Leo Clark was there when Justin Pavan broke Lewiston-Porter’s record in the 1,600 meters. Jump ahead a few years and Clark had long crossed the finish line before he could truly comprehend that he broke the same record, on the same track.
Clark ran a time of 4 minutes, 26.07 seconds at the Niagara Frontier League championships Thursday, besting the field by more than 17 seconds. Pavan had previously established the Lancers’ record of 4:26.60 three years ago in a dual meet against Niagara Falls before beginning his career at Dartmouth.
Chasing the record was what kept Clark motivated the past four years. Now that it’s his and his alone, Clark now sets his sights on continuing to push his own pace as the postseason ramps up.
“It’s honestly been fun,” Clark said. “It’s been fun to compete with the record. … I was in that race, so, it’s really fun just to see myself just get better and better and keep just doing better.”
Having someone to look up to in Pavan for one season at an early age helped Clark stay motivated as he became an upperclassman himself. This year alone, Clark was the NFL champion in the 5000 cross country championship at 16:53.87 and third at sectionals.
Now, during outdoor, Clark is third in the section in the 1600, just five seconds off the leader and ninth in the 3200 after finishing with a 9:46.44. Years later, Clark viewed Pavan as an older brother on the track, someone who guided him and passed on strategies, like keeping a comfortable enough pace to push, he still uses today.
As one of the upperclassmen on the Lancers, Clark tries to be a mentor for those coming up next. But, with Pavan, it gave him an example of how to model his own routine on the track.
“Having somebody to chase is always amazing, because it’s kind of a look at what you could do, if you really put in that work,” Clark said. “Having competition is a really big thing for me, and yeah, just having people to look up to and be, ‘I want to be that guy one day. I want to do this one day. It just really helps you motivate yourself and just having a plan, having a positive mindset about what you can do in the future.”
Pavan graduated from the Lancers in 2021, after winning the 3200 at the sectional Class BB championships with a time of 9:56.94. But after he left, Lew-Port head coach Ann Marie Oliverio continued to notice his growth and confidence through more meets.
Once his elementary school teacher, Oliverio described him as quiet and reserved. But with the help of Pavan and his classmate Andrew Perrault — who won the MAAC championship in the 3,000 for Canisius last year — Clark’s self-confidence grew through their encouragement.
“They would get involved in commenting on how he’s doing and follow him on social media,” Oliverio said. “And, as his times improved and everybody was starting to recognize him more, he got more confident in his abilities and recognizing his own potential.”
Clark knows his target now, as he eyes the state-qualifying and the super standard of 4:21, with less than two weeks left in the season. Up next for Clark is the section’s Class A championship Thursday at Dunkirk High School, followed by the state qualifier May 31 and June 1 in Alden.
Clark also is starting to look beyond the finish line, in terms of his next destination. So far, Clark has received interest from Canisius and Gannon, but the main focus still is finishing out the season strong.
“I got the long distance, I have the endurance, and I just need to get that strength in my legs and keep myself loose,” Clark said. “A lot of stretching, a lot of recovery. … Recovery is one of the biggest things I need right now. So, just a lot of recovery, stretching, keeping myself healthy and not injured.”