NCAA Distance Coverage
Meet Record Analysis
With the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships underway in Sacramento, I was intrigued at the long-standing championship meet records and began wondering if any in the distance events would be broken in 2005's edition-
Men's 800m
The meet record is held by Mark Everett of Florida, who ran 1:44.70 back in 1990. This is one record I feel that can be attacked and broken, if the race plays out to an all-out war over two lactic-acid filled laps of agony. The prime players are Texas Tech phenom Jonathan Johnson, and Latvia's Dmitrijs Milkevics of Nebraska. Milkevics, only a sophomore, has already run 1:45.10 in his loss to Johnson at the Big XII Championships, but got revenge by defeating Johnson in the NCAA Regional Championship, 1:46.48 to 1:47.27. Milkevics has 46.44 quarter-mile speed and has enough experience to beat the Senior from Tech, but...
Johnson is the favorite. He holds the stadium record at 1:44.77, which he set at the 2004 Olympic Trials, which is his personal best. He also holds 46.20 quarter-mile speed, and is renowned for his front-running abilities. If these two horses get after it in the finals, watch for Johnson to drop a meet record, 1:44.20 over the likes of Milkevics and Florida A&M's Kevin Hicks. Oh, and just to satisfy your curiosity, Everett had 44.59, 400m speed to boot with his 1:43.20 best half-mile time.
Men's 3000m Steeplechase
I think it is safe to state that Henry Rono's (Washington State) 8:12.39 record from 1978 will remain untouched for the next decade or perhaps for the eternity of the NCAA Championships. Not because I do not think that another NCAA athlete could approach such a time, but moreso that if an athlete does show the potential to drop an 8:12 during the collegiate season, that the runner will turn professional before he/she runs the time. The only prospect I can see of this record being broken would be by a foreigner much like a Rono or David Kimani or Alistair Cragg, who comes to the NCAA as a relative unknown, turns out to be a phenomenal talent, loves the training/college environment and hangs around for 4 years. Otherwise, a Dan Lincoln or Anthony Famiglietti-type runner will have to perform phenomenally in such a meet, but it appears that most American steeplers run their fastest post-collegiately. Still, however, 8:12 for a Steeplechase is quite stout and I do not see this record being broken any time soon...
Men's 5000m
Sydney Maree holds this other "ancient" record, as the Villanova alum's 13:20.63 was run back in 1979. Maree's record is quite an excellent time, a time which is still run in high quality championship races as the Olympics and the World Championships. More and more collegians are running into the 13:20's during the season, so I could see this record being broken, but the conditions would have to be perfect and the preliminary races would need to be pedestrian. The record could be threatened this year, as the 5000 has one of the best fields in quite some time with potential sub-13:30 guys Ian Dobson (13:27 in 2005), Robert Cheseret (defending champion), Nick Willis (untested at 5000m), Matt Tegenkamp (13:31), Chris Solinsky and Brent Vaughn, among those with the ability to push the race to such a time. This race will have to be fast because of the presence of Michigan's Nick Willis. This middle-distance prodigy of New Zealand has won all of his 5000m with blistering kicks that his 3:32, 1500m speed produces. The only way this field has a chance against Willis is to push the pace from the gun. I can easily see Colorado's Vaughn forcing the pace early in the race with Cheseret of Arizona hanging in the back, waiting for Solinsky (Wisconsin) to take a turn up front, perhaps Ryan Hall of Stanford feeling confident with his own kick to wait. If this race plays out like a time-trial, like an all-out attempt to break Willis, I can see Cheseret and perhaps Dobson both beating Willis, much how like Cragg ran out the kick of the indoor 3000m in 2004, with Cheseret taking the title. Could we see a sub-13:20? I do not think so, but sub-13:25 is not out of the question.
With the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships underway in Sacramento, I was intrigued at the long-standing championship meet records and began wondering if any in the distance events would be broken in 2005's edition-
Men's 800m
The meet record is held by Mark Everett of Florida, who ran 1:44.70 back in 1990. This is one record I feel that can be attacked and broken, if the race plays out to an all-out war over two lactic-acid filled laps of agony. The prime players are Texas Tech phenom Jonathan Johnson, and Latvia's Dmitrijs Milkevics of Nebraska. Milkevics, only a sophomore, has already run 1:45.10 in his loss to Johnson at the Big XII Championships, but got revenge by defeating Johnson in the NCAA Regional Championship, 1:46.48 to 1:47.27. Milkevics has 46.44 quarter-mile speed and has enough experience to beat the Senior from Tech, but...
Johnson is the favorite. He holds the stadium record at 1:44.77, which he set at the 2004 Olympic Trials, which is his personal best. He also holds 46.20 quarter-mile speed, and is renowned for his front-running abilities. If these two horses get after it in the finals, watch for Johnson to drop a meet record, 1:44.20 over the likes of Milkevics and Florida A&M's Kevin Hicks. Oh, and just to satisfy your curiosity, Everett had 44.59, 400m speed to boot with his 1:43.20 best half-mile time.
Men's 3000m Steeplechase
I think it is safe to state that Henry Rono's (Washington State) 8:12.39 record from 1978 will remain untouched for the next decade or perhaps for the eternity of the NCAA Championships. Not because I do not think that another NCAA athlete could approach such a time, but moreso that if an athlete does show the potential to drop an 8:12 during the collegiate season, that the runner will turn professional before he/she runs the time. The only prospect I can see of this record being broken would be by a foreigner much like a Rono or David Kimani or Alistair Cragg, who comes to the NCAA as a relative unknown, turns out to be a phenomenal talent, loves the training/college environment and hangs around for 4 years. Otherwise, a Dan Lincoln or Anthony Famiglietti-type runner will have to perform phenomenally in such a meet, but it appears that most American steeplers run their fastest post-collegiately. Still, however, 8:12 for a Steeplechase is quite stout and I do not see this record being broken any time soon...
Men's 5000m
Sydney Maree holds this other "ancient" record, as the Villanova alum's 13:20.63 was run back in 1979. Maree's record is quite an excellent time, a time which is still run in high quality championship races as the Olympics and the World Championships. More and more collegians are running into the 13:20's during the season, so I could see this record being broken, but the conditions would have to be perfect and the preliminary races would need to be pedestrian. The record could be threatened this year, as the 5000 has one of the best fields in quite some time with potential sub-13:30 guys Ian Dobson (13:27 in 2005), Robert Cheseret (defending champion), Nick Willis (untested at 5000m), Matt Tegenkamp (13:31), Chris Solinsky and Brent Vaughn, among those with the ability to push the race to such a time. This race will have to be fast because of the presence of Michigan's Nick Willis. This middle-distance prodigy of New Zealand has won all of his 5000m with blistering kicks that his 3:32, 1500m speed produces. The only way this field has a chance against Willis is to push the pace from the gun. I can easily see Colorado's Vaughn forcing the pace early in the race with Cheseret of Arizona hanging in the back, waiting for Solinsky (Wisconsin) to take a turn up front, perhaps Ryan Hall of Stanford feeling confident with his own kick to wait. If this race plays out like a time-trial, like an all-out attempt to break Willis, I can see Cheseret and perhaps Dobson both beating Willis, much how like Cragg ran out the kick of the indoor 3000m in 2004, with Cheseret taking the title. Could we see a sub-13:20? I do not think so, but sub-13:25 is not out of the question.
posted by Gabriel Rodriguez at 5:34 PM
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