Distance runners shine at Stanford Invitational

There was no lack of excitement at the 2012 Stanford Invitational.

With its pristine facilities and generally ideal weather, the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., annually brings in hordes of distance runners looking to run fast — and that’s exactly what the Buffs did on Friday.

First to toe the line was redshirt freshman Hugh Dowdy in the 1500-meter run. Dowdy showed good form, coming off of a strong indoor season. He ran 3:50.76, good enough for a personal best and fifth in his heat.

Sophomore Dillion Shije runs in the men's 3000-meter race at Potts Field in Boulder. On Friday the Buffs participated in the the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, California. (CU Independent/Robert R. Denton)

Junior Matt Biegner also raced the 1500-meter run during the evening session. Biegner took it out from the gun, running his first lap in a blazing 58 seconds. He lulled in the middle, moving back to fourth on the bell lap, but then made a big move with 200 meters to go to win his heat in a five-second personal best of 3:46.45.

In the men’s 5000-meter run, junior Aric Van Halen found himself in a very strong race. In the second-to-last heat, 30 runners toed the line with Van Halen, making it a congested race. Van Halen fought through a very physical contest and crossed the line with a new personal best of 14:01.91, eclipsing his old time by nearly 50 seconds.

Other impressive performances were churned out in the mens 10,000-meter run. In the first heat, CU seniors Christian Thompson and Martin Medina ran strong. Thompson ran a time of 29:13.59, which put him in 4^th place in a strong field. Medina wasn’t far behind his teammate. His time of 29:21.57 was good enough for 11^th in his heat, and a personal best by 45 seconds.

Competing in the fastest heat of the 10,000-meter run was senior Andy Wacker. Wacker found himself among elite company, competing against 2008 Olympian and former CU Buffalo Dathan Ritzenhein. Wacker finished towards the back of the heat but was only nine seconds off of his personal best, finishing in 29:19.95.

The women also looked strong in the 10,000-meter race. The three Buffs competing in the same heat were led by sophomore transfer Jana Stolting. Her time of 34:03.16 –– a personal best by 25 seconds –– put her in 11^th place. Camille Logan wasn’t far behind in 16^th place, improving her old record by 20 seconds to finish in 34:29.66. Redshirt freshman Rachel Viger finished in 32^nd place with a time of 35:06.26.

The only Buffalo to compete in the Saturday session was junior Elizabeth Tremblay. In the second section of the women’s 800-meter run, Tremblay ran a smart race. The leaders took the race out hard, moving through the first quarter-mile in 60.9 seconds. Tremblay moved up on the outside with 250 meters to go, but rubbed elbows with a runner from Iowa State and had to slow down a bit moving into the final curve. She hung on for sixth in her heat in a time of 2:08.33.

Several CU alumni ran strong at Stanford as well. Brent Vaughn, a 2008 graduate, ran to a second-place finish in the 5-kilometer race with a time of 13:31, hopefully notching himself an invite to the Olympic trials. Vaughn is the CU record holder in the event, having run a time of 13:18 on the same track just four years ago. Aldo Vega, a runner from Mexico who spent a year competing for CU in 2009-2010, ran a personal best in the same race, finishing in 13:39.37. Alumnus Kenyon Nueman was also in the heat. Racing against former teammates, Nueman ran a 14:01, good enough for 27^th place.  Former CU standout Dathan Ritzenhein won the 10-kilometer race in his outdoor debut, running a time of 28:21.

The Buffaloes find themselves in action again next weekend at the CU invitational in Boulder.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ryan Sterner at Ryan.sterner@colorado.edu.