DIV. III TRACK Runner Pykare thinks 'if only'

The former Maplewood runner now at Akron won three state track titles.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
Dave Pykare won a lot of medals in high school, but he doesn't show them off.
He doesn't need to. His mom does it for him.
"She puts them on display all over the place," Pykare said with a laugh. "If you walked through my house, you'd think I was the most egotistical guy in the world."
Not that he minds. Pykare does a lot of running, but he never runs from his past. Which is why he was standing outside a fence in Navarre last week, watching his former Maplewood teammates run in the Division III regional at Fairless High School.
"When I come back and watch after a year of college, I just think, 'If only I could have done this, or if only I could have done that,'" said Pykare, who just finished his freshman year at the University of Akron. "I think about different things I could have done, small strategy things during a race."
If you didn't know better, you might think he was an average runner during high school. Far from it. Pykare won three state track titles -- two 4x800 relay titles and an 800 title -- and graduated as one of the most celebrated runners in school history.
"I miss it a lot already," he said. "I enjoy college running, but I always knew it wouldn't be as joyful, especially the 4x800 team. We bonded really well."
Seeks third state title
At this Friday's state meet in Dayton, Maplewood's 4x800 relay will go for its third straight state title.
"There's a lot of motivation from past runners," said Terry Rush, who runs the first leg of the relay. "You think about all the hard work they put in and you don't want to let them down. You want to make them proud and make the community proud."
The Rockets enter the meet with the fastest qualifying time (7:59) in Division III. The only team within 10 seconds of them is McDonald, which ran 8:05 to finish second at the regional.
"It's just amazing to think about and amazing to do," senior John Palmer said of winning a third straight title. "We're all coming together."
Nolan, Ricciardi eye more
The Rockets aren't the only ones trying to repeat in Division III. Warren John F. Kennedy senior Ben Nolan won the 400 title last year and Western Reserve senior Anna Marie Ricciardi won the high jump.
Nolan isn't likely to repeat -- he finished fourth at the regional meet -- but Ricciardi has a good chance.
Not that she's counting on it.
"I definitely think I'll have a lot more competition," said Ricciardi, a four-time state qualifier in the event. "You can't underestimate anybody."
You also can't prepare for everybody. South Range's Kim Nemergut won a state title in the 1600 as a junior in 2000, then ran a faster time the next year, only to finish fourth behind three freshmen.
"But you don't have to mention that," Nemergut said with a laugh.
Watched brother run
Nemergut, who runs at Coastal Carolina, was at last week's regional to watch her brother, Dan, qualify in the 4x800 relay and the 3200.
"I miss it a lot," she said. "I think I was a lot closer to my teammates in high school."
Nemergut still has her state title medal -- "it's in my college dorm room; I also have the program with my picture in it" -- and said winning the title was "the best feeling I've ever felt."
"I wouldn't change a thing about high school," she said. "I miss everything."
Even the weather?
"No, not the weather," she said with a laugh. "OK, almost everything."
scalzo@vindy.com