Lutkenhaus impresses and Dumas fades in the first round of the 800m at USA’s
By Tate SheehyThe high schoolers competing in the 800 meters at the USATF Outdoor Championships on Thursday afternoon had vastly different outcomes. On the men’s side, Cooper Lutkenhaus advanced to the semifinals after looking great in his heat. On the women’s side, Natalie Dumas faded to last place in her heat. Here’s how both races played out:
Men’s 800m – Lutkenhaus Advances with Strong Finish
Cooper Lutkenhaus (right) advance to USATF 800m Semifinals (Kevin Morris photo)
Texas high schooler Cooper Lutkenhaus qualified for the semifinal of the men’s 800 meters after finishing second in Heat 3 behind Josh Hoey, clocking a time of 1:47.23. Hoey won the heat in 1:47.14.
Lutkenhaus was mid-pack through 400 meters in 52.08. He moved into fourth with 120 meters to go. Down the homestretch, he was boxed in along the rail and started glancing around. After the race, it became clear he was assessing both his position and the possibility of moving up outside. With space limited, he instead surged up the inside and passed Jonah Hoey about 30 meters from the finish to secure his spot in the next round.
Virginia Tech’s Christian Jackson placed third, Patrick Tuohy (brother of Katelyn Tuohy) was fourth, Jonah Hoey finished fifth, and Cass Elliot came in sixth. Mehdi Yanouri of Oklahoma State picked up the final time qualifier, finishing seventh in the heat.
Other favorites to make the team—Bryce Hoppel, Brandon Miller, and Donavan Brazier—won their respective heats as 27 of the 31 runners in the 800m advanced to Friday’s semifinals.
Men’s 800m – Heat 3 Results
| Pl | Athlete | Affiliation | Mark | Qual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (13) | Josh Hoey | adidas | 1:47.14 | Q |
| 2 (15) | Cooper Lutkenhaus | Unattached | 1:47.23 | Q |
| 3 (16) | Christian Jackson | Virginia Tech | 1:47.27 | Q |
| 4 (17) | Patrick Tuohy | NC State | 1:47.33 | Q |
| 5 (19) | Jonah Hoey | Unattached | 1:47.48 | Q |
| 6 (20) | Cass Elliott | Under Armour | 1:47.51 | Q |
| 7 (21) | Mehdi Yanouri | Oklahoma State | 1:47.61 | q |
| 8 (22) | Andrew Regnier | Unattached | 1:47.63 |
After the race Lutkenhaus said, “It’s not normal really getting to race against the best in America…This is kind of the cherry on top for what I’m doing. I just want to go out there, leave everything on the track, make every round like it’s my last of the season.”
Women’s 800m – Dumas Eliminated in First Round
Natalie Dumas at USAs (right, (Kevin Morris photo))
On the women’s side, high schooler Natalie Dumas finished last in Heat 3. Sage Hurta-Klecker won the heat by over a second, looking strong with a 1:59.28. The field came through 400 meters in the high 58s, but Dumas spent much of the race in lane 2 and was unable to hold on late, ultimately fading to a 2:07 finish.
Addy Wiley, Athing Mu-Nikolayev, and Nia Akins also won their heats.
Women’s 800m – Heat 3 Results
| Pl | Athlete | Affiliation | Mark | Qual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (1) | Sage Hurta-Klecker | OAC | 1:59.28 | Q |
| 2 (3) | Olivia Baker | Atlanta TC Elite | 2:00.47 | Q |
| 3 (6) | Emily Richards | Atalanta NYC | 2:00.87 | Q |
| 4 (8) | Skylyn Webb | Saucony | 2:01.15 | Q |
| 5 (14) | Juliette Whittaker | On/Stanford | 2:01.50 | Q |
| 6 (22) | Angel Piccirillo | PUMA/Puma Elite Running | 2:02.01 | Q |
| 7 (29) | MaLeigha Menegatti | Unattached | 2:03.91 | |
| 8 (30) | Natalie Dumas | NIKE Swoosh TC | 2:08.09 |
Afterwards, Dumas said, “My goal for this weekend was kind of go out here, experience everything I could… it was kind of just the experience, get out there and do one whether it’s good or bad race doesn’t matter, just go out there and just run it so you know what it’s going to be like next time.” She wants to come back to Eugene for the World U20s next year but feels the 400 may be her best event, “I think [the] 400 is my strongest suit and I truly do love it.”
