#6 - Matthew Payamps Drops A US #2 All-Time At USA's
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Coming into 2019, Matt Payamps (Saint Anthony's) was set to be one of the top distance runners in the State, after a stellar junior campaign the year before. However, it may have taken some time to get the recognition he would soon earn. In Cross, a rough Manhattan Invite, cancelled Federation Meet, and mid-race drop out at Regionals prevented him from really mixing it up with the top harriers in the State. Ending the season earlier than others, allowed him to hit the track in early December, where he put out State Leading marks in both the 3200m and 800m.
January came around, and the pace quickened. He took home a major win at the Yale Invite, running 8:31.01. That mark, alongside his PR of 2:29 in the 1k earned him an Invite to the VA Showcase, where he would face off with some of the East Coast best. He surged past VA standout Theo Woods (2:25.95) for a US #1, and a new PR at 2:25.09. His race was uneven, using a big final kick, showing there could be more in the tank. A conflict of dates prevented an entry to the Millrose Games, but he instead competed and won the NB Mile up in Boston, with a 4:12.39, again a sit-and-kick race. With more local competition on the schedule, Payamps safely won the CHSAA Intersectional Championships at 600m and 1600m, and set his spot for States. However, one week prior, the USA Senior Championships were to be held at Ocean Breeze, and Payamps new PR at 1000m was less than a second faster than the "A" Standard. When the entries came out, he was one of a handful of HS-aged athletes set to compete.
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The weekend began, and many were talking about the new HSR set by Athing Mu (Trenton TC). The second day of competition wound down. The 1000m trials would precede the finals action of the night. Three heats went by, Payamps to be in the final. Lining up next to him would be two former NY Standouts, now pro-runner for Hoka Ryan Manahan (Marcellus), and Ocean Breeze's first sub-4 miler, James Gowans (Mexico). The pace went out quick, and Payamps dropped back. 28-seconds through the first 200m, and he was in dead last. Moving up one position, he stayed there for the following two laps, coming through at 57.1 and 1:26 accordingly. With one lap to go, Payamps was over a second off the leader, but he was on a good pace.
And then, he kicked, as was typical.
He began to pick off runners on the backstretch, with less than a lap to go. He was moving up the pack as the Pro athletes began to fade. He put himself in position to Auto-Q for the final with 50m to go, but unfortunately, the pack realized, and answered his move. Still, they all pushed to the line, and came across together, Payamps placing fifth in his heat. But more importantly, the clock would scroll through the finish-times. As they would come up, things looked promising. And then it came. 2:23.46.
It would be the 2nd fastest time ever run by a High School athlete, and a new New York State Record by nearly a second. Payamps would place 16th overall at the USA Senior Champs, right in the middle of the 32-athlete field. It would be the Top Male Performance of the year in any discipline.
Payamps would close out his year with both and Indoor and Outdoor State Title, while also defending his Loucks 3200m Championship. It wasn't all roses, however. At the National Meets, both Indoors and Out, Payamps was tripped up in the Mile, never letting him see what he could really do at the distance in a Championship setting. And yet, he went the entire year, never placing less than 2nd in a meet in the regular season, against New Yorkers or otherwise. His only real second place finish came from a record-breaking 800m effort at his home Invite in the Spring. He'll join Parker Stokes (Maine-Endwell) and Shea Weilbaker (Saratoga) at Georgetown next fall. Both of those athletes made for our Moment #8, so it should tell you the strength of that recruiting class.