Boys Middle-Distance and Distance Preview
In the boys 800-meter run, the field is incredibly talented with 5 young men having the ability to dip under 1:53 if the pace is pushed early. Toeing the line, will be Jesufifunmi Olugbenga (Ridley), Daden Grogan (DeMatha Catholic), James Ciaccio (St. Anthony's) Aidan Norris (Colonie) and Tommy Silvester (Coatesville) rounding out what should be our top five. The field is deep and anything can happen. It will need to be an almost perfect race for the meet record set by Michael Woolery-1:53.28 (Episcopal) to fall, but with the right pace it could happen.
Moving up to the mile, the action continues to stay hot as athletes will look to break the 4:10 barrier. The field will be led by Grayson Ruffner (Wissahickon) coming into the race with the highest national ranking and will be followed closely by Collin McLaughlin (St. Anthony's) and long-distance standout Shane Murphy of Hunter College Campus School. All three athletes have a shot at breaking the meet record set by Brian DiCola (Hatboro Horsham) with a mark of 4:11.25.
The two mile run could be the wildcard event of the meet with duo's from Hunter College. Isaac Cohen and Henry Koike-Sieira being the one and four seed going into the race and looking to drop massive PR's. They possibly could dip under the 9:00 minute barrier. With Shane Murphy opting to run the mile, they will need to work the pace with Luke Bodden (Radnor) and Jackson Kane (Ridley) who are sitting two and three on the performance list. The meet record is held by Mathew Bouthillette at 9:05.48 set in 2016, this record could fall this weekend if the race goes out fast.
Girls Middle-Distance and Distance Preview
The girls 800-meter run will be one of the hottest races on Sunday afternoon. The best athletes in the country should be battling every step of the race. The entry list is deep, featuring Olivia Cieslak-2:06.53 (Haverford) US #1, Peyton Hollis-2:06.42 (Union Catholic) US # 4, Paige Sheppard-2:07.97 (Union Catholic) US # 7, Gwen Hamilton-2:09.35 (Archbishop Wood), Katelyn Kliesch-2:08.89 (Notre Dame Academy), Alli DeLisi-2:08.59 (Penn Charter) US #3. The win is up for grabs and the meet record of 2:11.80 is likely fall.
Moving up to the mile, Villanova commit Rosemary Shay of Middletown South, comes in as the top seed. She is looking to improve on her personal best and crack the 5:00 minute mark and move into the top 10 Invitational performances. The current meet record is held by Gabrielle Wilkinson (Friends Central) at 4:58.07 and dates back to 2018. Shay will be pushed hard by Ella Woehlcke (Mt. St. Joseph Academy), Baylee Espinosa (Lewisburg Area) and Naomi Douglas (Fiorello LaGuardia) all looking to dip below the 5-minute barrier for the first time.
The invitational two mile will be led by local talent out of Hunter College Campus School, Ella Cohen, coming into the meet ranked as one of the top distance runners in New York State. She will be looking to dip below 10:30 to take down the meet record of 10:34.89, set in 2018 by Katherine Lee (Shoreham-Wading River). Not far behind will be Maxine Paul-Emile (St. Ann's School), Ava Thomas (Haddonfield) and Bailey Hall (Pennsbury) potentially rounding out the next top three spots.
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