Two things of serious national relevance happened at the Midwest Distance Gala on Saturday night, but to identify those as the only notable accomplishments would not do justice to a meet that is quickly becoming one of the deepest postseason races for distance runners in the country.
The two-mile was the featured event heading in with a pending match-up of the seasoned veteran (Solomon Haile) pitted against the new kid on the block (Lukas Verzbicas). After their mythical battle of 5k and two-mile times indoors, many had ventured predictions about what would happen if the two matched up in a race, and they got everything they could have asked for in this one.
With a strong pacer in control early, the pace came out in 31 for the first 200 and 63 for the first quarter. Figuring out the pace early was something that had been discussed prior to the race. “The pacer was going to run about 4:24-4:25, but Lukas wanted him to run 4:20,” said Graham Bazell, who finished third in 8:56.65, “so I stayed back a ways and they still ran 4:24-4:25.”
(All photos by Jenifer St. Louis)
After the pacer stepped off, having set the race up to go at sub-8:50, Haile went to the front to control the pace. “I felt really comfortable the first mile, it was really good. The pacesetter, he ran like we expected, like, I think it was 4:25, so I felt really good. After he left, I think Luke, he didn’t want to lead the pace, so I wanted to keep the pace, so I took the lead and once I led, he didn’t want to keep the pace, so that’s when we slowed down a bit.”
With Haile up front – Verzbicas and Bazell in tow, they crossed with 800 to go at 6:45.1, which started to make the crowd wonder if anyone had enough left to make it interesting. Positions didn’t change on lap seven, but the pace quickened to 7:52.4 and coming around the backstretch Verzbicas made his move. Haile tried to cover, but was spent from covering the pace and Bazell was left trying to hang on.
Coming down the home straight, the only question was how fast the new U.S. freshman record would be as Verzbicas opened up a bit more and with one final peak back, powered home in 8:53.98. His last 400 was 61.5 and clearly, he just had more in the tank at the end for the win. Haile came across a few steps behind at 8:56.08, a new personal best for him, and Bazell was just behind.
That was just the first of the elite races, though, and it simple set the tone for the meet. The boys steeple was next and Connor Martin (Carmel, IN) took control early on his way to an impressive 6:01.97 for the 2k, barrier-laden distance. The freshman mile was next and was close to the finish with Cole O’Brien finishing just ahead of Rocky Pollock (Fishers, IN) in 4:27.51.
The girls 800 featured a close finish with Katie Hill (Omalaska, WI) edging out Annette Eichenberger at the line for the win in 2:14.49 and 2:14.90, respectively. Just behind in third was Hill’s teammate Jamie Burr in 2:15.69, which had to make Hill’s twin sister, Jami, pretty happy. Last year, it was Jami on the track running a 2:09.14 for the win in the 800, but a stress fracture before the postseason started in Wisconsin derailed her season. Katie, in her first season of running, kept the 800 title in the family and showed off some of her talent in the process.
Danny Neff (Vandalia-Butler, OH) came in as the headliner in the boys’ 800 and had a plan to run under 1:50. The pacer was set-up to run about 52-mid and give Neff a chance at his goal. The first 200 was covered in a low 26 and Neff was set-up right on the shoulder of the pacer, but as they came through the first quarter the clock read 53. “Coming through the first 300, I felt great. It kind of threw me off because I was in third and I’m used to being in the lead." Neff kept the pace going as they hit 600 in 1:21 and Neff was left to close it out on his own. “I got a little complacent through 700, when there was someone in front of me. I’ve been doing it all year and was telling myself, ‘Don’t do it, don’t do it.’ I just was thinking about going for the win at that point.”
Coming down the final straight the whole crowd was on its feet in anticipation of Neff finishing under 1:50 and it only got louder and more intense the closer he came to the finish. Neff powered through each step and crossed with the clock reading 1:49.99. Upon review, the official time was a heartbreaking 1:50.02 leaving Neff wanting more, but this was his last 800 of the year, as he will run the mile at NON next week. “I knew it was going to be right on, and when it said [1:49.99] I was ecstatic and I threw my hands up. Then I was like, ‘Oh, no, it’s going to be short.’ I won, I’m not upset by it. I set a meet record after I got to watch the 800 here last year, [Andrew Perkins] was amazing, so I was glad to break that record.”
All this led up to the one mile races which had specific storylines laid out going in. On the girls’ side, it was Stephanie Brown (Tri-Valley, IL), who had already gone 4:54.87 indoors this season, but hadn’t yet run one fresh outdoors as she ran a full slate of races at the Class A State Meet in Illinois last weekend. Lizzy Hynes (St. Charles, IL) came in having run a 4:54.13 for 1600 last weekend, taking third in the Class AAA State Meet in Illinois, and was looking to race Brown for the first time ever.
The girls’ pacer was set to run about 2:28 through the half-way point, but Brown, who is headed to the University of Arkansas, didn’t want anything to do with that and took the lead early. “I was excited to have some competition and knew the race would go out fast, but it didn’t go out as fast as we thought it would, “ Brown said. The first lap came out in 73.3 and Brown and Hynes moved right by the pacer and started pushing out on their own. At 800 meters, 2:26.7 was on the clock and even with Brown leading, in the back of everyone’s mind, they knew that Brown’s closing speed would probably decide this race in the end after last week’s 2:09 in the open and 2:05 split in the 4x8.
With one to go, it was 3:40 on the clock and Hynes in the lead. Brown opened up on the backstretch as Hynes tried to match stride-for-stride, but it was too much. Coming to the straight, the only question left was how fast the time would be as Brown accelerated to the line, crossing in 4:50.12 and Hynes a few strides back in 4:51.91. Brown was satisfied with the race, “This was my first time under five outdoors. Just to have [Hynes] to compete with has good.”
Brown is looking towards the 800 next weekend at NON, but is considering doubling back in the mile. “I’m signed up for both in case I’m feeling great or have a bad race [in the 800]. The 800 is first on the schedule, but if I’m feeling good I might run the mile.” After her 2:06.2 split last week, she has thoughts about winning next weekend. “I’m definitely going for the win and hopefully a fast time will come with that.”
That left just the boys’ mile on the agenda and the field assembled was clearly excited after watching the evening’s previous races. The pacer was set to come through 800 in 1:58 and give the pack a chance to possibly break four minutes, though, none of the field had been under 4:05 in an open 1600. The first lap saw a group of three on the pacer with Andrew Springer, Jeff Thode, and Michael Atchoo keeping close contact, while Patrick MacGregor sat a little behind in fourth. The pace continued as 600 meters was crossed in 1:30 even and the group came through at 2:00 for 800 meters. Through the next lap Atchoo slowly dropped off the back and MacGregor closed up the gap on the front group. Springer opened up a gap a bit coming to the 1200 in 3:01 with Thode in tow and MacGregor moving up quickly. Through the first curve, MacGregor moved around Thode and looked to close up on Springer, but Springer had too much left.
On the backstretch a flurry of movement in the chase group was occurring with Drew Shields (Fishers, IN) moving up as well as Peter Callahan (North Shore Country Day, IL). Springer was tightening up in the straightaway, but had already done enough to claim victory over an impressive field. As he crossed the line in 4:02.70, he had run the fastest mile by a prep this year, and his last one before heading to Georgetown next year. Callahan closed very well to finish second in 4:05.20, a huge PR for him, and MacGregor came through in third running 4:07.07 in the process.
Springer felt good about the pace early, “I was hoping to go right around 2:00 [for the first 800], you know about 1:59, so the pacer did a really good job. He was, I think, right about on that. And then, with about 600 left I took the lead, and it was still right about at 4 minute pace so I just kicked after that, but I guess I came up a bit short.” Springer, who skipped his high school graduation to come out and run this race, was happy, though, that he met his goal for the season in the mile, “My goal for the season was to run under 4:05 in the mile and I’ve only raced one other full mile this year at Hartford Public, so I was trying to run a PR and just the fastest time. I wasn’t really [coming here] to win, just to work off some fast people and run a fast time.” NON will have Springer anchoring the DMR with his group from Rhode Island and he will also come back in the two-mile. They have already been 10:01 this year and are in great position to go after the win.
The meet has grown quickly over the past five years and in talking with many of the athletes, they feel that this is becoming a meet where they can run a fast time before closing out their season at NON where a fast time is not necessarily the priority. Springer, Brown, and Neff, all made the point that they will be looking for the win next week and were glad to come to this meet and be able to put down a fast time in preparation. The Gala will only continue to grow with the group that has been putting it together at the facility at Benedictine is great for the meet and the crowd is educated and electric. Make sure to be a part of it next year!
