We knew it was going to be exceptional when on the way to the races, Luke said to Matt and Julie, "PAIN IS GOOD".
(MORE TOMORROW....Here are some photos taken by Dan Petty...)
48 athletes toed the starting line in the 10K. Junior, Matt Llano got into position early and shadowed the leaders setting the pace. Tonight was about racing people. Finish times did not matter...only the top 12 men across the finish line at the end of the 25 lap race advanced to the NCAA Championship Final in Eugene, OR in 2 weeks. Early on there was a huge pack of 25 runners...but slowly they dropped off the lead pack 1-by-1.
By 2 miles there were still 20 athletes in the lead pack but some of the other top seeds were showing signs of fatigue while Llano looked like he was cruising.
At 5K (14:55) the pack was still 18 strong and the intense humidity was claiming victims as athletes tried to grab water to cool themselves...
With 2 miles to go the pack was down to 14...and with 1 mile to go Chelenga was leading and there were only 8 left in the lead chase pack. With 2 laps to go Llano dropped the hammer covering the final 800M in 2:13. That was what he needed to secure 4th place and a spot at the NCAA Championship Final in Eugene, OR on June 10th.Llano's 10K splits:
74.6/71.1/70.7/70.6=4:47.2 at 1 mile
70.8/69.6/69.7/71.9=9:29.3 at 2 mile
73.8/72.1/72.2/72.2=14:19.9 at 3 miles
---------------14:55.4 at 5K
71.5/72.6/73.3/71.8=19:10.1 at 4 miles
73.1/73.3/72.2/72.2=24:01.2 at 5 miles
71.8/72.2/70.2/66.2=28:42.1 at 6 miles
last 400M in 66.9= 29:48.54 for 10K to place 4th (His 2nd 5K was 14:53.1)
Junior, Julie Rechel has gained tremendous confidence throughout the spring season. She came into tonight's race with the 48th best performance and ended the season by placing 33rd in the NCAA National Championships East Semi-Final.
Head Women's Coach, Lori Taylor shouted encouragement to Rechel and Llano...
Rechel passing Auburn's Stephanie Barnes on her way to running 36:49.56...MORE TOMORROW... including Rechel's splits.
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Llano Takes Fourth In 10,000m, Clinches NCAA National Championship Berth
Matt Llano finished fourth in the 10k, while Julie Rechel was 33rd in the women's 10k.
by Mike DeGeorge
Richmond SID
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Junior Matt Llano placed fourth overall in the 10,000m Thursday night as action began at the 2010 NCAA East Regional in Greensboro, N.C. The fourth-place finish clinched Llano a spot in the NCAA National Championship.
Llano was clocked in a time of 29:48.54 and cruised through the extremely humid conditions late Thursday night in Greensboro. Of the field of 48 men's runners, only 31 finished the full 10,000m.
"Matt was great tonight in very tough conditions," said head men's coach Steve Taylor. "He looked easy compared to most everyone. There were 48 starters in the men's race and only 31 finishers. That tells a lot about the conditions."
The top 12 finishers in each event this weekend earn berths to the NCAA National Championship, set for June 9-12 in Eugene, Ore. Liberty's Sam Chelanga won the men's 10,000m in a time of 29:27.20.
For the women, junior Julie Rechel finished 33rd in the women's 10,000m in a time of 36:49.56. The women battled the humid conditions as well as five of the 48 runners failed to finish.
For Richmond on Friday, sophomore Meaghan McGovern competes in the hammer throw at approximately 11 a.m., with freshman Dana Guglielmo running the 3,000m steeplechase at 9:15 p.m.
Stay tuned to RichmondSpiders.com for coverage throughout the weekend.
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