Solstices and equinoxes be damned, this is SPRINGTIME, baby!
I’ve worn shorts on 3/4 of my runs this week so far, and short sleeves for 2. That can only mean one thing. Outdoor Track is coming! And, indeed, for plenty of y’all, it’s already arriving. This weekend marks 5 weeks from the NIRCA Outdoor National meet, and we’ve already seen a slew of fast times indoors across the country. Now’s the time we start seeing the speedsters start tightening the screws and getting down to business. Based on what we’ve already seen this season, I think it’s safe to say that those of us on the sidelines should expect some fireworks come April.
UConn Cannot Be Stopped
On March 5, the UConn Track & Field Club made their way to the legendary Armory track for the Adam Sanford Classic. UConn has shown the depth of their talent time and time again, especially in the sprints and the throws. This weekend was no exception.
Some highlights from the (lengthy!) list of excellent performances include:
Nick Sivo running 49.88 for first in the 400m, a blistering time and an early-season sub-50. His teammates Oscar Frost, Jonathan Gulish, and James Nikolai weren’t far behind, going 3-4-5 in 51.14, 51.17, and 51.17. Gulish edged out Nikolai by just .001 seconds, according to the official results!
Kayla & Alanna Smith’s 3-4 finish in the 60m final, running 8.10 and 8.11 respectively (Alanna also ran 8.07 in the prelims and 26.90 in the 200m)
Owen Wollenburg’s 4-flat 1500 en route to a 4:17.93 mile, for — by my math, anyway — the fifth-fastest club time this season1.
Nick Sivo and Joseph Rychwalski finishing 1-2 in the 200m, running 22.33 and 22.71
Emma Slavin’s 5:34 mile, a solid mark that earned her second overall
Ian Lizanno’s 7.17 60m time, the fastest of the NINE UConn men to dip under 8 seconds over that distance on Sunday
Ducks Migrate Outside
As the weather warms and the pollen blooms, outdoor track, too, arrives in waves. Out west, the folks at Oregon Run Club opened up their outdoor season in style at the Willamette Opener. Among the heap of killer performances were Owen Serrichio and Emmett Saulnier, who went toe-to-toe in the 5000m for 14:48.09 and 14:48.94, respectively. Serrichio’s time is a club season best for the outdoor 5k, but not quite for the distance as a whole — Dylan Parker’s 14:45i still holds that mark. Emma McEvoy ran a speedy 5:09 1500m for a 2nd-place finish, tailed by her teammate Keaton Ibendahl in 5:10. Connor Kerr also ran 4:08 in the 1500, followed closely by Donovan Smith in 4:12 and Juan Munoz Martinez in 4:18.
Behind Oregon’s Emmett Saulnier (4:15.86), MRun’s Ben Deguire (4:15.90) & Jordan Sowash (4:16.61), and Oregon’s Owen Serrichio (4:16.70)
ayo where the nattys article