Distance Gala Weekly

March 22 – March 28 

With the outdoor season in full swing all around the country, this past weekend seemed to be the unofficial kick-off to blazing fast times on the track.  Some great head-to-head matchups took place, while the World Cross Country Championships saw a trio of prep stars shine.

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The Top Five

Wow, what a great weekend for high school distance running.  While we only list the top five performances of the weekend, there were so many other performances that were on the cusp of making it.  See who we picked for this week’s Top Five:

5. Wesley Frazier (Fr., Ravenscroft, NC) – Wow!  It seemed only a matter of time before Wesley Frazier had a breakthrough race, and that race came at the Raleigh Relays over the weekend.  The freshman sensation dominated the girl’s 3,200m run, run by herself of the majority of the race, breaking the tape in 10:22.76.  With a little more competition, it would not be surprising to see Frazier dip under 10:15.

4. Matt Mizereck (Sr., Leon, FL) – With Florida having a fairly quite track season until this past weekend, Mizereck had yet to show what he was fully capable of.  Well, the senior had his chance this past weekend, competing in both the 3,200m and 1,600m events at the FSU Relays.  On Friday, Mizereck beat an incredibly strong 3,200m field, crossing the finish line in 9:02.87, as six runners finished under 9:10.  On Saturday, Mizereck showed his ability to bounce back from a hard effort, finishing the 1,600m race in 4:16.60.

3. Chelsey Sveinsson (Jr., Greenhill, TX) – An injury slowed Chelsey Sveinsson’s indoor season, but that time off could come as a blessing.  The junior standout won the 1,600m run going away at the Jesuit-Sheaner Invitational in 4:45.24, a time that currently ranks her US#1 and leaves her in great shape looking forward in the season.  It’s nice to see Sveinsson back racing, running times we’re so used to seeing from her.

2. Justin Vilhauer (Jr., Redwood, CA) – It was only a matter of time before California really started to showcase what the state is capable of.  With a nearly non-existent indoor season, late-March is when California’s track season really starts to heat up.  Justin Vilhauer led a strong field of competition at the Stanford Invitational, rocking a new PR and US#1 time of 8:17.37, winning the 3,000m event.  Vilhauer outran the tough field, as Reesey Byers (Sr., Santa Rosa, CA) and Erik Olson (Sr., Novato, CA) finished 2-3 in 8:19.81 and 8:20.17, respectively.  Remember, Vilhauer is only a junior.

1. Emily Sisson (Sr., Parkway Central, MO) – Running one of the best US junior women’s races in World Cross Country Championship history, Emily Sisson showed that her fitness over the oval translated nicely to the cross country course.  After a spectacular indoor track season, Sisson led Team USA with an 18^th place, finishing as the second non-African runner in 20:08 (6k).  Sisson led the junior women to a sixth place team finish, giving the Wisconsin-bound senior yet another fantastic result to her growing running resume.

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World Cross Country Championships Summary

Three of the best prep distance runners took part in Sunday’s IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Poland.  Emily Sisson (Sr., Parkway Central, MO), Walter Schafer (Sr., Cherry Creek, CO) and Ammar Moussa (Jr., Arcadia, CA) all represented the United States in a tremendous way.

Sisson led the US junior women’s team with an 18^th place finish.  Sisson was the second non-African finisher in the race, crossing the line for the 6k race in 20:08.  While Sisson’s performance was certainly on par with her fantastic indoor track performances this winter, leading Team USA showed just how strong she is no matter the terrain.  The US junior women’s squad finished sixth overall in the team standings.

Meanwhile, Schafer and Moussa helped guide the US men’s junior squad to an eighth place finish.  Schafer finished 44^th overall, completing the 8k course in 24:17.  Moussa ran strong as well, finishing 66^th overall in 25:00.  The two runners placed third and fifth respectively for Team USA.

Results: Junior Men’s Race / Junior Women’s Race

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Articles of Interest

Interview with H.S. Distance Standout Kirubel Erassa (Dyestat)

Team USA World XC Championship Summary (USATF)

Lisa Koll Discusses Her Collegiate 10k Record (Runnerspace)

Ryan Hall Determined to Win Boston Marathon (WBZ)

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