By: Garrett Zatlin
The Weekend Review is finally back and with conference week finishing up, there is a lot to cover.
Unfortunately, I just started my internship and just entered the heavy portion of my training before I run my first half-marathon (anyone know anything about the ODDyssey half course?). I wasn't able to get all the details from everyone or our PA Alumni so if there's something I missed or should be pointed out, be sure to let me know!
Let's begin...
BIG 10's
800
Penn State frosh Isaiah Harris continues to grind through top-tier talent and get wins. He was the winner of this event with an excellent time of 1:46.21. Indiana's Daniel Kuhn was a second off in 1:47.01 while Wisconsin's Austin Mudd was third in 1:47.52 and Iowa's Carter Lilly was fourth in 1:47.54.
Surprisingly, established and consistent runners like Munley (Michigan), Deng (Minnesota), and Kidder (Penn State) were all towards the back of the back. None of them broke 1:48.
1500
Kidder was the victor with a time of 3:44. Justine Kiprotich (MSU), Morgan McDonald (Wisconsin), and PA alum Colin Abert (PSU) took the next three spots. The interesting thing about those three is that they are all technically freshman (McDonald and Kiprotich are redshirt freshman).
5000
Mason Ferlic continues his season of excellence with a win over Matt McClintock, 14:06 to 14:10.
10,000
No Ferlic, no problem. The Michigan dominance continued with Ben Flanagan getting the win over Matt McClintock, 29:35 to 29:39.
3000 Steeplechase
Mason Ferlic was the favorite and sure enough he came out on top with a blistering time of 8:37 which easily trounced teammate Connor Mora's 8:52. Ferlic is on another level right now, and the idea of him being a lock for the gold at NCAA's isn't too crazy of a thought.
SEC's
800
One of the best 800 conferences in the nation put on a show for us as we saw Brandon McBride run a very smart race and snag the title with a time of 1:45.68. Not only is he running fast, but he's running incredibly smart as well. That's a dangerous combo for his competitors at NCAA's. In second was Hector Hernandez who took the pace out quickly in hopes that he could get away from McBride. Although he couldn't pull it off, he did run a great time of 1:46.15 to get a PR. He's so close to running 1:45 and it would be great to see him do it at NCAA's/Regionals.
Of course, the biggest headline wasn't in first or second place, but rather third with freshman phenom Donavan Brazier claiming third with a 1:46.19. It seems that Brazier is getting back into the groove that we saw him in during indoors. He just went from 1:47mid to 1:46low in about two weeks so it seems that he's peaking at the right time and gaining confidence. That said, he simply doesn't look nearly as dominant as he did during the winter.
A nice surprise in this race was seeing Christian Harrison (Georgia) dip under 1:47 to finish fourth. However, the not-so-nice surprise was seeing Arroyo fall to eighth. Championship season is never friendly to this guy...
5000
Jacob Thompson of Kentucky put another win on his resume with a 13:54. He was able to out run Mississippi's Ryan Walling who ran 13:56.
10,000
Thompson (Kentucky) got another win with a time of 29:47
3000 Steeplechase
The steeplechase did not disappoint. Frankline Tonui (Arkansas) ran a very fast time (and PR) of 8:39 to get him the win over his teammate Cale Wallace who also ran a PR with a time of 8:41. In third was MJ Erb who ran a pleasantly surprising time of 8:43. His PR at Cuse was 8:50, but the hasn't shown any indicators that he was capable of time like this. Possible NCAA qualifier? It's certainly not out of the question.
American Conference
800
Freshman Brian Bell (Houston) got a conference title with a 1:48 as he beat Church LaForrest (Memphis) who ran 1:49.
5000
Marc Scott and Tim Rackers (both of Tulsa) go 1-2 in the 5k running 14:07 and 14:09.
3000 Steeplechase
Ben Preisner (Tulsa) gets the win running 8:58.
ACC's
800
Freshman Robert Heppenstall (Wake Forest) runs an easy 1:49.27 to get the title. Behind him was Patrick Joseph (Virginia Tech) who ran 1:49.30. Overall, the race was extremely tight with sixth place being 1:49.70.
The VT men have impressed this season in the mid-distances especially the 800. Joseph and Ciattei ran 1:47 in the prelims (PR's) while sophomore Kevin Cianfarini was under 1:50. The speed workouts seem to be successful in Blacksburg.
1500
Henry Wynne (UVA) just can't be stopped as he takes down VT rival Neil Gourley 3:42.16 to 3:42.97. Adam Palamer and Joel Hubbard (both of Syracuse) were the next two through the line, each with times of 3:43.
5000
Thomas Curtin (Virginia Tech) put the race away with a ridiculous 55 second last lap to get the win with a time of 13:52. Luis Vargas (NC State) was second with a time of 13:53. Edwin Kibichiy (Louisville) and Shaun Thompson (Duke) were third and fourth each running 13:54. This entire top four are all grind-it-out type of runners so I'd be interested to see how this race played out and who took the pacing duties.
10,000
The top two were the same as the 5k with Thomas Curtin getting that second gold with a time of 29:42 while Vargas was 29:44. Justyn Knight was third running 29:46.
3000 Steeplechase
It was a bit of an upset in this event as Louisville's Edwin Kibichiy barely overtook FSU's Zak Seddon 8:34.46 to 8:34.85. It is a great sign for both guys who are clearly in shape and ready to run fast in a very underrated and competitive steeplechase field this year.
However, Seddon's loss does concern me a little bit. If anyone is going to beat Ferlic I imagined it would have been him. His loss to Kibichiy doesn't make me as optimistic anymore, but I still don't think it's unrealistic.
Meanwhile Meron Simon (NC State) was able to grab third with a time of 8:39 (nearly a 9 second PR) while Shaun Thompson was doubling off the 5000 and finished fourth with a time of 8:43.
PAC 12's
800
Colins Kibet (Arizona) is looking a bit sharper this season as he gets another victory this spring. He ran 1:47.23 to beat Oregon's Grant Grosvenor who ran 1:47.72.
Third place was a nice surprise from Colorado's Nick Harris who cracked under 1:48 to finish with a time of 1:47.89. Colorado seems to be developing some speed in the 800/1500. Fourth place was Izaic Yorks off the double running 1:48 flat.
1500
Once more, we saw Izaic Yorks pursue the Olympic Trials 1500 mark and once again he came up short running 3:39 (to get the win). However, the more exciting development was seeing Matthew Maton less than a second behind running 3:39.97! What an absolutely incredible race from the Oregon Duck who has really been super underrated this season. Even more exciting, was seeing teammate Sam Prakel right behind him in third with a time of 3:40.11. Prakel was able to hold off Stanford's Brinkley and McGorty who both ran 3:40 as well.
5000
Colby Gilbert deserves our respect. The Washington Husky didn't get a lot of love when he beat Cheserek earlier this season, but this guy has not let up. Gilbert took the title with an excellent time of 13:35 over established 5Ker Morgan Pearson. Gilbert can run with any kind of pace and has a big kick to top it off. Gilbert is a huge wildcard for NCAA's.
In third place, was another forgotten Husky in Aaron Nelson who ran 13:42.46 which was just enough to hold off Colorado's Pierce Murphy (who ran 13:42.43).
Leingang (Oregon) and Klecker (Colorado) also put together some nice races running 13:43 and 13:44 respectively.
10,000
The King has returned and this time with a win! Edward Cheserek got the title and the NCAA qualifier running 28:58. It may be too early to say that Cheserek is back at full strength, but it is certainly a positive sign for him in what has been an otherwise lack-luster season.
In third was UCLA's Lane Werley who ran 29:07 while Washington's Tyler King was third in 29:09. Stanford's Jack Keelan and Garrett Sweatt rounded out the top five running 29:13 and 29:15 respectively.
3000 Steeplechase
Washington's Aaron Nelson and Colorado's Connor Winter went at it in a great battle. When the dust settled, it was Nelson who came out on top with a time of 8:39 while Winter was 8:40. Both of these guys have been focusing on the steeplechase for a good bit of their collegiate careers now, and it's great to see them run so well before they approach the big stage that is NCAA regionals.
Third was taken by Colorado's Adam Peterman while Washington's Andrew Gardner was fourth. They ran 8:43 and 8:44 respectively.
Big East's
Lots of tactical racing led to slow times overall...
-White (Gtown) won the 800 running 1:50
-Bile (Gtown) won the 1500 running 3:55
-Tiernan (Nova) won the 5k running 14:12
-Green (Gtown) won the 10k running 31:06
-Fahy (Gtown) won the steeplechase running 8:54
Heps (Ivy League)
800
PA Alum Ned Willig (Brown) brought home the gold with a time of 1:48. That's another great race for him and getting the win can only increase his confidence heading into regionals. It's not unrealistic to think that he could make nationals.
Swarthmore Final Qualifier
1500
The field was absolutely stacked with some top-tier professional athletes. Yet, the real story line was Tommy Awad. The Penn senior has done some pretty special things in his career. He helped an under-dog Penn XC team make nationals, he's earned multiple All-American honors, and displayed a stunning kick at Penn Relays to win the 4xMile title. Now the man can add Olympic Trials qualifier to his senior year sendoff.
Awad finished 5th overall in the race with a time of 3:37.75 which is just enough to get him the OT. This is an unbelievable mark from Awad. He was showing that he was in shape and that he was fast, but no one would have guessed that he would run under the OT standard before Yorks did.
Originally, I was convinced that Awad was going to pursue the 5k this season. Now, I'll be shocked if he does anything other than the 1500.
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