Before Fox get's into the recap of the NCAA championships, we have tallied and totaled the scores from the predictions contest...
1st- Garrett Zatlin (105)
2nd- D6 Legend (109)
T-3rd- Jarrett Felix AND Caleb Gatchell (110)
5th- Dylan Jaklitsch (114)
6th- Alex Fox (122)
The in-depth scoring breakdown can be found here... NCAA Prediction Contest Scoring Breakdown
And just like that, the whirlwind indoor collegiate season
ended. In a weekend that promised surprise and intrigued, running fans once
again learned a valuable lesson: never doubt Edward Cheserek. His constant
displays of unhuman talent always leave us amazed, but the King Ches has
already received enough coverage. Outside of his breathtaking triple, there
were a lot of incredible performances that deserve attention; likewise, there
were plenty of disappointments that left us scratching our heads. While we gear
up for a promising outdoor season, let’s look back at the Indoor Championships
and breakdown who got it right, and who made themselves look like a real Parker
Stinson.
Winners
Henry Wynne: What a season this guy had. Every race
it seemed this guy came out and produced. Despite this consistency, there was
still some question on how he’d do at the NCAA Championships against the likes
of Blake Haney. Well, Henry Wynne won, and what’s more, he did it on his own
terms. After running a solid prelim, Wynne took the lead in the first lap of
the final and did not relinquish it; on only one occasion did Wynne not lead as
the field passed the starting line (Koech lead after the fifth lap). When the
field came charging, Wynne cranked up his pace and beat everyone to the finish
line. It’s much easier to win a race pulling a Ches: sitting in second and
waiting to pounce. Henry Wynne did it the hard way, and oh boy did he do it in
style. Kudos to him on an outstanding indoor season through and through and I
look forward to what he does outside.
Pierce Murphy and Luis Vargas: While everyone was
making a ton of hoopla over Cheserek’s magical triple, these two guys very
quietly pulled off an incredibly impressive double of their own in the 5k and
3k. First in the 5k, Murphy and Vargas both finished in the top 5, holding off
a solid group of guys including Collin Bennie, Ryan Walling, and Morgan
Pearson. Murphy closed in 27.71 and Vargas in 28.01. Not too shabby for a
couple of 5k runners. The next day in the 3k, Murphy had another top 5 finish,
while Vargas managed to secure 7th. On the double, this is very
impressive, especially considering the top 4 was uber-talented in Cheserek,
McGorty, Knight, and Yorks. It may have not been the most flashy double in the
world, but just a real strong showing from both runners that deserves at least
some attention.
Robert Heppenstall: Donovan Brazier, Isaiah Harris,
Carlton Orange, and Robert Heppenstall. Out of this group of freshmen, did
anyone in the world have Heppenstall being the best finisher among them? Nope,
no one? Well, that’s what happened. There was a lot of hype concerning the
depth of the 800 field, especially amongst the freshmen, and Heppenstall was
largely an afterthought. Heppenstall made finals, and then he finished 5th.
Orange initially missed finals and after getting in on appeal, finished behind
Heppenstall. Brazier went down with an injury during prelims, and Harris missed
finals out right. Heppenstall stepped up to the plate and proved that he is
just as special as the other half milers in his class.
Honorable Mentions: Clayton Murphy (he faced so well in the 800 final, but he was the
favorite for much of the season, so it didn’t feel right putting him as a
winner), Heps Milers (We put 3 in the
mile, 2 in the final, had Tommy Awad finish 3rd, James Gowans was
one place from being an All American), Thomas
Curtin (defied championship racing precedent and pushed the pace of the 5k,
much respect for that), Carlton Orange (I’m
not really sure how he got into the final after initially not qualifying, but
he did and snagged 6th)
Losers:
Penn State: Man, there was a lot of promise here, and
none of it really came of it. I’m going to start with the DMR, because I
thought Penn State had the potential to really pull of something special with
their team. Instead of running their A squad, Penn State subbed out Brandon
Kidder and Isaiah Harris and essentially took their team out of contention. I
understand the wanting to rest guys, but this team ran so well early in the
season, and should’ve been in the top group. Not only that, but resting their
runners did not really work; Isaiah Harris failed to make the finals of the 800
(seriously, why wasn’t he on the DMR?) and Kidder finished a pedestrian 7th
despite being one of the favorites for the victory. Penn State always has the
reputation of having a ton of talent, particularly in the 800 without seeing
results. Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, they failed to shake this label
in Birmingham.
Georgetown: What the heck happened here? (I really
had to channel my inner Jarrett to avoid using an expletive in describing my
anger over this performance). First in the 800, Joseph White failed to qualify
for finals. This is pretty excusable given the strength of the 800 field, but
White certainly had the speed and talent to make finals and mix it up with the
big boys. Moving up, both Georgetown milers failed to qualify for finals. Not
only did the talented duo of Williams and Bartelsmeyer not escape prelims, but
Williams finished dead last in the race. Moving onto the DMR, Georgetown got a
little unlucky and got involved with a little bump on the opening leg. Still,
their talented roster was within a few seconds of the lead pack, and a couple
solid legs could maybe get them back into the race. Instead, Joseph White split
51 on the 400 (his open PR is 47) and Bartelsmeyer ran a 1:55 (PRs of 1:49 and
2:22). Ahmed Bile was completely out of the race and jogged their
anchor...which leads me to the 3K! Bile forwent the mile to run the 3k, and was
completely fresh after jogging in the DMR. So, how’d he do? 14th out
of 15. This entire Georgetown team didn’t show up, which is a major
disappointment from such a prestigious program.
The 3k Field: What a race this could’ve been. Edward
Cheserek was coming off an incredible night of running, one that certainly had
to take a toll on his body. The 3k field was loaded with talent, and some top
guys were going out there fresh. What ended up happening? Ches cruised to a seemingly
effortless victory in 8:00. I’m not saying anyone would’ve beaten Cheserek, but
they could’ve at least tried! Why didn’t someone like Knight or Bile push the
pace a little and limit his ability to just take off at 600 to go? Why didn’t
McGorty or Knight try to at least cover the move when Ches decided to go? I
understand that you don’t want to blow up and missing an All American bid, but
given the situation, racing for second comes off as a bit cowardly. Something I
must add is I think Tiernan racing would’ve changed the outcome significantly.
I still think Ches wins, but he wouldn’t be looking over his shoulder, relaxed
on the bell lap. This was a race a lot of us were champing at the bit for, and
it just didn’t live up to expectations.
Off the Hook: Edwin
Kibichiy (tried to run with Ches and Curtin and blew up to finish second to
last; I admire his efforts, but you gotta know your limits), Marc Scott (everyone in the world had
Scott as a lock for a top 5 finish in the 5k; he crawled home to 13th),
Andres Arroyo (he had this great
season and finished with the slowest time in the 800 trials; I blame myself for
trusting him), OKST DMR (they went
all in for the DMR and finished a disappointing 5th; not a bad
finish, but I’m sure a team with title aspirations left Birmingham with a sour
taste in their mouth)
Somehow both a Winner and Loser
Izaic Yorks: How does a guy run 3:54 on the anchor of
a DMR after getting the baton in first and not win a national title? This is
what happened to poor Izaic Yorks. Edward Cheserek happened. Yorks snubbed the
mile to pursue the DMR with his teammates; this was widely regarded a selfless
move, as Yorks looked to be the out and out favorite for the mile. It looked as
if this plan came to fruition as Washington’s first three legs executed to
perfection and handed off to Yorks in first. Knowing Ches was coming off a
relatively quick 5k and his ability to unleash a monster kick, Yorks grinded
away on the anchor, going out in 1:55. Despite his valiant efforts, there was
nothing more he could do. King Ches was too much for him, and the rest of the
NCAA. He really ran well for his team, but it simply wasn’t enough. Yorks did
come back and get fourth in the 3k. Maybe in a different field he finishes
better, but the three in front of him? Ches, Sean McGorty (who didn’t exhaust
nearly as much on the DMR anchor), and a fresh Justyn Knight. Yorks is a winner
because he put his team first and ran really well over the weekend.
Unfortunately for him, this year was not his time for glory. I have no doubt
he’ll bounce back for outdoor.
No comments:
Post a Comment