By Jarrett Felix
Prelims Friday 9:10
Finals Sunday 5:06
Evan Jager has been a beast at the steeplechase since making the switch to the event. In 2012 he won his first US title and qualified for the Olympics where he contended in the final. In 2013 he was a borderline medalist in a loaded World Championship final. Last year he broke his own AR in the steeplechase and continued his assault on the top American marks ever.
Jager should win this with ease barring a fall, but it's really more about where stacks up on the world stage looking ahead. His main problem to date has been closing against the other top men in the field who have great kicks. Running 3:32 in this event should give him some extra confidence in his close, but a fast early pace may do him some good as well. But more on that race later in the summer I suppose. For now, I'm throwing Jager down in the 1 spot.
After Evan, the steeple picture gets a bit more murky. Don Cabral, a former NCAA champ at Princeton and 2012 Olympic finalist, seems like he is back on track after a rough 2013 season that saw him miss the US team. He's been excellent so far this go round, recently cracking the 8:20 barrier yet again. I expect him to contend well and get a spot back on the US team. He has the ability to mix it up in a fast race, but also has decent closing speed as he proved at Penn Relays for Princeton when the squad won a pair of wheels.
Dan Huling, a training partner for Jager, has been the most consistent steepled not named Evan for the past 5 years or so, but his hold on a sure fire world qualifying spot could be slipping this year.
That up for grabs spot could be snatched by a number of talented steeplechasers. A name that immediately springs to mind is Cory Leslie. Leslie is an elite talent at 1500m, having run multiple 3:34s in his career, and he's a very good steeplechaser. However he hasn't been able to piece it all together under the spotlight of USAs, missing out on what might have been his best chance in 2013. But Leslie is still on the rise and this could be the year it clicks in the finals.
Arkansas's Stanley Kebenei is probably best known for his two tough losses to Anthony Rotich in the NCAA championship steeple, but it's important to remember his multiple marks in the low 8:20s stack up much better against Americans than Kenyans like Rotich. He's an excellent talent who will be in the mix for a spot in the top 3.
Andy Bayer transitioned to the steeple after a strong career at 1500m that included a 4th place finish at the Olympic Trials and an NCAA title. The move seems to be paying dividends now as he is really clicking in the event and is fresh off a dominate win in Portland. He trains with super star of the event Evan Jager who also transitioned later his career and Bayer is on a similar rise although not quite as fast admittedly. Bayer will be seriously competitive in this race and has an excellent kick that could play a role in deciding the final spot.
Among the other contenders are D2 stud Tabor Stevens, Travis Mahoney (a Temple grad) and Craig Forys (a former winner of the Henderson 3200m). All 3 men are under 8:28 by seed time and have PRs comparable or better than all those in the field besides Jager, Huling and Cabral.
1. Jager
2. Cabral
3. Bayer
4. Leslie
5. Huling
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