Aldrich following in speedy footsteps

By DENNY DYROFF

There is a feeling of déjà vu that goes along with the story on this year’s Daily Local News Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year – West Chester Henderson’s Chris Aldrich.
The script for the final act of Aldrich’s scholastic track career was very similar to that of last year’s DLN Athlete of the Year – Unionville’s Paul Springer.
Once again, there is a reminder not to drag up the old cliché “All’s well that ends well.” Aldrich’s career didn’t exactly end well at the PIAA Class AAA Championships on Memorial Day Weekend.
In the finals of the 3,200-meter run, Aldrich ran a solid race but was out-kicked down the stretch and had to settle for a silver medal. The same thing happened to Springer at the 2007 PIAA meet. Ironically, both “villains” were runners from Boyertown High – Jason Weller in 2007 and Mark Dennin in 2008.
But just as Springer eventually realized a year ago, “silver at states” isn’t too shabby – and neither was the rest of the 2008 outdoor season for Aldrich. He won the silver medal in the 3,200 and placed 12th in the 800 at the District One Class AAA Championships. One week earlier, Aldrich finished second in the 800 at the Ches-Mont League Championships.
“I just did the 800 to see how I’d do,” said Aldrich. “As a sophomore, I split 1:55 in the 4x800. I was just seeing if I had that speed left. It was just a fun thing to do. I ran the 800 at Ches-Monts to qualify for districts.”
Aldrich, who is heading to the University of Virginia in the fall to major in civil engineering, turned his focus to the 3,200 for the final two meets of the season – districts and states. In both meets, he was topped only by Dennin.
“I definitely wanted to win states,” said Aldrich. “I had beaten him (Dennin) at district cross country on a flat course so I thought I had a good chance to beat him. I didn’t think he had as much speed as he did.
“Winning the gold at states was a goal of mine. I wasn’t looking for any particular time. I just wanted to win. So I was pretty disappointed right after the race. Looking back now, I’m not as disappointed as I was at the end of the season. I still ran a personal best by three seconds at states.”
To contact staff writer Denny Dyroff, send an e-mail to ddyroff@dailylocal.com.