Track athletes revel in their celebrity status

A photo that first appeared in The Vindicator is in this week's magazine.
& lt;a href=mailto:richesson@vindy.com & gt;By BRIAN RICHESSON & lt;/a & gt; AND JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
Shane Harding hasn't spoken with Vinny Freedman since they were tangled at the finish line of the Metro Athletic Conference's 1600-meter final.
That came on May 16 at Poland High's stadium.
So what would Harding, a Salem High senior, say to Freedman, a Howland sophomore, if the two happened to cross paths again?
"Hey, did you see Sports Illustrated?"
Harding and Freedman have been the talk of their schools since word of their inclusion in this week's edition. Subscribers received their copies Thursday. The edition will hit newsstands on Monday.
Drawing attention
The runners grace the third photo, encompassing two full pages, of the magazine's "Leading Off" section.
In the photo, Harding is diving forward toward the finish line, with Freedman face down underneath him, grimacing in pain.
Harding crossed the finish line first, in a time of 4 minutes, 51.5 seconds, and Freedman was disqualified for interference.
"I don't think it's hit me yet," Harding said of the photo. "Before I heard about it, the only thing on my mind was Ravenna [the Division II regional] and trying to get to state. Then this came."
Harding first heard about the photo on Wednesday evening while chatting online with Salem track and field athlete Aubree Horning.
It wasn't until Thursday afternoon, when Harding's friend, Nick Fithian, brought him a copy of the magazine, did Harding believe what he had heard.
"I was in awe," Harding said. "It will probably end up on my wall somewhere. I'll probably get a couple of copies. It hasn't really sunk in yet."
Sports Illustrated editors called Freedman last weekend to confirm details of the photo. At first, he thought it was a joke.
When did he realize it wasn't?
"Probably after I hung up the phone," he said.
"It's nice. My mom will probably run out and buy 28 copies and put one in every room of the house," he added. "I just wish I wouldn't have gotten disqualified."
Down the stretch
All Harding remembers from that race is the battle he and Freedman waged down the stretch.
"Our legs got tangled, and I remember falling and trying to dive," Harding said. "I tried to get up as fast as I could and go for the line. I didn't know how close people were behind us."
Freedman said his awareness on the track was affected by a sinus infection from which he was suffering that day.
"It was two young men symbolizing what sports is all about," Salem coach Frank Parks said.
The photo first appeared in the May 17 edition of The Vindicator, taken by intern Scott R. Galvin, 21.
Galvin, a Mentor native and senior at Kent State University, was encouraged to submit the photo to the magazine after KSU professor Bill Gentile introduced him to SI photo editor Jim Colton.
Once SI selected the photo for publication, Colton told Galvin, "It's in the book," words the intern will never forget.