the next Wariner? Pick one

NikeTrack

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Well hold on now. I think its a bit early to predict arkansas in the 4x4 indoor and out. what about the legendary A&M 4x4 indoor and out! then theres florida and baylor's outdoor team. Not to mention Los Angeles's USC 4X4 (they are looking to be great) -- how do you guys think these teams willrank?
 

trackster

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Well, I haven't predicted Arkansas will take the NCAA 4 by 400, but I will be pulling for them. As for predictions, I do think they stand a good shot, given they have the fastest time in the world. Braddy was just way too good for Florida's anchor, so I think they'll beat Florida. Arkansas's relay time was also two seconds faster than A & M's. So we'll see. Of teams you didn't mention, I would worry about any squad with Kirani James. He's head and shoulders above everyone right now.
 

jacknyc

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This post first started because of 2 HS 400m phenoms, Brady Gehret and Patrick Farmer.
Gehret had been running quite well as a collegiate for Penn St. and finished 8th at the Olympic Trials.
Farmer hadn't done much at Virginia, and I think he may have been injured one season.
Anyway, I was checking on both of them last week, and noticed that Farmer was no longer listed on Virginia's track team, and Gehret had yet to run this season for Penn State, though he was listed on the team.
Now, I've come across this article that says Brady Gehret has left Penn State:
http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/568181/Gehret-leaves-PSU.html

So for the moment, these 2 young and very promising 400m runners are no longer running collegiate track. That's a very bad sign for both of them. And very bad for us.
 

jacknyc

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Yesterday, h.s. senior Brady Gehret, blistered an indoor 48.06 to run the fastest indoor 400 in the country this year. Gehret's mark edged that of Patrick Farmer, who had earlier run a 48.20. These two guys could be dueling for Olympic gold someday.

First Farmer--this kid is ridiculous. He'd never run track in his life. All he'd done was play soccer. But somehow he ended up on the track team as a senior, and the results are unbelievable. He set the U.S. best 48.20 a couple of weeks ago at a major meet called the Hispanic Games (the name seems to have nothing to do with the competition). I watched the race (you have to keep fast forwarding through the three-hour video on the meet website. It's the first of the 400's). The P.A. announcer was apoplectic, saying "What an upset!!" Farmer was naturally given the dreaded lane one, which requires the sharpest turns, but he had passed nearly every runner by the end of the first lap. On the second lap, he simply swung around the guys in front of him, and finished first by a huge margin. It was a jaw-dropping performance. This kid has only started training, but he looked like an Olympian running against elementary kids--only his competition was from all over the country, runners who had proven themselves at the highest level for years. He runs like Wariner, long, easy strides.

They ran numerous 400's at that meet, and Farmer's was a second and a half faster than the next best.

But then comes Gehret. Gehret is a one-man sprint squad from Altoona, PA. He's been scoring piles of points for years now. Yesterday, he not only ran the fastest indoor 400 in the country, but he also won the 200 (21.44 INDOORS!) and finished second in the long jump. In most meets, he runs several relays as well. He's a thoroughbred. I've not seen any video on him.

What a shame!!!
These 2 High Schoolers (Patrick Farmer and Brady Gehret) were unbelievable in 2010. Easily the best HS 400m runners we had seen in a very long time. I realistically expected big things from both of them.
Gehret did make the Olympic Trails finals as a sophomore at Penn St. Then he got injured or something, and dropped out. Never heard from him again.
Farmer went to the University of Virginia, and barely ran at all his first year. By his junior year, he was no longer on the track team.
They are both seemingly out of the sport, and so the 2 guys who could have been the 'next Wariner', don't even run track anymore.
What a shame!
 
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