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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

Lagat Victorious in 5000m;
Teg, Dobson Round Out Team

Posted July 1st, 2008 at 2:09 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Image details: U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials - Day Four served by picapp.com

Double World Champion Bernard Lagat used a magnificent finish to cruise away from the field and win the 5000m at the 2008 US Olympic Trials. Matt Tegenkamp and Ian Dobson also used strong kicks to book their tickets to Beijing in what turned out to be a battle between five men for three Olympic spots.

The field assembled for the 5000m finals at this year’s Olympic Trials was billed as one of the deepest ever to lineup for a US championship. Seven athletes in the field (Tegenkamp, Solinsky, Asmeron, Lagat, Vaughn, Dobson, and Riley) had achieved the A standard of 13:21.50 within the qualifying window and several others were considered capable of reaching the standard in this race. The team would be comprised of the top three finishers with the A standard, either from this race or a previous one. This rule forced those without the standard to worry about keeping the pace honest while allowing those with the standard to relax and focus on their opponents.
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Faces in Races: Lagat, Teg, Solinsky and Curtis Look to Dominate Men’s 5000m

Posted June 30th, 2008 at 8:00 AM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

The men’s 5000m features several potential Beijing medalists and is one of the most wide-open events of the 2008 US Olympic Trials. Again the A standard will be in play, as seven finalists have run 13:21.50 or better (Tegenkamp, Solinsky, Asmeron, Lagat, Vaughn, Dobson, Riley) in the qualifying window. The US Olympic team will be comprised of the top three finishers who have attained the A standard, either in the final or in a previous race. This sets up a dynamic where the aforementioned men can run for place while the rest of the field needs to ensure an honest pace. With several studs who have not yet achieved the A standard and the impressive list of those who have, the men’s 5000m final promises to be one of the most exciting races of the 2008 US Olympic Trials.

Velow we take a closer look at four of the favorites in this race: Bernard Lagat, Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky, and Bobby Curtis. To reward readers who get to the end of this article there will be some poorly thought out, undoubtedly biased, and completely unofficial picks for this showdown.
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McDougal Prevails Over Rupp at NCAA D-I Cross Country Championships

Posted November 19th, 2007 at 7:30 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Cross Country, College

Josh McDougal Liberty University The coaches’ pre-meet rankings held up as the top-ranked Oregon men and Stanford women won the team titles at today’s NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships at Terre Haute’s Laverne Gibson Championships Cross Country Course.

Liberty’s Josh McDougal took an exciting men’s race over a dry course with temperatures in the upper 50s.

Despite the near perfect racing conditions, the men’s race sent out slowly with nearly everyone still in contention through 3 km in 8:57, and the halfway point in 15:09.

“I wasn’t surprised that the race went out so slow,” said McDougal after the race. “Two years under nearly identical conditions, the race went out slow.”
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Curtis named Athlete of the Week

Posted October 30th, 2007 at 7:00 PM by J. R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Cross Country

Bobby Curtis has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after winning the 2007 Big East Cross Country Championships Saturday at the E.P. `Tom’ Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky.

A senior at Villanova University, Curtis won the men’s 8 km title in a course-record 23 minutes, 8.85 seconds to win the individual title for the second time. He also captured the 2004 crown with a time of 23:26 at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass.
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Fast times, upsets & successful title defenses highlight Friday’s NCAA action

Posted June 9th, 2007 at 8:00 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Fast steeplechases and 5000s, where Wisconsin’s Chris Solinsky (Pictured) defended his title, highlighted the track competition on Friday at the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships at Sacramento’s Hornet Stadium.

First up was the men’s steeplechase which saw favorite Aaron Aguayo out fast from the gun with Arkansas’ Peter Kosgei, Florida State’s Andrew Lemoncello, and Mississippi’s Barnabas Kirui right on his heels. Aguayo continued to lead the foursome through four laps in 4:28.3, then Kirui jumped into the lead with three laps to go. Kirui easily pulled away from the field, with Lemoncello running alone in second and Aquayo, Colorado’s Bill Nelson and others battling for third. Kirui extended his through to the finish to win in a personal best 8:20.36.
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Favorites advance during
Day 1 of NCAA Championships

Posted June 7th, 2007 at 12:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

The 2007 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships opened on a relatively cool Wednesday at Sacramento’s Hornet Stadium.

While not devoid of drama (especially for the participants, their coaches, and families) the first day featured qualifying rounds. LOTS of qualifying rounds!

For the distance fans, the schedule featured prelims in the 800-meters during the afternoon, then was capped off with four straight steeplechases followed by four 5000-meter prelims.
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