Westhampton's Max Haynia achieves goal of runner-up finish in 5,000 meters at Indoor Nationals

Hunter Jones arrived at The Armory track in Manhattan as the defending champ in the 5,000 meters at Nike Indoor Nationals, and now here was the senior from Michigan running away with Saturday’s distance test from the early stages. So Max Haynia knew what he had to do.

“Race for second,” the Westhampton senior said.

After 3,000 meters, Haynia was fifth. After 4,000, he was second. And he held on — national runner-up.

Jones won at 14:20.54, followed by Haynia at a personal-best 14:49.19.

“Not surprised,” Haynia said. “I saw it coming. I was second seed, and I wanted to get it done. I knew Hunter was going to take it out. … He was going to win no matter what, too strong a runner.”

Haynia improved from third as a junior. Even the Wake Forest-bound Jones was happy  for the Army commit.

“I was really rooting for him because I knew he was in the race against me last year,” Jones said. “I was hoping that he would get second just because I know how hard he works.”

Second came with a bonus. Haynia repeated as an All-American in the event, the reward for being in the top six.

“It’s a pretty significant meaning,” Haynia said. “It’s excites me, something I like to bring back to Westhampton. Not many of the guys that are All-American get two.”

Lizzie Schreiber surprised herself in claiming her indoor All-America status again. The Whitman senior took fourth in the triple jump at 39 feet, 9.25 inches, a program record.

“I honestly wasn’t expecting it,” said Schreiber, a Penn State commit who was an All-American in the event as a junior when she finished fifth at adidas Track Nationals. “I [had a personal best], season best, overall best. Going into the finals, I really had nothing to lose so … I gave it everything I had.”  

Cristian Delgado earned All-America status when he helped Huntington’s 1,600 sprint medley relay team that won the national championship Friday. Now the junior was trying to become an All-American twice in two days.

He led off in the 4x55 shuttle hurdle relay, followed by senior Nikolai Seferian, junior Nikolai Lulewich and senior Ryan Centano. They appeared to finish seventh overall at 32.99 — two hundredths of a second from sixth and the All-America recognition.

“It would’ve been nice to have two, but I’m fine with one,” Delgado said. “I’m humble.”

Then came a disqualification. Huntington got bumped up to sixth. Now Delgado has two.

“We worked hard,” he said.

Laina Friedmann would’ve loved to have made All-American. The Smithtown West junior finished eighth in the 800 in a personal-best 2:11.55 after being second at the midpoint. She expressed regret over not hanging back and then making her move near the end. But she said, “I’m still learning.”

“I’m happy that I almost got there,” Friedmann said, “but I’m still disappointed because I really wanted to get All-American.”

So Friedmann spelled out the goal for next year here: “Definitely to get the All-American time.”