Reising to the Occasion: Winners and Losers from Arcadia

By Alex Fox

​This past weekend one of the biggest meets of the season, the Arcadia Invitational, was held in Arcadia, California. The marquee race, the boys’ 3200 meter race, saw 19 individuals go sub 9:00, and was won by Illinois native Jesse Reisser (pronounced riser, hence the title). Although many did not expect Reisser to take the title in a field that featured names such as Elijah Armstrong and Austin Tamagno, his win was one of many impressive performances. Let’s look at the best and worst from Arcadia.

 

Winners:

 

University of Illinois Fighting Illini: In addition to have a commit from the winner Reisser, the Fighting Illini also signed fellow Illinois native Zach Dale, who finished fourth in the 3200m. The duo ran 8:52.00 and 8:52.62 respectively. This is a bit of a surprise that these two studs are going to Illinois, who aren’t well known for their cross country or track programs. Maybe the duo can lead to the building of a really strong program in a Big Ten Conference that features perennial distance heavy weights Penn State, Wisconsin, and Indiana. The Fighting Illini have to be feeling pretty darn good about their incoming freshman after this race. 

 

Michael Norman: I really don’t understand how people aren’t going crazy about this guy after the weekend he had. First, he beats my guy Rai Benjamin in the open 400 with a crazy time of 45.91. As if that wasn’t enough, he came back later that same night and split 46.1 as part of a 3:14 effort by his 4x4 team. That’s an incredible double, especially for early April. As if this Michael Norman guy wasn’t impressive enough, he’s only a junior!!!! Seriously, Norman seems like the real deal. Look for him to compete for a national championship later this summer. I’ve never seen a 45.9/46.1 double fly under the radar like it did this weekend. 

 

Elijah Armstrong Fans: I know this is sort of a surprise considering the Idaho native finished second when many were expecting a win. Never fear, Armstrong supporters, he looked as good as ever! I don’t know how many of you caught the live stream given how late the 3200m occurred, but Armstrong looked like the best guy in the field. When he tried to kick for the win, he got boxed in (top four guys were separated by just 0.62 seconds) right behind Reisser, and was running on his heels until the finish line. That’s the trouble with Arcadia: yeah, a ton of guys ran really fast, which is awesome, but the sheer density of kids at the finish line made making a move next to impossible in the last 100 meters. I still think Armstrong is a stud, and I can’t wait to see what he does this season and beyond. 

 

Connor Mantz and Levi Thomet: Now, I’m not sure how closely you all paid attention this weekend, but Mantz and Thomet were not in attendance at Arcadia. Instead, the two raced at Big C Relays in Thomet’s home state of Alaska. Out of the spotlight of Arcadia, Thomet managed to run 4:10 (full mile) and 8:54, and Mantz ran 4:11 and 8:55. So while everyone had their eyes fixed on California, these two underrated runners had themselves a nice little double for the first weekend in April. Well played, you two. Look out for these guys. Thomet showed just how good he was at Indoor Nationals with an 8:48 two-mile, and Mantz upset Cerake Geberkidane and John Dressel at the American Cross Country Championships. They will be a factor in North Carolina later this season.

Other Impressive Performances: Dana Hills won both the DMR and the 4x1600m relays at Arcadia, led by junior Jake Ogden, who split 4:10 and 4:09 for the two races. Junior Michael Slagowski won the Invitational 800m in 1:51.85. His splits: 58.15 and 53.70. That’s some serious closing speed. Eleanor Roosevelt HS of California won the 4x400m relay in 3:14.41 with a team that featured three underclassmen. 

 

Losers

 

Sam Ritz’s chances for sub 9: This was a tough race for PA’s golden boy, and unfortunately, this was probably his best chance to break 9 minutes. It’s not to say Ritz doesn’t have the talent or that it can’t happen, it just seems that if it was going to happen, this would be it. Ritz never looked comfortable in this race, as he got out towards the front at the beginning of the race, and once he started getting jostled in the huge crowd, he never settled. He fell off in the last 1600m or so, and didn’t come close to 9:00. I still think Ritz is going to have a big season, and he’ll certainly look to defend his home turf at Penn Relays. Despite his obvious talent, I see Ritz pursuing the mile from here on out at the big races, so sub 9 may not be happening for the prodigal son. 

 

Rai Benjamin and the Mount Vernon 4x4: This isn’t to say Rai had a terrible weekend; his 46.3 in the open 400m isn’t something to turn your nose at. However, I don’t think Rai flew across the country to come in second. Benjamin has run 46.1 already this season, so the 46.3 isn’t a major breakthrough. What’s worse is Mount Vernon’s 4x4 clocked in an embarrassing 3:29 in the fastest heat of the race. By the time Benjamin got the baton on the anchor, he was totally out of the race. I’m positive Mount Vernon’s coach didn’t bring four guys from New York to Cali to run 3:29. All in all, if I’m Rai Benjamin, I’m flying home a little more tan, but still a bit disappointed. 

 

The future of East Coasters running at Arcadia: Yes, I know this is the holy grail of two miles for both guys and girls, but based on the performances of East Coasters this year, it doesn’t seem worth it. Guys from New York, PA, and New Jersey still have meets like Penn Relays, NY Relays, and the Meet of Champions to show their stuff without taking a long flight that can throw off one’s sleep schedule. In addition to Ritz and Benjamin, Austin Tamagno didn’t have the greatest weekend in the world. Yes, the Florida native ran 8:54, but I’m willing to bet the 4:06 miler didn’t fly from Florida to finish seventh. Given that Tamagno is a junior, I’d be interested to see if he, and any other big names from the east coast, make the trip to Arcadia next year.