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First Thoughts: Hacker, Maier, De Caro, Sprout Go Sub-7:50, Owen & Johnson Co-Lead 800 (Part Two)
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Jan 31, 2022
- 20 min read
Maier Throws Down Monster 7:46 Mark For 3000 Meters, Sprout Records Best Race of His Career Via 7:49 Mark
I wanted to start off this section by explaining how big of an Alex Maier fan I have been over the last few years. However, that just seems way too convenient to explain now given the fact that he just ran 7:46 for 3000 meters...oh well.
Maier has been a stud since high school and even as a nationally recognized name, I still wasn't sure that he got enough credit for how good he was. His first year at Oklahoma State wasn't bad, but it also wasn't super exciting.
However, since then, this Oklahoma State star has been incredible in the longer distances, finishing as high as 17th place at the NCAA Winter XC Championships back in March and continuing to thrive in both the 5000 meters (13:48) and the 10,000 meters (28:48).
Coming into this weekend, Maier had personal best of 8:07 for 3000 meters, but it was obvious that his 3k PR was due for a reset. In a field that was incredibly deep and loaded with names of a similar caliber, it shouldn't have at all been a surprise that Maier earned a new PR.
Of course, what no one expected, maybe not even Maier, was that he would drop a mark of 7:46, dominate a field of top distance talents by five seconds and suddenly enter the national title conversation in the 3000 meters.
Not only that, but Maier also ran in the first section, a field which could be argued as the slower "heat" given that there were three sub-7:50 times in the second heat while Maier was the only sub-7:50 runner in his.
As exciting as this newfound lethal firepower is, we're now only left with more questions than answers following Maier's mind-boggling performance.
How fast can Maier run in the mile? As a long distance specialist who is theoretically better in the 5000 meters, what can he run in that event during indoors? How will Maier perform in a crowded, talent-laden field that is running a similar pace? How will Maier perform in a tactical setting if it ever reaches that point? Could Maier take down Kiptoo at the BIG 12 Indoor Championships later this year?
The only one asking these questions are me, but I like to think that everyone else is thinking the same way.
As for the second heat, Stanford's Cole Sprout finally had the performance that I think best defines his fitness and his overall talent. In the same race as Under Armour Dark Sky professionals Neil Gourley and Kasey Knevelbaard, the second-year Stanford talent was able to drop a mark of 7:49 to finish runner-up in his heat.
Sprout was an elite megastar in high school and was probably primed for collegiate success just as much as Nico Young was when these two entered the NCAA.
Over the last year and a half, Sprout has recorded a 5000 meter personal best of 13:43 and has gone on to emerge as a top-tier scorer in cross country, finishing 15th at the NCAA Winter XC Championships last March.
However, for as good as those results were, Sprout had yet to truly break into that "elite" category of distance runners or have that one moment early in his career which shows the country that he has truly "arrived".
Luckily for him, that moment seemed be this past weekend.
The questions I had for Maier are the same ones that I had Sprout, but his composure against upper-echelon distance talents, despite his youth, has been beyond impressive.
I typically don't love choosing younger guys to finish as All-Americans in my predictions for the national meet, usually because of their inexperience.
However, out of all of the young underclassmen who are expected to qualify for the indoor national meet this year, Sprout seems like the name with the best chance to translate his success to the elite-level field.
Well, that's what I would have said until I remembered that both Brandon Miller and Nico Young exist...let's move on.
As for a few other names between these two heats, Oregon continues to produce high-level, national-caliber stars. Both Aaron Bienenfeld and Jack Yearian had marquee performances on their resumes prior to this past weekend, but their 7:51 personal bests were huge results, especially for Yearian.
For Bienenfeld, this is roughly on par with what we would expect from him. However, I'm not sure we saw this coming from Yearian.
He ran 3:37 for 1500 meters last summer in what was a shocking breakout race. Since then, the Oregon veteran hadn't produced anything that was in the same ballpark as that 3:37 mark...at least, not until this past weekend.
Running 7:51 validates Yearian's breakout 1500 meter run and it seemingly proves to us that it wasn't a fluke. However, with this 3k performance now comes questions about his mile prowess.
Can Yearian replicate his 1500 meter magic in the mile this winter in order to qualify for the indoor national meet? That will certainly need to happen if he wants to qualify for this year's mile field.
As for the rest of this field, it's a bit crazy that Arkansas' Amon Kemboi can run 7:51 for 3000 meters and yet only finish 7th in this race.
Truthfully, I'm not sure how to feel about this result. Kemboi has a personal best of 7:44 in this event and was debatably the most versatile distance talent in the field (with the possible exception of Gourley). On paper, he was well suited to contend for the win or, at the very least, contend for a sub-7:50 result.
It's his first race of the season, so it's hard to find many faults in his first serious performance of the winter. He has the entire month of February to rally and by March, we're likely going to be questioning, yet again, how Amon Kemboi added yet another All-American honor to his national meet tally.
The only other man who ran 7:51 was Oklahoma State's newest Moroccan addition, Fouad Messaoudi. We knew this distance talent was special, especially with this 3:38 personal best for 1500 meters. However, his rumored (but unconfirmed) 5000 meter personal best of 13:46 left us believing that he was due for a big 3k result.
Sure enough, Messaoudi just recorded a mark of 7:51 for 3000 meters and now sits at NCAA #12. The Oklahoma State Cowboy star probably won't qualify for the indoor national meet with that time, which is crazy to think about, but he is someone whose resume would allow him to do very well in a tactical championship setting.
Quinn Owen Earns Breakthrough 2:04 Mark & the Win, Galvydyte & LSU Duo Show Promise
It was a BIG weekend for the women's 800 meters as the top-six times on the national leaderboard for this event were all run this past Friday and Saturday.
Let's start at the Razorback Invitational, a meet where top collegiate stars like Julia Heymach (Stanford), Krissy Gear (Arkansas) and Katy-Ann McDonald (LSU) were expected to headline the 800 meters.
That, however, wasn't the case. Instead, it was rising Arkansas talent Quinn Owen who had the best race of her collegiate career by throwing down a 2:04.03 mark to finish runner-up and emerge as the top collegiate.
Adidas pro Brooke Feldmeier won the event in a time of 2:00.92.
This was an outstanding performance for Quinn who had been knocking on the door of a breakout performance for what seems like a year now.
Quinn was a solid talent last winter, running 4:44 in the mile and helping Arkansas' DMR finish runner-up at the indoor national meet. She later ran a 1500 meter PR during the spring, but wasn't quite able to breakthrough into that next level of national competitiveness.
Well, that breakthrough has finally come. The Arkansas middle distance talent now has a 2:04 mark on her resume and currently shares the NCAA lead in this event with Penn State's Allison Johnson (who we'll speak about in a moment).
It seems like Arkansas always has these kinds of runners. Their women's team is loaded with top talents, but there's always one runner who is on the fringe of a major breakthrough.
Last year, that runner was Gracie Hyde. This year, that runner is Quinn Owen.
We'll now be interested to see what Owen can do in the mile. She's run 4:44 in the event and is clearly at the peak of her powers when it comes to her fitness. In theory, Owen should be able to run under 4:40 and potentially as fast as 4:37 if I had to guess.
If that were to happen, then Owen would essentially be a carbon copy of the aforementioned Gracie Hyde who also ran 4:37 last winter.
As for the rest of this field, Owen was able to hold off Oklahoma State's Gabija Galvydyte who also ran 2:04 in what was arguably a bigger breakthrough performance than what we saw out of Owen.
Coming into this meet, Galvydyte had never run faster 2:08 for 800 meters, and it's not like she's brand new to the NCAA -- this is her third season of indoor track competition.
Now, in defense of Galvydyte, her 1000 meter result from earlier in the season suggested that she was due for a new personal best. The Oklahoma State middle distance standout ran a very impressive time of 2:46 for 1000 meters back on December 3rd, so it's understandable why she may have fallen off of our radar until now.
The objective for Galvydyte moving forward will be to build some consistency and momentum throughout the month of February. If she's able to earn another personal best or two before she goes to the indoor national meet, then this Cowgirl star could end up peaking at the right time and surprise a few people.
Much like Owen, we're not sure how Galvydyte will handle the position and tactics of the indoor national meet, but given Oklahoma State's past success in the middle distances, that's not something I would be worried about right now.
The next two women to cross the line in this race were LSU's Michaela Rose, a true freshman who ran 2:04 in high school, and veteran Katy-Ann McDonald, a middle distance star who has run 2:01 for 800 meters before.
Those two women ended up finishing with times of 2:04.80 and 2:05.27, respectively.
For Rose, this is a big-time performance. Her best indoor 800 meter result was 2:06 coming into this season, so this is a substantial personal best that puts her in the national qualifying conversation. She's familiar with running fast and battling big-time talents, so despite her inexperience, I actually like her chances of postseason success quite a bit.
As for McDonald, this wasn't her best race and I'm not exactly sure that she wants to be sitting at NCAA #10 right now. However, we saw McDonald in a similar situation last spring, not running any faster than 2:05.21 until the NCAA West Regional Championships where she ran 2:01 and 2:02, eventually qualifying for the outdoor national meet.
Don't sleep on McDonald when looking at the next month of competition. If she doesn't improve upon her current 800 meter mark over the next few weeks, then she'll at least have an excellent chance of running 2:04 or faster at the SEC Indoor Championships.
Stanford's Julia Heymach ran 2:06, but this is hardly a concern. She's more of a miler and a 5000 meter runner who, in theory, would be at her best if she ran in the 3000 meters.
Hacker Stuns With 7:45 Mark, Leads Sharp to 7:51 Result
Wisconsin's Olin Hacker has been a top talent for a while now. He's been a key contributor in cross country, has proven that he can be nationally competitive in the 3000 meters and has held his own in a variety of distance events.
However, this experienced Wisconsin veteran looks like an entirely new runner this year, posting some of the nation's fastest times almost entirely by himself along with a few pace assistants.
Looking at his splits from this past weekend, Hacker already had over a one-second lead on the chase pack through the first mile and eventually pulled away as he rallied to a 7:45 mark for 3000 meters in what was a dominant display of fitness.
After running a 3:56 mile in what was mostly a solo effort, and running 13:37 for 5000 meters back in December en route to a comfortable four-second victory, we may have to start prompting the question that I'm always scared of asking this early-on in the season: Is Olin Hacker a contender for the national title in the 3000 meters?
Based on his recent results, the 3000 meters would be his ideal event. He has incredible middle distance speed and enough endurance to hang on to most aggressive paces.
At the same time, Hacker hasn't exactly been challenged this year, which is a good problem to have. Sure, he's had a few great talents toe the line next to him, but when none of them have finished within four seconds of him, it's hard to say that Hacker has really been tested.
Wisconsin is set to host the "Windy City Invitational" two weeks from now. At a glance, that meet will feature teams like Oregon and Michigan State.
Could we potentially see a battle between Hacker, Beadlescomb, Yearian and Bienenfeld that weekend? If so, that would be an absolutely thrilling matchup.
As for Sharp, he's a name that just doesn't get enough attention or credit for what he's accomplished. He's excellent on the grass, ran 13:46 for 5000 meters earlier this winter and owns a sub-four mile personal best of 3:59.
Sharp ran 7:51 this past weekend in the same race as Hacker to earn a runner-up result. In a lot of ways, Sharp feels like he's Olin Hacker-lite. He's a great runner at every distance, has more experience than you realize and is probably at his best in the 3000 meters.
At the moment, Sharp sits at NCAA #11 in men's 3000 meters. Will that time be enough to qualify him for the indoor national meet? If I had to guess, I would say no, which is an absurd thought in-and-of itself, but I'm not not convinced about that guess, either.
Penn State Freshman Allison Johnson Runs 2:04 En Route to NCAA Co-Lead & Win Over Teammate Tachinski
We have been on the Allison Johnson bandwagon since her first 1000 meter performance a few weeks ago. In her season opener and collegiate indoor debut, the true freshman from Penn State ran a shockingly strong mark of 2:43 for 1000 meters.
That time caught us by surprise, as it was a dominant win and a super fast time for someone who is so unbelievably young. Youth, however, hasn't phased Johnson this season. She also ran 4:37 in the mile earlier this year and just ran 2:04 for 800 meters, that latter mark giving her the NCAA co-lead with Quinn Owen.
Through three races, Johnson's resume has everything you could want. Middle distance speed via the 800 meters, middle distance strength via the mile, a perfect combination of those middle distance aspects via the 1000 meters and a mark that will likely qualify Johnson for the indoor national meet.
Johnson's win means that she also took down teammate Victoria Tachinski this past weekend, an established veteran who also ran time of 2:04 (a personal best).
For Tachinkski, this performance was a long-time coming. She's been so good in the 800 meters for a while now and has built up years of experience in the middle distances. With an extensive resume, an improved 1000 meter PR of 2:45 and a fast teammate in Allison Johnson who she can chase, it should be no surprise that all of those factors equated to a new personal best.
At this point, the next-best move for Johnson will likely be the mile. Her 4:37 mark is becoming less and less likely to qualify for the indoor national meet, even after scratches, and if Penn State opts to go for a DMR, then Johnson may want to double back from the mile prelims rather than the 800 prelims.
Not only that, but if the mile gets tactical at the indoor national meet, then someone like Johnson may have the necessary turnover and speed to become a major factor in that race.
Also, nice race from West Virginia freshman Jo-Lauren Keane. She ran 2:05 to finish 3rd in this race and may be a name to monitor moving forward, especially if she faces a fast field at the BIG 12 Indoor Championships.
De Caro Follows Hot Pace From Maggard to Run 7:48, Houser Records 7:52 Mark For 3000 Meters
I'll just be honest, I was not a believer in De Caro as a true low-stick. His winter cross country season in the early portion of 2021, while respectable, felt fairly unexciting. The same thing could be said for his spring-time results as De Caro didn't produce a mark that was truly nationally competitive.
He later underwhelmed on the cross country national stage this past fall after showing a few promising signs of progress during the regular season.
However, the Boise State standout looks like a completely different runner this winter. He's putting himself in top-level fields and taking advantage of the opportunities given to him.
He ran 13:38 for 5000 meters back in December, ran 4:00 in the mile at University of Washington and later returned to the UW indoor facility where Utah State alum Dillon Maggard pulled De Caro to a MASSIVE breakout performance of 7:48 for 3000 meters.
This result, admittedly, came out of nowhere for De Caro. His early-season 5k and mile results were solid, and yes, they did suggest that he could run a quick 3k mark, but I don't think any of those results indicated that he was going to run 7:48.
So how should we look at this result? What does it say about his chances at the indoor national meet? How do the other aspects of his resume play into De Caro's status as a national-caliber contender?
Admittedly, it's hard to say. This was clearly the best race of De Caro' career and he's never really shown us that he could run as fast as this before. I'll be interested to see more out of him going into the rest of this season.
As for Houser, I honestly feel pretty bad for him. The Washington standout has run 3:57 (mile) and 7:52 (3k) this season, but probably won't qualify for the indoor national meet in either event as he currently sits at NCAA #15 in both races.
That's insane! It's still only January as I type this article and those two times rank at NCAA #15 at this point in the season! I know I'm a dork about these kinds of things, but I can't believe no one is freaking out about this like I am.
The good news is that Houser has two teammates who have run 3:55 in the mile this winter, so at the very least, there will likely be a spot for Houser on a DMR to the indoor national meet later this winter.
One last note: Washington State's Colton Johnsen ran 7:54 in this race, a time that is only one second off of his personal best. After running 13:34 (5k) and 3:55 (mile) earlier this season, I feel like I'm committing a crime by saying that Johnsen's 7:54 mark was a "poor" performance.
Even so, he's capable of more and in theory, he should be running under 7:50 this season. I think he'll surely contest the 3000 meters at least once more before the season ends. Otherwise, he'll have to choose between the mile and the 5000 meters (assuming he qualifies) as his sole focus for the indoor national meet...unless a DMR comes into play.
Established Stars in Barrett & Hendrick Run 2:04
Not too much of a surprise here for either Imogen Barrett (Florida) or Sarah Hendrick (Kennesaw State) who each ran 2:04 marks (en route to wins) at separate meets. Both of these women are middle distance standouts and are two of the most underrated talents in the NCAA for their respective events.
For Barrett, that's the mile and the 1500 meters.
For Hendrick, that's the 800 meters.
Admittedly, this 2:04 result was a little faster than expected for Barrett, but it was also a realistic performance given that she ran 2:05 earlier in the season, owns a personal best of 2:03 and is a veteran of the middle distance events.
Even so, this was an indoor best for Barrett and it shows us a level of speed that could prove to be very useful at the indoor national meet. The Florida veteran is surely aiming to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the mile this year after an unlucky tactical scenario didn't go her way in the prelims last winter.
Luckily for her, the added speed will only help.
As for Hendrick, this result is perfectly on par with our expectations. She owns a personal best of 2:01 for the half-mile distance, has qualified for the indoor national meet in this event before and has run 2:05 or faster six different times on the indoor oval throughout her college career.
The good news is that a 2:04 mark at this point in the season likely sets Kendrick up for a faster seed time over the next month and a potential indoor best as well
Princeton Duo of Rodman & Ellis Go 1:48 in 800 Meters
The Princeton Tigers are typically known for their cross country prowess and mile domination, but there are always a few 800 meter standouts who arise from this program every other year.
One of those rising stars is Sam Rodman, a true freshmen from the state of Virginia.
Here's a fun fact about Rodman: Prior to coming to Princeton, Rodman had never run faster than 1:54 for 800 meters, regardless of the season.
But since joining the Tigers? The first two 800 meter efforts of his collegiate career have produced times of 1:50.20 and, most recently, 1:48.10. That is an absurd leap in fitness, especially for someone who is so inexperienced and so brand new to college in general.
In that same 800 meter race, which took place at Penn State, the Princeton men also had their star 3:57 veteran miler, Sam Ellis, record a 1:48 mark of his own.
These are monumental performances, but more so for Ellis rather than Rodman.
When it comes to Rodman, there is only so much that we can say. He is clearly thriving at the collegiate level, but when you consider that he's so new to the NCAA, it's hard to know if he'll continue to progress or how he'll handle himself at the indoor national meet.
However, this race potentially opens up MASSIVE opportunities for Ellis.
The 3:57 miler is a strong and experienced veteran, but outside of one or two mile performances, there wasn't a lot on his resume that really gave him an edge or allowed him to differentiate himself.
That narrative, of course, seems to have changed after recording a time of 1:48.32.
That, however, isn't the biggest takeaway from this race if you are Sam Ellis.
The Princeton veteran currently sits at NCAA #12 in the mile, an event that could continue to get even faster as other 3:57 and 3:58 milers fight their way back to the top of the national leaderboard over the next month of competition.
The men's 800 meters, while still strong, doesn't look like it is going to be dramatically faster than it was during the 2021 indoor track season. That, of course, could change in a single weekend, but Ellis' mark of 1:48.32 would have ranked him at NCAA #10 in the 800 meters at the end of last winter.
In other words, this Princeton veteran likely has a comfortable avenue to the indoor national meet this year via the half-mile event, something that not all top milers can currently boast.
Also, quick shout out to the newest Penn State middle distance runner, Olivier Desmeules. He owns an 800 meter personal best of 1:48.50 and just ran 1:49.53 on his home track against Ellis and Rodman. That's an encouraging first step for the newest Nittany Lion considering that his time from this past weekend was a new indoor best.
Leather Runs 4:36 in Mile, Upsets Illinois Star Olivia Howell
NOTE: Additional analysis of the women's mile can be found in our Friday Night Lights article or our First Thoughts (Part One) article.
I'll be honest, I wasn't initially a believer in Cincinnati's Ellie Leather. The Bearcat veteran qualified for the indoor national meet in the mile last year thanks to numerous scratches from women ahead of her. Leather was then quickly ousted from the prelims.
The Cincy distance talent had a respectable spring and fall, but her performances didn't really standout in a way that made her nationally competitive.
However, this past weekend, Leather looked like she was a different runner. The Bearcat ace ran a huge time of 4:36.83 in the mile, putting herself in an automatic qualifying position at NCAA #13 (for now).
That time probably won't stay in the top-16, but it does show us that Leather has closed the gap between her and the other top talents at this distance. That kind of time leads us to believe that she could actually contend for a spot in the finals.
Not only that, but what gives Leather's result that much more validation is the fact that her 4:36 mark led to a win. And not just any win, it was a win over Illinois star Olivia Howell who has run 4:09 for 1500 meters.
Leather completely revamped her identity as a nationally competitive talent with just one race race which is very hard to do. We'll see need to see more consistency from her throughout the rest of the season and there's no guarantee that she'll even qualify for the national meet.
Still, there is a lot more to like about this Cincy star than to dislike.
Goldstein & Mitchem Dip Under 4:40 Via Conversions
NOTE: Additional analysis of the women's mile can be found in our Friday Night Lights article or our First Thoughts (Part One) article.
Abbe Goldstein may be etched into the minds of distance running fans as being one of the Harvard athletes who were scratched by their university from the 2020 indoor national meet, a race that was ultimately cancelled.
Goldstein has since ventured to New Mexico as a graduate transfer and hasn't slowed down. She just ran an altitude converted time of 4:36.97 on her home track, converting down from an original mark of 4:43.
This result is hardly surprising. Goldstein ran 4:35 in the mile during the 2020 indoor track season and was chipping away at her sub-4:40 personal best throughout that season. In the eyes of a few writers at TSR, she was a sleeper All-American pick.
Goldstein ran 4:10 for 1500 meters last spring (unattached), so the idea that she could run under 4:35 this season is very realistic. Watch out for Goldstein if she's able to get in a fast enough race.
We then come to Katelyn Mitchem, the Wyoming distance talent who ran 4:46 at 5300 feet of altitude and got a 4:39 conversion as a result. She's a nice breakout talent to keep an eye on, mainly because she has room for improvement.
In her race from this past weekend, Mitchem finished eight seconds behind the top finisher and just under six seconds ahead of the 3rd place finish. In other words, this Wyoming miler was stuck in "no man's land" for some portion of the race, leading us to believe that she could have been pushed to an even faster time.
Quick Hits
We didn't have time to dive into every single performance, but we did want to quickly highlight a few key results...
Outstanding 3k effort from Kaylee Mitchell at UW this past weekend. The Oregon State star ran 9:03 this past weekend which, in theory, should qualify her for the indoor national meet as long as this year's 3k field doesn't get much deeper than last year's 3k field. Either way, this result was a long-time coming for a cross country All-American who had a ton solid performances on her resume, but none that were as great as this.
Weber State's Billie Hatch was in the same 3k race at Mitchell, finishing two seconds behind the Oregon State runner to earn a mark of 9:05. Much like Mitchell, this was a result that better reflect's Hatch's true talent and it pairs well with her 15:57 (5k) PR.
Really huge win for Iowa State's Cailie Logue at the Razorback Invitational. Her mark of 9:03 for 3000 meters is huge and it's a time that better matches her 5k and 10k prowess. She was able to fend off Oklahoma State's Gabby Hentemann who may have had the best race of her career with a 9:04 mark. If anyone from Oklahoma State was going to challenge Logue in the longer distances, it was likely going to be Roe (who ran the mile). However, Hentemann stepped up and showed us that she deserves to be in the same conversation as these women.
Also in that Razorback Invitational 3000 meter race was Oregon's Aneta Konieczek. She ran 9:18 which is a respectable mark, but we thought that given her mile prowess and her steeplechase success, she would have run a bit faster. Still, this was actually Konieczek's season opener, so it's hard to over evaluate a rust-buster.
What a monumental win for Ole Miss star Sintayehu Vissa in the 3000 meters this past weekend! After running a 4:32 mile, almost out of nowhere, Vissa stepped up to the 3000 meters this past weekend, recording a time of 9:04 and taking down Michigan State star Jenna Magness who ran 9:05. For Vissa, this is a huge performance, not just because she ran fast and not just because she won, but because of who she beat. Taking down a superstar talent in Magness in a long distance event shows us that Vissa's 4:32 mile was no fluke and that Vissa can translate her newfound fitness into wins over major competition in off-distance events.
Texas Tech middle distance standout Marco Vilca just ran an altitude converted time of 1:48.86 for 800 meters this past weekend, a mark that currently sits at NCAA #11. That marks seems to be on par with expectations. Vilca is an established middle distance talent who has is still looking to truly breakout as a national-caliber star that we know he can be in the 800 meters.
What an incredible race at the Razorback Invitational in the 800 meters! Stanford freshman John Lester is truly the real deal. His 1:47 personal best in high school is translating to the collegiate indoor scene after he ran 1:48 this past weekend. Despite his youth, he was still able to edge an established veteran All-American in Kieran Taylor, who also ran 1:48, by just 0.03 seconds. Freshman Antonio Abrego ran 1:49 for 3rd place, although the Iowa rookie actually ran faster earlier in the season.
Keep an eye on Caden Norris. The Texas A&M freshman just ran an altitude converted 1:49 for 800 meters. He was a stud in high school and has been quietly chipping away at the 800 meters this month. Knowing the Aggies, he could be preparing for a major statement performance in the near future.
Nice run for Syracuse veteran JP Trojan. He ran 13:49 for 5000 meters at Boston University and although that won't qualify him for the indoor national meet, it does make him a name to watch throughout the course of the rest of the season.
