Lex Young / Colin Sahlman at Sound Running Meet

Right. 2x14:28 would be a moderate workout for Lex.

Ritz was also clearly an aerobic monster though, so even in HS he was probably better at 5000 than 2m (which isnt something many can say). Lex may beat his 13:44, but i would be willing to wager the gap at 5000 is significantly less than at 3200/2m.

Is Gorze’s freshman (4:09) teammate running the 1500m?

I'm so hype for this

I have mixed feelings about Colin & Lex skipping CIF. While it's true that athletes should test themselves against the best competition and not be afraid the Cal state meet still has cachet among most athletes. It's still a big deal for most winning the state title. Brosnan says it was their decision but I also think that he had to affect them with his own thinking. I don't think he looks at the state meet as any big deal. He's originally from NY and while there is a state meet it just doesn't have the same history or cachet as the CIF State Meet has. Anyway, what's done is done and one positive that came out of them dropping out of CIF is that it's given the less heralded runners a chance to make it to the State Meet and possibly score points. Guys like Appleford and Doshi.

I was a county champ back in high school but I didn't quite break 9:30. 10 years later I would rather have that sub 9:30 lol

Josiah Tostenson is not entered. But besides Young and Gorze Jack Bruce is in section two. Why wasn't Ginger Baker entered?

I kind of feel like everyone in the situation ends up with an asterisk on their season. NB Boys end up with one because they don't have the State championship which is typically the highest honor one can win for their school season. The ones that eventually DO win state have one because they didn't take on the top competition to get it. Just my 2 cents.

This ^

I had few to no chances to run fast my senior year (Midwestern weather), so my 1600 and 3200 bests were on the same evening. In college, I was buried at a deep D1, and there my times were nothing by comparison.

Pretty impressive to double PR!

I think it's fine that they are skipping state. They'd always wonder what if like me and you clearly have over the years lol. This a sport where you have to take chances on yourself.

Nice analysis

I also don't like the idea that top athletes can blow off their State Championships because they're too good for it. Skipping CIF seems like a huge show of disrespect and self-centeredness.

Any coach that has spent decades in California understands and appreciates the prestige of the State Meet. Colin had a great chance to set a state meet record (or two) that might have stood for a long time, but he won't even run it.

They could have run State, outdoor nationals in June, as well as other open meets after the high school season finishes.

They need to run that state meet.

This is why Newbury Park is so fast. They make smart decisions. The CIF southern section is 5 weeks of racing in a row. If they decided to race the state meet then do HS Nationals they are fried by mid June. No other section in California has to do what they do in order to reach the state meet. It's not healthy for a HS kids to do that. They don't owe anyone anything. If anyone needs to change it's CIFSS. The CIFSS has had top athletes skip the state championship in the past and I expect it to happen even more if these kids keep running fast.

Good for them for doing what best for their bodies and their health

If it’s the smart decision for Lex and Colin, then it must be a dumb decision for the other kids on the team that are doing CIF, like Sam McDonnell who is tripling (8,16,32) for CIF after being out for a couple of months after being injured, it has nothing to do with what is best for them. It has to do with what stage is biggest for them and their coach.

You obviously have never coached an elite level athlete. Newbury Park is not afraid to get blow back from the rats and do what's completely best for the runners. Thats why I'm a fan.

Very smart moves they are making and the results show. I'm guessing one of them is running PRE. From experience I know you can not say anything until they do their media release.

If they had run all those CIF meets and then nationals, then people on here would be saying "They are running too many meets. What wrong with them and their coach?"

Newbury Park would have people complain about them no matter which route they took.

Colin has already said that he is scheduled to run the mile at a very high quality meet at the end of May and will hopefully get pulled to a 3:55. Then he said but I can't tell you the name of the meet.

Are there any other meets in late May like that besides Pre? Nope.

But Colin can't run state and run Pre. Suppose Webb choose his state meet over Pre? There would have never been the 3:53.

The point is no one knows when a great performance will occur. It happened for German at the state meet but it happened for Webb and Kessler running against pros. Athletes just have to make their choices with limited information.