Being national editor allowed me to travel to the Arcadia Invitational this weekend, where I will be providing live coverage of the event on MileSplit US (https://www.milesplit.com). While picking up my media credentials today I ran into the Neuqua Valley quartet. Chris Derrick is entered in the 5k, while Danny Pawola, Jim Riddle and Aaron Beattie are entered in the 3200m run. I'll make sure to get quotes and pictures of all four this weekend, so check back Saturday for individual coverage of those four.
Arcadia Invitational (CA) Coverage
MileSplit National Arcadia Invitational Coverage
Photo: Chris Derrick in route to a 13:55.95 win!!!
Leading the list of top events throughout the whole weekend was the boys 5,000m run. In its first year of existence at Arcadia, the event certainly did not disappoint. For a few weeks Chris Derrick (Neuqua Valley, IL) had been labeled as the pre-race favorite, while New Jersey's finest, Brandon Jarrett (St. Benedict's, NJ) and Doug Smith (Gill-St. Bernard, NJ) were considered his chief competition. From the gun Derrick shot out to hit the first 400m in 68 seconds, as a large group followed pace. What would transpire however simply shook the distance world greater than perhaps any race in the last few years.
Derrick continued on a torrent pace, hitting 67-68 seconds for each lap. Around the mile mark Jarrett dropped out, collapsing to the track in agony. However, as Derrick passed through the first 1600m split in 4:33, he had company from Smith and Ryan Prentice (Mt. Rainer, WA). Over the course of the next mile Derrick would drop both athletes rather easily and crossed the 3200m mark in 9:03. As the laps counted down, the crowd became more and more aware of what was taking place. 9:03 would have earned Derrick sixth place in the open 3200m race earlier in the evening, but he was looking relaxed and fast through that marker and actually picked up the pace at that point.
Into the final mile Derrick went, as he started to lap runners and ride the wave of energy that the crowd provided. Derrick his 67, 67, 66 for his next three laps and into the last 600m he went. On his twelvth lap Derrick hit 61 seconds and sprinted home for the win with a 30 second last 200m, finishing in the U.S. #6 all-time performance of 13:55.96. Simply incredbile!
Standing right at the starting line for the 5k, here are Derrick's Splits: 68, 2:16 (68), 3:24 (68), 4:33 (69), 5:41 (68), 6:48 (67), 7:56 (68), 9:03 (67), 10:10 (67), 11:17 (67), 12:23 (66), 13:25 (62), 13:55.96 (30.96).
Event 34 Men 5000 Meter Run Invitational
1 Derrick, Chris 12 Neuqua Vlly (Il) 13:55.96
2 Smith, Doug 11 Gill St. Ber(NJ) 14:35.32
3 Prentice, Ryan 12 Mt. Rainier (Wa) 14:41.96
4 Beach, Nate 12 Acalanes 14:57.03
5 Solis, Anthony 12 Barstow 15:05.59
Photo: Jim Riddle and Danny Pawola working together
While Chris Derrick was warming up for his historic 5,000m performance, his teammates Jim Riddle and Danny Pawola were taking to the track in the boys 3200m Invitational race. From the gun it was apparent that planned or not both runners were going to work together as best they could to go after fast times. A slow early pace caught most of the field off-guard, as both athletes drug through the opening quarter in 69 seconds and 2:19 for 800m. From there the race picked up as the leaders started to move. With their next half mile in 2:16, Riddle and Pawola crossed the 1600m mark in 4:35.
From there the race got interesting. Pawola took the lead for a bit, then Riddle took it back. The duo was running much of the race in small packs of 3 or 4 runners, shifting between groups based on how they felt. Through 2400 meters the two were still running stride for stride with each other, clocking 6:55. However, as many athletes started to shift into their kicks, Riddle pulled ahead slightly, passing through two seconds ahead of Pawola with a lap to go in 8:05.
As the two runners neared the finish line, both had their eyes focused on the finish line, trying to hold off any competitor near them. In the end Riddle crossed the line just over four seconds ahead of Pawola in 9:11.19, while Pawola finished in 9:15.20. These were great efforts by both athletes and it gives them a lot to work with moving forward.
Event 24 Men 3200 Meter Run Invitational
1 Puskedra, Luke 12 Judge Mem (Ut) 8:46.40
2 Channon, Dominic 12 Athl Nelson (Nz) 8:48.00
3 Sullivan, Riley 12 Trabuco Hill 8:56.09
4 Schwartz, Chris 11 Foothill 9:01.45
5 Keveren, Sean 12 Brentwood (Tn) 9:02.61
6 Estrada, Diego 12 Alisal 9:05.94
7 Abdalla, Mohamed 12 Willow Glen 9:07.61
8 Dorantes, Luis 12 Whittier 9:08.63
9 Appel, Evan 11 Dakota Ridge (Co 9:09.68
10 Schmidt, Cody 11 Redondo 9:10.45
11 Riddle, Jim 12 Neuqua Vlly (Il) 9:11.19
12 Walmsley, Jim 12 Horizon (Az) 9:13.16
13 Pawola, Danny 11 Neuqua Vlly (Il) 9:15.20
14 O'Neill, John 12 Battle Mt (Co) 9:16.88
15 Boughton, Matt 12 Desert Vista(AZ) 9:17.56
16 Torres, Zack 11 Crescenta Vl 9:17.77
Photo: Aaron Beattie after his 9:24.55 3200m
- In Aaron Beattie's 3200m race Friday evening, the pace got off to a very even start, which played in Beattie's favor. With a fast opening 400m split of 66.3, he ran a smart early race by sitting in the back of the lead pack. Through the next three laps Beattie worked his way forward into the top eight of the race with splits of 2:17.2 (800m), 3:27.9 (1200m) and 4:40.4 (1600m). The next half proved crucial, as the leaders of the race made some big moves. Beattie kept his pace though, slowing just a bit with a 2:23 for his next 800m. Closing as best he could, Beattie surged hard over the final lap to close with a time of 9:24.55.
Afterwards Beattie was a bit disappointed, wanting to run 9:20. "I wanted to go 9:20 and I was right on pace early on." Throughout the race he seemed keen on just running his own race while afterwards agreeing, "I ran my own race and tried to keep even splits. I didn't want to do anything crazy." While he might be a bit disappointed that he didn't reach 9:20, his time ranks him as one of the top sophomores in the country and is a great stepping stone for the rest of the season.
Event 227 Men 3200 Meter
1 Barlow, George 12 Mtn Crest (Ut) 9:37.00 9:13.09
2 Duffy, Matt 12 St. Mary's 9:23.12 9:13.68
3 Everhart, Cameron 12 Lutheran (Or 9:35.87 9:17.07
4 Whitt, Marcus 12 Mtn View (Az) 9:40.27 9:23.49
5 Battles, Eric 12 Clovis West 9:25.19 9:23.85
6 Beattie, Aaron 10 Neuqua Vlly (Il) 9:39.80 9:24.55
7 Parish, Laine 12 Cheyenne Cen(WY) 9:40.80 9:24.77
8 Schmidt, Simon 11 Redondo 9:23.45 9:26.35