Hayward Premiere Preview

It's taken a while, but we finally have a track meet in Eugene, Oregon to preview! The grand debut of the prestigious Hayward Field will take place this weekend. However, it's not just the first meet of the stadium's history that will be exciting.

The distance fields for this weekend's meet feature a handful of ultra-elite talents. Naturally, we took a look at the entries and decided to give you a full breakdown of what to expect. So with that, let's jump right into it...

NOTE: All analysis details the invitational sections for this meet. Non-invite sections were not discussed in this article.

Written by Maura Beattie

The women's 800 meters looks like it can be/will be an inter-team battle between the BYU women with a few dark horse talents mixed in.

BYU’s recent breakout star Claire Seymour and long-time veteran Anna Camp-Bennett are set to lead the field. Seymour is coming in with a remarkable 2:02 PR that she just earned during the most recent indoor track season. While that was a breakout performance, Seymour was able to validate that mark with a 5th place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Meanwhile, Anna Camp-Bennett, who exhausted her indoor eligibility and raced during cross country, has a 2:03 personal best, giving her some of the best range of almost anyone (maybe everyone?) in the NCAA.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Seymour or Camp-Bennett challenge for the win, but their teammates Lauren Ellsworth-Barnes and Alena Ellsworth should be close behind with their respective 2:02 and 2:05 personal bests. The Ellsworth sisters were a part of BYU’s DMR title at the NCAA Championships this past winter and have had significant success before in their main event.

Those two had relay duties to focus on during the winter months, but should have far more opportunities to run fast this spring now that they can place all of their efforts on individual glory. Don't forget, Lauren Ellsworth-Barnes ran that 2:02 PR during the first weekend of April during the 2019 outdoor season, so she's no stranger to early-season success.

However, the dark horse BYU entry is Courtney Wayment, although it admittedly feels a bit odd to call her a "dark horse".

Wayment, the 3k indoor national champion and a 4:30 miler, owns a personal best of 2:05 for the half-mile distance, tied for fourth-fastest in this field of nine women. Few women have the momentum that Wayment does right now and she is more than capable of challenging for a top-three finish this weekend. Is it possible that she runs 2:04 or even 2:03? That doesn't seem totally unrealistic given how well she has been running as of late, although she will have to double back after racing in the 1500 meters from the day before.

Arkansas will have two women in the invitational section of the 800 meters with Kennedy Thomson and Quinn Owen leading the way. Both of these Razorbacks had very strong indoor track seasons, consistently posting top times in the 800 and mile.

Thomson has the advantage over Owen with her 2:05 and 4:33 personal bests. Thomson was an All-American in the mile this past winter and was one of the top women in the nation when it came to consistency and ongoing progression. Could she carry that momentum into this weekend? It's certainly possible.

Of course, teammate Quinn Owen is right behind with her 2:06 personal best, although she may be primed for more with fast-enough field. Of those two, Thomson has more potential to break up the Cougar pack.

Oregon will be entering one runner in this field, Mia Moerck, a transfer from Nebraska. Moerck ran 2:06 in February, a three-second PR, and is beginning to show glimpses of being a West region contender. Although she may not be a favorite for the win, she at least as the home track advantage and should be carried to a fast time.

This could end up being the race of the weekend as two powerhouse programs will clash on the outdoor track. Some of the women entered in this race have seen great improvements in their 800, mile and 3k speed which will surely bode well for a chance at running new personal bests this weekend.

The BYU duo of Anna Camp-Bennett and Courtney Wayment will match up with Arkansas’ Krissy Gear and Carina Viljoen, giving us a two-vs-two of elite milers. This will also give us a chance to see how a fresh Krissy Gear matches up with a fresh Courtney Wayment as both women will get to run the 1500 meters on day one before they toe the line for the 800 meters on day two.

Let's talk about Camp-Bennett, a proven middle distance ace who has excellent 2:03 speed, but equally impressive 8:52 (3k) endurance. Her range from the 800 meters up to the 6k in cross country stands out in this field and if she can carry her momentum over from recent successes, a sub-4:10 result is very possible. On paper, she has the most tools for major success in this field. Dare we say she's the overall favorite?

Wayment’s PR in the 1500 meters is a respectable, but truthfully modest 4:32, a time that is actually slower than her 4:30 mile personal best. It's obvious that she is capable of running much faster this weekend given her major improvements over the last few seasons.

This BYU superstar is turning into a favorite in pretty much any event after winning two titles at the indoor national meet (one in the 3k and one in the DMR). Much like Camp-Bennett, her blend of underrated speed and standout endurance should help her in this race, but this field will likely give her a challenge throughout the entirety of the race.

Leading the Razorback group is Krissy Gear, a 4:31 miler from this past indoor season. Her current 1500 meter personal best of 4:24 will most definitely fall this weekend after seeing her consistently post top times on the indoor oval. Gear is coming off of a runner-up finish to Colorado’s Sage Hurta in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships and she later finished 21st at the NCAA XC Championships.

The good news for Gear is that although she faltered to Wayment in the women's DMR at the indoor national meet, she was coming off of a double in that race. With fresher legs, Gear will surely pose a bigger threat to the top women in this field. She has just as many racing tools in her arsenal to contend for the win as Wayment and Camp-Bennett do.

Joining Gear will be Carina Viljoen, an established and experienced runner and a two-time All-American. Viljoen ran 4:13 for 1500 meters back in May of 2019. She also enjoyed a strong 2019-2020 pre-COVID, but hasn’t finished a race since the 2020 SEC Indoor Championships. The Razorback veteran has had the advantage of training with her speedy teammates all fall and winter long and could immediately come out ready to make a statement.

Will rust play a role in her return to the track? Maybe, but the South Africa native is tactically sound and so darn consistent. Just like Wayment, Camp-Bennett and Gear, her resume is equally balanced between the middle and long distance events.

Some notable names for BYU outside of Camp-Bennett and Wayment is Olivia Hoj, a rising talent who could see her 4:18 PR fall after the way she improved indoors. Sub-4:40 milers Kate Hunter and Heather Hanson, two ladies who raced the mile at the NCAA Championships this past winter, are also in this field. That group is plenty capable of breaking up the aforementioned top-four.

It's also crazy how we have yet to mention All-American Kennedy Thomson, the 3rd place finisher from the women's mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships a few weeks ago. Now, admittedly, this will actually be a much more top-heavy field than what Thomson faced a few weeks ago. How will the 4:33 miler fare in a field which so many women that she'll have to navigate around?

A noteworthy competitor not affiliated with BYU nor Arkansas is Colorado’s Rachel McArthur. This will be McArthur’s first outdoor track race as a Buffalo since transferring from Villanova at the beginning of the 2019 academic calendar. She owns a stellar 4:14 personal best in what might be her primary event and has been a name consistently near the top of the national leaderboard during the regular season.

She still needs to refine her postseason success, but this will be an outstanding opportunity to see how McArthur's cross country success will translate to the middle distance events on the outdoor oval.

Aside from BYU’s Whittni Orton and her 15:22 PR, the other competitors in this race will be duking it out for a top finish. Many of the ladies entered in this race all have similar 5k personal bests, ranging roughly from 15:50 to 16:19. Many of these entrants are also coming off of strong showings at the cross country national meet, slowing emerging as the NCAA's next-generation of distance running leaders.

Orton is expected to be the top talent in this race given her personal bests and her ongoing rebound from injury. The BYU ace raced at the NCAA XC Championships this past winter and finished 17th overall after struggling with a foot injury that kept her out for most of the winter months. Even if she isn't at her absolute peak level of fitness, Orton is probably the favorite to take home the victory. The only question is...how fast will she run?

Alessia Zarbo (Oregon), Logan Morris (Arkansas) and Abby Nichols (Colorado) are the next three women who could at least things honest. On paper, it's possible that they could at least challenge Orton.

Zarbo has run 15:50, but she was well off of that mark with a time of 16:20 on the indoor oval in mid-February. Meanwhile, Morris and Nichols, both having run 15:56 prior to this weekend, having had solid seasons since transferring to their respective schools.

Morris was more consistent than Nichols in the winter, mainly since she ran indoor track, but Nichols had the best showing at an NCAA event when she finished 18th at the cross country national meet. Both of these women are on the rise and given that they train with some of the best coaches and women in the country, big performances are very possible for them this weekend.

We also really like the potential of Weber State’s Summer Allen in this race. Allen has been in the NCAA for a while due to serving a church mission, dealing with injury and being pregnant, but that hasn’t stopped her from looking to be near the top of the NCAA. After her stellar 7th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships, an improvement off of her 16:19 personal best seems not only realistic, but expected.

The Oregon State duo of Grace Fetherstonhaugh and Kaylee Mitchell are two wildcards in this race. Fetherstonhaugh and Mitchell have gone 16:00 and 16:12, respectively, for 5000 meters. Fetherstonhaugh qualified for the indoor national meet in the 5k, finishing 14th overall, while Mitchell is coming off of an outstanding 20th place finish at the cross country national meet. Both of these Beavers know what it takes to race against (and beat) top talents and are more than capable of taking down women like Allen, Nichols, Morris, Zarbo, etc.

Poppy Tank (Utah) and Tyler Beling (Boise State) also have a chance to challenge many of the women mentioned above for a top-three finish after having very strong cross country seasons.

Tank has been a top name in the NCAA for a few years. With her 16:07 (5k) PR and recent 27th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships, her ceiling is undoubtably high, but a heavy portion of her success has come on the grass. That said, she clearly looks like she has had an up-tick in fitness this year, so we would expect her to scare the 16 minute barrier on Friday.

As for Beling, she immediately made a splash on the NCAA scene in her first year as a Boise State Bronco. The elder distance talent was always near the front of her races during cross country, never finishing outside of the top-four prior to earning All-American honors with a 39th place finish. Beling currently has a 17:16 personal best from February of 2020, but we know she is capable of doing so much more. The only question is...how much more?

It’s only taken 13 months, but we finally get to see the 2019 NCAA 10k runner-up compete on the collegiate scene again. Oregon’s Carmela Cardama Baez will be back in action after recently running an outstanding 15:31 for 5000 meters in Austin, Texas, only six seconds shy of her current PR.

Cardama Baez has the fastest personal best in this 10k field with her 32:26. However, there are plenty of other women who have been just as successful as of late. Truthfully, we're not sure if we can say that Cardama Baez is the overall favorite.

Cailie Logue (Iowa State) and Katie Izzo (Arkansas) appear to be Cardama Baez’s biggest competitors this weekend based on their 32:19 and 33:28 personal bests, respectively.

Logue, the Cyclone redshirt junior, will need to use this race as redemption after finishing 126th at the cross country national meet. She enters this race with her 32:19 personal best, a time she earned at the Sound Running Track Meet back in December, a remarkable 1:17 difference from her previous best. If Logue can replicate her December 10k and remain confident up-front, then she is one to watch amongst the leaders.

Arkansas' Katie Izzo immediately saw success since joining the Razorbacks at the beginning of the 2019 cross country season and has yet to slow down. However, she didn’t have her best showing at the indoor national meet a few weeks ago, only finishing 4th in the 3000 meters and 9th in the 5000 meters -- two results that were lower than we had expected her to place.

At the Sound Running Track Meet back in December, she was two places behind Logue in the results during her 10k debut. This will only be Izzo’s second-ever 10k, but it likely won't be her last given her resume and clear display of strength over the 5k and the cross country course.

Some other names to watch for amongst the top-five are New Mexico’s Hannah Miller, Wichita State’s Winny Koskei and Tulsa’s Caitlin Klopfer.

Miller, a Southern Methodist University graduate transfer for the Lobos, has experience racing against the nation’s best and has qualified for the West Regional Championships in the 10k twice in her career. With a current 33:23 PR, Miller should be the leader of the chase pack if she is in top form.

Koskei, on the other hand, has run 33:30, has been an All-American on the grass and has shown glimpses of success on the track. After a disappointing finish at the cross country national meet a few weeks ago, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Koskei attempt to bounce back.

Golden Hurricane ace Caitlin Klopfer has put together respectable seasons the past two years and enters this race after recording a 69th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships on a tough course in Oklahoma. Klopfer’s 10k PR of 33:51 sets her up to be able to compete alongside Miller and Koskei. We would expect her PR to fall in this race as the chase pack should be within striking distance for her and shouldn't be too overwhelming.

One last name who needs to be mentioned amongst the top of this field is Boise State’s Clare O’Brien. The Bronco redshirt senior hasn’t competed since the 2019 NCAA XC Championships, but her 15:42 (5k) and 32:39 (10k) personal bests put her near the top of this field.

If O’Brien is in peak racing form, then we shouldn’t question her talents, but with such a long time away from racing, she could be a bit rusty. She'll be a key x-factor and we're incredibly excited to see her toe the line after such a long time off.

There are three favorites entered in the 3k steeplechase this weekend and all of them have competed at an NCAA Championships. Not only that, but have all of them have picked up at least one All-American honor in the process.

New Mexico’s Charlotte Prouse comes in as the overall favorite. The Lobo steeple ace has been the runner-up at the NCAA Championships not once, but TWICE in her career. With her 9:44 personal best and extensive experience on the national stage, Prouse will be one to contend for the national title later this year after the departure of Boise State’s Allie Ostrander.

That said, Prouse has only raced twice since the 2019 outdoor national meet, recording a DNF in the 5k at the Boston University Season Opener in December of 2019 and recently posting a very unexciting time of 4:39 for 1500 meters back in early March.

Will Prouse be rusty after not competing against the NCAA’s best talents in quite some time? How much stock should we put into that recent 1500 meter result? I guess we'll have to wait to find out.

Oregon will be fielding Aneta Konieczek this weekend on her home track. Konieczek was a steeplechase stud in Division 2 while competing for Western Colorado and earned a 4th place finish at the 2018 NCAA Championships prior to moving to the D1 realm.

Her PR of 10:01 is one of the best seed times in this meet. Konieczek did race during the indoor track season, running a 4:35 in her first race of the season and later earned All-American honors with a 7th place finish at the indoor national meet. Her recent success leads us to believe that she could post some fireworks this weekend in what is likely considered to be her primary event.

Wichita State's Rebekah Topham ran one of the best races at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the steeplechase, biding her time before slowly moving up in the field and finishing 8th overall. The Shocker senior has been consistently moving up in the rankings in the steeple over the years and has the chance this year to compete for a top-five finish by season's end.

Topham is coming into this race with a current 9:53 PR and is never afraid to run her race plan rather than go out crazy and fade. On paper, she could give Charlotte Prouse a legitimate challenge, even if Prouse is near her best.

Written by Garrett Zatlin

They're back. The elite Iowa State trio of Roshon Roomes, Festus Lagat and Daniel Nixon are set to toe the line this weekend in the invite section of the men's 800 meters. That trio has been racing all winter long (unattached), posting some incredibly fast times in the 800 meters and 1000 meters.

Lagat, Roomes and Nixon all own personal bests of 1:47 or faster for the half-mile distance, although Lagat is the main star of this group with his 1:45 personal best and a huge 3rd place result from the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

This Iowa State group has been able to run together incredibly well over the last few years and they are unafraid to push the pace. They will surely want to make this a fast race, especially with almost everyone else in this field doubling back from different races.

The men most likely to challenge that Cyclone trio are probably Luis Peralta (Oregon) and Kieran Taylor (Arkansas). Peralta is a sophomore with a 1:47 personal best from the indoor track season. He admittedly struggled at the indoor national meet, unable to earn positioning and faltering in the prelims. With the Iowa State men likely controlling this race from the front, this will be a good opportunity for the younger Duck to retry his race tactics in a field with top talents.

Speaking of tactics, Kieran Taylor is probably the better racer when it comes to navigating fields such as this. He's run under 1:50 more times than we can count and just finished as an All-American at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

This Arkansas veteran has been a top middle distance talent in the NCAA for quite some time, but this is the race where he could finally crack that 1:48 barrier and earn a mark that would make it easier for people to recognize him as an upper-echelon half-mile talent.

As for James West and Cole Hocker, they are two Oregon Ducks who have run 1:48 before, but they'll be coming back from 5k and 1500 performances from the day before. Their legs may be a little tired, but this is likely an effort to further develop their speed and help them further acclimate to the multiple weekend races that come with championship meets.

Of course, given what Hocker and West have done over their careers, doubling is probably the last thing that these two need to work on.

The invitational section of the men's 1500 meters is absolutely LOADED. In fact, it's so darn good that you could probably look at these entries and think it was a preview for the NCAA Championships.

However, before we get into everyone else, we need to address the obvious. Both Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker are entered in this race. After what these two did on the indoor oval, we have to wonder if the collegiate 1500 meter record of 3:35.01 is in jeopardy.

Truthfully, that record seems to be well within reach for both of these men. Their 3:50 mile personal bests very roughly translates to 3:33 for 1500 meters. In other words, even if Hocker and Teare don't have their absolute best days, there's still a chance that they come away with the record.

Now, of course, this assumes that the pace is fast enough, but given the men who are in this field, it would be odd for this race not to be on 3:35 pace.

Teare and Hocker may be the superstar talents of this field, but there a handful of other men who could very easily dip under the 3:40 barrier come Friday.

Rookie Lucas Bons (BYU) was a breakout star this past winter after running a 3:55 mile seemingly out of nowhere. However, he struggled a bit in the mile finals at the NCAA Indoor Championships, running only 4:01 and finishing 9th overall.

However, in retrospect, that race may have actually been beneficial for Bons. He likely learned a lot from navigating around that top-tier field of mile talents and should be able to apply the lessons he learned to Friday's race. While we'll certainly be watching how fast he runs, it should be his positioning and tactical approach that we really keep an eye on.

Of course, Bons won't be the only standout BYU mile talent who can make some noise in this 1500 meter field. Talem Franco ran 3:58 in the mile during the 2020 indoor track season and was on fire heading into that year's indoor national meet. He was picking up some serious momentum in the middle distance events and looked primed to contend for an All-American finish before COVID cancelled the meet.

Now, Franco will enter this field looking to replicate his 2020 success, although it's unclear if he'll be able to pick up where he left off or if any early-season rust will play a role in his performance this weekend.

Other guys like Amon Kemboi (Arkansas), Zach Stallings (Washington State), Colton Johnsen (Washington State) and Paul Ryan (Washington State) are all sub-four minute milers by a comfortable margin. Kemboi and Johnsen showed off some of the best range of almost any distance runner in the country this past winter, although both men had somewhat limited success at the indoor national meet relative to expectations.

However, Paul Ryan is probably the name that you'll want to watch in this field. He's a 3:58 miler who has quietly emerged as one of the more consistent distance talents on the west coast. Ryan has previously taken down some respectable talents in the past, has posted some top times (unattached) over the past year and was an individual national qualifier on the indoor oval. The WSU ace is an underrated talent who could really mix it up this weekend.

Oregon's Reed Brown is in this race, but I can't help but wonder if he'll be in this field for pacing duties. That's exactly what happened when Teare and Hocker ran their collegiate records in the mile back in February and it feels like Brown could be entered in this race for that exact reason.

Of course, if Brown actually intends to compete in this race, then he'll have to be a factor based on his 3:56 mile PR and recent All-American finish.

There is an unreal amount of firepower in this men's 5k field and truthfully, it's hard to know exactly where we should start.

I suppose we should begin with the BYU men as they have a total of seven men entered in this field. However, three men will likely capture most of the attention.

Mantz, Clinger and Garnica each ran under 13:30 for 5000 meters this past winter on the indoor oval and on paper, they (meaning Mantz) should be the somewhat clear favorites to take home the win this weekend...but it won't be easy.

Despite that group likely willing to make this race fast, it feels like Colorado's Eduardo Herrera would prefer that. Even though the Buffalo ace didn't finish his cross country season as an All-American, he is clearly at another level of fitness this year. A sub-13:40 result from Herrera seems probable and a sub-13:30 result seems possible.

Of course, we can't talk about Herrera without talking about veteran teammate John Dressel. One of the most experienced distance runners in the entire NCAA, Dressel is someone who is an absolute star when he is at his best. The problem, however, is that he has occasionally battled injuries throughout his career and the pandemic has forced him to wait even longer to finish off his collegiate eligibility.

Dressel already kicked off his 2021 outdoor track season with a modest win in the 1500 meters a few weeks ago, running 3:54 in a two-person field. That was his first official collegiate race since the 2019 cross country season.

What will Dressel look like this weekend? How confident should we feel that the rust is now shaken off for the Colorado veteran? Regardless of the answers to those questions, we're just happy to see him back on the oval.

One last name who I wanted to highlight in this field is James West. The Oregon veteran was an absolute star during the 2020 indoor track season, acting as the most dynamic distance talent in the entire NCAA, posting top-level times and doubling on multiple occasions throughout the season.

Few athletes at the collegiate level were able to offer the same kind of value that West was able to during the 2020 season. However, most of his success was kept to races that were no longer than 3000 meters. This weekend, West is entered in the 5000 meters against a field of men who seem to be better suited for the distance.

Even so, someone of West's talent should be able to muster a mark under the 13:40 barrier.

Edwin Kurgat emerged as a true superstar during the 2019 cross country season. He was flat-out dominant, never losing a race on the grass and continuously taking down elite name after elite name. Kurgat later ventured to the indoor oval where he posted numerous top times and put himself in the national title conversation for the 5000 meters (and arguably the 3000 meters as well).

However, the pandemic interrupted his national meet plans and forced him to stay on the sidelines for the non-existent 2020 outdoor track season. With no indoor track or cross country eligibility remaining, Kurgat has had to wait until this outdoor track season to finally don an Iowa State singlet once again.

In the meantime, JUCO transfer Wesley Kiptoo has taken the NCAA by storm. He has emerged as one of the most dangerous long distance runners in the entire country. He ran 27:37 for 10,000 meters back in December, broke the meet record at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 5k (en route to the title) and finished 3rd at the NCAA XC Championships in a race that many people favored him to win.

Now, both Kurgat and Kiptoo will toe the line against each other in the men's 10,000 meters in the debut meet of the new Hayward Field.

How will this race go? Truthfully, your guess is as good as mine, but my best guess is that Kiptoo will be the aggressor from the gun and Kurgat will follow. Either Kiptoo will run away from Kurgat or Kurgat will be able to outlast the aggressive pace that Kiptoo will surely establish.

As for everyone else, this field is incredibly deep. We could go on for days talking about all of the men in this field, but we'll work to highlight just a few.

Portland's Stan Niesten, the Dutch graduate student, is an accomplished 10k runner who owns personal bests of 13:35 (5k) and 28:30 (10k). On paper, those times suggest that he should be a top contender in this field, but we're not sure how much stock we should put into his cross country performances from this past winter which truthfully weren't anything super special.

The Arkansas men are also fielding a contingent of their best distance talents, including Gilbert Boit, Matt Young, Jacob McLeod, Emmanuel Cheboson, Ryan Murphy and Miles Richter. Boit, Cheboson and Young are the clear headline talents to watch, holding times of 28:25, 28:42 and 28:56, respectively.

Do we expect each of these Arkansas men to be at their very best this weekend? No, not necessarily. However, most of these Razorbacks are talented enough to thrive with the fast pace that we're expecting and given the success that they had this past winter, we may still see multiple personal bests.

Speaking of team efforts, we'll also get to see the Tulsa men toe the line. Patrick Dever and Peter Lynch were one of the NCAA's best 1-2 punches on the grass this past winter while teammate Scott Beattie had an outstanding cross country season as well. We're not entirely sure what we should expect from this group at the 10k distance, but sub-29:00 feels realistic.

When we think of powerhouse programs in the 800 meters, teams like Texas A&M and Iowa State come to mind. When we think about the mile, Oregon and Washington are two teams that are easily associated with the event. But the steeplechase? Well, that event has historically been dominated by BYU and that dominance will likely continue this season.

Matt Owens and Clayson Shumway are set to toe the line this weekend in their main event. The duo owns high-level personal bests of 8:32 and 8:36, respectively, easily making them a few of the best NCAA's best returners in the event this season. Their experience in this race is unmatched, specifically for Shumway, and they should be the favorites going in this weekend.

With teammates Adam Wood and Garrett Marsing both owning personal best under 9:00 in this event, the BYU men will have a chance to dictate how this race plays out. Don't be surprised if they control this field from the front.

However, if there is anyone in the entries who can match the firepower, experience, consistency and steeplechase familiarity of the BYU men, it has to be Riley Osen.

The Portland veteran has been one of NCAA's premier steeplechasers for a while now. The Pilot ace owns a personal best of 8:41 and was a 2018 All-American in the event. If Owens or Shumway don't win, it will likely be because Osen got the better of them.