Current Features

September 30, 2001
 
 

"I hadn't beaten him since 7th grade."

Tim O'Neil hadn't beaten Cardinal O'Hara runner Steve Hallinan since 7th grade. And he picked a great race in which to do it, the Bulldog Invitational at Rose Tree. The two sophomores are among the best in the PCL this year, and they battle more than a few times during the year at Belmont Plateau, the home course for all league meets.

O'Neil's 16:12 was the second fastest time of the day. "I had no idea I had run that well. I didn't know I had it in me." He had set a PR at Belmont this week of 16:48. "I'm happily shocked." His goal for the season had been 16:45. "But now I guess I'll have to change that."

O'Neil runs 16:12 on Rose Tree as a soph AND wins the Bulldog Invitational.

O'Neil took the lead from the start, but was shadowed by several runners, including Hallinan. The two super sophs broke from the pack in the second mile, and battled side by side the rest of the way. 

He must have drawn on his grade school experiences "I used to beat him (Hallinan) all the time in grade school, but then he got a lot better."

They were neck-and-neck up the closing hill, before O'Neil put on a surge to win by three seconds.

And gain a little bit of the most valuable tools in XC. Confidence.