Day 3 Wrap - U.S. Ready For the World

The Nick Symmonds vs. Khadevis Robinson show unfolded beautifully in the 800m final. Tevon Everett led the pack through the first 400m in 51 seconds. As usual, Symmonds began his signature kick from fourth to first at 600m. Symmonds and Robinson were neck and neck over the last 100m, but Symmonds had the home turf advantage and the roar of the crowd to pull him past the line first in 1:45.86.

Two young stars, Geena Gall and Phoebe Wright, trailed three-time Olympian Hazel Clark in the women’s 800m. Clark led from the gun through a 59.43 first lap. She struggled some on lap 2, but pulled ahead to win it in 2:00.79.

Jenny Barringer and Anna Willard expectantly went 1-2 in the 3000m steeplechase. Willard has raced a lot over the past few days as she also competed in the 1500m, so she did not quite have enough left to challenge Barringer. She did, however, have a good race with Bridget Franek and Lindsey Anderson.

Barringer went to the lead and stayed there. She cruised along with Anderson and Willard close behind.

“It was really windy out there so I wanted to take command of the race from the beginning,” Barringer said.

The breeze was no problem for Willard because she had Franek and Anderson with her. With about 1200m left in the race, Barringer surged ahead to open a 30-meter gap. Franek made her move to second on the next lap and dropped Anderson. Then it was a battle for 2nd place as Willard went with Franek. Willard beat her to the line about 6 seconds behind Barringer.

Shawn Crawford ran a fast 19.73 in the 200m. He had a good start among the talented field. He dominated the race with Charles Clark behind him in 20.00 and Wallace Spearmon in 20.03.

“It was pretty controlled,” Crawford said. “I’ve been practicing driving through the first 120 and letting my body carry me the rest of the way.”

After winning the semifinals, Allyson Felix also started well in the women’s race to win her fifth national title in 22.02, followed by Muna Lee and Marshavet Hooker.

“What I wanted to do was just really focus on the start, and just work on driving out,” Felix said.

The 1500m was an exciting race. Leonel Manzano, Lopez Lomong and Will Leer led the first 800m, but then Stephen Pifer sprinted to the front. He could not hold the pace as he was passed by Lomong, Manzano and Leer. Lomong moved in front of Manzano with 200m to go, and Dorian Ulrey kicked for a surprising 3rd place. Ulrey came into the race as one of the underdogs and was elated with his race. Cloud nine is not the limit for Ulrey. He said he was on cloud 10.5 after this accomplishment.

In the 100m hurdles, Dawn Harper won her first national title and ran 12.36. Virginia Powell and Damu Cherry were close behind.

Bershawn Jackson ran the fastest time in the world this year in the men’s 400m hurdles, 48.03 seconds. Johnny Dutch was surprised by his 2nd place finish, ahead of Olympic gold medalist Angelo Taylor.

“I looked over to my left and noticed I was 2nd or 3rd and thought ‘oh I made the team!’” Dutch said.

Taylor seemed disappointed not to win, but said he was glad to be on the team. Jackson agrees that the main goal is Berlin.

“Once you make the team, everything will take care of itself,” Jackson said. “We have the greatest hurdlers in the world.”

Day 3 Wrap Up - 2009 U.S. Nationals

The action continues on day three of the 2009 USA Track & Field Championships. Fans and athletes enjoyed the sunny weather and exciting races.

It was a good day for LaShawn Merritt, who celebrated his 23rd birthday with another national title in the 400m. He ran it in 44.50 seconds and is undefeated in the event this season.

“When you’re in the #1 spot, you just know you have to work that much harder,” Merritt said. “Every time I come out I bring my A game.”

Merritt said he is happy with the team going to World’s, including runner-up Gil Roberts of Texas Tech and 3rd place finisher Kerron Clement. Jeremy Wariner is also on the team, but did not compete today. Merritt said he believes Wariner earned the right not to be here and will get his chance to race him in Berlin.

Sanya Richards reclaimed her US title in the women’s 400m final in 50.05 seconds. Richards said she was not happy with the time, but the wind was a factor. Debbie Dunn was second, and Jessica Beard proved herself against the senior women by finishing 3rd to make the world team.

A new Hayward record and fastest time in the world this year was set by Lashinda Davis when she ran 53.78 in the women’s 400m hurdle finals. Sheena Tosta and Tiffany Ross-Williams will join her in Berlin.

David Payne out-inched Terrence Trammel in the thrilling 110m hurdle finals. The race was so close that Payne said he had to check the jumbotron before he celebrated the victory. His time was 13.12 seconds.

The women’s 1500m was led almost entirely by Christin Wurth-Thomas. She ran to the front and looked strong, running about 62 seconds for the first lap.

“I knew once I went for it, I needed to throw in a 62,” Wurth-Thomas said.

Erin Donahue, Shannon Rowbury and Anna Willard went with with her. Rowbury was ready for the quick change of pace, due to her focus on sharpening her speed in training. No one else could stay with them.

“I thought someone would follow her, but they didn’t. I knew someone had to go,” Rowbury said.

Wurth-Thomas’s stamina could not match Rowbury’s speed. On the homestretch, Rowbury pulled into first, followed by Wurth-Thomas and Willard.

“I like to be the hunter, not the hunted,” Wurth-Thomas said. “I didn’t know if anyone was with me. I panicked.”

The 3000m steeplechase got off to a conservative start with William Nelson in the lead. Daniel Huling stuck behind him until the last three laps when he and Josh McAdams made a dash for the lead. At the bell, it was McAdams, Huling and Kyle Alcorn. McAdams pushed to the finish to win the national title.

Day 2 Wrap Up - 2009 Nationals

Day 2 of the 2009 USA Track and Field Championships was full of surprises.

Can you run 10.78 and lose a race? Muna Lee did, by a fraction of a second. In the 100m finals, Carmelita Jeter beat her by a hair. The clock read 10.78 for both women, but Jeter’s was .001 faster. Lauryn Williams was right behind in 10.96. Jeter was ecstatic to defeat the defending champion and make her first world championship team.

“It’s a new year for me in 2009 and I’m really doing well,” Jeter said.

There was no Tyson Gay in the men’s race, but that did not take much away from the competition. Michael Rogers flew through in 9.91 with Darvis Patton and Manzavous Edwards.

“I came here with a lot of confidence. And when I get to Berlin, I think I can medal. I just have to train hard and stay humble,” Rogers said after his win.

Believe it or not, the most exciting race of the day was a distance race - the men’s 5000m.

“It was a hell of a race,” according to German Fernandez. Fernandez finished 5th and ran a new American Junior record, 13:25.56.

Anthony Famiglietti certainly made the race interesting. He bolted to the lead and did not let go, but Matt Tegenkamp and Chris Solinsky were close on his heels with Bolota Asmerom and Evan Jager. With one mile left, Asmerom moved to first and Famiglietti fell to the fifth position.

“Fam is notoriously a front-runner,” Tegenkamp explained, which helped him mentally through the race.

As the pack slipped away from Famiglietti, he made a bold sprint back to the front with 3 laps to go. However, he expelled too much energy with that move, Asmerom reacted in the last 800m, and Solinsky, Tegenkamp, Jager and Fernandez all went with him.

“I lost today, but the fans won,” Famiglietti said with a smile.

At 4800m, Tegenkamp, Solinsky and Jager took over and let the energy of the Oregon crowd carry them through the finish line for a 13:20.57 win for Tegenkamp.

All three men are members of the Oregon Track Club, but according to Tegenkamp, there is no team strategy for a championship race.

Another Oregon Track Club member, Kara Goucher, is one of the most versatile athletes in women’s track and field. This year she will run the world championship marathon, but the 5000m today despite her focus on the marathon.

“This has been the hardest season I’ve ever tried to put together,” Goucher described.

The endurance paid off as she hung on for a blistering final 3 laps with Jen Rhines. Goucher and Rhines cruised with the pack consisting of Erin Donahue, and gradually made their way to the front. Then with 3 laps to go, Rhines pushed to the lead and threw down a 69.4 lap. Goucher went with her as they left the field in the dust. Then Goucher unleashed her kick at the bell to finish in 15:20.94.

There are two more days of competition at the US Track & Field Championships, and more amazing races to come.

The much-anticipated Barringer vs. Willard match is Sunday, but today both women ran conservatively in their preliminary heats.

“Today I was going out and trying to be as easy as possible. I wanted to stay in my rhythm,” Willard said.

Geena Gall makes a smooth transition to the professional level so far, and says she believes she can make the world team. Not only did she run a fast time in her semifinal heat (2:01.99), but she showed that she can remain focused in a tactical race. Phoebe Wright tried to make a move on the home stretch, but Gall was able to hold her off.

Khadevis Robinson is in good form this year as he won the first heat of the 800m semifinals, followed by Ryan Brown and Christian Smith. Tevan Everett led most of the race, but could not stay there for long.

“We had a guy that took it out and made an honest race of it. That’s what we need, that’s what we want,” Robinson said.

Oregon favorite Nick Symmonds won heat 2 with a slightly faster time. Symmonds will duel Robinson on his home turf in the finals on Sunday. It will likely be a close finish between the two, but if the 5000m is any indication, OTC green is a lucky color.

Day 1 Wrap Up - 2009 U.S. Nationals

Photo by Glenda Boyd.

-Eugene,Oregon.

Sporting his University of Oregon singlet for the last time, Galen Rupp gave Duck fans quite a show in the 10,000m. He sat in the front third of the pack for most of the race, but there was no doubt he would eventually deliver his powerful finish for a 27:52.53 win.

“I could not ask for anything more than to close out [my college career] with a win,” Rupp said.

Abdi Abdirahman, the 2008 10k champion, looked strong as he led the first 3000 meters in 8:36.24, followed closely by Meb Keflezighi. Dathan Ritzenhein, James Carney and Rupp stayed comfortably with the pack. At 5000 meters, Ritz made a bold move to the front and Abdi fell back to 7th.

They went through in 14:12.09. Now it was between Ritz, Rupp, Carney and Tim Nelson. With a mile to go, Carney fell off the pack. Ritz and Rupp broke away.

Rupp unleashed his relentless kick at the last 500m. Ritz stayed strong, but did not have the speed left to catch him.

“I could tell in the last laps that I didn’t have that 10k specific training,” Ritzenhein said. “I knew he’d make a move at some point.”

“I have a lot of confidence in my kick,” Rupp said. “I was ready to go. I made sure when I went, I went. There could be no doubt at all.”

The favorite in the women’s 10,000m was 2008 Olympic bronze-medalist Shalane Flanagan. However, Flanagan soon found herself in an unexpected battle with Amy Begley. Begley led at first, and when Flanagan made her move to the front, the two broke away from the pack and took turns with the lead.

“Shalane and I wanted to put on a show, so we traded laps for the first 5K. It really made the race go faster,” Begley said.

Flanagan sat on Begley’s shoulder, but Begley held her off through the bell lap. Flanagan made a final dash to the lead at the last 200 meters, but it was too little, too late as Begley quickly reacted and hammered through the finish line in 31:22.69. Flanagan was right behind in 31:23.43. Begley represented the Oregon Track Club well by running a new Hayward Field record.

There were no other finals on Wednesday, so the athletes in the prelims focused on conserving their energy.

Tyson Gay is back on track. In one of the most exciting performances of the day, he ran 9.75 (wind-aided). However, he said he was unhappy with how he felt after a false start rattled him.

“The false start threw me off. I had too much going through my mind,” Gay said. “I ran a horrible race. It felt like a blow-up.”

After this 1st round race, Gay will not compete in the finals as he is already qualified for the World Track & Field Championships. Gay’s performance did not look bad from a spectator’s perspective, but hopefully this got the kinks out before Berlin.

In the women’s 800m, NCAA champion Geena Gall qualified in her preliminary race, wearing green. Gall, formerly of the University of Michigan, is now a member of the Oregon Track Club. Christian Smith, Khadevis Robinson and Nick Symmonds led the qualifying times in the men’s 800m.

The 1500m prelims had some talented fields. Leo Manzano ran the fastest time of 3:39.91. Alan Webb had a good-looking race and the 7th fastest qualifying time.

Instant Analysis - Day 1, 2009 NCAA Championships

It was a rainy day in Fayetteville, but already there are some blazing fast performances on the first day of the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Look for lots of action to take place in the relays.

The Texas A&M women’s 4×100m team started things off with a bang, running 42.93 seconds. That is the third fastest time they have run this season and it’s only a preliminary race. The Aggie women have already won the Big 12 and Midwest Region championships this year. They hope to continue their winning streak. The Aggie men also dominated the 4×100m, running 38.51. Close on their heels was Florida in 38.57.

The 100 meters typically delivers sparks and this year is looking to live up to those expectations.

Two of the Texas A&M women, Porscha Lucas and Gabby Mayo, also later qualified in the individual 100m prelims. Alexandria Anderson of the University of Texas blew that field away with her 11.02. After the weather delay, Anderson reclaimed the top spot of the semi-finals, running 11.29, followed by Jessica Young of TCU. The first round of the men’s 100m was fast as well, lead by LSU’s Trindon Holliday in 10 seconds flat and Clemson’s Jacoby Ford in 10.01. Holliday and Ford went 1-2 again when they came back to the track for the semifinals.

This may be the most stacked races at this years meet.

The first round of the 800m featured Tennessee’s Phoebe Wright and Michigan’s Geena Gall in the top two spots. They each won their own heat with a controlled effort. Their times were close, Wright with a 2:04.86 and Gall in 2:04.86. On the men’s side, Oregon’s Andrew Wheating is favored to be the NCAA champion and so far is doing well with the fourth best time (1:49.42) in the prelims. Ryan Foster of Penn State had the top time of 1:47.57.

There’s no stopping Colorado’s Jenny Barringer. She looked comfortable running a 9:57.75 3000m steeplechase to win her heat, the mark was good enough for second fastest overrall qualifying time in the semifinal races. The question is not if she will win the final on Friday, but how fast.

The title of top male distance runner in this meet belongs to that of Oregon’s Galen Rupp, but anything can happen on any given day.

Rupp is doubling the 5000m and 10,000m. Tonight was the semifinal round of the 5000m, where he ran 13:59.26. He is in contention to win both the 10,000m tomorrow night and the 5000m final Saturday.

Rupp Sets 5k American Record at Tyson Invitational

By Stephanie Lowe, PreRaceJitters.com - Fayetteville, Ark - Tyson Invitational - Randal Tyson Track Center.

Rupp vs. Chelanga: Part 2
Oregon’s Galen Rupp and Liberty’s Sam Chelanga raced each other for the first time since the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Rupp won that title, but a collegiate record was up for grabs Friday night in the Tyson Invitational 5000m. Read more