 | 18th Nike Outdoor Nationals
June 19-21, 2008 - North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro NC
Steeplechase |
Boys - [Video] - Girls - [Video]
Zachary Ornelas (TX) 5:54.58, Shelby Greany (NY) 6:42.86
Ornelas dominated and won as he pleased.
| Greany and Emma Coburn CO had a seesaw battle over the last 2 laps before Greany prevailed in the stretch.
photos by John Dye
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Interviews
Boys Summary by Bob Geiger
Right after the gun went off, Cedar Park, Texas Junior Zachary Orelas took control of the Boys 2K Steeplechase.
The runner-up in Thursday's 5,000 meter race, Ornelas confessed, "The pace I went out in was done to burn people out because I don't have much of a kick. It's my style of race."
Ornelas was out in 68, and followed with a 69 before settling in and dropping three 72-second quarters for the win.
"I felt great! Steeplechase isn't supposed to feel great, so I must have done something wrong," joked Ornelas.
Ornelas plans on taking a week off before participating in a mini triathlon (for fun), and concentrating on Junior Olympics and building a base.
"I really want to make Foot Locker next year."
In terms of colleges, Ornelas is interested in relocating to the Northeast. "I really love the New York area. I'm open to every college, but you never know."
Either way, big things are expected out of the Texan.
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by Pete Cava for NSSF
Zachary Ornelas had the steeple crown sewn up early, as the junior from Cedar Park, Texas, High School breezed to an easy victory in 5:54.58. Ornelas, who moved to Texas after his sophomore year at South Jefferson High in Adams, N.Y., led wire to wire.
While Ornelas cruised, the race came down to a battle for second place between Taylor Morgan (Portland, OR) and Donny Roys (Medina, OH). With 800 meters to go, Royce, Morgan, Andrew Sullivan (Ellington, CT) and Ryan King (Tolland, CT) were all in the hunt. Roys put on a surge with about 250 meters to go. Then Morgan surged over the final 200, passing Roys to wrap up the silver medal. Morgan's time was 5:57.47 with Roys third in 6:00.89.
“I’ve been doing some good steeple training this year,” said Ornelas. “I’ve ran some good races. I won the Texas Relays and was one second off the record, so I came in here with a little taste of what winning felt like. I decided I want to experience winning again so I came out here and gave it all I had. About half way through the race I just felt great and my pace was pretty even so I thought this was going to be my best race ever. It was a good place to have it. The last 100 meters I kept looking back because I was thinking 'Oh no, I’m going to be that kid who gets walked down!' Once I cross the line I realized I wasn’t going to be that kid.”
C.F.P.I. Timing & Data - Contractor License
Nike Outdoor Nationals - 6/19/2008 to 6/21/2008
North Carolina A+T University, Greensboro, NC
Event 19 Boys 2000 Meter Steeplechase
================================================================
National: $ 5:43.9h 4/27/1991 Steve Guerrini, Santa Rosa,
Meet: M 5:49.11 6/18/2005 Cory Thorne, Portsmouth, NH
Freshman: F 6:08.46 2005 Taylor Morgan, Cent Cath,Po
Sophomore: O 6:03.07 2002 Ben Delay, West, Bellevue,
Junior: J 5:47.0h 1978 Jeff Hess, South, Eugene, O
Senior: S 5:43.9h 4/27/1991 Steve Guerrini, Santa Rosa,
Name Year School Finals
================================================================
Finals
1 Ornelas, Zachary 09 Cedar Park, TX 5:54.58O
2 Morgan, Taylor 08 Portland, OR 5:57.47O
3 Roys, Donny 09 Medina, OH 6:00.89O
4 Sullivan, Andrew 08 Ellington, CT 6:03.66F
5 King, Ryan 09 Tolland, CT 6:05.30F
6 Dressman, Taylor 08 Brooklyn, NY 6:07.84F
7 Powers, Kyle 08 Waterford, VT 6:10.63
8 Seidl, Colin 09 Cochecton, NY 6:12.30
9 Aldrich, Chris 08 West Chester, AZ 6:14.37
10 Cherkis, Robert 09 East Northport, NY 6:17.36
11 Peachee, Dakota 09 Benson, NC 6:18.85
12 Hughes, Nick 10 Stony Point, NY 6:20.63
13 Machado, Michael 08 Salinas, CA 6:20.65
14 Rafailedes, David 08 Massillon, OH 6:23.65
15 Corrigan, Kevin 08 Deer Park, NY 6:23.67
16 Altamura, Christian 09 Seaford, NY 6:23.79
17 Prial, Dan 08 Warwick, NY 6:28.44
18 Maidens, Jakob 08 Lebanon, VA 6:28.60
19 Lipari, Thomas 08 Greenvale, NY 6:31.41
20 Tellinghuisen, Justin 08 Perham, MN 6:37.38
-- Fu, Foon 08 Melville, NY DNS
-- Flint, Matthew 08 Queensbury, NY DNS
-- Nestor, Sean 09 Madison, CT DNS
-- Shepard, Kyle 09 White Plains, NY DNS
Girls Summary by Bob Geiger
Shelby Greany, last years runner-up by a hair, wasn't going to lose again.
Coming into the meet with the nation's best 2K steeple time, Greany went right to the front. The Suffern NY junior wasn't alone, as Crested Butte, Colorado senior Emma Coburn got right on her tail.
But Greany wasn't there to lose again.
"I knew I could win. Coach [Jeff Dempsey] told me today, time goes out the window, forget about the clock. I think I could have run faster, but I came to win, so I'm happy with that."
Greany led through 1300 Meters before Coburn attacked the barrier and got in front of her.
"I didn't know who she was, and I let her take the lead for a lap and a half. I just kept focusing on attacking the barriers and not letting her get away."
Coburn, who was 4th in '07, appreciates the underdog status. "Nobody knows me, and I know who all the top runners are. It's fun being the underdog because you always come in and suprise everyone."
Coburn had run a 7:00 steeple at elevation two weeks ago at the Great Southwest Meet.
Greany took back the lead for good in the final 200 meters, briefly thinking back to her runner up finish from a year ago.
"It sucked. There is a big difference between second and first."
Greany attacked the final water barrier and opened up her lead over Coburn, crossing the line in 6:42.86, less than two seconds ahead of Coburn (6:44.42). |
by Elliot Denman for NSSF
“My Mom can’t watch this event,” Shelby Greany tells you. “She just cringes.” Fortunately, though, the newly crowned NON national steeple champion has a lot more courage than Mom when it comes down to running five laps, clearing barriers and leaping through water jumps.
“First time I ever ran the steeplechase was in seventh grade,” she said the Suffern, N.Y. junior after her 6:42.86 triumph. “I had a sense of adventure, and I guess I liked the water thing. I knew it could be dangerous and I know some coaches don’t even let their runners try it. But that’s not me. I really like it a lot, especially now.”
For well into the race, this was was a four or five-runner battle. Then Saratoga Springs, NY’s Hannah Davidson (the 2007 NON winner) and Mount Sinai, NY’s Nicole Rosario began dropping off the pace. So now it was Greany and Crested Butte, Colorado senior Emma Coburn alone in the front.
It was still either runner’s race to win or to lose approaching the final water jump - but Greany took control with a smooth clearance and won it going away.
Greany’s 6:42.86 ranks as third best in NON history, trailing only Reno, Nevada’s Mel Lawrence (6:35.63 in 2006) and Saratoga Springs’s Lindsay Ferguson (6:39.60 in 2005.) Davidson had beaten Greany for the 2007 crown, 6:43.73 to 6:44.63.
“I kept telling myself, ‘I didn’t want to be second again, I didn’t want to be second,’ “ Greany said. “I was definitely not happy with my time, I know I can run a lot better than that. My coach kept telling me, ‘don’t even look at the clock, time doesn’t matter, just go out there and win this thing.’ I guess he was right.”
Greany was reflective, too.
“Last year, over the last 80 meters, I was outkicked,” she recalled, with a grimace. “I refused to let that happen this year. I wanted to control the pace this year. When I wanted to make the pace fast and I was able to. Everyone else had to compete at that pace and that was helpful to me. I ran my own race today.”
Coburn settled for second in 6:44.42, with Davidson third in 6:54.69, Orangeburg, NY’s Emma Miller-Bedell fourth in 6:55.74, NJ Meet of Champions 1,600 titlist Allison Linnell fifth in 6:56.72, and Rozario sixth in 6:56.93.
It was a race in which experience certainly paid – of the top six, all but Greany, a junior, are seniors. The earlier heat went to Greenbelt, Md.’s Teshika Rivers in 7:15.22.
C.F.P.I. Timing & Data - Contractor License
Nike Outdoor Nationals - 6/19/2008 to 6/21/2008
North Carolina A+T University, Greensboro, NC
Event 20 Girls 2000 Meter Steeplechase
================================================================
National: $ 6:35.63 6/17/2006 Marie Lawrence, Reno, NV
Meet: M 6:35.63 6/17/2006 Marie Lawrence, Reno, NV
Freshman: F 6:48.64 6/18/2005 Hannah Davidson, Saratoga,
Sophomore: O 6:44.63 2007 Shelby Greany, Suffern, NY
Junior: J 6:35.63 6/17/2006 Marie Lawrence, Reno, NV
Senior: S 6:36.05 6/10/2006 Lindsay Ferguson, Saratoga,
Name Year School Finals
================================================================
Finals
1 Greany, Shelby 09 Suffern, NY 6:42.86O
2 Coburn, Emma 08 Crested Butte, CO 6:44.42O
3 Davidson, Hannah 08 Saratoga Springs, N 6:54.69
4 Miller-Bedell, Emma 08 Orangeburg, NY 6:55.74
5 Linnell, Allison 08 Colts Neck, NJ 6:56.72
6 Rozario, Nicole 08 Middletown, NY 6:56.93
7 Turek, Janie 11 Mount Sinai, NY 7:07.87
8 Winslow, Danielle 11 Queensbury, NY 7:08.63
9 Rivers, Teshika 09 Greenbelt, MD 7:15.22
10 Roosa, Courtney 08 Liberty, NY 7:17.16
11 Kelly, Courtney 08 North Bellmore, NY 7:17.51
12 Graney, Sara 08 Palisades, NY 7:18.84
13 Bertulis, Lindsay 09 Cedarville, NJ 7:19.16
14 Tobin, Jessica 10 West Nyack, NY 7:21.86
15 Scholl, Lauren 08 Highland Mills, NY 7:29.06
16 Howes, Erica 10 Saratoga Springs, N 7:31.21
17 Anselmini, Mary Kate 10 Ward Melville-GIrls 7:33.39
18 Kearns, Alexa 10 Portland, OR 7:33.76
19 Fraser, Kelsey 08 Lockport, NY 7:34.60
20 McMahon, Julia 10 Staten Island, NY 7:39.94
21 Savarese, Michelle 09 Middletown, NJ 7:45.71
22 Meier, Elizabeth 09 Des Plaines, IL 8:14.90
-- Schulz, McKinzie 10 Naperville, IL DNS
-- Gregory, Meaghan 09 Charlton, NY DNS
-- Bondulich, Kellyanne 11 Tappan, NY DNS
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