RALEIGH, N.C. – The Eagles had a pair of personal bests at the Raleigh Relays at NC State this weekend (Mar. 26-28). The senior trio of
Kaden Kluth,
Carver Morgan, and
Cooper Michaud opened their seasons at Raleigh, beginning the road toward the outdoor postseason.
- On Thursday (Mar. 26), senior Kaden Kluth tied his PR in the 1500 exactly, running 3:40.31. He placed sixth overall in the 224-person event, a 16-place improvement from last year. The time puts him at second in the Patriot League and sixth in the NCAA.
- Senior Carver Morgan ran an eight-second 1500 PR of 3:44.05 to place 32nd. His performance puts him at sixth AU all-time.
- Senior Cooper Michaud took four seconds off his outdoor PR in the 5k, running 14:37.91 to place 141st.
- On Saturday (Mar. 28), Morgan and Kluth came back for the 800, both placing in the top 10. Both ran just off their outdoor personal bests, with Morgan placing seventh in 1:48.83 and Kluth placing ninth in 1:49.31. They both sit atop the Patriot League, and are ranked sixth and 16th in the NCAA east region.
See the full results
here.
Coaches' Corner
"We had a strong weekend of racing in Raleigh this weekend," said head coach
Sean Graham. "We brought three senior men down to try to achieve NCAA first round qualifying marks and we got much of that work done in their season openers.
"Kaden and Carver both doubled in the 1500 on Thursday and 800 Saturday with strong performances. Carver, racing the 1500 for the first time since his sophomore year, came away with a nice PR. There were a few points in that race where tactics could be improved to get in better positions but he closed very well for a big PR.
"Kaden came away tying his PR from last year, a time that is currently sixth in the east region, and was 22nd last year by the end of the year. Needing to be in the top 48, he's more or less set for the NCAA first round in that event now, a great achievement on his first try. Similar to Carver, some tactics that we'll continue improving through the season but an excellent starting point.
"Unfortunately that evening the distance events weren't as successful across the board. Cooper raced well in the 5k but similar to the entire field, the race didn't come together time-wise as we had hoped. He finished right around his outdoor PR, but certainly has more in the tank for this event!
"In the 800 on Saturday, we had a good day. Kaden won his heat running away from the field in 1:49, a nice re-entry to that event for him since his sophomore year. In the fastest heat, Carver ran a good race, but not as fast as we hoped. He's in an interesting position in the 800 now where he'll either be competing with the best in the nation, like this race, or needing to run away from and dominate the field, like the Patriot League indoor championships. I think that transition was a little difficult, and cost a second or so. He still came away with a very good opener, currently sixth in the east region. That time could hang on to qualify, but we'll certainly race faster throughout the outdoor season to ensure he's good to make his attack at NCAAs and beyond. All in all a successful opener for the guys and a great way to start the season with NCAA first round likely qualifying times."
Next Up
The Eagles will compete at the Dalton Ebanks Invitational hosted by George Mason next weekend (April 3-4).
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AU RESULTS
*Top 10 Record Book Mark
