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April Anarchy Round of 32: Blue Region (Men)
#1 Leo Manzano (Texas '08)
vs
#9 Grant Fisher (Stanford '19)
It is crazy that one of America’s best milers also had a pretty prolific career as a cross country runner. Leo Manzano finished in the top 70 three times at NCAA Cross Country Championships, culminating with a 27th place finish in 2007. Besides his two NCAA titles in the mile and two titles in the 1500 meters, Manzano contributed to record-breaking DMR teams as well.
While Grant Fisher also had a prolific cross country career (he was top five finisher three times with a runner-up finish in 2018), he does not have the championship wins that Manzano does. Still, Fisher was one of the most consistent runners in the NCAA throughout his career, picking up a national title in the outdoor 5k and accumulating plenty of top five finishes in an era that included Edward Cheserek, Justyn Knight, Morgan McDonald and Patrick Tiernan.
Both men also own top NCAA marks all-time. Fisher has the NCAA #3 all-time best mark in the 3k with his 7:42 and Manzano slots in at NCAA #21 with his 3:37 (for 1500 meters) that he ran as a freshman.
Overall, Manzano had the best middle distance career of anyone in the 2000’s and was a consistent member of U.S. World Championship and Olympic teams even while he was in college. Fisher, in his time at Stanford, was one of the most popular runners who was nearly the first American to win a cross country title since Galen Rupp. During their careers, both were the faces of NCAA track and field and made a large impact on the sport as a whole.
#4 Robby Andrews (Virginia ‘11)
vs
#5 Justyn Knight (Syracuse ‘18)
This matchup pits two of the sports’s biggest names against each other for a well-balanced bout. Despite Robby Andrews having competed roughly four to five years ahead of Justyn Knight (collegiately), both men have been able to corral a huge fan base within today's running community.
Both men are incredibly smart racers and have won several races because of their appropriately timed moves and finishing kicks. Knight was able to win two NCAA titles during his time with Syracuse as well as garner an impressive 10 All-American finishes across both cross country and track.
On the other side, Andrews equaled Knight’s national championship number with two of his own, but was an All-American finisher just three times. However, it is important to note that Andrews competed at Virginia for just two years and could have produced plenty of national meet performances and/or All-American finishes.
We estimate that this will be one of the tightest matchups in our Round of 32 as both men have relatively similar resumes, each with their own unique accolades.
#6 Jorge Torres (Colorado ‘03)
vs
#14 Miles Batty (BYU '12)
One of the key members who carried on the dominance of Colorado after Adam Goucher graduated was Jorge Torres. The Buffalo star eventually earned an NCAA Cross Country Championship title of his own and secured three top three finishes in cross country throughout his career which is an astonishing level of consistency. Leading Colorado to their first ever NCAA title in cross country is also a very significant part of his overall legacy.
Likewise, Miles Batty had an influential career during his time at BYU. He set the collegiate record (at the time) in the mile, running 3:54 which solidified his spot as one of the best milers of the 2000’s. He trigger an onslaught of record-shattering performances from Lawi Lalang and then Edward Cheserek.
Both earned only one NCAA title, but were consistent top finishers in their respective events. Neither could be counted out at NCAA’s.
Torres was able to beat Liberty standout Josh McDougal to advance to this round, but will face a different type of threat in Miles Batty this time around. Meanwhile, the former Cougar provided some chaos in the first round as he took down Kennedy Kithuka in what was a stunning #14 over #3 upset. It will be interesting to see if Batty can once again pull off the win and beat another NCAA cross country champion.
#2 Andrew Wheating (Oregon '10)
vs
#7 Lopez Lomong (Northern Arizona ‘07)
Two of track and field’s most popular and historical athletes ever are pitted against each other in this Round of 32 matchup.
Andrew Wheating was able to garner five national titles as a member of the Ducks (two of these titles were as a member of the Oregon DMR squads) which helped establish him as one of the greatest middle distance runners in NCAA history.
His most famous national meet performance(s) occurred during his senior year at Oregon when he took home the 800/1500 double gold. His two magical victories in front of the home fans in Eugene cemented himself as both an Oregon and NCAA track and field legend. Wheating was also able to graduate with collegiate bests of 1:45 (800) and 3:37 (1500).
Comparably, Lopez Lomong’s resume of national meet wins is somewhat similar to Wheating’s. He was able to win two national titles which both occurred during the 2007 season. He won the 3000 meter national title during indoors and then followed it up by winning the 1500 meter national title a few months later. Known for his gutsy and hard-nosed racing style, Lomong also found himself as the 3d place finisher at the 2007 NCAA XC Championships, an aspect of his resume that Wheating is unable to match.
