By Lev Rourke
It’s been a busy summer.
Word has finally seeped in from across the Atlantic – or is it the Pacific? – that the least-recognized member of the 2010 Oregon team, A.J. Acosta, has run 3:38 and 3:36 in the 1,500 in meets in July in Belgium and Morocco.
On July 18, A.J. ran 3:38.35 at the Moulay El Hassan international meeting in Tangier, Morocco. Bernard Lagat won the race, in 3:36.89. That’s roughly equivalent to a 3:55 mile, just off the 3:54 shocker he ran early this month at the Prefontaine Classic in the “B” race.But, aha, it was not a PR, because eight days earlier, on July 10, he ran 3:36.48 for third place at a meet in Heusden, Belgium. That was a PR, equal to 3:53 in the mile, and precisely equal to the Oregon school record set by Joaquim Cruz 26 years ago. It is also faster than the PRs of fellow ’10 Ducks Matthew Centrowitz and Andrew Wheating.
Acosta has one year of eligibility remaining. In 2011 he will be a fifth-year senior.
Stinson runs fast 10k
On Tuesday night of this week, July 20, at the World Junior Championships in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, Parker Stinson, a high school senior from Cedar Park, Texas, finished 6th in the men’s 10,000 meters in an excellent 29:32.23, under warm, humid conditions. Stinson has signed with Oregon.
Other than Galen Rupp’s 29:09 in 2004, it is the fastest time on the track for the 10k by a prep in the last 25 years.
Earlier on Tuesday, Oregon freshman Jordan Hasay ran a PR 9:15 for ninth place in the women’s 3,000. She is scheduled to run the 1,500 later in the week.
Laura Roesler, another Oregon signee, narrowly missed the 800 final. In the semifinals on Wednesday morning, Roesler finished 4th in Heat I in 2:04.34. She wound up missing the final time qualifying spot by .01, losing out to the other American competitor in the event, Ajee Wilson, a high school sophomore from New Jersey.
Alyssa Hasslen, the U. Arizona freshman from McMinnville, failed to make the women’s discus final, throwing 160-5 for 14th place in Tuesday’s qualifying round.
In the women’s triple jump, Andrea Geubelle, a freshman at the University of Kansas who hails from Tacoma, Wash., advanced to the final, finishing 7th in the qualifying round at 42-8 ¾.
Club Championships
At the recent USATF national club championships in San Francisco, Club Northwest brought a large team and finished 3rd in the final combined standings, with 201 points, trailing two Eastern teams, the Central Park Track Club and the Norfolk Real Deal.
Will Conwell won the shot (57-9) and disc (190-5) for CNW, while Kimery Hern did well in the DT (148-3) and hammer (186-11). Clubmate Rose Wetzel swept the 1,500 (4:32) and 5,000 (16:37).
Oregonians who scored included Ahrlin Bauman of the Bowerman AC, 6th in the women’s 10,000 (31:36), and two members of Eugene Marathon, Jordyn Smith, 2nd in the 1,500 at 4:33, and Jane Rudkin, 3rd in the 5,000 at 16:46.
Club Northwest also went 1-2 in the men’s pole vault, won the women’s 10,000 (Claudia Copeland 35:19) and took 2nd in the men’s DT (Reedus Thurmond 178-9).
Herculis Zepter Meeting, Monaco
Former Oregon Duck Andrew Wheating became the fourth-fastest 1,500-meter runner in United States history Thursday, posting a time of 3 minutes, 30.90 seconds in placing fourth at the IAAF Herculs Zepter Meeting in Monaco last night.
According to Greg Walker, Sports Information Director for track and field and cross country at the University of Oregon:
That time trails only Bernard Lagat (3:29.30, 2005), Sydney Maree (3:29.77, 1985) and Alan Webb (3:30.54, 2007) on the all-time American list.
According to Greg Walker, Sports Information Director for track and field and cross country at the University of Oregon:
That time trails only Bernard Lagat (3:29.30, 2005), Sydney Maree (3:29.77, 1985) and Alan Webb (3:30.54, 2007) on the all-time American list.
In a race that featured the five fastest times in the 1,500 in the world this season, Silas Kiplagat of Kenya won in 3:29.27, followed by Morocco's Amine Laalou in 3:29.53, Augustine Choge of Kenya in 3:30.22, Wheating and then Ryan Gregson in an Australian-record 3:31.06.
With the field single file behind a pair rabbits who successfully pushed the pace, Wheating remained patient near the end of that line until the bell lap. He worked his way up to eighth on the backstretch and then let loose a long kick around the final curve to pass everyone, save the top three who had broken from the pack, and had just enough left to hold off Gregson at the line.
"I'm excited that my time today puts me in the same neighborhood as America's all time best milers," said Wheating.
Wheating, from Norwich, Vt., beat his previous PR of 3:37.52 set May 29 at the 2010 NCAA West Regional in Austin, Texas, by nearly seven seconds.”