Weekend Review: Willamsz and Knight Sub 3:40; Kebenei Fast 3kSt.; Witt Impresses

By Garrett Zatlin

So Craig Lutz reads the blog. I found that out last Thursday night via Twitter thanks to Etrain tagging me in a tweet of his. To say my inner fan girl came out would be an understatement but I think I kept my cool (definitely did not). Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to give him the “Most Disappointing” award this past indoor season but hey I stand by it. Fox also got a quick tweet from Parker Stinson so that was pretty cool. 

 

I apologize if this is a little sloppy. I’m writing this relatively late due to a busy weekend (not really. I procrastinated a lot). Due to time constraints, I will not include a PA alumni section this week. My goal for this week is to get some previews and predictions out for Penn Relays as well as collaborate with some of the other writers. I’m going to try and do the best I can with the time I’m given. So lets dive in shall we?

 

Mt. Sac Relays

800

The man, the myth, the legend, Brandon McBride (Miss. St.) has an excellent but unsurprising race running 1:46.28. He gets a win with a time I’m not all that surprised about. However, the field he beat was quite impressive. Nike pro athletes Brandon Johnson and Erik Sowinski finished behind McBride. Arizona’s Collins Kibet was the next collegiate finisher running 1:47.23. I’m hoping to see more of him and his 1:46.87 PR. Clayton Murphy (Akron) runs 1:47.98 but wins his heat. Not sure how he didn’t make the fast heat. He could’ve gone faster and I know we’ll be seeing him again.

 

1500

The 1500 was a battle of the titans. Stanford alum and current Strava TC runner, Michael Atchoo, beats out Cristian Soratos (Montana St.) 3:40.47 to 3:41.17. Not a bad race for Soratos but I’m sure he wasn’t thrilled about getting second even if he was the top collegiate finisher. I’m a little disappointed that he wasn’t closer 3:40 but that’s just me being picky. Zak Seddon (FSU) is the second collegiate finisher running 3:42.02. He beat out Kemoy Campbell (Arkansas) who ran 3:42.30. I’m really like what I’m seeing from Seddon so far. He’s put together some really solid performances and has been really consistent. I’m eager to see what he can do in the future. In the other heats, Clayton Murphy (Akron) pulls off an impressive double by getting a win. He won his heat in 3:43.08. Murphy ran some solid times AND won both of his heats. This just indicates that he can go faster and that’s a great sign. Izaic Yorks (Washington) returns from his solid indoor season to get second in the heat running 3:43.31.

 

3000St.

Have a day Stanley Kebenei! The Arkansas Razorback runs an excellent 8:31.86 to win. You’ve got to like Keb as the favorite this season. His 8:24.45 PR is overwhelming and I’m not sure how many guys can match this performance let alone his PR. Emil Bloomberg (Texas-Arlington) was the next collegiate finisher running 8:36.98. Nice PR for this guy and maybe he takes advantage of that confidence in the future. Colby Wilson (Utah St.) is the third NCAA competitor running 8:45.71. Also to note, the Colorado duo of Adam Peterman and Connor Winter go 1-2 in their heat running 8:48.68 and 8:54.32. 

 

5000

My man Jason Witt (BYU) comes up big!* He was the top collegiate runner in this event running 13:34.96. That is wonderful progression from his indoor season and the 5k seems to be his sweet spot. I’d love to see him and Sam Stabler go at it soon. Close behind Witt was the Colorado Buffalo Morgan Pearson 13:36.22. He is also showing some solid progression and might mix it up at Natty’s.Ammar Moussa (Colorado) is the third collegiate in running 13:41.87. Excellent time, but I keep waiting for him to have that jaw-dropping race. Maybe it’s just a matter of time?

 

*It seems that I’m becoming a big fan of everyone lately. Maybe it’s the Craig Lutz effect? Sure let’s go with that.

 

10000

Matt McClintock (Purdue) takes gold running 28:54.77. That’s great time as well as a PR for him. I’m a believer that confidence can be a dangerous boost to other competitors if used correctly so keep an eye out for McClintock in the future. Jonathan Green (Georgetown) is the next collegiate with a time of 29:06.52. Brandon Lord (Georgia) followed him in 29:09.46. I’m a little disappointed with Lord. I felt like this was a race for him to win. He has been on the downward slide lately. Two weeks ago he ran a 14:12.81 at the Florida Relays for fourth place. His indoor NCAA’s time wasn’t that attractive either as he ran 14:16.73 to finish 15th in that race. Hopefully he can gather himself up and get back to the point that I feel he’s capable of. 

 

Michael Johnson Classic

800

Brandon Moore (Baylor) gets his second win in 2 weeks running 1:48.53. Nice win for him on his home track. Josh Hernandez (Texas A&M) runs 1:48.66 for second. Nice times from both of these guys. I feel like I keep seeing their names in the results and that’s a good sign. I’m a fan of consistency and these two, especially Hernandez, are showing it.

 

-Keep in mind that weather cancelled the rest of the meet. The 10,000 and the 3000St. were not contested. However, the 1500 and 5000 were not that notable.

 

2015 Beach Invitational

800

Will Teubel of Iowa grabs the win in 1:48.60. He was followed by Nathan Strum of UC Davis in 1:49.11. This was a little odd but apparently Michael Atchoo and Cristian Soratos ran in this meet as well? Atchoo was third in 1:49.81 and Soratos was fourth in 1:49.81. Not really sure what the plan was here and if these two planned the weekend of racing with each other but I just thought it was interesting. 

 

1500

Edwin Herring (New Mexico) wins the race with ease in a 3:44.95 effort. Second place ran a distant 3:50.04.

 

Georgia Tech Invite

800

Quamel Prince (Tenn. St.) is the first through the line running 1:48.64. Zack Fanelty (Georgia Tech) is second in 1:49.51.

 

1500

Great race here. Georgia Tech takes advantage of their home track and sandwiches second place going 1 and 3. Brandon Lasater won in a great time of 3:42.92. His teammate Jeremy Greenwald was third in 3:44.43. Not sure where that was all winter but it’s cool that they showed up now. The second place finisher was PA alum favorite Nate McClafferty (Duke). He was second in 3:43.78. Maybe he can sneak into NCAA’s this season? I think he certainly has a shot. 

 

Larry Ellis Invite

800

Jesse Garn is the first collegiate through the line being beaten out by none other than Robby Andrews. Garn finished in a solid 1:47.03. If my memory serves me correctly, Garn was DQ’d at indoor NCAA’s this past winter due to a false start. I’m sure he is out for revenge this season. Brendon Fish was the next NCAA guy with a time of 1:48.08. Drew Piazza of New Hampshire also impresses the crowd with a time of 1:48.40. Others likeBen Malone (Villanova), Rob Napolitano (Columbia), and Elliot Slade (Villanova) were all under 1:50.

 

1500

Fellow writer Alex Fox was the first to inform me of this race and it was FAST. I’m really wishing there was a race video I could watch. Jordan Willamsz of Villanova outlasts an impressive field to get the win. Williamsz won in a time of 3:39.53 which currently puts him as the fastest 1500 guy in the NCAA so far. This is also the same guy that split 3:55 for Nova’s DMR this past indoor season during NCAA’s. Only a tick behind was Thomas Awad of Penn running a spectacular 3:40.68. This guy has some mad range and maybe I spoke too soon when I said he needed another year to take down the big name veterans. Robert DeNault (Villanova) was third in 3:40.78. Another outstanding performance, but I’m not sure where I see DeNault ending up in the rankings later in the season. It’ll be interesting to see how much he can progress and improve from this point on. He had an awesome race at Penn State this past indoor season, but didn’t improve beyond that point since then. Still, he is an excellent runner that will get the job done when called upon. Villanova continues to dominate this event with Josh Lampron running 3:42.83. Bradley Paternostro (Princeton) was the fifth collegiate running 3:42.88. Dusty Solis (Villanova) was right on his heels in 3:42.91. Throw in Sam McEntree’s 3:43.50 and you have a straight up nasty 4x1600 at Penn. Oregon and that collegiate record should be scared…but that’s a different topic for a different day.

 

John Jacobs Invite (Oklahoma)

800

Alex Amankwah (Alabama) puts another win on his resume with a 1:48.35. I could go into this race, analyze it, and try to make more out of it than it is. But quite honestly, the only thing I can say about this guy is that he ran 1:45.91 two weeks ago and that’s the only thing I can focus on right now. Oklahoma takes spots 2-5 with Allen Eke leading the charge in a 1:49.81 effort.

 

3000St.

Brandon Doughty (Oklahoma) runs 8:50.96 to win the event.

 

Virginia Challenge

800

Dylan Capwell (Monmouth) continues to assert his dominance with a 1:48.70 win. Nothing flashy but the guy continues to win races and I’m predicting a sub 1:46 from him later this season. Call me bold but that’s just the way I see it. Simon Holden (Wake Forest) finishes second 1:49.12. I’ve been mentioning Simon Holden and Kyle Graves of Wake Forest a lot recently and they’re names continue to show up on the results. I’m not saying they’re the next Ches/Jenkins but just a duo to be aware of.

 

1500

Ever have those moments where you question what you’re doing with your life? Well Justyn Knight of Syracuse gave me one of those moments. The Canadian freshman joined Joyce and Williamsz this weekend as part of the sub 3:40 club this season. Knight ran 3:39.66 to win the 1500. This is awesome news. I remember watching Knight race at Penn St. and seeing him be one of four guys that broke 4 minutes in the mile. I never saw him again after that so hopefully that’s not the case here. But what really surprised me was the Ole Miss sophomore Craig Engels having that breakout race I’ve been waiting for him to have! He ran 3:40.28 for second. He was constantly on the results page during indoor season but it was never jaw dropping. Look for him to race this event once more. I think he can join the sub 3:40 club. Henry Wynne (UVA) was third in 3:41.19. His teammate Mike Marsella was right behind him in 3:41.35. Remember that Wake Forest duo Simon Holden and Kyle Graves I mentioned? Well they ran 3:41.92 and 3:42.89 for 6th and 8th respectively. They handled that double very well especially in a very fast race. Another guy that caught my eye was the 12th place finisher Ned Willig (Brown). The PA alum ran 3:45.41 which is barely a PR for him. He ran 3:45 early in his freshman year and then got injured. He dealt with injuries this past fall so I’m excited to see what he brings to the table assuming his injuries are no longer an issue (knock on wood).

 

3000St.

Ole Hesselbjerg of Eastern Kentucky is your champion here with a very strong time of 8:33.78. That’s one heck of a time and he’s putting himself into the conversation to compete for a medal at NCAA’s. Mason Ferlic (Michigan) impresses with a second place finish and a time of 8:36.82. PA alum Ryan Gil (Georgetown) grabs fourth place running 8:43.35. Kyle King (UVA) settles for a somewhat disappointing sixth place running 8:45.91. Not sure why I say disappointing with his PR being only four seconds away, but I feel like he has some raw potential that he hasn’t found yet. 

 

Oregon Relays

1500

In case you didn’t hear, Oregon is really good. Even their alumni are good as Mac Fleet gets a win for Nike running 3:40.52. However, the real story here is the Oregon freshman Blake Haney running 3:42.34 for second! Haney was running unattached so he must be red shirting after a somewhat underwhelming indoor season. Great race for him and he should be happy with that. Niki Franzmair (Oregon) gets third with another great time of 3:42.48. Glad to see more of him in the open events and switching it up by running a 1500. There were a bunch more Oregon runners but they’re just too many to list. 

 

5000

Leingang, Melancon, and Elkaim (all of Oregon) ran low 13:50’s behind Saucony athlete (and Oregon alum) Parker Stinson’s 13:50.38.

 

Bryan Clay Invite

1500

David Elliot of Boise is the unexpected winner of this race.Elliot won the race out of heat two with a 3:41.61. Shyan Vaziri who ran unattached was second with a 3:42.54. Vaziri was able to outkick Sam Stabler (Lamar) who showed that he some quick legs under him. Stabler took the race hard from the middle and I love that approach. It was gutsy move that you’ve got to respect. Stabler settled for third in 3:42.72. Peter Callahan (New Mexico) makes his return debut at 1500 and finishes in a respectable fourth place with a time of 3:43.13. Colorado Buffalo’s Jake Hurysz and Ben Saarel were behind Callahan in 3:43.21 and 3:43.88 respectively. The other Buffalo, Connor Winter, struggled slightly in his return to the 1500 running3:45.58. The last Buffalo was Blake Theroux running 3:48.07. 

 

 

As always, feel free to comment and reach out. I want to hear your thoughts. I’ll hopefully have more material later this week.  

 

Run on,

Garrett