Heres a recap of all the distance events run on Saturday, February 28, finals first.
Mens 3000 meter Final: David Torrence Arrrives
The mens 3K featured plenty of talent, though the question many track
fans were asking was who would win the title. When the gun fired, the
pack of 16 went out in a at a pace of 1:04 for the first 400m. Massachusetts own
Nate Jenkins and Nike's Josh Rohatinsky quickly took to the front, where a
lead pack of 8 was starting to pull away. At the 1K, Ryan Fennelly of
the Philly R T C led the pack in 2:42.58, with Rohatinsky sitting in
second. Through the mile in 4:20 was Rohatinsky, followed closely by former Cal bear
David Torrence, steeplechaser Brian Olinger, and 2004 Olympian Jonathan Riley. The same pack passed
the 2K in 5:22.70, with a second group close behind. With 800 to go,
Olinger started to make a move, but was followed by the rest of the
pack. David Torrence seemed to come out of nowhere, as he took the lead
with 200 to go and didnt look back. Finishing in 7:53, he led ASU's Brandon
Bethke (7:54) and Jonathan Riley (7:55) to the line, as the group
finished one-two-three. David Nightengale finished fourth, and Daniel
Huling in fifth. Torrence captured his first USA Indoor Title, and was
extremely pleased with the race.
"This was the first time both my health and fitness came together at
the same time. This was the first race where I told myself that I had
it," remarked Torrence, who also said this was the first of what he
hopes to be many championships.
Men 3000 Meter Run
===============================================================
World: W 7:24.90 2/6/1998 Daniel Komen, KEN
American: A 7:32.43 2/17/2007 Bernard Lagat, Nike
Meet: M 7:42.81 3/5/1994 Moses Kiptanui, Kenya
Name Year Team Finals
===============================================================
Finals
1 David Torrence Unattached 7:53.67
2 Brandon Bethke Unattached 7:54.20
3 Jonathon Riley Nike 7:55.79
4 David Nightingale ZAP Fitness 7:57.01
5 Daniel Huling Reebok 8:00.15
6 Blake Boldon Boulder Running 8:00.97
7 Stephen Haas Team Indiana 8:02.11
8 Josh Rohatinsky Nike 8:02.69
9 Brian Olinger Reebok 8:04.03
10 Jeffrey Powers Team Indiana 8:04.56
11 Michael Crouch Queens Charlotte 8:05.11
12 Mikhail Sayenko Club Northwest 8:05.42
13 Anthony Gallo Run Flagstaff 8:11.35
14 Nathaniel Jenkins Saucony 8:17.44
-- Christopher Clark Unattached DNF
-- Ryan Fennelly Philly R T C DNF
Womens 3000 meter Final: Amy Begley Gets Her First Indoor Title
Unlike the mens 3K, the women did not stick together in a tight pack
for very long. They began to string out very early, as Olympian Jen
Rhines took the lead and pushed the pace through the first 800, coming
around in about 2:20. Following Rhines were Reebok Games mile champ Lindsey Gallo, surprise 2008 Olympian Amy
Yoder-Begley, as well as Delilah DiCrescenzo of 'Hey There Delilah Fame'. At about half-way, the
fast early pace started to take its toll, as Rhines began to fade.
Going through 2K just under 6 minutes, Yoder-Begley and Gallo were soon
joined by Sara Hall. Hall had gone out with the second pack in the
beginning, and used her slower start to her advantage. With 200 to go,
Hall came even with Yoder-Begley, and they would stay that way until
the very end. The Olympian Yoder-Begley would just out kick the surging
Hall by .45 of a second, 8:53.27 to 8:53.72, earning the former
Arkansas Razorback her first USATF national indoor title.
Yoder-Begley said her plan was "from seven laps, the goal was to grind
it down. I've been working on my speed and kick." And she would need
that kick in the end, which ultimately proved to be the difference
between first and second.
Finals
1 Amy Begley Nike 8:53.27
2 Sara Hall Asics 8:53.72
3 Julie Culley New York AC 8:55.62
4 Lindsey Gallo Reebok 8:56.92
5 Rebecca Donaghue New Balance Bost 9:01.08
6 Delilah DiCrescenzo RIADHA / Puma 9:02.50
7 Nicole Bush Unattached 9:04.35
8 Elizabeth Maloy Unattached 9:10.56
9 Jennifer Rhines adidas 9:11.19
10 Kristin Anderson Unattached 9:13.79
11 Lindsay Allen McMillan Elite 9:14.32
12 Jennifer Donovan New Balance Bost 9:15.49
13 Amanda LoPiccolo Syr. Chargers TC 9:23.20
14 Ann Detmer Wisconsin Runner 9:24.11
15 Aileen Conlon Nike Cnt Park TC 9:28.80
-- Rebecca Guyette McMillan Elite DNS
Mens 1500 meter Final
The mens 1500 would end the night, and it was filled with talent,
despite the scratch of 2007 World Champion Bernard Lagat. Alan Webb was
the early leader, followed by Tommy Schmitz, John Richardson, and 3
time US Indoor Champ Rob Myers. As Webb remained the leader, the pack
behind him shuffled around. Myers, Steve Sherer (doubling in the mile
and 800) and Liam Boylan-Pett were the 3,4, and 5 runners with a
quarter to go. Thats when Meyers began to make his move, as he ended
up passing Webb with 200 meters to go, just as the bell rang. The two
battled through the final lap, but Myers went to an extra gear with
about 50 meters to go, holding off the early leader. He ended up
breaking the tape in 3:45.73, .09 of a second ahead of Webbs 3:45.82.
When asked about the close finish, Myers responded, "You're never sure
until you cross the line. I wasn't about to let up at the end."
With that, Myers took home his fourth 1500 title from a US Indoor Championship.
Finals
1 Rob Myers Reebok 3:45.73
2 Alan Webb Nike 3:45.82
3 Steve Sherer New York AC 3:46.14
4 Liam Boylan-Pett Unattached 3:46.46
5 Matthew DeBole Unattached 3:47.43
6 Chris Lukezic Reebok 3:47.51
7 Jordan Fife Team Indiana 3:48.43
8 Tommy Schmitz Wisconsin Runner 3:49.01
9 John Richardson Reebok 3:49.55
10 Eric Ashe Unattached 3:50.42
11 Kyle Alcorn Nike 3:52.61
Womens 800 (Semi-Finals)
In the first heat of the Womens 800, Jesse Carlin (Nike) took the pace
out fast in 29.84. Through the 600m mark in 1:33.12, Carlin held the
lead with Nikeya Green and Katie Waits close behind. With 50 meters
left, Waits came even with Carlin, passing her and going on to win in
2:05.35. Chantee McBride ended up in second (2:05.94) and Carlin in
third (2:06.01). The surprise of this heat was Nikeya Green, who failed
to advance to the finals tomorrow, as she finished fifth in 2:06.37
The second heat was led wire to wire by Treniere Clement, who won in
2:06.44. Going out in 1:00.65, Clement looked good, as she seemed to
control the field. In second was Ty Davis of Team Indiana, finishing in
2:06.74. The surprise of the second heat was that 2008 Olympic Trials
800 champ Hazel Clark did not start, as she pulled out because of an
illness.
Qualifying for the finals: Katie Waits (2:05.35), Treniere Clement
(2:06.44), Chantee McBride (2:05.94), Ty Davis (2:06.74), Jesse Carlin
(2:06.01), and Angee Henry (2:06.02).
Mens 800 (Semi-Finals)
The mens 800 featured three semi-final heats, but the first one was by
far the most star-studded. Khadevis Robinson, Christian Smith, and
Steve Sherer were the favorites going in, and they all qualified for
the next round. Golden Coachman took the lead for the first 400, and
brought the field through in 55.32. Smith, who was sitting in second,
passed Coachman and led through the 600 mark in 1:23.44. But Robinson
would take the lead the last lap and get the win in 1:49.95. Smith
finished second in 1:50.07 and was happy to get into the finals, as he
had been sick for the past few days. Sherer crossed in third, 1:50.25.
In the second heat, Karjuan Williams was the only one to qualify, as he
ran 1:50.70. The highlight of the race came when the lead pack of four
were rounding the final turn. The group scattered as feet were tangled
up, but thankfully no one fell.
Two members of the Oregon Track Club Elite,
Mark Wieczorek and Matt Scherer, qualified in the thrid heat. Scherer held the lead until the final
20 meters, but Wieczorek ended up catching and passing his fellow
teammate, finishing in 1:49.96, the second fastest time of the day.
Scherer came in at 1:50.06
Qualifying for the finals: Khadevis Robinson - 1:49.95, Mark Wieczorek
- 1:49.96, Karjuan Williams - 1:50.70, Matt Scherer - 1:50.06,
Christian Smith - 1:50.07, Steve Sherer - 1:50.25.
More: A special shout out has to go to Nick Wade of North Attleboro, MA, who ran the third leg of the High School 4x400m relay for Massachusetts. Wade, who won the Massachusetts All-State 600m on Friday in 1:21.06, will run under Letsrun.com co-founder
Robert Johnson at Cornell University next year. Finishing in 3:21.99, the Massachusetts relay came in second to Connecticut. When asked about running for Rojo next year, Wade exclaimed, "I cant wait. What could be better! Its gonna be awesome!" Good choice Robert! Wade is a great kid who has an excellent future ahead of him.
Tomorrow, look for the finals of the mens and womens 800m, as well as the womens 1500m. Hopefully, the action on the track will be as good as it was Saturday, for that willbe hard to top!
Christopher Lotsbom is an avid runner and a senior at Walpole High School in MA. He looks to continue both running and writing next year in college. We swear we didn't put him up to interviewing one of Rojo's recruits.
Womens 3000 meter Final: Amy Begley Gets Her First Indoor Title
Mens 1500 meter Final
