It’s hard to tell who was more impressive this season: Sean Dolan, or Sean Dolan and Friends.
As a solo act, the Hopewell Valley Central High sophomore won the 800 meter gold medals in the Mercer County Track & Field Championships (in 1 minute, 57.10 seconds), the NJSIAA North Jersey 2 Group III meet (1:55.47) and the NJSIAA State Meet (1:54.98). He took third in the Meet of Champions in 1:53.13, less than one second shy of second.
As part of the HVCHS 4×800 relay team, Dolan and junior teammates Teddy Meredith, Tim Dolan (Sean’s brother) and Michael Pavicic did not run in the MCT in order to rest for states. It paid off, as they won gold in NJ2 III (8:04.4) and Group III (7:53.53) and took second at the Meet of Champions (7:52.94), less than three seconds away from first-place Ridge.
Those four runners also took third place in the 4xMile at the New Balance Nationals held June 18 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Bulldogs coach Aaron Oldfield doesn’t care about what accomplishments are better. He’s just enjoying all of them and loving the thought that all four athletes return next year.
“Sean is the real deal,” Oldfield said. “He’s got good speed, he’s starting to get good endurance, he hates to lose. All the things you want, he has.
“The relay team, they’re just grinders. They’re obviously very disciplined, very coachable. Whatever you say, they do. They’re goofy, they’re funny but they also know when it’s time to get serious.”
Dolan’s run to 800 prominence did not begin until last spring. He began track in sixth grade at Timberlane Middle School, doing the high jump and running the 200 and 400. He ran his first 800 in 8th grade and clocked a 2:12 with no training.
“I kind of hurt after that, but I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll be pretty good at this,’” Dolan said in a recent interview.
As a freshman, Dolan ran the 200 and 400 in winter track.
“We slowly got him up to the 800,” Oldfield said. “There was no reason he couldn’t do it. He’d be very good in the 400 and 200, but there was a ceiling. The first time he ran the 800 was last spring, and he broke two minutes (1:59) his first time. He got down to a 1:55 and that opened some eyes.”
Dolan made an immediate impact, taking fourth in the county meet (1:57.83), second in sectionals (1:59.05) and fifth in Group III (1:55.53). Despite advancing to the Meet of Champions in the 800, he decided to forego that event to focus completely on the 4×800, which also advanced (with Will Titus in place of Pacivic) by finishing sixth (8:01.19).
“That says a lot about the kid,” Oldfield said.
“There was no way I was in shape to double,” Dolan said. ” Last year I was a one-event guy. Run one event and I’d be done. So I had to be as fresh as I could for the four by eight because we were going for a school record, a national standard. I was the anchor so I was an important part of that.”
The quartet finished a respectable 12th with two freshmen and two sophomores. Titus struggled with injuries this year but HoVal did not miss a beat as Pavicic stepped in and the Bulldogs set a school outdoor record in the Meet of Champions.
“Michael Pavicic had a great leadoff leg and he put us in a great spot,” Dolan said. “When Teddy got the baton he ran with all he had left after his earlier race (taking 8th in the mile). When my brother got the baton, he had a 20-meter gap to make up. Not only did he make up that gap, he handed the baton off in first. I ran as hard as I could on the anchor leg. Second place wasn’t bad after we had two pairs of tired legs, while most of the field was fresh.”
Dolan’s legs were a little worn from his third-place effort in the 800, which he said “meant a lot after barely getting into the Meet of Champions last year. I just wanted to medal. I’ve still got two more years.”
“I didn’t have the best start,” he continued. “I had a lot of work to do to just get back up into the race. I was in the pack with 350 to go and I started passing people on the back stretch. I started my kick and was able to catch two more guys in the home stretch.”
After learning the nuances of the 800 last year, Dolan altered his race tactics this year. As a freshman, he let others set the pace, tried to stick with the pack and then tried to kick past everyone at the end. This season, he began to take control.
“Lately I’ve been taking the lead in races, which I did in sectionals and groups,” Dolan said. “I didn’t like it going that slow. I had to make it somewhat honest. At groups, I took it out a little slow, at sectionals I took it out fast. I have some pretty good strength. I’ve been bumping up to the mile and adding a little more mileage now, so I feel much stronger running than I did last year.”
Oldfield sees a future in the 1600 for Dolan as well. After just three competitive races at that distance, his time has dropped to 4:18.
“I was a four/eight (400/800) guy, but I’m turning into more of an 800/mile guy,” Dolan said.
And he’s obviously taking it seriously.
“He’s going to run cross country in the fall which will only make him stronger,” Oldfield said. “We’re getting really excited about him.”
Michael Pavicic, Sean Dolan, Teddy Meredith and Tim Dolan, the Hopewell Valley Central High School 4xMile relay team, took third in 17:43.20 at the New Balance Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina on June 18, 2017. (Photo by Aaron Oldfield.),
