A YEAR AGO, Sam Whitmarsh broke free of the traffic in the 800 with just 50 meters remaining, only to be run down by Virginia’s Shane Cohen. This time around — against a deep field that lacked a clear favorite — the Texas A&M senior found himself in a similar dilemma, but managed an earlier escape and pulled away for his first NCAA title.
In the semis, Arkansas’ Tyrice Taylor, the JUCO champ in ’23 and ’24 for Indian Hills CC, won the first heat in 1:45.23, while Oregon’s Koitatoi Kidali (1:45.31) held off Mississippi State’s Samuel Navarro (1:45.32) for the second automatic spot. Navarro, early leader Matt Erickson of Oregon (1:45.89) and Princeton’s Samuel Rodman (1:46.27) would end up as the three time-qualifiers. Georgetown’s Tinoda Matsatsa, 4th at NCAA Indoors, scratched due to injury.
Cal Poly’s Aidan McCarthy (1:47.25) won the second section, edging ahead of Whitmarsh (1:47.29), Wake Forest’s Rynard Swanepoel (1:47.37) and NCAA indoor runner-up Abdullahi Hassan (1:47.47) of Mississippi State in the final meters.
Virginia Tech’s Christian Jackson snuck through on the inside to nip Rivaldo Marshall of Arkansas, 1:47.09–1:47.14, to lead the third semi.
Two days later in the final, Jackson, the collegiate leader at 1:44.83 (the year’s only sub-1:45), took the early lead and towed the field through the first lap in 51.65. The pace wasn’t enough to string out the pack, except for the injured Kidali, who lagged at the back and would come home a distant 9th.
Marshall (last year’s NCAA Indoor champ for Iowa) moved to the front on the backstretch, but didn’t gain separation. Behind him, the towering Whitmarsh, 5th at the bell (52.09), appeared to be trapped. “It’s definitely nerve-wracking, I can’t say that I was cool as ice in that situation when I’m racing the best guys in the country,” he said, but credited his coach, Aggies assistant (and ’88 Olympic champion) Paul Ereng, for helping him learn to stay patient. Whitmarsh swerved into lane 2 and navigated through traffic to take the lead at 600 and quickly broke away on the final curve. He crossed the line in 1:45.84.
Erickson, the NCAA Indoor champ, was at the back of the pack coming off the final turn but closed well to move up to the runner-up spot in 1:46.32. Marshall hung on for 3rd in 1:46.71, followed by Rodman (1:46.86) and McCarthy…
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