Cavaliers Win DMR With Martin's 3:48.12 Anchor To Fight Off North Carolina; Team Race Up For Grabs Going Into Saturday

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Tavan Smith Photos

INTERVIEWS

VIRGINIA BEACH - Gary Martin and Virginia put a hometown stamp on the Virginia Beach Sports Center on Friday night in the distance medley relay. 

Martin outdueled the collegiate record holder in the mile, passing Ethan Strand of North Carolina, on a sensational 3:48.12 anchor carry that produced a deafening roar from the packed crowd. 

Virginia ran a meet record 9:15.12 and North Carolina was second with 9:17.17,, with Strand splitting 3:49.23. Oregon was third in 9:17.57 with Elliott Cook splitting 3:51.77. 

"I just tried to settle in and stay calm early and wait for someone else to make a move," Martin said. "Ethan took it with, I think, 400 to go and I was saving a gear. I felt like I had another gear so I could sit there and just blast the last 150."

It was a bittersweet feeling for Strand, who broke the 3,000 and mile collegiate records this winter and wanted to make a statement this weekend with a DMR/3,000 double. 

"I'm upset for second because I think that's an event we could have won," Strand said. "Gary's incredible. It's a back and forth battle and I think we'll have that back and forth for many years to come."

In the other track final on Friday, Oklahoma State's Brian Musau ran a tremendous 25.82 final 200 to outsprint New Mexico's Habtom Samuel, who seemed in control and led during the middle part of the race. Seven men went under the meet record and Musau ran a time of 13:11.34. Samuel was next in 13:11.78.

Wake Forest sophomore Rocky Hansen was third in a personal best 13:12.65.

USC, one of the pre-meet team favorites, took a hit in the long jump. The Trojans were hoping for big points from JC Stevenson and Johnny Brackins, but they combined for just four points. Stevenson was sixth and Brackins was eighth after his sixth round jump was ruled a foul after some deliberation. Earlier, it had appeared Brackins' jump and moved him to seventh. 

The Trojans don't have much more room for err on Saturday, but there is still potential with two sprinters in the 60 final, two in the 200, one in the 400 and Brackins the favorite in the 60 hurdles. It is very much possible that the team race could come down to the 4x400 relay. 

In the men's pole vault, Duke's Simen Guttormsen was elated to outlast a strong field and win his first NCAA title after his older brother Sondre won three. 

Guttormsen achieved a new personal best when he cleared 5.71m (18-8.75) and won a hotly competitive pole vault in which nine men cleared 18-3 or better. Kobe Babin of South Florida was second and Hunter Garretson from Akron was third after both cleared 5.66m (18-6.75).

Wyoming's Daniel Reynolds, who wasn't good enough to make this meet last year, threw a lifetime best 25.08m and broke the meet record (82-3.50). He's the fourth athlete from Wyoming to win an NCAA Indoor title and the first in 20 years. 

While the USC jumpers underperformed, Texas' Kelsey Daniel dominated the men's long jump competition. He had the three longest jumps of the field and his 8.16m (26-9.25) won by nearly eight inches. 

Arkansas gained a bit on the formchart when Henry Kiner took third and Uroy Ryan got fifth for a total of 10 team points. 

Washington, which boasted 10 sub-four milers in its stable this year, will have two in Saturday's final: Nathan Green and Ronan McMahon-Staggs will be in the mix to try to bring the Huskies their sixth straight NCAA championship in the mile or outdoor 1,500. 

Peyton Bair of Mississippi State leads the men's heptathlon after the first day with 3,357 points thanks to an excellent start in the 60-meter hurdles to begin the two-day competition. Bair leads BYU's Ben Barton by 17 points and Miami's Edgar Campre by 60.