2011 Indoor season

T

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Okay, let's get the indoor season started. I've been following the early results from the minor events. Not a lot to report, except that all of us trackies will want to follow Penn State track this year. First off, Brady Gehret--one of last year's two high school superstars in the 400 (along with Patrick Farmer)--is up and running as a PSU frosh. In his first outing, he broke the PSU record for the 300. In his second outing, he won the 200 and finished second in the 60. He's really a 400 man, though, so it seems that Penn State's strategy is to sharpen speed with short races in the indoor season.

Likewise, former CT runner and PSU sophomore Cas Loxsom showed the potential to be an 800 star as a freshman before getting sick last year. Yesterday, he ran a blistering school record in the 500 that has track message boards buzzing. He may be a real dark horse to challenge Robbie Andrews and Andrew Wheating to be the next 800 superstar. Running the 500...again, it appears the PSU coach likes his runners to work on speed during the winter.
 
white lightning

white lightning

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This is college track but Brandom Byran and Shane Crawford started off the season with wins. Bryam won a 300 meters race and Shane won a 60 meters final today in a time of 6.80. It looked like he was just taking it easy as he won but a descent margin. Hope Crawford can stay healthyin his final year of college track. I think thatBrandon Byram could come close to the 20.10 range by seasons end. Edited by: white lightning
 
white lightning

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<a href="http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&amp;sl=de&amp;u=www.leichtathletik.de/index.php%3FNavID%3D1%26SiteID%3D28%26NewsID%3D31107&amp;prev=/search%3Fq%3Dgerman%2Bathletics%26hl%3Den&amp;rurl=translate.google.com&amp;usg=ALkJrhiomEMTIHMnBvb5WIfGrFq0abVnFg" target="_blank">
Martin Keller of Germany opens up with a 6.70 for the win today. Nice starting point.


http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&amp;sl=de&amp;u=www.leichtathletik.de/index.php%3FNavID%3D1%26SiteID%3D28%26NewsID%3D31107&amp;prev=/search%3Fq%3Dgerman%2Bathletics%26hl%3Den&amp;rurl=translate.google.com&amp;usg=ALkJrhiomEMTIHMnBvb5WIfGrFq0abVnFg</A> Edited by: white lightning
 
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That Ukrainian chick looks like she means business. Anyway, in more collegiate news, Canadian Kate Van Buskirk, who runs for Duke, just took half a second off the NCAA 1000m indoor record. She also smoked an exceptional leg on 4x800 that broke the school record by seven seconds, beating a time run by a squad with one Olympian and one All-American. Not a bad outing for her first meet of the season, especially given that she redshirted track last year and ran only cross country.
 
white lightning

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What a race by Kate. I have alway wondered how many cross country runners and triathalon competitors would be elite olympic athletes. So few of them race on the track as they prefer the other styles of racing. Imagine even a guy like Lance Armstrong in his prime running in the marathon around 10 years ago. I'm sure he would have ran some amazing times.
 
white lightning

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This is going to be a big year to see what is going to happen with 3 mens sprinters as far as their careers go. They need to get back to form in a hurry. I was happy to see Christian Blum open up with a 6.67 today. His indoor p.b. from last year was a 6.65 so he is already just about there. Most people forget he ran a personal best of 6.56 in 2009 in the race where he got hurt. He somersaulted after being tripped up at the finish line. He was showing such good form as he ran a few 6.50's times that season. Since that injury, he has never been the same. He is still young but this year will probably show if he can regain his form. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Craig Pickering and Fabio Cerutti both need to step it up. They are not getting any younger. Pickering is stuck on a 10.14 p.b. from several years ago and Cerutti with a 10.13 from a few years ago as well. Can they stay healthy and regain the form or a few years ago? I sure hope so. I believe Craig opens up this week in England even though he is not on the starting lists yet. Good luck to both Craig and Fabio this year.

One last note. I'm hoping that Robert Herring and Ramil Guliyev make their way back to form too.
 
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News from yesterday's collegiate meets:

Cas Loxsom just keeps getting better and better. For those of you who don't remember him from the watch list, he's the Penn State sophomore showing so much talent in the 800. He ran a blazing 500 a couple of weeks ago. This week, he ran a low 1:47 indoors (maybe a world leading time so far?). Then he ran the 4 by 400 relay along with watch list favorite Brady Gehret and Aaron Nadolsky. Ironically, even though he is a middle distance runner, he seemed to run the best leg for the squad, which set a new PSU record. Gehret, a freshman and last year's dominant long sprinter in high school, wasn't at his best. He ran a solid leg, but nothing amazing. He also won the 200, but his time wasn't close to Byram's. Nadolsky on the anchor leg didn't blow anyone away. Loxsom in leg 2 was the key.

At the UW Invitational, freshman supergirl Laura Roesler (another favorite--remember she's the one that appeared on every top marks list from the 200 to the 800, and also had four state championships in the 100) finished only 5th in the 800, so she hasn't stepped it up yet. Meanwhile, for long time board readers, there is news that David Klech (yes, he's still alive) competed in his first-ever heptathlon and immediately qualified for the NCAA, posting the second highest score in Oregon history. He's a natural.

Jordan Hasay set a school record in the 3000 (always impressive when the school is Oregon), and Elijah Greer (considered a top young prospect) won the 800.

If you search, I believe that all of these events are available on Flotrack. For Gehret's 200 and Loxsom's 800 and the 4 by 400, you have to click on the heats marked invitational. I haven't watched any of the Oregon events.
 
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I just watched some on Flotrack. It seems the official results confused the members of the Oregon women's 4 by 400, but if you watch the race, you can still see what a special talent supergirl Laura Roesler is. She may not have run a great individual 800, but she was the entire team in the 4 by 400. In fact, her team lost three of the four legs, but still won comfortably, based solely on Roesler's massive third leg. She took over the baton well behind and ended up giving her team a huge lead.

Based on her first two meets, which have been so-so in the 800 but amazing in the 400 relays, Oregon may want to consider moving Roesler down to the long sprint. Perhaps some of you remember her running at those world youth games this summer, where she carried the US 400 relay to victory, too. Perhaps she's shaping up to be the female Wariner rather than the female Sebastian Coe.

Note that the announcers don't use her name as they seem confused, but it is very recognizably Roesler on the third leg:

http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/238288-2011-University-of-Washington-Invitational/video/441698-W-4x400-H03
 
white lightning

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Great updates trackster. You are the man. I go to flotrack.org alot. Was watching some of the Penn State Meet yesterday. For Purdue, Shane Crawford finished 3rd yesterday in a time of 6.78 in the 60 meters. It's frustrating that like with alot of other young track athletes, he seemed to have either peaked in high school(10.34), or the injuries have just not allowed him to ever get back to that level. I had hoped he would have progressed a little further along. I really think that both Crawford and LeBlanc could have been very good if they wouldn't have experienced such serious injuries. They were both just never the same after that. Similar to Christian Blum as well. Still hoping they can prove me wrong and revive their careers.
 
albinosprint

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Blum off to a good start. I would like to see him regain is form from 2 years ago.
 
white lightning

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Here is another young femaletrack athleteto watch for the future. Her name is Dafne Schippers and she is very easy on the eyes.She had quite the weekend in Europe.




The Netherlands' 2010 World Junior Championships heptathlon gold medallist champion Dafne Schippers also showed off her prowess as a sprinter when she won the 60m in a national junior 60m best of 7.28, having already broken the national junior best earlier in day with her run of 7.33 in the heats.


Schippers is only 18 and still eligible to compete in the 2011 European Athletics Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, this summer.Edited by: white lightning
 
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