Sophomores Johnnie Guy and Tyler Schickel each went into the final laps of their respective events with the lead, but neither could hold on as Guy slipped to a third-place finish in the 5,000 meters while Schickel slid to a sixth-place showing in the 1,500 meters.
Schickel began the day in the 1,500 meters as he took the lead out of the gates. The Mater Dei High School graduate raced his way into a large lead early and sustained it for the first 1,200 meters of the race.
Tarleton State University’s Chase Rathke, however, overtook Schickel with 200 meters to go as he won the event with a time of three minutes, 45.60 seconds. Schickel finished just over three seconds off that pace as he crossed the finish line in 3:48.63, earning his second-career All-America accolade in the process.
“I told Tyler to not be afraid, to be himself,” USI Head Coach Mike Hillyard said. “He found himself in a good spot and went with it. He got off the line good and felt comfortable (in the lead).”
The 5,000 meters was looking similar to the 10,000 meters as Guy, the national champion in the 10k Thursday night, broke away from a bunched-up group around the 10-minute mark of the race.
Guy held a slight lead over Adam State University’s Kevin Batt heading into the final lap; but Batt, along with fellow teammate Tabor Stevens, both passed Guy in the final 300 meters as the duo finished first and second, respectively. Guy, who earned his second All-America honor of the weekend and sixth of his career, finished the race in a personal-best 14:00.76, just over a second off Batt’s winning time of 13:59.22. Stevens, the national champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase Friday night, finished in 13:59.96.
“That’s the fastest championship I’ve seen in a long time,” Hillyard said. “Johnnie knew if he would have any shot to win, that he would have to shake it up a little. That move more than likely got him third and I think he would have finished a little farther back had he not made it.”
In addition to Guy’s finish in the 5,000 meters, sophomore Tyler Pence, a two-time All-American at the NCAA II Indoor Championships, placed 16th with a time of 14:33.86. Schickel was unable to finish the 5,000-meter race.
As a team, the Screaming Eagles finished with 19 points and in a tie for 12th. St. Augustine’s University captured the team title with 112 points, while Adams State (67 points) and Ashland University (53 points) finished second and third, respectively.
“It feels good to be in the mix in the team scoring,” Hillyard said. “Looking ahead, with four of the five that we brought up here back next year and a number of other potential qualifiers on our team, maybe a couple of years down the road, being on the podium as a team isn’t out of the question.”
USI came into the outdoor season ranked No. 5 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association Program of the Year standings and is hoping its performance this weekend will solidify its first-ever top-five finish. The Eagles were 11th at the NCAA II Cross Country Championships and 13th at the NCAA II Indoor Championships.
