Anyone who thought the reigning NCAA Champ in the 10,000 meters was going to finish "together" holding hands and skipping across the line is / was unrealistic to idiotic.
The drama queens behind LRC try to once again create controversy where there isn't any. I sat with two diff groups of friends during the race and was mere feet from the Oregon coaches at the finish.
Of course a talent like Jenkins doesn't like to lose and of course a racer like Ches was going to defend his title; it's instinct.
No one in the stands was surprised; it was the exact outcome that was expected.
Of course the Oregon coaches were going to tell their guys just to cruise in and not kill each other off for the 5,000.
If they had held hands and slipped across the line together, as evidently the clowns behind LRC hoped for, of course those same clowns of LRC would then be petitioning the NCAA to void their two results because the Oregon runners did not make a valid effort to win.
There's no winning when the dorks behind the headlines here seek a negative against Oregon spin on every story involving Oregon they can.
Anyone who was actually surprised at this outcome is naive or blind.
I'd bet "finishing together" meant "do kill each other the last 1200 to get the win. And, arguably Jenkins had a gap in the last 1k that could be spun as he was trying to take the win.
The goal was to go 1-2. They did. No athlete likes to lose, and there were plenty of times former Ducks looked pissed at each other at the end of races. That's athletics. But, they were more frustrated that they didn't win...and just as these two did, all was forgotten once coach said "now go warm down."
The defending NCAA 10,000 champ won, setting up an epic 5,000 showdown between the other contenders Friday, last years runner up, and the immensely talented Mr. Jenkins...with, oh, the coveted Oregon 5,000m record possibly going down...
Yeah, like anyone would rather the set up were any other way...
Sure.