Distance Gala Weekly

March 1 – March 7

The week before the indoor national championship events is always an exciting one.  With state championships taking place, outdoor meets kicking off and an international cross country event being run, there was plenty of news to keep an eye on over the weekend.

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Nike Indoor Nationals News

The entries are in, the fields are set, and Nike Indoor Nationals promises to be exciting this coming weekend in Boston, MA.  Some incredible fields are scheduled to compete, including Foot Locker champion Megan Goethals (MI) taking on the Stevens sisters (VA), Emily Sisson (MO) and many other talented individuals.  Check the Nike Indoor Nationals website later this week, as we’ll be posting up event-by-event previews, as well as an interview or two.

Boys Entries / Girls Entries

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The Top Five

Quite the collection of top five talent this time around.  Indoor track highlights, an outdoor track highlight and cross country results lead this week’s top five.

5. Aisling Cuffe (Jr., Cornwall, NY) – It wasn’t even close on Friday, as Aisling Cuffe proved once again why she’s one of the top distance runners in the country.  At the New York State meet, Cuffe won the girls 3,000m run by 20 seconds, finishing with a new US#2 mark of 9:36.95.  Cuffe now ranks US#1 for the two mile and US#2 for 3,000m.

4. Erik Olson (Sr., Novato, CA) & Walter Schafer (Sr., Cherry Creek, CO) – At the NACAC Cross Country Championships Saturday, Team USA ran strong up front, placing second behind Team Canada.  Erik Olson and Walter Schafer led the American squad in Trinidad & Tobago, placing third and fourth respectively.  The two ran together for much of the race, with Olson finishing slightly ahead of Schafer at the finish, 18:37.0-18:45.6.

3. Sherod Hardt (Sr., Queen Creek, AZ) – Not only did Sherod Hardt run one of the fastest 1,600m times of the year at the Desert Classic Invitational, but he did it against strong competition.  Racing fellow Foot Locker finalist Brian Shrader (Sr., Sinagua, AZ), Hardt used a powerful kick to take home the top prize, crossing the finish line in 4:11.49.  Shrader finished second in 4:14.80 at the outdoor invitational.

2. Emily Lipari (Sr., Roslyn, NY) – Emily Lipari was at it again over the weekend at the New York State meet.  Starting at a pace none could match, Lipari ran a US#1 time for 1,500m, easing to victory in 4:28.31.  The Villanova-bound senior is having one heck of an indoor season, ranking US#1 in the 1,500m, mile and US#3 for 3,000m.

1. Maddie Meyers (So., The Northwest School, WA) – Toeing the line against collegiate competition, Meyers came up big on Saturday, tying the US#1 mark in the mile with her 4:46.77 performance at the University of Washington Final Qualifier.  Meyers faced a competitive collegiate field, placing sixth overall.  Even more impressive, Meyers dropped an outstanding nine seconds from her previous best, and she’s only a sophomore! 

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Articles of Interest

Introducing Nike Track Nationals (NTN)

NACAC Results: Junior Men / Junior Women

Ed Torres Retires from Competitive Running (Track & Field News)

Houston to Host 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials (Competitor)

Ryan Hall Speaks on Competitor Radio (Competitor)

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