“The reason why I think I didn’t get it was because I got pushed back twice,” he said. “Most of the time I had to go out to Lane 3 or 4 to run back up to the front. That really tired me out.”

For Roznowski, Geist’s most memorable moment actually came much earlier in the season.

“What comes to my mind was at Hickory, the way he was running,” Roznowski said. “It was a beautiful day, and he was running very well with some top athletes. It was early in the season and he was showing good progression to becoming even better.

“There was a lot of AA teams that had runners with similar speed. That kind of good competition brings out the best in all of us.”

Geist placed first in the 800 at the Hickory Invitational on April 19. He did not run the 1,600 at that meet.

Although the loss of a leader such as Geist is tough for the Meadville program, Roznowski knows Geist’s legacy will live on for now.

“Some of the younger kids are looking at what Andrew did and accomplished,” Roznowski said. “They’re coming up, and they want to be like him.

“We have a couple eighth-graders who will be ninth-graders in the cross country season. They look at Andrew as being a top runner they want to aspire to.”

Geist is looking into attending Edinboro University but has decided to take a year off before enrolling.

T.J. Turrisi can be reached at 724-6370, ext. 276, or by e-mail at tjturrisi@meadvilletribune.com.