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Oliver Hoare, Cory McGee and Ce'Aira Brown Earn Memorable Middle-Distance Victories at Music City Distance Carnival

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DyeStat.com   Aug 16th 2020, 7:37am
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Hoare eclipses 1982 mark by Scott to run fastest 1,500-meter time on Tennessee soil, with McGee edging Team Boss teammate Coburn in women’s 1,500 and Brown holding off Edwards in 800; Tuntivate, Everson and Abdulkarim enjoy breakthrough efforts with impressive victories, with Saruni winning men’s 800

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Whether it was the On Athletics Club debut for Oliver Hoare, the outdoor season openers for Ce’Aira Brown and Kaela Edwards, or another exciting chapter in the friendly summer rivalry involving friends, New Balance athletes and Team Boss members Cory McGee and Emma Coburn, the Music City Distance Carnival showcased stars in several distance events Saturday night at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tenn.

The meet also presented unique chances for breakthrough track performances from Kieran Tuntivate, Farah Abdulkarim and Hannah Everson, in addition to a long-awaited opportunity at another national record for Sri Lankan standout Hiruni Wijayaratne.

The end result was four elite meet records and the fastest men’s 1,500-meter performance ever on Tennessee soil, with another all-time mark just missed in the women’s 1,500.

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Hoare, the 2018 NCAA Division 1 outdoor 1,500 champion at Wisconsin, set the meet record by clocking 3 minutes, 34.63 seconds, also eclipsing the 1982 mark of 3:34.92 by American distance legend Steve Scott for the fastest time produced on Tennessee soil.

“Having the pacers here and all the talent, I was hoping it was going to come together,” Hoare said on the live Webcast after covering the final lap in 55.50 seconds.

“I worked from the front and I pushed out a great time, so I’m stoked.”

Hoare equaled the No. 9 performer in the world this year and ascended to the No. 11 all-time Australian athlete, leading seven competitors under 3:40 – including six running personal bests – with former Oregon standout and adidas professional Sam Prakel taking second in 3:36.54. Another Australian talent and adidas athlete Cameron Griffith, an Arkansas graduate, won the second section in 3:40.28 to place ninth overall.

“I think if we went out a little quicker, it would have been even better, but it was just very consistent and it shows that my strength is there, which is exciting, along with my speed,” Hoare said. “I’m happy to come away with a good time.”

McGee and Coburn, already the two fastest outdoor mile performers in the world this year from their Team Boss race July 25 at Indiana Wesleyan University, had their third head-to-head matchup in seven weeks. And just like the previous two showdowns, the outcome wasn’t decided until the final stretch.

After Brown returned following her victory in the 800 to pace the race through 1,000 meters in 2:42.28, McGee took the lead with 250 meters remaining and never relinquished control to edge Coburn by a 4:03.64 to 4:03.82 margin. Coburn had set the meet record by running 4:05.24 last year.

“We just have a great time together, but we also have a high standard of excellence and so to come out here and go first and second, we’re really proud for New Balance, for Team Boss and to end our season of real racing with PRs is good,” said Coburn, whose previous 1,500 best was 4:04.40 in Memphis last year.

McGee, who ran a 4:03.82 split for 1,500 meters in Indiana en route to clocking 4:21.81 in the mile, just missed the all-time Tennessee soil mark of 4:03.37 achieved in 1982 by Mary Decker.

“We knew we could trust (Ce’Aira) so much and she provided us with perfect pacing, and so really, we just needed to try to be as close to her as we could be,” said McGee, who elevated to the No. 4 global outdoor performer this year, with Coburn at No. 6.

“Emma and I worked together that last lap, and I did want to run a little faster, but I’m just so happy with running a PR, so I can’t complain.”

Former Wisconsin standout Alicia Monson, representing On Athletics Club, ran a personal-best 4:12.12 in her professional debut to place ninth. Arkansas senior Taylor Werner, competing unattached, also achieved a lifetime-best by clocking 4:13.53 for 10th. Notre Dame graduate and HOKA ONE ONE New Jersey New York Track Club athlete Danielle Aragon won the second section in 4:14.25.

Brown and Edwards both had aspirations of becoming the first American athlete to produce a sub-2 outdoor effort in the 800 this year, and possibly take aim at the 2015 meet record of 1:59.78 established by Molly Ludlow.

Despite a strong finish by Edwards, she couldn’t get past Brown, who prevailed by a 2:00.31 to 2:00.39 margin in a wire-to-wire victory. The athletes elevated to the Nos. 7 and 8 performers in the world this year, with Great Britain’s Hannah Segrave placing third in the race in 2:02.35.

“It was a good rust-buster,” said Brown, a HOKA ONE ONE athlete competing for the first time since she began training with Ajee' Wilson under new coach Derek Thompson.

“It was different for me today because usually I don’t take the lead for the whole race, but we’ve been doing a lot of strength work, so I just wanted to see what I could do.”

Edwards, training under boyfriend and coach Chad Noelle in Colorado, ran the fastest opener of her career with splits of 58.9 and 61.4.

“There are so many moving parts right now and things can change really quickly, so I wanted to make the best of this race, because there is a chance this could be my only race if anything happens,” Edwards said. “I would have liked to have broken 2:00, but 2-flat is pretty dang good. I’m super excited to see what opportunities lie ahead with the training because I think there is a lot more to show for.”

Garden State Track Club’s Ersula Farrow, an LSU graduate, won the second section in 2:05.33.

Tuntivate, a former Harvard standout who announced earlier in the summer he was transferring to Texas to complete his outdoor eligibility next year, led five athletes producing sub-4 efforts in the men’s mile by setting a Thailand national record with his victory in 3:57.87.

Tuntivate, who elevated to the No. 4 outdoor performer in the world this year, also eclipsed the Thai 1,500 record by clocking 3:43.53 en route to his final effort. He had to rally past Florida State’s Kasey Knevelbaard, who split 3:43.07 at 1,500, before taking second overall in 3:58.08.

Former Houston athlete Brian Barraza, representing adidas, took third in 3:59.09, with Michigan graduate and Nike athlete Mason Ferlic clocking 3:59.45 and Under Armour professional Jacob Dumford, a Notre Dame alumnus, running 3:59.61 as the top seven finishers all ran personal bests.

Everson, a member of the U.S. Air Force World Class Athlete Program, surged past Texas A&M graduate and Hansons-Brooks athlete Natosha Rogers in the final 300 meters to prevail in the women’s 5,000 in 15:31.97.

Everson, who ran 15:57.78 in October in China, eclipsed the 2004 meet record of 15:42.30 established by Great Britain’s Catherine Berry. Rogers clocked 15:34.75, as six athletes ran under 16 minutes.

Wijayaratne, a Kentucky graduate, set her 11th Sri Lankan national record in track or road races by clocking 16:17.51 to place 15th, just behind a huge personal-best 16:17.35 effort from Adams State fifth-year senior Kaylee Bogina, a member of the defending NCAA Division 2 cross country national championship team.

The reigning South Asian Games marathon gold medalist, Wijayaratne held every national running record for her country from the mile to the marathon, except for the 5,000, until she completed her career goal with Saturday’s performance.

Canada swept the top two spots in the men’s 5,000, with Ole Miss talent Abdulkarim running a personal-best 13:37.57 to hold off Michigan graduate Ben Flanagan, who clocked 13:38.98.

Abdulkarim, who has been training in Flagstaff, Ariz., during the summer, broke the meet record of 13:43.44 set last year by Willy Fink.

Former UTEP star and 2018 Division 1 indoor champion Michael Saruni, representing Kenya, won the men’s 800 in 1:46.13, ahead of Guyana’s Quamel Prince (1:46.42). James Gilreath of Team Green prevailed in the second section in 1:49.50.



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