Days 3-4 of 2002 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
May 31- June 2, 2002

Baton Rouge, LA -
Men's Steeple - The steeple turned into the Dan Lincoln coronation as Lincoln cruised to his second straight title running a solo 8:22.34 and Steve Slattery got his second-straight runner-up finish.  4 minutes into the race Lincoln was up by nearly 3 seconds. A lap later, the lead was up to 4.5 seconds which is roughly what it ended up being at the finish. Lincoln, who already has been accepted into medical school, has another year of eligibility and will attempt to become only the second person to win three-straight NCAA steeple crowns.

Post-race comments by steeple winner Dan Lincoln:.
That guy (Martin Allegyer of SMU) took it out real quick, which is what I was hoping for. I just followed him and nobody else really committed. When I saw I that I was out front by myself, I knew that if I was going to lead, I had to lead fast. I just tried to keep it going. When I saw a 67 (split), I just tried to pick it up again.

Reporter: You were up there pretty much by yourself from the third lap on weren't you?
Yeah, it was pretty lonely up there.

With about 3 laps to go, I took a look at my coach and he said I had about 45 or 50 meters (on the rest of the field) so I took a glance back.  After that, I just concentrated on keeping my rhythm so (Slattery) couldn't get back into it.

Reporter: Was it as easy as you made it look? It was an NCAA championship. These supposedly are the best (runners).
This was one of my goals but the big goal is USA's coming up. I have a little more training to do so I will be able to double back after a prelim and run a little bit faster in the finals for USAs.

Reporter:Was that hard for you?
Well, yeah, it got tough. It wasn't easy.

LetsRun.com: You ran 8:22 by yourself. How much faster do you think you can run with competition?
Well, I slowed down the last couple of laps I think. I don't know. My coach yelled that I could break 8:20 so I (must) have slowed down a bit. I wanted to save a little for the end if I needed it.

Reporter:What do you have left for the 5k tomorrow?
12 and a half-laps.

Reporter:But what do you think you can do?
Whatever I need to (Editor's Note: Lincoln would do quite well and come in third in 14:00.01)

Post-race comments by a very disappointed Steve Slattery or Colorado - runner-up for second straight year:
This was the race I had been thinking and looking forward to. Realizing that Dan (Lincoln) and I had run quite a bit faster than the rest of the field, I knew it would be in both of our interests to push the pace and see who is the better runner - him or I. And I think with the type of race Dan ran, the only people that could have been it was he and I.

To be honest, the result was the most disappointing one of my career. I had been looking forward to winning this race and I got beat by an amazing runner.  Everybody gets their turn and I guess mine is some other time.

Women's 5k -
The pace got faster as the race wore on.  With a mile to go, six women were still in contact in the lead pack -  Sara Gorton, 2002 10k winner Kristin Price, Lauren Fleshman, Kate O'Neill, Siri Alfheim, and  1 other. With two laps two go (12:35), only Gorton, Price and O'Neill were still together. 690 meters out, Flesham took the lead and never looked back, winning in 15:53.91.  

Gorton tried to go after Fleshman and appeared to be the sure runner-up as late as 200 meters to go as Price appeared to be locked in a duel with indoor 3000 winner Siri Alfheim of Oklahoma State for fourth.  However, Gorton had little left for the final 200 and both Alfheim and Price passed her. Alfheim moved back from a distant 4th to 2nd (16:00.47) over the final 200. Price was 3rd 16:01.25 and Gorton 4th (16:02.08).

Post-Race Comments By Lauren Fleshman:
I just tried to hang in there (early on). Just tried to be really focused and confident the whole way that I'd have something at the end. And no matter how much it hurt to think, 'I know I can do this. I've trained really hard.' And then I just went with it.

My plan was a little more flexible this year than last (year when Fleshman moved with 600 to go). I thought (I'd go) with anywhere from 1000 to 500 meters to go.  The race can go a million different ways. I didn't plan on leading the race the first two laps. It went out slower than I thought it would. I just tried to have as soft as a race plan as possible so that I'd be ready for anything as I knew I'd be someone to be gunned for having won last year.

I figured if it went out slow it would be good for me because I have a solid kick. If it went out fast, I knew it would be good for me as I've run a really fast 5k before.  I just had a really good mind-set going into it - I was ready for anything and o.k. with everything (that might happen).

Reporter: How did the weather feel?
It sure was humid. I didn't anticipate running in a bath-tub (laughs).

It was nice though (the temperature). Where I'm from, it get over 100 (degrees) all the time in the summertime - Santa Clarita, California - so I thought about that before I came here. I thought, 'I know how to run in the heat. I've been out there in 115 degree days even.' The humidity is not that much different. You just need to be ready to roll with the punches and take anything that is given to you.

LRC: You've won three straight (NCAA track titles, dating to last year's outdoor 5k), what's next for you?
My goal is always to be a competitor and always be in it for the title - be a person that comes into the race a contender to win. That doesn't always mean I'll win but anytime it's set up for me to do so, I'm going to do it and make sure I capitalize on every opportunity.

LRC: Are you going to think about doubling (next year)?
I don't know maybe. We'll see I guess. It depends on the schedule and stuff like that. I thought about doing it this year.

Reporter: What about USATF? What are you going to run?
Probably the 5k. I'd really like another chance to get a good time and it's at home Stanford - the home course. I haven't run well at the last two USAs but I figure I'm growing up and am a more mature runner now. Hopefully, I can take it one step at a time towards my goal of becoming a professional someday.
 
Men's 800:
Heavy favorite Otukile Lekote successfully defended his 2001 title, leading wire to wire in impressive fashion.  Lekote took it out in a quick 23.9 followed by Jonathan Johnson of Texas Tech with Michigan freshman Nate Brannen in 4th. At a fast 400 (50.3), only Johnson was on Lekote's heels. A few meters back, Roman Oravec of SMU was in third and Nathan Brannen in 4th.  At 600 (1:17 flat), it was still Lekote and Johnson but the two would lose ground to the field which closed hard. Lekote held on impressively for the win in a world-leading (1:45:17). The rest of the field should take the champion out to dinner as his fast early pace carried places 2-7 to personal best times.  Pennsylvania junior Sam Burley came on very strong to grab second with a huge 1:45.39 pr. Then it was Florida's Moise Joseph (1:45.74), Johnson (1:45.81), Brannen (1:46.00), Sylvester (1:46.21), Oravec (1:46.80) and Wisconsin's Dan Murray (1:47.72).  K State's Joseph Lee was 9th and last - the only guy besides Lekote not to pr.

Post-Race comments from LetsRun.com regular and NCAA 800 meter runner-up Sam Burley.
LRC: How did it feel to get second?
I can't complain. I was very happy with the time although I wish I had gone a few meters earlier, but overall I'm very happy with it.  

LRC: Was that a big p.r. for you?
Yeah, I was 1:48 flat last year. I ran it on a stress fracture. I got it indoors last year and missed about 6 weeks so I didn't get the training in that I wanted.  This year was the first year that I got a base - which you guys (at LetsRun.com) would appreciate - the first year that I did some fall distance running.

The race happened exactly as I wanted. I wanted to go out in 4th or 5th.  The one element of my race that I have some confidence in is my kick so I wanted to go out in 4th or 5th as I do a lot better when I got out slow. I just wanted to do whatever I could in the last 200 and it worked out well for me.

LRC: How far back were you with 200 to go?
I think I was fifth and Sylvester came up on me and that's when I started to go.

LRC: You were gaining some ground there at the end. If the race had been a little bit longer, do you think you could have gotten the win?
I wish I had gone a little earlier - it would have been nice. It was nice because being in the Ivy League I don't get to usually get run against the top guys. I mean in the SEC there are 4 or 5 top guys who always get to run against each other.

I expected (success), but not this big of a p.r.

Post-Race Comments From South Carolina's Otukile Lekote, who won his third straight NCAA 800m  title - dating back to last year's outdoor meet.
LRC: How does it feel to win yet again?
Basically, every time I go to a competition, I set myself and a goal and achieving that goal doesn't surprise me that much as I've worked hard for it. This is my third championship. My goal was to run out fast and get the national (Botswana) record and I didn't get that goal. But still winning the national championship is a good race for me.

LRC: Is it hard to have to lead the whole time at NCAAs?
Well I'm kind of used to it as that's my strategy to go fast so I can get my opponents tired and be able to go home in the last 400.

LRC: Do you still do that even in the bigger competitions like the world championships?
I went to the world championships last year and didn't do very well because I was looking at the competition as being different - being a big competition, totally different. If I'd treated it like the other competitions that I had been running, I would have taken it out fast and been able to get to the semifinals but I didn't do that.

LRC: What's next for you this summer?
I plan on running some of the (Can-Am meets) and then a meet in Dublin and the Commonwealth Games. I'm in good shape now. If I'm able to maintain it and then work a little harder close to the competition, I should be able to make the finals.

Women's 800:
Tennessee's Nicole Cook and USC's Aleksandra Deren took it out hard for the first 200 (29.1). At 400, North Carolina's Alice Schmidt was in the lead (63.2) with Deren on her heels. Schmidt never looked back and would get the win in 2:04.73. Erin Belger, the daughter of two 800 collegiate champions, made a spirited big on the backstretch to get her own a national title.  She got up to second but would end up getting nipped at the line by Princeton senior Lauren Simmons (2:05.08 to 2:05.09) and settle for third.

Post-race comments from NCAA champion Alice Schmidt of North Carolina (a sophomore):
LRC:How does it feel to be national champion?
It's great. I'm a bit surprised but I'm very glad it happened. It hasn't really sunk in yet but it's great so far.  

LRC: Did you have a strategy going into the race?
 I definitely knew I wanted to go in and stay with everyone for the first 400. Then I can usually push the third 200 - that's my strong point.  When we passed the 400 in 63, I knew we had been going really slow and I had a lot of energy left in me so I just tried to push it as hard as I could.  With 200 to go, I was like, 'It's a long way to the finish and I was just kind of focused on trying to hold everyone off and really pushing it. That was my strategy and it worked really well.

Reporter: Why were you surprised?
I was surprised as I thought the winner would go a lot faster than 2:04.  I ran faster in my prelim than I did in the finals.  Looking back at it, I guess that's why the final didn't go as quick.  I knew I had a 2:04 in me and that's all it so it's surprising that I won but it's great the I did.

Post-Race Comments From Princeton Senior Lauren Simmons:
Editor's Note: Simmons was runner-up in her first and only NCAA appearance. Simmons, a 2:15 runner in high school, had never run fast than 2:07 this year.
When I got on the line, I wanted to win as bad as anybody. But it's my first time here (at NCAAs) so I'm really happy with second place.  

Reporter: Take us through the final 400 meters.
Well I always tend to go a little early so my coach told me to wait a little bit because he knew the race was going to be tight and come down to the last 50 meters so he told me to wait. But I saw Alice go and other go with her so I couldn't wait so I just tried to start building up. The last 100 meters I just tried to tap into all those drills I'd done for speed and just get my turnover going and whip my legs out as fast I could. The last 100 meters just comes down to heart and speed and what you are willing to put out there so I was just trying to give it everything I had as it was my last race and championship.

LRC: You'd never made NCAAs until this year. How do you explain your improvement and 2nd place finish?
I think that every year I just figured out a little more about  what I could do and figured out that I could be at the top of the league (NCAAs?). I don't think I started to believe it until the indoor season (when Simmons was the first person not to make it to NCAAs). Then outdoors, my coach just let me go to a lot more of the bigger meets and I ended up doing well in them so with every race I got more confident.

Day 4:
Men's 1500 meters.
Alan Webb led the field through 400 (58.4), 800 (2:02.0 - 63.6) and 1100 (2:47.9). At 400 it was Webb, Mulvaney, Gruber. Same top three at 800 and most likely 1100. Pre-race favorite Wilson was back most of the race, losing a lot of ground out in lane two, and in seventh place. He never really was factor on the final lap.  Wilson's bombing in the final after looking so great in the prelims was exactly what happened to Stanford sophomore Don Sage indoors.  Sage more than made up for lack of indoor success though by getting the win here outdoors.  Don Sage was 10th for the first half before moving up a little just before the bell. He didn't really charge though until 150 to go.

Webb would hold the lead until the final 100. Blincoe made a move with 150 to go but faded.  Mulvaney held on for 2nd (3:43.03) and Wisconsin's Josh Spiker would go from last to third (3:43.16) with Webb 4th (3:43.23). Winning time for Sage was 3:42.65, meaning that he ran at least 54.8 for the final 400 and most likely something closer to 54 low.

Post-race comments appear below. Click here to read LetsRun.com's Robert Johnson's recap of the race in The Washington Post.

(Editor's Note: Since The Washington Post was only having Robert cover the men's 1500 meters and given the fact that he had to get quotes and write the story all in the hour after the men's 1500, we are sorry to say that he have anything useful to report on the women's 1500, steeple or men's 5k except for the following: In the women's 1500 Flanagan took it out hard and only  Nilsson went with her. Nilsson would get the comfortable win but indoor mile champ Sagan of Liberty would come from off the pace to catch Flanagan for 2nd. Women's steeple, BYU reigns again. Michaela Manova  took the lead from Northern Arizona's Ida Nilsson on the final water jump and powered home for a convincing 4 second win 9:45.94 to 9:49.94. The men's 5k came down to the final 200 when Kimani showed he was the best. Don't let the .58 margin of victory fool you, he was looking over his shoulder much of the way. Kudos to Stanford's Grant Robison for doing the difficult double (8th in 1500m, 12th in 5k), as the 5k started less than one hour after the 1500).

Men's 1500 meters
Post-Race Interview from UConn Senior Dan Wilson.
Ed. Note: Wilson entered the meet with the nation's #1 collegiate time and looked awesome in his prelim.  In the final, he was in the middle or back of the pack most of the race and ran the entire race in lane 2 and even some in lane 3. He wound up a disappointing 9th in 3:44.46.

LRC: Obviously you're disappointed:
Yeah, I had a tough run. Every time I'd move up, people would move out and everyone was right there (in front of me). I don't know I just let myself get on the receiving end of people moving out and getting in my way and I never got out to the front. I knew it was going to go with 500 left but I just didn't cover it. I don't know why

LRC: What was your strategy going into the race?
One, just be there on the last lap and do what I did on the prelims, but I wasn't even close enough (to do that).

LRC: Did you think moving up at any point or moving back and tucking in? You seemed to be in lane two or three virtually the entire race.
I don't know. It was a blur. I didn't want to be out there but there were so many guys tightly bunched that I had no choice.

LRC: How disappointed are you? You seemed pretty confident the other day after the prelim.
I should have won the race. I'm tremendously disappointed.

I feel like the race was mine to lose and I did it (laughs sarcastically).  A bunch of guys ran well - I don't want to take anything away from them.

Post-Race comments by Wisconsin freshman Josh Spiker who moved up a ton the final 100 to finish 3rd:
Reporter: What was your strategy coming into the race?
Coming into it, my coach said, 'Sit at the back and kick at the end.' We kind of thought it would be a slower race and for nationals it was (a slower race).  My fitness wasn't near where I had hoped it would be after a 5 week injury so I just decided to sit in last place the whole race and then just try to go when the race went with 400.

LRC: You finished strong.
Yeah, yeah. The last 100 I was happy with that. I wish I had been a little closer with 100 to go but it's my first 1500 nationals experience so that's the way it goes.

Post-race comments from NCAA champion Don Sage - a sophomore at Stanford.
Reporter: What was the plan heading into the race?
Well we didn't know what to really expect heading into the race so my plan was just to relax and make moves when I had to. When the pace picked up, make sure I covered it so I could put myself in a good position. In that sense, it worked according plan. I thought I did a good job of putting myself in position and then I just got excited at the right time with 150 to go.

LRC: How does it feel to be national champion?
It feels great. I'll be able to tell you (what it feels like) a little better later but I'm still a little in shock, but I definitely feel really good.

Reporter: Don,  you were running 10th for at least the half - maybe 3/4ths of the race - then you moved to seventh and then on. Was that kind of a conscious plan to move up gradually like that?
No, I just wanted to get off the line and get in a good position and stay there and relax.  I didn't really get in as great of a position as I wanted to but I felt like I needed to make sure that for the first half of the race that I relax and not expend too much energy so that's kind of why I just stayed there (in 10th).

Post-race comments from a visibly disappointed Alan Webb who disgustedly dropped his 4th place medal on the floor like it was a worthless rock.
LRC: How do you feel?
Not so good, I don't know.

Reporter cutting Webb off: You decided to take the pace out yourself.
Yeah I just didn't want to get caught up in the traffic so I just took the lead, no one else would.

LRC: Can you talk a little more about how you feel?
Obviously, I'm very disappointed.  It's the end of an incredibly terrible year. What else can I say?

Reporter: You've said that the expectation level that you put on yourself is even more than that what the public eye puts on you. Is that true?
I don't know cause I don't really care what other people think I should be doing as I know what I should be doing so I couldn't tell you (if that's true).

Reporter: Any chance this might be your last college meet?
It might be we'll see.

Reporter: How long will it be before you make that decision?
I have no idea.

Reporter: What will be the determining factor (on whether you go pro or not)?
I just have to decide wherever is the best place for me to be. I can't really give you a straight answer.

Post-Race Activities:
Fun as usual. Runners are bound to have a good time at NCAAs. What else possible could happened when you have a bunch of college students, many of whom never go out, and give them the chance to finally go out.  

I'm pleased to report that the fun was all above board this time. No knife fights like indoors. Maybe that's because the action was split between the teams that stayed in Baton Rouge and those that went to New Orleans.

With Running With The Buffaloes author Chris Lear being the common thread, the Michigan and CU teams were seen together on Bourbon Street in New Orleans Saturday night.

One thing is clear in my mind though, Colorado is the school all high schoolers should want to go to as they stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans on Saturday.  The place is plosh.  The Michigan team had to pile into a rental at 7 a.m. and drive all the way back to Baton Rouge to get home.