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Georgetown's
Jesse O'Connell gets ready for the 800m final. O'Connell
had the fastest time (1:48.74) in Friday's rounds.
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Michael
Stember had the second-fastest time in the qualifying
round, which whittled the 18-runner field down to
six.
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Andrew
Neugebauer of the Nike Farm Team at the start of the
800.
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L-R:
Fred Sharpe, Stember, Kevin Elliott, Neugebauer, and
Derrick Peterson on the first lap.
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There
was considerable jostling during the race. Stember
reacts to Sharpe's choice of routes here.
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Sharpe,
a former NCAA standout for Auburn, moves to the lead.
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Last
year's champion David Krummenacker - who went on to
win a the 2003...
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...World
Indoor Championships in this event - was notably absent.
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Krummenacker
opted to skip the indoor season and focus on getting
ready for...
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...the
U.S. Olympic Trials and the Athens Olympics. With
Krummenacker out...
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...Stember
and Peterson were the runners with the most notable...
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...credentials
in the field. Andrew Neugebauer leads as they approach...
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...the
400m mark. Neugebauer is a former University of South
Dakota (DII) standout.
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Stember
and Sharpe trail Neugebauer with just under two laps
to go.
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Despite
being a 2000 Olympian, Michael Stember had never won
an NCAA or USA national title.
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O'Connell
trails the field slightly.
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With
just over one lap to go, Neugebauer continued...
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...to
lead, but Stember made a move for the lead.
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As
Stember moved to the lead, Neugebauer was either cut
off...
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...or
clipped from behind...
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