June 2009 Track and Field Articles

(C) Copyright - 2009 - Christopher Kelsall Gary Reed is one of the fastest 800m runners in the world. Currently he possesses a personal best of 1:43.68, which happens to be the Canadian record and a time that is considered fast by anyone’s measure. He also owns a 4th place performance he achieved at the 2008 Olympics from Beijing, China and a silver medal from the 2007 IAAF World Track and Field Championships that took place in Osaka, Japan. The world record by his hero Danish (by way of Kenya) runner, Wilson Kipketer still stands at 1:41.11 from August 24th… more »

Butler junior, Steve Lisgo, a native of Mansfield, U.K., recently took third place in the ultra-competitive NCAA 3,000-meter steeplechase. The Bulldog crossed the line in 8 minutes, 35.49 seconds to set a school record and get the qualifying time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India. Steve answered questions for Flotrack via email. Check them out! Sum up your NCAA Meet experience? Did you meet your goals? It was exactly what I was in the market for…the race of my life precisely when it mattered! I had goals going into the meet, however, I was reluctant to discuss… more »

INDIANAPOLIS USA Track & Field announced Tuesday that it will partner with Flotrack.org to provide live webcasts of both open and junior events at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.  The Championships will be held Thursday through Sunday at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field.  This event is the selection event for the 2009 IAAF World Championships which will be contested in August in Berlin, Germany. Flotrack will supplement USATF's official television coverage with live, real-time coverage with race calls of every event at the USA Junior Outdoor Championships while also providing bonus, live, real-time… more »

INDIANAPOLIS - Rivalries lead the way in the women's distance events as Jenny Barringer will face Anna Willard in the 1,500m and 3,000m steeplechase, and Shalane Flanagan will go toe-to-toe with Kara Goucher in the women's 5,000 and 10,000m at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, June 25-28 at historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene. The final event of the 2009 USATF Outdoor Visa Championship Series, the USA Championships will be televised on the following dates: June 26: Live on ESPN from 8-10 p.m. June 27: Live/tape on ESPN from 7:30-9:30 p.m. June 28: Live… more »

Double world champion Tyson Gay will run the 100 meters at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, he announced Friday. The 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, to be held June 25-28 in Eugene, Oregon, is the selection event for the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Athletics, August 15-23 in Berlin, Germany. The meet will mark Gay's 2009 debut at 100 meters. In his only race this year, the two-time defending Visa Champion won the Reebok Grand Prix 200m on May 30 in New York City in 19.58 seconds, the third-fastest time in history. In Eugene, Gay plans to compete… more »

NEW ORLEANS – Texas A&M’s men’s jump/multi event coach, Jim VanHootegem, has been named the NCAA Division I Men’s National Assistant Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, announced on Friday.   VanHootegem-coached athletes scored a total of 25 points at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships as the Aggies took him their first-ever Division I Outdoor Track and Field title. Julian Reid paced the jumps crew with a second place finish in the triple jump and a fourth place finish in the long jump for a total of 13 points.  … more »

NEW ORLEANS – Texas A&M’s men’s Head Coach Pat Henry has been named the NCAA Division I Men’s National Head Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, announced on Friday.   Henry led the Aggies to their first-ever NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field National Championship winning the team title in the final event of the championship, the 4x400 meter relay. Down 46-40 with just the 4x400 meter relay left, the Aggies needed to finish no worse than third to secure a share of the national title. Henry’s relay squad did one… more »

Georgia Bulldog junior Chris Hill recently won his second-straight NCAA javelin title and is preparing for the USA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Or. Hill is one of the top-rated U.S. javelin throwers heading into the World Championship-qualifying event, while consistently being able to crest the 80-meter mark. Let's see how he does at USAs and hopefully at Worlds. What kind of workout did you do today? Today, I just went into the weight room and got a good squat session in. I went at some heavy twos and threes. Then I just went for a 15 to 20-minute… more »

NEW ORLEANS – With a second place finish at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the Oregon Ducks have won the inaugural NCAA Division I John McDonnell Program of the Year Award as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Thursday.   Oregon, which won the cross country and indoor track and field men’s national titles, finished with five points towards the final John McDonnell standings earning three points for a second-place tie at the outdoor championships with Florida and Florida State.   Stanford, which posted top ten finishes at the cross… more »

NEW ORLEANS – Oregon’s Galen Rupp and Ashton Eaton have been named the NCAA Division I Men’s Track Athlete and Field Athlete of the Year, respectively, by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, announced on Thursday.   Rupp, a senior, and Eaton, a junior, have been instrumental in the success that the Oregon Ducks attained this outdoor season. All season long, the Ducks were ranked in the top three in the Division I Outdoor Track and Field Rankings after entering the preseason ranked third in the country.   Rupp, the men’s national Track Athlete of the Year,… more »

INDIANAPOLIS - 2008 Olympic silver medalists Hyleas Fountain and Jenn Stuczynski highlight stellar fields in the women's jumps and multi events at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, June 25-28 at historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene. The final event of the 2009 USATF Outdoor Visa Championship Series, the USA Championships will be televised on the following dates: June 26: Live on ESPN from 8-10 p.m. June 27: Live/tape on ESPN from 7:30-9:30 p.m. June 28: Live on NBC from 4-6:00 p.m. (All Times Eastern) The USA Championships will feature the nation's finest professional track and… more »

(c) Copyright - Christopher Kelsall - 2009 June 16th 2009 – Chemainus, BC – 25th annual Twilight Shuffle - BC Road 5k Championships.  The 25th annual Twilight Shuffle 5k took place in Chemainus, British Columbia under ideal race conditions. Ryan McKenzie of Victoria, BC (Langford) won the race and set a new course record with his finishing time of 14:23. Second place went to Cam Levins of the Comox Valley, BC and third to Richard Mosley of Coquitlam, BC. In the women’s race 42-year-old Lucy Smith of Victoria won, breaking the Canadian Masters record of 17:02, finishing in 16:49. Following… more »

NEW ORLEANS – Texas A&M’s Pat Henry, and Vince Anderson were named the NCAA Division I Women’s Track and Field Coaches of the Year announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Wednesday.   A&M Head Coach Pat Henry was named the Women’s National Head Coach of the Year after leading his Aggies to their first-ever NCAA Outdoor Track and Field title. The title marked the 13th outdoor title for the Aggie coach, as he earned 12 outdoor titles with the LSU women prior to his arrival in College Station.   In May, Henry’s Aggie squad took… more »

INDIANAPOLIS - Bernard Lagat, Nick Symmonds and Galen Rupp will headline the men's middle and long distance running events at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, June 25-28 at historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene. The final event of the 2009 USATF Outdoor Visa Championship Series, the USA Championships will be televised on the following dates: June 26: Live on ESPN from 8-10 p.m.June 27:  Live/tape on ESPN from 7:30-9:30 p.m.June 28: Live on NBC from 4-6:00 p.m.(All Times Eastern) The USA Championships will feature the nation's finest professional track and field… more »

INDIANAPOLIS - Galen Rupp has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after winning both the men's 5,000 and 10,000 meters last week at the 2009 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Having already won three NCAA individual titles this school year, Rupp ran the 5,000m prelims on Wednesday, won the 10,000m on Thursday and came back on Friday to win the 5,000m, all in the span of about 45 hours. In the 10,000m final, Arkansas' Shawn Forrest and Liberty's Samuel Chelanga set out on a fast pace but Rupp kept them in his… more »

June 16, 2009   Barringer, Williams Named USTFCCCA Women’s National Athletes of the Year   NEW ORLEANS – Colorado’s Jenny Barringer and Florida State’s Kim Williams were named the NCAA Division I Women’s Track and Field Athletes of the Year announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Tuesday.   Barringer, from Oviedo, Florida, won the NCAA 3,000 meter steeplechase title last week giving the Colorado Buffalo three steeple titles in the past four years. Her time (9:25.54) reset the all-time collegiate-best and was a new NCAA meet record. During the 2009 outdoor campaign, the… more »

Harry Jerome Individual Event Previews 800m Men2007 World Championship silver medalist Gary Reed (1:43.68) will headline the men’s 800. Kevin Hicks of the U.S. who has run 1:44.94 and fellow American Ryan Brown (1:46.29) will try to challenge Reed. B.C.’s own Graeme Wells (1:47.64) will look to place in the top 3.400m Men2007 World Indoor Champion and Canadian Record Holder Tyler Christopher (44.44) will run in a very strong field which includes former USC Trojan Lionel Larry. Larry ran 44.63 last year at the NCAA championships. American James Davis (45.21) and UBC freshman star Rohan Stewart (21.67) will also be… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Rice senior Lennie Waite ran a personal-best time of 9 minutes, 50.48 seconds for the 3000-meter steeplechase in Wednesday night's prelim. Her mark improved her Scottish National Record—the country where she was born—and qualifired her for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Waite will compete in the steeple final at 6:25 p.m. on Friday night. This interview was conducted a few days before the NCAA Outdoor Championships.    Are you intimidated at all by what Jenny Barringer and other steeplechasers have been running this outdoor season? Obviously… more »

(c) Copyright - Christopher Kelsall - 2009 Track Classic - Victoria, BC – June 10, 2009 – The 21st annual Track Classic took place in Victoria, BC at the University of Victoria’s Centennial Stadium. The evening was capped by two main events, the women’s and men’s 1500m Invitational, respectively. University of Victoria Vike, Geoff Martinson won the men’s race in 3:41.97 with Mexico’s Jose-Juan Esparza close behind in 3:42.14 and Canadian, Daniel Mallie nearly 2 seconds behind Martinson with a 3:43.96 - personal best. Results from the men’s 1500m race are below, full event results are available at www.trackclassic.com. The… more »

Phillips named Athlete of the Week INDIANAPOLIS - Dwight Phillips has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after tying the eighth-best outdoor mark in history in the men's long jump Sunday at the Nike Prefonataine Classic at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. The 2004 Olympic gold medalist and a two-time World Outdoor champion, Phillips proved to the world that he is back after failing to make the 2008 Olympic Team. At 31 years old, Phillips easily won the event when he sailed to 8.74 meters/28 feet 8.25 inches, which ties him with Larry Myricks and Erick Walder for… more »

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> Ryan Sheridan, an Iona Gael, is a key component to his distance team's success. Sheridan took 41st over all at the NCAA cross country meet this past fall pacing his team to a second place finish. At the NCAA East Regional Championships, Sheridan defeated a strong field of 5,000-meter runners to get his automatic bid to the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 11-13. Seed times did not have you as a favorite to win the 5,000 at the East Regional meet. Well, those are a little misleading.… more »

Lagat, Richards, Brown Trafton, Merritt & Symmonds lead stellar fields at Nike Prefontaine Classic INDIANAPOLIS - Bernard Lagat, Sanya Richards, Stephanie Brown Trafton, LaShawn Merritt and Nick Symmonds will lead many of the world's top athletes Sunday at the 2009 Nike Prefontaine Classic at historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene.  The fifth event of the 2009 USA Track & Field Outdoor Visa Championship Series, the Nike Prefontaine Classic will be televised live Sunday on NBC from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Double 2007 World Champion Lagat leads 3,000m fieldAmerican 1,500m record holder Bernard Lagat, who… more »

  NEW ORLEANS – The Oregon men have a lot to be happy about this year and plenty of hardware to show for it. The Ducks have won the cross country Pac-10 title, the cross country NCAA title, the indoor NCAA title, and the outdoor Pac-10 title. Winning both the cross country and indoor track and field National Championships has put the Ducks in a great position heading into the final event to determine the winner of the inaugural NCAA Division I John McDonnell Program of the Year Award given by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.… more »

  NEW ORLEANS – The Florida State women would like to finish the 2009 track and field season with a National Championship next week in Fayetteville, Ark. Should they complete their task, the Seminoles would add another trophy to their collection – the NCAA Division I Terry Crawford Program of the Year Award.   The award, which is given annually by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, honors the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year (spanning the cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field seasons)  based on the… more »

Yuriy Borzakovskiy strides to 800m gold ahead of Luis Alberto Marco and Mattias Claesson (Getty Images) relnews Moscow, Russia - Yuriy Borzakovskiy, the 2004 Olympic 800m champion and recent winner of the European indoor crown, successfully completed his core training for the summer season and is now ready to go at thePrefontaine Classic in Eugene this weekend (Sun 7).Eugene, the next stop on the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Tour, is going to bejust one more event on his schedule designed to give him excellent readiness before the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Berlin, Germany (15-23 Aug). Borzakovskiy and his coach Viacheslav Evstratov have clearly… more »

Berlin 2009 logo (c) Monte-Carlo - The IAAF is delighted to announce that 202 of the 213 IAAF Member Federations have declared their intention to participate at the12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Berlin, Germany (15 to 23 August 2009). The IAAF World Championships in Athletics are the third biggest global sporting event after the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup, and will be the largest sports gathering on the planet in 2009. Over $7 Million in Prize Money** As always there is a huge prize purse on offer, with the IAAF paying a grand total of US$7,336,000, distributed as follows:… more »

Usain Bolt goes away from Tyson Gay in New York (Victah Sailer) Kingston, Jamaica – World 100 and 200m World record holder Usain Bolt said he was not surprised with Tyson Gay’s impressive 19.58sec clocking in his first 200m race of the year, and said he was eagerly looking forward to a showdown with the American.At last Saturday’s Reebok Grand Prix in New York City, Gay stunned the world with an electrifying 19.58 victory over the half lap, the third fastest performance ever. Only Bolt’s 19.30 and Michael Johnson’s 19.32, both World records, are faster.“I am not surprised because Tyson Gay… more »

INDIANAPOLIS - Tyson Gay has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after running the third-fastest time in history in the men's 200 meters Saturday at the Reebok Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium in New York City. A 2007 World Outdoor triple gold medalist, Gay dominated the men's 200m, crossing the finish line in a blistering 19.58 seconds. It is the third-fastest performance ever, behind only USA Track & Field Hall of Famer Michael Johnson (19.32) and triple 2008 Olympic champion Usain Bolt (19.30). Now in its eighth year, USATF's Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize… more »

June 2, 2009   Eight Honored as Division III National Outdoor Track and Field Athletes and Coaches of the Year   NEW ORLEANS – The Wartburg women and the Wisconsin Oshkosh men both picked up NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field National Championship titles in May and as a result, their head coaches, Marcus Newsom of Wartburg and John Zupanc of Oshkosh, each received the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s highest honor Tuesday, the National Men’s and Women’s Head Coach of the Year.   Newsom guided his women’s team to Wartburg’s second outdoor national title, and… more »

INDIANAPOLIS - Everyone across the U.S. is invited to participate in the first-ever National Running Day on Wednesday, June 3, where running will be celebrated as a healthy, easy and accessible form of exercise. National Running Day is an initiative that promotes the benefits of running as part of a healthy and active lifestyle aimed at combating some of today's most pressing health issues.  Through a grassroots effort, the foremost road racing and track and field organizations from major U.S. cities--including New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Houston, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Denver, Eugene and San Diego-in addition to national running… more »

  MEN 400 METER HURDLES, Angelo Taylor, Kerron Clement, Bershawn Jackson, Isa Phillips (Jamaica), Markino Buckley (Jamaica), James Carter, Kenneth Ferguson, Michael Tinsley 800 METERS, Nick Symmonds, Khadevis Robinson, Gary Reed (Canada), Alfred Yego (Kenya), Yuriy Borzakovskiy (Russia), Amine Laalou (Morocco), Ahmad Ismail (Sudan), Boaz Lalang (Kenya), Christian Smith, Matt Scherer--pace BOWERMAN MILE, Haron Keitany (Kenya), Shedrack Korir (Kenya), Asbel Kiprop (Kenya), Belal Mansoor (Bahrain), Alan Webb, Lopez Lomong, Juan van Deventer (South Africa), Leonel Manzano, Nicholas Kemboi (Kenya), Josephat Kithii (Kenya), Moise Joseph (Haiti)--pace, Nate Brannen (Canada), Jackson Kivuna (Kenya)--pace, Evan Jager, Peter van der Westhuisen (S Africa), Henok… more »

June 1, 2009   NEW ORLEANS – The Wisconsin Oshkosh men added another trophy to their collection on Monday when the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced the final standings of the inaugural NCAA Division III Al Carius Men’s Program of the Year Award.   Oshkosh earned the trophy after back-to-back national titles. The Titans won their first ever men’s indoor national title in March, tying Program of the Year runner-up Wisconsin-La Crosse in the indoor team standings, and then won its first ever men’s outdoor national title back in May. Oshkosh also finished ninth at the… more »