Matthew Mangus repeats to 3200m podium; places 7th for Fairfield
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
COLUMBUS — Fairfield senior Matthew Mangus saved his final run at the Division III State Track and Field Championships as one of his best, placing seventh in the 3200-meter run.
Mangus finished the 3200m race at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium with a time of 9:42.95. His first lap had a time of 1:11.46, followed by laps of 1:12.27, 1:14.39 and 1:12.33 to complete the first mile. The final four laps run by Mangus had times of 1:12.92, 1:15.29, 1:16.34 and 1:07.97 to complete the race.
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Last year, as a junior, Mangus was also seventh in the 3200m state run with a time of 9:50.04. Earlier this season, Mangus had a PR time of 9:40.00 at the Eastern Relays. The senior spoke about how he felt about the race Saturday.
“This race was a lot more competitive than last year. It was a lot faster,” Mangus said in comparing the two races. “Last year, I was seventh with a 9:50, and this year it took 9:42 to get seventh, the same place. It was a lot tougher this year.
“I ran about the same last week (at regionals), too. I think the heat definitely affected me. I got separated from the pack a little bit, so the wind could hit me a little bit more. It was just tough to run fast because it’s hot.”
Last year was the first year Mangus raced the 3200m event at the state level, and this year he used the experience to battle his way against the toughest competition Division II had to offer, all the while thanking the competition he’s faced throughout the past few years at the high school level.
“This year’s a lot more relaxed. I felt a lot more prepared,” Mangus said. “I know just about everybody in the race. I’ve raced against them all through high school, so they’re almost like teammates to me, like I’m really familiar with all of them. We’re good friends. It’s a lot more relaxed atmosphere.”
During the 3200m run, the race winner was Chad Johnson, a senior of Colonel Crawford, who broke the Division III state record and the overall state meet record with a time of 9:05.43. Mangus spoke about what it was like to race against a competitor such as Johnson.
“Honestly, it’s like he’s not even in the race. I don’t pay attention to him at all. Today was just a race for second. That’s all it was. He’s just in a whole other league,” Mangus said.
Getting to the state championships this season consisted of a successful regular season, along with a time of 9:42.64 for third place at regionals last weekend. At districts in the 3200m race, Mangus was the district champion at 9:55.88, and at the Southern Hills Athletic Conference Championships, Mangus was the conference champion with a time of 10:04.76.
“I’d like to thank my parents for everything they’ve done for me, for taking me to the bike path every Sunday to train. I’d like to thank my teammates for training with me as well, helping me to get better,” Mangus said. “I’d like to thank all the competition that was here today because they’ve also helped me get better over the years.”
Mangus finished the 3200m race at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium with a time of 9:42.95. His first lap had a time of 1:11.46, followed by laps of 1:12.27, 1:14.39 and 1:12.33 to complete the first mile. The final four laps run by Mangus had times of 1:12.92, 1:15.29, 1:16.34 and 1:07.97 to complete the race.
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Last year, as a junior, Mangus was also seventh in the 3200m state run with a time of 9:50.04. Earlier this season, Mangus had a PR time of 9:40.00 at the Eastern Relays. The senior spoke about how he felt about the race Saturday.
“This race was a lot more competitive than last year. It was a lot faster,” Mangus said in comparing the two races. “Last year, I was seventh with a 9:50, and this year it took 9:42 to get seventh, the same place. It was a lot tougher this year.
“I ran about the same last week (at regionals), too. I think the heat definitely affected me. I got separated from the pack a little bit, so the wind could hit me a little bit more. It was just tough to run fast because it’s hot.”
Last year was the first year Mangus raced the 3200m event at the state level, and this year he used the experience to battle his way against the toughest competition Division II had to offer, all the while thanking the competition he’s faced throughout the past few years at the high school level.
“This year’s a lot more relaxed. I felt a lot more prepared,” Mangus said. “I know just about everybody in the race. I’ve raced against them all through high school, so they’re almost like teammates to me, like I’m really familiar with all of them. We’re good friends. It’s a lot more relaxed atmosphere.”
During the 3200m run, the race winner was Chad Johnson, a senior of Colonel Crawford, who broke the Division III state record and the overall state meet record with a time of 9:05.43. Mangus spoke about what it was like to race against a competitor such as Johnson.
“Honestly, it’s like he’s not even in the race. I don’t pay attention to him at all. Today was just a race for second. That’s all it was. He’s just in a whole other league,” Mangus said.
Getting to the state championships this season consisted of a successful regular season, along with a time of 9:42.64 for third place at regionals last weekend. At districts in the 3200m race, Mangus was the district champion at 9:55.88, and at the Southern Hills Athletic Conference Championships, Mangus was the conference champion with a time of 10:04.76.
“I’d like to thank my parents for everything they’ve done for me, for taking me to the bike path every Sunday to train. I’d like to thank my teammates for training with me as well, helping me to get better,” Mangus said. “I’d like to thank all the competition that was here today because they’ve also helped me get better over the years.”