2nd Annual NCAA Outdoor Zatlin Awards

By: Garrett Zatlin

It was an incredible weekend of exciting races for the men at NCAA's! Nearly every race gave the thrill that we missed last year and it was great to see that kind of energy return too Eugene.

I must also congratulate Alex Fox who won the prediction contest thanks to his strong 5k prediction. It's his first prediction contest win. You can see the prediction scoring breakdown here.

NCAA's are now over which concluded a very entertaining and discussion worthy outdoor season. At this point, we at the blog have decided to do some reflecting and award the talented runners around the nation with the 2nd Annual NCAA Outdoor Zatlin Awards.

The “Who is that?” Award (Best Breakout Runner)

Winner: Christian Sanders (La Salle)

Other Nominees: Jakob Abrahamsen (Eastern Kentucky), James Randon (Yale), Dylan Blankenbaker (Oklahoma)

Why: It was a tough decision, and maybe my PA bias is showing here, but Sanders really came out of nowhere this season. Sanders entered the season with a PR of 1:48 which is not bad by any means. In fact, it's quite unusual to have that kind of PR at the beginning of the season and end up with this award. However, Sanders went from being "just another good 800 runner" to an All-American in one of the best 800 fields the nation has ever seen. He was consistently at the top of his game which was evident when he earned his A10 title and a put together a third place showing at Larry Ellis (with Garn being the only collegiate to defeat him). Ending the season with an All-American finish and a 1:46 PR is good enough for him to get this award. 

As for the rest of the nominees, they were all pretty close. James Randon went from not being able to qualify for indoor nationals, to being an All-American with some outstanding closing speed. Abrahamsen and Blankenbaker were also impressive this spring as they developed into some of the best steeplechasers in the nation. Abrahamsen grabbed PR's of 13:52 and 8:34 while Blankenbaker closed out his season running 13:58 and 8:34 and a 4th place All-American finish. 

The 24/7 Award (Most Consistent)

Winner: Clayton Murphy (Akron)

Other Nominees: Mason Ferlic (Michigan), Izaic Yorks (Washington), Brandon McBride (Miss. State)

Why: Despite the incredible talent and consistency out of the top guys, it was Clayton Murphy who was the best of them all. Clayton Murphy consistently used a strong last lap in nearly every race he was in to get wins...a lot of them. Throughout the entire season, Murphy didn't take a single loss in all eight of the finals that he competed in. Even better? He flexed his range with wins in the 800, 1500, and 3000. It's pretty clear that he deserved this award. 

The other nominees like Ferlic and McBride never lost a race in their respective events (Ferlic in the 3kSt. and McBride in the 800). Both of them preferred taking it out hard and they did it in nearly every race without too much concern about the competition. Yorks had a very similar racing approach as well and was undefeated in the 1500 this season before entering NCAA's.

The Living Machine Award (Runner With the Best Racing Range)

Winner: Clayton Murphy (Akron)

Other Nominees: Willy Fink (Eastern Michigan), Edwin Kibichiy (Louisville), Aaron Nelson (Washington), Cale Wallace (Arkansas)

Why: It's tough to not be repetitive when you have such a talented individual like Murphy. As I mentioned above, Murphy ran the 800, 1500, and 3000 this season. Not only that, but he was able to get wins in all three of those events. Murphy will now be going to the Olympic Trial leaving fans unsure of what he will run (the 800 or 1500). It's a good problem to have if you're Murphy, but it also speaks volumes to the kind of talent he has. There are very few pro's who have the choice to pursue more than one event at OT's.

A very close second behind Murphy was Willy Fink who ran everything...literally. Fink competed in every distance event that is run at NCAA's this season. He recorded times of 1:53/3:47/8:40/13:43/29:04. That is incredible when you consider that most guys typically run just two events in a season. While he is certainly more talented in the longer distances, Fink's range is a valuable asset to the EMU Eagles.

Other than Fink, Kibichiy and Wallace showed a great combination of range as they threw together solid times in the 1500, 5000, and steeplechase. Nelson was able to do the same, but didn't run the 1500 and replaced it with the 10k. Out of Kibichiy, Fink, Wallace, and Nelson, only Kibichiy earned an All-American spot.

The Qdoba Award (Most Underrated Runner)

Winner: Josh Kerr (New Mexico)

Other Nominees: Robert Heppenstall (Wake Forest), Justin Brinkley (Stanford), Colby Gilbert (Washington)

Why: Yes, I'll admit it. When all was said and done, Josh Kerr proved me wrong. I questioned his youth, I questioned his experience, I questioned his poise, and I questioned whether or not he could even make it through rounds. Every race Kerr ran in this season he proved me wrong. Kerr proved he was more than a one race wonder by clocking 3:42 twice this season. He beat out the big names at the big meets and gained enough momentum to not only get through regionals, but to also get to the final at NCAA's. He may not have been top eight, but the kid has shown that he is the future of the New Mexico Lobos.

Others like Heppenstall and Gilbert never got enough love in their respective events. The 800 and 5000 were incredibly talented this year so it wasn't always easy to point out the guys who were still progressing and running big times. Even guys like Brinkley weren't appreciated enough despite having the 9th fastest 1500 time in the NCAA (ran 3:40) and running under 1:50 (ran 1:49). He was often forgotten with McGorty and Fisher garnering much of the attention.

The Chipotle Award (Most Overrated Runner)

Winner: Andres Arroyo (Florida)

Other Nominees: Blake Haney (Oregon), Matt McClintock (Purdue)

Why: Are you really surprised Arroyo won it? Admittedly, I do have a bit of a bias against Arroyo for reasons I'm really not even sure about. He's always run well during the season and has been known to drop big times. The man dropped a 1:45 for crying out loud! Still, he continues to not show up when it counts. Year in and year out, he's failed to have an impact (or even grab All-American) at NCAA's. But this was a new season and he had a clean slate. Unfortunately, once SEC's came around, he wasn't the 1:45 guy we had seen earlier. Arroyo fell all the way to 8th in the SEC final with a sub-par time of 1:48. He would later enter regionals and completely miss making NCAA's by finishing 15th overall. Maybe it's a coaching issue, a peaking issue, or just a nerves issue, but Arroyo can simply not show up in the post season. He could run 1:42, but if he doesn't run well at championship races, there's not too much of a point.

As for the other individuals, they just didn't live up to the hype and expectations that many people had set for them. Haney was the premier Oregon miler everyone had on their radar. However, in his five attempts at the 1500 this season, only one of them was run under 3:45 (where he ran 3:40). He failed to make it out of the prelims at PAC-12's and was not able to regain his All-American status at NCAA's. It wasn't his best season by any means. The same could be said for Matt McClintock, who struggled to return to old form as his times weren't matching up to his previous PR's. His season and collegiate career ended with him missing NCAA's despite being chosen by everyone to advance to the final.

The Comeback Kid Award (Runner That Has Best Overcome Adversity)

Winner: Donavan Brazier (Texas A&M)

Other Nominees: Brandon McBride (Miss. State), Edward Cheserek (Oregon)

Why: I was so conflicted between these three. In reality, any of them could've had this award. Yet, I had to give it to Brazier. Brazier was the man to watch this past winter season after dropping an early season time of 1:45. Unfortunately, he would pull out of indoor NCAA's with back spasms. His return to outdoors was not much better when he ran 1:51 in a dual meet against UCLA. Although plenty of questions about his health and mental fitness circulated on the forums, Brazier stayed focus and got himself qualified for regionals. Eventually, Brazier would pull off a massive upset at nationals by taking down Brandon McBride and running an NCAA record 1:43.55. It was truly a once in a lifetime race to witness. 

Then you have the arguments for Cheserek and McBride. Cheserek was looking very vulnerable after pulling out of Payton Jordan and getting out-kicked twice on his home track. Some thought that the King wouldn't even make NCAA's. Of course, as per usual, Cheserek rebounded from his injury to make nationals and retain his 5k/10k crowns in dominant fashion. So why does he not win? Because deep in your heart, you knew he was going to find a way to pull out the win...As for Brandon McBride, the man took off an entire season of winter track to focus on outdoors after a poor series of races last spring. His idea turned out to be the right call as McBride dominated every race he was in and looked nearly unstoppable. The man was undefeated heading into NCAA's before Brazier took the win from him.

No Guts No Glory Award (Gutsiest Runner)

Winner: Hector Hernandez (Texas A&M)

Other Nominees: Izaic Yorks (Washington), Brandon McBride (Miss. St.), Patrick Tiernan (Villanova), Thomas Curtin (Virginia Tech)

Why: Although Hernandez may not be as dominant as some of the other nominees are, he is by far the gutsiest. Hernandez opened up every race by taking the lead. That's not an exaggeration either. Even against McBride at SEC's, Hernandez was the first man through the 400 mark. That had to be a pretty quick opening lap especially when you remember that McBride took the 800 out in 50.xx during NCAA's. Of course, at NCAA's Hernandez led his teammate through the first 400 before eventually falling out of the qualifying spot. Hernandez has been the man to set up multiple fast races this year and he should be appreciated for that.

The other nominees like Tiernan and Curtin are one of the few guys smart enough to make a race fast enough hard from the gun rather than just leave it to Cheserek's kick. As for McBride, when you take it out in 50.xx and lead Brazier to a 1:43.55, you've got to be considered for the award.

The Juggernaut Award (Best Distance Squad)

Winner: Washington Huskies

Other Nominees: Stanford Cardinals, Oregon Ducks, Mississippi Rebels, Colorado Buffalos

Why: Finally! A season where the Oregon Ducks are not the best distance team in the nation! The Washington Huskies, however, were very underrated this season as so much of the attention to that squad was focused on Yorks and Gilbert (who were outstanding all season). In total, the Huskies sent six men to NCAA's and had men in every distance event besides the 800. I'm not sure what coach Metclaf is doing in terms of training, but whatever it is, he should keep it up. 

The rest of the teams are all pretty solid as well. At nationals, Oregon was still very solid with three guys in the 1500, Grosvenor in the 800, Leingang in the 5k, and Ches in the 5k/10k . Yet, when you look at the entire season, they weren't as impressive as they had been in the past. Stanford is another powerhouse team that did well, but didn't have quite the number of guys really mixing it up as some of the other teams did. Other teams like the Rebels and Buffs all continued to dominate their respective areas (Rebels in the mid-distances, and Buffs in the longer distances).

Pumped Up Kicks Award (Most Impressive Performance)

Winner: Donavan Brazier 1:43.55 (@ NCAA's)

Other Nominees: Clayton Murphy 3:36 (@ NCAA's), Futsum Zienisellassie 27:52 (@ Payton Jordan), Sean McGorty 13:24 (@ Payton Jordan), Mason Ferlic 8:27 (@ NCAA's)

Why: I don't think there's any question that Brazier's 1:43 was the most impressive. In fact, it was even more exhilarating when you consider that he did it on the 50th anniversary of when the record was set (by Jim Ryun). To run 1:43 as a freshman against a former champion who hadn't lost a race all season is truly remarkable. 

Had Brazier not gotten the record, I would've given this award to Murphy who showed incredible poise when he kicked down Wynne and Yorks to get his NCAA title. He timed his move perfectly and was clearly not concerned about the fast pace that was being pushed. Futsum and McGorty were essentially pulled to a fast time thanks to a loaded field at Payton Jordan. Ferlic, on the other hand, soloed his 8:27 (but then again, he soloed most of his races throughout the season).

Batman and Robin Award (Best Racing Duo)

Winner: S. McGorty/G. Fisher (Stanford)

Other Nominees: I. Yorks/C. Gilbert (Washington), D. Brazier/H. Hernandez (Texas A&M), B. Kidder/I. Harris (Penn State) 

Why: McGorty and Fisher have dominated the season from the start. They opened up the season running 3:42's against Cal and then went on to go under 13:40 for the 5k (McGorty was under 13:30). Fisher's youth and inexperience didn't rattle him when he stepped onto the track and complimented McGorty's runner-up finish with a 6th place finish of his own to earn All-American status. They were probably the most lethal combo in the nation.

Brazier and Hernandez were probably the next closest choice as they dominated every 800 race they entered. Unfortunately, a poor race from Brazier against UCLA as well as Hernandez not being able to qualify for the NCAA final puts them behind the Stanford duo. Yorks and Gilbert were always at the top of their game running some excellent times, but they weren't in the same races often enough to win the award. The same could be said for Kidder and Harris.

PA Don’t Play Award (Best Season by Pennsylvania Alumni)

Winner: Christian Sanders (LaSalle)

Other Nominees: Ned Willig (Brown), Tom Coyle (Stanford), John Lewis (Clemson), Alek Sauer (Columbia), Colin Abert (Penn State)

Why: Coming into regionals, I would've said that Willig deserved this award. Unfortunately, a sub-par regional performance didn't allow him to move onto nationals. But where one faltered, another grew stronger. At regionals, Christian Sanders was able to get a big PR 1:46 to advance to nationals. It was there that he would be the last man in to the final and go on to finish 6th place overall in 1:46 (again) to secure his All-American status. It was a truly remarkable season for Sanders who has proven that he was one of the best 800 runners in the nation. To progress like he did throughout the season and gain All-American status against the best 800 field the NCAA has ever seen is truly remarkable and worthy of this award.

Looking at the others, Willig was very impressive throughout the entire season. Two wins (one of them being at Heps) and PRing with a time of 1:47 had him set to get this award until an off-day at nationals set him back. Still, Willig would later go on to run 1:48 low at Princeton in a post-NCAA's meet. He'll be competing in Canada this weekend as he pursues the Olympic Trials 'A' standard of 1:46.5. Guys like Sauer and Lewis were very impressive as well as they dropped down to 1:48's by season end. Sauer was able to advance to the regional finals while Lewis was the first man out to miss the finals. The future is very bright for these 800 studs. Tom Coyle and freshman Colin Abert continued to dominate the 1500/mile area with Coyle running an early season 3:42 while Abert ran 3:45 which was complimented by a 14:10 5k. 

You Da Real MVP Award (Most Valuable Runner in the NCAA)

Winner: Clayton Murphy (Akron)

Other Nominees: Edward Cheserek (Oregon), Izaic Yorks (Washington), Donavan Brazier (Texas A&M), Brandon McBride (Miss. State), Mason Ferlic (Michigan), Futsum Zienisellassie (NAU), 

Why: What is there to say about Clayton Murphy that hasn't already been said? He was unstoppable (and undefeated) all track season and proved his incredible range by running times of 1:46 and 3:36 (along with a 3k win). He was able to handle every type of race and proved that he was the best tactical and strength runner in the NCAA. He was simply the best. 

Then there is Cheserek who obviously had his struggles this season by getting out-kicked twice on his home track. Still, his double gold at NCAA's does deserve to at least put him in the nominees spot. For Izaic Yorks, he was just a slightly slower Clayton Murphy. He was able to run outstanding times of 3:37 and 1:48, and he was even able to go undefeated in the 1500 until NCAA's. His ability to take out a race hard and establish his presence made him an extremely valuable piece to an already talented Washington squad. 

Guys like Brazier and McBride were beyond impressive (espiecally at NCAA's) but Brazier's slow start during the regular season and McBride's failure to lock down an NCAA title (despite running 1:44) keeps them out of the winner line. Ferlic and Futsum dominated their respective events, but never really gave the excitement that some of the other nominees gave.