But there was something else that happened that probably most of you don't know about. Something historic! Something that has never happened before!
It took place in the boys 1,600-meter race at the NJSIAA Non-Public A State Championships at Middletown North High School, and it slipped under just about everyone's radar. It was truly epic!!!
This race had the makings of an all-time great showdown, and it became an instant four-lap classic!!!
Five runners broke 4:13 in the same race for the first time in the history of the Group Championships! Three runners from the same team ran under 4:11 for the first time in state history!! Twin brothers both ran under 4:13, and a total of eight guys broke 4:20.
I told you this race was smoking hot!!!
Boys Non-Public A 1600m Top-8 Finishers -Full Results
Junior Collin Boler of Delbarton, who closed in 2:02 and change and 58 point, won a dramatic sprint to the finish to get the victory, stopping the clock at 4:09.60, just off the Non-Public A meet record of 4:09.53 set by Mike Mazzaccaro of CBA in 2010. Then came the Union Catholictriumvirate of sophomore Jimmy Wischusen, second in 4:09.87, senior Shane Brosnan, third in 4:10.14, and senior Myles Plummer, fourth in 4:10.14. Delbarton junior Brian Boler, Collin's twin, was fifth in 4:12.04!
How awesome is that!!! A set of twins and three teammates hammering it out!
There's more!!
Not only did Wischusen, whose 4:09.87 is No. 3 in state history among sophomores, Brosnan and Plummer become the first teammates to run under 4:11 in the same race, they are the first trio of teammates to ever run under 4:11 in the 1,600/mile in the same season in NJ history!!
How cool would it be to see UC take a shot at the state 4xmile record of 17:12.2, which has stood since Essex Catholic ran that in 1967. Maybe they will try to hunt that down at New Balance Nationals next week?
Back to the sub 4:10's.
Boler and Wischusen weren't the only runners to go under 4:10 this weekend.
Kyle Rakitis of Kingsway, who won the 1,600 at the Meet of Champions last June, also dipped under by winning the State Group 4 race for the second straight year in 4:09.12. Rakitis closed in 2:02.24/58.38.
So, with Boler, Wischusen, and Rakitis cracking 4:10, there are now six runners in the state who have gone sub 4:10 this season! That matches the most ever in state history for one outdoor season. Six guys also went under 4:10 in the spring of 2012.
But if you include the 4:07.22 that Brosnan ran for the mile this past indoor season, then there are currently seven runners in NJ who have PR's under 4:10, and that's the most ever in one school year when the two seasons are combined. With a few runners banging on that sub 4:10 door, there is a good chance that number will increase next weekend at the Meet of Champions and the National Championships.
Here's the list of NJ runners who have gone under 4:10 in the 1600m/mile (converted) this school year from the NJ MileSplit rankings.
