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Men’s 800 meters

1. Nick Symmonds
2. Khadevis Robinson
3. Charles Jock
4. Duane Solomon
5. Robby Andrews
Darkhorse: Cas Loxsom
Others: Ryan Martin, Tyler Mulder, Elijah Greer, Mike Rutt
Notes: Symmonds and Robinson both ran strongly at the Penn Relays; Jock had his epic win over Martin at the Big West meet, but I’m holding out hope on Andrews; Loxsom looked impressive running 1:46.12 to win Big 10′s.

Women’s 800 meters

1. Alysia Montano
2. Maggie Vessey
3. Erica Moore
4. Alice Schmidt
5. Molly Beckwith
Darkhorse: Nachelle Mackie
Others: Geena Gall, Phoebe Wright, Latavia Thomas
Notes: Beckwith went sub-two minutes at Doha; Moore makes her outdoor debut at Oxy after her Penn sprint medley team dropped the baton before she could run; Mackie one of few collegiate entered for Oxy, how much does she have left in the tank?

Men’s 1500 meters

1. Matt Centrowitz
2. Leo Manzano
3. Andrew Wheating
4. Russell Brown
5. Miles Batty
Darkhorse: Kyle Merber
Others: David Torrence, Will Leer, Jordan McNamara, Dorian Ulrey
Notes: Merber shocked the world with his 3:35 American collegiate record; Wheating and Ulrey both ran 3:44 at Oregon Twilight; Brown earned the ‘A’ standard in Doha; Batty and Torrence to attempt ‘A’ standard at Oxy.

Women’s 1500 meters

1. Morgan Uceny
2. Jenny Simpson
3. Shannon Rowbury
4. Anna Pierce
5. Brenda Martinez
Darkhorse: Sara Vaughn
Others: Christin Wurth-Thomas, Treniere Moser, Katie Mackey, Gabe Anderson, Katie Flood
Notes: Diamond League champ Uceny makes 1500 season debut at Oxy and will be joined by Rowbury, Martinez, Moser and others; Pierce had strong kick to win Payton Jordan in 4:07; Vaughn has run well this spring, last winning the Oregon Twilight.

Men’s 3000 meter steeplechase

1. Billy Nelson
2. Evan Jager
3. Ben Bruce
4. Dan Huling
5. Kyle Alcorn
Darkhorse: Donn Cabral
Others: Brian Olinger, Josh McAdams, David Adams
Notes: Nelson to make steeple debut at Oxy; Jager will chase ‘A’ standard; Bruce recently won against weak field in Jamaica; after double Penn Relays and Heps titles, Cabral will fly across the country to race at Oxy.

Women’s 3000 meter steeplechase

1. Bridget Franek
2. Emma Coburn
3. Delilah DeCrescenzo
4. Shalaya Kipp
5. Sara Hall
Darkhorse: Ashley Higginson
Other: Stephanie Garcia, Lisa Aguilera, Lennie Waite, Mason Cathay
Notes: Franek opened up with strong 9:39 opener at Oregon Twilight; Kipp upset DeCrescenzo to win Payton Jordan in 9:43. Coburn yet to steeple this year but entered for 1500 at Oxy.

Men’s 5000 meters

1. Bernard Lagat
2. Lopez Lomong
3. Galen Rupp
4. Matt Tegenkamp
5. Andrew Bumbalough
Darkhorse: David Torrence
Others: Chris Derrick, Ben True, Brandon Bethke
Notes: Lomong catapults himself to #2 after his unforgettable win at Payton Jordan; Torrence in contention for 5k team after ‘A’ standard run; Chris Solinsky now officially out for the Trials.

Women’s 5000 meters

1. Molly Huddle
2. Julia Lucas
3. Jackie Areson
4. Amy Hastings
5. Lisa Uhl
Darkhorse: Julie Culley
Others: Jessica Tebo, Abbey D’Agostino
Notes: Lucas ran spectacularly at Payton Jordan; Culley and Tebo both dipped under the ‘A’ standard in the same race.

Men’s 10,000 meters

1. Galen Rupp
2. Matt Tegenkamp
3. Chris Derrick
4. Dathan Ritzenhein
5. Brent Vaughn
Darkhorse: Ben True
Others: Bobby Curtis, Tim Nelson, Ryan Vail, Aaron Braun, Brian Olinger
Notes: Derrick ran strongly to set the American collegiate record of 27:31 at Payton Jordan; Vaughn and True were also under the ‘A’ standard.

Women’s 10,000 meters

1. Amy Hastings
2. Lisa Uhl
3. Jen Rhines
4. Molly Huddle
5. Janet Cherobon-Bawcom
Darkhorse: Deena Kastor
Others: Kim Conley, Deborah Maier
Notes: Uhl went after the 31-flat mark at Payton Jordan but faltered in the latter stretches of the race; Hastings was the top American there in 31:19; Cherobon-Bawcom also hit the ‘A’ standard and recently broke the American road 25k record.

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Shalane Flanagan winning USA Cross in 2011

This past weekend I had the chance to attend the International Triathlon Union’s World Triathlon Series stop in San Diego. Held at Mission Bay Park, the meet brought together some of the world’s greatest athletes for the elite races while also hosting several age group competitions for the lesser skilled.

The event had a great atmosphere that can be partly credited to the passion of the San Diego triathlon community and the unique international flavor that drew triathletes, coaches and fans from around the world.

Mission Bay Park also hosts many local high school and community college cross country races. The U.S. Cross Country Championships have twice been held there in recent years. Both meets in 2008 and 2011 were considered well-organized affairs put on by co-meet directors Thom Hunt and Paul Greer.

The success of the ITU and cross country races got me thinking. Why couldn’t San Diego host a competition of similar global stature – the World Cross Country Championships?

The attraction of San Diego’s weather speaks for itself. With an average temperature of 66.2 degrees Fahrenheit (19.0 degree Celsius) in late March, who wouldn’t want to race in America’s Finest City?

The course at Mission Bay utilizes a 2,000 meter loop that mimics European-style courses often contested on the international level. The repetition is ideal for fans taking in the race.

“While dizzying for the runners going round and round the park, it will be delightful for spectators who will get to watch entire races unfold right before their eyes,” said Mario Fraioli of Competitor.com.

Some will lament the lush grassy course as “too soft” to be  true cross country, but it is more challenging than what meets the eye.

“Part of cross country, part of the allure of cross country, the challenge of cross country, is not so much the traditional hills or the things you normally get but rather the disruption you receive when you run,” Greer said in defending the course layout. “There’s enough disruption from the course itself to slow people up and make it very challenging. And when you’re doing loop after loop after loop of that it gets tough.”

The sport of cross country has a lengthy history in Europe, largely explaining why the continent has hosted 31 of the 40 editions of the World Cross Country Championships. The United States has been largely left out of hosting duties having held the event only twice since its inception in 1973, the last time in Boston in 1992.

America has been unable to host the World Outdoor Track & Field Championships due to lack of adequate facilities but with Eugene winning its bid to host the 2014 World Junior meet, perhaps USA Track & Field can target other minor championships like cross country.

American distance running has made significant strides in the last decade yet the progress has often not been on display at the World Cross Country Championships due to the absence of many top U.S. runners, particularly the men. World Cross in San Diego would not only give our very best like Galen Rupp, Chris Solinsky, Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher the chance to measure their abilities against East African powerhouses Kenya and Ethiopia but also provide the opportunity to promote the sport on the domestic front.

Politics as always plays a major role in IAAF bidding processes for global championships, but the effort should be made nonetheless. If the new leadership at USA Track & Field is truly committed to building the sport through innovation and fresh ideas, let’s take a serious look at hosting the World Cross Country Championships in our backyard.

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After taking the pace out in 50.5 seconds for the first 400 meters, Jock held Martin off on the final straightaway for the win in 1:44.75, a Big West conference record and the fastest time for an American this year. Martin was just two-hundredths back in a personal best 1:44.77.

The two seniors have now traded off conference titles since 2009 with Jock having been victorious in 2010 and 2012 and Martin winning in 2009 and 2011.

Video of the race is below, courtesy of Runnerspace.com.

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