You don't get this. It is not about you. It is about the athletes. You may have gotten lucky once but I know your reasoning does not work.
In the case of OP, why would he help #6 displace him from the #5 spot. It goes against a basic human instinct - survival.
This would work only in the case of an island cluster such #2 where everyone else is sufficiently far away.
Why do you think runners sprint out at the sound of the cannon? Should they 'control' their pace so they stay together to play your game? No man, they run because it is fun. It is fun to go all out, to run someone down, tire them out, intimidate and make all those in front of you know you are there. You should consider posting your philosophy openly on the website because. This is material information. It is tough to transfer to another school.
BTW, you would have no power to pressure your #1 to 'control' his pace if he is a 15min runner. If he quits, you do not have to capacity to help your #5 to improve his mechanics and strength so that he gets faster. So I would say that your #1 has the upper hand. He quits, your results will suffer.
Let the kids run. Get out of the way. Running is fun. You do not have to disguise it. It reminds me of my grandma trying to get me to eat eggplant. Running ain't eggplant. The kids who are great runners find the sport exhilarating. Stop being a stumbling block and a trap.
In regard to how college coaches evaluate, you are wrong. I am right.
Waste.