2013 Indoor Track and Field on FlotrackMar 13, 2013 by Mitch Kastoff
D'Agostino, Cazzola, Frazier, and the non-Single Ladies
D'Agostino, Cazzola, Frazier, and the non-Single Ladies
Before we head into the weekend, we want to talk about what it means to “run like a girl.” While it’s still used by some to describe “gutless running,” it’s been adopted as a badge of pride by others. What does it really mean to be a lady on the track?
To take something negative and use it as a positive is a courageous technique used to "flip the script." Take my favorite football team, Tottenham Hotspur. The club, which is located in north London, has always had a sizeable Jewish following. In the high intensity and passionate world of European soccer, some away fans would see this as an opportunity and sing antisemitic chants to demoralize the home crowd.
To combat this problem, many Tottenham supporters adopted the nickname, “Yids,” which is slang for Yiddish. They proudly wore their new moniker and became the blue and white "Yid Army."
The nickname isn’t without its criticism. But I digress, this isn’t about my beloved Spurs or football, but women and track.
In our NCAA day two crack recap, we talked about how hard it was for some national finalists to double back. If you weren’t fresh, you had your hands full. That’s just the way things go if you have tired legs.
But not for everyone. Some women weren’t happy with just a single national title, so they went for a second. One even took home three.
If you like winning so much, then you should put a championship ring on it. Or a laurel wreath. Or those little all-American plaques. Or basically any of award they give out nowadays.
Looking at all of the results from last weekend, there were a lot of women who successful doubled. We can’t highlight all of them (we can try), but here are three big ones that shouldn’t be missed.
Abbey D’Agostino, Dartmouth
NCAA D1 Indoor
1st - 3000m (9:01.08)
1st - 5000m (15:28.11)
Winning with a flourish, winning with style, D’Agostino became the third female in NCAA history to complete the 3000/5000 double. She joins an elite club that includes Providence’s Kim Smith and Texas Tech’s Sally Kipyego. The already bright future for D’Agostino is even brighter.
In both Quick Hits recap, we mentioned that D’Agostino won both of her races from a long way out. After clocking a 4:30.03 mile at the Millrose Games, she has the speed to kick everyone down, but opted to string the field out en route to her two wins.
Her metronomic tightening of the screws is reminiscent of the 1972 Olympic Trials scene in Without Limits. “Gradually, go a little faster than he thinks he’s going. By the time he realizes what’s happening, he won’t have enough left to hurt you,” Donald Sutherland says as Prefontaine pulls away from George Young.
In the 5000m, each of D’Agostino’s laps from 3400m to the finish were faster than the last. She beat a big pre-race favorite (who had already run 15:21 this season) Betsy Sain by a good five seconds.
The next day it was more of the same. In the 3000m, Abbey D took the lead at the 1k mark and negative split each lap from 1600m to the finish.
5000m splits / 3000m splits
Christy Cazzola, Wisconsin-Oshkosh
NCAA D3 Indoor
1st - Mile (4:48.11)
1st - 5000m (16:57.58)
1st - DMR (11:32.24)
While we were in the press box in Fayetteville, AR, there was a lot of chatter coming from the DIII Indoor Nationals in Naperville, IL. Specifically, how UW-Oshkosh’s Christy Cazzola was lighting the track ablaze.
Earlier this season, the mother of two set the DIII indoor 5000m record at the Grand Valley State Early Bird Invite. Although her winning time of 16:21.49 was converted to 16:29.05 because it was run on an oversized track, but it was a record nonetheless.
Cazzola wasn't done there. At the Iowa State Classic, she set the DIII indoor record at 800m (2:05.76) and the mile (4:43.13).
After winning the DIII cross country title, the last few months have been nothing less than stellar for Cazzola. We'll have more with her later this week.
When we heard the first result (mile), we took a quick look at the DIII entry list. Cazzola was entered in the 5000m and could possibly have tripled and anchored the DMRthe next day.
She did just that. Two hours after her win in the mile, Cazzola apparently overcame a huge deficit in the 5000m to narrowly win in 16:57.58. The NCAA highlight videos didn't tell the story so if anyone has any footage, please send it our way.
The next day, She also anchored Oshkosh’s winning DMR. Their winning time (and the rest of her wins) were all facility records.
Wesley Frazier
New Balance Indoor Nationals
1st - 5000m (16:18.01)
1st - 2 mile (10:12.23)
At NBIN, it was Eagle versus Badger, round two. While Erin Finn did her usual thing at the front, the result was different than what happened at Brooks PR.
Frazier stormed home on the last lap (she even had time to wipe her nose in the final 50m) to just edge Finn for the 5000m indoor national record. The video really tells the full story as Frazier edged Finn by 0.01 seconds to take the win in 16:18.01. It all happened so fast that the announcer didn't even say Frazier's name on the last lap.
Frazier came back the next day to win the girl’s two mile in 10:12.23. She broke the junior record in the 5000m (it previously belong to Finn from last year), but did not shatter any records in the 2 mile.
It’ll be tough for any junior to break Mary Cain’s class rand national record of 9:38.68.
Again, there were a solid bunch of independent women who had solid doubles. We can’t list all of them, but here are a few that deserve some praise.
Honorable Mention:
Jordan Hasay, Oregon
NCAA D1 Indoor
3000m - 2nd (9:06.61)
5000m - 4th (15:40.30)
Ran tough all weekend and “one of the best races” we’ve ever seen her run. Earned Oregon valuable, valuable points en route to their fourth consecutive title.
Cally Macumber, Kentucky
NCAA D1 Indoor
DMR - 5th (11:01.14)
3000m - 3rd (9:07.33)
A few others did the DMR/3000m double, but none did it as well as Macumber. It’s funny that right after the SEC cross country championships, some of her teammates were petitioning us to highlight an interview with her. Now, the requests come from us.
This was the first time in a while that Kentucky has been competitive on the national stage. John Kissane over at Runner's World put together a piece on the team before NCAAs, which is definitely worth a read.
Oh by the way, she also just joined Twitter.
Carly Hamilton, Georgia
NCAA D1 Indoor
Mile - 4th (4:38.44, 4:37.33 in the semifinal)
DMR - 10th (11:12.49)
The best mile/DMR double. This indoor season, Hamilton lowered her personal best in the mile by fourteen seconds. What's going on in Georgia?
Betsy Saina, Iowa State
NCAA D1 Indoor
5000m - 2nd (15:33.66)
3000m - 4th (9:07.34)
Although she came away with no individual titles, it was still a big weekend for Saina. It seem like a letdown after running 15:21 this indoor season, but D'Agostino was simply unbeatable. In any case, watch out for her in the 10000m this outdoor season.
Aliphine Tuliakmuk-Bolton, Wichita State
NCAA D1 Indoor
3000m - 6th (9:08.83)
5000m - 3rd (15:38.00)
Solid runs from another big favorite.
Katrina Coogan, Georgetown
NCAA D1 Indoor
3000m - 7th (9:11.79)
DMR - 6th (11:01.31)
Coogan had an incredible NCAA indoor debut performance.
Alexi Pappas, Oregon
NCAA D1 Indoor
5000m - 6th (15:47.13)
3000m - 8th (9:12.38)
Scrapped for important points in her final competition for Oregon. She played a vital role in the last two seasons and her shortly lived stint as a Duck had a huge impact on their team. It’s a pity that she won’t be able to compete at Hayward Field in an Oregon jersey.
Almost all of the Oregon women
A lot of doubles and triples. You don’t win championships on fresh legs.
To take something negative and use it as a positive is a courageous technique used to "flip the script." Take my favorite football team, Tottenham Hotspur. The club, which is located in north London, has always had a sizeable Jewish following. In the high intensity and passionate world of European soccer, some away fans would see this as an opportunity and sing antisemitic chants to demoralize the home crowd.
To combat this problem, many Tottenham supporters adopted the nickname, “Yids,” which is slang for Yiddish. They proudly wore their new moniker and became the blue and white "Yid Army."
The nickname isn’t without its criticism. But I digress, this isn’t about my beloved Spurs or football, but women and track.
In our NCAA day two crack recap, we talked about how hard it was for some national finalists to double back. If you weren’t fresh, you had your hands full. That’s just the way things go if you have tired legs.
But not for everyone. Some women weren’t happy with just a single national title, so they went for a second. One even took home three.
If you like winning so much, then you should put a championship ring on it. Or a laurel wreath. Or those little all-American plaques. Or basically any of award they give out nowadays.
Looking at all of the results from last weekend, there were a lot of women who successful doubled. We can’t highlight all of them (we can try), but here are three big ones that shouldn’t be missed.
Abbey D’Agostino, Dartmouth
NCAA D1 Indoor
1st - 3000m (9:01.08)
1st - 5000m (15:28.11)
Winning with a flourish, winning with style, D’Agostino became the third female in NCAA history to complete the 3000/5000 double. She joins an elite club that includes Providence’s Kim Smith and Texas Tech’s Sally Kipyego. The already bright future for D’Agostino is even brighter.
In both Quick Hits recap, we mentioned that D’Agostino won both of her races from a long way out. After clocking a 4:30.03 mile at the Millrose Games, she has the speed to kick everyone down, but opted to string the field out en route to her two wins.
Her metronomic tightening of the screws is reminiscent of the 1972 Olympic Trials scene in Without Limits. “Gradually, go a little faster than he thinks he’s going. By the time he realizes what’s happening, he won’t have enough left to hurt you,” Donald Sutherland says as Prefontaine pulls away from George Young.
In the 5000m, each of D’Agostino’s laps from 3400m to the finish were faster than the last. She beat a big pre-race favorite (who had already run 15:21 this season) Betsy Sain by a good five seconds.
The next day it was more of the same. In the 3000m, Abbey D took the lead at the 1k mark and negative split each lap from 1600m to the finish.
5000m splits / 3000m splits
Christy Cazzola, Wisconsin-Oshkosh
NCAA D3 Indoor
1st - Mile (4:48.11)
1st - 5000m (16:57.58)
1st - DMR (11:32.24)
While we were in the press box in Fayetteville, AR, there was a lot of chatter coming from the DIII Indoor Nationals in Naperville, IL. Specifically, how UW-Oshkosh’s Christy Cazzola was lighting the track ablaze.
Earlier this season, the mother of two set the DIII indoor 5000m record at the Grand Valley State Early Bird Invite. Although her winning time of 16:21.49 was converted to 16:29.05 because it was run on an oversized track, but it was a record nonetheless.
Cazzola wasn't done there. At the Iowa State Classic, she set the DIII indoor record at 800m (2:05.76) and the mile (4:43.13).
After winning the DIII cross country title, the last few months have been nothing less than stellar for Cazzola. We'll have more with her later this week.
When we heard the first result (mile), we took a quick look at the DIII entry list. Cazzola was entered in the 5000m and could possibly have tripled and anchored the DMR
She did just that. Two hours after her win in the mile, Cazzola apparently overcame a huge deficit in the 5000m to narrowly win in 16:57.58. The NCAA highlight videos didn't tell the story so if anyone has any footage, please send it our way.
Wesley Frazier
New Balance Indoor Nationals
1st - 5000m (16:18.01)
1st - 2 mile (10:12.23)
At NBIN, it was Eagle versus Badger, round two. While Erin Finn did her usual thing at the front, the result was different than what happened at Brooks PR.
Frazier stormed home on the last lap (she even had time to wipe her nose in the final 50m) to just edge Finn for the 5000m indoor national record. The video really tells the full story as Frazier edged Finn by 0.01 seconds to take the win in 16:18.01. It all happened so fast that the announcer didn't even say Frazier's name on the last lap.
Frazier came back the next day to win the girl’s two mile in 10:12.23. She broke the junior record in the 5000m (it previously belong to Finn from last year), but did not shatter any records in the 2 mile.
It’ll be tough for any junior to break Mary Cain’s class rand national record of 9:38.68.
Again, there were a solid bunch of independent women who had solid doubles. We can’t list all of them, but here are a few that deserve some praise.
Honorable Mention:
Jordan Hasay, Oregon
NCAA D1 Indoor
3000m - 2nd (9:06.61)
5000m - 4th (15:40.30)
Ran tough all weekend and “one of the best races” we’ve ever seen her run. Earned Oregon valuable, valuable points en route to their fourth consecutive title.
Cally Macumber, Kentucky
NCAA D1 Indoor
DMR - 5th (11:01.14)
3000m - 3rd (9:07.33)
A few others did the DMR/3000m double, but none did it as well as Macumber. It’s funny that right after the SEC cross country championships, some of her teammates were petitioning us to highlight an interview with her. Now, the requests come from us.
This was the first time in a while that Kentucky has been competitive on the national stage. John Kissane over at Runner's World put together a piece on the team before NCAAs, which is definitely worth a read.
Oh by the way, she also just joined Twitter.
Carly Hamilton, Georgia
NCAA D1 Indoor
Mile - 4th (4:38.44, 4:37.33 in the semifinal)
DMR - 10th (11:12.49)
The best mile/DMR double. This indoor season, Hamilton lowered her personal best in the mile by fourteen seconds. What's going on in Georgia?
Betsy Saina, Iowa State
NCAA D1 Indoor
5000m - 2nd (15:33.66)
3000m - 4th (9:07.34)
Although she came away with no individual titles, it was still a big weekend for Saina. It seem like a letdown after running 15:21 this indoor season, but D'Agostino was simply unbeatable. In any case, watch out for her in the 10000m this outdoor season.
Aliphine Tuliakmuk-Bolton, Wichita State
NCAA D1 Indoor
3000m - 6th (9:08.83)
5000m - 3rd (15:38.00)
Solid runs from another big favorite.
Katrina Coogan, Georgetown
NCAA D1 Indoor
3000m - 7th (9:11.79)
DMR - 6th (11:01.31)
Coogan had an incredible NCAA indoor debut performance.
Alexi Pappas, Oregon
NCAA D1 Indoor
5000m - 6th (15:47.13)
3000m - 8th (9:12.38)
Scrapped for important points in her final competition for Oregon. She played a vital role in the last two seasons and her shortly lived stint as a Duck had a huge impact on their team. It’s a pity that she won’t be able to compete at Hayward Field in an Oregon jersey.
Almost all of the Oregon women
A lot of doubles and triples. You don’t win championships on fresh legs.