General McLane junior excels in hurdles, throwing events to win AAU Junior Olympics decathlon
Logan Anderson attained All-America status for his all-around performance at the AAU Junior Olympics.
Anderson, who's about to start his junior year at General McLane, was the meet's gold medalist for its boys age 15-16 decathlon. He compiled 5,865 points over 10 track and field disciplines at North Carolina A&T University's Aggie Stadium.
The meet began last weekend and runs through Saturday at the Greensboro school.
Anderson edged two Texas athletes, silver medalist Swayde Griffin (5,748) and bronze medalist Henrik Rosario (5,649).
“I knew the top eight would get All-America (honors), so that's what I was aiming for coming into (the meet),” Anderson said. “But then, as it went on, I kind of realized I could get top three.”
'I wanted to challenge myself'
It became a top-one performance for Anderson when the final results were posted. The returning Lancer became a decathlon champion only months after his initial training for one.
“I like multiple (track and field) events, so I thought it would be fun doing them over two days,” Anderson said. “I wanted to challenge myself to see what I could do.”
Anderson was a hurdles specialist on the track during McLane's last two track and field seasons. He set the school record in the boys long jump at 23 feet, 8 inches this past May.
Anderson demonstrated his prowess in those events despite summer humidity that's mostly unfamiliar to northwestern Pennsylvania residents. He won the decathlon's 110-meter hurdles in 15.36 seconds and was second in the long jump at 20-7¾.
The throwing events, though, were why Anderson said he's now an AAU gold medalist. He set personal bests for the shot put (third at 32-2¼), javelin (seventh at 127-9) and discus (eighth at 99-9) at Greensboro.
Anderson also highlighted his time in the 1,500 meters. He placed third at 4:47.57 despite difficulties breaking the 5-minute mark when he started training.
Dino Montagna was the reason for that time drop, according to Anderson. The former Fairview cross country coach, who guided the Tigers to the 2017 PIAA Class 1A girls team title, is McLane's current cross country coach and a track and field assistant.
“I knew he was a great all-around athlete,” Montagna said. “But this summer, when I really got to work with him for the first time, one of my goals was to get him to compete better in the 1,500. We wanted him under five (minutes), but without compromising his sprinting speed or in the hurdles. It was a fine line to work with, but he's a tough kid and a great athlete.
“We're excited about what he's able to do in the future.”
Montagna and Anderson will reunite under McLane's banner on Aug. 15. That's the day the PIAA permits fall athletic programs to start preseason workouts for their 2022 seasons.
Next spring, Anderson said he plans to widen his participation in McLane's track and field events, mixing in some throwing events, based on his decathlon results.
“But I'm still going to focus on the hurdles and long jump,” Anderson said.
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.
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This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: General McLane junior Logan Anderson an AAU Junior Olympics champion
