Over the course of the past three years, Lakeside High School's Joseph Bariola has been chasing his first Arkansas state championship. Across cross country and the indoor and outdoor track seasons, Bariola has finished in the top 4 at the state championships on five different occasions, including finishing 2nd three times, but has come up just short of claiming gold.
After his two victories in the 1600m and 3200m races at the Lake Hamilton Sr. High Invitational, not only has Bariola set himself up to win his first state championship this spring, but he is this week's Arkansas Milesplit' "Distance Runner of the Week."
At last Thursday's event, Bariola dominated in the 1600m race, running to a 14-second victory and setting a 5-second personal best. The junior clocked a brisk 4:15.38, en route to his 5th victory of the season.
Bariola's time ranks him 1st in the 1600m distance in Division 5A, just ahead of Russellville's River Hardman and Mountain Homes Ky Bickford, two of the top distance runners in the state.
"I learned something in the 1600m, the faster you go, the more fun it feels," Bariola said. "It was a good effort and I owe it to my teammate Connor for pacing me."
That wasn't all for the Lakeside distance star.
After winning the 1600m, the junior won the 3200m event, running a 9:44.41. Bariola remains undefeated in the 3200m distance this season, owning a personal best of 9:20.74, which he ran the previous week at the Jenks Invitational.
The junior sits comfortably with the 2nd fastest in Division 5A, just 5 seconds behind Greenwood's Noah Embry who has run a 9:15.47 in the event.
In the midst of a breakout junior campaign, I asked Joseph if he had any goals for the remainder of the year. In response, he said, "I'm looking forward to state, meet of champions, and the big national races going into the summer."
With the Arkansas track and field season nearing its final weeks, Bariola has positioned himself as a top contender in the 1600m and 3200m distance races and a legitimate threat to win his first state championship in Division 5A, while potentially pulling off the elusive distance double at this year's event.
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The Arkansas Milesplit 'Distance Runner of the Week' is a new series that will be published every Wednesday, awarding one distance runner from the state the unique distinction of being the best of the best. Statistics will be gathered every week, counting each meet from Monday to Sunday prior to Wednesday's publication. This week, performances from April 10th-April 16th were considered for the award.
