Distance Gala Report

With state meet performances and conference championships beginning to heat up across the land, fast times are popping up everywhere. This past weekend, some amazing distance doubles took place from coast-to-coast, led by a runner out west.

10. Julia Zrinyi (Jr., V. Massey Coll., NY) – Zrinyi is the only athlete on our list not to win a race this past weekend. That’s because she finished second in two races, which have the winners already listed on this week’s top ten list. Zrinyi placed second in the 800m dash at the Loucks Games behind Claudia Francis, breaking 2:10 and crossing the finish line in 2:09.06. She then came back to place second behind Aisling Cuffe in the 1,600m, running a tremendous time of 4:51.50.

9. Kyle Thompson (Sr., Killeen Harker Heights, TX) – As one of the top returners in the 800m dash this season, expectations have been high for Thompson all season long. Thompson had a big chance to shine this past weekend at the UIL State T&F Championships, where he went head-to-head with a very talented 800m field. Well, Thompson came out on top, running a US top five time and showing he’s fully capable of breaking 1:50 with his 1:50.54 finish.

8. Claudia Francis (Sr., Cardozo, NY) – Since her freshman year, Francis has been putting up tremendous marks left and right. Now that she’s a senior, she’s got one last shot to make her mark on the record books and this past weekend certainly added to her growing legacy. Francis won the 800m event at the Loucks Games in a US#3 time of 2:08.21.

7. Craig Nowak (Jr., Cypress Woods, TX) – In a 1,600m race that saw four athletes dip under 4:10, Nowak emerged as the winner. The junior ran a tremendous last lap, maintaining form and besting one of the better mile fields assembled so far this season. Nowak’s winning mark of 4:08.37 ranks his US top five and sets him up as one of the top returnees in the country in 2012.

6. Haley Pierce (Jr., Tatnall, DE) – After her huge Penn Relays 3k win, followed by her 800m state record performance, Pierce is perhaps the runner with the most momentum as of late. Over the weekend, at the New Castle County Championships, she continued her record-breaking running, besting the Delaware state record for 1,600m, winning the race in 4:41.19, which ranks her US#2, only behind rival Aisling Cuffe.

5. Craig Lutz (Sr., Marcus, TX) – Believe it or not, Lutz, despite all his success since his freshman year, had yet to win a state track title heading into the weekend. Well, that all changed, as Lutz powered away to an impressive 3,200m victory at the 5A UIL State T&F Championships. Lutz’ mark of 8:52.91 won the event by seven seconds, while placing him in the US top five and showing that he’s hitting his stride at the perfect time of the season.

4. Ajee Wilson (Jr., Neptune, NJ) – It’s hard to find tremendous competition sometimes when you rank as the best in your event in the country. That seems to be the case right now for Wilson in the 800m dash, so she took to competing against some collegiate competition this past weekend at the Swarthmore Last Chance meet. Wilson sped away to victory and a US#1 time of 2:05.25, showing once again why she’ll be one to watch this spring in the two-lap showcase.

3. Kayla Beattie (Sr., Woodstock, IL) – Despite the sub-par weather this spring, Beattie has produced some tremendous performances. With an obvious goal of breaking ten minutes for 3,200m, Beattie tackled the task once again on Thursday, competing at the Belvidere North Sectional. Beattie easily took home the 3,200m title in 10:06.15, running the US#2 time by herself the entire way, winning by over a minute. She then came back shortly afterward to win the 1,600m by 25 seconds in 4:49.08.

2. Aisling Cuffe (Sr., Cornwall, NY) – After losing one of the most epic races in Penn Relays history, Cuffe seemed on a mission over the weekend to prove once again that she’s the best distance runner in the country. Cuffe, competing at the Loucks Games, won the girls 3,200m event in a US#4 all-time performance of 9:56.16 on Friday, then came back on Saturday to win the 1,600m in 4:40.56.

1. Billy Orman (Sr., Tuba City, AZ) – Despite sweltering heat  and little top competition, Orman posted one of the best distance doubles seen in quite some time. At the DIII Arizona State T&F Championships, Orman ran a US#1 performance for 3,200m, crossing the tape in an outstanding state record time of 8:48.63. Orman’s most surprising performance however came in the 1,600m, where he busted a huge PR of 4:06.75 to easily capture another Arizona state title.