Being undefeated in a track event is a hard thing to do over the course of two years. It's even harder when the state you run in is the always strong distance state of Illinois. Well, Mat Smoody (Palatine, IL) (pictured left by Paul Kwak) accomplished just that two weeks ago, wrapping up his Illinois season with his second consecutive state 800m title. The Wisconsin-bound senior came into the season ranked ninth among returnees nationally, but with some major accomplishments this season and a stronger base, Smoody is looking towards Greensboro, North Carolina and winning a national title. See what Smoody has to say on his tactical state race, how he got into running and what exactly his shoulder tattoo is of.
Coverage
One week to go before USATF Junior Nationals and Nike Outdoor Nationals. With such high stakes on the line in one week, many athletes are traveling around the country testing their limits one last time. The New York State T&F Championships is the last state meet of the season, while regional championships in the Midwest Distance Gala, Midwest Meet of Champions and New England Champs. showcase many of the nation's best. See what's taking place at each meet this weekend in our weekly weekend preview. MileSplit Meet Pages: Midwest Distance Gala / Midwest Meet of Champions / New England T&F Championships / NY State T&F Championships / Caribbean Scholastic Invitational
What an evening it was in Lisle, Illinois at the fourth annual Midwest Distance Gala. Athletes from over 15 states came to Benedictine University to take part in the unique all-distance event competition. From start to finish the MDG fields put up some great times, concluding with Minnesota's Rob Finnerty (pictured above by Tom Rizzo) winning the boys mile in 4:01.09, U.S. #7 all-time in the event. Finnerty's performance, plus others like juniors Tommy Brinn's (Otsego, MI) 1:51.07 upset 800m victory and Bobby Nicolls' (Regis, CO) 9:03.04 two-mile victory made for quite a night.
With so many big invitationals and championships this past weekend, we wrap-up the weekend and move forward with our eyes focused forward towards Columbus, Ohio (USATF Junior Nationals) and Greensboro, North Carolina (Nike Outdoor Nationals). In this week's edition of News & Notes we touch upon a few meets, how Price and Roesler are dominating forces and what the week ahead brings. (Pictured left: Chanelle Price in the Pre Classic 800m, photo by Victah Sailer of PhotoRun.net)
Being undefeated in a track event is a hard thing to do over the course of two years. It's even harder when the state you run in is the always strong distance state of Illinois. Well, Mat Smoody (Palatine, IL) (pictured left by Paul Kwak) accomplished just that two weeks ago, wrapping up his Illinois season with his second consecutive state 800m title. The Wisconsin-bound senior came into the season ranked ninth among returnees nationally, but with some major accomplishments this season and a stronger base, Smoody is looking towards Greensboro, North Carolina and winning a national title. See what Smoody has to say on a variety of topics, including his tactical state race, how he got into running and what exactly his shoulder tattoo is of.
Athletes from over 15 states will travel to Lisle, Illinois this weekend to take part in the fourth annual Midwest Distance Gala. This year's edition offers the best fields yet, with some incredible competition across the board, capable of running some of the nation's best times this season. Leading the way are Foot Locker finalists Rob Finnerty, Bobby Nicolls and Emily Sisson, middle-distance stars Andrew Perkins, Mat Smoody and Ashley Verplank, and coast-to-coast competition in Oregion's Taylor Morgan and Maryland's Graham Bazell. See which events are a must-see this weekend.
The start lists are out. Some great competition is registered and ready to run at the Midwest Distance Gala this Saturday at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois.
**Christine Babcock (Woodbridge, CA) Runs 4:16.42 to Break Prep 1500m Record!!! Full Results **Rob Finnerty (Burnsville, MN) Runs Mile in 4:01.09 at Midwest Distance Gala, U.S. #7 A-T!!! Full Results **Jeff Demps (South Lake, FL) Blazes 10.03w for 100m!!! The New York State T&F Championships lead the way in this weekend's highlight section. The last state meet of the year kicked off Friday with some excellent results. In the girls 400m hurdles, Dalilah Muhammad (Benjamin Cardoza, NY) bested Elizabeth Mott (New Rochelle, NY) over the final hurdle to beat Mott with a new U.S. #1 time of 57.81. Mott's time of 58.01 earned her the U.S. #2 spot. More results and highlights inside and coming throughout the weekend. Top Boys Weekend Highlights - Rob Finnerty (MN) 4:01.09 mile at the MDG Results / Video / Splits - Jeff Demps (FL) runs a 10.03 (2.2 wind) against elite competition - Ryan Fleck (OH) clears 7-02 HJ at Midwest Meet of Champs., U.S.#2 - John Guagenti (OH) blazes 46.95 for 400m at Midwest MOC - Walter Luttrell (OH) breaks nine for 3200m in 8:59.81 effort at MMOC - David Slovenski (ME) soars 16-09 in boys pole vault at NE Champs. - Brett Johnson (NJ) runs 4:08.51 mile, breaking NJ jr. class record - Albert Johnson (NY) NY State victories of 48-07.50 TJ, 23-02.75 LJ Top Girls Weekend Highlights - Christine Babcock (CA) 4:16.42 1500m, U.S.#1 all-time Results - Becky O'Brien (ME) U.S.#1 shot put in 51-06.50 at NE Champs. - Meshawn Graham (OH) runs 53.56 for 400m at Midwest MOC - Candyce McGrone (IN) 11.78 100m, 23.65 200m at MMOC - Dalilah Muhammad (NY) blazes 57.81 in 400mH at NY State, U.S.#1 - Elizabeth Mott (NY) second in 400mH with 58.01 effort, U.S.#2 - Emily Lipari (NY) wins 3k at NY State in 9:37.53, 1500m in 4:30.58 Top Meets of the Weekend: Midwest Distance Gala / Midwest Meet of Champions / New England T&F Championships / NY State T&F Championships / Caribbean Scholastic Invitational
What a difference a week and a few thousand feet of elevation make. Complete Meet Results