Each year a huge number of top distance runners (both collegiate and pro) converge on the greater LA area to contest events at the Mt Sac, Bryan Clay, and Beach Invites. For the past 7-8 years the 'Cats have sent a healthy representation of talent to compete in their best events, and many great achievements have been had. This year was one of our best ever, as nearly every athlete who made the trip posted at least one PR (many ran multiple events through the 3 days of competition). Highlighting the weekend were the school record runs of Hannah Dorman and Alex Burkhart at the 10k and 3k steeple distances. Dorman cruised through the 5k mark of her 10k within a second of her seasonal best for the distance, and then dropped her second fastest 5k ever with a 16:51 second half! Burkhart became the 'Cats (and the CCAA's) first sub 10:10 runner with her 10:09 finish time. Additional All Time Top-10 list performances and NCAA marks were posted by the 'Cats, providing much needed positive momentum, as we head into the post season stretch of the ahead.
Before diving into a few of the race re-caps, I'll list the performances posted by our crew
Men's 800m: 1:50.00- Derek Morton. NCAA provisional, Seasonal Best, .4 off PR. 1:50.54- Michael Good. NCAA provisional, #9 AT CSUC, PR Men's 1500m: 3:54.34- Arturo Arevalo (run 2 days after 5k PR), PR 3:55.16- Matt Herrera PR 3:56- Jason Intravaia (run 2 days after 5k PR) 3:59- Derek Morton run several hours after his 800m seasonal best. 4:00-Jack Johnson. 11 hours after running a huge 5k PR. Men's 5,000m: 14:06- Connor Fisher #5 AT CSUC, NCAA Provisional, PR 14:07- Jack Johnson #6 AT CSUC, NCAA Provisional, PR 14:13- Eddie King #11 AT CSUC, NCAA Provisional, PR 14:30- Jason Intravaia NCAA Provisional, PR 14:30- Arturo Arevalo, NCAA Provisional, PR 14:52- Teddy Kassa Seasonal Best 15:28- Zachary Chamberlain Had shoe stepped on @ start, had to stop put back on and continue. Women's 800m: 2:16.8- Jacquie Adams, Seasonal Best Women's 1500: 4:43- Desirae Jones PR, Run 24 hours after a seasonal best 5k. 4:45- Jacquie Adams PR, run several hours after 800m. 4:45- Elyssa Schall, Coming off injury and had only 1 workout in 3 weeks leading up to race. Women's 3k Steeple: 10:09.79- Alex Burkhart, School Record, CCAA Record, NCAA Auto 10:42- Haley Boynton, #4 AT CSUC, NCAA Provisional, PR. Women's 5,000m: 17:25- PR Kayden Carpenter, PR 18:03- Desirae Jones, Seasonal Best 33:55.96- Hannah Dorman, School Record, NCAA Auto, PR.
Women's 10,000m:
Mt Sac Women 10000 Meter Run INV Elite, Section 2:
Hannah Dorman had a slow start to the 2018 season as she picked up an injury in late January that altered some of February's training. The result was a late seasonal debut (a 17:03 5k) at the SF Distance Carnival. Hannah would follow this effort up with a PR tying 1500 at the Chico Distance Carnival and went into Thursday's 10k unsure of what to expect. Yours truly felt as though a sub 34:30 was achievable (note: school record was 34:31 going into the weekend), and that MAYBE if things went exceptionally well, a sub 34 might be possible. The plan was to find a good group to work with in the early going and shoot for lap splits in the 83 second range. Then as the race developed, being competitive and using the internal data that the body is projecting to guide the moves late in the race.
The first mile was relatively conservative for Hannah's heat (the second fastest of the Mt Sac meet) as the leaders hit 1600 in 5:34 (approximately 34:45 pace. Hannah looked very relaxed and ran safely on the rail, waiting for the true racing to begin. The second 1600 brought a string of 80-82 second laps and Hannah looked ready for the pace change and stayed attached to the lead group. Her 3200m split was a swift 10:59 (just under school record pace).
The third 1600 of the run was the quickest yet (5:24) and after watching Hannah run through the 5k mark in 17:04 and looking great doing it, yours truly felt that the school record was about to go down. A quick text was sent to Now former school record holder Alia Gray to let her know in real time what was happening. Before Hannah reached the metric 4 miles (21:51) Alia had replied back that she was excited for Hannah's run in progress. A year ago when Dorman debut'd at the 10k distance with a 34:46 Alia commented that she was impressed and that her record was most likely in jeopardy. Indeed it was.
Hannah would reach 8k in 27:17 having covered the fifth 1600 in a swift 5:26. The lead pack had dwindled down to a select few that included a Wisconsin runner who had finished in the Top-10 of the Big West XC Championships this past fall. Just before 8k A Montana State runner took the lead and separated herself from the 4-5 women who now composed the lead group. Hannah waited several laps in the group before making a move that would eventually seal the sub 34 minute run.
Saving the fastest for last Dorman covered the final 1600 in 5:17, which wasn't quite enough to catch the eventual champion from Montana State, but was easily fast enough to make her the first Chico State woman to crack the 34 minute barrier for the 25 lap event. As mentioned previously Hannah would cover the final 5k in an amazing 16:51.
Women's Steeplechase:
Mt Sac Women 3000 Meter Steeplechase INV Elite, Section 2:
With a PR of 10:14 Alex Burkhart was placed into the fastest section of the Mt Sac invite, along with two standout DII athletes and a host of DI standouts (and a few pro's). A year ago while running in this same race Burkhart ran to her current 10:14 PR, but not without some drama. With 100m remaining in the '17 event Burkhart smashed her knee into the final barrier of the race, picked herself up and struggled through the finish having still broken our school's record. She would go on to win a CCAA title in the event and then take 8th at NCAA's with a 10:16 clocking. but also losing her school record to senior teammate McCall Habermehl who ran DII's 11th fastest women's steeple to date with her 10:12 PR.
Fast forward to 2018 and Burkhart was poised to give 10:10 a good run for it's money. Recent results and workouts pointed toward a PR day if all went well and no barriers were met w/ body parts.
Generally when breakthrough races are run they are done in competitions where the competition is fierce and close throughout. Alex' race was an anomaly of sorts as the entire field went out at 78 pace for the first 1600m, leaving her with the option of running sub 10 minute pace through 1600, OR running her pace, and doing it alone. Credit to Alex for sticking with her splits and running in last place the entire race.
By 1600m (reached in 5:23-10:05ish pace) Alex ran alone and some 40 meters behind the lead pack that included everyone else in the race. The emphasis in the pre-race talk for Alex was to run well through laps 5,6 and 7, as these laps have brought mid 80's in the past, which wrecks any chance at a 10:0's run. Despite running alone and having no one to push/pull her, Alex stuck to her guns and ran an 82.2 second lap to the 2k mark. Her slowest lap of the run was an 83 second 6th lap, but lap 7 was another 82, which kept the record attempt alive, despite the fact that no one from the pack ahead was really coming back to her. Seeing the clock with 1 lap remaining and doing a bit of internal math Burkhart locked into a quickening tempo and as she ran by yours truly with 140m remaining she ran at full steam toward the same barrier that undermined her sub 10:10
attempt a year ago. This year the final barrier was cleared with no problems and a nice final 100m saw the senior cross the finish last in her heat, but with arms outstretched nonetheless, knowing that a big goal was accomplished. Alex' new PR ranks her as the fastest steepler in CCAA history, and would have been a Top-10 AT in NCAA DII history, had two other DII gals not run faster this same weekend. She now ranks #11 in DII history, but will have the NCAA Championships to hopefully move into the top-10 on that prestigious list.
Bryan Clay Invite Women 3000 Meter Steeplechase, heat 3:
RS frosh Haley Boynton emerged as a huge part of our trophy season this past fall, scoring for the 'Cats at CCAA's, Regionals and NCAA's. Carrying that momentum into the spring, Boynton picked up the steeple as well as one could hope with an 11:15 debut. From there she cut her PR down to 10:58 on a hot day at Chabot. On Thursday, running in a class field and great conditions Boynton employed classic Chico tactics by taking advantage of the fast starters that were coming back to her in the final half of the race. As she passed tiring runners, splits remained within reason of the first half of the race, and a strong finish would bring her across the finish in 10:42. Her new PR is the fourth fastest time in school history and vaults her ahead of several previous NCAA All Americans. Having only three barrier races under her belt, there's certainly a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks and years for this young talent.
Mt Sac Men 5000 Meter Run Open-B C/O:
Senior Connor Fisher ran a big 14:14 5k PR a year ago at the SF Distance Carnival. Given this would be his one shot at a solid 5k during the '18 season the steeple specialist went into his race wanting to take a shot at the 14:00 barrier. For 10 laps the possibility of sub 14 was certainly in play as Fisher would split 4:30 through 1600, and 9:01 through 3200m. Running among a strong lead group Fisher hung tough and connected to the lead group through 68 second 9th and 10th circuits. With 1k remaining the torrid pace finally began to show on the face and tempo of the Lake Isabella native. Lap 11 was a 69 second revolution as the lead pack sailed off into the distance ahead. Fisher would hit the bell at 13:01, thus needing a 59 second final revolution to crack 14:00. Unfortunately there was no miracle finish at Connor strained to hold onto his spot among the top-10 in the race. Just as Santa Monica TC's Tony Okello started to go around the struggling Chico athlete Fisher finally found a finishing gear and sprinted toward the final straight. A final 200m of 30.7 saved a big 14:06 PR. The run also makes him the 5th fastest CSUC 5k runner in the history of our program. Fisher will now turn his attention back to the steeple which he will contest at the upcoming CCAA and NCAA Championship meets. His new 5k PR should also secure his spot on the start line at the NCAA 5k final in North Carolina next month as well.
Mt Sac Men 5000 Meter Run Open-A C/O:
The last race of the evening at Mt Sac on Friday night was a combined 5k of what initially was two separate heats. Thankfully for Eddie King, they combined heats and he was able to run with the faster heat runners that included teammate Jack Johnson. Coming into the season King's PR was 14:44, and Johnson's 14:23. Both eyed hoped PR's and NCAA marks that might secure their spot on the line at the national meet. The pace from the gun was fast and furious at the front. Johnson settled in nicely among the lead group, while King hung strong in a chase group that never seemed to fall more than 4-5 seconds behind the leaders. Johnson rolled through 1600 in the low 4:30's and 3200 in 9:07. King followed with splits in the 4:33/9:10 realm, certainly on pace for a big PR if he could hold on. Hold on they did, as both Chico runners would pass numerous runners in the final mile of the race.
With 400m remaining Johnson eyed a 13:06 mark on the clock and as poker players do when they have a good hand, He went All In! The gap that a lead group of 5-6 had formed on Johnson, quickly disappeared as he rolled toward what was to be a huge PR. King appeared on a similar mission from 400m out, as he too put distance on those behind him and ate up ground on the few ahead. Although Johnson's big kick and 61 second final revolution wasn't quite enough to beat the two athletes from Mexico, he was the first collegiate runner to hit the tape with his 14:07 PR. King would finish 6th overall and was the 3rd collegian in the race with his 14:13 PR. Johnson's new PR makes him the 6th fastest Wildcat 5k runner ever, and King is now the 11th fastest, and would have been #10 minus Johnson's beating him to the line. One now needs to run 14:10 or faster to make our men's 5k Top-10 list!
Men's 5,000m- Bryan Clay Invite:
A year ago teammates Jason Intravaia and Arturo Arevalo struggled with injuries and to gain enough traction to run the times that they both dreamed of running. This year has been a different story as each have managed consistent training, and the results have been showing. On Thursday night at Azusa's Bryan Clay Invite the pair worked together through much of the race, hitting 3200m in 9:20 and looking prepared and ready for the tough laps ahead. A nice finish by both carried the two to top-5 finishes and matching 14:30 PR's. Their new personal bests also earned them NCAA provisional marks, giving the 'Cats 5 on the prestigious list.. with 13:54 guy Kyle Medina yet to contest the event.
Women's 5k @ Bryan Clay Invite:
One of the best racers on our team is Kayden Carpenter. The steady sophomore from Lakeside, CA has always had a knack for racing very close to what training would indicate, and Thursday Carpenter would continue this trend while setting a new lifetime best of 17:25. A strong final third of the race moved her from around 15th position to an eventual 8th place finish, while lowering her PR by some 19 seconds. Carpenter, who gets better as the race distance grows is setting up nicely for a CCAA Championship 10k next week. Stay tuned!
Women's 5k-Bryan Clay
Sophomore Desirae Jones has been enjoying her most consistent track season to date. On Thursday Jones battled at the front of her heat at the Clay meet, eventually taking second overall in a seasonal best mark. She would double back the following day with a 4:43 1500m PR.
Men's 1500m-Beach invite:
Junior Arturo Arevalo doubled back from a 14:30 5k PR with a nice 3:54 15 personal best at the Beach Invite. A 45 second final 300m split secured the heat win as well!
Men's 800m- Bryan Clay invite:
Juniors Derek Morton and Michael Good each enjoyed solid days of 800m running at the Bryan Clay meet. Running in the heat that contained the top seeds of the meet Morton ran much of the race at mid pack in a sea of elbows and bodies (the heats were large). Despite a less than smooth race Derek still managed to record a 1:49.992 (rounded up to 1:50) seasonal best mark while placing 5th overall. Good ran conservatively through 400m in the 3rd heat splitting a 54-point at the half way mark. A very consistent and strong second lap carried Good through much of the field and to an eventual 4th place 1:50.54 PR finish. His new PR is well under the NCAA threshold and is a mark that Usually makes the big dance. Hopefully a sub 1:50 for both is around the corner, which would secure their spots on the line at NCAA's.
Bryan Clay Men's 1500- Deepest 1500 field in the US!
How fast has the Bryan Clay meet become in the 1500? Check out the performance list below. The top time is the new DI 1500m record. Sixth place is David Ribich in the new DII record. Just cracking the top 200 is RS frosh Matt Herrera who raced to a nice 3:55 PR. Whew! So much for the Bryan Clay meet being an "overflow" meet for Mt Sac.
Women's 1500 @ Bryan Clay:
As was the case with the men's 15, the women's was very stout from top to bottom as well. Chico's Desirae Jones dropped her PR from 4:49 to 4:43, despite having run a seasonal best 5k the night before. Jacquie Adams raced to a 4:45 PR just 6 hours after logging a seasonal best 2:16 800m. Elyssa Schall who'd missed two full weeks of running due to an accident in a class, bounced back after 1 week of running, with a near PR of 4:45.
Next Up: For those who have payed close attention to the 'Cats progress this season, you've seen that 2016-2017 CCAA Male Track Athlete of the Year Kyle Medina has been missing from results since his steeple fall at the Stanford meet. Kyle's knee sustained a bit more damage than we'd hoped and he missed a fair amount of run training. He's since returned to a normal training routine and is now pain free, and will plan to race at next week's Peyton Jordan Invite @ Stanford University. He will attempt to dip under the 8:40 barrier, as he was on pace to do @ the Stanford Invite several weeks ago. His race will be on Thursday May 3. The following day Friday May, 4 the 'Cats will be in action in Day I of the CCAA Championships to be held in Turlock, CA. Hopefully we'll see some of our Central Valley alum at the track next week. Beyond that some 'Cats will trek up to Portland, OR the following weekend for a last chance meet, and then two weeks later we'll conclude our regular season at the NCAA Championships in Charlotte, NC.
