Fernandez, Puskedra, Derrick Headline Junior Men's Field

Oregon freshman Luke Puskedra is part of one of the deepest junior fields that the USA Championships has ever seen (Kirby Lee)

by Scott Bush, Trackshark.com

The stage is set and the race entries finalized.  The showdown everyone's been waiting for is about to take place.  With Dathan Ritzenhein withdrawing from the Open Men's race, the Junior Men's race now has the feel of being the showcase race.  Super star college freshmen German Fernandez (Oklahoma State), Chris Derrick (Stanford), Luke Puskedra (Oregon) and Colby Lowe (Oklahoma State) are all signed up ready to race Saturday.

This past fall Fernandez, Puskedra and Derrick all looked poised to place in the top ten at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.  Puskedra finished fifth overall and Derrick placed seventh, but Fernandez, while moving up into the lead chase pack, crumpled to the ground with an achilles injury.  Had Fernandez not gotten injured, he seemed more than capable of finishing in the top ten as well, if not in the top five.  Since then Fernandez has run the fastest mile at the collegiate level in 3:56.50, while Derrick automatically qualified for NCAA Indoor T&F Nationals with a 13:44.01 5k performance last weekend in Washington.

Meanwhile, both Puskedra and Lowe have remained a bit under the radar.  Lowe placed sixth in a very close 3,000m race at the University of Arkansas in mid-January, while Puskedra has yet to show up in a collegiate track race this season.  Puskedra showed his obvious talent all throughout the cross country season, so he will most certainly be in the mix with Fernandez and Derrick for the victory.  Lowe, who had a sub-par race at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, will have a chance to get back on track, knowing that he's had close races before with all three of the favorites in high school.

Aside from the talented quartet, three other college freshmen should mix it up as well.  Kevin Williams (Oklahoma), Ryan Prentice (Oklahoma State) and Kevin Havel (Stanford) all redshirted this past cross country season, so they may be a bit rusty heading into Saturday's race, but all three have shown impecable talent when healthy.  Williams qualified for the U.S. Junior National Team last year and ran 8:48 for 3200m.  Havel and Prentice both broke the nine minute barrier for 3200m, while Havel finished seventh at Foot Locker Nationals.  In mid-January both Williams and Prentice beat Colby Lowe in a 3,000m race at the University of Arkansas.  Williams won in 8:16, while Prentice finished second in 8:18.  Lowe was sixth in 8:20.  Williams, Prentice and Havel should be looking to qualify for the Junior National Team.

There are many other past Foot Locker National qualifiers in the field competing under the uniform of their collegiate squads.  North Carolina State will be well represented, as Ryan Hill, Patrick Campbell, and Brian Himelright are all entered.  Syracuse has four athletes in the race, with Tito Medrano and Zach Rivers leading the charge.  Wisconsin is represented by Elliot Krause, while Joey Bywater (Washington), Jim Walmsley (Air Force) and Griff Graves (Syracuse, although not listed under the school) should also mix it up for top ten finishes.

With so much competitive collegiate talent in the mix, it will be hard for any high school athletes to make the world squad.  However, there are a few top high school athletes in the fold who could challenge for a Team USA roster spot.  Two of the most notable athletes are Thomas Porter (Virginia) and Bobby Nicolls (Colorado).  Porter had an excellent fall, finishing third overall at the Foot Locker National Championships.  Nicolls, who had a rough cross country season battling illness, is healthy and ready to test his fitness against the nation's best.  Porter is the highest FLN finisher in the fold, so he will be closely watched throughout the race, while Nicolls could surprise some and sneak in to the top ten.  Other top prep runners vying for a top 20 finish are Kyle Satterwhite (Virginia), George Galasso (New Jersey), Phil Galebach (Massachusetts) and Bryan Tibaduiza (Nevada).

It remains to be seen which athletes that qualify will actually travel to Jordan to compete in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, but if Fernandez, Derrick and Puskedra all decide to go, this could quite easily be the best Junior squad the U.S. has ever sent to the World Championships.  The talent up top is simply outstanding, with the depth behind them being incredibly good as well.  While the open races will receive much of the media attention, the best race of the entire day from top to bottom is the Junior Men's race.

Athletes to Watch: German Fernandez, Luke Puskedra, Chris Derrick, Colby Lowe, Kevin Williams, Kevin Havel, Bobby Nicolls, Thomas Porter, Ryan Hill, Joey Bywater, Griff Graves, Eric Fernandez, Ryan Prentice, Zach Rivers, Francisco "Tito" Medrano, Patrick Campbell, Martin Medina, Jim Walmsley, Rob Webster.