By
etrain11
Over
the last twenty plus months, Oregon has reminded everyone just how dominant of
a distance program it is, led by their fearless new leader: Edward Cheserek.
Cheserek
was one of the most talented prep runners to grace the oval, running sub 14 for
5,000m indoors and grabbing multiple Footlocker National Championships. But his
reign ended uninspiringly[1]
and the subsequent commitment to Oregon seemed all too familiar. Just two years
earlier, Cheserek’s old sparring partner Lukas Verzbicas had committed to join
the Ducks after the best HS Career since Alan Webb. The LV experiment ended
abruptly and the expectations many had set upon the young man’s shoulders
proved to be unfitting.
Eddy
Ches burst onto the scene as a freshman in the fall of 2013. He was slimmer and
fitter with a renewed vigor and enthusiasm. Everyone knew he would be a
contender for years to come. When he dethroned proven XC behemoth Kennedy
Kithuka in the slop of Terre Haute, he flipped the script from “would be” to
“is”. However, with weather playing a potentially pivotal role in the title
run, there were still doubts.
On
the track he showcased another unforeseen weapon: one of the greatest bursts
I’ve ever seen. By the end of indoors, when he had defeated Lawi Lalang in the
5,000m and added a 3,000m gold for good measure, he was rapidly ascending from
“fluke” to “King”. As of this moment, after less than two years of performing[2],
Cheserek has 6 individual NCAA championships, 2 runner-ups, 1 NCAA relay gold,
3 National Team Titles and 2 Penn Relays wheels. With 7 seasons still left go[3] …
But
despite the fact the Eddy Money is well on his way to becoming the best Oregon
distance runner ever, there is a lurking presence now chomping at his heels:
Eric Jenkins. Jenkins comes from humble beginnings. He came on strong at
Northeastern in 2013, taking headlines after a few month stretch where he was
infamously DQed from the indoor nationals 3k and then broke 13:20 in the 5000m.
When Jenkins announced his transfer to Oregon, it was on the heels of Mac
Fleet’s 1500m ascent and a clear resurgence of prominence for the Ducks.
Personally, I thought Jenkins would be an absolute force in 2014 under his new
tutelage and alongside a new set of gifted training partners.
But
2014 was far from the breakout I had expected. Jenkins sat on the sidelines
while Cheserek took the reigns and Oregon stormed to the indoor title. When
Eric did hit the track, he was somewhat lost in the shuffle, an interchangeable
piece alongside talents like Dunbar and Stinson delivering key points for the
team, but not delivering the headline making performances of his Kenyan
teammate. The next year was a different story. Now EJ was getting some play. He
and Ed took 1-2 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, Jenkins grabbed an
impressive 3k win at the prestigious Millrose Games and then he added his first
NCAA title in the 5,000m in dominating fashion.
And then, he beat the King.
After
Cheserek contested the mile prelims, the DMR, and the mile finals, he entered
the 3k looking for his third gold of the weekend. Jenkins was looking for his
second with the previous day’s 5k in his legs. As usual, Cheserek and Jenkins
raced intelligently and when they got to the bell, Cheserek used his patented
burst to run clear of the field. But Jenkins was able to hang around and, on
the final straightaway, passed by Edward Scissor Hands[4] to
take the victory. You could argue that Cheserek let Jenkins win (both were teammates and it didn’t matter much who
took gold), but Jenkins destroyed that final lap and Ed looked bankrupt on the
final straight. It’s not fair to discredit Jenkins for his amazing race and,
realistically, with a pair of rematches looming at the outdoor NCAA
championships is Jenkins preparing to steal the Batman role from Ed at Hayward
in May?
Jenkins
has been on a war path lately and he is on a rapid ascension, arguably even
more so that Cheserek. Cheserek’s flat foot speed is likely superior to Jenkins[5], but
outdoors the distances balloon from 5k-3k to 10k-5k. That should only help
Jenkin’s case against the King. Eric has had the strength, but now he has
confidence and speed to go along with it, a dangerous combination for any
runner (just ask Galen Rupp). In addition, Jenkins has been exponentially
improving his odds of making a 2015 or 2016 National team over the last few
months. As long as Ches is sporting a Kenyan flag, there’s no chance he gets a
spot on the line. This doesn’t matter when considering head to head ability,
but if you are picking a “Batman”, shouldn’t his prowess stretch beyond the
confines of the NCAA?
That
being said, the argument for the King is still clear. At the end of his indoor
nationals weekend, he was simply Batman at the beginning of Dark Knight Rises: he had a lot of miles
under his belt. But once he snaps on a leg brace and spends some time in the
second place pit he can still climb out of there and kick the crap out of Bane.
Cheserek still has the prestigious that comes with multiple championships and a
slew of impressive scalps. He’s taken down Kennedy Kithuka, Lawi Lalang and
Cristian Soratos.
Just remember, after Cheserek won his first title in Cross Country, there was
talk of flukes. On a nice day, people said that Kithuka would win and when
Cheserek met Lawi indoors, he would come crashing back to reality. But that
didn’t happen. Just because Cheserek is the King and Jenkins sounds like a
character from How I Met Your Mother,
doesn’t mean we should hand over any titles just yet.
Bottom
line: none of this matters. The two will be at Eugene soon and more than likely
they won’t try and race all out against one another, they will opt to save
their energy to give the team a shot at yet another title. So I guess we’re
going with Iron Man and Captain America on this one …
[1] Relatively speaking of course.
He was still a beast, but he wasn’t progressing the way many hoped and you
could argue he was headed backwards.
[2] I’m purposely avoiding the term
“sophomore” because people tend to get worked up about his age. I have two
words for those people: Christy Cazzola.
[3] Assuming he doesn’t turn Pro
which is certainly possible at this rate, although he would benefit big time
from becoming a U.S. citizen
[4] My favorite thing to call Ed’s
flailing tie up at the finish. I’ve heard raptor claws as well, but I prefer to
imagine Johnny Depp rolling down the final 100m.
[5] Ches has an NCAA mile
championship and has run 3:36 for 1500m.
Jenkins did make big strides this indoors with a 3:56-57 type split, but
he’s yet to showcase anything quite resembling 3:36.
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