Note, Centro was training through Indoors, and was doubling from the DMR...
Given his first chance to run outdoors against top competition...while still not tapering to a peak...what did he do?
He schooled a bunch of vets at Stanford - NO ONE had him winning in their pre-race predictions. Then what did little Centro do? He ran a prelim and a tactical final perfectly, and beat Galen. In neither race did Centro look spent. (Galen was spent after that 1500 finish.)
Sure, maybe Centro has peaked, maybe he doesn't have much left for this season, maybe this, maybe that. Maybe any one of the runners won't make the finals at Nationals, maybe anyone will have an off day in 3 weeks.
But I like the indicators of Centro's season so far.
Centrowitz has run with the competition indoors and out, in crowds, and executed intelligent, perfectly strategized races, and has not placed 2 times outdoors... He's Won. He's making statements, winning fast or winning tactical. He's showing control and savvy beyond his years. No one expected this from him this year, this soon, this early in his career.
Sure, he may not win at NCAA's. But a pattern may be emerging. Winning.
And that coming out party at Stanford, followed by the confidence, calm and savvy to win that race last weekend.
This kid may just be starting. We're going to find out. Essentially that race at Stanford was this Oregon Freshman's outdoor college debut...
And he handled the field easily, while nearly setting the Oregon record in the 1500, and running in the top ten all time.
I think the odds for Fernandez are dicier. He hasn't improved as far as we know, since his 3:55. Running world X was a great experience I am sure, but he didn't really prove he was progressing with that, or last week.
Fernandez may just find that he's out of his class when he suddenly has to run with alot of people around him again. His coach is taking a huge risk in not getting him in qaulity races with lots of traffic in order to prepare him for real race conditions with more athletes of his caliber around him. I can't imagine anyone runs "with" him during his track work in OK.
Anyway, all of this GF talk is a distraction.
Oregon could have 2 runners in the race who could beat him, and possibly 3 entrants.
It is going to be interesting. My guess is that it will be another tactical race...assuming it is hot and humid in hogland.
The Ducks have more to contend with in the climate, than they have to worry about GF and his inconsistency.