Running into the Postseason 🏃♂️
Building the Saint Mary Dynasty, Pittsburg State Dominance, and a WR
Big Things Are (Still) Happening in Leavenworth
During the 2014-2015 school year, Alstin Benton became the head coach of both the Saint Mary Cross Country and Track & Field programs. Benton has had a long history with the sport, competing at Cowley College and Friends University (Marathon school record holder) for four years before graduating with a degree in Health and Physical Education. After a short stint as an assistant coach, Benton made the transition to head coach, and he has turned Saint Mary into both a KCAC powerhouse and a consistent NAIA championship contender. Overall, the Spires have won 14 KCAC titles in cross country, 3 in indoor track & field, along with 3 more in outdoor. He’s coached 13 All-Americans in cross country, along with 54 All-Americans in track & field. Four Spire athletes have won national titles under Benton as well, with Luke Skinner winning the indoor 1000m in 2019 and 2021, and Christian Graham and Tony Weber winning the outdoor marathon in both 2017 and 2018. The men’s DMR also topped the NAIA in 2019, thanks to the quartet of Skinner, Darion Allen, Phillip Lagemann and Eric Vazquez. For his success with the men, he’s been named KCAC coach of the year 14 times across all three seasons, and the NAIA South Central Region Coach of the Year. Coach Benton isn’t in it for the recognition, but is in it to see growth and development in his athletes. His résumé alone makes him an incredible coach, but the fact that he also happens to be an all-around and genuine guy really helps seal the deal.
This last week I was able to send some questions over to Coach Benton to help both myself and whoever’s reading this understand the ins and outs of what’s going on in Leavenworth, and how the Spires have become a national caliber program in all three sports.
What's the biggest contributing factor in turning the program into a consistent national power on each side?
“In my opinion, it is a few different factors and hard to target only one specific thing. Firstly, whenever I first got to Saint Mary nine years ago, the student-athletes in our program had begun creating a culture that was hard to beat. I know culture is such a cliché word and is probably overused these days, but it is hard to dismiss something so influential in our success. If I tried to define the culture of our program, it would be passionate for the sports of XC and TF, passionate for the success of each other, and passionate about challenging our individual selves to get the most out of everything we do. Secondly, I have been lucky to be able to surround myself with a fantastic coaching staff that is just as passionate as our athletes, in addition to mentors that have helped more than I could ever thank them. Lastly, it is hard to find a school as supportive as USM whenever it comes to the sports of cross country and track and field. Often, our sport is one of the sports that gets ignored or is more recently on the chopping block. I have never felt like we are a 2nd class sport at USM, and that is just awesome to have.”
What sets Saint Mary apart from the rest of the NAIA?
Our Student-Athletes. I can’t imagine anyone being as lucky as me or enjoying their job as much as I do. I get stressed or overworked like anyone else, and I might not come to practice every day with a smile on my face, but I leave every day with a smile. I don’t think there is a better group of athletes to surround yourself within any division.
What traits/qualities do you look for when recruiting athletes to Saint Mary?
We recruit student-athletes who fit who we are and want to be a part of what we have going on at USM. I am less worried about your high school times and more about what you can bring to our program as a person. Some of our athletes that might have never made a top 7 in cross country or scored a point for us at the conference meet on the track, have had the most significant impacts on our program and me as a person/coach. I don’t "sell" our program whenever we recruit a student-athlete. I like to be as upfront as possible. I tell them who we are; I have them meet the team; I let them go on a regular student's admissions tour. If we are the right fit for them, that is what truly matters. I want athletes that know this is the best place in the world, and they wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
What do you want to be remembered for when your time is finished at Saint Mary?
Being someone who genuinely cared and wanted the best for every single athlete in sport and life.
Next, I asked Coach Benton about Garmin Clipboard, an app that him and his team use to help track essential data in terms of both their training and their health.
What is your favorite feature of Garmin Clipboard?
Every athletes run is in one place on an easy-to-access app. But outside of that, access to data that was near impossible to get accurately before, such as cadence and resting heart rate.
How has Garmin Clipboard helped you coach and lead each team (Men #2 & Women #5) to a top-five ranking during the season?
It has given me access to data that I did not have before. It's also really quick to get it. Essentially after practice, every athlete comes back up to our team room to do our post-run work, and their watch will sync to their phones in their backpack without them having to do anything. I can scroll down the list of runs/workouts and talk to athletes about anything I catch, like a high heart rate, slower run than usual, etc.. so that we can address it right away.
Lastly, I asked Coach Benton about Luke Skinner, one of the two athletes highlighted in last week’s newsletter.
To finish things up, can you tell me about Luke Skinner? Obviously, he’s one of the greatest Saint Mary athletes to be a Spire. What do you see him being able to accomplish over these next few months and possibly after he graduates? What sets him apart from the other athletes across the country?
Luke is a pretty exceptional athlete. When it comes to what sets Luke apart, simply he has all the physical tools to be successful, but he also works hard to get the most out of them. Often athletes have the tools but are unwilling to work or are willing to work but don’t have the tools to get the job done. When you get someone like Luke who has both, you have something unique. I also think the team has helped Luke become who he has become. I am sure Luke would agree that he would not be where he is today without the guys around him. I think Luke will continue to accomplish a lot over the next several months; he will likely graduate as the most decorated athlete in Saint Mary history. We try not to focus on exact accomplishments in our program as often there are times when we cannot control precise outcomes; we can only control ourselves and what we bring to the table. I think post-collegiate, if Luke chooses to continue running, the sky is the limit for him. I have seen several great NAIA athletes, athletes like Sam Atkin (2020 Olympian), Eric Avila ( US 1 mile champ and Adidas athlete), and Isaac Updike (a top US steeplechaser in 2021), set their sights on big goals post-college and do great things.
Reading through Coach Benton’s responses confirmed a lot of things about him and the program at Saint Mary. He isn’t just a coach who wants to gain accomplishments and see a lot of success, he wants each and every athlete to leave Saint Mary a better person than they came in, and knowing that they got everything they could out of their time in Leavenworth.
Pittsburg State Track & Field Dominance
Just a few months ago in Saint Leo, Florida, the Pittsburg State men’s cross country team ended their season with a 15th place finish at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. The hungry Gorilla squad quickly made both the MIAA and the nation aware of the talent they were working with. The distance men used their success in the Fall as momentum, and now it seems that the entire program is performing at the highest level.
In the most recent USTFCCCA rankings, the Gorillas jumped from 3rd to 1st, the program’s first #1 ranking in its history. In Division II, there are seventeen events during the indoor season that are at the national meet, and the Pittsburg State men have had at least one athlete/relay hit the provisional mark for all of the 17 events. Yes, you read that right. Pittsburg State has 16 different athletes that have either hit the provisional mark individually, or as part of a relay.
Starting with speed, Tevin Wright-Rose, Braylen Brewer, Nizar Alarahshun and Sam Tudor make up the Gorilla’s sprint squad. Wright-Rose currently sits 40th in DII in the 60m dash with his 6.85, but still has a few more weeks to try and chip a tenth of a second off and work his way into the top sixteen. In the 200m, Brewer ran a blazing 21.16, his second school record from last weekend, a time good enough for 4th in DII. The 400m squad may be one of the nation’s most dangerous, as the Gorillas have the 2nd, 3rd and 13th fastest men in the nation. This past weekend, Brewer ran a school record time of 46.59, the second fastest 400m in DII and the 24th fastest time ran among ALL collegians in the country. Right behind him is Alarahshun in 47.43, with Tudor a few spots back in 13th, with a season best of 48.05. The sprint squad is strong, but the mid-distance and distance team has quite a long list of qualifiers that only adds depth to the already scary team.
Mason Strader and Matt Wilson both qualified in the 800m, running 1:52.21 and 1:52.41, the 39th and 46th fastest times this season. In the mile, Strader, an All-American last March, currently sits 11th with his 4:02.61, and looks to move up a few spots as he’ll be in the fast heat this weekend at the Arkansas Qualifier. The 3000m squad consists of Bryce Grahn, Matthew Oglesby and Strader, with Grahn currently ranked 14th in DII, after his 8:05.66 this past weekend. Oglesby and Strader, though just eight and twelve seconds behind Grahn, sit in 37th and 57th in DII. Oglesby is the lone representative in the 5000m, sitting in 41st with a time of 14:24.65 that was ran way back in December.
TJ Caldwell, the only hurdler to hit the provisional mark is ranked 8th, running 7.96 in the 60mH, and is one of just ten athletes to go under 8 this season.
The 4x400m and the Distance Medley Relay may be two of Pittsburg State’s strongest events, as the 4x400m is the fastest team in the country, and the DMR are the reigning champs and sit less than a second behind the American International squad in the lead. The 4x400m returns every member of last year’s 5th place All-American relay, and adds Brewer, one of the only two men in DII to run 47 this season. Let’s just say, both squads *knock on wood* have strong chances of cross the line first.
Henry Kiner and Hunter Jones make up the jump team, as Jones likes to handle the high jump while Kiner takes care of business in the long and triple. Jones, a multi-athlete, sits in 3rd in the high jump after clearing 7’ 1” last weekend, joining six other men to clear 7 feet. Kiner is ranked 7th in the long jump with his mark of 24’ 6.25”, and leads the nation in the triple jump by over four inches with his jump of 52’ 1.25”, the only mark over 52 by any DII athlete this season.
Cameron Johnson is is the lone Gorilla in the pole vault as he’s ranked 20th with his clearance of 16’ 1.75”.
In the shot put, the Gorillas have two athletes in the top fifteen, with Konner Swenson ranked 5th and Cole Sample ranked 13th. Swenson has thrown as far as 59’ 11” this season, while Sample isn’t too far behind with a throw of 57’ 2”. In the weight throw, Swenson’s toss of 60’ 3.75” has him in 36th place in Division II.
Finally, one of the most impressive events in all of track & field (in my opinion), the Heptathlon. Personally, any multi athlete is extremely talented since they have the physical capability to sprint 60m, both over hurdles and without, while also having the endurance to run 1000m. Along with the skills required to long jump, shot put, high jump, and pole vault, the athletic prowess that a multi-athlete has will never cease to amaze me. The Gorillas have themselves a pretty successful athlete in this category, as Hunter Jones sits in 12th in DII, just over 200 points outside of the top 9.
Based off of a very handy meet scoring tool built by Cloud Training Systems, Pittsburg State is projected to score 63.5 points at the national meet *knock on wood*, the most by any team. As we all know by now, virtual meets mean very little because anything can happen in track & field, but I think this team will be more than ready to take care of business, especially since they’ll have home field advantage at the Robert W. Plaster Center. The national championship goes through Pittsburg in 2022, and boy am I excited. With less than a month to go until the show, we’ll see how the Gorillas plan to defend their turf.
Jakob Ingebrigsten Breaks 1500m Indoor WR🇳🇴
If you can, close your eyes and imagine that in the last six months, you have won an Olympic gold medal in the 1500m and set a world record at the same distance, but indoors. You’re no ordinary runner, you’re Jakob Ingebrigsten. If you’re reading this on Friday, the 18th, then Jakob broke the record just yesterday in Lievin. I remember reading about Jakob years ago when he was 16 or 17 and was running crazy times for his age, and I thought to myself how nice it would be to have the talent to run in the mid-13’s for a 5k at just 16 years old. Five years later, the now 21-year-old Norwegian is one of the most successful, exciting and talented runners in the world right today. With that being said, do not expect this to be anywhere near his last world record, I’m pretty confident he’s a got a few good years left. He has tremendous range for a primarily 1500m runner, having personal bests of 1:46.44 for 800m, a 1500m/Mile combo of 3:28.32/3:47.24 and a ridiculous 12:48.45 for 5000m. Did I mention he won the European Cross Country Championships in December? He can literally do whatever he wants and see success, must be nice. Back to the 1500m WR before I get too far off track. The former WR holder Samuel Tefera was actually in the race with Ingebrigsten, and held his own for roughly 5 1/2 laps, but the Olympic gold medalist pulled away to win by three seconds. The gold medalist closed in 55.52 over the last 400m, and a 27.54 final lap on the 200m track. If you have a chance, you should go watch the video of the race. Disclaimer, it’s in French but it was the only race that didn’t have a pay wall. I took Spanish in high school, so that had no benefits during the video, but I can imagine the commentators were saying something along the lines of “Wow, he’s fast”, or something similar. What Jakob did in Lievin surely gets people excited for the World Championships this year, especially with the competition he’ll have. Since he’s an active reader of the newsletter, I want to personally tell Jakob congratulations on the world record.
Before Jakob decided to run that fast, I wanted to write about how 75 guys have broken 4 in the mile in Division I, and how 69 women have ran 4:40 or faster, but it seems like that’s a story for next week. Who knows, maybe the list will be up to 80 and 70 by then.
Dose of Weekend Programming
KCAC Indoor Track & Field Championships
📅 February 18, 2022-February 19, 2022
📍Wichita State, Heskett Center
📊 Heartland Timing Live Results
Heart of America Indoor Track & Field Championships
📅 February 18, 2022-February 19, 2022
📍 Northwest Missouri State-Hughes Fieldhouse
Black Squirrel Timing Live Results
Arkansas Qualifier
📅 February 18, 2022
📍Arkansas-Randal Tyson Track Center
NJCAA Region VI Indoor Track & Field Championships
📅 February 19, 2022-February 20, 2022
📍Pittsburg State-Robert W. Plaster Center
Steve Miller Invitational
📅 February 18, 2022
📍Kansas State-Ahearn Fieldhouse
📊 Accudata Timing Service Live Results
Alex Wilson Invitational
📅 February 19, 2022
📍Notre Dame, Loftus Sports Center
📊 Endurance Race Timing Live Results
Thanks to all of you, we are continuing to move up in subscribers every week and I wanted to thank each and every one of you that reads this. I never thought that there would actually be an audience for a newsletter about Kansas track and field, but look at us now. Next week we’ll get to talk about the conference championships that are taking place this weekend, and begin to shift focus to the outdoor season as we begin to preview the top returning high schoolers. If you want us to talk about anything in particular, please let us know in our DM’s, because they are always open. As always, if you know anyone who you think would enjoy this newsletter, don’t hesitate to send it to them! Have a great weekend, and go enjoy some track and field for us.