Boys Winter Track Distance Events Preview
Returning Boys Stars
The only returning boy to put up a really big indoor time last winter was Robert Miranda, who ran 9:25 for a full two miles at New Balance Nationals indoors in New York. But as think as the distance ranks were at indoor meets, they were incredibly deep at the all-comers. Miranda tops the 3000 list, with Carlos Carvajal and Sam Villegas (Cathedral) right behind. Carvajal, in turn, has the top returning 1500 mark, followed closely by Buena's Brett Beattie and Ryan Belda of Canyon (Anaheim Hills). (Seriously, watch out for Beattie this year - he has all the markers on his profile for a breakout track season.) 800 runners sometimes have a harder time finding an event fit in the winter, but some dabble in the 600, like Jeffrey Page (Eastlake), whose 1:54 last spring makes him a strong candidate to contend at the state meet this spring.
Boys Stars We Hope To See
The first name that comes to mind is Alex Scales - can you imagine how well he would compete with the top 800, 1000, and mile runners around the nation at big indoor meets? We would love to see him travel to Boston or New York for some of the premier events there, but we'd settle for a few big times in the western states. Jett Charvet and Moises Medrano also have the combination of speed and strength that indoor racing requires - strength to maintain speed in frequent tight curves, and speed to put on a burst while passing on the straights. It would also be outstanding to watch Liam Anderson or Justin Hazell take on some of the longer races in the winter - two miles, or even the occasional national-caliber 5K, like at New Balance Nationals.