USATF Junior Nationals

June 21-25 , 2006
IU Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium, IUPUI
Indianapolis, IN

DyeStat On-Site with Steve Underwood, Marc Davis, Pat Davey

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Jim Spier's Junior Lists (eligibles for Beijing; updated 6/20)

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2006 A.J. - The Year of Acosta

Outgoing El Camino CA Star Keeps Backing It Up On The Track

By SteveU

As long as A.J. Acosta keeps winning the big ones, it’s impossible to forget about him. Ok, maybe he was less than great at Mt. SAC cross-country and in the winter between Foot Locker and Arcadia. But when it’s counted the most, he’s been the man, including Saturday’s harrowing USATF junior 1500 win in a near-PR 3:45.95..

AJ Acosta checks out the competition after winning the 1500 . Photo by Davey, runmichigan.com

You either love or you hate A.J.; there’s little in-between. That’s been said before about the El Camino CA senior’s outgoing, sometimes-cocky, prankster personality. He’s not making it up, though; he is who he is.

But that’s not who he was Saturday afternoon. When Acosta races, he lays it on the line and you never get the sense he’s done any less than his best or that he cares any less than very deeply. After taking the race by digging deep the last 450 meters, clocking 55.7 for the last full circuit, he was greeted in the mixed zone by Danielle Tauro. She gave him a hug, then that was it. He had to get off his feet. The blisters were burning and he felt like he was going to hurl.

Was all the cockiness drained out of him, he was asked. “Everything’s drained from me,” he said. “I feel like crap.”

This is the OTHER side of A.J. Acosta. He was responsive, always giving in interviews, because that’s also who he is. But he didn’t get up again until he had to. And you could tell it took some effort to answer the questions.

Acosta got all he wanted in the 1500, and then some, and from some unexpected places. How about the fiery race from Bumbi? And you mean to say that the kid who tried to steal the race with 300 to go, and still ran 3:46.32, is not an off-the-radar collegian but a high school junior? Holy cow, you mean Sam Borchers, the relatively unknown D-3 runner from Ohio, already suitably impressive with his third heat 4:12 win at NON, ran the equivalent of a 4:04.4 mile?? As a high school junior???

What a race!

A.J. sure had no idea who Borchers was, and he probably expected more from Wisconsin Badger and former Cali rival Brandon Bethke, than Andrew Bumbalough, among collegians. But he was ready to do whatever it took to get to China.

He also didn’t really expect a fast race, but that’s what he got. “I thought it would be slow; a sit-and-kick thing,” he said. But Alex Mason of Georgetown, one of three Hoyas in the race, went out in 61.08 with almost everyone with him in a big pack. Things stayed basically the same through 800 in 2:03.68.

AJ and DyeStat Senior Editor Marc Davis after the race. Photo by Davey, RunMichigan.com

Then Issac Stoutenburgh OR made a surprise move with about 600 to go, stretching things out a bit, with Acosta and Bethke following. Down the straight, Miles Batty of BYU surged toward the front, but moments later, A.J. started pushing and had the lead with a lap to go in 2:50.2.

But the surprises weren’t over. Coming around the penultimate curve, Borchers, who had been up there all race but relatively unnoticed (except for his neon green singlet) dug down and snatched the lead away. He raced down the backstretch and into the final curve. Who was this guy, people thought.

AJ knew he had another gear. “I let him go, then reeled him in with 150 left,” he said. His confidence was based really on his training. “I just feel I have a good strength base and some natural speed. If someone is going to beat me, they’re going to have to run a 54-second last 400.”

But he couldn’t afford to let up one step the rest of the way as both Bumbi and Borchers ended up less than 0.5 behind him.

Acosta will make a sub-4:00 mile attempt at a special meet next week, then join the NSSF team competing in the Caribbean Invitational the following week.

USATF Juniors Index