PORTLAND, OREGON, June 10-11 — With the U.S. selection meet for Worlds just two weeks away, and the entry deadline upon us, the American women’s 1500 field keeps getting better.
That was the case at the Portland Track Festival, held under distance-friendly conditions (61 degrees, no wind, light rain) over two nights at Lewis & Clark College in the leafy southwest hills.
Rabbited by none other than her Bowerman TC teammate Elise Cranny, Karissa Schweizer powered her way to a 4:00.75 — just off her PR — even though this was most certainly a tuneup not for the 15 but for the 5K, having already made the team in the 10.
The B group, who did not run with the pacesetter, closed in 4:04, led by Eleanor Fulton (4:04.26), the unsponsored Washington grad who PRed at age 29; Emma Coburn (4:04.44), tuning up for the steeplechase, and a 5-second PR by BYU grad Whittni Morgan (4:04.86), all under the USA entry standard of 4:05.70.
In all, 16 got under 4:10, followed closely by California prep Sadie Engelhardt, whose 4:11.79 broke her own frosh record — 6 seconds faster than Mary Cain ran 11 years ago.
In Friday’s steeplechase, the veteran Colleen Quigley, running her first steeple in three years, got under the standard of 9:40 at 9:39.27. Ahead of her, Courtney Frerichs took a tumble over the final water jump but recovered to run 9:35.82.
Everyone knew what the qualifying standards were, especially those nasty WC ones. The Notre Dame grad Yared Nuguse, coming back from a shaky campaign, ran 3:34.98, 0.02 to the good on the 3:35.00 target, while four others ran in the 3:35s. Eight Americans were under the USA standard of 3:37.00, 21 ran sub-3:40, 43 sub-3:43.
In a deep women’s 5K, again with able pacesetting by Cranny and others, 5 got under the WC standard of 15:10. With a kilo to go, Weini Kelati decided that the pace was too slow as she bolted away to win in 14:57.07, a PR by a second. The next pack of three all PRed, led by Bowerman’s Vanessa Fraser, who outkicked Sarah Inglis and fellow Stanford grad Fiona O’Keeffe, all in 15:05.
Kelati had been one of those disappointed at not making the US 10K team in Eugene in May who are preparing for another go at it, this time in the 5. Showing solid fitness were Woody Kincaid (13:21), Dillon Maggard (13:22), Emily Lipari (4:05) and Emily Infeld (4:08).
In the 10 on Friday, a surprise entrant was an Oregon prep, junior Tyrone Gorze (Crater, Central Point), who ran 29:29.92, the fastest by a high schooler since fellow Oregonian Galen Rupp 18 years ago.
There were stars galore, again showing that this city is Ground Zero as an international distance capital. There were some two dozen Olympic distance runners on hand, including — in addition to those already mentioned — Lopez Lomong, Brandon McBride, Josh Kerr, Grant Fisher, Patrick Tiernan, Marc Scott, Raevyn Rogers, Amy Cashin, Regan Yee, Lucia Stafford and Aisha Praught Leer. For selfie hounds, it was Heaven.
PORTLAND MEN’S RESULTS
800: 1. Brandon McBride’ (Can) 1:45.22; 2. Derek Holdsworth (BellL) 1:45.37 PR; 3. Isaiah Harris (BrkB) 1:45.55; 4. Charles Hunter’ (Aus) 1:45.58; 5. Brannon Kidder (BrkB) 1:45.97; 6. Sam Prakel (adi) 1:46.39 PR; 7. Josh Kerr’ (GB) 1:46.95; 8. Drew Windle (BrkB) 1:47.26.
1500: I–1. Yared Nuguse (NDm) 3:34.98; 2. Johnny Gregorek (Asics) 3:35.29; 3. Grant Fisher (NikBowTC) 3:35.53 PR; 4. Charles Philibert-Thiboutot’ (Can) 3:35.80; 5. Paul Ryan (adi) 3:35.82 PR; 6. Vincent Ciattei (NikOTC) 3:36.08; 7. Cameron Proceviat’ (Can) 3:36.09 PR; 8. Josh Thompson (NikBowTC) 3:36.29; 9. Colby Alexander (adi) 3:36.76; 10. Sean McGorty (NikBowTC) 3:36.85;
11. Hobbs Kessler (adiVNTC) 3:37.28 (x, 4 AJ);
12. Mason Ferlic (adi) 3:38.69; 13. Waleed Suliman (BrkB) 3:39.93.
II–1. Robert Heppenstall’ (Can) 3:37.51 PR; 2. Drew Hunter (adiTinE) 3:39.20; 3. Thomas Ratcliffe (NikBowTC) 3:39.35; 4. Kasey Knevelbaard (UArmDS) 3:39.96; 5. Jack Yearian (unat) 3:40.19; 6. Ben Blankenship (NikOTC) 3:40.32; 7. Eric Jenkins (Nik) 3:40.74; 8. Caleb Webb (unat) 3:40.85.
III–1. Cathal Doyle’ (Ire) 3:38.63; 2. Nick Dahl (Duke) 3:39.16; 3. Cruz Culpepper (unat) 3:39.73 PR; 4. Zach Stallings (WaSt) 3:39.86.
St: 1. John Gay’ (Can) 8:22.93; 2. Benard Keter (USAr) 8:24.88; 3. Evan Jager (NikBowTC) 8:28.94; 4. Jean-Simon Desgagnés’ (Can) 8:31.14; 5. Jamaine Coleman’ (GB) 8:31.70; 6. Joey Berriatua (TinE) 8:33.15; 7. Frankline Tonui (unat) 8:34.40; 8. Riley Osen (Port) 8:35.28 PR; 9. Craig Nowak (unat) 8:39.54; 10. Reece Smith (NWMo) 8:42.07; 11. Jordan Macintosh’ (Can) 8:44.51; 12. Abebe Shimales (OkC) 8:45.68.
5000: I–1. Patrick Tiernan’ (Aus) 13:19.14; 2. Patrick Dever’ (GB) 13:20.12; 3. Dillon Maggard (unat) 13:22.94 PR; 4. Samuel Chelanga (USAr) 13:23.09; 5. Blaise Ferro (unat) 13:41.60; 6. David Ribich (BrkB) 13:44.28; 7. Biya Simbassa (UArmDS) 13:48.29.
II–1. Woody Kincaid (NikBowTC) 13:21.61; 2. Marc Scott’ (GB) 13:22.15; 3. Loic Scomparin (CSM) 13:45.43 PR; 4. Ben Blankenship (NikOTC) 13:47.15.
10,000: 1. Wesley Kiptoo’ (Ken) 28:19.87; 2. Geoffrey Kipchumba (USAr) 28:38.25; 3. Alex Masai’ (Ken) 28:38.53.
PORTLAND WOMEN’S RESULTS
800: 1. Raevyn Rogers (NikUAC) 1:58.90; 2. Sabrina Southerland (NikOTC) 1:59.69; 3. Madeleine Kelly’ (Can) 1:59.71 PR; 4. Hanna Green (NikOTC) 2:00.55; 5. Anna Camp-Bennett (adi) 2:00.60 PR; 6. Laurie Barton (BrkB) 2:01.08; 7. Nia Akins (BrkB) 2:01.54.
1500: I–1. Karissa Schweizer (NikBowTC) 4:00.75; 2. Eleanor Fulton (unat) 4:04.26 PR; 3. Emma Coburn (NBal) 4:04.44; 4. Whittni Morgan (adi) 4:04.86 PR; 5. Lucia Stafford’ (Can) 4:05.12; 6. Emily Lipari (adi) 4:05.95; 7. Taryn Rawlings (adi) 4:06.06; 8. Susan Ejore’ (Ken) 4:06.17; 9. Dani Jones (NBal) 4:06.31; 10. Natalia Hawthorn’ (Can) 4:06.62; 11. Marta Pen Freitas’ (Por) 4:07.11; 12. Emily Infeld (Nik) 4:08.17; 13. Nikki Hiltz (unat) 4:08.54; 14. Michaela Meyer (Nik) 4:08.88.
II–1. Elly Henes (adi) 4:07.76 PR; 2. Regan Yee’ (Can) 4:08.92 PR; 3. Katie Camarena (unat) 4:10.26 PR; 4. Hanna Hermansson’ (Swe) 4:11.19;
5. Sadie Engelhardt (CaHS) 4:11.79 PR (HSL) 10, x AJ; 6, x HS);
6. Maudie Skyring’ (Aus) 4:12.11; 7. Molly Sughroue (Tracksm) 4:13.04; 8. Skylyn Webb (Sauc) 4:13.62.
St: 1. Amy Cashin’ (Aus) 9:27.91 PR; 2. Courtney Frerichs (NikBowTC) 9:35.82; 3. Colleen Quigley (lulul) 9:39.27; 4. Gabrielle Jennings (adi) 9:48.49; 5. Shuangshuang Xu’ (Chn) 9:57.00; 6. Jessy Lacourse’ (Can) 10:00.79; 7. Tori Gerlach (TinE) 10:02.31; 8. Judi Jones (IdA) 10:02.37; 8. Jessica Scheriff (Tracksm) 10:02.37; 10. Caroline Austin (IdA) 10:03.33.
5000: 1. Weini Kelati (UArmDS) 14:57.07 PR (out AL);
2. Vanessa Fraser (NikBowTC) 15:05.04 PR; 3. Sarah Inglis’ (GB) 15:05.51 PR; 4. Fiona O’Keeffe (Puma) 15:05.56 PR; 5. Allie Buchalski (BrkB) 15:24.49; 6. Katrina Coogan (NBal) 15:24.83; 7. Allie Ostrander (unat) 15:26.50; 8. Katie Wasserman (HokaNnAz) 15:27.57 PR; 9. Danielle Shanahan (McKirdy) 15:28.04; 10. Maddie Alm (TmBoss) 15:29.28; 11. Allie Schadler (unat) 15:32.51; 12. Aisha Praught Leer’ (Jam) 15:35.60; 13. Jenna Magness (unat) 15:37.58; 14. Caitlin Adams’ (Aus) 15:41.42; 15. Dana Giordano (unat) 15:42.19. ◻︎