SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — Indoors or outdoors. Surroundings and elements don’t matter.
Drew Griffith has put his name in the national record book again. And he might not be done yet with this record stuff.
Griffith, a rock star of a distance runner at Butler High School, ran the Class 3A 1,600-meter run Friday morning at the PIAA track and field championships at Shippensburg University. He came in knowing that he had a decent chance at breaking the state championship meet record, but he also had been close to the national outdoor high school record in the event. Halfway through the race, he looked at the clock and knew he was on pace to break a 23-year-old national record.
Less than two minutes later, the crowd of about 6,000 cheered loudly as Griffith came down the straightaway. Shortly before he crossed the finish line, Griffith put his hands out, palms up, as if to say “Oh well.” He knew he was steps away from track and field lore.
Griffith finished the race in a sizzling 3 minutes, 57.08 seconds. The PIAA championship record of 4:01.56 fell, but so did the National Federation of State High School Associations mark of 3:59.51. That mark was set by Alan Webb of Reston, Va. Webb ended up making the 2004 U.S. Olympic team.
Griffith’s national record was his second in two months. In early March, Griffith set the national indoor record for the two-mile run at a meet in Boston.
Griffith, a senior and University of Notre Dame recruit. had trouble explaining his emotions when nearing the finish line Friday.
“It’s just that adrenaline rush from the crowd that you don’t even know what to do,” Griffith said. “The emotion is so overwhelming. It was just an amazing feeling.”
The kid is one-of-a-kind.
— Mike White (@mwhiteburgh) May 24, 2024
Butler’s Drew Griffith just set a national high school record in the 1,600 at state championships ships. 3:57.08.
Broke 23-year-old record.
Crowd rooted him on down stretch and he put his arms out as if to say “oh well”. A little Michael Jordan like? pic.twitter.com/7zwkvKwt1p
Griffith won a national cross country championship in December. He won the 1,600 and 3,200 at the WPIAL championships last week and set a record in both. But he had never won a state track championship.
“I didn’t really perform great up here last year,” Griffith said. “I came out here with something to prove. Whenever you have a chip on your shoulder, that’s when you produce your best.
“Whenever I saw 3:57, there was just this feeling, a rush of accomplishment that is just unbeatable.”
WPIAL runners took the first five places in the race. Ringgold’s Ryan Pajak was second, Hampton’s Dale Hall third, Fox Chapel’s Rowan Gwin fourth and North Allegheny’s Jack Bertram fifth.
Griffith still has one more race to run, and that’s the 3,200 on Saturday. He seems a cinch to break the state championship meet record of 8:47.39 because Griffith ran 8:41.60 at the WPIAL championships. The national record is 8:34.10. Griffith ran the 3,200 in 8:37.43 at a meet in California in early April.
Could one kid really set two national records on consecutive days?
“We’ll see how the race plays out, but I’m excited for it,” Griffith said.
Here’s Butler’s Drew Griffith after breaking national high school record in the Class 3A 1,600 at today’s state championships. He will run the 3,200 tomorrow and does he have chance at national record in that event?
— Mike White (@mwhiteburgh) May 24, 2024
Kid is a machine. pic.twitter.com/z4X4ce6Zmp
But there is another story to Griffith’s Friday accomplishment. Call it another chapter of a running romance story.
Griffith and star Mt. Lebanon distance runner Logan St. John Kletter are boyfriend and girlfriend. They have been dating for more than a year. Not long before Griffith set the national record, St. John Kletter won the Class 3A girls title with a time of 4:38.54.
Not only did St. John Kletter beat her personal best by about eight seconds, she ran the fastest time ever by a WPIAL athlete. Moon’s Mia Cochran ran 4:40.79 in 2022.
After St. John Kletter got her gold medal, she was on the field inside the track when she was asked by a reporter for an interview.
“Can you hold on just a minute? I have to go say hi to somebody,” St. John Kletter said.
“Somebody” was Griffith, who was warming up at the other end of the field. St. John Kletter ran over to Griffith, and the two said a few words to each other and hugged.
“I just said to him, ‘Oh my gosh, I ran a 4:38.’ He said, ‘That’s crazy,’ ” St. John Kletter said. “I told him good luck. We always just kind of tell each other to relax and have fun before races. Once we get to the track, we just let each other do our own thing and celebrate after.”
After Griffith’s race, there wasn’t a celebration from the two, but there was another hug.
As for St. John Kletter’s gold medal ...
“This is what I knew I was capable of all along,” said St. John Kletter, a senior and University of North Carolina recruit. “I just needed to get in that right race and have that right mindset. I’ve known for a year that I could do this. This was a goal.”
St. John Kletter missed the early part of this season with a right leg injury. She wasn’t 100% healthy until late this season.
“For about four weeks, I didn’t get in a single track workout, and it was frustrating to get through that,” St. John Kletter said. “I did a lot of cross training. I’m kind of still a work in progress.”
Like Griffith, St. John Kletter will run the 3,200 on Saturday morning.
Shortly before her boyfriend, Butler’s Drew Griffith, set a national record in the 1600 meters at the state track championships, Mt. Lebanon’s Logan St. John Kletter won the girls 1600 with fastest time ever by WPIAL girl. pic.twitter.com/Ndm4zkoI6N
— Mike White (@mwhiteburgh) May 24, 2024
Mazzoni wins 2A javelin
When it comes to throwing the javelin, Derry Area junior Sophia Mazzoni has this thing about firsts.
Mazzoni always seems to have her best throws on her first attempt at meets. At the PIAA Class 2A championships Friday, Mazzoni’s best throw once again came on her first attempt. Not only was it good enough to finish first in the event, but it made her the first girl in Derry history to win a state championship in track and field.
“It means so much to do this because our community is so small, and to get the Derry name out there means the world to me,” Mazzoni said.
Mazzoni’s first throw was 161-10. Not only was it a personal best, but it was the third best ever by a WPIAL athlete at any event. On her next five attempts, Mazzoni’s best throw was 153-1.
“Every meet since my freshman year, my best is always my first throw, and I don’t know why,” said Mazzoni, who finished second at the state championships last year. “I think it’s just the adrenaline at the beginning. I get excited up there because of all the support I have in the beginning. I was still getting it out there after the first throw, but I started to slow down.”
Griffith, St. John Kletter and Mazzoni were the only WPIAL athletes to win gold medals on the first day of the two-day meet. Half of the field event finals were conducted Friday. The 1,600 was the only running event that was a final. Finals for the rest of the running events will be conducted Saturday, as well as the other field events.
Mike White: mwhite@post-gazette.com and @mwhiteburgh on X
First Published: May 24, 2024, 5:05 p.m.
Updated: May 25, 2024, 4:31 p.m.