Preview Of Women’s 1,500 At 2013 USA Outdoor Track And Field Championships
Does Mary Cain Make It To Moscow? What About Past Champions Uceny, Rowbury Or Moser?
by LetsRun.com
June 19, 2013
Take a look at the list of nine entrants for the 2013 USA Women’s 1,500 who have all run under 4:10 so far in 2013:
1 4:02.85 Treniere Moser 2 4:04.60 Katie Mackey 3 4:04.62 AJR AYR Mary Cain 4 4:05.27 Sarah Brown 5 4:05.41 Gabriele Anderson 6 4:07.36 Shannon Rowbury 7 4:08.09 Renee Tomlin 8 4:08.24 Kate Grace 9 4:08.49 Morgan Uceny
If you are a casual fan, there is no need to get your eyes checked. The leader of the list is indeed Treniere Moser.
Treniere Moser Has Seemingly Found The Fountain Of Youth In 2013
From 2005 to 2007, when the USA wasn’t very good at the elite level for the 1,500, Treniere Moser was dominant in the event in this country, winning three straight USA titles. However, Moser seemingly faded away from 2008 to 2012 just as the US was getting incredibly good on the world level with the likes of Rowbury, Uceny, Simpson.
Take a look at Moser’s seasonal best times and finishing place at USAs from 2008 to 2012.
2008 4:11.87 12th
2009 4:07.91 5th
2010 4:07.49 DNC
2011 4:07.57 6th
2012 4:09.34 11th
Each year, she continued to struggle and continued to get older.
Now at age 31, however, she is back and back better than ever. Her career truly has been rejuvenated by her switch to the tutelage of Alberto Salazar.
Moser’s fifth-place showing of 4:02.85 at the Prefontaine Classic is a lifetime PR (previous PR of 4:03.32). She’s also PRed at 3,000 (9:03) and 5000 (15:11) and run 2:01.65 in the 800 (1:59.15 PR). As a result, she’s got a real good shot of going to Worlds.
Enough With Moser; Talk About Mary Cain, Please
Moser’s rejuvenation at age 31 is a great story but the fact of the matter is much of the media attention in this event is going to go to 2011 World #1 Morgan Uceny, who suffered heart-breaking falls at the 2011 World Champs and 2012 Olympics, 2009 World Championships bronze medallist Shannon Rowbury Alberto Salazar’s other athlete in the field – 17-year-old phenom Mary Cain.
Mary Cain After Breaking 2:00 At Prefontaine *More 2013 Prefontaine Photos
Cain is the media darling in 2013 for good reason. She’s incredibly talented, she’s continually improving, she always seems to come up with a big performance in a big meet and she gives a great interview where it seems as if she’s a 17-year-old who is having the time of her life at an adult’s party.
Do we think Cain will make the Moscow team with a top three finish? Yes, we do. With reigning world champion Jenny Simpson running the 5,000 as she’s got a bye to the Moscow 1,500, the final is likely to be somewhat tactical. If that’s the case, Cain’s arguably got the best finishing speed of anyone in the field.
Yes, Moser’s got a better 800 PR than Cain (1:59.15 versus 1:59.51) but she’s way older. Uceny also has a better 800 PR (1:58.37 versus 1:59.51) but Uceny is on the comeback trail from post-London fall injuries and was only running 4:17 in April at Drake.
If Cain stays close, watch out as she can kick. She gunned down a lot of people in the last 200 of the Prefontaine 800 and she came from way back at the USATF Oxy meet to grab second in the 1,500.
However, Cain is by no means a lock. It’s been a long season and this is her first time at USAs as a pro with lots of high quality runners in the final. Remember, a year ago, she was crushed at World Juniors but she seemingly continues to get better and better.
What About The Medallist Rowbury And 2011 World #1 Uceny?
In terms of others contending for a top three spot, we think there really only are three likely to do it and, yes, two of them are 2009 Worlds bronze medallist Shannon Rowbury and 2011 World #1 Mogan Uceny.
If there is a track and field God, then Morgan Uceny will end up on the team. As the World Championships favorite, she was tripped at the 2011 Worlds. Then she was tripped again in the 2012 Olympic final when she had an excellent shot at a medal.
There were a lot of post-fall injury problems and Uceny got off to a very slow start this year. Two months ago, she was third to last at Drake in 4:17 and seemingly in lots of trouble in terms of making it to Worlds. However, on May 25th, she ran 4:08 in the wind at New York and beat three of the women ahead of her in terms of 2013 times – Sarah Brown, Gabriele Anderson and Kate Grace.
Uceny was supposed to go to Rome after that but got sick, proving she really can’t catch a break. But Uceny can take heart in the fact she finished just behind Canadian Sheila Reid in New York and Reid went on to run 4:02 in Eugene.
Assuming Uceny overcame her illness and has had a few good weeks of training, it’s hard to discount her. Remember, she’s won the last two years. And there’s a nice article out this morning in the South Bend Tribune and Uceny say’s she’s ready to compete.
“I know the times I have posted thus far this year seem less than impressive, but I also know that I’m finally in good form and ready to compete,” said Uceny.
As for Shannon Rowbury, well, she beat Uceny in both New York and at Drake. That’s the good news. More good news is she’s very consistent as she was 6th in the Olympic final last year. However, she hasn’t run faster than 4:03.15 since 2010. Are her best days past her? Even if they are, she’s still got a good shot at contending as there are only a couple of people in the field likely to run 4:03 this year.
Anyone Else?
Katie Mackey sits at #2 on the US list at 4:04.60. Many may have forgotten that when she ran that time, she also beat Mary Cain at the USATF Oxy meet as Cain ran 4:04.62. That being said, we don’t like Mackey’s chances for a top 3 spot. There are already three experienced veterans in Moser, Rowbury and Uceny plus the phenom Cain to deal with.
Mackey would need a career day to make it. Mackey’s 800 PR is just 2:02.33 and she only ran 2:04.94 at Portland in her last race. Cain just ran a 1:59, Rowbury beat Cain at Drake by a lot more than Mackey beat her at Oxy, Moser’s run 4:02 and Uceny is coming back strong.
Two-time cancer survivor Gabriele Anderson has the “A” standard of 4:05.50 as well. Last year, she was a surprise fourth at the Trials. However, Will Leer can attest it’s hard to go from a surprise fourth at the Olympic Trials (Leer was top 4 at USAs in 2008) to top three and Worlds.
In New York, Anderson lost to Uceny and Rowbury and also former Yalie Kate Grace. Grace, much like Uceny a few years ago, is rapidly improving after her Ivy League career has come to an end but seems to be a year or two away from legitimately contending.
Quick Takes, Entries and Start Lists below.
Quick Take #1: Our friends at the Bring Back The Mile Movement are excited about this race. In our men’s 800 preview, we raved about the event as there are so many people with an outside shot of making it. Dave Monico of BBM feels the same way about the women’s 1,500. He emailed us and said the following:
USATF ‘A’ – 19 (22 w/Simpson, Martinez & Feldman who scratched)Men’s 800m
World ‘A’ – 5
USATF ‘A’ – 21
Monico makes some good points.
There is no doubt this event is going to be great, particularly with Cain in it, but with Simpson having a wild card, it’s definitely less exciting than it could be. Like if you go to a Detroit baseball game, you want to see Miguel Cabrera. If you go to the US women’s 1,500 final, you want to see the world champion Jenny Simpson. As a result, the men’s 1,500 has more intrigue for us.
And while we feel the men’s 800 is deeper than the women’s 1,500, we also just love the 800 as an event. There is something with the fact that in an 800, the entire field is generally right there with 200 – sometimes even 100 – to go. The anticipation just explodes from the track.
More: Heats Sheets Below.
*Vote in our poll? Does Mary Cain make it to Moscow? Does Morgan Uceny?
South Bend Tribune: No longer the miler to beat – Uceny battling to return to elite form
*Competitor.com Profile Of 2-Time Cancer Survivor: Gabriele Anderson Continues Beating The Odds
*LRC Vault: *2013 Pre Classic 1,500 Recap
*2012 Women’s Olympic 1,500 Recap
*2012 US Olympic Trials Women’s 1,500 Recap
| 1,500m – Women | ||||
| Name | Affiliation | Mark | Status | Declaration |
| Treniere Moser | Nike | 4:02.85 | qualified | declared |
| Shannon Rowbury | Nike | 4:03.15 | qualified | declared |
| Morgan Uceny | adidas | 4:04.59 | qualified | declared |
| Katherine Mackey | Brooks | 4:04.60 | qualified | declared |
| Mary Cain | Bronxville High School | 4:04.62 | qualified | declared |
| Gabriele Anderson | Brooks / Team USA Minnesota | 4:04.84 | qualified | declared |
| Sarah Brown | New Balance | 4:05.27 | qualified | declared |
| Nicole Schappert | Brooks / New York Athletic Club (NYAC) | 4:06.87 | qualified | declared |
| Renee Tomlin | Nike | 4:08.09 | qualified | declared |
| Kate Grace | Oiselle / New Jersey New York Track Club | 4:08.24 | qualified | declared |
| Rachel Schneider | Georgetown University | 4:10.53 | qualified | declared |
| Cory McGee | University of Florida | 4:10.55 | qualified | declared |
| Amanda Winslow | Florida State University | 4:10.79 | qualified | declared |
| Ashley Miller | 4:11.49 | qualified | declared | |
| Hillary Holt | The College of Idaho | 4:11.62 | qualified | declared |
| Carly Hamilton | University of Georgia | 4:12.15 | qualified | declared |
| Emily Lipari | Villanova University | 4:12.17 | qualified | declared |
| Heather Wilson | 4:12.58 | qualified | declared | |
| Kerri Gallagher | Pacers/New Balance | 4:12.97 | qualified | declared |
| Laura Roxberg | University of Missouri-Columbia | 4:13.53 | accepted | declared |
| Lauren Penney | Syracuse University | 4:13.87 | accepted | declared |
| Amanda Mergaert | University of Utah | 4:14.30 | accepted | declared |
| Rebecca Tracy | University of Notre Dame | 4:14.42 | accepted | declared |
| Amanda Eccleston | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 4:14.56 | accepted | declared |
| Lianne Farber | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 4:14.56 | accepted | declared |
| Stephanie Brown | University of Arkansas, Fayetteville | 4:14.58 | accepted | declared |
| Kristen Findley | Vanderbilt University | 4:14.74 | accepted | declared |
| Rebecca Friday | University of Oregon | 4:14.99 | accepted | declared |
| Dana Mecke | 4:15.49 | accepted | declared | |
| Jordyn Smith | Team Run Eugene | 4:15.90 | accepted | declared |
| Callie Thomas | 4:16.15 | accepted | declared | |
| Christina Cazzola | 4:16.44 | accepted | declared | |
| Jennifer Simpson | New Balance | 4:02.30 | qualified | scratched |
| Greta Feldman | Princeton University | 4:12.29 | qualified | scratched |
| Heather Kampf | Asics / Team USA Minnesota | 4:14.03 | provisional | scratched |
| Lauren Hagans | 4:17.00 | not qualified | ||
Event 10 Women 1,500 Meter Run Senior
===============================================================================
12 Advance: Top 3 Each Heat plus Next 6 Best Times
World: 3:50.46 9/11/1993 Yunxia Qu, CHN
American: 3:57.12 7/26/1983 Mary Slaney, Athletics West
Name Year Team
===============================================================================
Heat 1 Prelims
1 Amanda Eccleston Michigan
2 Katherine Mackey Brooks
3 Renee Tomlin Nike
4 Cory McGee Florida
5 Amanda Winslow Florida State
6 Dana Mecke Unattached
7 Nicole Schappert Brooks / NYAC
8 Rebecca Friday Oregon
9 Mary Cain Bronxville H
10 Christina Cazzola Unattached
11 Emily Lipari Villanova
12 Treniere Moser Nike
13 Laura Roxberg Missouri
14 Lauren Penney Syracuse Uni
15 Lianne Farber North Carolina
16 Carly Hamilton Georgia
Heat 2 Prelims
1 Hillary Holt Coll of Idaho
2 Stephanie Brown Arkansas
3 Amanda Mergaert Utah
4 Kristen Findley Vanderbilt U
5 Shannon Rowbury Nike
6 Heather Wilson Unattached
7 Morgan Uceny adidas
8 Callie Thomas Unattached
9 Kate Grace Oiselle / NJNYTC
10 Kerri Gallagher Pacers/New B
11 Gabriele Anderson Brooks / TmUSAMn
12 Jordyn Smith Team Run Eug
13 Sarah Brown New Balance
14 Rachel Schneider Georgetown U
15 Rebecca Tracy Notre Dame
16 Ashley Miller Unattached