Husky ClassicFeb 12, 2015 by Taylor Dutch
Husky Classic: Six Events You Can't Miss
Husky Classic: Six Events You Can't Miss
HUSKY | IOWA STATE | VALENTINE | MILLROSE
RESULTS | HEAT SHEETS | SCHEDULE
Women’s 800m
The women’s 800m is, in short, LOADED. Some of the top-ranked college runners will return to the track for their premiere event, including Stanford’s NCAA Outdoor runner-up Claudia Saunders and OK State’s NCAA Indoor runner-up Savannah Camacho. They will be joined by a long list of notable professionals like 2012 Olympian Geena Lara who is making her indoor debut in the event, Valley Royal runners Jessica Smith and Helen Crofts who both boast personal bests in the 2:00-2:01 range, Oiselle’s Christy Cazzola and Pheobe Wright of Nike. Freshman phenom Raevyn Rogers will also make her 800m debut this weekend for the Oregon Ducks. Rogers comes to Oregon with a 2:03 800m mark and after earning a bronze medal at the World Youth Championships and gold in the Swedish Medley. With 24 women in the 2:05 and under range, the women’s 800m will be a premiere event come Saturday.
Women’s 3,000m
The women’s 3k looks to be a repeat of the top finishers at the NCAA Cross Country Championships where the top distance runners in the NCAA clash with some of the world’s best pros. All Americans like Stanford’s Pac-12 XC runner-up Elise Cranny, Arkansas’ Dominique Scott, Georgetown’s Katrina Coogan, UCLA’s Kelsey Smith, former Oregon Duck Megan Patrignelli, and California’s Bethan Knights will battle for NCAA qualifiers while Brooks Beast Angela Bizzari, Oregon Track Club’s Alexi Pappas, Team Run Eugene’s Bridget Franek and recent World Cross Country qualifier Brie Felnagle toe the line for USATF Indoor qualifying marks. Arizona fifth-year senior and All American Elvin Kibet will also return to debut in her last year of track eligibility.
Women’s 5,000m
Led by All American and Pac-12 10k champ Jessica Tonn, who boasts a 15:32 5k personal best, the women’s 5k promises some fast times with a solid mix of top collegiates and professional talent. Butler’s 2014 Second Team All American Mara Olson, Arkansas’ Diane Robison, Arizona 10k All American Elvin Kibet, UCLA Second Team All American Kelsey Smith, Oregon indoor 5k All American Molly Grabill, North Carolina three-time All American Annie LeHardy, and New Mexico’s cross country All American Alice Wright all lead the charge with 5k personal bests all under 16:05. Alycia Cridebring of NorCal Distance Project and Juli Accurso of Team Run Eugene also headline the field on the professional side.
Men’s 800m
A top match-up between two-time Olympian Andrew Wheating and recent 600m American record-holder Cas Loxsom will go down in both runners’ premiere events Saturday at the Dempsey. Wheating made his indoor debut at the Dempsey weeks ago at the UW Invite with a 3:57 mile opener. Loxsom is returning from running a 1:15.58 in the 600m at the New Mexico Lobo Open a few weeks ago. Both will be joined by a stacked field that includes a much-anticipated debut of Oregon freshman Niki Franzmair, who boasts a 1:46.78 800m personal best and comes to Eugene after performing at the 2014 World Junior Championships. James Eichberger of Team Run Eugene, Charles Grethen of Georgia, and UCLA’s Nick Hartle, Travis Burkstrand of Brooks, and Stanford’s Luke Lefebure also headline the field for Saturday’s 800m showdown.
Men’s 3,000m
Returning to the track after competing at the USATF Cross Country Championships, Brooks Beast Garrett Heath headlines a star group of professionals and college standouts in the men’s 3k set to go off Saturday. Fellow Brooks Beast and two-time 800m Olympian Nick Symmonds will take a stab at the 12-lap race in a field that includes Arkansas All Americans Kemoy Campbell and Stanley Kebenei, former Oregon standout and USATF Outdoor 1500m finalist A.J. Acosta, Stanford All Americans Erik Olson and Sean McGorty, Oregon’s Jeramy Elkaim, NCAA D2 All American Kevin Batt and steeplechase All American Tanguy Pepiot are just a few of the 18 runners in the field that boast personal bests under the eight-minute mark for 3k.
Men’s 5,000m
The men’s 5k will be a hard-fought battle for an NCAA indoor qualifying mark among collegians. UTEP’s NCAA steeplechase champion and NCAA indoor mile champion Anthony Rotich will make his 2015 indoor 5k debut after finishing 11th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Stanford three-time All American Erik Olson makes his 5k debut after finishing seventh in the 3k and 12th in the 5k at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships. Colorado is bringing out the big guns after earning the NCAA Cross Country team title in the fall by running four top Buffs Morgan Pearson, Pierce Murphy, Ammar Moussa and Ben Saarel. More standout runners under the 13:50 mark who are set compete include Oklahoma State’s Fabian Clarkson, Oklahoma’s Abbabiya Simbassa, Georgia’s Brandon Lord, New Mexico’s Adam Bitchell, ASU’s Ryan Herson, Washintgon’s Aaron Nelson, Oklahoma State’s Craig Nowak, and Texas’ Craig Lutz.
