Nate Brannen of Cambridge Ontario made his second trip south of the border this year (he was second to Alan Webb's 8:45 2-mile at the Nike Indoor Classic) a winning one with a scorching 4-lap victory in 4:02.78 with absolutely no competition.

Brannen's only problem came before the race. Both the girls and boys 1600 meter fields were compressed into one less heat, causing an earlier than expected start for the seeded heat. That cost Brannen his usual warmup routine and put him in the middle of a huge field of more than 20 runners staggered into the first turn.

So Brannen, a veteran of international competition (including the junior men's World Cross Country championship in Belgium in March), shot to the lead in the first 100 meters and circled the oval alone after that. He cruised home 12 seconds in front of everyone else.