TRACK & FIELD: Male Athlete of the Week, Peter Hughey looking to climb 1 more mountain
James Buchanan's Peter Hughey never seems to hit a ceiling.
In the District 3 Class AAA Track & Field Championships on Saturday, the pressure was on the Rocket senior. He went into the day as the No. 2 seed in the 400, but had his sights set on a higher goal. He ran the best race of his career, finishing in 48.12 to take gold and break his own school record. It was nearly a 1 1/2-second improvement over his time at last year's district meet, where he ran a 49.59. He is the Public Opinion Male Athlete of the Week.
"I felt like that was one of the best races I've ever run," Hughey said. "Obviously, it was my PR, but I also felt like I had the right attitude and work ethic in the days leading up to it."
The season has gone pretty much as Hughey expected. Early in the season, he was finishing right around 50 seconds, but he has improved steadily throughout the season and has gotten into peak shape leading up to his grand finale, states.
"I think this year was a lot easier to train for," Hughey said. "I knew all year where I needed to be. There were a few points in the season where I started to worry because I felt like I should be faster, but everything has started to come together."
JB coach Jason Cotton said. "The goal is always to be running your fastest at the end of the season. You want to peak when it matters, and Peter has always done a great job of that. He keeps an eye on the time of his competition, and he knows where he needs to be in order to put himself in the best position to win."
With his future plans already set – he will compete for Penn State next year – this season has been a bit different for Hughey.
"I really haven't had to prove anything to anyone this season," he said, "but I want to do it for myself. This whole season is really just to show myself what I can do."
And all of that work will culminate into one final race – the PIAA Championships on Friday and Saturday. Hughey is seeded first, but the No. 2 and 3 seeds are less than three-tenths of a second behind.
"He knows where he needs to be, and he'll work hard throughout the week to get there," Cotton said. "Expectations are obviously high."
Hughey said, "I feel like the only goal for this weekend is to go for it all. I'd really like to get into the 47s, but at the end of the day the whole season culminates into the state championships, and winning there has been a goal of mine since my freshman year. It would mean everything to validate my season with a gold medal."
PETER HUGHEY JAMES BUCHANAN
Sport: Track & field
Events: 400 and 100
Grade: Senior
Parents: Scott and Jill Hughey
Other interests: Hughey plays football for the Rockets, and he likes to hang out with friends and be outside.
Favorite team: Green Bay Packers
Pro athlete most admired: Bernard Williams
Three people he'd like to have dinner with: Barack Obama, George Clooney and Kate Upton
Statistics: Hughey won the District 3 Class AAA title in the 400 dash for the second year in a row ... His time of 48.12 was a personal best and broke his own school record in the event.