Men's CCAA Champs Preview

GET SOME!

It's time for conference, the end-all, encapsulating meet of the season. Everybody is peaking. Everybody is fresh. Who will be a champ, and who will be a chump?

Here's the entry list:

1500:
Eric Gutierrez - 3:59.9
Joey Nunes - 4:01
Dawson Vorderbruegge - 4:02


3k Steeplechase:
Martin Ramos - 9:32
Palmer Thiele - 10:36


5k:
Joey Nunes - 15:06
Dawson Vorderbruegge - 15:17
Eric Gutierrez - 15:32
Martin Ramos - 15:35
Shane Brookshire - 15:35
Palmer Thiele - 16:30's


10k:
Shane

Event by Event Outlook:

1500:
In the men's 1500, Eric Gutierrez has the fastest qualifying time on the team, but Joey and Dawson are all right on his heels. This type of big race is going to favor these runners, because Hogwarts is going to try and take it out slow in prelims, but Joey and Eric are going to want to push the pace from the gun to try and break off anybody that wants to sit and kick. For Dawson, this can also be a good thing, as he will be able to let it ride in about 4th place for prelims, and then outkick the kickers to make finals.

In finals, it will be a similar story. Hogwarts is going to try and coast and kick, while Joey and Eric work from the front and Dawson uses speed. It will be interesting to see who's on the starting line of this race, as the Warriors are currently seeded 14, 16, and 24, while only being separated by 3 seconds. Making finals will be an accomplishment in itself for the freshman, while Nunes should have his eyes on top 8 for sure.

3k Steeplechase:
Senior Senor Martin has his eyes on a conference championship in this event. After a disappointing performance 2 weeks ago at Mt. SAC, Martin is rip-rearin and ready to go. A provisional is definitely within reach for Martin, as long as he can maintain focus and compete well. Beau Rogers is the favorite in this event with a pr of 9:01, but I don't think he's going to run that fast at conference, especially if he thinks he's going to score in any other events. In my view, it's going to be a big pack for the first mile, then a hard separation of Rogers, Garcia, Ramos, and maybe a few others. If Martin can hold on, I know he has the strength to finish in the top 2.

For Palmer, this event has been a troublemaker all season. After several below-par races, it's time for Palmer to have his breakout race. I seriously think he'll go sub 10 and score for the Warriors, as long as he maintains focus, form, and can put that pain in the back of his head. Riding it with the pack that first mile will be key for Palmer, and then driving it home by picking off some runners in the last 800.

5k:
The 12.5 lapper is the final event of the meet on Saturday night. All the Warrior distance crew will line up for this meet and try to pick up some extra points for the team. I'm not expecting much from the steeplers, as their race is less than an hour before the 5k gun, but I'd love to be proved wrong. This race is going to be a battle of fatigue. Everyone is running something else, so it will be easy to see who can recover the best and put all that pain away for 15 minutes. Joey and Dawson are on a quest to break 15 minutes, and I think they'll both do it if they rest correctly and race smart. They'll have to go out at 72 pace, not sit back with the pack for 1200 or a mile. This might mean taking the lead, but so be it. Eric and Shane will have to work together and move up steadily to pick some people off and surprise some. I think this will be a great race, with the winners going just under 15 minutes, and at that pace, it's anyones game.

10k:
Shane Brookshire is lining up for his first oval 10k at Conference. This is for points mind you, and Shane is a competitor. Not a traditional 10k'er, Shane is looking to simply score and pick up some garbage points for the team, and I think he'll do it. He has an excellent base, and his recent workouts have fine tuned his pacing and patience. In the words of Mosquito, this race is a 4 mile tempo and a 2 mile race, which is good for Shane. He's strong at pacing where he needs to be, and has a kick that can close the deal. A 33 low or 32 high should pick up some much needed points for the shallow Warrior men.

The current performance list for the CCAA men can be found here:

http://www.flashresults.com/flashwest/lists/2009/09CCAA-m.htm