The Weekend Review (4/9/17)

Rafer/JJK Invite

1500

One of the fastest races of the weekend happened at UCLA and it’s surprising we’re not hearing more about it.

UCLA sophomore Arturo Sotomayor has begun to find his rhythm as he locked down a huge victory over teammate Austin O’Neil and national championship qualifier Matt Dorsey (Air Force).

Sotomayor took the win in a time of 3:42.60 and was closely followed by O’Neil who ran 3:42.86. This UCLA program is looking like a legitimate threat at nearly every distance. They’re a deep program and have displayed that depth in just the first few weeks of competition.

Despite finishing third, Matt Dorsey still had a very solid and respectable race. The Air Force senior ran his second fastest 1500 ever in a time of 3:43.48. Don’t forget about Dorsey when the post-season comes around. He was overlooked last spring and ended up qualifying for nationals.

Baylor Invite

800

Arkansas sophomore Carlton Orange made his season debut with a strong time of 1:48.28 which was over three seconds ahead of the second place finisher. This is a nice start for the Razorback who should be able to drop more time as the season progresses.

UC Irvine Spring Break Collegiate Classic

800

Sophomore Isaiah Jewett (UC Irvine) took the W on his home track with a time of 1:49.14.

1500

Keagan Smith is a name to keep an eye out for. The West Point freshman was able to get a win over NAU’s Nathan Weitz with a time of 3:48. The future looks bright for Smith.

The Big Meet (Stanford vs Cal)

1500

There were plenty of impressive performances to mention, but none may be more significant than Stanford’s Grant Fisher returning to action! After an injury kept him out for the entire winter season, Fisher made his return to the track and grabbed a win over Cal’s Thomas Joyce, 3:46.18 to 3:46.79.

3000

California’s Robert Brandt out-ran Stanford’s Garrett Sweatt and Jack Keelan in a winning time of 8:07.

Jim Click Shootout

800

Iowa’s Carter Lilly was the heavy favorite to win entering this meet, but he ended up in second as Wisconsin sophomore Eric Brown took the win with a 1:49.14. Lilly was 1:49.82.

Tennessee Relays

800

After a monster anchor leg in the DMR at indoor nationals this past winter, Vincent Ciattei is continuing to impress. The Virginia Tech senior edged out Ohio State’s Jared Fleming for the win with a time of 1:49.62. Fleming crossed the line in 1:49.68.

Georgia Tech’s Andres Littig had a bit of an off day by placing third with a time of 1:50.94. Jake Burton (FSU) was our original pick to win when you consider his 1:47 PR, but he struggled this weekend and finished fourth overall with a time of 1:50.98.

1500

It was one of the more exciting races of the weekend, as the field was packed with top talent from Indiana, Virginia Tech, and MTSU.

Indoor 800 silver medalist Drew Piazza (VT) moved up in distance and earned the win over fellow All-American teammate Neil Gourley with a time of 3:43! Gourley settled for second with a time of 3:44.

Sampson Laari (MTSU) ended up in third with a time of 3:45. It seems as though Gourley was able to get some vengeance over Laari after placing a spot behind him at the indoor NCAA mile this past winter.

Tennessee sophomore Zach Long was a nice surprise in fourth place after finishing with a time of 3:46. Joseph Murphy (Indiana) rounded out the top five, also with a time of 3:46.

5000

Redshirt freshman Jack Joyce (Virginia Tech) secured the third distance victory for the Hokies with a strong time of 14:22. He beat out Asics athlete Mark Leininger (14:23) and UNC’s Logan Carroll (14:24) in the process.

Colorado Invite

1500

The Colorado mile trio took advantage of the altitude conversions once again as Perrin, Saarel, and Klecker ran an impressive 1, 2, 3. Perrin’s winning time of 3:47 earned a nice converted time of 3:42 (NCAA #4). Saarel’s time (3:49) converted to a 3:43 (NCAA #16), and Klecker’s time (3:50) converted to a 3:44 (NCAA #28).

Whether or not you believe those conversions are correct, running those times at 5400 feet is still very impressive.

Crimson Tide Invitational

800

Former Alabama 800 runner (now pro) Alex Amankwah took the victory in a time of 1:47 and was able to pace Shorter’s Dejon Devroe (division two) to a PR of 1:49 flat.

Missouri’s Cain Winebrenner was third overall in a time of 1:49.95

1500

Robbie Farnham-Rose, the reliable Alabama miler, was able to out run Edwin Kibichiy (Louisville) for the win with a time of 3:45.25. Kibichiy was runner-up in a time of 3:46.56

George Mason Spring Invite

1500

In a race led by professionals Cory Leslie and Will Crocker, the top collegiates all came from Georgetown. The Hoya trio of Amos Bartelsmeyer, Scott Carpenter, and Darren Fahy were all able to cross the time in 3:45.

The Georgetown program just sent a message to the NCAA. They may have lost Ahmed Bile, but they aren’t afraid to flex their mid-distance strength.

The next two collegians to cross the line was the William & Mary duo of Ryan McGorty and David Barney, each running 3:46 and 3:47 respectively. It seems rather obvious that Solinsky is gearing these two towards a sub four-minute mile (or 1500 equivalent). They’re making progress, but they may not get close until the end of the season.

3000 Steeple

Khalil Rmidi-Kinini of Maryland Eastern Shore cruised to an easy with a time of 9:02.

Houston Alumni Invite

3000 Steeple

Emmanuel Rotich (Tulane) locked down the win in a virtually uncontested time of 8:56.

38th Sun Angel Classic

800: REGULAR

Senior Kain Ellis of Kansas State was able to edge out conference rival Bryce Hoppel, a freshman from Kansas. Ellis finished first with a time of 1:49.73 while Hoppel was second in 1:49.94.

800: PREMIERE Donavan Brazier may have gone pro, but his races are still creating fast times for everyone around him. He did it a week ago for Michael Saruni and he did it again for a field of talented southern school half-milers.

Texas Tech junior Charles Jones was the top collegiate as he tailed Brazier for the entire race. Brazier’s 1:44 helped Jones earn a huge personal best of 1:46.70, a time that currently places him at 5th in the NCAA standings.

Texas A&M freshman Devin Dixon earned a big PR for himself as he ran 1:47.01 (NCAA #7). He was closely followed by Iowa State’s Jaymes Dennison who ran 1:47.63 (NCAA #9) in his first time ever running the event (according to TFRRS).

Vincent Crisp, Charles Jones' teammate, was the next finisher in 1:47.66 (NCAA #10). He was followed by Iowa State freshman Roshon Roomes who ran an NCAA #11 time of 1:47.69. And just like Dennison, Roomes has never run this event before.

It seems as though Brazier deserves a few thank you cards from everyone in this race.

Mile

BYU’s Chase Horrocks may not get the attention that the longer-distance guys on his team do, but he is still recording impressive wins. Horrocks was the top finisher in this race with a time of 4:02, over two seconds ahead of the next finisher.

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