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| boys distance | 08-09 most outstanding performers |
This is the second of a series of DyeStat year-end awards for 2008-09. The DyeStat Most Outstanding Performers series, which precedes the DyeStat Athlete of the Year awards, includes top honors for boys and girls distances, sprints/hurdles, jumps, throws, relays, and multi-events. Selections are made by DyeStat editors and are based a combination of multiple major victories/honors won and performances on all-time and yearly lists. Performances from outdoor track, indoor track, and cross-country are taken into account..
Text by SteveU - Photos by John Nepolitan, Jeanette Seckinger
Robby Andrews
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 Everyone knew that Robby Andrews had a lot of speed. He’d shown it in different races as a junior (not always winning), then again in late January of this year as he claimed the Millrose Games. The winning time was a modest 4:17.42, but the finishing speed was what was impressive. The question was whether he could go out hard enough, still have most of that finishing speed, and really put together an impressive time.
A week later, the answers began coming. At the special New Balance Collegiate 1000, Andrews made jaws drop around the track world with a USR 2:22.28, taking down a record belonging to no less than Alan Webb. He passed on the NJ championship series, but won the Eastern States mile in 4:12.31. When he returned to The Armory again for the NSIC 800, a record attempt was again afoot – and he delivered, ripping Michael Granville’s standard with a 1:49.21. With two USRs in a matter of weeks – both with modest starts and scorching finishes – it was one of the greatest indoor distance campaigns ever.
Outdoors, it took Andrews a while to get going, in terms of stellar performances. At Penn, he ran only the DMR, notching a 4:06.2 1600 anchor that was very good, but maybe a few ticks off what was hoped for. Then at the NJ Group meet, he really cranked an 800 hard from the get-go for the first time, but faded somewhat at 600 to finish in 1:52.39. But an the NJ Meet of Champs, he was able to even-split and the result was a US#1 1:48.66. With a whirlwind of post-season opportunities available, Andrews chose the Portland Track Festival mile and the NON 800. In Portland, he couldn’t quite match Mac Fleet off a slow pace, but still ran 4:03.49. In Greensboro, however, a slow pace played into his hands as he kicked to a 1:50.05 victory. In the end, Andrews was the best boys middle-distance runner for 2009, combining indoors and outdoors.
| Lukas Verzbicas
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 In a 2008-09 that featured plenty of them, the performances of Lukas Verzbicas were prep distance running’s greatest revelations. Verzbicas was born in Lithuania to parents with strong track backgrounds. In the US since age 8, he had excelled at the youth level, but had spent most of his efforts becoming an outstanding triathlete. Even in Illinois, no one was ready for the sub-15 3-mile times and easy victories he began to accumulate. Before he could get to the state level, though, he was injured and sat out the rest of the season.
While Verzbicas never planned to run a varsity track season, he definitely wanted to test himself on the oval. He wound up running in merely four meets, in and out, but that was enough to make a permanent place in history for him. Before he took the track at Fayetteville, he was a mystery to most US distance fans, but than quickly began to change with a pair of stunning US freshman records of 4:15.43 and 8:29.16. Even then, no one was prepared for what he did on the opening night of NIN in Boston, as he shredded Solomon Haile’s hours-old 5000 USR with a front-running effort that set the track world on fire. Two days later, he set another class mark in winning the 2M with a US#1 8:57.44.
The next time fans saw Verzbicas on the track was in June, but the magic quickly returned. Facing Haile mano y mano this time, he took the Midwest Distance Gala deuce in yet another 9th-grade standard of 8:53.98. Finally, in the NON 2M in Greensboro, he showed that even he can have a somewhat “off” day sometime, as he was first unable to respond to Dunbar’s race-breaking surge, then outkicked by super soph Zach Wills. Still, he ran a super 8:55.58 and prep distance running fans will eagerly await any and all future breaks from the triathlon grind for more magic on the track.
| Solomon Haile
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 Years from now, if statisticians study the prep career of Solomon Haile, they may well sum it up in a short, simple sentence: “He loved the 5k.” Four times in his four in/out track seasons he entered one of the national track meets and four times he walked away the winner of the 5000 meters – whether it was 25 laps around an indoor oval or 12.5 around an outdoor circuit. In between, of course, the Sherwood MD sr ripped through his senior season of cross-country 5k races unbeaten, including the Foot Locker Finals title.
The XC race, however, that made Haile a household name among prep distance fans wasn’t a 5k, it was a 2.5-mile affair in Van Cortlandt Park. Before the Manhattan Invitational, Haile was one of a large handful of top seniors around the country who was having a good start to the season. Following his course record 12:06.7, he was a leading name in the conversation for best runner in the country. Haile also became the subject of accusations regarding if he was age-eligible and whether he’d received prize money in road races (Dave Devine report), but he was later declared eligible by his state association (Dave Devine follow-up). He went on to dominate his state meet, the Foot Locker NE Regional, and, of course, the big race in San Diego.
After a relatively quiet start to his indoor season, Haile came to New York for NSIC and took down the USR in the 5000, ripping an impressive 14:22.88. Amazingly, the record lasted but several hours as Illinois super frosh Lukas Verzbicas revised it at NIN. But Haile also came back two days later to take the deuce in 9:02.67. Outdoors, he was hampered by severe allergies for the first half of campaign, leading to an upset 3k loss at Penn. He came back at the end, though, to finally break 9:00 (8:56.08y, though in a loss to Verzbicas) and then win the NON (you guessed it) 5000 in 14:32.36. Haile wasn’t truly happy with his spring season, but he was excited to move on to the next level, where as an Arkansas Razorback, plenty of 5k (and longer) races will be in his future.
| Trevor Dunbar
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 While Dunbar was not technically part of the very top group of distance returnees coming into 2008-09, somehow you just knew that the Kodiak AK senior was going to keep getting better, move past some guys, and be right there for championships at the end of XC and track. It just seemed destined to happen and, sure enough, that was the case.
He tore up several courses during the short cross-country season in his home state, then prefaced his biggest in-season effort – Mt. SAC – with an initial out-of-state foray to the adidas Classic in Portland, where he blasted a 14:48 5k. Notice served; he was ready. Two weeks later, he won over the hills in Walnut with 14:41. Next was getting ready for Foot Locker, the preparation for which included the now-famous 9:01 3200 time trial on his snow-covered track in Kodiak. He qualified 2nd from the West region, then acquitted himself well in San Diego with a runner-up finish to Solomon Haile.
Track was similar, with a 14:33.96 5k at Arcadia serving as a key effort in the Lower 48. Back home, he racked up an 8:51.5h 3200 before state, US#2 at the time. An invite to the Portland Track Festival mile wound up being key for what was to come, as he dropped a big PR 4:06.65 for 3rd behind Andrews and Mac Fleet. A week later, despite the challenge of adapting to the heat of Greensboro, he finally got his long-sought title – running 8:49.79 in the NON 2M. He concluded his campaign with a 14:43.98 for 3rd in the USATF Jr 5k.
| Andrew Springer
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 It stood to reason that when Springer gave up soccer last fall for cross-country, that he would not only do well over hill and dale– coming off a junior year when he ran 9:14.96 3200 – but that when track rolled around, he would make some bigger strides than he otherwise would have. As it turned out, not only did those things happen, but the talented Westerly RI senior was smack in the middle of three of the year’s most dramatic distance races.
Cross-country, though, really turned out to be a prologue for Springer, despite a good season that saw him win several invites, including Brown; dominate his state meet; take a tough loss at New Englands; qualify 4th from Foot Locker Northeast to the Finals; and finally take 28th in San Diego. He was so eager to get on the oval, apparently, that he ripped a then-US#1 9:21.22 2M two weeks after he got home from California. That started a great, non-stop indoor campaign that reached an initial peak at the Reebok Boston mile where he was nipped by Mac Fleet in a deep, terrific mile, still dropping a big PR 4:09.16.
Five weeks later, on the same track in the NIN mile, it was again Springer, Fleet and Patrick McGregor clawing down the homestretch, and this time it was Springer for the win in a nation-leading 4:08.47. After a well-deserved break, he picked it back up again in May, his efforts including head-shaking triples and quadruples, including a weekend where he ran a 4:03.5 DMR leg on Thursday, then a 4:08.79 mile as part of a triple on Saturday. Finally focusing on one race at the big Midwest Distance Gala mile, he blazed the fastest time of the year at 4:02.70. Unfortunately, he finally had an off meet at NON the next week, placing well behind in the deuce and with his DMR team, but the legacy he left for the season remains strong.
| Reed Conner
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 In talent-rich Texas, Connor entered the fall of his senior year looking like someone who could contend for the title in his state, and probably get to one of the national meets and run solid, but the way things would unfold could have hardly been foreseen. Super soph Craig Lutz was the hot runner in the Lone Star State to start the season. After a disappointing Nike South race, however, The Woodlands’ senior reassessed his mental approach and the rest, as they say, is history.
Connor scorched the competition the rest of the season, setting PRs and/or course records in six straight races. By the time he had thrashed Colby Lowe’s NXN South mark, the rest of the nation was taking notice. Two weeks later in Portland, he ran with the leaders until the final 300 meter stretch, then – despite lacking great speed – he rocketed away to a decisive win in a course-record 15:14. It was a perfect ending to a perfect 2nd half of the season, netting Connor the Gatorade XC Athlete of the Year award.
Track was a little more up and down. Much more a 2-miler than a miler, Connor served notice that he could have a big spring with an impressive 5th behind other speedier types at the Reebok Boston Indoor mile (PR 4:11.26). But after that he started to be plagued by nagging injuries and illnesses. He ducked under 9:00 for 3200 a few times, but he wasn’t able to put together than big sub-8:50 he knew he was capable of, finally losing the state meet 8-lapper despite an 8:55.25 PR. Connor, however, was also a big relayer with standout teammate Drew Butler and others, and when they went the relay route at NON, everything came up gold. Their victorious 17:17.21 and 9:55.17 efforts in the 4x1 Mile and DMR ranked them #8 and #4 all-time, with Connor contributing the 4:08.89 anchor on the latter.
| Mac Fleet
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 Fleet started off with a mostly successful XC season in California, including big wins at Woodbridge and the D3 state meet (4th best time overall), but it ended on a down note as he missed out qualifying for Foot Locker Finals. In the weeks that followed, however, the University City CA senior had some of the best training of his life, and accepted an invite to the early February Boston Indoor Games, confident that he could run well despite a time of year and a surface not exactly conducive to the rhythms of the Golden State.
That mile, however, set in motion four long months of success for Fleet – the fastest and most consistent stretch of a career that had promised so much after freshman and sophomore stardom. In one of the year’s best finishes, Fleet used every yard to kick down three others for a huge 4:09.06 PR victory. At NIN five weeks later, he came down the stretch again against Reebok protagonists Andrew Springer and Patrick McGregor, but was edged this time, despite a PR 4:08.65. In April, he hoped for a big 3200 at Arcadia, but was just 8th in 9:03.79, but he picked back up and kept going.
Fleet added some strong 800s during the spring, including a 1:50.31, but at state it was all 1600 as he claimed the title he had badly wanted the previous year, running a then-US#2 4:05.33. He then took advantage of a great opportunity to race a mile field at the Portland Track Festival that included Robby Andrews and Elijah Greer in a much-ballyhooed sub-4 attempt. A slow start made the “sub-4” part fizzle, but Fleet showed terrific savvy and a kick to win with 4:02.90, the second best time of the year. A kicker’s 800 the following week at NON didn’t go as well, with Fleet taking 6th overall, but he came back the following week for a super US#1 3:47.44 1500 win at USATF Juniors, earning one more race in the upcoming Pan-Ams.
| | | | Honorable Mention |
Jakub Zivec – He was only in the US for a handful of months. Because he wasn’t an official exchange student, he couldn’t even run varsity meets for his school. But with four intense races in five weeks, Zivec had an unforgettable cross-country season. Rumors spread mid-season about the Grand Rapids MN harrier who was running national-class times in JV races. At NXN Heartland, he finally got a chance to race good competition and he topped ND star Joash Osoro for the win (15:24). Not wanting to miss any opportunities, he followed two weeks later with a Foot Locker MW victory (15:09) and fans wondered if he could take one or both individual titles. Injury issues, however, would begin to affect him at NXN Finals – and almost kept him out of FL Finals completely – but he rallied both times for impressive finishes of 2nd (15:19) and 5th (15:29).
Jeremy Rae – Zivec wasn’t the only athlete from foreign soil to make an impact on US distance running. But Rae was different – not living here, staying here, or representing any U.S. school or club, but rather a Canadian who just came over to compete – a lot. Rae’s first effort was early for him; he was 6th at Reebok Boston Indoor in 4:12.70. But five weeks later, he took the NSIC mile in a solid 4:10.09. Then he completely dominated at Penn, running 4:08.14 and breaking the meet record. A fourth mile looked possible as Rae considered the Portland Track Festival or Midwest Distance Gala, but neither worked out. But after three mile races here, Rae won over enough DyeStat fans that message board posters were keeping up with ALL of his races – and that merits an honorable mention in our book.
Zach Wills – With so many outstanding underclassmen boys distance runners across the country, and the Rosa twins in NJ and Lukas Verzbicas IL getting the most attention, Wills tended to get lost in the shuffle at times – outside of Ohio, anyway. Coming off his outstanding frosh year, the Mason soph was unbeaten in-state during XC, but was a disappointing 8th at NXN Midwest, then bypassed Foot Locker Midwest. But indoors he dropped his 2M PR to 9:13.04, then outdoors ran 9:05.44 at districts and 9:02.90 at state. When NON rolled around, he was truly prepared and ran a near-perfect US#3 8:55.18 for 2nd. That set the stage for a planned attempt to make the World Youth team, which he did successfully with an 8:27.19 3k. In Italy, he ran a super US#2 8:18.24 3k final, breaking the US soph record and capping off the terrific spring.
Patrick McGregor – Wherever there was a big mile race, there was Patrick McGregor – or by year’s end it certainly seemed that way. After an up-and-down XC season – i.e. 8th in his state meet, but 2nd at NXN Southeast – the Hoover AL senior bore down for some serious mile races. He had finishes of 3rd and 2nd in the two big miles in Boston, edged by Andrew Springer and Mac Fleet at Reebok (PR 4:09.41) and splitting them at NIN (PR 4:08.61). He was again the bridesmaid at Arcadia (4:09.13), then shaved more time off with his 3rd at the Midwest Distance Gala (4:07.07). He had a fifth sub-4:10 at NON, but winning was getting further away, not closer, as he hit 4:09.27 for 3rd again. While the big victory eluded him, McGregor was fast and consistent all year long.
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Year-End Awards Index |
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