2009 Nike Outdoor Nationals

Here's some of the top graduating seniors. There's a few younger runners who could do well, but I'm mostly interested to see if NON will be as good an indicator of who will be the top NCAA runners this fall as it was last year.

Trevor Dunbar (Kodiak, AK), 14:33, 8:51, 4:10

Chris Schwartz (Bakersfield, CA), 15:06, 8:51

Jeff Thode (IL), 8:51, 4:05

Collin Jarvis (CA), 8:53, 4:12

Mac Fleet (CA), 9:03, 4:05

Kaleb Kallappa (Columbia River, WA), 8:53

Solomon Haile (Silver Spring, MD) 14:22, 9:23

Reed Connor (TX), 8:55

James Webb (TX) 8:55

Toby Villalva (CA), 8:59, 4:09

Robby Andrews (Manalapan, NJ), 9:24, 4:15, 1:48

Elijah Greer (OR), 3:50, 1:47

Dan Mitchell (Del Campo, CA), 8:56

Isaac Chavez (Barstow, CA), 14:44, 8:57

Tim Freriks (AZ), 8:58

Nathan Mathabane (OR), 15:14, 3:50, 8:59

Thomas Porter (Fredricksburg, VA), 4:10

I'm not sure what's up with Solomon Haile, why he hasn't run a fast outdoors race, nor with Jakub Zivec. Other top Footlocker finishers like Thomas Porter, Drew Shields and Evan Appel have also been under the radar this spring. It would nice to see milers like Mac Fleet and Robby Andrews run the 2 mile too. Andrews will likely focus on the 800, but I'm surprised Fleet didn't double at the California state meet. He seems capable of a sub-8:50. I'd say there's at least ten runners who could potentially run in the 8:40s, and one or two just under that.

Zivec is back in the Czech Republic, he ran 3:45 or 46 for the 1500 recently

Midwest Distance Gala

http://www.runnerspace.com/GALA

Gala Boys Mile Field (Fastest Section)

Jeff Thode (Sr., Conant, IL) - Thode enters Saturday's mile race ranked US#1 in both the 1,600m (4:05.17) and 3,200m (8:51.30). All season long Thode's focus has been on breaking the four minute mile barrier, and on Saturday he'll have that opportunity. The University of Iowa-bound senior also won the state title in cross country last fall.

Michael Atchoo (Jr., Troy, MI) - Ranked US#4 for 1,600m, Atchoo's winning 4:07.71 performance at the Michigan State Meet, not only gave the junior a new personal best, but also shattered the state meet record, held by Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein. Atchoo placed second in the NSIC mile during the indoor season.

Patrick McGregor (Sr., Hoover, AL) - All year, McGregor has tested himself against the country's best milers time and time again at very prestigious meets. After a great indoor season, which saw him dip under the 4:10 mile mark, McGregor competed at the Arcadia Invitational, placing second overall in 4:09.13 for the mile.

Andrew Springer (Sr., Westerly, RI) - Last weekend, at the Rhode Island T&F Championships, Springer produced perhaps the most thrilling performance the state has ever seen. Springer won the 800m, 1,500m and 3,000m races, while guiding his team to a 4x800m relay state title, not to mention the fact that the 4x8 set a state record, and his 1,500m and 3,000m performances were state records as well. Springer's goal Saturday to is to push the four minute mile mark.

Drew Shields (Sr., Fishers, IN) - One of the most experienced Gala veterans ever, Shields returns as the top Gala mile finisher from 2008. Last spring, Shields ran one of the fastest times in the country for a junior, placing third in the Gala with a 4:09.64 effort. The University of Wisconsin-bound senior has had a big senior year thus far, but he's far from finished. Last weekend at the Indiana State Meet, Shields won the 1,600m run in 4:11.36.

Portland Track Festival

http://portlandtrack.org/festival/

Sub-4 Challenge Mile

There are few standards in the sport of track and field as compelling as the four-minute mile. It's a mark that 312 Americans have achieved since Dan Bowden ran the first in 1957. Of those 312, only four have hit the mark as high school athletes and in that time.

We've invited the top high school milers from across the country and have brought together a deep field of this year's best. The field includes the indoor national record holder in the 800m and 1000m, four sub-9 3200m runners and the 2008 National Foot Locker runner-up among the many other credentials this group carries.

Robby Andrews

Manalapan HS, Manalapan, NJ - Univ. of Virginia

Trevor Dunbar

Kodiak HS, Kodiak, AK - Univ. of Portland

Mac Fleet

University City HS, San Diego, CA - Univ. of Oregon

Elliott Jantzer

Phoenix HS, Phoenix, OR - Univ. of Oregon

Collin Jarvis

Rancho Buena Vista HS, Vista, CA

Kenny Krotzer

Auburn Riverside HS, Auburn, WA - Junior

Nathan Mathabane

Lincoln HS, Portland, OR - Princeton Univ.

Shane Moskowitz

Central Kisap HS, Bremerton, WA - Junior

Adam Thorne

Ferris HS, Spokane, WA - Junior

Mack Young

Redmond HS, Redmond, WA - Junior

Is Chelsey Sveinsson running? I bet Hasay is too scared to race her

I'd say the 800 will be the premier distance event, besides the DMR and possibly the 4xMile.

I find it hard to get excited about the 800. However, people like Alan Webb and Andrew Wheating are showing that 800 runners don't have to be afraid of distance (both have run some great 10k XC races). As a cross country fan, it would be a shame to not see all of them run XC in the fall.

4:02.07 Andrew Springer

Not too bad. The blog is slow in giving any other results.

Midwest Distance Gala

2 Mile

1 8:53.98 Lukas Verzbikas

2 8:56.08 Solomon Haile

3 8:56.65 Graham Bazell

4 9:08.87 Dylan Sorensen

Mile

1 4:02.70 Andrew Springer

2 4:05.20 Peter Callahan

3 4:07.07 Pat McGregor

4 4:09.33 Andrew Nelson

5 4:10.37 Drew Shields

15 4:17.62 Jeff Thode

Portland Track Festival

Mile

1 4:02.70 Mac Fleet

2 4:03.39 Robby Andrews

3 4:06.65 Trevor Dunbar

4 4:08.08 Elijah Greer

Uniformly great races from pretty much everyone but Thode. I haven't seen full results for Portland so I don't know what happened to Jarvis. Two or three of these guys certainly have potential for sub-4 in a properly rabbited race. I don't think it's going to happen, and really it's not that big of deal. The real challenge would be to be able by next spring to run a 4:03 in the last mile of of a 5000 like Derrick did.

Good write-ups at Dysestat:

http://www.dyestat.com//?pg=reg4-2009-Outdoor-IL-Midwest-Distance-Gala

"While Callahan has planned on running the NON 800, he would – amazingly – be the top seed in the mile if he chose to run it. The three athletes ranked ahead of him now after an amazing night of miling – Springer, Fleet, and Andrews – are all either running the 2-mile or 800 in Greensboro."

http://www.dyestatnw.com/?pg=reg7-2009-Outdoor-OR-090613-Portland-Track-Festival

Turns out Jarvis tied up and got 6th in 4:12. It's probably not cause for worry, one can only peak for so long. That California State meet is tougher to win than any of these time trials, and took everything he had.

zoosh wrote:

I'd say the 800 will be the premier distance event, besides the DMR and possibly the 4xMile.

The 800 features Fleet, Andrews, Livingston and Coxsom, no Greer. I wouldn't call that the premier event. I suppose one of them could get a big PR, but I doubt anyone will go 1:46.

The 2 mile has Dunbar, Schwartz, Verzbicas, Springer and Haile. I'm excited about this. Hopefully Jarvis (8:53), Callahan (4:03), Kallapa (8:53) and Bazell (8:53) will be there too.

This oughtta be good! Thode is indeed running the 2, despite what he'd said earlier. Between Dunbar, Schwartz, Springer, Thode and Verzbicas, a couple should get close to breaking 8:40. Perhaps Porter will make a comeback like Schwartz did at the CA state meet.

2 Mile, Section 2, Friday 6:50 PM

1 1926 Lukas Verzbicas 12 New Lenox, IL

2 1486 Graham Bazell 09 Columbia, MD

3 2332 Tyler Stutzman 09 Charlottesville,

4 2322 Andrew Springer 09 Westerly, RI

5 1885 Christopher Schwartz 09 Bakersfield, CA

6 1365 Nick Happe 09 St. Charles, MO

7 2199 Shane Moskowitz 10 Bremerton, WA

8 2113 Zachary Wills 11 Mason, OH

9 1892 Wes Rickman 09 Falcon, CO

10 921 Trevor Dunbar 09 Kodiak, AK

11 1232 Thomas Porter 09 Fredericksburg,

12 1631 Bobby Andrews 09 Wading River, NY

13 855 Jeff Thode 09 Schaumburg, IL

14 2104 Scott Anderson 09 West Falls, NY

15 380 Taylor Gilland 09 Chapel Hill, NC

16 1439 Joe Rosa 11 Plainsboro, NJ

Verzbicas will win and NO ONE will come close to 8:40. Enough said

If anyone can, it's Dunbar. As early as the Boston indoor mile he said he planned to peak for NON. His 8:51 3200 was just a warm-up, and 4:06 mile a good wind-up. I say at least 8:45.

TBH, Verzbicas is just too young for me to care. Who knows where he'll be by his senior year. He may be into some other sport by then. Is he on his way to U.S. citizenship? If by 2012 he is and has declared a college to run XC and track, and he's still improving, then I'll be interested. Even more interesting would be if he improved enough to compete in Olympic trials as a graduating senior.

She's doubling......1 and 2.

Sveinsson in 10:04, nice!

Video is buffering big time, really annoying.

http://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=153

#9 all-time indoors and out.

Show 'em what you got Trevor!

Dunbar wins in 8:49!