Top Ten Performances of the Week
(May 16 - May 22)

Amazing mile races and distance doubles mark this week’s top ten performances of the week. With state meets, county championships and section finals taking place, amazing performances are happening left and right across the country.

10. Jantzen Oshier (Sr., Trabuco Hills, CA) - It hasn’t been talked about much, but Oshier has become the country’s top miler this season. He’s currently ranked US#1 for 1,600m and consistently runs sub-4:10. The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill bound senior did so once again on Saturday, running 4:07.10, winning the Southern Section Division Finals (CA).

9. Amy Weissenbach (Jr., Harvard-Westlake, CA) - Another tremendous performance coming at the Southern Section Division Finals over the weekend came from Weissenbach. Showing once again why she’s one of the best middle distance runners in the country, Weissenbach won the 800m dash by two and a half seconds in a US#8 time of 2:08.61, then coming back to place third in her 1,600m race with a 4:54.66.

8. Elias Geydon (Sr., Loyola, CA) - Amazing distance doubles or distance triples were all the rage over the weekend, with one of the best coming from Geydon. Running in the California Southern Section Division Finals, Geydon ran an impressive 4:11.15 (1,600m) / 9:00.97 (3,200m) double. The talented senior seems to be peaking at the right time, with plenty of big races ahead to showcase his top-end speed.

7. Sam Pons (Sr., Pasadena, CA) - One of the most underrated runners over the past few years, Pons came up big once again, this time running a 4:10.37 (1,600m) / 9:02.42 (3,200m) double at the Southern Section Division Finals. Pons has shown consistently he can come up big in the most important races, which bodes well moving forward.

6. Shelby Houlihan (Sr., Sioux City East, IA) - While a quartet of California athletes took spots 7-10 on this week’s countdown, the Midwestern Houlihan comes in at number six. Running at the Iowa State Track and Field Championships, Houlihan set two state records, winning the 800m dash in 2:08.15, then coming back to win the 1,500m in 4:29.87. Houlihan dominated both events, winning by just over 12 seconds in the 1,500m, while breaking All-American Katie Flood’s state mark.

5. Billy Orman (Sr., Tuba City, AZ) - After running the most dominating distance double in the country last weekend at the Arizona State T&F Championships, Orman came back this past weekend with one goal in mind, that being to break the state record for 1,600m. At the Arizona Meet of Champions, Orman took off from the gun, pushing the pace and cross the finish line in a US#2 mark of 4:05.29, breaking the state record he was seeking. Orman is on a roll. Just how far can he go?

4. Nick Hartle (Jr., Centennial, NV) - Only a junior, Hartle showed why he’ll be one of the key athletes to watch in 2012. At the Nevada State T&F Championships, the middle distance star set two US top ten marks, winning the 1,600m in 4:10.23, then coming back to dominate the 800m dash in a US#3 time of 1:49.91. Incredible!

3. Jacob Burcham (So., Cabell Midland, WV) - With little competition to challenge him, Burcham set out to prove he’s one of the country’s best, winning the 800m, 1,600m and 3,200m at the West Virginia State T&F Championships. Burcham won the 1,600m in a US#5 time of 4:08.80, while winning the 800m dash in 1:54.01 and the 3,200m in 9:11.29. It’ll be interesting to see what Burcham decides to run in the post-season.

2. Edward Cheserek (So., St. Benedict’s, NJ) - He’s at it again. After a couple quiet weeks, Cheserek once again showed why he might be the best distance runner in the country, winning the 800m, 1,600m and 3,200m events at the Essex County Championships. Cheserek won the 800m race in 1:52.13, won the 1,600m in 4:10.94, and ran a US#3 mark to easily win the 3,200m in 8:53.65. While there are still a few weeks left in the season, Cheserek is poised to turn in one of the greatest sophomore seasons ever.

1. Kayla Beattie (Sr., Woodstock, IL) - In the last high school state meet she’d ever run, Beattie wanted to do something special to go out on top. All season long, Beattie has shown that she’s poised to become the best distance runner in Illinois history, and she firmly cemented her place in history on Saturday, running at US top ten all-time performance for 3,200m, winning in 9:56.96. Beattie passed through the half way point in 4:48.9, which is incredible in it’s own right. Not to be overlooked, Beattie came back shortly after to win the 1,600m event in 4:43.65, decimating the field and showing why she could very well be the best distance runner in the country this spring.