University of Oregon
New Balance Collegiate Invitational
Wheating, Kiptoo-Biwott Post Wins at the Armory; Rupp Breaks 3K Record
02/08/09 | Track and Field
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Andrew Wheating and Matthew Centrowitz led a 1-2 Oregon finish in the men's mile Saturday at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the Armory, while Luke Puskedra qualified for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Maryland.
Meanwhile in Boston, Galen Rupp shattered his own school record in the 3,000 meters and closed to within :06 seconds of the NCAA record in the event at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games.
Saturday night at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston, Rupp ran a personal best 7:44.69 in the 3,000 meters to finish second to Ethiopia's Bekana Daba, who won in 7:41.88. Fellow countryman Markos Geneti was third in 7:46.74, while Josh Rohatinsky of the United States was fourth in 7:49.55.
Rupp's time was less than :06 off the NCAA record of 7:38.59, set by Arkansas' Alistair Cragg in 2004. The senior from Portland, Ore., and 2008 Olympian at 10,000 meters broke his previous school record in the event, 7:54.19 in 2007, by nearly :10 seconds. The collegiate leader in the event recorded an NCAA Indoor Championships automatic qualifying mark on Saturday.
The Ducks' first trip to the New Balance meet at the historic Armory produced a number of NCAA Championships qualifying marks and school records.
Wheating's winning time, 3:59.11, was an NCAA Indoor Championship automatic qualifying time, while Centrowitz's 4:02.21 was an NCAA provisional qualifier.
Wheating's time was also the No. 2 indoor mile mark in school history, just ahead of Steve Prefontaine's 3:59.2 and trailing only A.J. Acosta's 3:58.52.
Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott won the men's 3,000 meters in 7:55.27. Kiptoo-Biwott's time was an NCAA Indoor Championships automatic qualifying mark, and was the second-fastest indoor 3,000 meters in school history.
Junior Keshia Baker broke her own school record in the women's 400 meters for the second straight day. After running 53.49 in Friday's preliminaries, Baker ran 53.38 in finishing fourth in Saturday's final, another NCAA provisional qualifier.
Sophomore Alexandra Kosinski recorded an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in finishing third in the mile in a time of 4:41.69.
Junior Nicole Blood reached and NCAA provisional mark, 9:20.21, in a fourth-place showing in the 3,000 meters.
Sophomore Jordan Stray set a personal best in the weight throw with an effort of 60-05.25 in a sixth-place finish.
Junior Ashton Eaton was fifth in the finals of the men's 400 meters, running 47.86.
Elsewhere Saturday, freshman Luke Puskedra finished third in the junior men's race at the 2009 USA Cross Country Championships in Derwood, Md. Puskedra ran 23:53, trailing only German Fernandez of Oklahoma State (23:20) and Chris Derrick (23:39).
The third place finish means Puskedra will be on Team USA and represent the United States in the junior race at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships on March 28 in Amman, Jordan.
Reebok Boston Indoor Games
Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center
3,000 Meters
1 Bekana Daba ETH 7:41.88
2 Galen Rupp USA 7:44.69
3 Markos Geneti ETH 7:46.74
4 Josh Rohatinsky USA 7:49.55
5 Brian Olinger USA 7:51.13
6 Adrian Blincoe NZL 7:53.98
7 Bolota Asmerom USA 7:56.10
-- Haron Lagat KEN DNF
-- Solomon Kandie KEN DNF
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