2017 VIRGINIA CHALLENGE ENTRIES 800 Florida Relays part two? It sure looks that way when you see all of the names entered in this event. Drew Piazza and Isaiah Harris will headline the field as Piazza looks to build on his runner-up finish at indoor nationals. On the flip side, Harris is coming off of a huge 1:45 Florida Relays win and is currently number one in the nation. Both men have an equally good chance of taking home the win. You might as well flip a coin to predict the winner. Andres Arroyo will thrive in this field as he is typically able hold his own among the elites of the half-mile. The same goes for Robert Heppenstall who will most likely run another really solid time, but go unnoticed in a field crowded with talent. Patrick Joseph is a difficult prediction for me. He ran 1:46 indoors and was the ACC champion in this event. Unfortunately, a nasty fall in the prelims at indoor nationals kept him out of the All-American conversation. I like to think that he’s hungry for a rebound race, but I’m not sure if he still has that magic we saw at ACC’s. Penn State frosh Dom Perretta will most likely battle Hampton, Schnulle, and Sauer for the next few spots. I see Sauer winning his heat and putting himself in the top eight for this event overall. 1. Drew Piazza (Virginia Tech) 2. Isaiah Harris (Penn State) 3. Andres Arroyo (Florida) 4. Robert Heppenstall (Wake Forest) 5. Patrick Joseph (Virginia Tech) 6. Domenic Perretta (Penn State) 7. Jeramey Hampton (Georgia) 8. Alek Sauer (Columbia) 1500 Finally! Justyn Knight is set to make his season debut with a 1500. Knight was runner-up in this event at the same meet last year and was the champion during his freshman year (where he lost one of his spikes halfway through the race). Knight should get the win, but it certainly wont be easy as he’ll have to face three elite milers in James Randon (3:58, Outdoor All-American), Neil Gourley (3:41, Indoor All-American), and Henry Wynne (2016 Indoor NCAA Mile Champ). Wynne is coming off an indoor season where he struggled and failed to make nationals. This race will be a defining moment in Wynne’s career as he looks like to position himself as an NCAA contender for the 2017 season. After the top four, I’m predicting that we will see some of our young talent step up and make some noise. I am a big fan of Florida’s Jack Guyton and he was one of the names to watch in our Under The Radar Underclassmen article. Meanwhile, Ryan Adams is a legitimate threat in this race and is someone who has run 3:42 earlier this season. Most would have him higher, but there’s simply just not enough room at the top for him in my opinion. Hopefully he proves me wrong. Kiprotch and Napolitano are consistent winners and neither have had a bad race so far this season. They are both great tactical racers and should be fit enough to finish in the top eight against this loaded field. 1. Justyn Knight (Syracuse) 2. James Randon (Yale) 3. Neil Gourley (Virginia Tech) 4. Henry Wynne (Virginia) 5. Jack Guyton (Florida) 6. Ryan Adams (Furman) 7. Justine Kiprotich (Michigan State) 8. Rob Napolitano (Columbia) 3000 Steeple We have yet to see a steeplechaser run under 8:40 this season and I’m not sure this will be the race for it either. Motschmann will be the favorite entering this race, but he will not be let off the hook easily. Jaskowak had himself an incredibly underrated indoor season and Aidan Tooker could be the next great collegiate steeplechaser. Former Virginia Cavalier and current Syracuse Orangeman Adam Visokay is an accomplished and experienced senior who owns a personal best of 8:43 in this event, but that was run during the outdoor season of his sophomore year. I expect him to hold his own in this race, but I’m not expecting a personal best. That said, wouldn’t it be cool if Visokay got the win on Virginia’s track after he left there to go to Syracuse? Others like Myjer and Benoit will look to flex their veteran status while Nohilly and Novak will look to show that young guys can succeed in this difficult event. 1. Johannes Motschmann (Iona) 2. Daniel Jaskowak (Virginia Tech) 3. Aidan Tooker (Syracuse) 4. Adam Visokay (Virginia) 5. Aubrey Myjer (Columbia) 6. Eion Nohilly (Georgetown) 7. Max Benoit (Michigan State) 8. Matthew Novak (Virginia) 5000 The clear favorite in this field is George Parsons who is one of the more underrated individuals in the distance events. After running a big personal bests of 3:44 and 28:43, Parsons is arguably in the best shape of his collegiate career and I don’t see a scenario where he loses. Philo Germano is coming off of a long indoor season of being injured. Watch for him to have a big rebound race. As for teammate Colin Bennie, he is a strong runner but doesn’t seem to be at the point of fitness we saw during his sophomore year. Just like Parsons, Kirui is coming off of a sub-29 minute 10k at Stanford and is set to unleash a strong 5k performance. Meanwhile, Erik Rotich had the best season debut of his career with a time of 14:08 at Raleigh Relays. The last few mentions should go to the Virginia men who had an absolute killer showing at the Raleigh Relays in the 5k and 10k. I’m also a big fan of Brent Demarest who is poised to be the face of the UVA program for the next few years. 1. George Parsons (NC State) 2. Philo Germano (Syracuse) 3. Brent Demarest (Virginia) 4. Gilbert Kirui (Iona) 5. Colin Bennie (Syracuse) 6. Thomas Madden (Virginia) 7. Erik Rotich (Eastern Kentucky) 8. Lachlan Cook (Virginia) 10,000 Admittedly, this field isn’t too exciting, but there is some underrated talent that could breakout and catch some attention. The Georgia duo has been looking very strong as of late with Kamau earning wins in the 1500/mile while Vaughn is coming off two personal bests in the 1500 and 5000. If they work together, I think they could definitely go 1-2. Alex Corbett has started to find his groove at Virginia and his teammates have been strong in the longer distances. He may be young, but I see him fighting for the Georgia men for the win. Stalnaker and Stroede may not come from a Power Five conference or train with a powerhouse distance program, but they’ve been consistent and very solid over the past few seasons. The last few spots are a toss up as there are so many other guys who could step and finish within the top eight. 1. Sid Vaughn (Georgia) 2. Bryan Kamau (Georgia) 3. Alex Corbett (Virginia) 4. Lucas Stalnaker (Navy) 5. Bryce Stroede (Oakland) 6. Ari Klau (Iona) 7. Daniel Rau (Virginia Tech) 8. Harry Earl (Eastern Kentucky) #ncaa #gzatlin #predictions #preview #VirginiaChallenge

This past weekend, we saw Josh Kerr run one of the fastest 1500’s ever. His 3:35.99 was good enough to defeat some of the best athletes the nation has to offer. The indoor mile champion has now validated his national title win over Ches and will enter the National Championships in June with a target on his back. At the moment, he is the heavy favorite to win the 1500 national title...right? Kerr may own the 6th fastest NCAA 1500 ever, but based on the past few years of competition, we shouldn’t claim him as the NCAA champion just yet. Let’s take a look at the 10 fastest NCAA 1500 runners of All-Time. Out of the names you see above, four of them didn’t even win the national championship the year they ran a top 10 time. Essentially, there’s a 44% chance Kerr could fail to win the national title. Sure, that’s a bit of a stretch. The sample size we're working with is only nine athletes which is rather small from a statistics point of view. That said, check out the five names highlighted in yellow. Of those five names, four of them ran a top 10 at the actual NCAA championships. If Josh Kerr were to win the NCAA title in June, he would join Falcon as the only two athletes to run a top 10 time AND win the 1500 national title in two separate meets. Simply put, it would be very rare if Josh Kerr won the 1500 national title this year in a time slower than his 3:35.99. Still not sold? Let’s take a look at the past seven seasons of 1500's at the NCAA championships… Of the past eight 1500 title winners, six of them didn’t even have the fastest time in the NCAA! Ironically, the two guys who did win the national title that year aren’t among the top ten 1500 runners of all time… To make things even more interesting, in the 95-year history of the outdoor NCAA 1500/mile, only two freshmen (including redshirts) have ever won the national title in this event. Those two freshmen were Leo Manzano (2005) and German Fernandez (2009). Could things change? Absolutely. Cheserek seems to be flirting with the idea that he could run the 1500 record later this season. If he were to accomplish that goal, then the focus of this article would quite obviously shift to from Kerr to Eddy Ches. *Lawi Lalang did not run the 1500 at the 2013 National Championships #joshkerr #gzatlin #ncaa #digits

It was an exciting weekend of action with many big-time performances all over the country. Invites like Bryan Clay and Mnt. SAC headlined the weekend and gave us a lot to review and analyze. Yet, despite so many notable and telling performances, there are still questions that we as fans need answered. Let’s take a look at a few of those questions… Why did Cheserek not run at Bryan Clay? Could he have beaten Kerr? There was plenty of skepticism about the validity of Kerr’s indoor national title over Cheserek as most spectators and fans assumed that Kerr simply had a better kick and was lucky the race got tactical. Of course, those assumptions were put to rest this past weekend as Kerr ripped open a 3:35 to show the doubters and skeptics that he was just as fit as anyone in the NCAA. Nonetheless, there is still plenty of curiosity regarding how fast the race could’ve been had Cheserek competed. Could Ches and/or Kerr have hit the NCAA record? Who would’ve won in all-out effort? Those questions remain unclear when you consider how fast Kerr just ran. But the biggest question remaining for me is why did the Oregon coaches decide not to run Cheserek this past weekend? Is there an injury we don’t know about? Did they not think he could beat Kerr? Did they simply not want to race him and leave people like me asking these ridiculous questions? I like to think all of those are possibilities. Can we call Haney’s 3:42 a comeback? After failing to become an All-American at last year’s outdoor championships, Haney’s cross country season became virtually nonexistent as he raced in two small invitationals and then never raced again for the entire fall season. Come indoors and things still weren’t looking great for Haney who recorded modest times of 4:09 and 8:12. He had three “No Time” results throughout the regular season, but was able to help his Oregon teammates place 4th in the DMR at nationals. The transition to the spring season was intended to be better, but as fate would have it, Haney tripped in the final lap of the 1500 at Stanford and had to settle for yet another “No Time” result. Now, after nearly a year of struggling results, the Oregon junior finally had a solid performance and ran a strong time of 3:42 at Bryan Clay. But does this one race mean that he’s officially “back”? Call me a pessimist, but I’m not completely sold on one race being the sole indicator of someone’s consistency and momentum as we head into the later portion of the season. I’d like to see Haney improve on that 3:42 and get closer to his PR of 3:40. A higher finish would help his case as well. Regardless of what he does in the coming weeks, I think we can all agree that this race is a huge positive for Haney and Oregon. In a Flotrack interview, Engels explains that he’d like to pursue the 1500 at NCAA’s. Is that the right choice? This past indoor season, a broken collarbone delayed the start of Engels’ competition and it eventually led to him barely getting into nationals and struggling in his 800 preliminary (although he was on the winning DMR). Fast forward to now and Engels is on fire after running 1:46 at Florida Relays and then coming back to run 3:37 this past weekend at Bryan Clay. With two quick times so far this season, it begs the question of which event he should pursue at NCAA’s. Most would be quick to say that his 3:37 puts him in the national championship conversation and I would agree with that. He’s willing to take out the pace hard (as evident by his performance at Bryan Clay) and has the speed to kick in a tactical race. Still, we have to consider that Engels rarely runs the 1500 and is much more experienced in the 800. Qualifying for last year's NCAA 1500 came with multiple surprises proving that a lot can happen in multiple rounds of the 1500. The 800, at least for the past few years, has been pretty consistent in regards to the talent it sends to nationals. Is there a favorite to win the steeplechase at nationals? And why has no one broken 8:40 yet? Last year, everyone saw and assumed Mason Ferlic would be the NCAA steeplechase champion…and they were right. He was simply that dominant. But now we are in a state of uncertainty when it comes to who the favorite may be for the NCAA title. So far this season, no one has yet to truly separate themselves from the rest of the NCAA. MJ Erb is a personal favorite of mine. He impressed me during this past indoor season and has proven to be one of the more experienced guys in the NCAA. Then there is Furman’s Troy Reeder who unleashed a time of 8:40 at the Stanford Invite and has held the number one spot in the NCAA since then. Others like Edwin Kibichiy, Bailey Roth, and Jakob Abrahamsen are all potential candidates to take the title, but have yet to display anything that really sets them apart from other steeplechasers in the NCAA. But how does this season stack up to other seasons in the steeple? According to TFRRS, in the last eight years, only 2011 did not have a sub 8:40 steeplechaser by this point in the season. Is it a slow year for the steeplechase in 2017? For the front-runners it apparently is. Could Vincent Kiprop transfer after this season? At Mnt. SAC, we saw division two star Vincent Kiprop (Missouri Southern) crush the 10k field and bring home the win in a time of 28:19. The next closest time in the current division two NCAA standings comes from James Ngandu (Tiffin) at 29:50. It seems pretty clear that Kiprop is the favorite to win another national title…as a sophomore. With so much potential and dominance at such an early age, it’s not crazy to think that he could transfer to a division one program for his last two years of eligibility. We’ve seen guys like Alfred Chelanga and Dylan Lafond do well at the division one level and it would make a lot of sense if that’s the route Kiprop decided to take. But where would he go? If I had to guess, it would be Arkansas or Alabama. Both are competitive southern programs that would be relatively close to where he is now. With both programs losing some of their best seniors, there would be plenty of room (and scholarship money) for another talented distance star in their program. Keep in mind that this is far from fact. Only a thought/prediction for the future. Should we be concerned about Jonah Koech? During his freshman year at UTEP, Jonah Koech was a star who continually improved and beat some of the most talented runners in the nation. It seemed as though he would be the face of UTEP distance running for years to come. Unfortunately, his sophomore year has not been as exciting. In cross country, he had a terrible day at nationals finishing 122nd overall. During indoors, he failed to make the NCAA mile final and eventually got burned on the 1200 leg of UTEP’s DMR (where they finished second to last). This spring season isn’t looking much better after running a 4:03 for 6th place at the Texas Relays and then barely breaking 1:50 (1:49.99) this past weekend at Jim Busch. And for those who argue that time isn’t as important as wins, I would be quick to point out that Jonah Koech secured a total of nine individual wins during all three seasons of his freshman year. With five(ish) weeks left to go in his sophomore year, Koech only has two. He could run and win one event per week for the rest of the season and STILL not have as many as he did last year. The clock is ticking for Koech to run a faster time and secure his spot at regionals. Will he do it? Yes, I think so. But can he make it to nationals and be competitive? That’s a question I wouldn’t be too thrilled about answering… #questions #ncaa #gzatlin #cheserek #bryanclay #mntsac

Mnt. SAC 800: REGULAR Isaiah Jewett (UC Irvine) earned himself a big PR of 1:48.43 to win the non-invite section over Brennan Munley (Michigan). Munley recorded a time of 1:48.71 which is just a touch off his personal best of 1:48.24. Matt Molinaro (Ohio Northern) is continuing his strong start to the season with another sub-1:50 effort of 1:49.30 to finish as the third collegiate overall. 800: INVITE The star of the show was Clayton Murphy and rightfully so as he ran a monstrous time of 1:43. However, it was easy to overlook the second place finisher, Eliud Rutto (MTSU) who ran an outstanding 1:45.70 to put himself at #2 in the current NCAA standings. After failing to make the NCAA final this past indoor season, Rutto is clearly attempting to show that he is still one of the best athletes in the nation. The next collegiate finisher was LSU’s Blair Henderson who had a decent, but unexciting time of 1:47. Henderson is definitely one of the more established half-milers in the NCAA, but at the same time he has never run under 1:47 before. The 800 is more competitive than ever this year and if Henderson wants to repeat as an All-American, he’ll need to get under that time. The next two to cross the line were Carter Lilly (Iowa) and Sampspn Laari (MTSU), each running times of 1:47. This is a step in the right direction for both of these guys who have had slow starts to their outdoor season, but are steadily improving (especially Lilly). The last collegiate finisher was Robert Ford (USC), who struggled for the second week in a row with an underwhelming time of 1:49.62. There is still time for Ford to run something fast, but the window is closing for him to start gaining momentum and confidence. 1500: REGULAR Sergio Miranda of Lewis (division two) was the top finisher in this section with a very solid time of 3:46. He was able to edge out Hillary Rono (MTSU) who also ran a time of 3:46. Wyatt Diderickson (Idaho State) and Ben Hill (Michigan) both ran 3:46 as well. 1500: INVITE Whatever training Southern Utah has been doing, it is working. After a solo effort of 13:39 at Stanford, Mike Tate dropped down in distance and clicked off a 3:44 to finish as the top collegian in this race. Just after Tate was teammate Kasey Knevelbaard who also ran 3:44 to finish as the next best collegian in the race. How did the Thunderbirds all of the sudden become one of the best distance programs in the nation? These guys seem to have really solid range and are at the top of the NCAA leaderboards while also recording wins. Keep an eye out for more top-tier performances. Matt Dorsey (Air Force) continues to show off his consistency and fitness by running another solid 1500 time of 3:44 to finish as the third collegian in this race. He may not be winning races, but he’s staying competitive and finishing towards the top of the results. I wouldn’t be surprised if he qualified for nationals again. Other notable performances include Ned Willig (Michigan) and Sampson Laari (MTSU) running 3:45 and 3:46 respectively. I’m sure these two both wanted something a bit faster, but there is still time for these NCAA indoor qualifiers to make some more noise. Look for Willig to attempt a fast 800 in the near future. 3000 Steeple: REGULAR An impressive total of 13 individuals dipped under the nine-minute mark in this section with Emmanuel Rotich (Tulane) leading the way in a time of 8:48. It was his first steeplechase race ever. Yusuke Uchikoshi (Boise State) and BYU frosh Clayson Shumway both ran 8:48’s as well, one heat earlier than Rotich. That time is a big result for both of these guys who are looking to put themselves into the national qualifying conversation in what is currently a wide-open steeplechase field. 3000 Steeple: INVITE Former NCAA steeplechase champion and UTEP alumni Anthony Rotich led the way for an elite field of collegiate distance runners. Rotich got the win in 8:39 and was closely followed by MJ Erb (Ole Miss) who had a strong showing in 8:41 (NCAA#2). Erb is one of the names currently in the national title conversation for the steeplechase and he is one of my personal favorites. The next few spots were decided by a barrage of kicks. Illinois’ Dylan Lafond had an outstanding race as he finished in a time of 8:42. Overall, Lafond has been very quiet this year in terms of performances and needed a race like this to boost his confidence. Texas Tech’s Benard Keter was the third collegiate finisher with a time of 8:43 while Fink was the next guy through in 8:44. Neither of these two have walked away from nationals as All-Americans. Could this finally be the year that one of them does it? I sure hope so, especially for someone like Fink who has been the leader of an underrated Eastern Michigan team for so long. Geoffry Cheruiyot (MTSU) and Connor Mora (Michigan) also dipped under the 8:50 mark with each athlete recording times of 8:48. Freshman Kale Adams (Adams State) was the last finisher under 8:50 with a time of 8:49. 5000: REGULAR Kigen Chemadi was just another contributor to the Middle Tennessee dominance as he placed first in his section with a respectable time of 13:56. He was able to defeat fellow sophomore Daniel Carney (BYU) who crossed the line in 14:01.24. Garrett Migliozzi (Cal Poly) was the next collegiate in 14:01.91 while redshirt freshman Caleb Webb (Portland) was 14:01.99. 5000: INVITE In one of the more exciting races of the weekend, Marc Scott battled with 2016 Mnt. SAC champion Sydney Gidabuday in a final-lap showdown. Of course, the King of Kicks (Scott) was able to unleash an all-out sprint in the final 200 meters to pull away from the field and earn the victory in an NCAA #2 time of 13:37. Jack Bruce (Arkansas) was the next finisher with a huge personal best 13:38 (NCAA #3). The once inconsistent Razorback has now become one of the more reliable runners in the NCAA. The man is consistently improving and earning strong finishes. Could he be an All-American in June? All signs point to yes… Colby Gilbert (Washington) was less than a stride behind Bruce as he also finished in a time of 13:38. It’s a nice rebound for Gilbert who had some struggles at nationals in this event. Gidabuday, the division two Adams State star, was fourth overall in a very respectable time of 13:39 which is now a D2 NCAA lead. Dillon Maggard (Utah State) was a pleasant surprise in fifth place as he ran 13:41 for a 27 second personal best. Maggard is typically considered a miler, but he may want to consider switching his focus after a performance like this. After this top five is when things get interesting. Daniel De La Torre (UCLA), James Ngandu (Tiffin), and Grant Fischer (Colorado State) all hit the 13:46 mark to establish themselves among the top 10 in the NCAA standings. Ngandu is currently #2 in the D2 standings (behind Gidabuday). And how about the freshmen this year? Amon Kemboi (Campbell) and Jonathan Davis (Illinois) ran blistering times of 13:47 and 13:49 (respectively) which compliments their personal bests in the shorter races as well. Is it just me or are the freshman getting faster with each passing year? In the end, a total of 19 individuals broke the 14-minute barrier. 10,000: INVITE Despite there being three different race sections, it was the invite race that deserves all of our attention. Division two multi-national champion Vincent Kiprop (Missouri Southern) absolutely dominated the field with a time of 28:19 which would be a NCAA #4 in division one. And the twist (because there’s always a twist) is that this kid is only a sophomore! Talk about talent. Of course, it’s very possible that Kiprop transfers to a division one program after this year. He’s talented enough to get a full-ride somewhere. He could even follow Alfred Chelanga to Alabama. The Crimson Tide do lose Antibahs Kosgei and Robbie Farnham-Rose at the end of this season. With those two gone, there would be plenty of room (and need) for a distance talent like Kiprop... MTSU freshman Jacob Choge was the next best collegiate and top division one finisher in a very strong time of 28:42. Choge has been trying out different distances over the past few seasons and it seems like the 10k may be the best event he’s tried so far. It makes sense that he does better in the longer distances especially when you consider that his brother, Augustine Choge, is a two-time world champion medalist in the 3000 and owns a personal best of 12:53 in the 5k. Amon Terer (Campebll) and Rory Linkletter (BYU) were the last collegiates under 29-minutes with each athlete running 28:57 and 28:58 respectively. The fifth place finisher was division two athlete Dominik Notz (Alaska Anchorage) who ran the second PR of his season with a time of 29:12. Jim Busch Invite 800 In his outdoor debut, Emmanuel Korir (UTEP) took the win in a time of 1:47. While that typically wouldn’t be too exciting, you have to keep in mind that his first 400 was 55 high and his final 400 was 51 low. Simply put, this was just experimental racing for the 800 meter indoor champion. Korir led teammate Jonah Koech to a runner-up finish time of 1:49.99. 1500 Michael Saruni (UTEP) moved up in distance and got the win over Texas A&M’s Alex Riba. Both ran times of 3:47. Beynon Sports Surface Catamount Classic 800 Where did Matthew Harding come from? The UNC-Asheville freshman just ran a huge PR of 1:48.82 to take the win by over three seconds. He has some respectable PR’s, but nothing that indicated a time of 1:48. Ocean State Invite 800 Columbia’s Rob Napolitano runs 1:49 to defeat Brown’s Zach Emrich who ran 1:50 for second. Mile Julian Oakley (Providence) runs 4:03 for the win. Charlotte Invite 1500 Robert Heppenstall (Wake Forest) moved up in distance to the 1500 this past weekend and ran a surprisingly quick time of 3:43 to earn the win by nearly three seconds. It was the first time Heppenstall has ever run this event. Louisville Invite 1500 Michigan State Spartan sophomore Justine Kiprotich ran a time of 3:44 to get his second win of the season. Indiana’s Joseph Murphy and Kyle Mau each ran 3:45 to finish second and third. 3000 Steeple Edwin Kibichiy (Louisville) runs 8:51 to get the win over Max Benoit (Michigan State) who ran 9:00 for second place. Texas Invite 3000 Steeple Texas sophomore Alex Rogers had a terrific solo effort to get the win in a time of 8:48. Oxford & Cambridge vs Penn & Cornell 3000 Steeple Nick Tuck (Penn) secured the win with a time of 8:54. Bison Outdoor Classic 1500 In a field that was heavy with division one and two talent, it was a division three stud, Isaac Garcia-Cassani (SUNY Genesee), who took the win in an impressive time of 3:44. Ryan Thompson (Slippery Rock), Chase Silverman (Cornell), and Domenic Perretta (Penn State) took the next three spots, each running times of 3:46. Bryan Clay Invite 800 Tyler Scheving (Buffalo) was the big winner with a time of 1:48.70. He led a total of five others under the 1:50 mark. 1500 What. A. Race. In what might be the best race of the entire 2017 regular season, we saw three collegiates under the 3:40 mark and a mind-blowing total of 28 collegiates under 3:45. But in a crowded field of elite athletes, Josh Kerr emerged as the star. The Scottish redshirt freshman took charge in the second half of the race and ripped off a 55 second last lap to claim the win and position himself as the 6th fastest 1500-meter runner in NCAA history with a time of 3:35.99. There were a lot of questions about how legit Kerr was after he out-ran Cheserek in a tactical mile final this past indoor season to become an NCAA champion. Now? I don’t think anyone is questioning his title. After going out with the pacer, Engels still hung on and finished just off his personal best with a time of 3:37. He was able to beat out Oklahoma State ace Josh Thompson who ran 3:38. After being injured all winter season, Sam Prakel had a heck of a comeback. The Oregon junior just ran a time of 3:40.87 to improve on his 3:43 from earlier in the season. As for the other Oregon Ducks, Blake Haney finally had his rebound race with a solid time of 3:42. You have to be happy for Haney who has struggled for nearly a year now. I'd like to see another solid performance from him, but this performance will suffice for the moment. Freshman Duck Austin Tamagno threw down a ridiculous 3:41 to position himself as the fastest true freshman in the nation. Cole Rockhold (Colorado State) continues to establish himself as one of the top milers in the NCAA with a time of 3:41. He was followed by Jeff Thies (Portland), Robbie Farnham-Rose (Alabama), Chase Horrocks (BYU), and freshman Geordie Beamish (NAU), all of whom finished with a time of 3:41. For many of these guys, this is the breakout race that they were looking for. The next tier of runners included a few new names to the distance scene such as David Ribich (Western Oregon), sophomore Kyle Burdick (South Dakota State), and Shane Streich (Minnesota). These three along with six others were able to hit the 3:42 mark. Despite all of the outstanding performances, the glaring absence of Edward Cheserek left a few people wondering if he could have got the NCAA record in a field this fast… 3000 Steeple Admittedly, I was convinced that Arkansas’ Cale Wallace would get this win. But Cedarville’s Daniel Michalski had other plans as he took the win in a time of 8:52, one second faster than Wallace. The third collegiate to cross the line was freshman Luca Sinn (Weber State) who ran a respectable time of 8:54. 5000 What can Knevelbaard not do? Before he ran a 3:44 at Mnt. SAC, the SUU sophomore ran the 5000 at Bryan Clay where he won with a time of 13:50. He was able to hold off Arkansas Razorback Cameron Griffith who ran 13:52. Gilbert Kigen (Central Arizona) was third in a time of 13:53. Those top three finishers are all sophomores. #ncaa #bryanclay #mntsac #gzatlin #weekendreview

800 There may not be many “super stars” in this race, but the field is certainly deep and filled with underrated talent. A rising star from division two is Derek Morton who should be the favorite to win this one as he owns PR's of 1:49 and 3:46 (both this season). He has a lot of experience and that should bode well for him against Stanovsek and Gutierrez who, while talented, haven’t consistently competed at the level Morton has for the past few seasons. However, Morton will not be able to cruise to the win. He’ll have to deal with a rising mid-distance stud from Buffalo, Tyler Scheving. Scheving ran a 1:48 two weekends ago and is currently ranked 18th in the nation (for division one). Hopefully, him and Morton will push each other to the line. Is 1:47 in the cards? It’s certainly possible in my mind. George Espino is another underrated name that is typically an after thought on a distance-oriented NAU team. This should be a good level of competition for the Lumberjack senior as he pursues a fast time (and hopefully a regional qualifier). Joe Day is one of the better half-milers in division two and although he’s consistent, he’ll need to find an extra gear if he wants to be in contention for a top eight finish. However, just like Espino, I believe this the perfect level of competition for someone like Day. The (assumed) Elliot brothers are a nice tandem and one of them is bound to have a decent race this weekend. They each own PR’s of 1:51 and won’t have to travel too far compared to their counterparts. That can play a big role when race time approaches. 1. Derek Morton (Chico State) 2. Tyler Scheving (Buffalo) 3. Mick Stanovsek (Oregon) 4. Derek Gutierrez (Mississippi) 5. George Espino (NAU) 6. Blake Elliott (Arizona State) 7. Joe Day (Alaska Anchorage) 8. Kyle Elliott (Arizona State) 1500 Just look at the prestige of this field! We may be looking at one of the best 1500 fields of the 2017 regular season. And to make things better, these predictions don’t even include the Bowerman Track Club guys. Originally, Cheserek was supposed to race at Mt. SAC, but clearly heard of a better race with a deeper field. Thompson and Kerr are the most elite milers in the NCAA and Engels owns the fastest 1500 PR of any collegiate in this field (aside from Cheserek). Throw BTC into this equation and we could very well see Eddy Ches secure his second NCAA record. The positions behind Ches is where things get interesting. Anyone could take that runner-up spot. However, I’m going to agree with fellow writer Alex Fox and say that Craig Engels is primed for a killer outdoor season after an exciting 800 at Florida a few weeks ago. Engels is at the top of his game while Thompson and Kerr may just be building back up from a long indoor season. After those four, it simply becomes a matter of which Oregon athletes finish where. It pains me to not be able to list Tamango or Prakel, because they are so incredibly talented. That said, Blake Haney is due for a big race. He was primed to run well at the Stanford Invite before falling in the final lap and recording a DNF. Could this be the race where Haney finally rebounds? As for Gorman and Maton, they both qualified for nationals and they aren’t any less talented than they were before. They’ll get into the mix, but their performance will depend on how well they handle navigating the pack, something they didn’t do very well at NCAA’s. Finally, my biggest sleeper in this race is Western Oregon’s David Ribich. The division two junior ran 3:43 for the second time of his career a few weekends ago at the Stanford Invite and is coming off of a winter season where he secured the bronze at Nationals. With 1:49 800 speed, Ribich is bound to be a contender in this loaded field. 1. Edward Cheserek (Oregon) 2. Craig Engels (Mississippi) 3. Josh Kerr (New Mexico) 4. Josh Thompson (Oklahoma State) 5. Blake Haney (Oregon) 6. Tim Gorman (Oregon) 7. David Ribich (Western Oregon) 8. Matthew Maton (Oregon) 3000 Steeple It’s an underrated field that could provide us with promising times. Cale Wallace is the favorite in this event with a personal best of 8:41 in this event. He’s also incredibly versatile and can run anything from the 800 to the 5000. He even has an impressive 1500 personal best of 3:40. Add on the fact that he’s an experienced senior and this race is his to lose. Former Shorter athlete, Jordan Cross, is a name that you should get to know. He’s a talented guy that is already beginning to show progress at Weber State with a PR of 8:49. Shorter typically produces talented distance runners (see Alfred Chelanga) and I think Cross is another solid product. Expect a breakout race from him this weekend. But Weber State’s talent doesn’t end there. Cross actually has an equally impressive teammate, Luca Sinn, to train with. Sinn currently holds the 12th fastest time in NCAA for the steeplechase with a time of 8:51. What you probably don’t know about Sinn is that he’s only a freshman! Could this kid be the future of the steeplechase? Gatien Airiau and Christoph Sander probably won’t get a lot of attention in this race due to their small school, division two status. Still, these are some of the top steeplechasers in division two. Airiau actually has one of the best PR’s in the field with a time of 8:51. Swain and Vennard both come from respectable distance programs and although I don’t expect them to run a blazing fast time, I do expect them to be competitive and dip under nine minutes (at the very least). The last name to mention is Jackson Mestler, the Oregon freshman. The last time Oregon had a marquee name in the steeple was in 2014 when they had Tanguy Pepiot (an All-American.) This weekend will be Mestler’s first attempt at the event, so it’s tough to say whether or not this kid is the next All-American Oregon steeplechaser. If the Ducks want to be in the team title conversation this year, they better hope that that is the case. 1. Cale Wallace (Arkansas) 2. Jordan Cross (Weber State) 3. Gatien Airiau (Academy of Art) 4. Luca Sinn (Weber State) 5. Michael Vennard (Boise State) 6. Jackson Mestler (Oregon) 7. Aidan Swain (Arkansas) 8. Christoph Sander (Alaska Anchorage) 5000 I imagine this race being one of the more exciting races of the weekend. Jack Bruce is incredibly underrated and Kasey Knevelbaard is part of a Southern Utah squad that has been ON FIRE as of late. As long as the race doesn’t come down to a kick, then I see Bruce having the edge over Knevelbaard who, at the moment, seems to be more of a miler than anything (but only time will tell). Tanner Anderson is due for a big race. The former NXN champion has a PR of 13:51 and could very easily take the win. That said, the Oregon sophomore has never won a race at the collegiate level (according to TFRRS) and I’m not sure he’ll get one this weekend. I’m sure he’ll run well, but I think a win isn’t in the picture at this moment. The same could be said for Austen Dalquist who has had some solid races and owns respectable PR’s, but has never taken an individual win. We’ve already seen some strong performances from Southern Utah’s Mike Tate and Kasey Knevelbaard, so it’s not crazy to think that Josh Collins will follow suit. I’m high on all of SUU’s guys right now and I’d like to think that Collins can dip under 14 minutes this weekend. Gonzales, Reichow, and Fontanarose all hold very solid personal bests in this event and I think each of them will improve upon those times. Luckily, the talent in this field isn’t too fast or too slow which means that these three will have a chance to stay competitive late in the race. 1. Jack Bruce (Arkansas) 2. Kasey Knevelbaard (SUU) 3. Tanner Anderson (Oregon) 4. Austen Dalquist (Arkansas) 5. Josh Collins (SUU) 6. Joel Reichow (South Dakota St.) 7. Ethan Gonzales (Colorado) 8. Pierre Fontanarose (Academy of Art) #ncaa #cheserek #preview #predictions #gzatlin

What a race. Seven national qualifiers from indoors. 21 runners sub 1:50. The top 4 all sub 1:47. The fastest 800 from a collegian this season. The men’s 800 at Florida Relays was the deepest race we’ve seen in the NCAA this year, and the results for many of the top runners could have a significant impact on how the rest of their season plays out. Let’s look at some of the biggest individual names in the race and analyze what their finish potentially means moving forward... Isaiah Harris The race winner and the leading time. Not a bad way to start the season for the sophomore from Penn State. Harris’s performance goes beyond just a hot start for me, however. During indoor, Harris ran fast all season, but failed to notch big wins over national-caliber competition. In this race, Harris took down some of his biggest rivals on the east coast. In his biggest race of the indoor season, Harris lost to Joseph White, a name he beat in Florida, in addition to five other national qualifiers. Moreover, Harris showed signs last year of being a totally different runner outdoors. As a freshman, Harris failed to make the NCAA 800 finals after notching strong times all year. Harris followed this up with a 4th place finish at Nationals outdoors and a surprising 6th place finish in the Olympic Trial finals. With this strong opening performance, Harris has established himself as one of the leading candidates to unseat Emmanuel Korir in the 800. Joseph White As stated earlier, White failed to take down Harris in a marquee matchup for a third time (White edged Harris at Nationals for a third-place finish), but a runner-up finish in this race is nothing to stick your nose at. More importantly, White notched a solid PR in this race, just missing the elusive 1:45 mark with a time of 1:46.07. In the past, White has been a bit of a mercurial runner, but found more consistency during indoor in securing his first individual All-American honor. This race sets up White to continue improving throughout outdoor and fortify his position as one of the elite half-milers in the NCAA. Andres Arroyo There’s not much to say here. Arroyo always runs fast early, and always finds a way to blow his shot at a top finish at Nationals. His 1:46.42 is par for the course at this point. Don’t believe me? Just wait. I’m sure Garrett will go on one of his trademark tirades against Arroyo soon. Maybe more notable was Arroyo’s impressive anchor leg to bring Florida to victory in the 4x8 relay. Regardless, until Arroyo proves himself in the postseason, this is just another notch on a resume with a lot of fast times, but very little hardware to show for it. Craig Engels For as much loathing Garrett shows towards Arroyo, I may match him in my love for Engels. Maybe it’s the hair. Maybe it’s his versatility. Maybe it’s his commitment to his teammates. Okay, it’s the hair. Regardless, this is a really strong result for Engels. I was overconfident on Engels during indoor despite his injury troubles, but this time highlights Engels’ return to full health. Moreover, a fast 800 backs my bold prediction that Engels will be the 1500m winner for the NCAA this season. Like everyone else, I’m high on Josh Kerr, but let’s not ignore that Engels has a 1500 PR that is 3 seconds faster than Kerr’s, and an 800 PR which is 5 seconds superior to the upstart Brit from New Mexico. Moreover, we know what Engels can do in rounds from his breakout performance at Olympic Trials. Engels’ 1:46.96 at Florida, while not a PR, is fast enough to convince me he’s close to or at 100% moving forward, and is primed for a dominant outdoor season. Robert Heppenstall What’s there to say about this guy? He’s the model of consistency. In an 800 class that included Donovan Brazier, Harris, Myles Marshall, John Lewis, and Carlton Orange, the stud from Wake Forest is the only one who has managed an All-American honor in every track season he’s run. This 5th place finish is a testament to Heppenstall’s consistency, as he continues to prove he’s one of if not the most underrated runners in the NCAA. Ryan Schnulle What happened to this guy? In 2014, Schnulle was a breakout sophomore who finished as a runner up to Brandon McBride at outdoor Nationals, missing the title by .03, and boasting a PR of 1:46.29. Since that performance, Schnulle has been relatively unheard from. A 16th place finish in this race on his home track doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in a dramatic comeback from the senior. However, if Schnulle can regain his form, him and Arroyo form a potentially deadly, but unpredictable, 1-2 bunch for Florida in the mid-distances. Myles Marshall One of the most exciting prospects in his grade coming out of high school, Marshall continued his uninspiring collegiate career with a 17th place finish in this race. Despite his obvious talent, Marshall has only managed to lower his high school PR by hundredths of a second through three full track seasons of collegiate competition, and missed a golden opportunity to run a breakout time here. It’s not that Marshall’s collegiate career hasn’t been without highlights, including a Heps title in the 800 this past indoor season, but he has yet to qualify for a national meet, as many of his classmates have. There is still ample time for Marshall to find his groove at Harvard and become the runner many thought he’d be at the college level, but this result is certainly a disappointment for those waiting for his eruption. Domenic Perretta It’s not worth over-analyzing the first outdoor race of a true freshman’s collegiate career, but given what I know about Perretta and how competitive he is, I’m sure he is not thrilled about his result in this race. Perretta certainly didn’t race poorly, notching a sub 1:50 time for 18th overall, but given how good Perretta was indoors, we know he’s certainly capable of better. With Michael Slagowski’s departure and Perretta’s outstanding indoor season, which established him as one of the top mid-distance runners in his grade, Perretta is now Isaiah Harris’s partner in crime, and a time that is a second slower than what he ran indoors is probably not how he wanted to kick off his outdoor campaign. Nonetheless, Perretta’s drive and competitive nature should benefit him moving forward, as the toughness he’s displayed in the past is rare and unteachable. Perretta may be somewhat irked by this otherwise average outdoor debut, but look for him and Harris to lead Penn State for the years to come, and potentially claim a wheel in the 4x8 at Penn Relays later this season. #floridarelays #rewind #ncaa #afox

Sprinting and distance running are very different. Distance running requires years of building a mileage base and understanding race tactics. Sprinting may require plenty of strength training, muscle memory, and technical correction, but it’s not uncommon to see young guys have an immediate impact in the sprinting community. Just look at what Grant Holloway has done at Florida. This theory is probably why we see juniors and seniors dominate the longer distances (especially the 5k and 10k). Despite this large learning curve, there are still young up-and-coming talents patiently waiting for their moment in the spotlight. Here are a few names that could be the next stars of the NCAA. NOTE -Underclassmen will be classified as freshmen and sophomores (redshirts included). -Distance events will be considered any event from the 800 up. -These are names that we consider to be “under the radar”. Just because someone is a freshman or sophomore and has run a fast time does not necessarily mean that they will be mentioned (think Ryan Adams, Arturo Sotomayor, Josh Kerr, Kasey Knevelbaard, etc.) Let’s get started… Jack Guyton, Sophomore (Florida) I am a huge fan of Jack Guyton. I truly believe that Florida has found and developed a miler that could potentially win SEC’s and become an All-American. The Florida sophomore had a quiet, but strong indoor season this past winter with a 4:02 mile and an 8:14 3k. Sure, those performances aren’t mind-blowing, but Guyton has continued to improve in the first month of the outdoor season by running personal bests of 1:50 (800) and 3:43 (1500). That 1500 was less than a half-second behind Columbia’s Rob Napolitano, one of the most experienced milers in the nation. Guyton reminds me a lot of NCAA Indoor mile champion Josh Kerr. A solid miler with respectable speed who could push some of the best names in the NCAA to the finish line. Who knows? Maybe Guyton will even win a national championship one day… Devin Dixon, Freshman (Texas A&M) How does Texas A&M do it? Year-in and year-out, this program develops some of the top 800 runners in the nation. The latest Aggie star is Devin Dixon who has stepped up in the absence of Brazier and is starting to gain attention as a legitimate threat in the half-mile. Dixon had an outstanding indoor season as a freshman by running a PR of 1:47.85. He was ranked 18th in the NCAA and ended up two spots out from making the national championship. So what did he do this past weekend? He ran faster, of course. In a race paced by former Aggie Donavan Brazier, Dixon pulled out a 1:47.01 to position himself at 7th in the NCAA standings. That 1:47.01 was his first 800 of the season. Just imagine what he could do with nearly two months left in the season. Geordie Beamish, Sophomore (NAU) I am convinced that the 5000 and 10,000 are the hardest events to succeed in as a freshman and sophomore. The longer the distance, the larger a base it requires and a lot of these underclassmen simply haven’t built up to the mileage that their older teammates have. But there are exceptions and one of these exceptions is Geordie Beamish. The NAU Lumberjack had a very solid outdoor season his freshman year by running 3:45 and 14:10. Now, he is capitalizing on his fitness after a very fast 13:53 5000 at the Stanford Invite (which currently puts him at 6th in the NCAA standings). When we talk about the recent success of NAU, a lot of the credit is given to Futsum Zienasellassie, Tyler Day, and Matthew Baxter. But no one is talking about Beamish, a guy that had such a crucial role in NAU’s championship pursuit this past cross country season. If Beamish can continue to drop time and make it out of regionals in May, he may finally start getting the credit he deserves. Garrett Reynolds, Freshman (UCLA) Remember how I just said that underclassmen don’t often succeed at the longer racing distances? Well Reynolds is contradicting my argument. The true freshman is following in his parent’s footsteps of running at UCLA and he is off to a good start. Reynolds’ cross country season was highlighted by a 35th finish at PAC-12’s. After the fall season ended, he took off the winter track season where he most likely redshirted. In his first race of the outdoor season, Reynolds threw down a killer 13:58 to currently make him the fastest freshman in the NCAA 5k*. He currently ranks 13th overall. Admittedly, there aren’t a lot of results to go off of for Reynolds. Still, this guy was a sub nine-minute 3200 runner in high school and he just broke 14 minutes in his collegiate 5000 debut. He is certainly someone that deserves our attention. *TFRRS incorrectly has Geordie Beamish as a freshman instead of a sophomore. Daniel Carney, Sophomore (BYU) It seems like every season there is some breakout star from BYU. During cross country it was Nico Montanez. During indoor it was Clayton Young. Now, it’s Daniel Carney. Carney has shown to be one of the most consistent runners in the NCAA. After a very successful cross country season, Carney raced back-to-back-to-back 3k’s and ran personal bests every time. He was able to cap off that indoor season with a respectable 14:13 5k. But how well would Carney be able to transition to the steeplechase? Apparently pretty well… After wining the Trojan Invite steeplechase in 8:53, Carney came back to win his section of the steeplechase at the Stanford Invite in 8:49. Technically, Carney is undefeated in the steeplechase. John Lewis, Sophomore (Clemson) Clemson has been developing one of the strongest 800 contingents in the nation. They currently have three men at 1:48 and they are only getting better. Within this half-mile trio is John Lewis, a guy that ran 1:48 in high school and set the Pennsylvania 800 high school state record. Lewis is mostly a 400/800 guy, but he is arguably one of the most consistent half-milers in the nation. How so? In his first three seasons of track, Lewis ran under 1:50 a total of TWELVE (12) times! If you add this season into the equation, then that number hits thirteen. And the number of times Lewis has run in the 1:48’s? Seven. This guy isn’t even half-way done his college career and he’s running 1:48 more often than top-tier half-milers do during their four years of eligibility. Despite his consistency, Lewis needs to find a way to dip under that mark of 1:48 and start consistently hitting 1:47’s. If he can do that, then don’t be surprised when he ends up qualifying for nationals by the end of the season. Euan Makepeace, Sophomore (Butler) If you’re looking for a future breakout star, look no further than Euan Makepeace. Not only does the England native have an awesome name, but he also happens to be really talented. Out of all the underclassmen I researched, there was no one with better range than Makepeace. It seems like the Butler sophomore has raced nearly every distance with personal bests of 1:54 (800), 2:34 (1k), 3:48 (1500), 4:07 (mile), 8:25 (3k), and 14:05 (5k). Yes, I would agree that his personal bests aren’t crazy fast compared to other sophomores and freshmen, but there aren’t many guys at the collegiate level who have his kind of range. At the same time, he’s been able to record a few wins and stay consistent throughout each of his competitive seasons. His impressive (and recent) 5k PR makes this Butler Bulldog a valuable asset for any team that he is on. It’s obvious that Makepeace will have to drop time in order to garner more attention from the track and field community. But range, consistency, having at least one strong PR, and proving that you can win are the most important ingredients when making a super-star. #undertheradar #ncaa #gzatlin

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. #weekendreview #sunangelclassic #recap #ncaa #gzatlin

Check out all of the entries here (courtesy of Flotrack): MOUNT SAC RELAYS ENTRIES 800 Mnt. SAC will feature a very underrated 800 field that has the potential to record some fast times. Leading the charge will be Eliud Rutto and Blair Henderson. Both of them qualified for nationals this past winter. The difference at nationals was that Rutto failed to make the final while Henderson ended up as an All-American. I like the fitness that Henderson has displayed so far. The LSU senior earned double gold three weeks ago at the Louisiana Classic where he ran 1:47 and 3:48. Rutto hasn’t really shown anything notable since nationals and that’s why I’m taking Henderson for the win. Other gold medal contenders could be Rutto’s teammate, Sampson Laari who believes he is still an “800 guy” despite placing 3rd at in the NCAA mile this past indoor season. USC’s Robert Ford is due for a big race after barely missing nationals for the past three seasons. As for Carter Lilly, I would usually consider him a favorite, but he had a bit of a super-par race at Florida where he ran 1:48. That’s still a good time, but he’s probably working to peak in the post-season. Gioielli may not have the big-name recognition that some of these other guys do, but he is one of the top 1k runners in the country. He should be able to handle this race pretty well considering his overall experience. Homan and Munley are the final two to round out my predictions. They are both very consistent and have run under 1:50 more times than I can count. One of them is on the brink of a breakout race, it’s just a matter of who… 1. Blair Henderson (LSU) 2. Eliud Rutto (Mid. Tenn. State) 3. Sampson Laari (Mid. Tenn. State) 4. Robert Ford (USC) 5. Carter Lilly (Iowa) 6. Joe Gioielli (Central Connecticut) 7. Ethan Homan (Boston U.) 8. Brennan Munley (Michigan) Sleeper Picks: Mason Fletcher (Washington), Collins Kibet (Arizona), Matt Molinaro (Ohio Northern), Will Teubel (Iowa), Jack Wilkes (LSU) 1500 In most years, the conversation surrounding Edward Cheserek would be which NCAA titles he was going to win. However, we have seen that discussion shift to NCAA records and which ones he could potentially take down. Many agree that the 10k record (27:08) is out of reach, but that the 1500 and 5000 records (3:35.30 and 13:08.40) have the potential of falling. With Cheserek entered in the 1500 next weekend, could we see him take down the 36 year-old NCAA record? The indoor mile is already in his grasp and Ches may want the 1500 record to dampen any debate about who the best 1500/mile runner ever is. The best part about this assumed record attempt is that he will have a fast enough field to push him. Josh Thompson is a stud and one of the best milers in the nation. His closing ability will make sure things stay fast towards the end of the race and push Cheserek to a fast time. Matthew Maton will look to open up his outdoor season with a strong performance after a poor showing at indoor nationals where he failed to earn All-American honors. He will also be alongside fellow teammate Blake Haney who is hungry to prove that his DNF last weekend at Stanford was simply an unfortunate fall and nothing more. Conversely, Southern Utah’s Kasey Knevelbaard will look to prove that last weekend’s win wasn’t a fluke and throw down another fast time to assert himself as a legitimate contender in the NCAA 1500 conversation. Guys like Aitchison, Gilbert, and Willig are individuals that could easily get overlooked in this field and end up creating a few surprises. If you’re looking for a game-changer, watch out for one of these three. 1. Edward Cheserek (Oregon) 2. Josh Thompson (Oklahoma State) 3. Matthew Maton (Oregon) 4. Kasey Knevelbaard (Southern Utah) 5. Oliver Aitchison (Adams State) 6. Colby Gilbert (Washington) 7. Blake Haney (Oregon) 8. Ned Willig (Michigan) Sleeper Picks: Josh Collins (Southern Utah), Tim Gorman (Oregon), Matt Dorsey (Air Force), Talem Franco (BYU), Ned Willig (BYU), Kyle Medina (Chico State), Sam Prakel (Oregon), Alex Seal (Boston U.), Derek Wiebke (Minnesota), Sampson Laari (Mid. Tenn. State) 3000 Steeple It seems as though this steeplechase field will be overlooked despite the incredible amount of talent it holds. Nearly all of these guys made appearances at nationals last spring and could very well make repeat appearances again in 2017. MJ Erb is coming off of an outstanding indoor track season where he became an All-American and earned two PR’s of 7:54 and 13:43. You could argue that Erb is in the best shape of his career, even after he ran 8:34 in the steeplechase last spring. The Ole Miss senior has all of the momentum in his favor and I would be surprised to see him lose. However, if he does lose, then it could be to Arizona sophomore Bailey Roth who will look to better his underwhelming time of 8:46 a week ago at Stanford. Benard Keter of Texas Tech also has the potential to pull off the upset as he is someone who really thrives in the later portion of this race. Experienced veterans like Colby Wilson, Dylan Lafond, and Willy Fink are safe picks. They’ve been running steeplechase for years now and have shown consistent success in the event. I’d be surprised to see either of these guys outside of the top eight. Robert Murphy and Benjamin Preisner are names you may not know, but should. They’ve both had some pretty impressive performances and each individual has dipped under the 8:50 mark in the steeple at one point or another in their racing career. 1. MJ Erb (Mississippi) 2. Bailey Roth (Arizona) 3. Benard Keter (Texas Tech) 4. Colby Wilson (Utah State) 5. Dylan Lafond (Illinois) 6. Willy Fink (Eastern Michigan) 7. Robert Murphy (IUPUI) 8. Benjamin Preisner (Tulsa) Sleeper Picks: Austin Benoit (Michigan State), Emmanual Rotich (Tulane), Connor Mora (Michigan), Christian Noble (Lee – Tenn.) 5000 It is arguably the most loaded field of the meet with superstar names dominating the headlines. The most prominent individuals as of late are Alfred Chelanga, Erik Peterson, and Jerrell Mock. Those three ran at the Stanford Invite 10k last weekend and will once again toe the line for a rematch. I’m a big fan of Peterson and Mock. They’ve made great improvements and have proven to be one of the best out there. Still, Chelanga has gotten the best of these two in their last two match-ups. I don’t see that trend ending next weekend which is why I have Chelanga at the second spot. Despite the recent success from that group, Marc Scott is the favorite in this race after silver and bronze performances at indoor nationals a month ago. He is capable of establishing an honest pace and is known to have one of the best kicks in all of the NCAA. He isn’t invincible, but the target will be on his back. However, the one name that consistently gets overlooked is Sydney Gidabuday of Adams State who is just as good as the best division one runners. Last year, we saw Gidabuday break away from an elite field of at this very meet to run a 13:36 PR and put a tally in his victory column. While I do believe that some of these guys are simply in better fitness right now (based on recent results), it’s still quite possible that we see Gidabuday pull off another win. If he does win, is it still an upset or an expectation? I'll let you decide that one. Clayton Young (BYU) and Grant Fischer (CSU) are two names to watch after their breakout indoor seasons. Both have stepped up their fitness in a big way and have established some consistency in their performances. Rounding out my predictions is Purdue’s Jaret Carpenter who may be the next big Purdue star since Matt McClintock. The true freshman has had some incredible performances in his first year of competition. He doesn’t mind running with the best of the best and seems to only succeed in those kinds of atmosphere’s. I may have him at 8th, but don’t be surprised if he sneaks into the top five. 1. Marc Scott (Tulsa) 2. Erik Peterson (Butler) 3. Alfred Chelanga (Alabama) 4. Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State) 5. Jerrell Mock (Colorado State) 6. Clayton Young (BYU) 7. Grant Fischer (Colorado State) 8. Jaret Carpenter (Purdue) Sleeper Picks: Jake Leingang (North Dakota), Diego Leon (Montana State), Euan Makepeace (Butler), Aaron Baumgarten (Michigan), Tanner Anderson (Oregon), Garrett Reynolds (UCLA) 10,000 The field is an interesting mix of established veterans, budding stars, and individuals attempting an off-distance event. Regardless, the different mix of runners makes this a very interesting race. The Mount SAC title will most likely be fought for by Jefferson Abbey and Amon Terer. Abbey had some significant struggles during his cross country and indoor track seasons. His performances were discouraging and I questioned whether or not he would return to full form. Luckily, he bounced back out of nowhere by throwing down an incredibly 13:37 5k last weekend to finish at the top collegian. Although Abbey’s result was exciting, he does not have a 10k time recorded on his TFRRS profile. Campbell’s Amon Terer, however, actually qualified for the NCAA 10k last spring. Experience in a 10k is huge which is why I am giving the edge to Terer. Just like Terer, Luke Traynor is also a national qualifier in this event and owns a solid PR of 29:10. He’s experienced and will have a teammate (Marc Scott) with him in this race. At spots four and five, I have BYU’s Rory Linkletter getting the best of Andrew Ronoh from Arkansas. The Arkansas Razorback may have an impressive PR of 28:36, but Linkletter has been the most impressive runner these past few seasons. Why Tait Rutherford? I’m high on all of the Colorado State guys. They’re doing something right. Why Troy Fraley? He may be running an off-distance event, but he is still one of the more talented guys in this field. Why Jacob Choge? While he may be young, he has proven to be a legitimate talent and thrives in the longer races. 1. Amon Terer (Campbell) 2. Jefferson Abbey (Colorado State) 3. Luke Traynor (Tulsa) 4. Rory Linkletter (BYU) 5. Andrew Ronoh (Arkansas) 6. Tait Rutherford (Colorado State) 7. Troy Fraley (Gonzaga) 8. Jacob Choge (Mid. Tenn. State) Sleeper Picks: Myles Smith (UCLA), Daniel Salas (Dartmouth), Brayden McLelland (BYU), Kyle Eller (Air Force), Eric Aldritt (Oklahoma) #preview #predictions #ncaa #mntsac #gzatlin

“Just how fast are these 10k’s?” That was the question I asked myself as I watched Alabama’s Alfred Chelanga fight Nike-sponsored athlete, Abbabiya Simbassa on the home straightaway en-route to a time of 28:04. It was certainly one of the more impressive performances of an already eventful weekend. The next two collegiates to cross the line were Erik Peterson (Butler) and Jerrell Mock (Colorado State). Each individual posted a blistering fast time of 28:11. The trio of Chelanga, Peterson, and Mock were joined by 13 other collegiate athletes who finished under the 29-minute barrier (for a grand total of 16). It seemed rather obvious to me that these times were uncharacteristically fast for this early in the season. These numbers prompted a series of searches and the results I found justified my initial suspicions. Fact: 2017 was the fastest year for the Stanford Invite 10k in recent history. By nearly every metric, that statement is true. But before we dig deeper into the numbers, it’s important to note that we are only talking about “recent history” because the data we are using from TFRRS goes back no earlier than 2010. Although we may address other years before that (like 2008), the basis of our discussion will feature the last seven years of competition for the sake of simplicity. Let’s look at the top 100 NCAA 10k times in the past seven years. The fastest time and current NCAA record is held by Sam Chelanga (formerly of Liberty) with a time of 27:08. He is one of 11 men to dip under the legendary 28-minute barrier. The catch? Every single one of those 11 times were run at Stanford’s Payton Jordan, a race that isn’t contested until late April/early May. So who owns the 12th overall time among these top 100 10k runners? That spot now belongs to Alfred Chelanga, the fastest collegiate 10k runner who hasn't competed at Payton Jordan in the past seven years. And of the 11 men that are ahead of Chelanga, no one ran faster than he did when they competed at the Stanford Invite. That sounds like a good sign for the Alabama senior should he choose to race at Payton Jordan. The last collegiate to finish faster than Chelanga (at the Stanford Invite) was Sean Quigley (formerly of La Salle) in 2008 when he ran a time of 28:03.72. Eastern Kentucky’s Jacob Korir also ran faster than Chelanga in that same race with a time of 28:04.47 (compared to Chelanga’s 28:04.95). In short, Alfred Chelanga’s 28:04 is a big deal. But what about Erik Peterson (Butler) and Jerrell Mock (Colorado State)? In terms of rankings, their time of 28:11 isn’t that far off from Chelanga as they currently sit at 14th and 15th respectively among 10k runners in the last seven years. They also rank second and third among Stanford Invite 10k times in the past seven years. So yeah…it was fast. But what about the overall depth of the field? Were the overall performances better or worse? If we narrow down our history, we find an interesting trend. The Stanford Invite currently holds an impressive 55 of the top 100 10k times in the past seven years. This fun fact raised the question, “which years have the most athletes in the top 100”? We were able to give you a breakdown below… For reference, the 100th fastest time was 28:54.90 run by Gilbert Kirui (Iona) in 2017. Keep in mind that this lists is for Division 1 runners only. The list doesn't account for the following D2 and D3 athletes who have run faster than Kirui's 28:54.90... - Ian Lamere (Wisc.-Platteville) - Johnnie Guy (Southern Indiana) - Micah Chelimo (Alaska Anchorage) - Aaron Dinzeo (Cal. PA) - John Crain (North Central) - Tyler Pennel (Western State) - Issac Chavez (Chico State) Clearly, 2017 was the best year in recent meet history and despite the glaring outlier in 2016, the Stanford Invite 10k is only getting faster. With the first few weeks of competition now finished, it seems as though we have found our candidates to potentially break 28 minutes. 2013 had three men under the barrier, is it possible that 2017 has the same or even more? It certainly seems possible, especially when you consider that these guys now have personal bests ahead of legends like Hassan Mead, Luke Puskedra, Lawi Lalang, and even King Ches. #digits #stanfordinvite #gzatlin #analysis #ncaa