Boys 3200m, Saturday, 10:55pm CT
Meet record: 8:43.24
Will It Be Broken? Yep.
Jesse Reiser (McHenry, IL) is the top returner from the 2014 Arcadia Invitational 3,200m, where he placed ninth with an 8:54.31 effort.
The heavy hitters from the class of 2014 are gone and there's a new crew in town. Last year's top five are gone, and 6th-place Connor Mantz is racing in Alaska at the Big C Relays. Is this a weak year for Arcadia? Not a chance. Jesse Reiser from McHenry, Illinois ran 8:54.31 in 2014 and finished 9th, making him the top returner in the field. His 6th/8th place finishes at NXN/Foot Locker are impressive and his lone 3200 race of 2015, a 9:02.48, came from an indoor race, according to MileSplit. Does Reiser have it in the bag? Not quite.
The trio that finished 12th-14th in the Arcadia 3200 will all be gunning for that top spot. Elijah Armstrong of Pocatello, Idaho is fresh off a New Balance Indoor Championship in the 5000m and ran 9:01.04 indoors for 3200 at the Simplot Games. Zach Dale out of Conant, Illinois finished sixth in the ever-competitive New Balance Indoor Two Mile, running 8:59.76. This marks his outdoor season debut. But the name on everyone's radar is junior Austin Tamagno. Tamagno's 4:06.26 for a full mile just a few weeks ago means the kid's got wheels. His 14:23.20 Mt SAC course record this fall blew our minds. His fifth-place finish at Foot Locker this fall means he knows how to compete in stacked fields. Our money is on Tamagno wanting to throw down an insane mark to let everyone know that his presence in the adidas Dream Mile come June should be feared.
So will Ben Saarel's 8:45 from 2013 be in danger!? Will Solinsky's 8:43 from 2003 be in danger!? It seems likely that these four young stars will all be aiming for a sub 8:50 time because, after all, this is the Arcadia Invite 3200m.
Prediction: Tamagno over everybody in 8:43.20
Article by Meg Bellino for FloTrack