Shay returns to 5,000 in record-setting pace
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Sports Writer
Before Notre Dame's first meet against Ball State and Western Michigan, Irish head coach Joe Piane said he wanted senior Ryan Shay to slowly become accustomed to racing again. After all, the All-American hadn't raced since he finished 10th in the 10,000-meter run at the Olympic Trials last August.
Piane wanted to move Shay along by running him in the mile, the 3,000 and the 5,000 in successive weeks and see how the star distance runner progressed.
After his 5,000-meter race last Friday, it's safe to say that Shay is coming along just fine.
Shay highlighted this weekend's Meyo Invitational by setting a school record in the 5,000-meter run. The senior ran a blazing 13 minutes, 52 seconds, the fastest Irish indoor 5,000 since Mike O'Connor ran 13:56 in 1990.
"I think he's progressing exceptionally well," Piane said. "Our plan is working, because Ryan just ran the second-fastest 5,000 in the nation."
Shay finished second in a talented field at this weekend's Meyo Invitational. The senior's time automatically qualifies him for the NCAA indoor finals to be held in March. Kyle Baker, one of the elite non-collegiate runners in the race, edged him out.
The talent level in the 5,000-meter run was so high that five runners ran fast enough to meet the automatic NCAA qualifying time, while an additional four posted the provisional qualifying time. The first five runners were separated by less than four seconds.
Piane plans to rest Shay next week, then enter him in the 3,000 and the 5,000-meter runs at the Big East conference meet on Feb. 17.
Shay wasn't the only runner to shine at the individual-oriented meet. Dozens of professional runners entered the meet, making the 14th annual Meyo Invitational one of the most talent-filled indoor invitationals in the nation.
Besides top individual athletes, the Irish got a good look at Big East foes Georgetown and Miami. In particular, Miami looked very impressive in the sprinting events. Even without their top sprinter, football star Santana Moss, the Hurricanes still claimed six of the top 12 spots in the 60-meter dash.
"Their team is basically sprinters and jumpers," said Piane. "But they have a lot of them."
Travis Davey was one of the few Irish sprinters to crack into the dominating sprint crew and place highly. Davey took fifth in the 60-meter dash, finishing in 6.92 seconds and won his heat in the 200 by running a 22.1, fast enough for seventh place.
"The thing about sprinting is you need races, you don't just go out and run fast every time, you just keep racing until you hit your peak," Irish sprints coach John Millar. "I was pleased with Travis' performance. He gave it all he had and held his own."
Despite Notre Dame's strong performance, Piane feels Georgetown is the team to beat in the Big East. The Hoyas' middle distance crew seemed nearly impossible to overcome. In fact, in the Meyo Mile, an event aimed at getting a collegiate runner under the magical four-minute barrier, Georgetown's Chris Miltenberg ran a 4:02.
"It's going to be a dogfight," Piane said. "I like our chances, but right now, the odds-on favorite has to be Georgetown."
The one event the Irish did dominate was the 500-meter dash, quickly shaping up to be one of Notre Dame's strongest events. Terry Wray led the event from start and finished in 1:04. Nick Setta and Mike Mansour finished in third and fourth place, only a half second behind Wray.
"Terry went out and tried to control the race, and I thought that was a real positive thing," Irish sprints coach John Millar said. "They all ran well, and I think that's an event where we go into the Big East meet and have a lot of depth."
Godwin Mbagwu had a great weekend for the Irish. He took third in the long jump with a 22 feet, 11 inch leap, and then won the triple jump with a 48-10 effort.
"He did fine this weekend," Irish field events coach Scott Winsor said. "He beat some really good jumpers."
The Irish also got a strong performance from Josh Heck in the pole vault. Heck cleared a personal-best 16-2 1/4 and took fifth place.
"I said earlier that I thought pole vaulting would be a concern, and that we needed some production out of that area," said Winsor. "Josh has responded very well. He had a good attempt at 16-9, and we're trying to get him on a bigger pole."
The 1,000-meter run was one of the most exciting races of the weekend. Sean Zanderson led the race up until the last lap, but he faded during the final sprint and finished seventh. However, Notre Dame got a strong performance from Tom Lennon, who ran a 2:28.8, good enough for third place.
"The guy who was the most surprising was Tom," said Piane. "He's been hurt, and his running as well as he did [Saturday] was a pleasant surprise."
Meanwhile, in the 400-meter dash, freshman James Bracken continued his surprising indoor season. Bracken finished in fourth place and ran a 48.63 despite running out of a slower heat.
"He's one of those guys that started out and faltered last week," Millar said, "and showed this week what he's capable of. The thing I see about him is that he competes, he goes out there and gives it all he's got."
Notre Dame will compete next Friday and Saturday at the Cannon IV Invitational in Indianapolis.
All Sports Stories for Monday, February 5, 2001
