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Instant Reactions & Thoughts: 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships (Day Two)
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Mar 12, 2022
- 14 min read
Just like yesterday, I jotted down some notes and thoughts as these distance races unfolded. Yes, I did go back and revisit some of these bullet points when the races were over, but that's mainly because I can't type as fast as I think.
Men's Mile Finals
First off, allow me to apologize to Oregon and to Jack Yearian. When I looked at the live results yesterday, I didn't see a qualifying mark next to Yearian's name and assumed that he didn't advance to the finals. However, that's what happens when you look at the in-heat results and not the overall results. The Oregon Duck DID run in this final and I'm glad that he was there.
I honestly don't know who I was expecting to go to the front of this race, but Jonathan Davis and Mario Garcia Romo probably would have been two of my top-four guesses. They clearly wanted to control this race and they did that, implementing a VERY slow pace and controlling how this race was going to play out.
Halfway through this race and Reed Brown is in a really good spot, maybe the best spot out of anyone in this field. You can tell how experienced he is in a field like this and it's clear that he has learned to be patient and just find the right position for him.
Beadlescomb is also exerting some energy to join the top group alongside Brown, but he needs to do that in case Garcia Romo or Davis stun a sleeping field with a massive jolt of pace.
Nick Dahl is making a sudden jump to be near the front, but everyone else is also responding. Still, at least Dahl will get into a better position before some of the other guys who are reacting later.
Yearian is spending a lot of energy running in lane two. He can react to a lot of the moves from the leaders fairly easily at that spot, but he's doing a lot of work in this race. Meanwhile, teammate Reed Brown is boxed in right now, but he's going to let this race develop around him.
Gosh, Kipsang is just not reacting. I know this isn't his style of racing, but I was surprised that he didn't try to gamble and throw in a surge. I'm sure he realized that this race just wasn't evolving in his favor.
Beadlescomb makes a big move on the back straight! His "kick" looks like it's going to begin a bit further out, which makes sense for a strength-based runner like him.
Davis is faltering...or at the very least, the chase pack is swallowing him up over this last lap. Both Dahl and Beadlescomb were smart to make an early jump on getting near the front, they clearly know what their strengths are as runners.
Garcia Romo barely hangs on! He fends off a hard charge from Beadlescomb on the outside. Honestly pretty incredible that he ran this race from the front and the field let him dictate the pace. This Ole Miss veteran was clearly a title contender in this race, but he wasn't unbeatable, so I was surprised that this field, more or less, let him run how he wanted to.
Just a really solid run by Brown. He was SO patient and showed SO much poise. He just sat in the inside lane and the let the race evolve around him. The Oregon star only reacted when he had to and honestly, he probably exerted the least amount of energy in this field.
When you consider that Davis was faltering in that final lap, you have to commend him for hanging tough and salvaging a 4th place finish. And gosh, I can't help but he happy for him. He's had so many up and down results throughout his career and I'm happy that earned a high All-American finish in a season where he was clearly one of the five best milers who entered this race.
After sitting in the back of the pack for most of the race (just like his prelim), Basten quietly placed 5th overall. Outstanding job by this Drake ace who clearly believes that he's never out of a race until it's over. His 52-second split in the final 400 meters was outstanding. His finishing speed clearly paid dividends in a race that suited his strengths as a runner.
Dahl went to Yale and is now at Duke, so it shouldn't be surprising how smart he is. I think he knew that he didn't have the same speed over 100 meters that a few of these other guys did, so he made an effort to employ a strength-based kick fairly early. In fact, he did that in the prelims, too. He may have settled for 6th place, but he was right in the mix with that top group.
For the most part, a lot of these guys ran really well! Everyone knew what moves and what positions best suited them. Then, they all went out and executed. That's likely why you saw the top-six or seven men in this field finish so close to one another.
Women's Mile Finals
Chepkemei taking the lead seems somewhat unsurprising given how she handled her prelim. We still don't know a ton about her or her racing tendencies, so it's hard to say if this is really the right move for her or not.
Howell is settling in at the runner-up spot while the rest of the chase pack is fairly tight. Things are...fairly quiet and unexciting right now. That, however, is somewhat expected. No one at this point in the race wants to be the one to make a move that comes back to hurt them.
Camarena and Vissa are running on the outside lane and are trying to get into a good position where they can eventually attack. It's not necessarily a bad idea at this point in the race, but the extra running that they have to do in the outside lane is not exactly ideal from an energy conservation standpoint.
Boreman and Howell are exchanging the spot on the inside lane in 2nd place. If this race unfolds the same way like it did in the men's mile final, then whoever has that spot could replicate the result that we saw from Reed Brown.
Both Camarena and Barnett are getting anxious with two laps to go, but then again, this pace is really slow and pretty much this entire field is in this race.
UNTIL NOW. Colorado's Micaela Degenero makes a BIG move and is hitting the gas HARD. She is trying to end it all with two laps to go! This is wildly impressive, she made that move with incredible conviction.
Vissa was the first to respond to the move and Boreman is following, but Degenero is so far ahead of this field. And she looks...almost comfortable? This is really impressive stuff by the Colorado veteran. This field clearly wasn't expecting a move of that magnitude.
McArthur is moving on the back straight and her momentum is carrying Leather! These two women are rallying in this last lap and they're making up ground on Vissa.
This race was over when Degenero took to the lead. Kudos to her on the title. She wasn't a title favorite in our eyes, but seeing her get a win makes sense. On paper, her credentials mirrored what we have seen from Howell and Heymach in the past, specifically in the 1500 meters. Her experience on the national stage clearly translated to this race. I can't remember too many occasions where someone made a move with so much confidence.
I have to respect Vissa who made an honest effort to go after the leader. She took a risk going after Degenero, not knowing if she would come back to the pack, but Vissa made the second-smartest move of this race was rewarded with silver.
It's hard not to root for Leather (3rd) after she made it to the national meet last year and was clearly not ready to contend for an All-American honor. But now? She is someone who has made smart moves all year long and she had a phenomenal finish. Whatever work she did to improve, it clearly paid off.
I also have to be happy for McArthur (4th). After YEARS of failing to be an individual All-American, she finally delivered on those hopes in a season where she was not favored to do so. She showed great poise in the prelims and the finals and she masterfully utilized her middle distance speed at the end of this race. This was some of the best racing I have ever seen from McArthur.
Men's 800 Meters
Brandon Miller went straight to the front which is obviously no surprise, but Jones is putting himself in the mix and it seems like he's not really letting go of Miller. We'll get better context when we see that 400 meter split...
Oh wow...52 seconds is a little on the slower side for someone like Miller. By no means is that jogging, but I'm not going to lie, this leaves him a little vulnerable. There are a lot of great middle distance runners in this field who can cover the 400 meters if given the opportunity.
Rivera is making a move on the outside lane as he goes into the last lap. He likely senses that Miller is within striking distance and wants to go after him. He's going a little early, but it's not a ridiculous gamble...
I can't tell who I'm more impressed by right now. Miller for holding off this field? Or this field for continuing to make things interesting on this final lap?
Miller is just too good. Even in a race where he left himself somewhat vulnerable, he still managed to hang on. That was a big opportunity for this field to go after Miller, and Jones did try to make a move, but there is just way too much strength in the Texas A&M star for him to lose. Not the prettiest race, but that doesn't matter when you win a national title.
We also have to mention the great positioning from Texas' Yusuf Bizimana after 400 meters. He was guaranteed to run well in this race as long as he got a great spot like he usually does and that was exactly what happened. He had a slow start to his season, but he peaked when it matted the most and his national meet experience clearly helped him in this field.
Moad Zahafi apparently fell at one point in this race, although I'm not sure how. He wasn't in my immediate focus during the second-half of the race, but I'm sure it's a bit of a bummer for him to not score points.
Crorken and Johnson weren't the stars that the top-four finishers were, but they ran well all things considered. Johnson wasn't a national-caliber talent coming into this season and Crorken was one of the last seeds in this field. They both beat expectations in their own unique ways.
Women's 800 Meters
Wow, Sarah Hendrick is out pretty hard.
Oh man, Hendrick is out REALLY hard!
Splitting 56 seconds through the first 400 meters tells me one thing: She's trying to pull off the Aaliyah Miller plan of attack. Hendrick wants to leave the field in a position where no one will risk trying to chase her. This is risky, but if it works...
Maloney isn't chasing, but it may not matter. Hendrick is beginning to slow down and this field is catching up to her. Butler and Seymour are the ones who are making moves to go after Hendrick and it looks like they'll get her.
Sure enough, it looks like Butler and Seymour caught Hendrick and they aren't slowing down now. As much as I loved that move from Hendrick, it's hard to trick a national-caliber field with a move that they've seen before. Last year's field clearly wasn't expecting this, but Butler and Seymour were clearly able to recognize what was happening
Gosh, Butler looks strong. She didn't just catch Hendrick, but she's now working to out-run Seymour who also looks like an entirely new runner. It's going to be the Virginia Tech star with the win while Seymour settles for runner-up.
What is there to say about Butler that hasn't already been said? She was incredible this year. She wasn't intimidated by a heavy pace and she used her mile strength to thrive in a setting that suited her middle distance prowess.
Claire Seymour was just outstanding in the prelims and in the finals. Her poise and confidence when racing was so impressive. She made her moves with conviction and looked super comfortable when racing near the front. Yet again, she peaked for the postseason.
Villanova's McKenna Keegan finished 3rd place overall, proving that experience in this race makes a massive difference. I want to say more about her performance, but with the camera focused on Hendrick and her pursuers, it's hard to say anything more about this field.
Rough weekend for Maloney. She came into this weekend as one of the most consistent and most reliable middle distance runners in the country. However, she faltered in the prelims and did so again in the finals (6th). Not sure what was going on there, but everyone is human and these things happen.
I wasn't super high on Tobias (4th) or Johnson (5th) coming into this meet, but they ran very well and validated a lot of past performances on their resumes. They give off a lot of "2021 Claire Seymour" vibes.
Men's 3000 Meters
Huh...how about this? Kiptoo is hanging back in this field and is being VERY conservative. Shockingly conservative. He's near the back of this pack. Instead, it's Kemboi and Lopez Segura leading which is surprising. I wouldn't necessarily encourage Kiptoo to use the same tactics that he used last night in the 5k, but if he did, then they would at least make more sense in this 3k race.
Nuguse is patiently stalking the leaders. He's in a good spot, but I imagine that the rest of this field is eyeing this Notre Dame veteran as he responds to the moves being made up front.
Interesting to see the NAU guys hanging back early-on, although Nur is slowly inching his way up. I'll be curious to see how his double from the 5k impacts him later in this race.
This is a very crowded field, and literally as I'm typing that, Nico Young goes down! Whoa! He was sitting back in the pack, but he was still a factor in this race. It looks like he's trying to rally, and I think he can still salvage points, but that fall may make him less of a factor in this race.
And of course, shortly after that happened, Wesley Kiptoo, who barely missed being a part of that madness, says "enough of that" and now immediately bolts to the lead!
Wow! Was this just a reactionary move to Young falling? That was a massive surge and he really fought to get into the lead. I have no idea what his original plan was, but it seems like Young's trip motivated him to get to the front.
But of course, as I'm saying that, Kemboi now takes over and Nuguse is just responding as he needs to.
And now the entire pack is responding! And Kiptoo is falling back again! Nur makes a move, but now Herrera opts to make things honest! Lopez Segura is suddenly in the lead, but now Kemboi takes it back!
WHAT IS HAPPENING?!
Washington State's Colton Johnsen is quietly putting himself in the mix. His versatility should allow him to respond to some of these moves, but gosh, this race is pretty erratic.
Nur tries to make a BIG move, but Kemboi completely denies him! This is wild! Kemboi wants to be the one to take the lead and control this race in the last lap. Really gutsy stuff by Kemboi, I like that he isn't shying away from one of the title favorites.
Now Nur overtakes Kemboi and is cranking up the pace. Someone needs to get on Nur immediately or else this race for the title may be over.
Eduardo Herrera is responding incredibly well and he looks like he's going to be a major factor in this last lap...but I honestly can't help but think that his past postseason struggles may somehow play a role here.
Nuguse is also running well in this race, but he's running on outside and has been expending a lot of energy trying to react to the right moves.
Herrera is trying to make a move to the lead but Nur won't let him in!
Now Lopez Segura is in the mix!
Wow. Just outstanding racing from Nur. The two-time national champion made decisive moves this weekend and showed us a convincing level of dominance. Few men in the NCAA have better control of their fitness than Nur does.
Charles Hicks, where on Earth did that kick come from? He quietly moved up in the second-half of this race and executed his game plan beautifully. I just didn't realize that he had that kind of a kick in him, that was impressive.
Hacker is another guy who quietly bided his time and let the field come to him. If he was maybe in a better position, he could have made the title race a bit closer, but his speed at the end of this race was great and his veteran poise was on full display as he worked his way from last place to nearly into the lead.
Yared Nuguse falters out of an All-American spot. He was smart to sit near the leaders and respond to the moves that were being made in front of him. Typically, that plan works out in longer distance races. Just ask Courtney Wayment. However, there were so many lead changes and so many crazy moves that it likely became too much for Nuguse was at the front responding to the numerous surges as they happened.
Young salvages a 7th place finish after falling, proving something that we already knew: This guy has major guts. Yet, unbelievably, I don't think this weekend presented an opportunity for us to learn anything new about Young's tactical prowess, his kick or his leg speed in general.
Lost in all of this is the fact that Amon Kemboi, yet again, was able to earn another All-American finish, this time finishing runner-up. He was just so good in this race despite using so much energy to fend off Nur and a handful of other guys in this field. The fact that he still got silver after all of that is wildly impressive.
Not much more to say, but I'm happy for Herrera. His 5th place finish finally shook off any postseason concerns we should have about him. He put himself in the mix during the last lap and looked like a true contender. Well done for a guy who is plenty deserving of this All-American honor.
Women's 3000 Meters
Kentucky's Tori Herman and Georgia Tech's Nicole Fegans have been at the front for over two minutes into this race. Tuohy is staying close by while both Gregory and Wayment are showing tremendous poise and a lack of urgency.
Chelangat's move to the front now has suddenly ramped up the pace to something a bit more honest and Lauren Ryan is responding to the move. But what is going to happen here for Chelangat? Is she going to alter the pace again? What will be the goal of doing so? I'm still trying to figure out her tactics from last night.
Gosh, there's been a lot of movement, but nothing is really happening. Herman is still in it, Wayment is just shadowing the leaders and Roe has now suddenly decided that she wants to be part of this race.
Wow, with Herman now in the lead (which she took over from Chelangat) the pace has slowed down quite a bit. The entire field is in this race! Again, I'm a bit confused as to what Chelangat's goal was...
WOW! Big move by Roe! Lauren Ryan is trying to follow, but man, Roe has really opened up a sizable lead. It also feels like she's trying to replicate Degenero's tactical decision to just get ahead when this field wasn’t expecting it. And right now, this field was definitely caught off guard.
Wayment is trying to follow by taking a big surge, but it feels like this gap that Roe has built has been untouched. Wayment and Gregory are responding appropriately, but they aren't making much of a dent. If anyone in this field was going to close this gap, I figured it would be Wayment, mainly because a strength-based move suits her talents as a distance runner.
Tuohy is suddenly making a big move and is going after Roe! I absolutely love this lack of fear from the NC State phenom.
Wayment is fading and Gregory is trying to follow Tuohy as they chase Roe. This is pretty unbelievable, this isn't at all how I saw this race unfolding.
Tuohy and Gregory are closing the gap, but Roe can feel the pressure!
ROE HOLDS OFF TUOHY.
ROE WINS.
WOW.
Alright, let's dissect this race...
We said on the Blue Oval Podcast that Roe could legitimately win the national title. She was on a tear this year and her momentum coming into this race was some of the best in the nation. Her mile speed also made her a major weapon. However, it was actually her raw endurance and her confidence to make a move that got her gold. Props to Roe for one of the most impressive races of the day.
I already said this, but Katelyn Tuohy runs with zero fear. She has evolved into the elite talent that many of us were hoping she would become. Her speed was sneaky-good and I was so impressed by her relentlessness.
I'm sure Gregory and Wayment wanted more, but you have to give them kudos. They ran smart races and were simply unlucky when it came to Roe making a sudden move. They both still finished as top All-Americans and have a lot to be proud of from this weekend.
Outside of Tuohy, the NC State women also had Bush (6th) and Chmiel (7th) finish as All-Americans. Gosh, the Wolfpack women were so good this winter...
Tough outing for Chelangat and Mackay. I'm not entirely sure what Chelangat's strategy was and Mackay made a fairly aggressive move right before Roe opened this race. That was just unlucky in my eyes.
The women's distance races were incredible this year. I enjoyed these battles a lot.
