The Weekend Review: Kidder Collegiate 1K Record!; Brazier Blasts 1:45.93; Big Names Make Debut

By: Garrett Zatlin

The big names and fast times have finally returned to the running world! After a long break of (somewhat) unexciting meets, fans were rewarded for their patience this past weekend. Let's take a look as to what happened this weekend.

I also included as many PA alumni names as I could find so look out for those spread throughout the article.

Texas A&M Team Invitational
800
Donavan. Brazier. Wow. The Aggie frosh had impressed me with a 4:07 mile earlier in the season. But who would've looked at that 4:07 and thought Brazier could run sub 1:46 in the middle of January? I certainly didn't. I thought he would crack 1:50...maybe 1:49, but 1:45 is legit. The 1:45.93 got the freshman a win, a school record, and a U.S. Junior indoor record (according to @aggietrk). Brazier is for real. The 800 runners this season are probably the best the nation has ever seen, but they should be cautious of the youngin' that is making some noise so early on.

Sophomore Efrain Hernandez (Texas A&M) was second in the race with a solid time of 1:51. He's consistently impressive and can be a sleeper in a lot of races, but I'll be surprised if he goes under 1:49 this season.

3000
The freshmen continued to take the attention at this meet. BYU freshman Rory Linkletter took the win in a very solid time of 8:11.35. He was able to edge out Dusan Makevic (UTSA) who was second in a time of 8:11.85. Vegard Oelstad (Oklahoma State) was third in 8:15.

Lumberjack Team Challenge 2016
Mile
Jonah Koech and a large group from UCLA went at it in a tactical mile with the UTEP freshman (Koech) taking the win with a time of 4:14. The UCLA Bruins took the next five spots.

Purdue vs Indiana Dual
Mile
Although the fields didn't consist of many runners, there were still some note worthy times. Matthew Schwartzer got a confidence boost by taking the win in the mile with a time of 4:09 while his teammate Owen Skeete was second in 4:11. Watch out for Schwartzer to go after the 5k again after a sub-par run at the Hoosier Open earlier this season.

3000
Indiana teammates Rory Hunter and Kyle Duvall go 1-2 in this race with times of 8:14 and 8:15. They took down a big name in Matt McClintock (Purdue) who finished 4th with a time of 8:21.

It seems like Indiana has been running quite a bit recently. By my count, this is the third race I've seen some of these guys run which is a lot for this early in the season. They are successful program, but the idea of burnout is in the back of my mind. They have enough talent to send at least one guy to nationals in a distance event.

LSU Bayou Bengal Invite
Mile
Blair Henderson (LSU) took the win with a time of 4:13. In the big picture of the mile, his time isn't all that impressive. However, keep this guy in mind when athletes are fighting for national qualifying spots in the 800. He holds a 1:47 PR.

Nittany Lion Challenge
800
James Gowan of Cornell took the win in a very nice time of 1:50. That is a great time for a guy who has a PR of 1:49. That's a fast time for him this early and we could possibly see him under 1:49 later on in the season if he continues to pursue the event. However, that might be unlikely considering he is more of a miler (3:45/4:04 PR's).

PA alumni were in this race. Will Cather (PSU) was 4th in a solid time of 1:53 while Billy Caldwell (Pitt) was 8th in a time of 1:55.

1000
Ladies and gentlemen this was the event of the week! After a strong 1:48 split from Kidder in a 4x800 last weekend, we finally got to see what he could do in an open event. Kidder took control of the race and crushed the field by throwing down a time of 2:18.26 to get the win AND the collegiate 1k record (which was originally 2:18.44 held by Rich Peters). To put that time in perspective, the American 1k record is 2:16.76 (according to usatf.org).

Kidder is clearly on another level and ready to go. Clayton Murphy was thought to be the favorite for the 800 this season, but with Brazier running 1:45.93 and Kidder breaking the collegiate 1k record, some people may want to reconsider who the favorite is.

Luckily, Kidder's record brought more fast times along with him. Teammate Robby Creese (who is running unattached due to lack of eligibility) was second in the race with a time of 2:21.89. Creese is reminding people to not forget about him as we will see him this spring for his last season of eligibility. A pair of Georgetown youngsters rounded out the top pack of the 1k running 2:23.24 (Joseph White) and 2:23.27 (Spencer Brown). White is a guy who will be a part of the deep 800 field this season. He has a 1:47 PR and made (indoor) nationals as a freshman last season. His fast 1k this early on is a great sign for whats to come.

Mile
Penn State sophomore Jordan Mankins takes the win with a time of 4:06. There were big expectations for the Australian as he ran 1:49 in his high school days. A 4:06 mile PR along with a win is a good sign that he could be something special in the future. Daniel Zupan (Akron) was second in the race with a time of 4:07. John Murray (Georgetown) was third in 4:08.

PA alum Glen Burkhardt (Penn State) was 5th in this race with a time of 4:11. We'll be seeing him in the 3k and 5k later this season as he pursues national championship qualification.

There were many PA alum from Pittsburgh in this race as well...
Sebastian Curtin: 4:19-7th
Matt McGoey: 4:20-8th
James Hare: 4:22-10th
Chris Pastore: 4:23-11th
Andrew Koryak: 4:25-12th
Eric Stratman: 4:30-15th

3000
Timothy McGowan (Penn State) got a big win with an even bigger time. McGowan finished with a time of 8:08. That time should put him among the top 3k runners in the nation (for now). His brother, John McGowan was the fourth collegiate in this race with a time of 8:21.

I have to hand it to the Penn State coaches. They recruited the brothers from a little known school called Roger Williams University this past year and added two young, developing studs to their roster. Even if the McGowans were interested to begin with, the way that PSU has developed these two is outstanding. Looks for more from these guys later on this season and in the future.

Aside from the McGowans, Arkon star Clayton Murphy made his national debut with a time of 8:18 to finish second. Just behind Murphy was a man that many from PA should know. PA alum Colin Abert (Penn State) was the third collegiate with an impressive time of 8:19. That is outstanding for the freshman who seems to be developing very nicely in this Penn State program. His 8:19 and 4:11 PR's indicate that we could see a lot more from him in the future.

There were other PA alum in this race as well. Pittsburgh's Aaron Lauer and Ethan Linderman ran 8:31 and 8:49 respectively.

Lehigh Angry Birds 2016 Invite
There were so many PA alumni in these results that it would be pretty tough to filter it all. The results are below. Go see how our graduates did!

Lehigh Angry Birds Results

800
In the 800, we saw the half-mile star Dylan Capwell (Monmouth) get an easy win with a time of 1:52. Capwell had a break out season last winter where he made the NCAA final and took second overall. Unfortunately, Capwell would not make it past the preliminaries during outdoor nationals. He'll be looking to rebound this season.

UW Indoor Preview
800
Robert Ford (USC) takes the win running 1:50.86. I can't say I know much about Ford, but he ran 1:48 during his freshman year last spring so he should definitely be a guy to watch.

1000
The man that broke out at the longer distances had no trouble adjusting to the lower ones. Izaic Yorks took the win with a strong time of 2:24 while his teammate, Colby Gilbert was second with a time of 2:25. Close behind Gilbert was a PA alum that has been running very well on the national scene. Tom Coyle (Stanford) started off his indoor season with a time of 2:25.36 to finish third. Watch for him to run a hard mile later on this season. He could definitely be in contention to make the qualifying field.

Mile
In a field filled with professional athletes, the top collegiate runner was former Georgetown Hoya and current Stanford Cardinal, Colin Leibold. Leibold finished with a time of 4:02.65 which will put him towards the top in the nation. If you put Coyle and Leibold together and find an 800 leg, Stanford could have a very underrated DMR that doesn't include their top guns. That should be interesting to watch unfold.

The next best collegiate was Oregon senior Chris Brewer who ran a solid time of 4:07. The third best collegiate was John Wheelan of Washington State who ran 4:10.

3000
8:04 was the time for top collegiate, Troy Fraley (Gonzaga). The junior was able to hold off a couple of professionals, D2 runners, and redshirts to solidify himself as a potential NCAA qualifier. Obviously, he'll need to run much faster to make the field, but at this point in the season it's a great start.

Wisconsin vs Notre Dame
1000
Austin Mudd (Wisconsin) led teammate Carl Hirsch to a 1-2 finish in the 1k. They ran 2:27 and 2:28 respectively. Mudd has been on the DL for the past few seasons and should be done with eligibility after this outdoor season (I think). However, the guy is a great miler and he's been on the big stage before. Be wary of a potential comeback from him.

Arkansas Invite
1000
We got to see many of the Razorbacks make their debut and many of them ran quite well. Cale Wallace took the win in the 1000 with a 2:24 effort. Tulsa junior, Elijah Silva was second in the race with a time of 2:25

Mile
The mile was dominated by the sophomore duo of Alex George and Austen Dalquist (both of Arkansas). The pair took the top two spots in this race with George running 4:05 and Dalquist running 4:06. Not too bad for the young guys this early in the season. Maybe there's a potential DMR there if they improve...

Ed Jacoby Invite
Mile
The experienced David Elliot (Boise State) grabbed the win a time of 4:09. Behind him was Dillon Maggard (Utah State) who ran 4:12 and freshman Elijah Armstrong (Boise State) who ran 4:14.

Kentucky Invite
Mile
Edwin Kibichiy (Louisville) took the win from Kentucky sophomore Jacob Thomson, 4:09 to 4:10. Both will probably pursue the 3k and 5k this season.

3000
Erik Rotich (Eastern Kentucky) took the win in a modest time of 8:24. PA alum Seamus Collins (Cincinnati) ran a very solid race finish to fourth overall and record a time of 8:30.

Commodore Invite
800
Rutto and Munley went at it in a very fast and very exciting race! Eliud Rutto (Mid. Tenn. State) just edged out Michigan's Brennan Munley 1:49.12 to 1:49.78. That is a fantastic start by both of these guys. Rutto is trying to reestablish himself as an 800 contender while Munley had a big breakout race and dipped under 1:50 for his first time. The win for Rutto and PR for Munley are big confidence boosters as we go deeper into the season. Don't sleep on either of these guys.

Despite not breaking the 1:50 barrier, Michigan's Nathaniel Chapman should also get some kudo's for his 1:50.34 performance (to finish third). That is also a PR for him and could give him confidence as well.

Mile
Michigan straight up dominated the field. Mason Ferlic made his debut with a very quick 4:01 mile to take the win. He is now the fastest in the nation (for now) but it will most likely not be what he pursues for nationals.

His teammates also had excellent days. Connor Mora was second with a time of 4:04 while freshman Chase Barnett was 4:06 (high). Other's included Ben Flanagan (4:07), Austin Benoit (4:07), and PA alum Alex Moran who ran his first mile under 4:10 (4:08)!

3000
The 3k was a battle as four different guys fought to be the top collegiate. Tony Smoragiewicz (Michigan) was able to come out ahead with an excellent time of 8:02. Jeremy Greenwald (Georgia Tech) was close behind running 8:03. Aaron Baumgarten (Michigan) and Robbie Farnham-Rose (Alabama) rounded out the top pack running 8:07 and 8:08 respectively.

5000
Coleman Churitch (Auburn) was the top collegiate as he out ran Michigan's August Pappas 14:27 to 14:31.

Virginia Tech Invite
500
PA alumni John Lewis (Clemson) made his debut with a time of 1:05 to finish 10th. We will all be waiting eagerly to see when he will run an 800.

Mile
Thomas Curtin (Virginia Tech) took an easy win in the mile running 4:13. Clearly just a breeze for him. I will curious as to when he goes after a fast 3k or 5k. PA alumni Dan Jaskowak (Virginia Tech) was seventh in a time of 4:16.

I will be attending the Hokie Invitational next week and hopefully be able to see some PA alumni there (as well as some fast times).