If you walked into the Bubble during the final lap of the Group 1 state championship 3,200 race Saturday, you would have seen what looked like Peyton Shute 50 meters behind the 2nd-place runner.
In reality, he was 150 meters ahead.
Shute, a junior at Woodbury, won the state title by 150 meters over Jonathan Dayton senior Colin Riley with a time of 9:14.51, 3rd-fastest time in Gloucester County history and No. 16 in South Jersey history. Riley placed 2nd in 9:40.69 – nearly half a minute behind Shute.
His previous indoor PR was a 9:27.25 at Ocean Breeze earlier this month. He trimmed a little over a second from his overall PR of 9:15.76, which he ran at Cherokee last April.
Shute remains undefeated at both 1,600 and 3,200 meters this winter. Although he won the 1,600 at South Jersey Group 1 sectionals, he focused on the 3,200 at states and posted the 2nd-fastest time of all six state meets behind
Although Shute hadn’t previously won a state title, he had finished 2nd twice, 3rd once, 5th once and 6th once across cross country, indoors and outdoors.
The only faster time from the six state meets was recorded by Union Catholic junior Jimmy Wischusen, who ran 9:12.45 in the Parochial A meet. Wischusen ran 8:56.41 last spring for a full two miles and placed 4th at Nationals at Franklin Field.
Wischusen and Shute will be the top two seeds in the 3,200 at the Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze on March 5.
With the Meet of Champions scheduled for a faster, banked track, keep an eye on the Gloucester County indoor record of 9:12.05, set just last year by Delsea’s Andrew Littlehales at last year’s Meet of Champions, which was unfortunately at the Bubble.
All-Time South Jersey Indoor 3,200 List
8:58.81 ….. Jonathan Vitez [Haddonfield], 2010
9:00.27 … Austin Gabay [Cinnaminson], 2020
9:08.09 … George Andrus [Haddonfield], 2022
9:08.42 … Oliver Adler [Cherry Hill East], 2020
9:08.89 … Seth Clevenger [Haddonfield], 2022
9:10.4y ….. Ken Medlin, Haddon Township, 1970
9:11.1y ..… Mike Butynes [Sterling], 1970
9:11.2y ..… Mike Elder [Haddon Twp.], 1974
9:11.86y … Marc Pelerin [Cherokee], 2002
9:11.9y ….. Johnny Englehardt [Willingboro], 1976
9:12.05 … Andrew Littlehales [Delsea], 2022
9:12.20 … Ethan Wechsler [Cherokee], 2020
9:13.33 ….. Michael Rankin [Paul VI], 2010
9:13.93 ….. Paul Szulewski [Williamstown], 2011
9:14.31 ….. Jimmy Daniels [Sterling], 2013
9:14.51 … Peyton Shute [Woodbury], 2023
9:14.70 … Martin Riddell [Haddonfield], 2020
9:15.8y ….. Mike Mantini [Gateway], 1978
9:15.76 … Kevin Pumphrey [Highland], 1986
9:16.09 ….. Aaron Groff [Cherry Hill East], 2016
9:16.7y … Jim Smith [Haddonfield], 1980
9:17.52 ….. Lou Corgliano [Hammonton], 2013
9:17.55 ….. Greg Hughes [Mainland Reg.], 2004
9:17.71 ….. Dave Forward [Shawnee], 2009
9:18.19 … Dennis Fortuna [Triton], 2022
9:18.59 … Kevin Antczak [Mainland Reg.], 2019
9:20.33 … Robert Rawls [Triton], 2011
9:21.51 … Salman Khalid [Absegami], 2013
9:22.0y … Willie Marino [Williamstown], 1976
9:22.1y … Marty Ludwikowski [Cherry Hill East], 1975
9:22.4y … Paul Friedman [Moorestown], 1976
9:22.60 … Brian Goldberg [Haddonfield], 2004
9:23.34 … Anthony Dentino [Washington Twp.], 2011
9:23.0y … Joe Siedlecki [Williamstown], 1973
9:23.34 … Steve Maine [Highland Reg.], 2013
9:23.4y … Albert Donawa [Camden], 1990
9:24.19 … Mike Myers [Eastern], 2001
9:24.21 … Owen Long [Haddon Twp.], 2016
9:24.71 … Nick Costello [Delsea], 2012
9:24.83 … Keith Krieger [Cherokee], 2003
9:25.83 … Connor Herr [Shawnee], 2012
9:25.86 … Dan Deichert [Eastern], 2002
9:26.02 … Stone Caraccio [Kingsway], 2020
9:26.06 … Joe Halin [Cherokee], 1999
9:26.43 … Dan Gough [Haddonfield], 1987
9:26.95 … Peter Murray [Shawnee], 2011
9:27.16 … Sebastien Reed [Pitman], 2020
9:27.59 … Joshua Chazin [Eastern], 2016
9:28.51 … Matt Mitchell [Haddon Heights], 2006
9:28.81 … Chase Miller [Cherokee], 2020
9:28.87 … Steve Burkholder [Cherokee], 2010
9:28.99 … Chris Platt [Haddonfield], 2002
9:29.04 … Matt Coffey [Camden Catholic], 2019
9:29.17 … Phil Magee [Atlantic City], 1994
9:29.1y … Urie Ridgeway [Bridgeton], 1989
All-Time Gloucester County Indoor 3,200 List
9:12.05 … Andrew Littlehales [Delsea], 2022
9:13.93 ….. Paul Szulewski [Williamstown], 2011
9:14.51 … Peyton Shute [Woodbury], 2023
9:15.8y ….. Mike Mantini [Gateway], 1978
9:22.0y … Willie Marino [Williamstown], 1976
9:23.34 … Anthony Dentino [Washington Twp.], 2011
9:23.0y … Joe Siedlecki [Williamstown], 1973
9:24.71 … Nick Costello [Delsea], 2012
9:26.02 … Stone Caraccio [Kingsway], 2020
9:27.16 … Sebastien Reed [Pitman], 2020
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 