JEFF REINHART | Sports WriterAidan Hodge never set out to break any records or be in the spotlight or stockpile gold medals in his bedroom.
When he arrived for his freshman year at Hempfield, he simply wanted to compete and test his limits for the Black Knights’ cross country and track and field teams.
Hodge ended up departing Hempfield as one of the top distance runners in league history.
In the pantheon of upper echelon Lancaster-Lebanon League distance runners — Hempfield’s Jeff Bradley, Conestoga Valley’s Vince McNally, Manheim Township’s Evan Dorenkamp and the Miller brothers, Ephrata’s Tyler Shue and McCaskey’s Mike Craighead and Nathan Henderson, to name a few — Hodge has firmly chiseled his name onto the short list of unforgettable, wildly successful competitors.
“I’ve heard all of their names over the years,” Hodge said. “To be mentioned with some of the great names in L-L League distance running … it doesn’t feel real yet. Maybe later on down the line, if people recognize me.”
By the end of this past track and field season, everyone in these parts certainly recognized and knew Hodge, who dominated local cross country courses and tracks the last four years.
For his efforts in cross country and on the track over this past school year, Hodge has been named the LNP | LancasterOnline L-L League Male Athlete of the Year.
Running in good company
Thumb through Hempfield’s track and field record book, and it’s like a trip down memory lane and a who’s who of former L-L League standouts and champions. Hodge’s name sits atop some mighty impressive Knights’ lists, with program records in the 800 meters (1:52.14), 1,600 (4:10.77) and 3,200 (9:10.14).
Hodge’s prep resume is simply staggering: He was runner-up in the league cross country finals at Ephrata Middle School last fall — after league and district XC titles in his junior year — and his track haul includes league titles last year in the 1,600 and this spring in the 800 and 1,600, plus the 1,600 district championship and the 800 PIAA crown this spring.
Hodge also holds Hempfield indoor track records in the 800, 1,000, 3,000 and 3,200 events, and he was the top scorer for the Knights’ track team in his junior and senior seasons, earning the program’s prestigious Michael Lawrence Siepietowski Memorial Award this spring.
Hodge also pocketed the L-L League Brackbill scholar-athlete award for the 2022-23 school year, and later this summer he’ll shuffle off to run cross country and track in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference for Ole Miss, which he picked over Penn State, Pitt and Syracuse during his recruiting process.
And these fun nuggets: Hempfield’s cross country team was 43-0 — with a trio of league titles and a pair of district crowns — with Hodge on the varsity, and he capped his prep career with 35 cross country, indoor and outdoor track medals, including 14 golds. He holds nine school records, and various stadium track records around the league, and his prep XC PR is a nifty 15:16.
Hodge also overcame a serious hip injury he suffered in the PIAA cross country finals in his junior season — which cost him most of his indoor campaign that winter — to put together an amazing senior year.
“Aidan truly was soup to nuts in the distance world,” longtime Hempfield track and field and cross country coach Curt Rogers said. “Just a fantastic kid to coach the last four years. I thoroughly enjoyed it. He’s always had that love to compete, and he relishes competition. When there are people in front of him, he’s going to hunt them down.”
Hempfield's Aidan Hodge, right, gets pushed by Manheim Township's Cole Stevens and Central Dauphin's Tim Roden in the Class 3A 1,600.
Storybook finish
Hodge saved his best for last, capturing PIAA gold in storybook fashion in the 800 earlier this spring.
“I told myself all day that this was going to be my last race, so just have fun with it,” Hodge said. “I didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself, even though it was my last race ever for Hempfield. I just wanted to go out and see what happened. I was excited to just let loose.”
He let loose, all right.
Running in the first of two heats, Hodge, seeded 20th in the 800, posted a sizzling 1:52.14. Then he had to play the waiting game, nervously pacing the infield inside Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium, while the runners in the quicker qualifying heat duked it out.
“That was the nerve-wracking part,” Hodge said. “I was clock-watching a little bit. The last 150 I was watching them. Then watching the clock. Then watching them. Then watching the clock. The last 50 I couldn’t even watch. I was looking at the video board. All I could do is wait it out, and I didn’t know how to feel. There was so much anticipation.”
Hodge’s time indeed stood up, and he took gold — incredibly — in his final prep race repping Hempfield.
“Kind of a fairy-tale ending,” he said. “I don’t think I could have written that any better myself.”
“I told him that no matter which heat he was in, he was going to be the fastest 800 runner in the state that day, and he embraced it,” Rogers said. “He had nothing to hold back."
Hodge grew up playing soccer and baseball, and his dad, Jake, who played baseball collegiately, suggested he give distance running a try. Hodge’s mom, Kristyann, was a distance runner back in her prep days, so it was in his genes.
By middle school, Hodge was hooked.
“I loved the competition right away,” he said. “Competition always gets me going. That’s what makes me tick.”
Division I awaits
The rest is history, as Hodge exits Hempfield for Ole Miss as one of the most successful distance runners in league history. And by the way, his younger brother, Liam, will be a freshman at Hempfield in the fall, and he’ll be taking direct aim at Aidan’s records in cross country and track.
“Entering as a little freshman,” Hodge said, “I never could have pictured setting one school record, let alone several school records, and winning state medals and district medals and league medals and invitational medals.
“I don’t think I saw my high school career going the way it did. I have to thank everyone for pushing me and for helping me to get to where I am today. I’m so thankful for my four years here, and to all the people who supported me. They all helped me accomplish what I wanted to get done.”
And from the looks of Hempfield’s record book, and the stash of league, district and state medals in Hodge’s overflowing collection, he accomplished quite a lot.
TWITTER: @JeffReinhart77
