Alex Kosinski 1500 Prelim 2009 NCAA Track and Field Championships : Speakers & Interviews

she has already come to the conclusion. she told me she's has more endurance than speed and that she will run the 5k next yr. the only time she's tried the 5k she dropped out of it she told me but she wants to do the 5k next yr.

Mr. Mather, you answered your own question.

The reason that Alex has trouble with these "tactical" races is because she just doesn't have the SPEED to turn it on with 200m to go. This has been proven time and time again this season.
Again, I think that Vin and Oregon have Alex running the wrong race.
Everyone else can see this, and I'm sure that in the off-season Alex is gonna come to the same conclusion.
And while next year will provide Vin with more "options" with Hasay, I believe that Jordan is smart enough to know full well that the 5000m is her MAIN race in college.

I think the point I was trying to make was Kosinski runs a real 1500 race very well. What she has trouble with is these "tactical" races. She just can't get a good post-season time in when everyone is laying back and turning it into a 200-300 meter finish. Western Conf, PAC-10, and even this NCAA Championship heat were lay back and finish hard races. She's a great 800, 1500 runner, not so much a 200-300 meter sprinter.
PAC-10 4:26-4:37 range of times, Kosinski 3rd 4:27
West Conf 4:22-4:32 range of times, Kosinski 5th 4:24
NCAA's Heat 2 Preliminaries
1 Maggie Infeld SR Georgetown 4:16.73Q
2 Susan Kuijken SR Florida State 4:17.97Q
3 Danielle Tauro SO Michigan 4:18.66Q
4 Alexandra Kosinski SO Oregon 4:19.02
Tauro clipped her at the end by 36/100's and watching the race I don't think Alex realized she was there, coming hard.
From a coaching standpoint, I think she's running the 1500 because they need her there. They could slide her up to the 5K and she and Blood could go 1-2, 2-1, whatever. That takes a lot of Kosinski points away from 800-1500 runs for the team. Next year, Hasay and the NJ state 1600-3200, XC champion, and others. Maybe Oregon will have more options.

Yep.
I think that it's time for the 5000 for Alex.
But something tells me that something else is amiss here.

In the interview, she says that she thought that she would be "stronger after cross country season" but then admits that she "just doesn't have it at the end of track".
I think that her frustration level over the past 2 years has eaten away at her confidence. Nonetheless, a very classy young woman that gave a most gracious interview to someone that has no right doing any interviewing.
Stay positive Alex!
You are just a sopre.

I definitely agree that she should focus on the 5000. She ran really well during cross-country, so we know she is a strong runner. We should also remember that she is still young. She is only a sophmore. She still has the next two years to start coming into her own against the big dogs of college track. I bet these last 2 years of focusing on the 1500 will pay off when she steps up to the 5k.

I agree, let's not make excuses for Alex.
This was not a "mental" mistake as poster Mike Mather claims.

She ran 4:19.84 at the end of March at the Stanford Invite. She ran 4:18.34 a week later. She then ran 4:24 at Regionals and just barely made it to NCAA's. And now a 4:19.02
She's been "stuck" at that 4:19 area for 2-years now and she knows it.
And it's extremely frustrating for her.
Enough said.

I've watched Alex this entire season.
She was disappointed in her time at the Stanford Invite, and she's completely disgusted with how things went yesterday in the 1500m prelim. Quite frankly, I don't know if she's got the speed to hang with the top gals in the 1500m. She has not been able to "kick" with the rest of the front-runners with 200m to go all season long. The same thing happened at Regionals. In all seriousness, it may be time to move up to the 5000m.

And yes, the interviewer had ZERO clue.
She was pissed, and needed some time alone to gather herself.

Alex didn't have much of a time but she had 3rd place (she thought). Danielle Tauro squeaked by her by 4/10ths at the line, taking the 3rd slot. I think Alex just didn't realize she was there. She didn't really get beat, just made a mental mistake. She's beat Tauro before. But all is not lost Alex! Tomorrow, Gergel in the PV, Yurkovich in the Jav, Theisen in the Hept, Blood in the 5K, Michel in the Steeple, and Saturday Baker in the 400. This is far from over. On the men's side Cyrus in the Jav, Galen and Shadrack in the 5K, and on Saturday Andy in the 800. Same thing, far from over. Men already have 20 pts Thursday nite, women 8 pts. There's no substitute for horsepower and Oregon is driving "Gravedigger" this week!
So on top of everything good and bad this season Alex, you're only 2nd year and you're walking on water at Oregon already. Are you kidding me! Just keep doing what you do best.

I would comfort her...

Whaaaaat a ...who the hell was asking her those questions?!?!?! jesus what a dumb a$$. Did she walk away from him while he was still asking questions? I hope she did. I hope someone smacked that idiot in the back of the skull, too.

whoever was asking those questions needs to figure out how to 'read' people as they come off the track. she knew her time wasn't fast enough to make finals, and yet, he's asking her about pr's and giving all this background information on her ability. c'mon buddy, if you're going to interview athletes as they come off -- understand what is happening, and how they are feeling. i felt bad just listening to her be forced to answer those questions as gracefully as possible.