Alan Webb edging out Andy Dowin for the win in his 1500 heat. Photo by Don Ryan of AP.
EUGENE, OR -- Today at the USATF National meet held in Eugene, Oregon, high school school phenom Alan Webb from South Lakes HS right here in our very own state of Virginia, won his heat of the 1500 in 3:45.77. A more tactical race rather than for time as Webb was stuck in the middle of the pack for the first 800 as the leaders hit that mark in 2:05.8. He got out of the box he was in and a roaring last lap as he closed with a 53.6 last 400 and a 25.5 for the last 200. In his heat, Webb beat seasoned veterans such as Jason Pyrah and Sharif Karie.
Webb was able to "cruise" his race unlike other favorites in the 1500 finals. Excluding Webb, the Colorado State's Bryan Berryhill has been the hottest 1500 runner around as he was an NCAA Champion for the indoor and outdoor track season in the 1500 and he had the fastest time out of all the heats, winning his race in 3:40.47. However, he was one of the many older and experienced runners that Alan Webb humbled with his amazing last lap kick at the Prefontaine Classic. Another collegiate runner looking to challenge Webb is last year's Olympic Trial 1500m champion, Stanford's Gabriel Jennings. Jennings won his heat in 3:40.80 and made it clear that he wasn't backing down from anyone in the finals, especially high schooler Alan Webb. His words were, "I'm not going to lose to any high school kid."
While everyone else in the track running world seems to not be able to get enough of Alan Webb, it seems as though the other top 1500 meter runners in the nation aren't so willing to great him so warmly when Webb toes the line with them at 6:15 PM EST Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene. How will the school boy from Reston respond to the hostility from his seasoned competititors? Regardless, this race looks to be a barnburner with the likes of Senecca Lassiter, Michael Stember, Berryhill, Jennings, and of course the high school mile record holder, Alan Webb.
