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Notre Dame Meyo Invitational 2014

Men's Meyo Mile Preview

Men's Meyo Mile Preview

Feb 6, 2014 by Mitch Kastoff
Men's Meyo Mile Preview


All Notre Dame Meyo Invitational attendees have the same requests. When they arrive in South Bend, Ind., each person will take a knee and ask Touchdown Jesus for the same three, simple things: room in the Loftus Sports Center to watch the marquee event, a fully inflated Notre Dame Thunderstick, and another sub-4 Meyo Mile.

This year, two of those three prayers will be easily answered. Rumor has it that the Thundersticks are in high demand, so it’s first come, first serve.

Just like Fiddler on the Roof, we’re firm believers in tradition. Established in 1988, the Meyo Mile has seen quite a few sub-4 marks over the years. Notre Dame head coach Joe Piane told und.com, “a runner went below four minutes in the very first Meyo Mile in 1988, and ever since then the track has been known as a great place to come and run the mile."

The last five years, we have seen nine men go under the legendary barrier. Like we asked last year, and all the years we’ve been going to the Meyo Invitational, will the streak stay alive this year?

If you ask the 2011 and 2012 Meyo Mile champion Jeremy Rae (Notre Dame), then the answer is an emphatic yes.

We have reason to put our faith in Rae because he, like us, is a big supporter of tradition. In his two year reign as Meyo Mile champion, Rae was the only one in the field to go sub-4. After his hiatus last year due to injury, Rae is back and he’s bringing a few Fighting Irish with him. The start list for the race is below.

Men's Meyo Mile
Fife, Nolan (Indiana)
Kalinowski, Grzegorz (Eastern Mich)
Hunter, Rorey (Indiana)
Malette, J.P. (Notre Dame)
Penzenstadler, Sam (Loyola Ill.)
Happe, Nick (Notre Dame)
Sandlin, Robert (Bellarmine)
Rae, Jeremy (Notre Dame)
Schulist, Chris (Campbell)
Porter, Dan (Purdue)
Rayyan, Morsi (Michigan)
Curr, Tom (Butler)

The question now is who’ll win, and will he continue the streak?

After his 1k win at the Notre Dame Invitational (2:22.07) and mile at New Mexico (4:02.62, at altitude), Rae is our lock for both qualifiers. If you’re wondering, his altitude-adjusted mile from February 1st is 3:57.33. Plus, he’s been putting #hype nearly a week out from the race, so how can we doubt him.

That being said, there’s still work to be done to fulfill his prediction. 

Former Arizona State Sun Devil Nick Happe has the wheels to also go sub-4. Back in 2012, he dipped under the mark at the UW Final Qualifier with a 3:58.73 third place finish. So far this indoor season, he’s run 4:06.92 at the Notre Dame Invitational (he finished second) and won the 3k at the New Mexico Invite in 8:15.25 (altitude). Just so it's written down somewhere, Happe is Flotrack's Chris Chavez pick to win.

That leaves the third Fighting Irish, J.P. Malette. Most recently, Malette finished sixth at New Mexico mile in 4:07.73. After altitude adjustments, that mark converts to 4:02.33.

We’re going to label Malette “The Cuban,” since he’s come so close to breaking 4:00, but no cigar. In 2011, his season’s best at the distance was 4:00.31. In 2012, it was 4:00.79. It would be something else if he does it on his home track at the historic Meyo Mile.

While we’ve only spent our time talking about Notre Dame’s athletes (it is their home meet, after all), there are a few other solid picks from other schools.

Butler’s Tom Curr, who placed in that dreaded 41st spot at NCAA Cross Country Nationals (first not to be all-American), has been itching to get back on the track since his trip to Terre Haute, Ind. Last weekend, Curr finished fifth at the Indiana University Relays mile in 4:03.22. He’s never officially broken 4:00 in the mile either and his 1500m PR (3:42.79) is just outside of the “sub-4 by 1500m conversion” mark.

With PRs of 1:51 for 800m and 2:22.76 for 1k, Eastern Michigan’s Grzegorz Kalinowski has some wheels and could flirt with the barrier. He’s run 1:52.07 so far this season and, as a side note, his mile best is 4:00.29 from last indoor season.

There’ll also be a strong Hoosier contingent with Rorey Hunter and Nolan Fife. Hunter is coming off a 4:06.07 ninth place finish at the IU Relays Mile while Fife is another guy who just ran 8:15.37 for 3k (not at altitude, though).

If you want a dark horse pick, go with Sam Penzenstadler from Loyola (Ill.). Penzenstadler defeated Fife at the IU Relays 3k (he ran 8:10.97), has got good 800m speed with a PR of 1:50.08, and he won the 2013 Drake Relays University 1500m in 3:46.37 last year with a bold inside move on the homestretch.

Predictions
1. Jeremy Rae (Notre Dame) - 3:58.92
2. Nick Happe (Notre Dame)
3. Tom Curr (Butler)
4. J.P. Malette (Notre Dame)
5. Grzegorz Kalinowski (Eastern Michigan)
6. Sam Penzenstadler (Loyola Ill.)

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If you want to relive the magic of the Meyo Mile, we’ve listed some past races below.
2013 - Wisconsin’s Austin Mudd 3:59.33
2012 - Notre Dame’s Jeremy Rae 3:59.31
2011 - Notre Dame’s Jeremy Rae 3:59.62
2010 - Ohio State’s Jeff See 4:00.14
2009 - Michigan State’s Shane Knoll 3:57.36


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