2004 NCAA OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Alistair Cragg Cragg closes out NCAA career with seventh title

by Parker Morse

Alistair Cragg leads Robert Cheseret late in the 10,000m final.

Arkansas' Alistair Cragg's 10,000m victory in 29:22.43 felt like a title defense, though the senior gave the nod last year to his teammate Daniel Lincoln. The victory Thursday night at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships gave Cragg his seventh NCAA title, tying him with Joe Falcon for the most ever by an Arkansas distance runner. The early going was led by a revolving cast of supporting players. Kyle Goklish of Arizona (14th, 30:52.64) took the pack through the 1K in 3:07, with Travis Laird of Northern Arizona (ninth, 30:16.42) taking over for the slower 2K split, reached in 6:13. Matt Gonzales of New Mexico (fourth, 29:58.05) pushed the pace back down, leading them through 3K in 9:14, and Cragg's Arkansas teammate Jason Sandfort led at the end of the fourth kilometer, reached in 12:15. Throughout the lead changes, Cragg hovered between third and fifth, with Arizona's Robert Cheseret (second, 29:26.51) shadowing him.

The heavily favored Cragg, running his last NCAA race, blasted free of the dense pack shortly before the halfway mark, with only Cheseret able to cover the move. The 5K split for the duo was 15:11, a 2:56 kilometer and the first under 30:00 pace. With the tempo now 66-second laps, Cragg led for the rest of the race, with Cheseret on his shoulder, both looking comfortable with the rhythm. "I wanted to break up the pack," explained Cragg.

Cragg then uncharacteristically ignored several signals from his coach, John McDonnell, to surge away from Cheseret. "He asked me to go a little earlier, and I waited and I waited," Cragg admitted. "He wanted me to go every lap from about two miles to go. Eventually he got the hint and started telling me to relax, relax. Then he just sat down, and I was scared to look at him." With 550m remaining, Cragg made his second move, opening an immediate gap on Cheseret and closing with a 60-second last lap. With 200 to go and Cheseret well beaten, Cragg found yet another gear for a flying finish.

"This was a different Robert Cheseret from last year," said Cragg. "I knew I had some intimidation factor because of my previous year's races, but I give him a lot of respect. For some reason coach told me to go from really far out, 13 laps to go, and Robert went with me. He was obviously the man to watch. In the third quarter of the race, you start thinking all these bad thoughts, you start doubting yourself and wondering when he's going to go, or if he's going to go."

"There's some great competitors in the 5,000m, but unfortunately I have to watch it," Cragg added. "I'm sorry I can't go out there and race Dathan [Ritzenhein]. We've never really developed a rivalry. But I'm sure I'll race him again. He's going to be around for years to come."

Also on Thursday's schedule were qualifying rounds in the 800m, 1,500m, and steeplechase.

Jonathan Johnson of Texas Tech led qualifying in the men's 800m with a 1:46.76; other heat winners were Jesse O'Connell of Georgetown (1:46.78,) who edged Andrew Ellerton of Michigan in the first heat, and Paul Cross of Tennessee (1:47.99). Johnson, who lost last year's final to Sam Burley by only one hundredth of a second, was pleased with the compressed rounds schedule. "I just ran it like a semi-final," he said. "I like to take it from the front and take my chances."

Defending 1,500m champion Grant Robison of Stanford has not been showing his championship form so far this season, but when he did not finish his heat of the men's 1,500m, the way was cleared for a new set of contenders. USA Indoor champion Rob Myers of Ohio State (3:46.58) and Arkansas senior Chris Mulvaney (3:46.39,) the 2003 NCAA Indoor mile champion, won the heats. Don Sage, the 2002 NCAA Outdoor champion, qualified behind Myers. Another significant casualty was 2004 NCAA Indoor mile champion Sean Jefferson, who was never a factor in his heat.

Myers, with increased confidence from several good open races earlier in the year, likes his chances. "I wasn't going to give anyone else a chance to sneak by me," said Myers. "I feel like I've been getting in shape for this and the Trials. I've been training pretty hard and I'm starting to come around now. For most of this year my focus has been on the Trials, but this race has been a goal of mine for a long time."

Aaron Fisher of Ohio State led the men's qualifying with an 8:46.99 mark in the hotly contested first heat, while Ian Dobson of Stanford comfortably won the second heat in 8:56.61. Top returner Jordan Desilets of Eastern Michigan also advanced from the second heat. "It was a pretty easy race," reported Dobson afterward. "I've never had to run prelims before [in the steeplechase] so I was surprised that the first heat went out so fast."

The finals of all three events will all be run on Saturday, along with the 5,000m final.

(Posted June 12, 2004)