Colorado University Athletics
CU's Pifer To Face Long Time Rival
In what could very well shape up to be the most thrilling event at the 2008 Big 12 Outdoor Championship meet, the men’s 1,500 meter-run will feature two of the top middle distance runners in the country.
As a freshman, Pifer took second place at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, trailing only one runner: Leonel Manzano, of the
“I respect him a ton,” Pifer said. “A lot of people get mad because he sits, but I think everyone uses the tools that they have. His best asset is his finishing speed. I run to my best strengths and he runs to his, and that’s how things should be.”
The Longhorn outran Pifer at the meet held in
Since their freshman years, the two seniors have run in multiple races against one another and Pifer has come close, but never beaten Manzano.
“Stephen Pifer is tough,” Manzano said. “Anytime I compete against him it’s a good race, because you know he’s going to bring it.”
Manzano’s honors truly speak for them self: A two-time NCAA Champion, six-time All-American, three-time NCAA Midwest Region Champion and record holder, seven-time Big 12 Champion, and an eight-time All-Big 12 member. He has also been named the Most Outstanding Athlete at the Penn Relays, one of the most prestigious track meets in the country.
Leonel Manzano
Courtesy: texassports.com
He ran a personal record in the mile run at the Texas Relays earlier this season, turning in a jaw-dropping time of 3:56.98.
“It’s been a great year so far,” Manzano said. “It’s kind of nostalgic, looking back my freshman year and not being able to do some things. I am a totally different guy as far as the things I can do now.”
In all of Manzano’s accolades, there is one feat that has eluded him up to this point in his collegiate career: The Big 12 Championship meet record; a feat that belongs to Pifer.
“That’s pretty good for me, especially with Leo in there,” Pifer said.
At the 2006 Big 12 Championship meet, Manzano did not compete in the 1,500, leaving the door open for Pifer to win the race. The Buffalo ran to his best performance ever in the race, recording a time of 3:40.70, breaking the Big 12 Championship and Hart-Patterson Stadium record.
“I think [Leo] is going to go down as one of the best 1,500-meter runners ever in the NCAA, and to hold something that he doesn’t is pretty sweet.”
Pifer has yet to beat Manzano in a race his whole career, something that he looks to change at the Big 12 Championship meet on May 18, during the finals of the 1,500. Pifer, along with the other Buffalo runners, will have a stern advantage over the rest of the Big 12 field, as they are acclimated and train in Boulder’s 5,435 feet elevation.
“It benefits me being up here for the last five years and I think a lot of guys are going to be feeling a lot more pain and get into oxygen debt a lot more early up here,” Pifer said. “It’s going to be tough mentally as well as physically to adapt for the other runners.”
Though altitude will most certainly be a factor in the distance races, Manzano not only knows how much more of a challenge it will be to capture his third Big 12 championship in the event, he embraces it.
“The altitude between Austin and Boulder is significant,” Manzano said. “I definitely think running in altitude is going to be a factor in the race. On top of that, it’s [Pifer’s] home track, but I think it’s going to be a good race.”
In the near future, both athletes hope to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships and compete at the U. S. Olympic Trials, in hopes of earning a spot on the Olympic team and compete in Beijing in the late summer. Manzano was a member of the U.S. team for the world championships last August in Osaka, Japan.
For the elite, the goal in anything is simple: win. For these two athletes, that is all that will be on their minds when the gun shoots off.
“I’m just out there to race. The point of a race is to win,” Manzano said. “Every time I go out there, that’s what I look to do. Racing against Pifer is great. I respect him as a person and an athlete, because he always comes out and brings it to the table. I know its going to be a good race, because each time we go against each other it comes down to the end. I’m just going to run my race and hope for the best.”
For Pifer, a win against a rival, on his home track, his senior year, would be a heck of a swan song.
“That’s what the goal is,” Pifer said. “I want to go out on top with the home crowd behind me and my family there supporting me. This is the culmination of five years of hard work. I wouldn’t consider all of my time here a failure if I didn’t win, but at the same time, it would be a nice icing on the cake.”
Tentatively, the preliminaries of the men’s 1,500-meter run begin at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, as the finals will begin at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, May 18.
The 12th Annual Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championships take place from May 16-18 in Boulder at Potts Field. This will be the first Big 12 Outdoor Championships in Boulder. The Buffaloes twice hosted Big Eight Outdoor meets, in 1986 and 1993.
Ticket packages are available online at CUBuffs.com. All-Session passes are $10 while Adult Single Session passes are available for $6. Senior (55 & up) and Student (13-18) Single Session tickets are $5 and Youth Single Session (12 & under) are available for $2.