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DyeStat 2000 Outdoor
5/20/00 at University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Charlotte NC
Herbster Classic Preview
All eyes on Charlotte
for the Herbster Classic Mile
Ricky Brookshire will dance both dances - says he will
try to make a move on Webb.
Torn between his Watauga HS senior prom in Boone NC and the Nike Golden Mile at
UNC Charlotte Saturday night, Ricky Brookshire has decided to do
both. "The faster he runs, the sooner he gets to the
prom," said Brad Herbster, director of the Herbster
Classic.
Ricky's first date will be US#1 Alan Webb. After a false alarm last week at the Allen Johnson Invitational in Virginia, the South Lakes Reston VA junior is entered in the Herbster and is flirting with a 4 minute mile. That hasn't been done by a high school runner in 33 years.
Ricky's second date will be Wendy Phipps, also a member of the Watauga track team. According to Brett Honeycutt in the Charlotte Observer, it was Phipps who talked to Watauga coach Leigh Wallace and urged him to get Ricky to run in the Herbster.
Brookshire told Honeycutt he is not conceding the race to Webb:
"I'm basically going out there and key off Webb as long as I can, and near the end try to make a move on him," said Brookshire, whose 4:07.99 on the same UNCC track 2 weeks ago is a North Carolina state record. "I know everyone is going to let him go. I know it's scary for some runners, even myself I guess. I'm not going to back down from him. If beating him means going under four, then I'm going to do that, too."
Only three HS runners have broken the 4-minute
barrier and they came in a flurry:
1965: Jim Ryun 3:55.3, Kansas
1966: Tim Danielson 3:59.4, California
1967: Marty Liquouri, 3:59.8, New Jersey
Each of these three did it first in an open race with older
runners. The next two fastest: Gerry Lindren, 4:01.5,
Washington, 1964; Sharif Karie, 4:02.01, W. Springfield VA, 1997.
Herbster has expanded the field to 14 runners. The meet starts at 4 pm, and defending national champions are featured in two other events: the 800 meters (James Doaty of Louisville KY) and the javelin (Leigh Smith of Raleigh NC). The Nike Golden Mile ends the meet at 8:30 pm. Herbster schedule and mile entry list.
