Just when we thought the men’s distance competition couldn’t get any crazier, what happens?
Friday night made everything seem so very normal. Matthew Miller, that familiar face from his three year run of XC county championships, was on top the county standings in the mile and two mile. He ran a solid 4:46.56 in the 1600 on Friday at New Manchester, and didn’t try to move his 3200m time lower from his 10:34.49 earlier in March.
Northgate would have none of it, however.
The main challenger, Andrew Tuttle, sat out of Saturday’s meet for Northgate. Hayden Hasberger, the freshman with the 4:52 back in February, wasn’t competing in the 1600m. Sophomores Sherman Dewey and Jaelin Rainey were the entries, along with first-year competitor Mason Bray. The top PR for that group was a 5:00, far off the county lead.
But on the sunny afternoon at Parkview, Sherman Dewey demolished his personal best by almost fifteen seconds. “4:45.24″ read the clock as he passed the white stripe.
Just like that, add a fourth runner to the championship conversation.
Going into the season, few expected Miller to have much competition in the 3200m. He had the fastest returning time in the county, and with his cross-country pedigree, he was set to lay down some fast times and grab a county track title. Like everything else this season, it hasn’t gone according to plan.
Today Hayden Hasberger took the opportunity to run a blazing 10:29. For comparison, the Northgate school record is 10:14. He’s a freshman, and he has a shot at breaking it this year or next. Analyzing his surprising performance, it becomes less surprising.
Hasberger ran a 4:52 in his first race on the season. After that effort, he followed up the same day with a 11:06 in the 3200m. Since then, he had run the 800m in a 2:10 and another mile. This was the first time he had run the 3200 without a race preceding it. Of course he would improve his time, and he did.
The other Northgate runners who had run only one 3200m this season were bound to have similar circumstances. Sure enough, Jaelin Rainey burst out to run a 10:49 in his first 3200m since February. Other athletes set to improve similarly include Tuttle, Josh Glorvigen, and perhaps Gabe Mendez. If those have sudden increases in speed, Miller better watch out. (He has put in a fast run, and definitely isn’t slowing down anytime soon. He still has a distinct edge in the 3200.)
Distance for the men continues to boil down to a race between Matthew Miller and the Northgate mob. In the meantime, the times will only get faster.
