2021 Camel City Elite Race Recaps

2021 Race Recaps

Women’s 3000m

The 2021 Camel City races were obviously a little different during Covid.  With no spectators in the facility, it definitely had a different vibe.  For recruiting of pros, we tried to focus on athletes who were relatively local and didn’t have to fly to the meet.  We also didn’t hire pacers and instead offered bonuses at intermediate stages of the race to get things going.  

From the gun, Schneider would take the pace and hit each of the three pace bonuses to pick up an extra $750.  She led them through 1600m in 4:49.78 with Steelman right behind her.  Schneider would close in 67.64 for the last 400m to win in 8:57 to pick up the sub 9:00 bonus.  She would take home a total of $7750 for the win and then would have about 45 minutes of rest before she came back to win the mile later that day.  Steelman would easily finish 2nd and would have qualified for NCAA indoors, but she opted to run just the 5k at the NCAA meet despite having the #9 time in the country.  Fegans would have also qualified with her time, but she would run faster at the ACC Indoor Championships.  Hannah Brookover would get into the NCAA indoor meet as the final time qualifier.

Celine Ritter of Lee University in Tennessee would run 9:11.05 and set the all-time NCAA Division II record for 3000m.  She would go on to win that event at the D2 national meet!

1. Schneider, Rachel – Under Armour – 8:57.01 ($7750)
2. Steelman, Hannah – NC State – 9:05.33
3. Johnson, Rachel – Unattached – 9:10.78 ($2000)
4. George, Sammy – Mountain South Elite – 9:11.05 ($1000)
5. Ritter, Celine – Lee (Tenn.) – 9:11.41 (NCAA D2 qualifer, D2 national record)
6. Freix, Sara – Unattached – 9:11.98
7. Fegans, Nicole – Georgia Tech – 9:13.59
8. Brookover, Hannah – Wake Forest – 9:17.98 (NCAA D1 qualifier)
9. Tuohy, Katelyn – NC State – 9:19.67
10. Kearney, Emily – Unattached – 9:20.00

 Men’s 3000m

The 2021 Camel City races were obviously a little different during Covid.  With no spectators in the facility, it definitely had a different vibe.  For recruiting of pros, we tried to focus on athletes who were relatively local and didn’t have to fly to the meet.  We also didn’t hire pacers and instead offered bonuses at intermediate stages of the race to get things going.  

With a smaller field than normal due to Covid, there were some interesting last-minute developments in this race.  On the Thursday prior to the race, Craig Nowak reached out and asked if he could compete.  After discussing it, we agreed to let him into the race, provided he could get a PCR test in time.  On Thursday afternoon, he got his Covid test and hopped on a plane from Phoenix on Friday morning.  He indicated that he wanted to redeem himself for a poor showing in the 2020 Camel City Mile.

The other development was that Peter Seufer was considering scratching, but we convinced him to stay in and handle the pacing duties for the first 1600m to pick up the pacing bonuses, which he did beautifully.  Seufer hit 1600m in 4:14.14 and then stepped off the track, with Comber of Villanova but running unattached taking over the lead.  Barraza would take over the lead at 2200m.  He would keep the lead until Nowak would make his move with 125m to go.  Nowak would close the last 400m in 58.26.

The collegians in this race did exceptionally well.  Comber and Makepeace (Butler) would have qualified for NCAAs if they had been running for their schools.  Meanwhile, Jaziri and Ponder would qualify easily for the NCAA D1 meet.  Behind them, the two Western Colorado runners would improve on their previous altitude qualifiers by running 7:57 without the conversion!  Additionally, Becker of Queens would also qualify for the D2 meet.

1. Nowak, Craig – Unattached – 7:50.89 ($6000)
2. Barraza, Brian – Tinman Elite – 7:52.72 ($4250)
3. Comber, Casey – Unattached – 7:52.89
4. Makepeace, Euan – Unattached – 7:55.43
5. Flanagan, Ben – Reebok Boston TC – 7:55.44 ($750)
6. Jaziri, Ahmed – Eastern Kentucky – 7:55.71 (NCAA D1 qualifier)
7. Ponder, Cameron – Furman – 7:56. 36 (NCAA D1 qualifier)
8. Sweeney, Charlie – Western Colorado – 7:57.19 (NCAA D2 qualifier)
9. Stack, Taylor – Western Colorado – 7:57.74 (NCAA D2 qualifier)
10. Becker, Jan Lukas – Queens (NC) – 8:09.72 (NCAA D2 qualifier)
11. —  Seufer, Peter – Unattached – DNF ($500)

 Women’s 800m

The 2021 Camel City races were obviously a little different during Covid.  With no spectators in the facility, it definitely had a different vibe.  For recruiting of pros, we tried to focus on athletes who were relatively local and didn’t have to fly to the meet.  We also didn’t hire pacers and instead offered bonuses at intermediate stages of the race to get things going.  

Jazmine Fray got things going and took the pace out at 29.5 and 60.9.  The pace was a little slower than we had hoped, but there was a good pack together through 600m.  At 600m, Rizk and Segrave would pass Fray as she stepped off the track and as they pressed the last lap.  Segrave would power into the lead on the backstretch and get to the line in first.  Behind her Rizk would easily finish in second place followed by three collegians.

1. Segrave, Hannah – New Balance – 2:04.70 ($6000)
2. Rizk, Julia – Under Armour District TC – 2:05.36 ($4000)
3. Lally, Alanna – Temple – 2:07.33
4. Keegan, McKenna – Villanova – 2:07.67
5. Fazio, Brooke – Richmond – 2:07.70
6. Hutchins, Aleeya – Wake Forest – 2:08.85
7. Howell, Michelle – Under Armour District TC – 2:09.68 ($400)
8. Kuntz, Emma – Furman – 2:10.94
9. — Fray, Jazmine – Under Armour District TC – DNF ($500)

 Men’s 800m

The 2021 Camel City races were obviously a little different during Covid.  With no spectators in the facility, it definitely had a different vibe.  For recruiting of pros, we tried to focus on athletes who were relatively local and didn’t have to fly to the meet.  We also didn’t hire pacers and instead offered bonuses at intermediate stages of the race to get things going.  

Shimukowa would take the pace out in 26.08 and 54.27 to pick up the pacing bonuses.  Just before the 300m mark of the race, McLear would get bumped into the infield by Amankwah.  McLear would re-position himself and get up near the front.  At the 600m mark, Prince would lead in 1:23.11.  With about 150m to go, though, McLear would have the last laugh on the field as he would close in 26.58, almost a full second faster than anyone else in the field.  He would win by over a full second.  If you watch the full race video, you can see some words being exchanged between some of the participants over some of the shoving and jockeying that went on during the race.

1. McLear, Finley – Miami (OH) – 1:49.87
2. Prince, Quamel – Under Armour District TC – 1:51.02 ($4000)
3. Ibadin, Edose – Under Armour District TC – 1:51:15 ($2000)
4. Amankwah, Alex – Under Armour District TC – 1:51.63 ($1000)
5. Wright, Adam – Queens (NC) – 1:52.53
6. Peterson, Sean – Youngstown St. – 1:52.55
7. Torpy, Sean – Miami (OH) – 1:52.71
8. Wallis, Archie – Wake Forest – 1:54.01
9. Shimukowa, Charles – Mountain South Elite – DNF ($500)

 Women’s Mile

The 2021 Camel City races were obviously a little different during Covid.  With no spectators in the facility, it definitely had a different vibe.  For recruiting of pros, we tried to focus on athletes who were relatively local and didn’t have to fly to the meet.  We also didn’t hire pacers and instead offered bonuses at intermediate stages of the race to get things going.  

The pro field was set and then Rachel Schneider was added to the 3k field and asked if she could double and run the mile, too.  Schneider had completed the double victory back in 2018, but this year would offer her a few more minutes of rest.  When the gun went off, Virginia Tech redshirt Sarah Edwards went to the front and took the field through 409m at 69.99 and would keep the pressure on through 600m.  Right before 800m, Josette Norris would surge to the lead and go through 809m in 2:19.60.  She would lead through 1200m before being passed by Schneider, who would kick the last 400m in 63.99 to take home the $6k prize.

The NCAA athletes would have a strong showing.  Unfortunately, Edwards and Jennings were running unattached, but they would have easily qualified for NCAAs.  Behind them, Lotte Black and Kaley Richards would easily qualify, while Ellie Leather would be the last qualifier into the meet!  Elly Henes would have qualified, but she opted to run the 3k/5k at the meet instead.  One other note about Henes is that she had split 4:36 for 1600m the night before this race in the DMR!

1. Schneider, Rachel – Under Armour – 4:30.54 ($6000)
2. Norris, Josette – Reebok Boston TC – $4:31.48 ($4000)
3. Edwards, Sarah – Unattached – 4:32.84
4. Jennings, Gabrielle – Unattached – 4:33.65
5. Mansy, Megan – Unattached – 4:36.54 ($750)
6. Andrews, Mackenzie – Unattached – 4:37.42 ($500)
7. Black, Lotte – Rhode Island – 4:38.26 (NCAA D1 qualifier)
8. Richards, Kaley – UMass Lowell – 4:38.36 (NCAA D1 qualifier)
9. Henes, Elly – NC State – 4:42.02
10. Leather, Ellie – Cincinnati – 4:42.80 (NCAA D1 qualifier)

 Men’s Mile

The 2021 Camel City races were obviously a little different during Covid.  With no spectators in the facility, it definitely had a different vibe.  For recruiting of pros, we tried to focus on athletes who were relatively local and didn’t have to fly to the meet.  We also didn’t hire pacers and instead offered bonuses at intermediate stages of the race to get things going.  

With no pacer, Jackson Lewis offered to hop in the race to get things going, but Athanas Kioko of Campbell decided he would take the pace through the first 600m.  That was great to have someone willing to take the pace, but he was just a bit slow, hitting 409m in 59.59 and 609m in 1:30.44.  After 600m, Reniewicki would take over and lead them through 809m in 2:00.97 and would continue to lead through 1209m in 3:01.41.  Thies would take the lead at the bell with Fink right behind him.  With about 125m to go, though, Fink would power past him on the backstretch and sprint for home.  Fink would defend his title in 3:59.01 and pick up $6000!

Collegiately, Sean Dolan of Villanova and Aaron Wier of Furman would both qualify for the NCAA indoor meet with their 4:01 marks that would convert down to 3:58.xx.

1. Fink, Willy – Under Armour District TC – 3:59.01 ($6000)
2. Thies, Jeff – Tinman Elite – 3:59.73 ($4000)
3. Reniewicki, John – Under Armour – 4:00.84 ($2000)
4. Rogers, Alex – Reebok Boston TC – 4:01.49 ($1000)
5. Dolan, Sean – Villanova – 4:01.57 (NCAA D1 qualifier)
6. Wier, Aaron – Furman – 4:01.92 (NCAA D1 qualifier)
7. Kioko, Athanas – Campbell – 4:02.84
8. Berriatua, Joey – Tinman Elite – 4:04.16 ($300)
9. Camerieri, Anthony – Miami (OH) – 4:06.01
10. Koekemoer, Travis – Campbell – 4:06.36
11. Schroff, Andrew – Miami (OH) – 4:06.47
12. —  Lewis, Jackson – Unattached – DNF