Retro is in.  As bands on the radio attempt their takes on the 80’s Duran Duran sound and a Star Wars movie dominates the box office, another retro trend is taking over.  Distance running at the high school level has begun to reach heights not seen since the 70’s and early 80’s when the first running boom was in full force.  High school stars of that previous era, emulating heroes like Frank Shorter, Steve Prefontaine, and Mary Decker, ran their way into record books and left a stamp on the sport.  Over time, though, the quantity of the quality faded, and the U.S. prep scene began to disappear.  On the heels of successes from such big, young guns as Alan Webb and Dathan Ritzenhein, though, the sport has begun a revival.  In the state of Ohio, Footlocker National Cross Country Championships runners like Jeff See and Brittany Tinsely lead the way in a crowded pack of young talent.  In the midst of this resurgence in prep distance running is a long haired Westerville North junior named Ben Engelhardt.

The OATCCC Indoor State Champ in the 3200m, Engelhardt has been steadily building up his strength and improving with each passing season since he began

running.  “I started running in 6^th grade for a mile or so every now and then with my dad,” he says.  “Then I joined the cross country and track teams in 7^th grade.  I always enjoyed it a lot and my involvement in running just steadily progressed.”  From a freshman with 800/1600/3200m PR’s of 2:14, 4:54, and 10:21, Engelhardt has worked his way down to junior times of 1:59, 4:20, and 9:16 heading into the post-season.  Just as impressive as the rapid drop in times has been his competitive record.  A fourth place showing at the Div. I State Cross Country Championships, behind three seniors including the OSU-bound duo of See and Levi Fox, segued into a successful indoor track campaign that culminated with a big win in the first ever Ohio Indoor Championships.  “It was the perfect end to a very encouraging indoor season,” says Engelhardt.  “It’s kind of weird to think of it as the ‘State’ indoor meet since the two fastest runners (Fox and See) weren’t there.  However, just about everyone else was, and I was still pumped.”  Building on the strength and confidence gained while winning on the tight curves of those indoor tracks, Engelhardt moved into the outdoor season.  Dominating 1600m and 3200m fields week after week, Engelhardt took aim at a big win at the Jesse Owens Invitational 3200m.  In a race savvy display of confidence, Engelhardt ran from behind as Luke Beuerlein and Evan Gaynor, the Div. II cross country champ from the fall, pushed the pace from the front.  Pulling even with the leaders around the halfway point in the race, Engelhardt took control and won in a last lap dash to the line to stop the clock at 9:16.9.  “Running at Jesse Owens was amazing,” he says as he looks back on the highlight of the outdoor season thus far.  “Ideally, I run negative splits and don’t lead until I think I can hold that spot to the finish,” he says of his late-charging race tactics. 

Heading into the state meet, after wins at the district and regional levels, Engelhardt is confident and fit.  Having trained with the small but tight-knit group that makes up the Westerville North distance squad, Engelhardt has the strong endurance foundation needed to carry him through the weeks of championship racing.  “We probably have to hold each other back from doing too much more often than we have to push each other to work hard enough,” he admits about himself and his teammates.  Wearing matching yellow headbands whenever they toe the line at races, a tradition started by Engelhardt and teammate Kevin Hannaford, the WNHS runners compete with the prestige of a team full of heritage.  In this case, the WNHS runners can boast of a team alumnus unlike any in the United States.  Bob Kennedy ran for the WNHS Warriors. 

Pay to Play

The Westerville school system, like several systems throughout the state, has instituted a pay-to-play system wherein student-athletes are charged a set fee for taking part in athletics.  In Westerville, the fee per sport is among the highest, locally.  Westerville North’s track program has lost numbers due to the cost of the sport.  As Engelhardt says, “It’s been real hard for our team, which has just 22 boys and 11 girls.  The fee kept a lot of people from running, and we didn’t have a 4x100m or 4x200m relay all year.” 

The politics behind the decision to implement a pay-to-play system may be debatable, but the effects are not.  Present a challenge, though, and heroes come out.  “Coach Mike Piccetti has done a great job of minimizing its effects and has personally sacrificed a lot in doing so,” says Engelhardt.  “It was because of his efforts that we were able to have a complete indoor season, travel to Bellaire, and buy new equipment, among other things.”

The two-time Olympian holds the U.S. record for the 5000m at 12:58 and is a former high school national champ as well as a multi-time NCAA champ.  “Bob Kennedy still has a big impact on WNHS,” according to Engelhardt.  “Everyone remembers him and his name is all over the list of school records.”  With the state track meet just around the corner, Engelhardt hopes to add to that running legacy.  “The state meet will be loaded with competition,” he says of his ultimate goal race.  With the success that he has shown thus far this year, Engelhardt feels up to the challenge. 

Beyond the state track meet, the future in bright for Engelhardt.  As the top returning finisher in the Div I State Cross Country Championships and the eighth highest returning finisher in the Footlocker XC Regionals, Engelhardt is poised to truly establish himself as one of the top guns in Ohio high school running.  Reflecting on his outlook towards next year, he says “it was nice of (Bob Kennedy) to leave us with a not unbelievably fast 3200m record of 9:06.6 because that makes for a great goal for me next year.”  With records and championship races in mind, Engelhardt has the motivation to carve a name for himself.  The 4.0 student sees himself continuing to run and compete through college and beyond, and the success story of this hardworking runner only grows from season to season.  The next step is only days away at the OHSAA State Finals… 

The staff of the CRC wishes the best of luck to Ben Engelhardt and all of the competitors in the 2005 OHSAA Track and Field State Finals!