Boys Week of 5/9 Recap

The last week of the regular season is officially in the books after an eventful weekend of racing. Between the Bizzarri Mile, Delaware County Invitational, Larkin and Crosten Classic, and the Bradley Invitational, there’s a lot of action to break down.

Meet of the Week: Delaware County Invitational

At the Delaware County Invitational, the Olentangy schools joined Big Walnut, Delaware Hayes, and Buckeye Valley in a seven-team meet. Kicking off the day as usual was the 4x800, where Olentangy Liberty dominated for the win. Each of Louie Perry, Sam Brockbank, and Jacob Ogilbee split roughly between 1:58 high and 1:59 low, so it will be interesting to see which two ultimately make the final relay lineup.

The 1600 was an exciting race, with Bradyn Allender edging out Austyn Fox for the win, and Vansh Sethi not far behind. After a hot 64-second opening lap, the trio settled into a more tactical pace and stuck together for most of the race. Sethi faded in the final 200 meters, setting up a kick between Allender and Fox. Allender took the win in 4:23, with Fox finishing less than a second behind, and Sethi crossing in 4:26.

The 800 was the highlight of the day, with Matthew Schroff claiming victory in a commanding 1:52.68. Ty Munroe secured second with a new personal best of 1:54.95, followed by recent Runner of the Week Aadi Joshi in third at 1:56.23. Braydon Nix also earned a big personal best, running 1:57.53. Meanwhile, Zee Rabi appeared to be under the weather—reportedly dealing with pneumonia—so we wish him a speedy recovery.

Capping off the meet was the 3200, where Sid Sivakumar ran a strong personal best of 9:46 to earn the win. He beat out Sam Perez, who was coming off the 4x800, and Nathan Ward; both finished just under the 10:00 mark.

Matchup of the Week: Mason Rod Russell Bizzarri Mile

Much to our surprise, the fastest mile race in the state went tactical, resulting in slower times than anticipated. Charlie Guerrera finished second overall—only behind Kentucky’s Will Sheets—clocking 4:11 for the full mile with a 1600 split of 4:09. The next fastest Central Ohio runner was his teammate Ethan Ishida, who placed seventh with a 4:16 full mile and a 4:14 1600 split. Other Central Ohio finishers included Mick Temple (4:20), Graham Tyler (4:21), and Tate Ruthers (4:23).

Other Notable Action

The Bradley Invitational featured several strong distance performances. Owen Towler jogged a 4:25 to win the 1600, Cayden McClure narrowly edged out Ethan LaCross to win the 800 in 1:59.78, and Liam Irvin beat Levi Weithman by less than a hundredth of a second in the 3200, clocking 9:51. At the Larkin and Crosten Classic, Michael Kinzer won the 1600 in 4:25, Brendan Steele took the 800 in 1:57.59, and Jacob Bolton defeated Charles Rizek in the 3200 with a new personal best of 9:17.

Underclassmen Results

Beyond the top names already mentioned, we saw a range of strong underclassmen performances. At the Delaware County Invitational, Aaron Maus ran 2:03.1 in the 800, and Cowen Allender clocked a 10:00 in the 3200. The Bradley Invitational showcased Carter Hutchinson (4:26) and Gavin Swain (4:32) in the 1600, Hunter Coakley with a 2:03.09 in the 800, and Peter Guerrera dipping under 10:00 in the 3200 for the first time with a 9:57.

At the Larkin and Crosten Classic, Jack Flanagan broke 4:30 in the 1600, Quinn Robinson ran a swift 1:58.98 in the 800, and Logan Behm and Ben Canales clocked 9:27 and 9:45, respectively, in the 3200.

With the postseason fast approaching, Central Ohio’s distance runners are rounding into form at just the right time. Between breakthrough performances, intense head-to-head battles, and a deep pool of underclassmen talent, the stage is set for a thrilling championship stretch.