Men's 800 Analysis
1. Khadevis Robinson
2. Rich Kenah
3. Bryan Woodward
5. Mark Everett
4. Trinity Gray
6. Jess Strutzel
7. Jeff Kuzma
8. Jason PyrahThe Santa Monica Track Club's Khadevis Robinson has been running very well, winning at Eugene, Portland and Stanford just before these Trials and taking oh-so-tight semi 1 here. He's also got the best collection of decently fast times this year.
Kenah has the gut-wrenching incentive of having finished 4th in the '96 Trial and the experience of medaling at the '97 World Championships to drive him. A 1:43.38 runner three years ago, when Kenah is healthy, as he is this year after canceling his '98 season and struggling through '99, the Georgetown alum is a master of peaking when it counts. He thrives on championship competition and running rounds; so the cut from four rounds in past Trials to just three here works against him slightly.
Woodward--another former Hoya who trains with Kenah--also opposed dropping a round. He won the USATF Indoor, though, and was the most consistent American last year.
Veteran Mark Everett is an enigma, as always. A 1:43.20 man in '97, he got down to 1:44.58 and 45.31 late last season but only hit his first sub-1:47 of the year in his semi here (3rd). A member of the '88 and '92 Olympic teams, he can't be counted out.
Youth is represented by 2000 collegiate seniors Trinity Gray of Brown and Jeff Strutzel of UCLA. /Sieg Lindstrom/
Pre-Trials seasonal records of the finalists:
Mark Everett (PB) 1:51.62 1)Fort-de-France....04/29 1:48.34 2)Modesto R.........05/13 1:47.51 4)Jena..............06/03 1:47.40 8)Paris GP..........06/23Jason Pyrah (Nik) (no known 2000 marks at 800)
Bryan Woodward (ReebE) 1:49.43i 2)Fairfax...........01/29 1:51.54i 4)Millrose..........02/04 1:50.26i 1h2)USATF Ind......03/03 1:48.69i 1)USATF Ind.........03/04 1:47.75 2)Carolina Cl.......05/13 1:48.07 1)Ga Tech Inv.......05/20 1:47.23 1f2)Harrisonburg...06/10 1:45.55 4)Raleigh GP........06/17 1:50.19 6)Eugene GP.........06/24 1:47.49 4)US-GB.............07/02 1:46.27 5f2)Lausanne GP....07/05
Jess Strutzel (UCLA) 1:48.22i 3)Fayetteville......02/12 1:50.11i 1)Los Angeles.......02/19 1:48.31i 2h1)NCAA Ind.......03/10 1:46.57i 1)NCAA Ind..........03/11 1:49.28 2f2)Mt. SAC........04/16 1:49.66 1)USTCA Team Ch.....04/22 1:53.03 2)UCLA-USC..........05/06 1:46.03 1)Oxy Inv...........05/13 1:49.59 2)Pac-10............05/21 1:47.13 3h2)NCAA...........05/31 1:46.39 5)NCAA..............06/02 1:47.20 6)GMC Open..........07/01
Trinity Gray (Brown) 1:49.73i 1)Blacksburg........02/12 1:48.68i 3h2)NCAA Ind.......03/10 1:47.50i 4)NCAA Ind..........03/11 1:48.92 1)Brown 6-way.......04/15 1:47.37 2)Drake R Inv.......04/29 1:46.07 1)Heps..............05/14 1:46.40 1h1)NCAA...........05/31 1:45.68 3)NCAA..............06/02 1:45.30 3)Raleigh GP........06/17 1:47.32 3)Eugene GP.........06/24 1:46.53 1f4)Can-Am Maine...07/01
Khadevis Robinson (SMTC) 1:47.97i 1)Fayetteville......02/12 1:51.00i 1h1)USATF Ind......03/03 1:48.83i 2)USATF Ind.........03/04 1:47.64 1)Modesto R.........05/13 1:46.84 1)Jerome............06/04 1:47.92 8)Raleigh GP........06/17 1:45.90 1)Eugene GP.........06/24 1:45.40 1)Portland GP.......06/25 1:46.06 1)GMC Open..........07/01
Jeff Kuzma (USAF) 1:51.10i 2)Millrose..........02/04 1:51.29i 3h1)USATF Ind......03/03 1:48.17 1)Cardinal Qual.....05/12 1:47.74 2)Jerome............06/04 1:50.01 2)Pt. Alberni.......06/06 1:47.26 1)Stanford OT Qual..06/17 1:47.65 5)Eugene GP.........06/24 1:47.02 6)Portland GP.......06/25 1:46.21 2)GMC Open..........07/01 1:49.89 6)Can-Am Montréal...07/07
Rich Kenah (Asics) 1:49.91i 4)Fairfax...........01/29 1:50.27i 3)Millrose..........02/04 1:48.34 3)Carolina Cl.......05/13 1:48.09 2)Ga Tech Inv.......05/20 1:48.93 3)Harrisonburg......06/10 1:46.80 6)Raleigh GP........06/17 1:48.91 7)Nuremberg.........06/25 1:47.44 3)US-GB.............07/02