Ben Weisel
Jun 12, 202110 min
Wow! What a way to start the distance events. Cole Hocker wins his third NCAA title of the semester pulling away from Yared Nuguse in the last 50 meters. He stayed off the front trio for the majority of the race before making a hard move to catch Nuguse. Winning with a time of 3:35.35 is incredible and although he missed the Olympic qualifying time, he will likely not mind too much as he took down the defending 1500 meters champion, Nuguse, to win his first outdoor title. It just goes to show that Hocker's lethal kick can still be utilized in any kind of race setting and any kind of race distance. He did, after all, out kick the guy who is said to have the best kick in the NCAA.
Speaking of Nuguse, this was an unusual run from him. With Eliud Kipsang deciding not to run from the front, the Notre Dame star was pushed into the lead as Kipsang motioned for him to take over early in the race. Without the Alabama freshman pushing the pace, the field came through in a pedestrian time of 1:46 through 600 meters after running a 62 second lap. However, Nuguse did not let the pace lag for long as he and Kipsang started accelerating coming around the first turn. Throwing down a 56-second lap with a lap to go was impressive, but it was even more impressive to see Nuguse and Hocker close in 52 seconds. It took a 1:48 over the last 800 meters to win gold. That is absolutely wild and the Irish star should not hang his head after an incredible battle with Hocker. If anything, that kind of finish validates Nuguse as one of the best finishers in NCAA history....or at least in recent memory.
This was a bit of a head scratcher. After running every race in a very specific way, leading from the gun and pushing the pace, Eliud Kipsang decided to try something new. He motioned for Nuguse to take the lead early-on and was never able to take the lead back. He was in 2nd place at the bell lap and looked like he might have a chance at taking the win going down the back stretch. However, he did not have quite enough to hang with Hocker, Nuguse and Suliman. Ultimately, the field still ran insanely fast, but I can’t help but wonder if pushing the pace earlier would have benefited the Alabama star more. It's benefitted him in so many instances this year and it would've been interesting to see if his employ the same approach this time around.
Not to be lost in all of this are Waleed Suliman and Jack Salisbury. Suliman capped an impressive track career with a strong 3rd place run. The Rebel ran a smart race which gave him the opportunity to follow the top duo going into the final stretch. After a few postseason woes, this Ole Miss runner seems to have found his groove and now understands how to race (and thrive) against elite-level competition.
Let’s take a minute to highlight Salisbury who finished off a huge breakout season. In his first experience at Nationals, the Hoya runner looked confident and strong putting himself in a great position at the bell. While he was not able to go with the top group over the last 250, he did finish a very respectable 6th in an absolutely loaded field. He seems to be more of a strength-based runner, so it's not a total shock that he wasn't able to cover all of those moves, but it doesn't make his race any less impressive.
The U.S. Olympic Trials are next week and with this win over Nuguse, Hocker puts himself in a great position to make the team. With established pros like Craig Engels and Matthew Centrowitz potentially taking two of the three spots, it could come down to Hocker, Nuguse and high schooler Hobbs Kessler for the final spot. After losing to Nuguse earlier in the year, this will be a huge confidence booster for Hocker as he looks to beat Nuguse once again to earn a trip to the Olympics.
After finishing 3rd in 2019, Kigen Chemadi emerged victorious with a strong time (and PR) of 9:28 in the steeplechase. Chemadi took the lead with about three laps to go and really started to squeeze the pace with 800 meters left, running a 64-second penultimate lap and a 61-second final 400.
The increased pace ensured that the MTSU star pulled away from most of the field with only Alec Basten, Ryan Smeeton and Garrett Marsing tracking the move. Chemadi remained composed throughout the race, staying near the front for the majority of the run. Even when Smeeton went down on the final hurdle, the Blue Raider stayed focused, didn't look back and sprinted to his first NCAA title. His experience, postseason peak and the lack of consistency from other steeple talents this season made Chemadi, on paper, a great favorite to take home NCAA gold. The MTSU ace just didn't have a flaw in his resume all season long and frankly, that was all he really needed.
Gutsy performance by Ryan Smeeton as he responded well to Chemadi’s move with 800 to go and put himself into position to win the race coming off of the last water jump. The Cowboy surged with about 100 meters to go, but his comeback attempt was cut short as he clipped the final hurdle and fell. He responded well to get back up quickly and finish 3rd and earn a seasonal best time of 8:30. If anything, that result validates the idea that Smeeton is the title contender that we thought he was. He just happened to have a hurdle get in his way.
Perhaps the person who was most affected by Smeeton’s fall was Alec Basten who ran a terrific race to finish 2nd and looked to be catching Chemadi in the final straightaway. His momentum was stalled though as Smeeton tripped and was not able to regroup in time to pull off the win. That said, Basten did originally lose some ground off of the final water barrier, so it’s a bit hard to know what may have been. Either way, it was an incredible performance from the Golden Gopher who ran PR of 8:29 to cap a breakout year.
The rest of the field was pulled to fast times as we saw Garrett Marsing, Duncan Hamilton, Ky Robinson and Derek Johnson run PR’s. Marsing surged with 200 to go, but was not able to maintain contact with the top trio coming off of the water jump. As for Hamilton, he ran a smart race, keeping himself in the middle of the top group for the majority of the time. He was falling back at the bell, but the 2nd fastest bell lap saw him nearly catch Marsing for 4th.
Watch out for Robinson in the future. He showed tremendous poise despite his youth and was only getting better in the postseason. Few steeplechasers were peaking like he was and his kick is lethal. If he was able to finish as an All-American during his true freshman year, then we can't wait to see what he does as a junior or a senior.
After finishing 3rd place and 4th place in their preliminary heat, Isaiah Jewett and Brandon Miller took this 800 final by the horns, coming through the first lap in a jaw-dropping 50.9 seconds. No one really was able to stay with them early, and neither the USC or Texas A&M star let up in the last 400 meters. Ultimately, it was Jewett who took the win as he held off Miller in the last 50 meters.
This was a huge statement win for Jewett as he ran 1:44 and took down a very strong field of collegians. This result absolutely puts him in contention for an Olympic qualifying spot next week in Eugene. It also puts a nice bow on the Trojans career as he finally was able to put all the pieces together at the right time. His race plan was never perfect, but when you become as fit as he is, then it's hard to dismiss going all-out to run 1:44.
We also saw a very strong performance from Miller who nearly did not qualify for the finals, but went back to his front running strategy with great success. While he was not able to beat Jewett, he did run very well to hold on to 2nd and never looked in danger of falling to anyone besides the USC star. Running 1:44 high is simply incredible. Miller has only been getting better as the year has unfolded, picking up momentum and understanding how to implement his front-running tactics into championship races. His time and silver medal performance were great, but his ability to get through the learning curve of the NCAA is arguably the most impressive feat of his freshman year.
Finley McLear was the only one who tried to bridge the gap between the field and the top duo, but he was unable to close on them. McLear was my pick to win, but try as he might, he never was able to put himself in position to get the victory. Ultimately, the pace seemed to be a bit much for him and his attempt to stay with Miller and Jewett seemed to cost him as he was passed by Hunter right at the end. In a more tactical race, I think McLear would have won as he has the best change of pace in the field and likely would have kicked everyone down. Of course, we have to give credit to Miller and Jewett for making it an honest race and holding on to the end.
Charlie Hunter entered as one of the four favorites to win this championship, but ran this race very conservatively. Much like the indoor 800 where he stayed towards the back of the pack for a while, the Duck seemed very content to let Miller and Jewett open up a big lead. As the indoor 800 champion, it was surprising to see him basically concede the win very early on. We have not seen him at the top of his game this outdoor season and perhaps that contributed to his strategy. We do have to give him a lot of credit for his huge surge at the end to grab 3rd and nip McLear at the line once again.
We also have to consider the fact that no one other than Jewett and Miller were expecting to go out that fast and then hang on to a pace that fast. It's very possible that Hunter and McLear were waiting for Jewett and Miller to come back to the field, but that just never happened.
In my mind, this was one of the most entertaining championship 5k races I have ever seen at the collegiate level. It had everything: a quick pace, multiple surges, lead changes, a favorite coming from behind, a rapid finish and multiple runners going under the Olympic standard of 13:13.50. Thanks to Wesley Kiptoo taking out the race quickly once again (2:35 through the first kilometer), the field was in a great place to run some very quick marks which everyone took advantage of.
After losing to Luis Grijalva in the fall, Cooper Teare got his revenge when it mattered the most to win his first NCAA title. Not only did he win the title, but he also bested the meet record time and the Oregon school record. Of course, the field certainly did not make it easy on him though...
After Kiptoo was passed Robert Brandt and Athanas Kioko continued to push the pace before Teare took the lead with 600 meters to go. With Grijalva and Kioko right behind him with 300 to go, it looked like Teare could be caught in the last stretch, but it was a move from Kioko that changed the race dramatically. The Campbell runner threw in a huge surge to pass Teare with 250 meters left and the Lumberjack followed him, passing the superstar Duck as well. To his credit, Teare kept his composure and bided his time to retake the lead. When he decided to move, which he did with 120 meters left, he made his move decisively, flying past Grijalva and Kioko to take home the title in front of a roaring stand of Oregon fans.
After losing to Hocker in the 3k at the indoor national meet, it seemed like Teare might not ever get that elusive title. Of course, this performance showed what we have been seeing all year long. The Duck has made a big leap in fitness and can run with pretty much anyone in America. With the Olympic standard in hand, Teare will have a great opportunity to finish in the top-three at the U.S. Olympic Trials next week to make the Olympic team.
Huge credit goes to Grijalva for running a very smart race. He slowly moved through the field before getting right behind Teare with a lap to go. The only mistake he might have made was passing Teare when Kioko made his move with 250 to go, but it ultimately might not have mattered as the Duck seemed to be on a different level. While the Lumberjack star did not look like his best self for most of the spring semester, he arrived back at peak fitness at the perfect time to run a PR (13:13.14) and earn himself a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships.
To be honest, I did not think Kioko had this kind of gutsy performance in him. He has always been an immense talent, but his tactics have been questionable at times. The quick start set the race up perfectly for him, but the way he was able to regain contact and then the lead with 250 to go after falling off the pack was supremely impressive. While the move likely took too much out of him to mount a second kick in the home stretch, I was impressed by his tenacity and ability to mix it up with Teare and Grijalva. We have been saying for a while just how good Kioko could be if he adopted certain race tactics, and this was a perfect example of what can happen when he's able to stay patient and follow surges.
How in the world did Hocker finish 4th in this race?! After staying in the middle of the pack for 90% of the race, the Duck utilized a 56-second last lap to move past five runners in the final 400 meters to complete a spectacular double. He truly is an incredible talent, and at this point, it is hard to imagine either Hocker or Teare returning to the University of Oregon next year. They both have to turn pro...right?
Three more people to highlight: Robert Brandt, Patrick Dever and Thomas Ratcliffe who finished 5th, 6th, and 7th respectively.
Brandt was aggressive the entire race, passing Kiptoo at about the midway point to lead for a few laps and then passing Kioko after the Campbell star took over the lead for 800 meters. While he wasn’t able to close quite as well as the rest of the field, he put himself in a good position from the start and was rewarded with a 5th place finish and a PR of 13:19.
Dever, on the hand, was more conservative, but utilized his kick and strong finishing ability to work his way through the field to run a PR of 13:19 and complete an impressive double after his 10k win on Wednesday.
Lastly, Thomas Ratcliffe had, in my mind, maybe his most impressive run of his life. Although he finished 3rd in the 5000 meters before at the 2019 NCAA Championships, he ran much quicker this time around and stayed towards the front for the majority of the race. In the end, he ran out of gas to keep up with the top group, but it was an impressive performance from the Tar Heel. Finishing 7th place en route to a time of 13:20 is quite the performance.