LCP'S TRIPP ROEMER HUGS HIS MOTHER AFTER WINNING THE LHSAA CLASS 2A 1600m!
There is nothing quite like a senior trip, although Loyola distance runner Tripp Roemer has a different idea of fun than most. It's not a day-or two-at the beach.
After celebrating Friday night with 94 of his classmates at Bossier Civic Center as LCP honored their 122nd graduating class, Roemer flew to Atlanta, Georgia early Saturday morning where he was supposed to compete later that night at the Atlanta City Games.
The meet was postponed until Sunday due to weather, Roemer made the most of his extra day of rest as he won the mile with a time of 4:18.97. The time converts to a 4:4:17.47 1600m, which moves Roemer from No. 14 to No. 5 on the Louisiana 2024 list for top milers.
On the Caddo-Bossier All-Time lists, Roemer's time ranks No. 4 behind Parkway freshman Brennan Robin (4:14.76), Fair Park's John Mckinnon (4:13, 1968), and Byrd's Owen Self (4:11.8, 1967).
"The main goal was to go out hard and leave everything on the track," Roemer said. "It's been a very eventful weekend to say the least," Roemer said.
Before even getting to the meet, Roemer used some of the planning skills he has acquired over his four years at LCP to find a meet to suit his needs.
"Since I will be out of town a lot of the summer, finding meets that I would be able to run came as a challenge, and I knew I had to start my post season earlier than usual," Roemer said. "There weren't many meets around this time, but this meet seemed to be the most competitive."
After his performance at the 2024 LHSAA Class 2A State Outdoor Championships, where he defended his 3200m state championship from the year before with a time of 9:35.28 and won his first 1600m state title (4:24.52), Roemer went into yesterday's meet expecting a personal record.
"I definitely knew my fitness was the best it's ever been!," Roemer said. "Running 4:24 at state felt extremely comfortable and controlled so I knew I was due for a PR. It was just about getting in a race where I can just worry about time rather than placement."
Another thing which helped Roemer was having a "rabbitt," a runner who paces other runners allowing them run faster times.
"It was my first race I got to run with a pacer, so not having to worry about pace the first lap really helped me feel controlled with the pace I was striving to keep," Roemer said.
There will be a few more senior trips this summer for Roemer, a Furman University signee, before he heads off to college. He will compete at the RunningLane Track Championships in Huntsville, Alabama next week.
In June, a trip to Eugene, Oregon is planned. There he will compete with his Flyer teammates in the 4x400 relay.
Roemer was happy to "empty the tank" on his weekend trip to Georgia.
"Being able to put the right race together, push hard, feel good on the day, and rank up into the one of the five best milers in the state this year is something I've been looking forward to and training for all season," Roemer said. "Being able to hit goals and continue to improve while mainly training alone has given me lots of confidence going into college next year."