Lincoln Way Central IL freshman Lukas Verzbicas, competing unattached, first slashed nearly 5 seconds from the former freshman class mile record of 4:21.20 held by Andrew Perkins WI, blazing a 4:15.43 victory in the boys mile to easily turn back Rogers AR sr Cameron Efurd, 4:20.29.
But he wasn't done yet ... in the 3000 meters, Verzbicas completed a mind-boggling double for a 9th-grader with another national mark of 8:29.16, winning by 19 seconds over Zach Ornelas TX (8:48.81).
To be fair, he is 16.
...then again, Perkins was 16 when he ran his 4:21 as well.
And he isn't even going to do outdoor!
Yeah, he's good for his age, but nothing out of this world.
It's a nice time, but shouldn't there be some kind of age requirement before you call someone a frehman. I didn't turn 16 until the end of my junior year. Also, at 16, he wouldn't have been eligible for 9th grade sports at my junior high.
I was 16 yo until Feb of my sr year in HS.
That year I ran 4;20 and 9;11 for 1 & 2 miles (not 16 & 3200m).
It is a very good double for a 16 yo...not great, but very good.
Will he be eligible to run when he is a senior? I thought you can only compete until you are 19 years old. He will be 20 when he is a senior.
He will be 19 (16 as a freshman, 17 as soph, 18 as jr, 19 as a sr). You can compete as a senior at age 19 (but certainly not 20). It is not all that uncommon to be 19 at graduation. The normal age at graduation is 18, a few weird states aside.
In my district, the cut off was July 1. So, if you turn 14 after July 1, you are supposed to stay another year in 8th grade before entering 9th (ie, you should be 14 when beginning 9th grade and turn 15 at some point in the 9th grade). Based on my district, he is at least 6 months too old for the cut-off, and should be a sophomore, but not outrageously old.
The question is when did he turn 16. If he started the school year (Sep.1) at 15, he can run all four years. If he was 16 on 9/1/08, he will not be eligible his senior year. (Wait for it...) unless he can get with Haile's birth certificate guy.
Ran 9:28 at age 15 for two miles as a freshman in Illinois. Back then, it barely made the state meet - but there weren't many 9th or even 10th graders running with me. His times are really impressive.
Hoka Festival of Miles is tonight- could the meet record go down?
Tim Cheruiyot 3:29.77, 0.03s behind Jakob who fell when leaning over the line
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