 15:49 at Hershey, 4:11 in the mile and 1:54 for 800.

Mike Kolor, Seneca Valley

The Seneca Valley senior was absolutely dominant on the track during his senior season, racking up two individual WPIAL titles during the outdoor season and finishing with a silver medal at the state championships in the 1600. In the post season, Kolor rolled on, running 1:52 and then 1:51 in his last two races, crushing his competition on both occasions.

During XC, Kolor also had his best season to date, placing in the top 15 at states and leading Seneca Valley to a second place finish at districts. In addition, Kolor anchored the SV DMR at indoor states to a top 4 finish.

Griffin Mackey, Sewickley Academy

The Sewickley Academy junior was an absolute force during XC, traveling all around the state to compete against the best possible competition. He was rewarded for all of his efforts at meets like Paul Short and Foundation, with a state title in the A state meet. He was the only junior to win a PIAA or PTFCA state title in the 2015-2016 season. Mackey also had a terrific track season, qualifying for states in the 3200 and the 1600 and earning state and WPIAL hardware. His Sewickley Academy XC squad finished first in the WPIAL and second at states.

Alex Milligan, State College

The State College stand out first made a name for himself as one of the best anchors in the nation, leading SC to a state title in the indoor 4x8 as well as a Millrose Championship. However, Milligan will go down in PA history for something he did without his teammates. At the 2016 outdoor state meet, Milligan dropped a 4:10.17 to surprise Mike Kolor and Josh Hoey and win the state championship in the 1600. It was the third state title for Milligan on the year and set a school record.

Domenic Perretta, Beaver Falls

The Beaver Falls senior won three state golds this year, all individually, and added a state meet record in the 800. In total, Perretta finished his career with seven state golds and 3 consecutive 16-8 doubles at states, something that had never been done before. He ran 1:50.10 for 800m and also clocked 1:50 during indoors at the national championships (in his first ever indoor season).

Music (Original Song)

Best Running Song of the Year
What song was your go to for this season? Whether it be while training or trying to get pumped up before a big race, it all counts. We will even accept songs that weren’t released this year. Drake songs are recommended by Jarrett.

“All-Star” by Smash Mouth

Hey now, you’re an all-star. That’s how I choose to live my life. As soon as I hear this song, I know I’m gonna get my game on and go play. Paul Hayes has said this song is the only possible answer to this question. That’s not literally true of course but it is not figuratively true.

“Bad Blood” by Taylor Swift

If you are building a list of songs, you need to have Tay on there. It’s just a necessary fact of any list. A list of jams for a pre-race pump up playlist. Tay. A list of jams for a fierce interval workout. Tay. A list of people taller than Alex Fox. Tay. A list of PA related track blogs. Trick question, it’s not a list if there’s only one name in the game!

“0 to 100” by Drake

How fast do you want to run? Real quick. How much time do I take to proof read my posts. 0. On a scale of 1 to 100, how much do you love the blog? Ok a 57 isn’t that bad, but I was looking for 100. Because then it would be like the lyrics of the song.

Side note: Been Steph Curry with the post

“One Dance” by Drake

I’d really like to set up the poll so that if you vote for this song, then the poll will sing to you, “Baby, I like your style.” But I don’t think that’s possible. So instead I set it up so that when you vote for “One Dance” by Drake the poll will add an extra vote to the total votes for “One Dance” by Drake.

“Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne

It’s kinda crazy that “Running on Empty” is killing it right now in the polls despite the fact that it’s from 1977. You know some things that are older than this song? Nick Symmonds, Forrest Gump, Vibram Feet Shoes, Purell hand sanitizer, and, because it’s a list, Taylor Swift.

“Sandstorm” by Darude

Try listening to Sandstorm and not getting pumped up. I’m literally just imagining listening to Sandstorm and I’ve already started dancing. I’m admittedly not sure why it’s called “Sandstorm” because the idea of a “Sandstorm” doesn’t really sound like an amazing dance party. It just sounds like a thing that would make me sad because I would get all sorts of stuff in my eyes and I hate when I get stuff in my eyes.

“Sweet Escape” by Gwen Stefani

I think this song might be where I discovered Akon for the first time so at the very least that’s a great reason to vote for this song. There’s literally no doubt in my mind that this is a good song. Get it? No Doubt? Like the band? The band that Gwen Stefani was in? Why I am asking so many questions I literally can’t hear anyone else talking?

Best Costume Design

Best Uniforms
Pick your favorite uniforms that you’ve seen this season! It can be as a simple as listing a high school or, if you want to go in depth, feel free to get specific.

And the nominees are …

Bonner

It’s just the right mix of elegance and simplicity. The uniform says “I want to run fast out there and look good doing it.” President Obama wears Bonner uniform pajamas at night. Friars? More like Fly-ers.

Cardinal O’Hara

It mixes in a cautious approach to fashion with a bold new look on expressionism. The O’Hara uniform is nicely accented by a little bit of state gold or perhaps an etrain shirt. When people see the O’Hara uniform, they are compelled to speak in a British accent.

Council Rock South

This uniform is more of a multi-form. You can rock it at the gym, on the track or on the dance floor. The gold in the design sets the tone for the race at hand. Because gold is the color of the medals they want to win. In case that wasn’t clear.

Downingtown East

Imagine if Mozart designed track uniforms? Got a picture in your head? Now look at these Downingtown East uniforms. I know, it’s the exact same thing.

Downingtown West

Downingtown West has a new uniform for every look. Going on a sunset run with your grandmother? How about a purple nationals jersey? What about a run through the park on a Thursday at 2:35? Enter the plain white with blue “D”. How about something to wear to your high school prom? I would suggest a suit or a tuxedo. Unless your Todd Gunzenhauser.

Lower Merion

The Lower Merion uniform allegedly stopped the violence between the jets and the sharks. It’s the uniform worn by the director of the Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man In the World” Commercials. And it’s the uniform that Ben Furcht wore. And if nothing else, I rep Ben Furcht.

North Penn

There’s nothing like the powder blue of a North Penn jersey. Of course there are also some really cool black North Penn jerseys. So maybe there is something like the powder blue of a North Penn Jersey. I rest my case.

Tunkhannock

Have you ever been to District 2 Pennsylvania? Most of you probably have not, but you know who has? Matt Kravitz and Dominic Hockenbury. Do you know what they just did? They won the state 3200m. Do you know why? They were inspired by a painting of a Tunkhannock jersey. A painting. Not even the real thing.

West Chester Henderson

It’s been said that when the Mona Lisa was original painted, she was depicted in a West Chester Henderson jersey. They are the right mix of both class and maturity. Apparently etrain was wearing a Henderson jersey when he proposed to his fiancée. Because of the class and maturity thing.

Wyomissing

The Wyomissing uniform is actually illegal in 36 states. It’s beauty is too profound for certain eyes to behold if they are not well trained in the arts and the sciences. Why the sciences? I’m not sure, I’m not smart enough to comprehend the full sophistication of a Wyomissing uniform.

 

Best Picture

Best Race of the Year
Awarded to the best race, from either Cross Country or Track and Field, featuring a PA athlete. This is not best performance, meant to highlight an individual’s performance, but rather best race meant to highlight an exciting, impressive or particularly memorable event.

And the nominees are ....

Baldwin Invitational 3200m

The WPIAL 3200 crew made it's first big statement for the 2016 outdoor season, perhaps foreshadowing things to come. They produced 7 runners under the magical 9:20 barrier and 11 under 9:30 with almost exclusively District 7 runners. Nick Wolk won with a 9:12 but the 2nd and 3rd place finishers (Migliozzi and Gunzenhauser) were just behind him. Two of the top AA runners in the state, Zach Skolnekovich and Will Loevner, also dropped impressive PRs at 9:16 to put themselves in the state title discussion in their small school classification.

District 12 AAA 800m

In a year of crazy races at the state meet, the District 12 AAA 800 set the stage for a wild weekend at Shippensburg. Three of the top overall seeds in the state meet, including a pair of freshly minted 1:53 guys in Dave Whitfield and Stephen McClellan, came from this meet and caused Etrain to dub the state 800 "Madness". The race went out in about 53 seconds, with Justin Jones of O'Hara leading the charge and he pulled everybody to some crazy fast times unlike anything the district had seen before.

Lawerenceville Relays DMR

CB East first put the state on notice about their relay potential for the 2016 indoor season thanks to a 10:39 mark at the Lavino Relays in a race that featured 3 top 10 US times in an epic anchor leg dual. PA put on a big performance in the meet overall, representing on New Jersey soil.

PIAA AAA XC States

One of PA's greatest teams, Downingtown West, entered the meet as a big favorite and their top 3 runners delivered, all finishing in the top 6 and each running 15:53 or faster. The race also featured a jaw dropping 9 runners under 16 minutes on the brutal Hershey course (there were just 6 sub 16 marks total in the first 16 runs on the course). But what really made the race special was the fantastic duel between Jaxson Hoey and Jake Brophy. Both runners finished in an all out sprint to the finish, going neck and neck all the way until the final stretch, with Brophy just barely holding on to his state title from the year prior.

PIAA AA Outdoor 800m

State legend Domenic Perretta took the track for the last time in his prestigious career, looking to take one last shot at the state record he had most coveted. But early on it looked like Perretta wouldn't even defend his state gold as one of the most talented AA fields in PA history rolled through the opening lap. But ultimately, Perretta delivered and ran his fastest 800 ever.

PIAA AAA Outdoor State 4x800m

State College had been the class of the 4x8 all year, but they knew they would get a big challenge from the army of district one schools that had rolled at Coatesville the previous week. Ultimately, SC rose to the occasion, setting the tone for a team title run with a massive 7:37 victory in the 4x8, putting them in the top 5 ever for Pennsylvania. But the race was just getting started as a pack of Abington, CB West, Pennridge, North Penn and CR North fought tooth and nail for the rest of the top five spots.

 

PIAA AAA Outdoor State 4x400m

Sure, it's not a distance event, but the PA State 4x400m was a monumental event in the 2016 Outdoor State Championship. State College and Downingtown West were more or less going head to head for the state title. West ran 3:15 for the victory, a blazing fast 4x4 especially when you factor in all their legs were doubling. But State College responded with a 3:16, finishing second in their heat. Would it be enough? After they went to the monitor it was revealed SC did indeed take the silver, which guaranteed them the state title by just 1 point!

PIAA AAA Outdoor State 1600m

I'm not sure we've mentioned State College at all recently? Or maybe the Outdoor Team Title? Well State College needed every point they could get at Shippensburg, but one place they weren't expecting to really maximize those points was the 1600. Alex Milligan passed on the 800 for the 1600 in a surprise to some (like me) and was projected to finish behind the 1-2 punch of Kolor and Josh Hoey considering he was doubling off the 4x8. After splitting a 1:52 PR, Milligan doubled back, ran poised in the pack and then unleashed a monster kick to surprise for the victory with a huge 4:10 PR. Second and third place also dropped 4:11 times, separated by about a thousandth of a second.

 

PTFCA Indoor 800m

Domenic Perretta competed in his first and only indoor state championship at his future home track. How would he handle the pressure? How would he handle his first look at AAA competition? The answer proved to be "pretty well". Perretta took down a field of 3 future 1:51 guys in Matt Wisner, Mike Kolor and Jaxson Hoey en route to his 5th state title of his career.

PTFCA Indoor 3,000m

In a battle of two-time state champions, XC AAA champ Jake Brophy took on XC AA champ Dominic Hockenbury in the 3k. Hockenbury had an extra bit of motivation after having been outkicked a year early. Dominic put in a hard surge mid race and broke things open, but Jake Brophy found an extra gear on the final lap, uncorking a split well under 30 seconds to run down Hock in thrilling fashion and grab his first state title on the track.

Best Documentary Feature

Best Post of the Year
Highlights the best blog post or news article you’ve read over the year. It could be a serious, dramatic story or a funny, humorous piece. Again, you can choose for yourself what constitutes “Best”.

And the nominees are ....

500k: The Man Behind Etrain

When the blog hit the magical 500,000 view mark, the etrain writers decided to turn the tables on the blog’s founder, Jarrett “etrain11” Felix, and ask him the questions. He responded with some pretty cool stuff and, honestly, he seems like a really cool guy. And I’m not just saying that because I’m him.

Bold Predictions for 2016

For the third straight year, Etrain went bold with his predictions for 2016. His 2014 and 2015 predictions were fun as well, but Nostraindamus tried to turn it up another notch for 2016. Is there such a thing as too bold?

Breaking Down the Class of 2019

Alex, Dylan and Garrett dive into the absolutely loaded freshman class of the NCAA before it was cool. It was some pretty solid foreshadowing for what was to come, which included guys like Brazier, Fisher, Maton and more putting the collegiate world on notice.

TheRoundHouse Episode X ft. DanBeck

Just a reminder that Dan Beck is a pretty cool dude. The Penntrack webmaster did us another favor and jumped on the 10^th ever edition of TheRoundHouse, an Around the Horn style track YouTube show, to break down the upcoming state championships. We predict all the races exactly! Except no we don’t. Whoops.

You can catch all the episodes of the roundhouse by clicking the label: roundhouse. Or by going to our YouTube channel lxvplus. We want to change it to ETFN but haven’t figured out how yet. I’m technologically challenged.

XC All Decade Team

Etrain has been doing this for a long time. Like 10 years long. So he shared his opinions on the top 101 XC runners of the decade with us in a multi-part series. The linked post has the top 10, but it also provides links to all the previous sections starting with 101-86. You can also use the filter alldecade to click around.

PA’s Greatest Hits (Side One and Two)

Remember that time etrain had been talking about running for a decade? In a two part series this time, etrian breaks down the greatest outdoor state races of the past 10 years. He decided to call it PA’s greatest hits like a music album because he thinks he’s cool. He’s not.

The Running Diaries

Although nobody probably reads these, etrain has written 14 chapters worth of Diaries (and currently has another 3-4 in production for the summer, because what says summer like a semi-fictional story about distance running?). The story covers four very different runners (Ben Havleck, Jimmy Springer, Mark Miller and Chris Cline) on their journey through their running careers, culminating in a trip to the 2016 XC State Championships.

There’s a lot of real life experience and real life names rolled into the story and the various runners represent various phases and team’s from the authors personal running … what’s that? You’re already bored and skipping to the next post description? Fair enough.

Sean Collins Outdoor State Predictions

Remember that time Sean Collins owned etrain in a prediction contest? Well we have it documented for all eternity. He called the Alex Milligan upset and put the so called knowledgeable track blogger in his place. To be fair, he does go to Penn …

Interviews

We did a lot of these during the year (and more during the summer). Some of them were rolled into the Etrain 11 series (shameless plug) but we also tracked down Jake Brophy, Kevin James and even NCAA champ Clayton Murphy. You can check out our interview work with the label interview or the Etrain 11 series with the label the11.

Prediction Contests

We like to have fun. Or, at least whatever etrain’s definition of fun is. Apparently that’s lots of prediction contests. We do them for NCAA and HS (and maybe will have some US options coming up) and try to keep creative ideas flowing. Like how about that NCAA fantasy draft? Or the most recent PA HSOutdoor predictions?

The Zatlin Awards

Our most popular writer according to recent polls, Garrett Zatlin, breaks down the NCAA on a regular basis under our NCAA label. But his signature move may be the Zatlin awards (Craig Lutz is a fan) where he creatively breaks down the season that was in the NCAA. I wonder if etrain stole his Oscar idea from Garrett …. Hmmm ….

Best Visual Effects

Most Exciting Runner of the Year
Who did you enjoy watching the most? Maybe someone with a big kick or maybe a runner who was particularly gutsy and aggressive by setting a fast pace?

And the nominees are …

Keion Broadus, Abington

The Abington mid distance specialist spent most of his time running relay legs in two of the most exciting events in track and field: the 4x4 and the 4x8. Broadus ran anchor for both the indoor and outdoor 4x800 squads for the Ghosts and, at both state championships, he finished in a dead heat with Jake Claricurzio of CB West for the silver. Broadus flipped the script outdoors, running down the silver with an anchor split of about 1:51.5 and helped equal their best finish at an outdoor state championship in school history.

Jake Brophy, CB East

The king of the kick, Jake Brophy unleashed his trademark finish at the PTFCA Indoor State Championship 3k this year when he ran down Dominic Hockenbury on the final lap. This came on the heels of Brophy’s epic sprint battle with DT West’s Jaxson Hoey for the state title in Cross Country. The CB East senior’s heroics made him one of the most popular runners in the state in 2015-2016.

Tucker Desko, Pennridge

Pennridge’s star runner had a phenomenal indoor season that included a 1:53 800m time and a sub 4:20 mile. He continued to roll during the outdoor season and provided some monster anchor legs for a strong Pennridge 4x8 squad. He was always dangerous in a sprint finish but also was not afraid to push the pace and go for a fast time. Most importantly, Desko was a winner, racking up a variety of wins at track meets throughout the season against top notch competition.

Rock Fortna CB West

CB West’s Rock Fortna has been the consistent leader for his team the past two seasons. He was their #1 runner during the cross country season and a valuable relay runner on the successful CB West 4x8 teams. He ran a clutch 2^nd leg for West on both the indoor and outdoor state medal squads and also gutted out a difficult double at indoor states in the DMR, earning yet another medal for the trophy case.

Liam Galligan, Springfield Delco

Springfield DELCO’s stand out junior fearlessly pushed the pace in the 2016 AAA 1600m race at outdoor states and was rewarded with a strong 4:15 PR. He also dropped a fantastic kick during the indoor states mile to climb way up the medal standings in that field. His diverse skill set helped Galligan amass three individual medals across his three seasons in 2015-2016, setting him for a potentially memorable Senior season.

Dan Kuhn, Harbor Creek

The AA 800m stand out during track split a couple of 1:52 relay times for Harbor Creek during the spring at both districts and states. He always kept his team in the mix, giving them some memorable run ins with future state champs Seneca and battling their anchor, Donovan Myers, in some thrilling open races. Kuhn set the tone for the open 800 at outdoor states when he charged to the front fearlessly against Domenic Perretta.

Alex Milligan, State College

Milligan became the darling of the track community after he surprised just about everybody (besides Sean Collins) by upsetting Josh Hoey and Mike Kolor in the state 1600 final. Milligan put on a powerful finishing kick on the double from a dominant 4x8 anchor leg to earn a second straight gold and perhaps set the stage for the SC team title that was to come. But Milligan worked his magic throughout the season, with memorable kicks and clutch anchor legs for a phenomenal Little Lions squad including National level performances at Indoors Nats, Millrose Games and the Penn Relays.

Mike Kolor, Seneca Valley

Mike Kolor had top tier speed, running 1:51 for 800, but he also was more than willing to push the pace rather than solely relying on his kick. He finished 2^nd in the state 1600m, battling all the way to the line against Josh Hoey of DT West and finished 3^rd in the loaded indoor 800m state title match up. He also ran some monster anchor legs on the SV’s indoor DMR and 4x8 relays.

Domenic Perretta, Beaver Falls

The Beaver Falls Senior expected the most out of himself in every race he ran, which meant he was going for a record almost every time he stepped on the track. Perretta picked up 3 more state titles this year and dropped to 1:50 for 800m on three different occasions, including the AA Outdoor State Championships (breaking the meet record) and New Balance Indoor Nationals (where he finished 2^nd to future sub 4 miler Michael Slagowski).

Matt Wisner, Carlisle

Matt Wisner has one of the best kicks in the state. Reminiscent of Robby Andrews, Wisner would hang back off the pace early and then really turn things on for a finishing kick. He put down a terrific last lap at indoor states for the silver and used his closing speed to grab second outdoors as well. Then, at the PA Distance Festival, Wisner dropped one of the fastest final 300 meters in recent history, passing almost the entire field in the home stretch and crossing the line in a 4:14 full mile (tops from PA in the race).

Best Make Up and Hair Styling

Best Cross Country Course
Pick your favorite course of the 2015 XC season.

And the nominees are ….

Belmont Plateau

One of the state’s most famous and difficult courses hosts a variety of meets throughout the year, including the PCL Championships, District 12 Championships and Independent State Championships. It’s famous “Parachute Hill” still haunts etrain’s dreams from his first ever XC race. It’s the only time he ever walked during a race. The course has been traversed not just by multi time state champions like Jake Brophy and Tony Russell, but also by some of the greatest runners in the nation such as Jim and Joe Rosa of West Windsor.

Big Spring

The Big Spring course hosted the District 3 Championships for the first time in 2015, but also continued to host the always competitive Mid Penn Championships. In 2015, we saw some of the fastest times in course history, mainly by two runners who will return to the course again in 2016.

It’s one of etrain’s personal favorite courses (he put a make believe meet on thecourse for goodness sakes) because of its exciting mix of hills (both up and down) and it’s open, wooded feel.

 
Brandywine Creek State Park(Salesianum)
Should a course outside of the great state of PA win an Etrain Oscar? If any course deserves it, it may be Salesianum’s Brandywine XC course. It’s another brutally difficult course where future Foot Locker finalists have struggled just to dip under 16:30.

Cooper’s Lake

Western Pennsylvania holds their district championships at this course which (I’ve been told, I’ve never actually competed there) features some difficult hills, difficult weather and a castle! No dragons, but that doesn’t mean the athletes who have competed there aren’t spitting fire. Nick Wolk, Domenic Perretta and Zach Skolnekovich all won their district championship races on this course in 2015.

Hershey Parkview

The home of the state championship, Hershey’s Parkview course has become an iconic cross country lay out in the state of Pennsylvania. It provides brutal hills in the middle mile, but also a tight start that forces runners to get out hard or risk being stuck in a crowd. There’s also a hill that’s literally called “Poop-out Hill”. I swear, someone really named it that. Yes, I am very immature.

Lehigh

The home of the district one championships and the prestigious Paul Short Invitational, the Lehigh XC course is one of the fastest courses in the state. It has fantastic footing and usually brings together a ton of talent which brings out the best in the athletes. The course record is under 15 minutes!

PIAA 4x800m Splits

The following is a combination of splits from coaches/athletes and hand taken splits from the PIAA Track Video Full Broadcast on YouTube. I haven't done the full AA race yet (I need like a solid 2 hours of my day for that), but I just finished up AAA. What was given to me will be denoted in italics while my own personal splits will be in normal text.

AAA
1. State College 7:37.35
Owen Wing '17 1:57.17
Nick Feffer '17 1:52.85
Anthony Degleris '16 1:54.75
Alex Milligan '16 1:52.30
7:37.07

2. Abington 7:44.17
Jake Good '16 1:57.2
Cameron Mitchell '18 1:55.1
Josh Coleman (?) '18 2:00.4
Keion Broadus '16 1:51.5
7:44.2

3. CB West 7:44.17
Carter Zerweck '16 1:57.3
Rock Fortna '16 1:53.9
Luke Fehrman '19 1:59.0
Jake Claricurzio '18 1:53.8
7:44.0

4. Pennridge 7:45.72
Soloman Araneta '16 2:01.1
Matt Eissler '19 1:55.6
Jeff Espinal '16 1:55.1
Austin Howell '17 1:53.9
7:45.7

5. North Penn 7:45.95
Elgin Horton 1:58.1
Daniel Santiago 1:56.0
Spallinger 1:59.5
Dante Watson '16 1:52.4
7:46.0

6. CR North 7:46.61
Bryan Keller '17 1:56.1
Matt Haldeman '16 1:57.6
Sam Early '18 1:58.5
Ben Heintz '16 1:54.1
7:46.3

7. LaSalle College 7:50.62
Brendan Price 1:59.6
Evan Addison 1:55.7
Mac Costinis 2:00.6
Patrick Grant 1:54.8
7:50.7

8. North Allegheny 7:51.71
Bobby Lutz '17 1:58
Caleb Schaelchlin '17 1:55.5
Christian Parreaguirre '17 1:59
Zach Ehling '18 1:57.5
7:51.0

9. CB East 7:55.83
1:58.6
2:00.3
1:57.5
Brophy 1:59.4
7:55.8

10. Cumberland Valley 7:59.61
1:58.9
2:01.4
1:59.8
Yaha Soliman '17 1:59.5
7:59.6

11. Carlisle 8:02.66
2:00.3
2:00.0
1:59.5
2:02.7
8:02.5

12. O'Hara 8:05.19
Quentin Francis '16 2:00.6
Justin Jones '16 1:57.8
x 2:01.1
Ryan James '17 2:05.7
8:05.2

AA
1. Seneca 7:51.07
Phoenix Myers '17 1:56.53
Gabe Jarema '17 2:05.22
Adam Hanes '17 1:56.01
Donovan Myers '17 1:53.31
7:51.07

2. Wyomissing 7:54.48
Jack DiCintio '16 2:01.3
Heriberto Colon '16 1:57.3
Austin Keim '18 2:01.3
Joe Cullen '18 1:54.6
7:54.5

3. Avonworth 7:57.08

4. Harbor Creek 7:57.89
x
x
x
Dan Kuhn 1:52.5

5. Camp Hill 7:58.60
x
x
x
Cooper Leslie 1:53.8

6. Beaver Area 8:02.95

7. Lewisburg Area 8:03.11

8. Warrior Run 8:04.91