The 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track Zatlin Awards

By Garrett Zatlin

Yes ladies and gentlemen, it is that time of the year again. It’s the time of the year where this season’s greats are praised and the duds are verbally assaulted. Who knows? Maybe some big name will find this and post it to his twitter account *cough cough Craig Lutz*… With all of that said, here are your 2015 Outdoor Track Zatlin Awards!

Note: Performances are based on the entire outdoor season. Indoors do not count and NCAA’s is not the total focus. 

The “Who is that?” Award (Best Breakout Runner)

Winner: Thomas Joyce (Cal.)

Other Nominees: Justyn Knight (Syracuse), Matt McClintock (Perdue)

Why: The first name that came to my mind was Thomas Joyce and for a good reason. Joyce threw down a nasty 3:39 in a duel meet against Stanford where he beat out McGorty and Olson. He also doubled back that same day in the 3000 to defeat Maksim Korolev. Joyce would eventually run a 3:58 mile and a 13:34 5k. At one point in the season, he was 7-0 with victories over some of the biggest names in the west. Unfortunately, Joyce would have a poor championship season and would not make the 1500 finals at NCAA’s. Others like Knight we’re already known, but I believe he truly established himself this season especially after his 3:39 1500 and All-American performances. Matt McClintock didn’t run anything that would categorize him as elite, but a solid 10k and big wins got him recognized.

Can’t See The Haters Award (Fan Favorite)

Winner: Eric Jenkins (Oregon)

Other Nominees: Justyn Knight (Syracuse), Thomas Awad (Penn), Cristian Soratos (Montana St.), Jordy Williamsz (Villanova)

Why: This is just the perception that I got, but Jenkins seems to be the golden child of the NCAA. He was the guy that everyone was pulling for to beat Ches and you just felt bad that he had to live in the shadow of The King. Put a Nike label and you can’t help but be a fan. Williamsz definitely gets love for doing what Jenkins couldn’t; beating Cheserek. Knight had a very humble attitude and won an ACC title with one shoe. It’s impossible not to like someone like that. 

The 24/7 Award (Most Consistent)

Winner: Anthony Rotich (UTEP)

Other Nominees: Edward Kemboi (Iowa St.), Matt McClintock (Perdue)

Why: Rotich was just the man. The guy raced nearly everything and didn’t falter when he stepped onto the track. Rotich grabbed a total of NINE wins this season in individual finals. NINE wins! That is crazy when you consider that the average collegiate at his level have six to seven races in a season. The only losses he had were against Thomas Joyce and a loaded 5k field at Stanford where he finished third overall (2nd collegiate to Sam Stabler). His times were always impressive and a win over Kebenei only helps his case. Besides Rotich, Kemboi was clutch in the post season by not losing a prelim or a final. His racing tactics were excellent and executed to perfection. McClintock consistently placed well and never had a race where he really faltered. For that, I’ll give him some attention.

The Living Machine Award (Runner With the Best Racing Range)

Winner: Edward Cheserek (Oregon)

Other Nominees: Thomas Joyce (Cal.), Thomas Awad (Penn), Anthony Rotich (UTEP)

Why: Predictable, I know. But when Cheserek takes the track he can run down anyone. Being an NCAA champ in the 5k and 10k shows that he’s the King at the longer distances. He added an “easy” 3k win at the Oregon Twilight meet with a 7:57 as well as top finishes in the DMR and 4xMile at Penn Relays (where he was outkicked by Jordy). He simply can beat anyone at any distance. You all know the story with Joyce and Rotich. Joyce had seven wins while Rotich had nine. They both had wins in the 1500, mile, 3000 (or 3000St.), and the 5000. I throw in Awad due to his ability to attack in all kinds of race situations no matter the distance. He can take advantage of a slow pace but still hang tough in a race for time. His ability to do that in a 1500 and a 5000 puts him on the list. 

The Qdoba Award (Most Underrated Runner)

Winner: Brandon Doughty (Oklahoma),

Other Nominees: Craig Engels (Ole Miss), Will Kincaid (Portland)

Why: This was a tough one for me. All three had a case to be named most underrated. However, I feel that Doughty deserves it more. If you’re looking at the entire season, Doughty has the numbers. His 3:45 1500 is decent but nothing stunning. It’s when you add that he ran an 8:38 steeplechase (10th fastest in nation) that you realize how sneaky good this guy was. Did I mention that his 8:38 got him fourth place in a very deep NCAA finals field? On top of that, he ran a 13:39 5k which was the 13th fastest time in the nation. I never really talked about him much, and I’m now regretting that. Kincaid gets some love mainly because of his gutsy 5000 at NCAA’s where he made a bold move on the back straightaway to challenge the Oregon duo. His resume this season includes a 13:48 5k, 4flat mile, and a 3:43 1500. He never ran anything jaw dropping, but his times were solid all around the board. Engels had some recognition from indoors but wasn’t too relevant until he dropped big times like a 1:46.13 800 and a 3:40.28. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t make it out of the prelims at NCAA’s. 

The Chipotle Award (Most Overrated Runner)

Winner: Sam Penzenstadler (Loyola Ill.)

Other Nominees: Izaic Yorks (Washington), Tanguy Pepiot (Oregon), Andres Arroyo (Florida)

Why: I had someone ask me why I named this the Chipotle Award. My answer is mainly because Chipotle seems better than it really is while Qdoba is the place to be. Just my opinion, but if you disagree then you’re wrong. Back to track…Yes, I did have Penz as a nominee for this “award” last season, but kept him off of it because of his excellent mile performances. The guy won a strong ND Meyo invite and then eventually popped off a sub-4 running 3:58. Although he had a poor indoor nationals showing, Penz still had eyes on him going into this season. Unfortunately for him, his 1500 wasn’t faster than 3:44 which wasn’t even close to his 3:39 PR. His 800 was sub par and the only thing somewhat relevant was his 13:58 5k. Penz would eventually finish 23rd at regionals to cap off his disappointing outdoor season. Other guys like Yorks and Arroyo weren’t clutch in the post season (Yorks got into NCAA final on DQ technicality and finished last in the finals) while the All-American Pepiot from Oregoncouldn’t even get a win this season or make the NCAA finals. 

Most Likely To Lose to Garrett By 1 Point In A Prediction Contest (Self Explanatory)

Winner: Alex Fox

Other nominees: There are none

Why: 49-50 (lowest score wins). If that doesn’t say it all I don’t know what does. Even after Fox correctly predicted all five NCAA distance champions, he still couldn’t overcome the deficit he was in. Fox will argue that I sabotaged his predictions by hyping up Joyce (who did not make the NCAA final). Maybe next year Fox!

The Comeback Kid Award (Runner That Has BestOvercome Adversity)

Winner: Peter Callahan (New Mexico)

Other Nominees: Craig Lutz (Texas), Jesse Garn (Binghamton), Blake Haney (Oregon)

Why: As a runner that has had every injury, illness, and bad series of races, I feel like this is a pretty important award to give out. Peter Callahan has struggled with injuries all throughout his time at Princeton and this past indoor season with the Lobo’s. For him to drop a 3:40 and 1:48 after a season of injury is impressive. A fourth place, All-American spot is a nice reward after a tough winter. Speaking of fourth place, All-American finishes, Craig Lutz did just that. His 28:33 10k at Stanford was a bit unexpected and he PR’d in the 1500 with a 3:44. His convincing nationals performance established that he was a contender in the NCAA once again. Garn didn’t really struggle last season, but a DQ in the 800 at indoor nationalsleft him hungry for revenge. Garn went after that revenge and finished third in a deep 800 field at NCAA’s. Blake Haney didn’t have much of an indoor season after a disappointing 4:16 mile performance at Rod McCravy. Since then, the frosh has stormed back and ended his outstanding season with a 3:40 1500 PR and a third place finish at NCAA’s.

No Guts No Glory Award (Gutsiest Runner)

Winner: Craig Lutz (Texas)

Other Nominees: Brandon McBride (Miss. St.), ThomasCurtin (Virginia Tech), Kemoy Campbell (Arkansas),

Why: What? You thought I wasn’t gonna give an award to Lutz? Lutz has really turned it around this season and it seems that he’s done that by adopting a more headstrong approach to his racing. He even proclaimed in an interview that he “likes to grind” and has shown that mentality bypushing the pace at the Penn Relays 5k, taking turns leading the regionals 10k, and putting on a nice surge in the NCAA 10k. He leaves it all out there so I have to commend him for that. McBride and Curtin will always be the ones to take it hard from the gun no matter the race (except for McBride at NCAA’s). They have no fear and attack the race from the gun. As for Campbell, every time he has raced the Oregon Ducks this year he has tried to take the lead and make them work for it. Campbell also ran 13:20 earlier this season so you know the guy is willing to grind out a tough pace.

The Juggernaut Award (Best Distance Squad)

Winner: Oregon

Other Nominees: Villanova, Stanford, Syracuse 

Why: Not really any surprises and I don’t really need to explain myself. Eight Oregon distance guys went to NCAA’s…that’s just incredible. Besides the Ducks, Nova was arguably the best mid distance program in the nation that was led by Jordy Williamsz. A thrilling last 200 meters at Penn Relays would put Nova on the podium over the favorites from Oregon and make the Wildcats the stars for a couple weekends. As well look at the other programs, you’ll see how impressive the depth for Syracuse and Stanford is. When you look at the number of top 50 times Stanford and Syracuse have at each event, it’s pretty impressive…

800​​​​​​​1500​

Lefebure (26th)​​​​​Knight (8th)

1500​​​​​​​5000

McGorty (14th)​​​​​Knight (6th)

Olson (33rd)​​​​​​Hehir (8th)

Coyle (40th)​​​​​​Bennie (47th)

5000​​​​​​​10,000

Olson (10th)​​​​​​Hehir (2nd)

Keelan (18th)​​​​​​Lennon (10th)​

McGorty (23rd)​​​​​Kamyszek (11th)

Sweatt (50th)​​​​​​

10,000​​​​​​​

Sweatt  (14th)​​​​​​

Stanford had a bit more depth all around while Syracuse had better placing at the longer distances.

Pumped Up Kicks Award (Most Impressive Performance)

Winner: Stanley Kebenei 8:23.93 (@ Payton Jordan),

Other Nominees: Jason Witt 27:54 10k (@ Payton Jordan), Kemoy Campbell 13:20.39 (@ Payton Jordan)

Why: Kebenei’s time is 12th all-time in the NCAA. Witt’s is 18th and Campbell’s is 9th. So by that logic, Campbell has to get it right? That answer is no. Don’t get me wrong, his performance is outstanding and to run that time should be considered a milestone in his running career. However, what he didn’t do, was run an all-time best AND beat an entire field of established pro’s like Kebenei did. To run the time he did and WIN is huge. It makes you think he could’ve gone faster. Since 2000, Kebenei’s time is the 6thfastest while Campbell’s is still 9th and Witt’s is 16th. So what does that mean? It means that in this generation of racing, Kebenei’s race had more of an impact that the other two.

Batman and Robin Award (Best Racing Duo)

Winner: Cheserek/Jenkins (Oregon)

Other Nominees: H. Hernandez/J. Hernandez (Texas A&M), Futsum Z./Matt McElroy (N. Arizona), Henry Wynne/Mike Marsella (UVA), Kyle Graves/Simon Holden (Wake Forest)

Why: Let me first say that while there are definitely better duos for the “other nominees”, I wanted to focus on duos that consistently raced together and had the same event focus. It makes comparisons easier. With all of that said, it’s nearly impossible to not pick Jenkins and Ches. Not only do they both go 1-2 at the 5k AND 10k, but they also run it like they’re cruising. They leave some of the best competition in the dust and then cross the line like it was just another workout. Duos like the Hernandez brothers are a favorite of mine for their consistency at the 800. The WF duo also did very this seasons as they capitalized on their fitness from indoors and threw down some excellent times.

PA Don’t Play Award (Best Season by Pennsylvania Alumni)

Winner: Ned Willig (Brown)

Other Nominees: Tom Coyle (Stanford), Ben Ritz (Columbia), Matt Fischer (PSU), Glen Burkhardt (PSU), Nate McClafferty (Duke), Chris Sanders (LaSalle), Ryan Gil (Georgetown), Luke Lefebure (Stanford)

Why: I know, I know. I can already guess what you’re thinking... “Ned? The guy you ran with for two years? Your bias is really getting to you Garrett”. I know but just hear me out. Ned has run some out outstanding times this season, which includes a 3:44 for 1500 meters. But big whoop right? McClafferty ran 3:43 and Coyle ran 3:42.How can Willig match that? Well while those are impressive, neither of those two had the 800 times that Ned did. Willig has now run 1:48 three times this season. McClafferty and Coyle focused solely on the 15 and struggled in the 8 when they did try it. A close 1500 plus a much faster 800 gives Ned the edge. Although those three are the main focus in my mind, I have to give a S/O to Ryan Gil and Glen Burkhardt for making NCAA’s!Hopefully we’ll be having more than two distance guys in the next couple of years. 

How Do You Spell That? Award (Coolest Name)

Winner: Ole Hesselbjerg (E. Kentucky)

Other Nominees: Malachy Schrobilgen (Wisconsin), Futsum Zienasellassie (N. Arizona), Tanguy Pepiot (Oregon), 

Why: I understand that there will be an argument for Futsum, but come on…the guys name is literally “Ole”. How sweet is that? The best part is that I can actually spell his last name without too much struggle where as with Futsum I have to jump back and forth between tabs 30 times to get his name right. Malachy has an awesome first name but I’m not sure how to pronounce his last name…Pepiot is just so much fun to say. 

You Da Real MVP Award (Most Valuable Runner in the NCAA)

Winner: Edward Cheserek (Oregon)

Other Nominees: Eric Jenkins (Oregon), Edward Kemboi (Iowa St.), Anthony Rotich (UTEP), Stanley Kebenei (Arkansas), Chad Noelle (OKST), Jordy Williamsz (Villanova)

Why: Do you see the other nominees? How crazy is it that none of these are an obvious favorite for this award? The firepower there is unbelievable but they all fall in comparison to The King. Yes, Jordy did outkick Ches. But if you put those two in an honest race, who are you taking? I understand that Cheserek didn’t race much this season and I also understand that his races were just to make regionals. I get that. However, when you not only win, but CRUISE to a double gold against the best talent in the NCAA, it kind of gives you an automatic bid for this award. Cheserek is the best and there isn’t really an argument. Here’s to two more years of watching a legend.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is the end of the Zatlin Awards. So what did I get right and what did I get wrong? What were your own awards that you’d like to see? Let me know below. I will also be trying to get out an article on PA’sgraduating (high school) seniors and maybe take a deeper look into the PA alum at smaller schools. Look out for that in the next week or two! 

Run on,

Garrett