Kyle Lund's 1:52.57 time is a personal best and US #3 time this winter. (Photo by Brandon Miles)
After running (and winning) two races already - including an indoor personal best of 4:19 in the 1600 - it might have been fair to wonder just how aggressively Kyle Lund would attack the 800. He already partially owned the 2A state meet record, and the overall record (1:55.98) was well within reach considering he ran 1:53 at regionals. But just how hard would he go out in the beginning?
Lund provided an immediate answer by claiming the lead from the gun and leading the group through 400 meters in 55 seconds. He had already put himself well within reach of the overall state meet record. Yet, as he powered through 600 meters in 1:23, putting distance between himself and Kent Island's Isaiah Schulties (who had remained close throughout the first half of the race), Lund never slowed down. He never settled. He wasn't just chasing the state meet record - he was making sure that his new record would stand for awhile.
His final time of 1:52.57 is nearly three and a half seconds faster than anyone has ever run at the indoor state meet, and it's not as if he saved himself throughout the meet for the 800. Just the opposite, in fact; Lund played a part in scoring 40 points for the Bears en route to a team title, sealing it off with an unofficial 48-second split on the 4x400.
All said and done, Oakdale scored 84 points, getting other significant contributions from Samuel Starrs (pole vault), Nick Rohwer (shot put), Collin Dempsey (1600 and 3200), Lee Goodson (800) and Jonah Childress (300). Since 2003, only three other teams - Pikesville and Boonsboro in 2013 and Fairmont Heights in 2016, all 1A teams - have scored more points at the indoor state meet.
