June 27, 2010
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DES MOINES, Iowa -- Jack Bolas found himself in familiar territory Sunday at the 2010 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, and not just because he is a veteran of the Drake Stadium track.
Bolas was more than prepared for the slow start and frantic finish that defined the final of the men’s 1,500 meters on the closing day of the national-championship meet. After all, he had already excelled in sit-and-kick races at the Big Ten and NCAA championships over the past six weeks.
The Wisconsin senior used that familiarity to his advantage and ran a time of 3:52.40 that was good for a seventh-place finish in the slow and tactical national final. His kick allowed him to displace former Badger and 2008 Olympian Matt Tegenkamp, who came home eighth in 3:52.54.
Lopez Lamong closed in 51.29 to take the national title with a time of 3:50.83. Leo Manzano was on his heels in second at 3:50.91.
“A lot of the races this season have been like that, Big Tens is always like that,” Bolas said. “Certainly for this caliber of athlete, everyone is going to have a kick and that is a little scary.
“The one thing that you got to make sure you do is put yourself in position so that, when that kick goes, you’re on it,” he added. “I failed to do that.”
Bolas, who entered the meet ranked ninth in the U.S. with a season-best 3:38.47, matched his No. 7 seed for the event with his finish. It also helped cap an outstanding senior season that included two Big Ten titles -- the indoor distance medley relay and outdoor 1,500 -- and a fourth-place finish and All-America honors at the NCAA outdoor championships.
Despite being sidelined for injury for most of the outdoor campaign, Bolas came on strong over the season’s final month. That helped him carry plenty of momentum into the USA championships.
“I’d say, for the most part, the improvement I’ve made this season is trying to be more aggressive,” he said. “I didn’t do a good job showing it today, but I think that through Big Tens, regionals and nationals, I’ve improved in that aggression, covering those moves from the front to be in the right position.”
Bolas was aggressive when it counted Sunday, picking up three spots over the last two laps by covering the final 800 meters in 1:52.82.
He made his initial charge only after dropping out the back of the pack as the field came through the 800-meter mark. As the leaders – with Tegenkamp among them in second -- took the bell with 400 meters to go, however, Bolas began moving up along the outside.
The field picked up the pace over the final 200 meters and Bolas began picking off spots. Tegenkamp, meanwhile, slid backwards during the final sprint, dropping six positions over the course of the last lap.
“It’s all about position and I was maybe halfway back in the pack, and it’s hard to cover the gap,” Bolas said. “That’s something I’ve been trying to work on throughout the season. We got to 100 meters to go and, at that point, you just try to get as many bodies as you can.”
With his Badgers career coming to a close, Bolas now hopes to develop himself as a professional.
“I want to keep running, I want to certainly go until 2012, and see how I can do in the Olympic trials,” he said. “I’m sure most of these guys are planning the same thing and, hopefully, someone will pick me up.
“I love it and I want to keep doing it.”
After finishing in a tie for ninth place at last year’s USA championships, senior Jenny Soceka was unable to duplicate that success Sunday. Soceka failed to clear the opening bar in the competition, which was set at 13 feet, 7 1/4 inches.
She entered the competition coming off an outstanding close to her collegiate career, a run that included a Big Ten title, All-America finish at the NCAA championships and a conference-record clearance of 14-3 1/2.
Adidas’ Jen Suhr won the national title with a second-attempt clearance at 16-0 1/2. She made three attempts but came up short at what would have been an American-record height of 16-4 3/4.
