Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Indoor Track & Field | Hoyas Led By Coogan, Manahan

The Georgetown track and field team capped off a memorable indoor season last weekend in Fayetteville, Ark., at the NCAA National Indoor Championship meet. The men’s team finished 22nd overall, and the women’s team finished tied for 30th with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Underscoring the Hoyas’ performance this weekend were the only individuals to collect points for their respective teams during the weekend: All-Americans Ryan Manahan and Katrina Coogan. Sophomore Manahan finished fifth in the 800-meter race, and senior Coogan placed fourth in the 3000-meter event.

For Manahan, however, a fifth-place finish seemed unfathomable halfway through Friday’s preliminary heat. With just 400 meters left before the finish line, Manahan sat at the back of the pack and was in danger of not qualifying for the final race the next day.

“The race went out and I got spit out the back,” Manahan said. “Then three people who broke away from me and the chase pack, and for a while, there I was, kind of in no man’s land.”

However, like he has done much of this season when running the 800m event, Manahan made the most of his endurance and closed out Friday’s preliminary race with exceptional speed, eventually sneaking into the final heat Saturday.

“I only made it in [to the final heat Saturday] by .07 seconds,” Manahan said. “I was the last guy in.”

Manahan would utilize the same strategy on Saturday — starting slow in the beginning and waiting to kick into a higher gear until roughly the halfway point, en route to a fifth-place finish in the final heat of the NCAA National Indoor Meet.

“I’m more of a strength runner compared to those guys who are speed-oriented,” Manahan said. “Those guys treat it like a 200m, and they just sprint out of the start, and I’m usually the last one off the line. But that’s also why I’m able to close faster.

“He was in last at the 400, but he moved up some on the third lap, and then he closed really well,” Director of Track and Field Patrick Henner said. “To run in a championship race and knock a couple tenths off your personal best is amazing.”

With this fifth-place finish in the 800m event at the NCAA National Indoor Meet, Manahan closes out a particularly successful individual season, one that has already seen the sophomore collect a Big East title in the mile, run a record-setting performance in the 800m earlier in the year, and join the prestigious sub-four-minute mile club at Georgetown.

In Coogan’s case, there was no preliminary round to worry about for the 3000m events. However, a tedious start to the 15-lap race gave the Hoya All-American reason to be anxious following the start.

“I didn’t really know what the race was going to be like,” Coogan said. “With these championship races in these longer distances, it can get really tactical — it might go slow for the majority of the race, and it just becomes who can kick at the end.”

Following the field’s slow start, things began to pick up around the 800m mark when Coogan and six other girls separated themselves from the rest of the pack. By the time there were only several laps remaining, Coogan was in an all-out push for the finish line amid the group of girls.

“With three laps to go I feel like the race rally started,” Coogan said. “People started making moves and breaking out of the pace.”

A final effort at the line resulted in Coogan just barely being eclipsed by another runner for third place. Nevertheless, Coogan’s fourth-place finish was especially impressive considering it came one day after racing at the national meet in the girls’ Distance Medley Relay event.

“[Coogan] also ran a personal best in the 3000m,” Henner said. “She did a really nice job of staying up near [the] front of the pack the whole race and staying out of all the traffic. I thought she did just a great job.”

The NCAA Championship marked the conclusion of the indoor season, and the Hoyas will look to carry much of this season’s success over into the outdoor season, which starts next weekend at the Fred Hardy Invitational in Richmond, Va.

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Hoya

Your donation will support the student journalists of Georgetown University. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Hoya

Comments (0)

All The Hoya Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *