By Senior Correspondent Marty Ogden, Editing and Graphics by Ron Knapp
Watch any of the races on-demand from RunnerSpace
More than 640 schools from nearly 40 states and countries came to Arcadia HS in California to compete in one of the most competitive meets of the year. The 57th Arcadia Invitational assembled a who’s who of national class athletes including five sub-4 minute high school boys in running the 3200m event.
Owen Powell of Mercer Island (WA) who has twice already gone under 4 minutes with a best of 3:56.66, was content to stay towards the front of the 37 man field throughout the race and used a 54 second last lap to hold off Josiah Tostenson of Crater, Oregon. Powell won in 8:39.86, becoming the 12th boy in meet history to go under 8:40.
Just a little farther back, Newtown’s Soheib Dissa ran toward the front, but in lane two most of the race. He lost a few places on the last lap, but still managed to run 8:51.00 to finish in 15th place in the star studded field. That performance breaks John Raneri’s SWC record and makes Dissa the 5th fastest performer in state history, only a half second behind Eric van der Els and just in front of Nick Bendtsen and Robbie Cozean on the CT all time list.
Several Danbury boys left at 2 am on Wednesday night to arrive in California on Thursday and despite the travel, they performed admirably. Their distance medley relay must have been inspired by their neighbor only a few exits away on I-84. They ran the next race after the 3200m Invite at nearly midnight Eastern Standard Time and came away with a time of 10:16.51, good for 6th place.
Kyle Jeffers led off in 3:09.74, good for 5th place after the 1200m leg. He handed off to Alexander Hannon who ran the 400m in 50.53 with Owen Tomasik running 1:58.46. Michael Komisky handled the 1600m leg, splitting a 4:17.80 to close out their effort.
Danbury’s DMR Team at Arcadia Invite on Saturday
On Friday night Komisky, Terrell St. Clair,Tomasik and Jeffers ran another state leading time of 7:59.69 to finish 15th in the 4x800m.
Not long after the 4x800m finished, Tobeas Kelly, Julian Farmer Campbell, Hannon and St. Clair finished 6th in the Seeded 1600m SMR in a time of 3:43.38.
The 4x200m team of Kelly, Julian Farmer Campbell, Machai Henry and Rysaiah Saunders ran 1:31.32 in the Rated 4 x 200m to finish 5th. According to coach Rob Murray, this was Henry’s first race back since FCIACs and while not an all out effort, it was a sign the…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at RunnerSpace News…