Duncan Phillips is currently ranked #2 in the Nation over 1500 meters with his 3:39 at Mt. Sac. Coming into this year, his previous bests were 1:49.65 over 800 and 3:44.95 over 1500 meters.

Being from College Station, Texas, what made you choose Arkansas? How has training gone in Fayetteville?

My decision to sign with the University of Arkansas really came when Coach McDonnell actually drove from Fayetteville to College Station (an 8+ hour drive that I make a few times a year now) to visit me at my house. That was really special, and let me know how committed he actually was to me personally. Plus, the team's success and history spoke for itself, and at the time I don't think there was a better middle-distance/distance training group in the United States.

Training in Fayetteville has had its ups and downs, but this year everything has finally come together. I was able to have a full cross season without getting injured, and I am finally completely recovered from my surgery, which kept me out of action for three straight seasons. But right now, training is going really well.

After a great indoor campaign (3:58 mile and 1:48 800), you stepped it up even more outdoor, running a 3:39 at Mt. Sac. Do you feel like this has been a breakthrough year for you? What can you attribute your huge improvements to?

I definitely see this year as a "breakthrough" year. Really for the first time since my freshman year, I have been able to compound my training without taking significant breaks because of injury. Not too much has changed in our training, but I am able to do all of it now comfortably. I think most of it can be attributed to Coach Buck and my training group. Everyday I look forward to coming to practice and running with the guys, whether it's an eight-mile trail run or some drop down 800s on the track. I am finally starting to have fun like I used to in high school and my freshman year, and I think that is huge. If I don't like doing something and am not having fun, it is hard for me to put 100% effort into it.



How big of a PR was that 3:39? Was it just a matter of getting in the right race at the right time, or had things come together better this year than in years past?

Well, it was a 5 second 1500 PR, so I would say pretty big! But seriously, it was really important for me. With how the end of indoors concluded, both at SECs and NCAAs, I was pretty down on myself. But that race reinstalled my confidence, and confidence is one of the most important attributes to have. It is hard to put yourself in situations to win when you aren't confident in your abilities, and if nothing else, my 1500 at Mt. Sac. brought back the confidence I needed to regain. And it also didn't hurt that I was in a race with an American Record holder in Solinsky, a great professional miler who has won some big races this year in Russell Brown, and the NCAA DMR and Mile Champion indoors in Miles Batty. That race was probably the best 4th place finish I have ever had! Things have also come together much better than in the past, mainly in staying relatively injury free as I mentioned.

Your 3:39 ranks #2 in the Nation currently. What are your goals for the rest of the season? Is an individual title in the 1500 within reach, or is that even something you think about? 

Well, as of right now, my goal is to get a team title this weekend at the SEC Championships. We were really close and came up just short indoors, but I am 100% focused on doing my absolute best to bring the title back to Fayetteville. After that, we'll just have to see how Regionals go. It is definitely a goal of mine to win an NCAA title, maybe even this year, but at Arkansas the team comes first. SECs is a huge competition for us, and we go all out to win it. Dorian and I are both entered in the 800, 1500, and 5k, so that just emphasizes that it is all about the team. But, at the same time, it is hard to see that #2 ranking and not think about what could happen in June.

You have a better outdoor mark so far this season than your teammate, Dorian Ulrey (3:35.23 in 2009). Does that give you bragging rights at practice?! Has training with Ulrey, as well as some of the other good Arkansas middle-distance athletes, helped with your development? In what ways?

Haha … it definitely could! But he would probably just say "3:35" and I wouldn't have a response to that. Being really good friends, we joke a lot in the locker room, but times usually don't get thrown into the jesting. I was really hoping he could also get under 3:40 at the John McDonnell meet so we could both have the "A" standard for the USA Championships and he wouldn't have to race again after NCAAs to chase it. But training with Dorian and the other guys is awesome. As of right now, we have three people at 3:45 or better for the 1500 and seven or eight guys with PRs under 1:50 for the 800. A training group of that caliber, especially at the collegiate level, is really hard to come by, and it really helps not only myself, but all of the guys in our group when we get to do workouts with each other and push each other to levels we didn't know we had. It's also a credit to Coach Buck and the group that he has brought together at Arkansas. Without him and the guys, I wouldn't have run 3:39 this year.



You ran the DMR and 4xmile at Penn Relays ... the 4x800, Sprint Medley and DMR at Texas Relays ... as well as the DMR indoors. Do you guys take a lot of pride in running team relays? Is there a specific reason for running so many relays?

Arkansas takes an immense amount of pride in relays. We have just as rich of a history at Penn as we do at NCAAs, and we always try to bring home as many Penn wheels and Texas Relays trophy's as possible when we to go meets like that. I think it also adds to the team aspect of things. We can carry our momentum from the relay meets, where all of the guys on a specific relay team have to run well to win, to meets like SECs and NCAAs, where all of the guys also have to come together to win.

Speaking of the Penn 4xmile ... how about those Princeton Tigers?! Honestly, were you guys surprised to see them up there?

Princeton did an awesome job, and I have to give credit where credit is deserved. They were well prepared and executed their game plan just a little better than we executed ours. Honestly, I didn't even think they were still there. I thought once I passed Ben (Hubers from Indiana) I was home free. But little did I know Mark was just lurking on my shoulder and got me at the right moment. It was a great race, and I was just disappointed that I couldn't get our guys a wheel.

You ran for the US at Junior Worlds after your freshman year (having run 3:44.59 that year), making the team alongside guys like Matthew Centrowitz and Evan Jager. Watching those guys achieve big successes, has that motivated you to get to that level? Do you still keep in touch with any of those guys?

I do. Matt and Evan were good friends of mine from high school. We were at a lot of the same invite meets, and we developed our friendship at those meets like Footlocker and Boston Indoor Games. Getting to represent the USA, even at the Junior meet, was an awesome experience and one that I hope to duplicate soon. And yes, it greatly motivates me to get to that level. After that World Junior meet, I kept a little momentum through indoors the next year where I ran a 4:00.02 (ouch, I know) mile, but then took a huge step back with my foot surgery. It was something that I just couldn't avoid, and if I wanted to reach my full potential I had to bite the bullet and get the surgery before it got any worse.

This year is really the first "healthy" year I've had since then, as last outdoors I was still somewhat in the recovery phase and not able to train or race very well. But this year has reinvigorated my desire to get to the next level, to be competing with those guys at the top.

Finally, Duncan why don't you leave us with some quick words of wisdom!

Some words of wisdom that I have found to be true are "don't ever get down on yourself." After a bad race, reflect for a bit on the negatives, but don't dwell. Take away the positives and what you did well, and put the rest out of your mind and get ready for the next race.

Video of Duncan Phillips after Penn Relays DMR: