| Watch over 50 IAAF Events Live and On-Demand at WCSN.com |
by Mike Scott
Des Moines, Ia. (14-Jun) -- Texas middle distance stars Jacob Hernandez and Leonel Manzano ran to victories in the 800-meters and 1500, respectively, on the final day of the 2008 NCAA Men's & Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted by Drake University here. Michigan's Geena Gall and Florida State's Hannah England took the women's 800 and 1500, respectively.
HERNANDEZ GETS IT IN A LEAN
The men's 800 featured a strong front-running effort by Hernandez. Southern California's Duane Solomon got out fastest, leading the pack through 200 in 23.1 with Hernandez right on his shoulder. Hernandez passed Solomon to lead through 400 in 50.96, with Solomon by his side, followed by LSU's Elkana Kosgei, Northern Iowa's Tyler Mudler, UTEP's Elias Koech, Tennessee's Yarrick Kincaid, Oregon's Andrew Wheating, and Washington's Austin Abbott.
Hernandez continued to lead through 600 in 1:17.2 with only Solomon right with him. As Hernandez and Solomon entered the straight, Wheating started a mad dash from behind. Wheating gradually closed on Hernandez down the whole homestretch but ran out of room at the finish by the narrowest of margins, 1:45.31 to 1:45.32, with the latter sprawling across the finish line.
"My coach knew I was strong," said Hernandez, a native of Magnola, Texas. "We just wanted to go out and leave it all on the track."
Hernandez, Wheating, and Solomon all broke the 30-year old Drake Stadium record of 1:45.86 set by Oklahoma's Randy Wilson in 1978, with Solomon finishing in 1:45.71.
MANZANO REGAINS METRIC MILE CROWN
Texas senior Leonel Manzano surprised the track world by winning the 2005 NCAA 1500 title as a freshman. Now four years later, he ended his NCAA career where he started: on top of the medal stand.
Manzano, better known as a kicker, immediately took the lead and towed the field through a 58.1 first 400, with the entire field packed right behind including Stanford's Garrett Heath, Notre Dame's Kurt Benninger, Georgetown's Andrew Bumbalough, and hometown favorite Dorian Ulrey from Northern Iowa. The senior Longhorn led through through the half in 2:03.2 with Heath, Ulrey, Benninger, and Texas teammate Darren Brown right on his heels. Manzano, who represented the USA at last summer's IAAF World Championships in Athletics, quickened the pace over the next circuit and turned back a challenge from California's David Torrence at the bell to pull the field through 1200 in 3:01.3.
Ulrey made a move along the backstretch that electrified the hometown crowd, but Manzano simply dropped the hammer along the homestretch to win by over a second in 3:41.23.
"I thought I'd give them something new," Manzano said of his competitors. " knew I was the guy to beat, so I just wanted to stay in front and end it with a bang!"
Ulrey held on for silver in 3:42.56, while Wisconsin's Jack Bolas and Craig Miller claimed third and fourth respectively 3:42.57-3:42.67.
WITHOUT JOHNSON, GALL WINS WOMEN'S HALF MILE
Following the withdrawal of defending champion and collegiate leader Alysia Johnson due to a foot injury suffered during the first round, reigning NCAA indoor champion Latavia Thomas (LSU) and 2006 NCAA indoor titlest Heather Dorniden (Minnesota) wore the favorite's mantle as the field lined up to race.
Western Michigan's Becky Horn sprinted to the front, leading the tightly bunched field through 200 in 27.1. Horn continued to lead through the 400 in 61.64, with Dorniden on her shoulder, BYU's Carlee Clark-Platt and Thomas running 3-4, Michigan's Geena Gall and Washington State's Anna Layman just behind in 5-6, and Tennessee's Phoebe Gall and Oregon's Zoe Buckman drafting on the rear of the pack.
Dorniden made a strong move along the backstretch to take the lead, passing 600 in 1:32.2, with Oregon's Buckman moving up to challenge Dorniden.
Off the final turn, it was Dorniden leading with Buckman edging up to challenge the Gopher junior. Behind them, Gall and Thomas sprinted hard and passed Dorniden and Buckman with 50-meters remaining. Gall powered on to win in 2:03.91, with Thomas second in 2:04.38.
"I knew someone would take it out with 300 to go and I saw Heather moving and I just had to go right with her," said the Grand Blanc, Mich., native. "That was the plan all along: just stay with the leaders and race and react."
Horn sprinted hard the final meters to pass Buckman and the fading Dorniden to claim third in 2:04.67, with Buckman finishing fourth in 2:04.69 and Dorniden fifth in 2:05.86.
ENGLAND BREAKS CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD
The women's metric mile featured an interesting matchup between defending champion Brie Felnagle (North Carolina), NCAA indoor mile titlest Hannah England (Florida State), and seven-time NCAA champion Sally Kipyego (Texas Tech), who just won the 5000 last night.
Felnagle shot to the front with the flash of the starter's pistol, with Tennessee's Sarah Bowman, Arkansas' Dacia Barr, Cal-Riverside's Brenda Martinez, England, and Kipyego at the front of the pack as the Tarheel junior led them through the first circuit in 64.1.
With two laps to go, Kipyego surged to the front and started to stretch out the pack as she led Felnagle, Bowman, England, and Barr through 800 in 2:11.2. The Red Raider junior continued to drop the pace, with only England and Bowman in contact at 1200 in 3:17.3, with Barr running fourth and a spent Felnagale fading.
England, a native of Oxford, England, made her move off the final turn and passed Kipyego with 50 meters remaining to win in a new NCAA Championship record of 4:06.19, a huge personal best and under the Olympic Games "A" standard of 4:07.00.
"I am pleased with it," said the transfer student from the University of Birmingham. "It was a little windy but I like to think I handled it as well as anyone else did. It was a great race!"
Kipyego also slipped under Tiffany McWilliams' 2004 NCAA meet record of 4:06.75 with her 4:06.67, also a personal best. Bowman placed third in 4:07.50 PB ahead of Barr's 4:11.02. Felnagle faded to ninth.
The 2009 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Championships will next move to Fayetteville, Ark., where the meet will be hosted by the University of Arkansas.
PHOTOS: Hannah England wins the women's 1500m; Jacob Hernandez just beats Andrew Wheating in the 800m. Photos by MIKE SCOTT.
Know someone else who's interested in running and triathlon?
