The Favorites Advance In 1st Round of 800s At The 2012 US Olympic Track & Field Trials

The Top 6 Women's Seeds and Top 7 Men's All Advance To Tomorrow's Semifinals

By LetsRun.com
June 22, 2012

Editor's Note: Below you will see our preliminary recap of the first round of the men's and women's 800 at the 2012 US Olympic Track & Field Trials. Check back later as we'll update it with interviews. We just wanted to get it up before the 10,000s start.

Women's 800
The women’s 800 wasn’t without drama and excitement as there was contact in two of the four heats and a high schooler advanced. But in terms of the big names, it was a pretty good days as the top six seeds all advanced. The big casualties however were world indoor bronze medallist Erica Moore and former HS star Chanelle Price.

HEAT ONE:
Maggie Vessey and Geena Gall took the tightly bunched field out in 28.8 through 200. The pack was still together in 61.8 at 400.  High school sophomore sensation Mary Cain was in sixth and tried to move up on the backstretch but as she moved to lane two, LSU’s Charlene Lipsey made a strong move for the lead at 600, going through in 1:32.8.  

On the homestretch, Gall and Vessey reasserted themselves and pulled away strongly to place first and second.   NYAC’s Maggie Infeld zigged and zagged her way through the field her way through the field on the final straightaway to get third and the final automatic qualifying spot.  Cain did a nice job to finish fifth in 2:04.11 while Lipsey faded a bit to get fourth in 2:04.11.

The NCAA runner-up and the high school star will have to wait to see if they can advance.  After the other heats finished, they would not advance.

High schooler Mary Cain ran 2:04.11. Interviews with Cain, Lipse and Infeld below. Vessey walked through the interview area purposely not stopping.

HEAT TWO:

Alysia Montano was out very fast in 27.8 at 200 and had a 5 meter lead at 250, a lead that only lengthened as Montano went through 400 in a very fast 57.68.  In the chase pack, BYU’s Nachelle Mackie led a tightly bunched pack that slowly ate away at Montano’s lead.  Montano went through 600 in 1:29.7, holding a five meter lead.

With the pack tightly bunched coming off the Bowerman curve, a pile-up narrowed the field considerably as Latavia Thomas got tangled in the feet of Oregon’s Laura Roesler.  It looked like Thomas bumped Roesler from behind but it was Thomas that went down went down and she took Lyndsay Harper down with her in the process.

The contact didn’t hurt the hometown favorite Roesler who got the crowd excited by finishing strong with a third place finish to grab an automatic qualifying spot.  Montano cruised home in first.  

Finishing fourth in 2:03.30 was NCAA champion Nachelle Mackie, who would advance on time.  This heat also had a high school star, as California’s Amy Weissanbach came home fifth in 2:06.46 but didn't advance.

With Nike’s Thomas falling badly (but still able to finish in 2:28.43), don’t be surprised if a protest is filed and extra people qualify to the next round.

Quick Take #1: If you’ve got the credentials, some would say connections, to get into the Pre Classic 800, certainly someone can get you into the semis of Olympic Trials, particularly if you are the seventh seed at 1:59.67. That being said, Thomas’ yearly best is only  2:01.27.

Quick Take #2: We can't why Thomas should be advanced. Harper wasn’t going to make it herself but we could see a rationale for Harper being advanced.

Alysia Montano After Cruising to the Semis	Laura Roesler of Oregon after Advancing
Blue Collar Runner Shannon Leinert No Training Partners, an Online Coach and Overcoming Injuries

HEAT THREE:
Phoebe Wright was out in 28.7 at 200 and continued to roll through 59.49 with Molly Beckwith in close pursuit.  Heather Kampf was in third.  At 600, Beckwith took control, going through in 1:29.8.  As the group came off the Bowerman curve, Brenda Martinez closed extremely well to garner the third qualifying slot in 2:01.43.  Beckwith (2:00.61) and Wright (2:00.83) may have gone through 600 slower than the previous heat but they finished with the fastest times thus far.

Indeed, three of the four qualifying times would come out of this heat.

1	Molly Beckwith		Saucony	2:00.61	Q
2	Phoebe Wright		Nike	2:00.83	Q
3	Brenda Martinez		New Balance	2:01.43	Q
4	Heather Kampf		Asics / Team USA Minnesota	2:01.54	q
5	Lea Wallace		Nike	2:02.94	q
6	Ashley Miller		Nebraska	2:03.34	q
7	Caroline King		Unattached	2:05.25
8	Stephanie Brown		Arkansas	2:06.36

Molly Beckwith After Winning Her Heat

Brenda Martinez Talks About Doubling

HEAT FOUR:
Lindsey Schnell was closely followed by Tennessee’s Chanelle Price at 200 in 28.0.  At 400, a confident looking Price took the lead, going through in 59.75.  There was some contact 500 meters into the race, some of it involving the New Jersey high school star Ajee Wilson, that caused some disruption in the back of the pack. On the televisions replays, it looked like Wilson clipped Schnell from behind. Schnell didn’t go down but she did lose her momentum and get spun out to lane three.

The contact didn’t faze Wilson, who assertively moved into third as the group went throuth 600 in 1:31.5  To the roar of the crowe, Wilson looked awesome coming down the home stretch and was passed at the line by two-time Olympian Alice Schmidt, but still looked very good in second at 2:03.63, only .12 behind Scmidt.  Katie Palmer of BYU was third in 2:03.66 as Price faded to fourth and was unable to advance out of the first round.

Quick Take #1: There were two big casualties in this heat was 2012 world indoor bronze medallist Erica Moore didn’t advance nor did Tennessee’s Price.

Heading into the 2008 US Olympic Trials, would anyone have thought that Price, who had already run 2:01.61 in HS, would bomb out of the first round of both the 2008 and 2012 Trials?

High Schooler Ajee Wilson Advances

Men’s 800:
The favorites fared well in the men’s 800 as weren’t a lot of casualties as the top 7 seeds in the men’s 800 all advanced to tomorrow’s semi-final and 9 of the 12 who had run under 1:46.00 in the qualifying window. Details below.

HEAT ONE:
Willie Brown was in the lead at 24.2 at 200 while pre-meet favorite Nick Symmonds was near last at 25.0.  But Symmonds moved into third at 350 meter as the early leader Brown and Tevan Everett went through 400 in 51.67.

At 600, David Pachuta of Minnesota had the lead at 1:19.3, with Symmonds right on his shoulder.  Looking around to make sure his position was secure, Symmonds asserted himself in the last 50 meters to take the win, as he pleased, in 1:46.94.   It appeared that Symmonds, Pachuta and Everett were well clear in the top three but Erick Sowinski came on well to catch Everett by .01, 1:47.30 - 1:47.31 at the line.  Everett tried not to coast in as he could sense Sowinski was coming on but he didn’t lunge at the line and that cost him an automatic qualifying spot, but ultimately the 2009 NCAA runner-up would advance on time.

HEAT TWO:
Ryan Martin of UCSB had a three step lead at 200, going through in 25.3.  The pack seemed to hold back and things were strung out at 400 as Martin went through 400 in 52.2.  With 300 to go, he still had a 10 meter lead on Jackson Langat.  Martin went through 600 in 1:18.5 and seemed to be tying up as he hit the Bowerman curve. Tyler Mulder closed extremely well to take first in 1:46.81 while Martin was able to hang on for second, just .11 back.  Mark Wieczorek who was way back on the first lap ran a strong second lap to move up for third in 1:47.05.  

2008 Olympian Christian Smith, who memorably dove at the line to earn a spot on the US Team four years ago, was sixth in 1:49.21.

2008 Olympian Christian Smith Bows Out	Mark Wieczorek Unsponsored And LRC Puma Faas Challenge Winner Advances
Ryan Martin Says He Has Something to Prove After NCAAs and to Treat the Semi as a Final

HEAT THREE:
Penn State’s Cas Loxsom and newly minted Nike runner Charles Jock (the 2012 NCAA Champion from UC Irvine) took the field through 200 in 25.3.  Jock looked very controlled in leading the field through 400 in 52.97 with Loxsom in close pursuit.

Loxsom tried to take the lead at 550 but Jock held him off, going through 600, still in first, in 1:20.3.  Jock looked very good, opening up his long stride in the final 100 meters to take first in a controlled 1:47.90.  World indoor finalist Michael Rutt closed very well on the outside in 1:47.99 while Michael Preble was third in 1:48.20.  Loxsom, who looked strong through 600, faded to 1:49.25.  

Another casualty from this heat was Richard Jones, the ninth seed entering the meet. Jones who had run 1:45.56 last year only had a seasonal best of 1:47.43.

Quick Take #1: Except for a Big 10 win and meet record, 2012 was certainly a disappointing year for Penn State’s Cas Loxsom. Hopefully the former world junior bronze medallist gets his iron issues figured out and is a force in 2016.

1	Charles Jock		Nike	1:47.90	Q
2	Michael Rutt		New Jersey New York Track Club	1:47.99	Q
3	Michael Preble		Texas A&M	1:48.20	Q
4	Richard Jones		Santa Monica Track Club	1:48.29
5	Tetlo Emmen		Unattached	1:48.46
6	Liam Boylan-Pett		New Jersey New York Track Club	1:48.46
7	Casimir Loxsom		Penn State	1:49.25
8	Christian Gonzalez		New Jersey New York Track Club	1:49.32

New Nike Pro Charles Jock

Unsponsored Michael Rutt Says He Doesn't Mind Being Overlooked

HEAT FOUR:
2007 world championship team member Duane Solomon took the tightly bunched crew through in 25.0.  With 400 to go and runners four abreast, these runners seemed to be playing Russian Roulette with their advancement chances,  only going through in 52.6

Khadevis Robinson (“KD”) took the lead at 500, hitting 600 at 1:19.6 and then cruised home in first with Oregon Duck Elijah Greer exciting the crowd by following him home over the last 200 to grab second in 1:47.42, just .12 behind Robinson as Solomon hung on for third in 1:47.91.  Despite knowing that a 1:47 would make it on time, no one advanced on time from this heat after the modest early pace.

Quick Take: Given his old proclivlity for front running, it was a bit surprising to see “KD” sitting back in the pack. But what we really wanted to point out is how much better he looked in the first round this year than 4 years ago? Anyone besides us remember when he finished 6th in his heat and only ran 1:48.04?

1	Khadevis Robinson		Nike	1:47.30	Q
2	Elijah Greer		Oregon	1:47.42	Q
3	Duane Solomon Jr		Saucony	1:47.91	Q
4	Joe Abbott		Unattached	1:48.16
5	Harun Abda		Minnesota	1:48.26
6	Andrew Dawson		Unattached	1:48.35
7	Brandon Shaw		Brooks / Evo Track Club	1:48.89
8	Patrick Roach		S.W.I.F.T. Racing	1:50.11

Khadevis Robinson	Elijah Greer
Duane Solomon and American Record Holder Coach Johnny Gray

	Tell a friend about this article (Dont worry we won't email your friend(s) again. We send them a 1 time email) Enter their email address(es), separated by a comma. Enter your name: Don't Worry: We Back to Main Front Page Questions, comments or suggestions?Please email the LetsRun.com staff at suggestions@LetsRun.com.