#1 – February 12, 2015

By Michael Newman

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It is almost four months until some of the top runners throughout the Midwest and the nation will head to Benedictine University to compete in the Midwest Distance Classic on June 13. We thought it would be a great idea to each week from now until the meet to highlight some of the top distance performances that take place throughout the Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin). We will also include performances in the Heartland Region including Iowa and Missouri.

Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin athletes started in full force in the past week. Michigan and Ohio athletes have been active since the beginning of January. Some fantastic performances have already been turned in.

DyeStat TFX Midwest Leaderboards

DyeStat TFX Heartland Leaderboards

Michigan Boys rule so far in the distances

Did you think that Grant Fisher (Grand Blanc MI) wanted to make a statement when he stepped on the track for his first competition since he won the Foot Locker Nationals in mid-December? At the Grand Valley State Elite Mile on January 31^st, he did just that winning the race in 4:07.29. In the same race a year ago, the Stanford signee won in 4:16.94. It shows how much he has improved. The race also showed how tough Michigan runners could be in this event this season. Three runners were under 4:10 led by the second place finish by Donovan Brazier (Kenowa Falls HS, Grand Rapids MI) who was two seconds behind Fisher (4:09.32). Logan Wetzel (Saline HS MI) finished third (4:09.32).

Last Saturday at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, Wetzel turned in the second fastest time in the nation nipping Jack Salisbury (La Salle Academy, Providence RI) by one hundredth of a second (4:08.75 – 4:08.76). Michigan Boys high school runners currently have three of the four fastest times in the nation.

Lucas Arrivo (Pioneer HS, Ann Arbor MI) also had a breakout performance last Saturday at the MITS meet at Saginaw Valley State. He won the 1600 in an US #3 time of 4:17.03. That time was an indoor PR of four seconds. Arrivo was three seconds ahead of second place Jesse Hersha (Concord HS MI).

There are four runners in the Midwest Region that have run 1:56 or faster already in the 800 Meter Run. Three of the athletes are from Michigan. At the same race that Arrivo won the 1600, Drake Gauthier (Grand Blanc HS) also shined. He won the 800 in 1:53.80 (US #6). That performance was overshadowed by that of Brian Bell (Dunbar HS, Dayton OH) at the Ohio State University Open Meet on the same day. Bell won the 800 by 10 seconds running a solo 1:53.60 (US #5). Bell was second in the Ohio D2 outdoor state meet last year. He finished eighth last March in this event at the New Balance Indoor Nationals. Last Saturday’s time was only 12 hundredths slower than last year’s indoor national time.

There have not been that many quality 3200’s run so far in this indoor season. That should pick up in the next couple of weeks. Zack Snider (Brebeuf Prep, Indianapolis) ripped off a fast race at last Saturday’s Indiana Distance Showcase at Wabash University. The Indiana state cross country runner-up last fall ran away from the field to win the race in 9:13.06 (US #6). Snider finished 11 seconds ahead of Cameron Clements (Carroll HS, Fort Wayne).

Belf and Farrow strong in the Girls distances

Since Michigan athletes are benefitted by the open Michigan Track Coaches Association (MITS) meets, it has been no surprise that we have seen Michigan athletes on top of the Midwest leaderboards. Audrey Belf (Seaholm HS, Birmingham) is on top in the Midwest in three events (1600, 1 Mile, 3200). She is also ranked in the top five nationally in those three events.

Belf won the 3200 at the second MITS meet at Saginaw Valley State on January 17. Her time of 10:39.73 (US #3) was 11 seconds ahead of second place Kelli Jackson (Hudsonville HS MI). Jackson’s time of 10:50.57 is currently ranked tenth nationally. The day before at the University Michigan MITS Meet, NXN Midwest Champion Sarah Kettel (Capital Home School, East Lansing) won the 3200 race at that meet in 10:58.25 (US #20) by twenty seconds. Lauren Johnson (West Lafayette HS) also dipped under 11 minutes winning the Indiana Runner Distance Showcase with 10:59.59 (US #25).

Perhaps the best Girls distance race in the Midwest so far this season was the Elite Mile race at Grand Valley State on January 31. The first six runners finished under the five minute mark. It was Belf that prevailed in that race as she crossed the line first in 4:54.51 (US #5). She ran 4:45 last June at the Adidas Grand Prix, but her time in this race was four seconds faster than she ran at the New Balance Indoor Nationals last March when she ran 4:58 after she ran 10:10 in the 2 mile. She’s in shape already to exceed those performances.

Belf’s teammate Rachel Dadamino was close behind at GVSU in second (4:55.06, US#6). Karrigan Smith (St. John’s HS MI), Sarah Kettel, Rachel Bonner (Port Huron HS MI), and Kenzie Weiler (Cedar Springs HS MI) all were under five minutes and are currently ranked in the top 17 nationally.

Ersula Farrow (Oak Park HS MI) is having a busy indoor season having run six races already in either the 800 or 1600. Her last three weeks have been spectacular. Three weeks ago at Bowling Green’s Sid Sink Invitational, she ran 2:11.00 (US #3) to win the 800 by five seconds ahead of teammate Dorriann Coleman. The following week at the Armory Invitational in New York, Farrow finished second behind Sammy Watson (Rush Henrietta HS NY) in the 100 Meter Run running the top two times nationally (2:47.27 – 2:48.39).

I think her best performance was last Saturday at the Saginaw Valley State MITS Meet. She started off her day winning the 1600 (5:01.33). She came back to win the 800 in 2:11.16. She has also run sub five in the 1600. She ran 4:59.85 (US #7) to win at the University of Michigan at the beginning of January.

Cami Davre (Whitefish Bay HS WI) is the defending Wisconsin D1 champion in both the 800 and 1600. She made a statement in her first 800 of the season at the USATF Wisconsin Championships at Carthage College last Sunday. Her winning time of 2:14.63 (US #8) was fifteen seconds ahead of her closest competition.

Other notes

Illinois is in their first week of indoor track meets. The most noteworthy performance was the double that Irwin Loud (Oak Park-River Forest HS IL) ran last Friday night at a quad meet at Proviso West High School. The sophomore ran a solo 9:36.3 to win the 3200. There was no one within one minute of him. He came back later in the evening to win the 1600 in 4:32.9. Loud was all-state in cross country last fall finishing 11^th in the 3A State Meet in Illinois. His PR in the 3200 last year was 9:34.08 at his sectional meet.

Karina Liz (Aurora Central Catholic HS IL) and Cassie Mundekis (Midwest Central HS, Manito) are top Girls 800 runners in Illinois. Both performances occurred on the same weekend. Mundekis won the Arkansas HS Invitational 800 (2:16.25, US#19). The next day, Liz won at the AAU Northern Indoor Invitational 800 (2:16.17, US #19). Both will be going after state records in this state this spring.

Coming up this weekend

What could be the best meet of the bunch is the SPIRE HS Showcase Saturday run at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. The 300 Meter Track is beautiful! We should see some fast distance times. Also in Ohio, the OSU Buckeye HS Open #4 could produce some fast times.

There will be some great MITS Meets this weekend in Ann Arbor, Saginaw Valley State, and Ypsilanti. The top possibility of great distance times in Illinois could be at the Valentine Relays at Proviso West High School. There could be some fast early season times in the 4x8’s at that meet.

Midwest Distance Classic Website