Mighty Morgan: McDonald shines at Portland Track Festival
June 11, 2017 | Men's Track & Field
Sophomore runs third-fastest 5000 meters in school history Sunday night
PORTLAND, Ore. – It's safe to say that Wisconsin men's track and field standout Morgan McDonald has been on a mission in June
After breaking the UW school record in the mile on June 1 in St. Louis, McDonald ran the third-fastest 5000 meters in program history Sunday night at the Portland Track Festival to finish second overall in the elite section of the event.
McDonald crossed the line in 13 minutes, 23.28 seconds, which was less than a second off the IAAF World Championships standard that the Sydney, Australia, native was chasing.
"Heading into tonight's race, it looked like there were a few guys chasing that world standard of 13:22.60," UW Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said. "So there was good buzz surrounding the race. Around the 3K mark the pace dropped to 64 and 66 seconds and with four laps to go Morgan took the lead and pushed the pace, dropping three 64 second laps to hold a slight lead at the bell. He closed the last 600 meters in 1:27 only to be passed in the final 10 meters.
"To be so close to the standard is heartbreaking, but I'm sure when it sinks in what exactly went down here tonight, Morgan will be pleased with his run."
McDonald's time is the fastest time recorded by a Badger in the month of June and only legends Chris Solinsky and Mohammed Ahmed have run faster than the current UW distance ace. Both Solinsky and Ahmed ran their times following their senior collegiate seasons before they signed professional contracts.
A four-time Big Ten champion during the 2016-17 season, McDonald's time was also more than a minute faster than the winning time in the men's 5000 meters at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships and is the second-fastest time recorded by a collegian this year.
"It's funny how things play out," Byrne said. "The plan all along was to be in Eugene, but things just didn't work out. The most important thing is Morgan didn't get down and showed that he's one of the top runners in the country."
After breaking the UW school record in the mile on June 1 in St. Louis, McDonald ran the third-fastest 5000 meters in program history Sunday night at the Portland Track Festival to finish second overall in the elite section of the event.
McDonald crossed the line in 13 minutes, 23.28 seconds, which was less than a second off the IAAF World Championships standard that the Sydney, Australia, native was chasing.
"Heading into tonight's race, it looked like there were a few guys chasing that world standard of 13:22.60," UW Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said. "So there was good buzz surrounding the race. Around the 3K mark the pace dropped to 64 and 66 seconds and with four laps to go Morgan took the lead and pushed the pace, dropping three 64 second laps to hold a slight lead at the bell. He closed the last 600 meters in 1:27 only to be passed in the final 10 meters.
"To be so close to the standard is heartbreaking, but I'm sure when it sinks in what exactly went down here tonight, Morgan will be pleased with his run."
McDonald's time is the fastest time recorded by a Badger in the month of June and only legends Chris Solinsky and Mohammed Ahmed have run faster than the current UW distance ace. Both Solinsky and Ahmed ran their times following their senior collegiate seasons before they signed professional contracts.
A four-time Big Ten champion during the 2016-17 season, McDonald's time was also more than a minute faster than the winning time in the men's 5000 meters at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships and is the second-fastest time recorded by a collegian this year.
"It's funny how things play out," Byrne said. "The plan all along was to be in Eugene, but things just didn't work out. The most important thing is Morgan didn't get down and showed that he's one of the top runners in the country."
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