Ben Weisel
Jun 14, 201910 min
*Honorable mentions below*
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Well, the steeplechase final was certainly an interesting one – and that is in large part because of Michalski. Falling on the final water jump was heartbreaking for the Hoosier, but like Brian Barraza last year, he pushed the pace hard at the end and came within a few inches from being rewarded for it. Despite the disappointing ending, it was a spectacular first season in Division 1 for Michalski.
While Mau deciding to run the 5k may have come as a surprise to many, I thought it was the right move as he could use his speed to finish strong in what is usually a tactical 5k. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able finish strong enough to earn himself a spot in the top five. Luckily, he was still able to secure a place on the podium by finishing 8th. Moving forward, Mau (along with Ben Veatch) will look to lead Indiana to higher heights this cross country season. Based off their performances this past spring, the Hoosiers will be deep and ready to compete for a top 10 spot in the country.
Abdi has flown under the radar this season even after he beat Edwin Kurgat at BIG 12’s this year. A 5th place finish in the 10k gave the Oklahoma State Cowboy the recognition he deserves before he graduates. Even though his season best was significantly slower than many of his competitors (including Tyler Day) he battled through the heat to run a hard and smart race.
A solid performance from Day, if not a sparkling one. A 6th place finish in the 10k is a good performance, but for someone who has run such fast times this year, it was surprising to see him finish outside the top two or three. I’m sure he is looking forward to running professionally where the races are less tactical, and he will be able to run some really quick times.
Paulson’s 5th place performance wraps up a breakout season for the Sun Devil. Earning two 5th place national championship finishes in the mile (indoors) and the 1500 (outdoors), as well as running a PR of 3:38, shows that he has taken some big steps forward. It will be interesting to see if the Brit will stay in the country for his post-grad plans or if he will head back home to the U.K.
Lagat ran the race of his life and scared favorites Dixon and Hoppel as he made a hard charge to the line in the last 100 meters. To PR in your first NCAA final is remarkable, but I was impressed by how the Cyclone ran the race. He stayed composed the entire time even when the race went out quick and then made a move when he needed to. With almost the entire 800 field returning next year, he will have a lot of competition, but I think the best is yet come for Lagat.
Probably one of the most underrated runners in the country, Chemadi ran the best race of his life to finish 3rd in the steeplechase, barely beating Ali at the line. The Blue Raider has often been overshadowed by teammate Jacob Choge, but showed that he too is a national talent. After redshirting cross country this year, it will be exciting to see what Choge and Chemadi will be able to do this coming cross country season.
The defending steeple champion saw the leader fall for the second year in a row, but unlike last year, he was unable to take advantage of it. Ali wasn't able to respond fast enough to Fahy's fall and didn’t have as strong of a kick as Smeeton. Letting up at the line allowed for Chemadi to pass him at the very end. Still, a 4th place finish in the volatile steeplechase is a solid result for Ali who had very strong indoor and outdoor seasons to finish out his collegiate career.
It was another very solid National Championship for Brandt who gave himself a chance to win the 10k with a hard move with two laps remaining. While I'm sure he was looking for a better finish, 7th place is an encouraging result. Brandt later backed up his 10k All-American performance by nearly scoring in the 5k which shows how consistent and strong the junior from UCLA is. After redshirting this past cross country season, he will be one watch this year as he leads an up-and-coming UCLA team.
Kurgat had a fairly quiet outdoor season, but finished well by placing 5th in a strong 5k field. After such a strong cross country season, it was a little disappointing that we didn’t see the Cyclone challenging McDonald and Fisher on the track. With both of them gone next year, Kurgat has a huge opportunity to win his first NCAA title.
Like Kurgat, Griffith was under the radar for most of the season. While he did run a very nice 3:39 at Bryan Clay, he finished 10th in that race and wasn’t seen as a contender in a 1500 field that had a handful of favorites. Despite all of that, the Razorback showed up when it mattered the most to beat Oliver Hoare and secure a top three spot at Nationals in the 1500.
The biggest surprise of this past weekend was certainly Ratcliffe’s shocking 3rd place finish in the 5k. A huge talent coming out of high school, it was really cool to see him fulfill some of his potential this season. Hopefully he can use this performance as a springboard going into cross country season and push Stanford forward after the loss of Grant Fisher.
Smeeton showed that his breakout performance at Payton Jordan wasn’t a fluke. A monster kick in the last 100 meters at NCAA's catapulted the Oklahoma State sophomore into 2nd place in the steeplechase. Only three of the top eight from this race will have eligibility for next year, so Smeeton will be a heavy favorite to win his first NCAA title next year.
After a stunning performance from BYU at the West Regional Championships, it was time for the Cougars to make up for their subpar performance at Nationals last year. The 10k showed that, this year, BYU was not going to be denied. McMillan played a big part in that by finishing 3rd in the 10k right behind Gilbert Kigen and teammate Clayton Young. For as much credit as Mantz and Young have received for their performances at Nationals, McMillan deserves a lot of love for posting strong results at the national meet. BYU will miss his consistency next year.
After a lackluster start to the outdoor season, Dixon turned it around in a big way. Winning SEC's with a 1:44 as well as a runner-up finish at Nationals makes this season a success. While he did have the fastest time in the country coming into Nationals, he did what he had not been able to do before: finish in the top three at a National meet. For someone who has struggled on the biggest stage at times, this performance was a very encouraging sign for Dixon. His last step? Taking down the undefeated Bryce Hoppel.
Mantz was one of three runners who were able to score in both the 10k and 5k this past weekend. This year in general was a big step forward for him as he showed he could hang in championship races. With Young, McMillan, and Linkletter all graduating, Mantz becomes an essential part of BYU as they move forward into next year. If this meet was any indication, then the Cougars are in good hands.
After such a strong cross country season and an exciting start to the indoor season, it seemed like the only question was how many titles Hoare would win this year. Not winning any isn’t an indictment on the Badger as a runner, but the fact that it is surprising shows how well he was running. During outdoors, he reasserted his dominance with a 3:37 win at Bryan Clay and it seemed (again) that Hoare was a good bet to defend his 1500 title. His finish this past weekend looked like someone who was just running out of gas at the end of the season. If he returns to Wisconsin next year, then this final will give him more than enough motivation this summer.
In every great race, we often forget about the person who lost even if he was the reason why the finish was so spectacular. Hopefully this is not the case with Kiprotich because he ran an incredible race and, with 50 meters left, looked like he was about win his first NCAA title. There is no shame in losing because of a Nuguse kick, as many people know how that feels, but it has to be tough for Kiprotich to know that he allowed Nuguse to pass him on the inside. With the difference between the two being only .003 seconds, pushing Nuguse to the outside would have likely changed the result. With that said, the Spartan ran a great race and should be proud of his runner-up finish in a loaded 1500 field.
No Vincent Kiprop, no problem. Kigen gave Young a run for his money in the 10k and then followed it up with a strong 4th place finish in the 5k. After being shut-down for cross country, he bounced back in a big way this season. With his potent kick and ability to run at almost any pace, look for Kigen to be in the mix with the top guys in the country this upcoming fall.
The finish to the steeplechase was so absurd that you almost had to laugh. To see two falls in the last 120 meters of the race by the two leaders was wild. Fahy won the race for two reasons: 1) he put himself in a great position to take advantage of Michalski’s fall and pushed hard to gap the rest of the field as soon as it happened and 2) he didn’t feel sorry for himself after his own fall and showed a lot of grit and determination to finish strong even after he fell. For someone who had to deal with an injury earlier in the year (during cross country) it was inspiring to see him literally and figuratively get back on his feet. If he is given another season of cross country eligibility, then he will need that same grit and determination to help lead the Cardinal back onto the podium.
Has there ever been a race that has finished closer than this year’s 1500 final? It’s hard to imagine that there has been. Either the way, the kick that Nuguse unleased in the last 50 meters to barely edge out Kiprotich was stunning. The Notre Dame star has put his name on the map as one of the best – maybe the best – miler in the country. Unfortunately, for the rest of the country, the rising junior will be back for the next two years to defend his title. Next step? Leading the Irish to a top 10 finish in cross country.
BYU’s performance at this year’s national meet was highlighted by Young’s fantastic performance to win the 10k and his gritty race in the 5k to score three more points for the Cougars. After a disappointing finish in last year’s 10k, it was cool to see him bounce back to win his first NCAA national title. The way he won was thrilling - throwing down a 55 second last lap and hold off a hard-charging Gilbert Kigen was insane! And to think that I didn’t pick Young to win the title because I didn’t believe in his ability to finish hard... While his win in the 10k has stolen most of the headlines, I was very impressed in his ability to bounce back to finish 6th in the 5k and end his collegiate career on yet another high note.
It is hard to consider a season that included PR's in the 5000 and 1500 (13:29 and 3:39, respectively) and a 2nd place national finish in the 5000, a disappointment. Yet, that seems to the case. For Fisher, it must have been frustrating to lose to McDonald one last time. Regardless, Fisher has had a career that anyone should be proud of. He has been one of the top distance runners in the country throughout his entire time with Stanford and has been extraordinarily consistent. While fans may have expected more titles, it is a testament to how well Fisher has run since his high school days.
After the season Hoppel has had, it is easy to forget that he came into the year as one of the many favorites in the 800. Between Marco Arop, Robert Heppenstall, Joe White, and Devin Dixon, the 800 looked stacked. Despite all of the talent, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Hoppel was going to win his second title of the year at Outdoor Nationals. It cannot be said enough how impressive it is to win every single race this year. To race 19 times in the mile, 1500, and 800 and win every single race is stunning. He never tripped, made a tactical mistake, or showed signs of fatigue (mentally or physically). The consistent dominance he displayed is something we may never see again from an 800 runner. How he follows that up next year will be a great storyline to follow.
It felt like déjà vu watching McDonald chase down Fisher in the 5000 to win his fourth NCAA title of the year. Like I mentioned earlier this year, McDonald has had a historically great year and has to go down as one of the best collegiate runners we have seen in the last 20 years. After his perfect finish to a perfect year, we will all be watching McDonald as he competes for a spot to the World Championships.