MEN'S TRACK: Shay fails to qualify for NCAA championships in 3,000
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Sports Writer
Ryan Shay came up a second short.
After taking the fall cross-country season off to recover from a summer of intense training in preparation for the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials, Shay will be competing in only one event at this week's NCAA national championships after narrowly missing a berth in the 3,000-meter run at last weekend's Alex Wilson Invitational.
The senior All-American had already secured a spot in the indoor championships following his school-record 5,000-meter run at the Meyo Invitational. His 13:52.66 effort earlier this season earned him an automatic bid for this week's championships and ranked him fourth in the nation in that event.
But Shay was still chasing a bid in the 3,000 meters. He was close to the necessary time and had one last chance to qualify Saturday.
Shay ran an 8:05.44, good enough for third place and about five seconds under the provisional time he needed to meet. That time ranked him 20th in that event nationally.
It wasn't high enough.
The final time taken in the 3,000 was 8:04.44, just one second faster than Shay's effort on Saturday. However, the senior will be still be competing in the 5,000-meter run Friday night.
"He'll definitely be running in the 5,000, and he's seeded fourth," said Irish head coach Joe Piane.
While no Notre Dame male earned an NCAA berth at the Alex Wilson Invitational, many turned in strong performances in a meet Irish coaches used as preparation for the outdoor season.
"We really wanted to focus on getting ready for the outdoor season," said Irish coach John Millar. "That's what this meet was all about."
Millar was especially pleased with the performances of his 400 runners.
Freshman James Bracken led the horde of Irish runners by finishing in a tie for fourth place with Eastern Illinois' Jerrod Macklin. He ran a 48.18, and Millar feels the talented freshman can go even faster.
"I'm really excited to see what James can do for us outdoors," he said.
Many of the Notre Dame athletes in the 400-meter dash broke several significant personal barriers. Mike Mansour ran a personal-best 48.8 — the first time the junior broke the 49-second barrier. Meanwhile, a pair of freshmen ran under the 50-second barrier. Napoleon Suarez finished 11th in 49.56, while Nick Saracco was right behind him with a 49.8.
"Our 400 guys had a great weekend," Millar said. "I think it's important that they've gotten past some of those mental barriers right before the outdoor season."
Notre Dame got another strong mile performance from Patrick Conway, who ran a personal-best 4:06.89, good enough for third place. Teammate Sean Zanderson finished 12th in that event with a 4:12.51.
As they have all season long, the Irish did an outstanding job in the field events. In the high jump, Big East champion Andrew Cooper won the event with a jump of 6 feet, 8.75 inches.
Long jumper Tom Gilbert won the long jump with a leap of 22-11.75. Gilbert, who also took third in the 200 and sixth in the 60, led a group of four Notre Dame long jumpers. No other athletes outside of Notre Dame competed in the event.
In the 35-pound weight throw, the Irish placed second through sixth. Sophomore Brian Thornberg led the Irish by throwing 51-8.5.
Sprinter Travis Davey also had a solid day. The senior placed third in the 60 with a time of 7.00 and took fifth in the 200 with a 22.01.
With the exception of Shay, who will compete this weekend at the NCAA Indoor National Championships, the Notre Dame track and field team will have three weeks off before they travel to Arizona State for their first outdoor meet of 2001 on March 30.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, March 6, 2001
