It was a weekend filled with big action and exciting times. Some PA alumni also did very well (arguably the best they've done all season). I've added a PA alumni section at the bottom. See the fast times below.
P.S.- It's been a long week so far so please excuse my typos.
Razorback Invite
800
Invitational
The freshmen that are running the 800 this season have been flat out incredible. One of those freshmen is Akransas Razorback Carlton Orange. Orange grabbed a convincing win with a time of 1:47.38. That is a legit time and will (most likely) put Orange into NCAA's. This field is becoming very crowded, very quickly...
Behind Orange was an experienced half miler by the name of Blair Henderson (LSU). He was second with a solid time of 1:48.42. Unless Henderson drops a crazy fast time, he will most likely be on the cusp of making NCAA's. The third and fourth spots went to Nick Hartle (UCLA) and Christian Smith (Georgia) who ran 1:49.60 and 1:49.73 respectively.
Open
It was a deep field that finished pretty tight. Grant Grosvenor, the senior from Oregon, took the win with a time of 1:49.26. Not a bad breakout race for a guy that not many people have heard of. He could be a very crucial part of the puzzle for an Oregon DMR that may or may not run stacked come March.
Behind Grosvenor was sophomore Carter Lilly (Iowa) and junior Jake Burton (Florida State). Both ran 1:49.37 and 1:49.97 respectively. Kieran Smith of Georgia who broke 1:50 last week, wasn't able to do it again and settled with a time of 1:50.07 to finish fourth. Texas A&M senior Efrain Hernandez was also short of the mark running 1:50.36 to place fifth.
Mile
Invitational
Eddy Ches stepped onto the track and reminded everyone that he is still the best. The man finished first with a time of 3:57. With this time, you have to wonder what his plans will be for nationals. He has said that he would be willing to do the mile/3k/5k triple, but how realistic is that? In the big picture, he probably won't pursue the mile but no one knows for sure.
Yet, maybe one of the biggest reasons that Cheserek won't need to run the mile is because Blake Haney can get points there. The sophomore was a spot behind Cheserek with a time of 3:59. This is a very encouraging sign for Haney this early on in the season. He's young and has championship experience. Don't count him out when NCAA's rolls around.
Sam Prakel finished the Oregon sweep in 4:00.13 while Jacob Burcham (Oklahoma) was behind him running 4:00.43. Christian DeLago (Iowa) rounded out the top five with a 4:00.97.
Yet, one of the biggest performances for the PA readers is that PA alum Ryan Gil was sixth in the race with a time of 4:02! That is a huge PR for Gil who seems to be thriving in this Oregon program. I'll be very eager to see what can run in the 3k/5k.
Open
Dylan Blankenbaker (Oklahoma) beat out Craig Nowak (OKST) running 4:04.34. Nowak was 4:04.75.
3000
Alex George (Arkansas) gets a win over a few underrated names. George ran 8:09 to beat out Leingang (Oregon) who was second in 8:10.
5000
Austin Wells (Texas A&M) won the race with a very solid time of 14:19. Wells is pretty underrated and could probably get close to breaking 14 minutes if he finds himself in a fast race.
DMR
Everyone came out to play in the DMR and of course the Oregon Ducks did not disappoint. Oregon laid down a 9:30 to win the event. The order of Haney, Thiel, and Franzmair were able to get the baton to Cheserek who threw down a ridiculous 3:55 split to get the win. Behind Oregon was Oklahoma State (9:35.35), Texas A&M (9:35.62), and Arkansas (9:36.77).
After losing so many pieces last year, Oregon has still found a way to stay relevant. Haney has stepped up and become an ace for an Oregon team that needed more than just Cheserek. The DMR now makes things even trickier when trying to predict what Cheserek will run at NCAA's.
The rest of the results for this meet can be found here.
Wesley A. Brown Invite
800
PA alumni Elias Graca (Penn) was second in this race with a solid 1:52.77 (the winner was 1:52.58). That's a pretty great opener for him. I don't know how much faster he will get this season, but I think the possibility of him going sub 1:50 during the spring is very realistic.
Mile
Stephen Schroder (Navy) continues to impress me as he puts down a very impressive 4:01 to get the win. I would really like to see Schroder in a high caliber field in a big name meet. I think he could break four minutes and qualify himself in the mile (which is looking a bit more lackluster than it has in the past).
Behind Schroder was a long line of Penn athletes. Chris Hatler was second overall running 4:05, while Thomas Awad was third with a time of 4:06. Not the best race ever for Awad, but he doesn't typically take indoors very seriously.
Even further down the list of Penn guys was PA alum Sam Webb who finished fourth overall with a nice time of 4:12. Not bad for the freshman.
3000
In the 3k we saw a trio of PA alumni that included Brenden Shearn, Ross Wilson, and Lyle Wistar (all of Penn) take the fifth, sixth, and tenth spots running 8:22, 8:25, and 8:28 respectively. Not bad by any means, but I think they can all thrive more at the 5k.
5000
Mitchell Pratt (Navy) runs an excellent time of 14:28 to get the win. His teammate Justin Maguire was second with a time of 14:33.
New Mexico Team Invite
Mile
Little known Utah State runner Dillon Maggard got a nice win over Jefferson Abbey. Maggard ran 4:05 while Abbey ran 4:07. However, the altitude conversion comes into play here. Maggard will be given a converted time of 4:00.33 and Abbey will be given a converted time of 4:02.02.
3000
Colorado State continued to have solid performances at this meet as junior Jerrell Mock won this event with a time of 8:09. Of course, we have to altitude convert his time which puts him at a very nice mark of 7:57.61. That probably won't get him into NCAA's by the time March comes around, but you have to think he can go lower than that if he's in the right race.
Mountain T's Invitational (and Multi's)
Mile
Futsum Z. (NAU) was back on the track this weekend running a hard mile at altitude. He was first in the race with a time of 4:05. However, once that time was converted, Futsum was given a BIG 3:56.89 mile time. It's tough to say how accurate some of these conversions are, but Futsum's converted time has to make you wonder if he'll still pursue the 3k/5k later on in the season (my guess is that he still goes after the 5k).
Indiana University Relays
Mile
The Indiana duo of Rory Hunter and Kyle Duvall were the top two collegiate finishers both clocking in at 4:04. Edwin Kibichiy (Louisville) was third place with a 4:05 and was followed by Indiana's Crist and Schwartzer who were 4:05 and 4:06 (respectively) to round out the top five.
Hunter and Duvall are running great, consistent times. However, they haven't been able to really have a breakout race and make themselves national contenders. I really like the potential Duvall has as a sophomore, but I want to see him break four minutes in the mile or eight minutes in the 3k this year. The same goes for Hunter.
3000
Owen Skeete (Indiana) barely edged out Alabama's Antibahs Kosgei, 8:13.03 to 8:13.39 to get the win.
Matt McClintock (Perdue) was also in this race, but fell to seventh running 8:22. He's more an XC oriented type of runner, but I kind of thought he would at least be able to contend up front.
5000
Indiana's Carl Smith is the top collegiate in this race with a time of 14:23.
John Thomas Terrier Invite
800
Another day, another man breaks 1:48. This time it was New Hampshire's Drew Piazza getting the big win with a time of 1:47.28. Considering all the other action this week (that I'll discuss later on), this is a low-key excellent time. That is fourth best time in the nation right now and we could possibly see him improve upon it if he finds another fast race. Piazza had a rough time last year just missing out on nationals in both winter and spring track. However, it looks like this 1:47 will secure a spot for him in a loaded 800 field come March.
Behind Piazza was Boston U's Ethan Home who ran a very solid 1:48.36 to finish second. Northeastern's Paul Duffey was third with a time of 1:48.62.
Unfortunately, neither of those times have made the cutoff and has put Home as the FMO (first man out). There are still plenty of guys that could scratch and they still have plenty of time to get a better time. That said, keep in mind that guys like McAsey and McBride have yet to race this season. There are also guys like Murphy and Schnulle who have gone under 1:48 during indoors before and they will most likely do it again.
Long story short, the 800 is only going to get faster.
Mile
Hot Heat
I think there's an argument that this might have been the race of the week. The race began with some great pacing by the rabbit that brought the leaders through the 800 in around 1:58. From there, Henry Wynne (Virginia) and Justyn Knight (Syracuse) continued to take command of the race. With 400 approaching, pro athlete and former Tulsa Hurricane, Chris O'Hare (BAA), made a move and began pushing the pace. Unfortunately, it was at that moment that Providence ace and mile stud, Julian Oakley would take a hard fall on the track and leave him out of the race*. The race progressed with Knight continuing to stick to O'Hare while Syracuse's Adam Palamer (a Tulsa transfer) and Joel Hubbard began overtaking Henry Wynne. After some final lap kick's, the dust settled and Chris O'Hare was the victor with a time of 3:56 flat.
Behind O'Hare was the Syracuse phenom, Justyn Knight who ran an absolute monster 3:56.87 to be the top collegiate. A second and a half behind Knight was his teammate Adam Palamer who ran an excellent 3:58.55 to beat out Henry Wynne's 3:58.74. Things continued to get better for Syracuse as Joel Hubbard also dipped under 4 with a 3:58.94.
Syracuse has to be happy after having three (already very talented runners) PR in the mile. It also opens up a lot of possibilities along with questions. Does Syracuse run a DMR now? How fast could they go? Should Knight pursue the mile instead of the 3k or 5k? Could he get a title in the mile? Will Hubbard and Palamer pursue anything else? Could they run the DMR without Knight?
It's a lot to think about, but hopefully the answer will become clearer in the near future.
As for Wynne, I'm honestly not too surprised. He was dominant during XC season and seemed to develop into a strength guy which showed in his race strategy. He could be the guy that makes things fast at NCAA's. Also to note, Julian Oakley was making a move to the front and seemed to have some pretty great momentum before his fall. If he can gather and regain his confidence, watch out for him to run a blazing fast time.
Open
There were some other excellent performances that deserve some recognition. Boston U.'s Alex Seal ran an outstanding 4:01. The catch? He's a TRUE freshman. The Aussie has been tearing it up this season and we could even see him go under 4 minutes.
Another notable run came from Joe Gioielli (Central Connecticut) who has put together some solid 800's and 1k's in his career. He was 13th overall and finished with a time of 4:02.93.
3000
Some of the best men in the northeast region came together to put on a show in Boston. The top collegiate was Syracuse's Colin Bennie who ran a very even race and strong race to finish with a time of 7:54. This time will most likely get him into nationals and give him a chance at another All-American honor. Despite his youth, he's a very smart racer and doesn't get too caught up in the strategy of others (but that's just based on what I've seen). Look for Bennie to be a sleeper pick in March. Behind Bennie, was teammate Martin Hehir who ran 7:56. He ran unattched and will complete his final season of eligibility this spring.
While it was exciting up front, a barrage of kicks behind the leaders got some of the lesser known names in the NCAA some attention. Joey Chapin (Dartmouth) stepped up with a great late kick to run 7:57 while Jordan Mann (Providence) was able to hang on and dip under eight minutes with a time of 7:58. Curtin King (Dartmouth) and Kieran Clements (Iona) both barely missed the sub-8 mark running 8:00.53 and 8:00.82 respectively.
5000
Zach Herriot (UVA) took the win in a very solid time of 13:57 to beat out Syracuse's Philo Germano who ran 14:00. It's really great to see that both of these guys are running well, especially Herriot. Herriot has been relatively quiet the past few seasons and stayed a bit under the radar. Luckily, this (big) PR should give the junior a chance to run at NCAA's.
As for the rest of the competitors, little known Dusan Makevic (UTSA) once again appeared in the results with a time of 14:01. Makevic ran 8:11 two weeks back, but that seems to be the only time on his profile that would indicate he could run 14:01. It seems like he's gaining confidence which could be dangerous for his competitors in the future.
Other finishers included freshman Chase Weaverling (UVA) who ran 14:03 and Kevin Hoyos (Syracuse) who ran 14:04.
Camel City Invitational
800
Invite
Eliud Rutto (Mid. Tenn. State) is making his comeback and so far it's going pretty well. The half mile star ran 1:49.51 to finish second overall. However, since it was a flat track, he will get a banked track conversion of 1:47.97. Historically, that time would make NCAA's. Yet, with the kind of times people are running, and more than a month until nationals, I wouldn't get too comfortable relaxed if I was Rutto.
Another solid performance came from freshman Robert Heppenstall of Wake Forest. His 1:50.61 was converted to a time of 1:49.05 and makes him the sixth freshman to break the 1:50 mark this winter. The younger guys are thriving.
Mile
Invitational
After trying to rally back from an injury during cross country, we finally got to see Graham Crawford back in action for NC State. Crawford ran the mile and finished third overall with a time of 4:02.72. The banked track conversion gives Crawford a time of 3:59.77 and puts him as the eighth fastest miler in the nation.
3000
Invite
Luis Vargas completed his second race under NC State by crossing the line as the top collegiate. Vargas ran an excellent to finish third overall with a time of 7:54. However, that banked track conversion gave him a generous 7:48.81 for the 3k nation lead. While I may not agree that Vargas is the best long-distance runner in the nation right now, I am really liking where he's headed. He's clearly in excellent shape and seems to be setting up for an All-American performance come NCAA's.
Behind Vargas was the leader from Eastern Michigan, Willy Fink who ran a very nice 7:56 which then converted 7:50.57. Fink has done big things for EMU, but hasn't really had a big time performance like this one. It looks like he's made the transition from clear team leader to national contender.
Jacob Thomson (Kentucky) was also in this race and finished with a time of 8:05 which was later converted 7:59.50. I doubt that time will be enough to make nationals, but I imagine Thomson will give another hard effort later on in the season.
Penn State National
800
Invite
The event of the week! The highly anticipated matchup of the nations best half-milers was an entertaining one. Kidder led from wire to wire holding his lead the whole way and stringing out a field of elite racers. Kidder's win was done with a 1:47.01 which is the third fastest time in the nation. Behind him was Ryan Manahan (Mississippi) who established himself as a threat on the national scene with a 1:47.37. Manahan was able to defeat his former teammate Joseph White (Georgetown) who ran 1:47.44 to finish third. Rounding out the top five was Dylan Capwell (Monmouth) and Craig Engels (Mississippi) who ran 1:47.70 and 1:47.75 respectively.
But wait. What about Clayton Murphy? Murphy (Akron) was last in his heat (of six men) with a time of 1:48.67. That would mean he was sixth place overall right? Nope! Penn State's Isaiah Smith ran a killer 1:48.12 to finish sixth and push Murphy back to seventh. The final man to break 1:50 was another Nittany Lion by the name of Jordan Mankins. Mankins ran 1:49.81 to finish 8th. This was coming off of a 2:54 1200 split the night before. It seems like Penn State can back-up their nickname "800U".
So what can we take from this event? My thoughts are...
- Kidder is the favorite for nationals even if he didn't run the NCAA leading time.
- Murphy has a lot of work to do, but he just started hard training and has plenty of time to catch up.
- Mississippi is out for revenge after a sub-par XC season.
Mile
The Ole Miss duo of Robert Domanic and Sean Tobin went 1-2 in the mile with times of 4:00.19 and 4:01.86. They've both been hovering around those marks for a while now and I imagine they'll eventually break the 4 minute barrier later this season.
In the slower section, Jonathan Green of Georgetown ran a fast second half to clock a time of 4:04. He was followed by PA alumni LJ Westwood (Bucknell) in an awesome time of 4:06.
3000
Ryan Walling (Mississippi) took over the pacing duties will a little under a mile to go in an attempt to break the field. For a large portion of the race, it looked like there was no way he was going to be caught...then Jordy Williamsz kicked. After a series of 29 second laps, the Villanova Wildcat was able to make up a huge gap and hawk Walling down to cross the line first with a time of 7:59 flat.
But Williamsz wasn't the only one able to pull off the massive kick. His teammate Rob Denault also had a blistering final 100m and finished second with a time of 7:59.40 which was followed Stanford's Colin Leibold who ran 7:59.51. Despite the hard effort from Walling, he failed to crack the eight minute barrier and finished with a time of 8:00.50. Penn State's Tim McGowan was the fourth collegiate in with a time of 8:05.
Watch for those top three to run the mile soon. They are all milers oriented and will try to take advantage of a national field that has "only" 11 guys under 4 minutes.
5000
James Ngandu, a freshman from Tiffin, ran 14:28 for the win.
DMR
It was a jam packed field and the times did not disappoint. The race started out with Mississippi's Robert Domaic running a mind-blowing 2:52 to give Ole Miss the lead while Stanford and PSU were close behind. After exchanges through 400 and a couple of sub-1:50 800 legs, the anchors were given the baton to do the job. Mississippi's Sean Tobin had a 10 meter lead on Kidder, McGorty, and Bile at the exchange...but he wouldn't hold on. The pack of three elites would bring Tobin and lay down a filthy last 400 with McGorty and Kidder grinding out a pace like no other and going neck and neck with 50m to go. As they each lurched across the line, it was Kidder who was victorious. Kidder would split around 3:56 while McGorty's 3:55 wasn't enough to win it.
PSU would win it with a #4 AT finish of 9:27.20 while Stanford was #5 AT running 9:27.27. Georgetown was a close third in 9:29 (thanks to a 3:58 leg from Ahmed Bile) while Tobin and Mississippi settled for fourth with a time of 9:30.
Vanderbilt Invite
800
The Memphis duo of Church LaForrest and Alex Klatt went 1-2 running 1:49.65 and 1:50.10
Mile
Brandon Hazouri (Samford) was the top collegiate in the race with an impressive 4:01. He was followed by Georgia Tech's Jeremy Greenwald who ran 4:03. Furman's Troy Reeder and true freshman Ryan Adams would run a pair of 4:04.
3000
Samford continued to have a good day with their distance guys as Arse'ne Guillorel got the win running 8:02.
5000
Johnnie Guy of Southern Indiana was the winner with a time of 14:11
UW Invitational
800
Shaquille Walker is not a one year wonder and we learned that this past weekend. The junior from BYU threw down a dirty 1:46.97 to get the win over a name that I never give enough credit to (Izaic Yorks). Yorks (Washington) was second in the race with a 1:47.89 which came after he split 3:57 the night before. The 1:47.89 will most likely get him to nationals. However, he might not even be able to get out of the prelims considering how deep the field is. If I'm him, I'm eager to get a fast mile out of the way.
Mile
The top two collegiates were both from Washington. Corey Gilbert barely cracked the 4 minutes mark and gave himself a PR of 3:59.84. If I had to guess, I'd say that that time won't make NCAA's. However, the win has to give him some confidence going forward.
Gilbert's teammate, Blake Nelson was the next collegiate in running a time of 4:02.69.
3000
It was a quick one in Washington as Boise State senior David Elliot grabbed a convincing win with a time of 7:53. Elliot will most likely go into NCAA's being qualified in both the 3k and 5k (he has 13:49 this season). It's tough to say where he should go, but the 3k seems like the field that is the most open right now.
Behind Elliot was Gonzaga's Troy Fraley who got himself a PR with a time of 7:59. That is a big mental barrier to get over. Watch out for Fraley to improve this season if he get that confidence momentum I've been talking about.
Rounding out the top three was Jonathan Harper of BYU who ran 8:00.
5000
Dominik Notz of Alaska Anchorage (something you don't often read here) runs a great time of 14:25 to get the win.
DMR
Washington pulls off a 9:37 win thanks to a 3:57 split from Izaic Yorks. There is a lot of potential in this team with sub-4 milers on both the lead-off and the anchor.
There were so many that I tried my best to pick out all of them. I have attached results to the meets where there were simply too many to mention.
Lehigh Covert Classic Results
Haverford Seamus McElligot Invite Results
Penn State National Results
Bison Open + Multi Results
400
John Lewis (Clemson): 7th- 49.93 @ Bob Pollock Invite
800
James Belfatto (American): 2nd-1:56.99 @ Terrapin Invite
Andrew Stone (Notre Dame): 7th- 1:54.08 @ Indiana University Relays
Kyle Francis (Duke): 7th- 1:54.30 @ Camel City Elite Invite
Alex Moran (Michigan): 10th- 1:53.56 @ Vanderbilt Invite
1000
Liam O'Connell (Boston U.): 26th- 2:30.15 @ John Thomas Terrier Invite
Mile
Dan Lowry (BAA): 12th- 4:01.66 @ John Thomas Terrier Invite
Joe Kush (Syracuse): 25th- 4:09.87 @ John Thomas Terrier Invite
Alec Kunzweiler (Duke) 12th- 4:21.16 @ Camel City Elite Invite
Ryan Smathers (Army West Point): 6th- 4:22.66 @ Ramapo College Indoor Select
Chris Cummings (Clemson): 15th- 4:38.59 @ Bob Pollock Invite
Nico Metzler (Georgia Tech): 36th- 4:22.54 @ Vanderbilt Invite
Dominic Deluca (Cornell): 3rd- 4:16.40 @ Robert J. Kane Invite
3000
Kevin James (Syracuse): 54th- 8:29.27 @ John Thomas Terrier Invite
Jeff Seelaus (Amherst): 64th- 8:30.66 @ John Thomas Terrier Invite
Griffin Molino (Syracuse): 87th- 8:40.22 @ John Thomas Terrier Invite
Daniel Jaskowak (Virginia Tech): 1st- 8:11.43 @ Camel City Elite Invite
5000
Paul Gennaro (Boston U.): 19th- 14:33.53 @ John Thomas Terrier Invite
Juris Silenieks (Syracuse): 23rd- 14:36.81 @ John Thomas Terrier Invite
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