Represents U. S. in the 10,000m
GROSSETO, ITALY - 2004 CAA Rookie of the Year Keith Bechtol (Alexandria, VA) represented the United States this afternoon at the IAAF World Junior Championships, held in Grosseto, Italy. Bechtol, who came into the race ranked 24th in the world among juniors at that distance (the fastest American), finished 19th in the field of 25 runners. The highest-placing American in the race, he clocked a 31:45.99. Bechtol was only one of two Americans to compete in the race, having qualified thanks to his runner-up finish in the 10,000m at the USATF Junior Nationals in June and having broken the IAAF qualifying standard (30:30.00) earlier in the season.The race marks the end of what has been an incredible season for Bechtol, perhaps the finest ever campaigned by a Tribe freshman. Starting with a surprise championship win in the 5,000m at the CAA Championships, powering the Green and Gold to its second-straight conference title, Bechtol solidified his standing by capturing the 10,000m title at the IC4A Outdoor Championships. He set the fastest time by an American junior this season in the 10,000m, 29:58.13, which broke the W&M freshman record. An All-East honoree, Bechtol also qualified for the NCAA East Regional in the 5,000m, where he claimed a solid 10th.