Field of NXN's top 3 boys squads translates into top 3 times ever in 4xmile

With the top three schools from the Nike Cross-Country Nationals on the line – team champion Gig Harbor (WA), runner-up Christian Brothers Academy (NJ) and Brentwood (TN) – the boys’ 4x1 mile relay had all the makings of an epic showdown at the New Balance Nationals Saturday afternoon.

Let’s just say that the trio lived up to the hype.

In a race that came down to the finals few meters, Christian Brothers survived the battle inside the New Balance Center. The Colts’ foursome of sophomore Blaise Ferro, senior Michael McClemens, senior Fran Bogan and senior Tommy Rooney crushed the national record with an electrifying time of 17 minutes, 7.17 seconds!

In fact, it wasn’t just Christian Brothers that went under the old mark of 17:20 by Chariho Regional (RI) in 2012. The next two teams did it as well as Gig Harbor finished second at 17:08.44 and Brentwood took third in 17:15.58.

Amazingly, the Colts’ time was a mere second from the outdoor mark of 17:06.6, set by South Eugene, Ore, in 1975.

“We knew this was an opportunity to be something special,” said Christian Brothers’ assistant coach Chris Bennett. “The 4x 1 mile is such a difficult race because of how long it is, how confusing it can be for the kids. If we showed up today and we won, we would have to set a national record. We knew the other teams realized that as well. The chips were ready. They knew it was going to hurt. It was probably the greatest distance relay that I have ever seen.  I have been around the block a few times. That was everything it was built up to be. Gig and Brentwood made that race just as much as we did. We needed all three teams for something special to happen. It was a great race.

Roomey admitted the victory eased the pain of their loss to Gig Harbor at the NXN. Gig won the crown with a 111-139 win over CBA. Brentwood was third with 174 points.

“We were absolutely crushed (after NXN),” he said. “It really put a chip on our shoulder. Once we found out that they were going to come to nationals here, we got pretty excited, we amped it up a little bit more, we got a lot more focused, put in a little more training the past few weeks. It paid off. If it wasn’t nationals, I don’t know if we would have had that extra motivation to do it. We just came to win.”

“We have been talking about this every single day,” Ferro said. “It went exactly according to plan.”

Rooney fulfilled his part as a worthy anchor by running a 4:10 for his split. The key exchange may have come from McClemens, the Colts’ second leg. Gig Harbor held a strong lead after junior Tristan Peloquin opened up with a sub-4:16 mile.

McClemens’ put CBA in front by uncorking a 4:11 for his leg.

“Michael was the New Jersey state champion for 1,600 (meters),” Bennett said. “We had the luxury of placing these guys where we wanted to. Our sophomore led off. He was the Meet of Champions’ winner in the two mile. We thought that would probably be best with him because it’s just a straight-up race. Everyone is starting at the same time, less moving parts. We also knew that we had a fast second leg that could really open things up and take a little bit of pressure off our third leg. It worked out perfectly.”

As evident by the final times, the win didn’t come easy for the New Jersey school. Brentwood’s Alec Thomas put his squad in the lead with 800-meters left. Gig Harbor’s Wolfgang Beck bolted to the front with a lap remaining. Roomey never gave up, passing Beck on the second to last turn and then holding him off the final straightaway.

“When Wolfgang got the baton in front of me I knew I had to run a fast last leg,” Rooney said. “I felt pretty strong. I eventually caught him at 800 and was able to reel him in the end.”

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