Inspired by sister’s success, Wyo’s Cameron Cohen seeks ‘amazing things’ on track, too
Cameron Cohen saw his sister do some amazing things on the track last season. He was as thrilled as anyone at Shippensburg’s Seth Grove Stadium when he saw Addie win three gold medals at the District 3 Championships, then come back a week later and take home two state medals.
“I would get more excited when she got a PR than she was,” he said.
Cameron knew, deep down, he could put up fast times, too. He just had trouble showing it. His sophomore track season at Wyomissing was slowed by strained hip flexor; a summer bout with mononucleosis affected his cross country training.
He remained back in the pack this spring until he broke out at the Firing Meet, catching much of the 1600 field – himself included – by surprise with a personal-best 4:22.74.
“It definitely caught me off guard a little bit,” the junior said after slashing 10 seconds off his PR in running to a bronze medal.
Cohen heads to districts Friday as the No. 1 seed in the Class 2A 1600 and part of another strong Wyomissing boys team looking for a fourth straight team championship.
The Spartans were nearly 40 points ahead of the Class 2A field last year; with top seeds in five events and No. 2’s in four events they could well lap the field again and win their sixth title in the last seven meets (the 2020 season was suspended).
Cohen, along with wingman David Giles, could be a big part of that push for a trophy. Giles is the No. 1 seed in the 3200 and No. 2 in the 1600. They’ll each run a leg on the Spartans’ 4×800 relay, which is also seeded No. 1, and on the 4×400, which is in position to medal.
Drew Forrey, in the discus, and Isaac Focht, in the shot, are Wyomissing’s other top seeds. Max Tipton is seeded second in the shot put, as is Forrey in the javelin and the 4×100 relay squad.
Giles, who prefers the longer races, was just a half-second behind Cohen at the Firing 1600, where they finished third and fourth, respectively. If anything, Giles earned a big assist, helping his teammate by serving as the rabbit.
“David pushed the pace in the beginning so it would be a faster race,” Cohen said. “I knew it was going to be (a) pretty fast (pace). I was expecting to run a fast mile; it was probably going to be my last chance this season (to qualify for districts).”
“(The Firing Meet) was a great breakthrough for him,” said Erik Uliasz, Wyomissing’s distance coach. “He was stuck at 4:30s (but) his workout times indicated he could be quicker. It’s been a long struggle; it took him a full year to finally feel good. He’s (been) able to stay focused and keep grinding. He works really hard; he’s dedicated to the sport.”
Cohen is a relative newcomer to the track. He spent most of his youth playing age-group hockey; he also wrestled and played lacrosse.
The running bug bit when he was in junior high. He began running with his mom Julie, who was training for marathons. Then he was inspired by Addie, who’s a year older, when she began having success on the track and in cross country.
He wanted to follow in those fast footsteps.
“Last year she did amazing (things) at the state meet,” Cameron said. “I saw her go five-flat in the mile, 10:52 in the 3200 and even after all that a 2:19 in the 800.
“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, that was crazy.’ Watching her do all these amazing things made me realize I can do the same thing. I always knew I had it in me to go fast like her.”
Like Cohen, Giles had a varied sports background growing up: He tackled football, hockey, soccer, and lacrosse. Nothing grabbed him the way running did.
The longer the race, the higher the hills, the more he loves it. The junior won a county championship in cross country last fall when he out-kicked Gov. Mifflin’s Zack Zerbe down the stretch. He went on to finish third in districts and 20th in the state.
“Honestly, if I did a 5K on the track it would be my best event,” he joked.
Giles broke through on the track as a sophomore, finishing third at districts in the 3200 and sixth in the 800. (He didn’t run the 1600 at any major meets.)
Good as that third-place finish at districts was for Giles it wasn’t good enough. He missed qualifying for the PIAA championships by three one-hundredths of a second – basically the length of a sneaker.
“I was so close to making it to states last year,” he said.
That shouldn’t be a problem this time around; he’s shaved 14 seconds off his time, running a 9:34.82 at the Firing.
Like Giles, Cameron Cohen is hoping to be more than a spectator at the PIAA Championships next week. Another strong race Saturday morning, when the gun goes off for the 1600, should get him inside the fence and on the same track that’s seen his sister medal so often.
“It feels exciting to put that No. 1 sticker on my left hip and right chest,” he said of having the top time in districts. “I’m definitely excited going into the race. Now, since I saw that time (last week), I realize I can run at states, too.”
