Freshman breaks barriers

Brian Mccullough, Staff writer

The five-minute mile is the first battle up-and-coming distance runners must face. For freshman Cooper Giesler, the accomplishment was achieved rather quickly.
Giesler achieved the milsetone at the Freshman-Sophomore county championship indoor track meet Jan. 26 at the Baltimore Armory, where he won the mile with a time of 4:57, setting a new record for the junior varsity team. Giesler also placed third in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:19.
“I felt pretty nervous on the line because it was my first county meet,” Giesler said.
But this nervous energy soon translated to critical success when Giesler won the race, overcoming his teammate sophomore Alex Whatley in a battle that head coach Chad Boyle knew would come down to the final three laps.
Boyle commended Giesler for his record-breaking potential.
“On his current trajectory, he has the potential to run under 4:40 as a freshman. Very few have been able to achieve that feat in my time at Dulaney since 1998,” Boyle said.
Giesler has been training alongside freshman Ethan Samels this season. This duo has been running together since eighth grade and are friends on and off the track.
“We just kind of push each other to get faster every day,” Samels said.
Boyle sees potential in Giesler, hoping for him to get his mile time under 4:30 by the end of his high school career.
“It’s what every runner should aspire to. Once you break five, it gives you confidence and you run even faster the next time you race,” Boyle said.