it's not as if he were anonymous. The 19-year-old native of Englishtown, N.J., was a top-shelf recruit, the first high schooler to break 1 minute, 50 seconds at 800 meters (1:49.21), and the indoor and outdoor national prep champ at that distance as a senior.

"As a freshman, we knew we had something special," said Jim Tweed, his high school coach at Manalapan. "Even as a freshman, he was in front of all the workouts. He's a very coachable, very intelligent runner. He's a student of running. I equate him a little bit to a football coach who studies film of opponents."

Andrews' signature trait is a finishing kick, which he exhibited in both of his marquee races this year.

"He's never out of a race," Tweed said.

Andrews was tickled simplyto make the 800 final at the NCAA indoor meet, but Vigilante convinced him that he could win the event. If he remained close to Wheating and Penn State All-American Ryan Foster, he could use his kick and the element of surprise to jump them late in the race.

The strategy worked to perfection, with Andrews passing Foster and then outkicking Wheating in the final meters to win by one one-hundredth of a second — 1:48.39 to 1:48.40.

"I really couldn't believe it," Andrews said. "To race your idol, to stand on the podium next to your idol, to pass him in the last 50 meters when he's done that to so many other runners and win the race, it's just surreal."

At the Penn Relays, he and teammates Alex Bowman,