Publication Date: Friday, June 11, 2004
NCAA TRACK
Stanford duo set for duel in the 1,500
Stanford duo set for duel in the 1,500
(June 11, 2004) by Keith Peters
When it comes to college running this decade, the Stanford men have been to the 1,500 meters that Smarty Jones was to the Triple Crown.
Almost perfect.
Since 2000, the Cardinal thoroughbreds have dominated the metric mile in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships like no other university - winning three of the four titles contested.
That streak of near-perfection could continue this weekend when Stanford teammates Donald Sage and Grant Robison take on America's best collegians in the 84th annual national collegiate championships in Austin, Texas.
Robison, a senior, is the defending champion. He won the 2003 finals at Sacramento State in 3:40.39. Sage won the 2002 title in 3:42.65. He redshirted the 2003 season while recovering from an injury suffered during the '03 indoor campaign.
Both followed in the footsteps of Gabe Jennings, who captured the 2000 NCAA title at 1,500 meters in 3:37.76 and helped the Stanford men win their first collegiate outdoor track title since 1934.
Those three are Stanford's only NCAA champions in their event, one the Cardinal could win again when the finals are held Saturday on the University of Texas campus.
Sage has the No. 1 seed time of 3:40.31 while Robison is No. 8 at 3:41.43. Sandwiched between them are the other six-fastest runners in the college ranks this season.
"It's pretty wide open," Sage said of the field. "I don't think people regard us as the favorites, but Grant and I are very confident in our abilities."
They should be. Sage came to Stanford in 2000 as the nation's No. 1-ranked freshman in the 1,500 meters. He was fifth in his NCAA debut in 2001 in 3:39.27, a freshman school record. That time, however, is still his fastest as a collegian.
Robison wasn't as highly regarded as Sage his freshman year and ran the 5,000 instead of the metric mile. Since then, however, Robison had moved quickly through the ranks. He was ranked No. 3 in the U.S. by Track & Field News magazine after clocking a personal record of 3:35.75 in Europe last summer. That earned him the "A" standard for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, should Robison make the USA team next month in Sacramento.
The buildup for the Olympic Track and Field Trials is another reason why Sage and Robison have yet to close in on their personal bests this season. They know they'll need to peak at the trials to make the Olympic team, and both certainly have the talent to do just that.
This season, then, has been a step-by-step process to get both runners there. While the Olympic Trials are a huge part of their seasons, however, both realize the importance of the NCAA meet, as well.
"Of course, I think about the Trials," Sage said. "It's going to be an exciting summer. Right now, I'm focusing mainly on the NCAAs."
As is Robison.
"It is a big deal to think it's the last time I'll wear Stanford colors," Robison said. "I'd like to go out on a good note, for sure. We both would be disappointed with something less than stellar."
Robison and Sage are in a position to duplicate the feat accomplished in 2000 by another tandem of Stanford runners - Jennings and Michael Stember, who went 1-2, respectively, at the NCAA meet and then went 1-3 at the Olympic Trials to earn trips to Sydney, Australia.
Jennings and Stember still had to go to Europe to get their Olympic "A" qualifying standards, something Sage would have to do should he finish among the top three in Sacramento and still not have the 3:36.20 qualifier.
What Jennings and Stember did - perform at their peak at NCAAs and make the Olympic team - shows Robison and Sage that it can be done.
Stanford will have a number of athletes competing at the NCAA meet this weekend who are focusing on both the collegiate nationals and Olympic Trials.
Sophomore Alicia Craig, who earlier this season broke the collegiate record in the 10,000, was favored to defend her title Thursday night. She also hopes to be a factor in Sacramento, as should junior 5K standout Sara Bei, freshman miler Arianna Lambie, shot putter Jill Camarena and 5K veteran Louis Luchini.
Bei, who watched teammate Lauren Fleshman run to three straight NCAA titles at 5,000 meters, gets her chance Saturday night. Her best NCAA finish was 12th in 2002, but she has the No. 3 qualifying mark of 15:36.21.
Lambie has the No. 4 qualifying time of 4:13.14 (a freshman school record) in the 1,500 while Camerana ranks No. 3 in the shot put with a school record of 59-6 3/4. Luchini has the No. 2 time (a school record of 13:25.19) in the men's 5,000, an event where he ran second at nationals last season.
Junior Ian Dobson also will be counted upon in the 3,000 steeplechase. While his qualifying mark of 8:43.43 doesn't put him among the top eight, his season best and school record of 8:32.09 run at the Payton Jordan U.S. Open on May 31 ranks as the nation's fastest collegiate time.
E-mail a friend a link to this story. | 
