Getting the Pittsburgh Central Catholic 1,600-meter record of 4:17.7, set in 1975 by Mark Studnicki, was foremost in Scott Van Kooten's mind ... until he got a look at the weather last Thursday at Baldwin Stadium.

In the hours before it became merely cold and damp, there were steady downpours.

The WPIAL Class AAA championship 1,600 turned into a slow, strategic race where Van Kooten was content to qualify for states, which he did with a third-place showing.

He came back to win a thrilling 3,200-meter final, running a person-best 9:19.06, just ahead of Seneca Valley's Chris Cipro (9:19.19) and Avonworth/Northgate's Lucas Zarzeczny (9:19.45). Van Kooten will be trying to break another school record this weekend at the state meet in Shippensburg, the 9:10 run by 1985 PIAA runner-up Brian Laird.

The two-day meet begins tomorrow.

It's been a long-distance journey for Van Kooten beyond the track. A competitive swimmer who only got into running in high school, he has made the almost 26-mile drive from his home in Economy, Beaver County, to Oakland for four years.

"I thought about maybe running it, one time," he said.

He probably won't know what to do with himself next year, when he's preparing for a pharmacy major at Duquesne University and running for the Dukes up-and-coming distance program.

"Honestly, I'll probably end up waking up two hours before class and have an hour to walk to a class that's five minutes away."