Track and Field Blogs - Justin Kopunek

The most exciting single race of the season for runners is only days away and there looks to be some awesome performances and battles you will not want to miss. Below I look at many of the top contenders for Monday with four titles up for grabs. I did not make any concrete rankings, or predictions as to not influence anyone who still may not have posted their picks for the Saucony NCAA Prediction Contest. Women's Team Race - 2008 Champions: Washington On the Podium: Oregon, Florida State, West Virginia This decade has been all about the repeat champions and… more »

Women's South Central Regional – 2009 Ranked Teams: SMU #25, Arkansas #28, Baylor Others Receiving Votes 2008 Automatic Qualifying Teams: Arkansas, Baylor 2008 At-Large Teams: Rice, SMU 2008 Individual Champion: Nicole Mericle, Rice Team Outlook in 2009: Similarly to the Men’s South Central Region, the women’s is rather weak this year. The top ranked team in the region is SMU. They are new to their perch atop the South Central and did not move up there until last week when they won the Conference USA title with an impressive 28 points. They were solid all season, placing fifth at the… more »

Men's South Central Regional – 2009 Ranked Teams: Arkansas #22, Texas Others Receiving Votes 2008 Automatic Qualifying Teams: Texas A&M, Arkansas 2008 At-Large Teams: None 2008 Individual Champion: Shadrack Songok, Texas A&M Team Outlook in 2009: The South Central Region is by far the weakest region for men’s teams this year. Not surprisingly, many teams in this region are strong in track & field, but less scholarship money seems to be focused on distance runners in this region. There is only one top 30 ranked team in the South Central and it is Arkansas at #22. The Razorbacks have qualified… more »

Women's Great Lakes Regional – 2009 Ranked Teams: Michigan #23, Michigan State #26, Notre Dame & Indiana Others Receiving Votes 2008 Automatic Qualifying Teams: Michigan, Wisconsin 2008 At-Large Teams: Michigan State, Notre Dame 2008 Individual Champion: Nicole Bush, Michigan State Team Outlook in 2009: This region is a little weaker than usual with no teams ranked in the top 20, but there will be a good team battle between four teams that are closely matched. Michigan gets the ‘favorite’ role after edging out Michigan State at the Big Ten Championships by 15 points. The two teams were 4th and 5th… more »

Men's Great Lakes Regional – 2009 Ranked Teams: Wisconsin #10, Butler #26, Ohio State #28, Indiana Others Receiving Votes 2008 Automatic Qualifying Teams: Wisconsin, Michigan 2008 At-Large Teams: Butler, Notre Dame 2008 Individual Champion: Patrick Smyth, Notre Dame Team Outlook in 2009: Last weekend Wisconsin finally put all the pieces together at the Big Ten Champs and ran like a team that has been in the top 5 at NCAAs every year for the past ten years. They scored an impressively low 26 points, sticking all their scorers in the top 8 and their entire top 7 in the top… more »

Women's Northeast Regional – 2009 Ranked Teams: Syracuse #10, Providence #21 2008 Automatic Qualifying Teams: Providence, Syracuse 2008 At-Large Teams: Boston College, Stony Brook 2008 Individual Champion: Danette Doetzel, Providence Team Outlook in 2009: The Providence women’s team made their first trip to nationals in 1989 and they have not been absent at the championship since. That 20 year streak does not look like it will be broken this year, but they will not be going in to the meet as top dogs. Syracuse has been running great all season and is the favorite in the Northeast. They recently beat… more »

Men's Northeast Regional – 2009 Ranked Teams: Iona #9, Syracuse #11, Providence #23, Columbia Others Receiving Votes 2008 Automatic Qualifying Teams: Iona, Providence 2008 At-Large Teams: None 2008 Individual Champion: Mohamed Khadraoui, Iona Teams Outlook in 2009: For what seems like forever, Iona and Providence have had a strangle hold on the men’s auto-bids in the Northeast. The only team to have snuck in there this decade has been Dartmouth in 2001 and 2005. This year, both teams are major contenders again, but the favorite may be Syracuse. In 2007 the Orange just missed making the big dance when they… more »

Conference Weekend had the entire NCAA running, scattered all over the country. Some races ran to form, while others had some major upsets. A few teams like the Princeton women and Butler men scored a perfect 15, while a number of conferences have NCAA Top 30 teams fighting just to make the top 3-5 at their meet. I’ll get right in to it while you can also check out Part I and Part II for some background on the goal of this series; Finding the Way to Terre Haute. Teams Louisville Cardinals: 4th/14 in the Big East Championships This team… more »

With Pre-Nationals behind us, fans got their first real look at how the many of the top teams in each region measure up to each other. Perennial powerhouses and last year's top dogs were all back at it, while many other teams and individuals showed they are ready to make some waves this year, either on the regional or national scene. For this second installment, we are going to look at the those who took one step closer to NCAA's this year by picking up some experience, confidence, head-to-head wins and possible at-large points as we head into the championship… more »

For the past week or so during my daily commute on the D-Train, swaying back-and-forth in a crowd of 9-to-5ers and fans lucky enough to have Yankee’s playoff tickets, I had my head buried in a new book. When I got home, I often had to resist the urge to finish it. The subway ride can be boring and it is nice when I have something to read. It is even nicer when that something is about running. I picked up the book, An Honorable Run, after a few recommendations. From what I had heard about it, I was intrigued.… more »

At the risk of sounding like a complete bro by quoting O.A.R., this weekend's NCAA cross country action was a crazy game of poker. Now that teams can start earning points for possible at-large bids to nationals, fans begin to get their first real look at the majority of teams eyeing Terre Haute come late November. Many top-ranked teams, however, held their cards close to their chest. They sat key team members, or trained through these meets. Quite a few runners placed worse this weekend than they did at the national championship last fall, giving us no real indication of… more »

As the 2009 track season comes to a close and the World/US rankings for each event will be emerging soon, it makes one wonder what criteria takes precedent when ranking. For many events, who ranks #1 is clear as day. They dominate regular season meets, win the championship meets, and have the best performances of the year. Think LeShawn Merritt, Sanya Richards, Usain Bolt, Blanka Vlasic, Kenenisa Bekele, or Valerie Vili. There are others, however, who may come up big at the World Champs and be sub-par the rest of the year. One can also do the opposite and have… more »

Coverage of Track and Field, particularly in mainstream media is often a major topic of debate among fans. From the quality, to the quantity, to the focus, there is always something to critique after a big meet. During coverage of the World Championships this year I began to remember the feelings I had during the Olympics last year. There is such a stress on winning a medal that it has become the only way to measure success. It has gotten I can not even count how many times I heard about East African dominance, Jamaican dominance, and how the United… more »

12th IAAF World Championship in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 9 – 23 August 2009 This is a day of all finals as it is the final day of this great championship. The 4x400 relays will look to redeem the disappointments of the 4x100 Relays for the United States. On top of that, this is the last chance for the US to get a medal in an event over 1,500m for the men and over 400m for the women at this meet. There are many chances, however. Kara Goucher takes on the marathon in the morning, and… more »

12th IAAF World Championship in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 8 – 22 August 2009 Day 8 gives us our first bit of relay action as the Men’s and Women’s 4x100s will highlight the night on the track. The Women’s 5,000m run is the only other event final on the track. The field will have some great showdowns. The Men’s Long Jump will see two greats butt heads for the first time that they are both on the top of their games. In the Men’s Pole Vault an injured Olympic Champion will try to muster up something… more »

12th IAAF World Championship in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 7 – 21 August 2009 Day 7 has 4 finals and the US has the World Leader in each of those 4 events; Stephanie Brown Trafton in the Discus, Allyson Felix in the 200m, Andra Manson in the High Jump and LeShawn Merritt in the 400m. This does not mean 4 gold medals are coming stateside. The running events are more likely than the field events. Manson is tied at the top with a few other men and Brown Trafton struggled in the qualification round. More than… more »

12th IAAF World Championship in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 6 – 20 August 2009 On Day 6, some of the most anticipated hurdle finals with the Women’s 400H and Men’s 110H. Can the defending Olympic Champs hold off the fast charging Americans? The day’s biggest story will probably be Usain Bolt’s likely win and possible new world record in the 200m dash. One of the top American headlines may be made by decathlete Trey Hardee who will look to get redemption from his DNF at the Olympics last year. With 2 American women in the High… more »

12th IAAF World Championship in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 5 – 19 August 2009 Can Bernard Lagat protect his title? How high up can the young American’s place in their first World 1,500m final? Will Dawn Harper come through big in the final for the second year in a row? Can one of the 2 Americans in the Men’s Discus final grab a surprise medal? With so many question marks in the air, it could be anywhere from a banner day for the American team to a disappointing one. The track finals begin with the Men’s… more »

12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 4 – 18 August 2009 Day 4 has quite a few medal possibilities for the US over one lap. The Women’s 400 will give perennial world leader another chance to win the gold that she has been yet to get a hold of. In the Men’s 400m Hurdles, the American’s hope to continue the country’s dominance in the event with two former world champions in the final. Event Finals Event: Men’s Triple Jump 12:05 PM EST Defending World Champion: Nelson Evora (Portugal) 2008 Olympic Champion: Nelson Evora… more »

12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 3 – 17 August 2009 Now that the meet is well underway and many preliminary rounds hove been completed, we have our first day whose program is packed with finals. Throwing, jumping, steepling, sprinting, distance; whatever your interest may be, there is something for you on Day 3 (please excuse the rhyme). It could be anywhere from a banner day, to a medal drought for the Americans as many question marks will be answered today. The top two will be regarding the top distance runners from this… more »

12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 2 – 16 August 2009 Day 2 features, among other events, finals in the Men’s 100m and Women’s Shot Put. The action starts at 4:05 AM Eastern Standard Time, but not finals take place until the afternoon. The women’s heptathlon also wraps up on Day 2 with the Long Jump, Javelin, and 800m portions of the event being completed. The first two days mostly consist of rounds at championship meets, but Day 2 has been one of the most anticipated days of competition this summer as Tyson… more »

12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics – Berlin, Germany 2009 Preview of Day 1 – 15 August 2009 Day 1 features, among other events, finals in the Women’s 10,000m and Men’s Shot Put. The action starts at 4:05 AM Eastern Standard Time, so many will be hours from waking up, or just getting to bed, but luckily the afternoon session, with many of the marquee events, does not start until 12:15 PM EST. Below is a summary of what to look out for on the first day of this 9 day World Championship. Event Finals Event: Women’s 10,000m 1:25 PM… more »

The European season that provides the summer track excitement each year has just wrapped up the pre-Worlds portion. As always, droves of American professionals went over to get some quality competition, hunt down standards, and adjust to the lifestyle before worlds. This European adventure can be bittersweet for some and magical for others. With so many meets in so many different countries, it is hard to keep track of everything that happened. Below I took a look at the top 25 most successful European vacations leading up to the world championships based on if they ran personal bests (and how… more »

The end zone dance. The press conference trash talk before a boxing match. Pointing for the fences when stepping to the plate. These boastful acts are sports staples and every sport has its own cocksure characters. In track and field, sprinters are the ones who stereotypically fill this role. Maybe it is because they race entirely in lanes and some pre-race bragging is the only tactic a sprinter can employ on their competition. Perhaps the short race time leaves them with more energy and adrenaline unleash in post-race interviews. Or it could be that many sprinters did other sports, such… more »

"The greatest memory for me of the 1984 Olympics was not the individual honors, but standing on the podium with my teammates to receive our team gold medal." Despite being the number 1 gymnast in the world that year, winning 3 individual Olympic medals and being the first American gymnast to score a perfect 10.0, Mitch Gaylord highlights the Olympic team gold as the pinnacle of his historic 1984 season. Gymnastics is unique to many other sports in that it has a strong emphasis on both individual and team competition. For elite gymnasts in the US, many train together all… more »

What a difference one year makes. After the 2007 season wrapped up, I had a conversation with a friend about the strengths and weaknesses of the US track and field team. Obviously sprints, hurdles, relays, and field are all strong suits for the red, white and blue. Distance had been coming along as Lagat grabbed 5k gold in Osaka (with Tegenkamp 4th), Kara Goucher nabbed 10k bronze, we had 2 marathon medalists at the previous Olympics in Athens (and a new crop of marathoners were looking promising). Men's middle distance had everyone hopeful for the '08 Olympics with Lagat's 1,500… more »

This past Memorial Day weekend, the string of major professional and DI collegiate meets took a break while the local 5ks took center stage. On Sunday the 24th, Trav's Trail Run went off at Muadslay State Park in Newburyport, Massachusetts for the 9th consecutive year. This isn't the most competitive trail race you'll find, or the most difficult, but every year it stands out in my mind. It is a 3 mile memorial for Newburyport native Travis Landreth. You may have never heard the name before, but those who have, remember it. Every August before the cross country season officially… more »

Every year, records fall. It is inevitable. Some broken records are easily predicted, while others stun you into silence. After a bounty of new records indoors, the outdoor season has shown no signs that the pace is slowing. Already this season, the Tennessee women at Penn Relays took down a collegiate record in the 4x800 and world record in the 4x1500, with 2 other teams under the old NCAA record. Jenny Barringer ran a solo effort 15:07 CR in the 5k and Sam Chelanga quietly ran an NCAA record in the 10k. New Bern NC and Albemarle VA ran some… more »

As mentioned in the first edition of this series, rivalries are the spark that ignites added interest into sports. Here I hold a magnifying glass up to three more pairs of track rivals to see if we can get some flames of interest going as the outdoor track season gets underway, because we all know how effective holding a magnifying glass up to an ant on a hot day can be. Half Mile Headliners: Khadevis Robinson and Nick Symmonds In 1999, Khadevis Robinson burst onto the national scene by grabbing the indoor and outdoor US championships at 800m. He just… more »

April Fool’s Day; a holiday that tests one's creativity, duplicity, and gullibility. This year, every one of your favorite running websites attempted to pull a fast one on you. Here at Flotrack, the promise of an insane Usain workout left many Rick-Rolled. Let’s Run claimed the recession was forcing them to shut down, and Track Shark, oh…well (RIP). One that had some people fooled still days later came from Dyestat. They posted an article in which the premise was a little out there, but plausible enough. That combined with most reader’s desire for the story to be true got message… more »

1981. At the 1981 World Cross Country Championships, Craig Virgin won gold in the Men's Senior race, while Keith Brantley nabbed bronze in the Junior Race. Could anyone have predicted that after that day, no American male would stand on the podium at the championships for 2 decades? US running didn't fall off the face of the earth, but a new era of distance running had begun; the African dominated one. The team battle has been equally lopsided. Kenya and Ethiopia have been the only 2 teams to have won the Senior Men's race from 1981 until last year's race.… more »

Rivalries can sometimes be perceived with negative connotations, but they can inspire men (and women) to do great things. Take Thomas Edison and Elisha Gray. The pair had a heated rivalry to become the first to perfect the telephone. They both submitted a patent for the telephone on the exact same day, hours apart. One of the most notable rivalries came between the USSR and the USA during the Cold War. Today, we owe satellite TV, iPhones and Google Earth to these rivalries. The ones that give us the most excitement today are sports rivalries. Those super-charged bouts that are… more »

Coming into the 2007-2008 season, Texas Senior Leonel Manzano had already won NCAA titles in the 1,500m, the Mile and qualified for the World Championships by placing 2nd at the US Champs in the 1,500. In doing so, he defeated eventual 1,500m and 5,000m World Champion Bernard Lagat. That is an intimidating resume which put him in a different stratosphere in the eyes of most other college milers. During his senior campaign, Manzano was undefeated amongst collegians, including relays. That is virtually unheard of. Like all reigns, however, King Leo's had to come to an end, as he moved on… more »

With another Valentine's Day behind us, one might have noticed the abundant number of couples around. Looking around this website, one may even notice that an ample number of elite distance runners are engaged, married, and having children. I am not just referring to the 'one more season before retirement' crowd, either. A high percentage of young distance runners are making their way to the wedding chapel. In the 1970's the average age for an American to be married floated around 21. Since then, that number has steadily increased and stands in the high-20's today. One group has been driving… more »

As part of the sport of track and field, most of us have resigned to the fact that beyond family and friends, a track meet will rarely draw a crowd. There are, however, a few competitions that contradict this very notion. Some have the right location, like the Prefontaine Classic. Some have major media attention, like the Olympics. And some have history, like the Penn Relays Carnival and the Millrose Games. The latter celebrated its 102nd running this past weekend and there was no shortage of excitement echoing throughout Madison Square Garden. The meet begins with some high school 4x400's,… more »

In the wake of a new World Indoor Junior Mile Record this past weekend and with the anticipation of the National Junior Cross-Country Championships rapidly increasing, it seems that a group of teenagers are quickly asserting themselves as stars in the running world. The High School graduating class of 2008 had drawn many comparisons to the class of 2001 and "the Big Three." The Names Dathan Ritzenhein, Ryan Hall, and Alan Webb are now preceded by the phrases "American Record Holder" and "Olympian," so it is difficult to remember a time when they were simply "Big Bear Lake Senior" or… more »

College track and field started like any other in 2008. Athletes traveled to faster tracks and more competitive meets in search of NCAA Auto and Provisional times/distances. The New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the Armory saw quite a few notable performances. Leonel Manzano and Jacob Hernandez of Texas would win the Mile (3:59) and 800 (1:49) respectively. Brie Felnagle of UNC blew the field away in the 3000, running 9:09. A week earlier, Arianna Lambie (Stanford) and Nicole Blood (Oregon) ran 9:05 and 9:08 on Washington’s oversized track in a race filled with pros. Lesiba Mascheto of Illinois also crushed… more »

I know its long, but a year is a lot of time to cover. Every four years we experiance a leap year, a Presidential Election and the Summer Olympics. The former most has little effect on us, but the latter two consume a large portion of what we saw, read, heard and discussed in '08. In four years time I will still remeber Misty May and Kerri Walsh curb-stomping the Chinese Beach Volleyball duo in the rain, Phelps having his ass saved by his teammate Jason Lezak, the term "the redeam team", the questionably aged Chinese gymnasts, every ridiculous comment… more »