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 | The end of the regular season means the times are starting to really pick up. This past weekend saw numerous U.S. top three performances, including a U.S. record by New York's Shelby Greany in the 2,000m steeplechase. As the times start to pick up across the country, we start counting down the top ten performances from each weekend, as we unveil a new segment called "Top Ten Countdown".
Top Ten Countdown
From now until the end of the season, we're going to do a Top Ten Countdown, where we'll list the top ten best athlete performances of the week. Here's this week's countdown:
10. Chelsey Sveinsson (So., Greenhill, TX) - Running at a small, private school in Texas doesn't allow Sveinsson many opportunities to get competition at the same ability levels, however, that didn't stop her from running a U.S. #4 time at the SPC T&F Championships (TX) over the weekend. Sveinsson easily topped the 800m field at the championship event, running away to a great time of 2:08.55. Sveinsson also won the 1,600m (5:23.64) and 3,200m (11:03.90) events, while helping her team place third in the 4x400m relay.
9. Emily Lipari (Jr., Roslyn, NY) - Seemingly overlooked for much of the season thus far, Lipari jumped back into the national spotlight Saturday at the Loucks Games (NY). Lipari beat an incredibly strong field to win the 3,200m run in a U.S. #3 time of 10:21.32. Lipari used her superior speed to hold off sophomore Aisling Cuffe (So., Cornwall Central, NY) and freshman Samantha Nadal (Fr., North Shore, NY), who ran 10:23.08 and 10:24.03 respectively.
8. Stephanie Morgan (Sr., Barnesville, OH) - The Ohio standout continues to show why she's one of the best, if not the best, miler in the country this spring. Morgan won the 800m, 1,600m and 3,200m events at the OVAC 3A/4A Championships over the weekend, improving her U.S. #3 time in the 1,600m event to 4:49.52. Morgan's winning times in the 800m and 3,200m races were 2:18.67 and 11:12.44 respectively.
7. Nathan Mathabane (Sr., Lincoln, OR) - While being overshadowed a bit this year by middle-distance standout Elijah Greer, Mathabane is quickly putting together one of the most impressive resumes in the nation this spring. The Princeton-bound senior won the 1,500m run at the Oregon Twilight Saturday in a new U.S. #1 time of 3:50.48.
6. Trevor Dunbar (Sr., Kodiak, AK) - While the harsh Alaskan winter slowed his season down a bit, Dunbar is starting to really hit his stride. After breaking the Alaskan state 1,600m record last weekend with a 4:10.78, Dunbar followed that up with a U.S. #2 performance at 3,200m in 8:51.5 at the Kodiak Tri-Invitational. With many weeks left to go until Nike Outdoor Nationals, many are wondering how low Dunbar can go in the 3,200m run.
5. Elijah Greer (Sr., Lake Oswego, OR) - It was only a matter of time before Greer started dipping under the 1:49 barrier again. At the Oregon Relays Saturday, Greer came up big by earning a U.S. #1 mark of 1:48.97, showing that he's starting to really round into great shape. Greer finished fourth overall in the fast heat of the men's 800m dash, finishing behind professional runners Kevin Hicks, Mark Wieczorek and Ryan Brown.
4. Jeff Thode (Sr., Conant, IL) - He's run great times across the board since the indoor season, but Thode had yet to really strike big in the 3,200m this spring. The AAA Illinois State Cross Country Champion, won the 3,200m run at the Cougar Classic over the weekend in a new U.S. #1 time of 8:51.3h. Thode easily led from start to finish, passing through the 1,600m mark in 4:22. Thode has some big expectations for the rest of the season, including a stab at the four-minute barrier, so the 3,200m performance is a great stepping stone towards the rest of the season.
3. Tyler Stutzman (Sr., Western Albemarle, VA) - Two great performances over the weekend give Stutzman the nod for number three on this week's countdown. At the Loucks Games (NY), Stutzman helped his team finish second in the DMR on Thursday, splitting a 4:07.0 anchor leg, as the squad finished with a U.S. #2 time of 10:01.87. Stutzman then came back on Saturday to earn the win in the 1,600m run with a 4:09.86 performance. Running two sub-4:10 1,600m performances in a three day span makes a top three ranking this week incredibly easy.
2. Andrew Springer (Sr., Westerly, RI) - Springer jump started his week by leading his Westerly team to a dramatic win in the DMR with a 10:01.13-10:01.87 victory over Western Albemarle (VA) at the Loucks Games (NY). Springer got the baton in second, worked his way up to Tyler Stutzman, the in the final meters of the race, overtook Stutzman and clinched his team the victory in a U.S. #1 time. Springer's 1,600m split was clocked at 4:03.5. Springer then helped his team win the 4x800m relay with a 1:55 split at the Hartford Public Invitational, while winning the mile (4:08.79) and two mile (9:09.14) as well.
1. Shelby Greany (Sr., Suffern, NY) - What an amazing week it was for the Providence-bound senior. On Monday, Greany set a national record in the 2,000m steeplechase, running 6:33.7h at the Cornwall Steeplefest. Greany then came back on Thursday to guider her team to victory in the DMR at the Loucks Games (NY), running a 4:47.6 anchor leg, as the Suffern squad set a U.S. #3 mark in the event with their 11:49.46. On Saturday, Greany won the 1,600m run in 4:48.25, a U.S. #2 mark. What a week!
Distance Highlights from Around the U.S.
* At the Upstate 8 Conference Championships (IL), Lizzy Hynes (Sr., St. Charles East, IL) beat Illinois state cross country champion and Foot Locker all-American Lindsay Flanagan (Sr., Lake Park, IL) to win the 3,200m run. The Boston College-bound Hynes, who's having a splendid spring campaign, sealed up the victory by crossing the line in 10:32.20. Flanagan was second in 10:41.72.
* Danny Neff (Sr., Vandalia-Butler, OH) and Zach Wills (So., Mason, OH) put on quite the show at the Mason Invitational over the weekend. Neff edged Wills in a blazing 1,600m run, which saw the two runners earn the top two times in the state. Neff closed hard to win in 4:12.20, while Wills ran the top sophomore time in the nation with his 4:14.30 runner-up effort. Neff also won the 800m dash in 1:53.10, the top time in Ohio this season.
* At the Mississippi State Track and Field Championships, junior distance standout Cory McGee (Jr., Pass Christian, MS) won the 800m, 1,600m and 3,200m events, helping her team pick up the outdoor team trophy. McGee won the 800m event in 2:13.61, the 1,600m event in 5:06.17 and the 3,200m event in 10:58.43.
* Skyler Wallon (Sr., Northwestern, FL) continued her outstanding season by winning the 800m dash at the Florida State Track and Field Championships. Wallon beat the strong field with ease, cruising to a 2:09.44 victory. Elsewhere at the Florida Champs., Sickles (FL) beat Flagler Palm Coast (FL) in an exciting boys 4x800m relay, as Sickles bested their in-state rival 7:46.87-7:47.03.
Additional Articles of Interest
University of Oregon Breaks 4xMile Collegiate Record (Runnerspace)
Interview with U.S. Distance Star Abdi Abdirahman (Runner's World)
David Torrence & Shannon Rowbury Win U.S. 1 Mile Road Championships (Run the Roads)
Dan Browne & Sally Meyerhoff Win U.S. 25k Road Championships (Run the Roads)
Kara Goucher to Run the IAAF World Championship Marathon (The Oregonian)
To submit an article or results to Distance Gala Weekly please contact Scott Bush at: [email protected]
| | The Midwest Distance Gala is one of the premier post-season high school track competitions in the United States. Through strong competition and a professional environment, the Midwest Distance Gala has continued a steady rate of growth and success. The fifth edition of the event takes place on Saturday, June 13, 2009, at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. For more information please visit the Midwest Distance Gala website at www.midwestdistancegala.com. To receive more Midwest Distance Gala info follow us on twitter. Sign up here to receive the Distance Gala Weekly via email. | Distance Gala Weekly Copyright © 2009 Midwest Distance Gala, Inc. Printed with permission. | | |
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