Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Day 2
Pearson Places Fifth In 3K
March 14, 2015 | Track and Field
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Buffs finished the 2015 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship strong on Saturday with University of Colorado junior Morgan Pearson leading the way with a fifth place finish in the men's 3,000-meter run.
Pearson, who placed 14th in the 5k on Friday night, finished the race in eight minutes, 1.89 seconds. He worked hard, moving up steadily during the race. Pearson made a huge move with about 1,000 meters remaining in the race, moving into third. He dropped back to fifth a short time later, but held on for the rest of the race to record first team All-America honors.
“Of course we were disappointed yesterday,” head coach Mark Wetmore said. “He make some tactical mistakes, but he also stepped on the rail in the middle of the race and turned his ankle enough to upset him and get him off his game and bother him. I wasn't sure he would be able to run today, but he never mentioned not running. He iced it a lot overnight and went into this race with a different strategy and got a much better outcome. Tonight's race was the race we knew he had in him. I think he feels pretty good about it and so do I.”
Senior Jake Hurysz had a busy night, competing in the finals of the mile run and the 3k, just a couple hours apart. He started the night with a 10th place finish in the mile, clocking in at 4:07.91. Hurysz had a strong start and was in the top four through the first 600 meters, but fell back to sixth at the midway point. Unfortunately he wasn't able to make up any ground and dropped down to 10th entering the bell lap.
In the 3k, Hurysz was in the back of the pack to start the race and attempted to work his way up during the race. Hurysz ended up 14th overall, finishing in 8:09.06. With his two finishes on Saturday, Hurysz will earn a pair of second team All-America honors.
“We were very disappointed with the mile race,” Wetmore said. “He and I both knew he didn't run the best he could. He made some mistakes in how he approached it and how he executed it. He's a guy of big emotions and when it goes wrong, it goes big wrong. But he never blinked and knew he had the 3k coming in two hours. He approached it like a pro and saw a chance for a little bit of redemption and that race was a better race. To my knowledge, there were only two people in that race coming back off the mile and that is not easy to do. I was happy with his second race and very happy with his race yesterday that got him here today.”
Overall, the Buffs tied for 28th with 7.0 points and were the third Pac-12 squad in the team standings. Oregon won the men's team race with 74.0 points and USC tied for ninth with 16.0 points.
“All in all, everybody who came here had something to be happy with,” Wetmore said.
The Buffs won't skip a beat and will start the outdoor season next weekend, March 20-21. They will host the Jerry Quiller Classic at Potts Field. For more information, check out CUBuffs.com.
NCAA INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Randal Tyson Track Center (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Men's Mile (Finals): (1. Edward Cheserek, Oregon, 3:57.94) 10. Jake Hurysz, 4:07.91
Men's 3,000-Meters (Finals): (1. Eric Jenkins, Oregon, 7:58.81) 5. Morgan Pearson, 8:01.89; 14. Jake Hurysz, 8:09.06
Players Mentioned
