Matt Jablonski
Loyola, sr.
Despite battling injuries that sidelined him for the last few weeks of spring, Jablonski remained the area's best runner.
The Oregon-bound senior found plenty of success in big meets — when he was healthy. A stress fracture of the sacrum (tailbone) ended his season in late April, just before the MIAA championship meet. He had qualified for the Dream Mile in New York but couldn't run because of the injury.
But Jablonski won every race he ran in dual meets. His time in the 3,200 is third nationally and his mile time stands sixth. He also finished second in the Arcadia (Calif.) Invitational.
Perhaps the biggest moment of Jablonski's senior year was his victory in the mile run at the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia in late April. Jablonski needed a late sprint to win it in 4:10.37 over future Oregon teammate Chad Noelle (4:10.38).
"The Penn Relays were really big for me," Jablonski said. "To be able to go there and win was really a great way to end the season."