May 1, 2001

By Natalie Meisler
Denver Post Sports Writer

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - No matter how welcome the sight of each finish line, Colorado State mid-distance runner Bryan Berryhill can't help but look ahead to the next race. A nine-time All-American whose resume includes an NCAA indoor mile title and numerous conference championships, the fifth-year senior's schedule is crammed the next month. The NCAA outdoor championships in Eugene, Ore., which begin May 30, might prove anticlimactic.

Berryhill has accepted an invitation to race in the Prefontaine Classic mile race May 27 at the University of Oregon. Moroccan world-record holder Hicham El Guerrouj (3 minutes, 43.13 seconds) heads the field. For a former Oregon high school track champ who sat mesmerized at the Prefontaine every year, it's a fulfillment of his dreams shy of the Olympics.

"It's a race I don't have to worry about winning," said Berryhill, who usually competes to win everything. "Basically, you get dragged along by (the elites) and their rabbits. You just don't want to go out too fast. You have to realize you're racing with a world-record holder, a guy racing on a different level right now."

Berryhill was leading the nation's college track circuit at 1,500 meters, with a personal best of 3:39.09 at the Stanford Invitational on April 1, until Alabama's David Kimani turned in a 3:38.99 April 22. With another Stanford meet May 4 and the approaching Mountain West Conference championships, Berryhill's times should fall further.

Beyond the NCAAs, Berryhill is looking to the national championships, the world championships in Edmonton, Alberta, and the Goodwill Games in Australia. He hopes to sign with an agent and run professionally in Europe.

"Everything that he has done is now coming together and beginning to pay the dividends," CSU track coach Del Hessel said. "Bryan is still a novice in the mile in comparison to his competitors. He has made the greatest progress in the mile of any athlete in the U.S. coming from the 400 meters in high school. Most were milers in high school and learned all their strategies and training (then).

"I told him when he was a freshman, "You're not fast enough to be an 800-meter runner, but the 1,500 would be an ideal event.' Everything had to change, from running 15 miles a week to learning to run 80 miles a week."

As a miler, Berryhill is part of a vanishing breed in this country. The event for U.S. runners has bordered on extinction for years. Internationally, the mid-distance and distance events are dominated by Kenyans and Moroccans, but there are plenty of road races in this country for Americans to eke out a living. The mile is strictly for an oval track.

"Agents are probably fairly disappointed with American middle-distance runners, and they should be," said Hessel, who has been the national chairman for the 800 and 1,500 events for USA Track and Field. "The name of the game is to go to Europe and race for a world record. The record is 3:43 in the mile. If you can't run a 3:50 mile, you're not in the race anymore.

"This has been going on for years, and the meet directors are crying for an American miler. Americans are popular, but the agents are going for the jumpers and the sprinters. I'm not going to say it's pathetic, but it's pathetic. Bryan is unique. He's intelligent. What agents are looking for is a personality. You have to talk to people. You have to go to clinics for whoever you represent."

Agents regularly call Hessel about Berryhill, but Hessel wants his runner to concentrate on running until his eligibility ends with the NCAA meet.

Coming off a disappointing performance in the U.S. Olympic trials after an injury-riddled spring, Berryhill rallied to win the MWC cross country title. He finished 15th overall in the NCAA indoor meet in March and ended a string of second-place finishes in NCAA meets by winning the mile in 3:56.84.

He owes the other spring results to that indoor title. "Before that race I was the most nervous I'd ever been, just knowing I had two more chances to get a title," he said. "When I won that in Arkansas, that was definitely the whole goal of my college career. Obviously, I want to win the outdoor title. That right there gave me a boost. I could end it now and be happy. Before I wouldn't have been happy just because I'd come so close."

He burst to the front in the indoor race and remained there, increasing his tempo with each lap. "The only reason he didn't run faster is no one wanted to take the lead from him," Hessel said. "When you have a Bryan Berryhill or (NCAA outdoor champ) Gabe Jennings up front, who's going to pass you? They tried to close the gap, but the gap was getting wider and wider."

Since then, Berryhill hasn't increased his training mileage, just the intensity.

"The last three weeks I've been feeling very confident with the way the workouts are going - by far, the best since I've been here," he said.

With one more All-America certificate, he'll surpass former CSU thrower Shelley Greathouse Borrman (nine) for the most All-America honors in a Ram's career. He has a chance for two - in the 1,500 and 800 (Berryhill holds the nation's third-fastest 800 at 1:47.98) - but coming off the Prefontaine, he might skip the NCAA 800 to concentrate on the longer race.

"As far as track and field goes, it will be extremely difficult for anyone here to equal what he has accomplished," Hessel said.

Senior runner eager for outdoor NCAAs

By Natalie Meisler Denver Post Sports Writer

Tuesday, May 01, 2001 - FORT COLLINS - No matter how welcome the sight of each finish line, Colorado State mid-distance runner Bryan Berryhill can't help but look ahead to the next race. A nine-time All-American whose resume includes an NCAA indoor mile title and numerous conference championships, the fifth-year senior's schedule is crammed the next month. The NCAA outdoor championships in Eugene, Ore., which begin May 30, might prove anticlimactic.

Berryhill has accepted an invitation to race in the Prefontaine Classic mile race May 27 at the University of Oregon. Moroccan world-record holder Hicham El Guerrouj (3 minutes, 43.13 seconds) heads the field. For a former Oregon high school track champ who sat mesmerized at the Prefontaine every year, it's a fulfillment of his dreams shy of the Olympics.

"It's a race I don't have to worry about winning," said Berryhill, who usually competes to win everything. "Basically, you get dragged along by (the elites) and their rabbits. You just don't want to go out too fast. You have to realize you're racing with a world-record holder, a guy racing on a different level right now."

Berryhill was leading the nation's college track circuit at 1,500 meters, with a personal best of 3:39.09 at the Stanford Invitational on April 1, until Alabama's David Kimani turned in a 3:38.99 April 22. With another Stanford meet May 4 and the approaching Mountain West Conference championships, Berryhill's times should fall further.

Beyond the NCAAs, Berryhill is looking to the national championships, the world championships in Edmonton, Alberta, and the Goodwill Games in Australia. He hopes to sign with an agent and run professionally in Europe.

"Everything that he has done is now coming together and beginning to pay the dividends," CSU track coach Del Hessel said. "Bryan is still a novice in the mile in comparison to his competitors. He has made the greatest progress in the mile of any athlete in the U.S. coming from the 400 meters in high school. Most were milers in high school and learned all their strategies and training (then).

"I told him when he was a freshman, "You're not fast enough to be an 800-meter runner, but the 1,500 would be an ideal event.' Everything had to change, from running 15 miles a week to learning to run 80 miles a week."

As a miler, Berryhill is part of a vanishing breed in this country. The event for U.S. runners has bordered on extinction for years. Internationally, the mid-distance and distance events are dominated by Kenyans and Moroccans, but there are plenty of road races in this country for Americans to eke out a living. The mile is strictly for an oval track.

"Agents are probably fairly disappointed with American middle-distance runners, and they should be," said Hessel, who has been the national chairman for the 800 and 1,500 events for USA Track and Field. "The name of the game is to go to Europe and race for a world record. The record is 3:43 in the mile. If you can't run a 3:50 mile, you're not in the race anymore.

"This has been going on for years, and the meet directors are crying for an American miler. Americans are popular, but the agents are going for the jumpers and the sprinters. I'm not going to say it's pathetic, but it's pathetic. Bryan is unique. He's intelligent. What agents are looking for is a personality. You have to talk to people. You have to go to clinics for whoever you represent."

Agents regularly call Hessel about Berryhill, but Hessel wants his runner to concentrate on running until his eligibility ends with the NCAA meet.

Coming off a disappointing performance in the U.S. Olympic trials after an injury-riddled spring, Berryhill rallied to win the MWC cross country title. He finished 15th overall in the NCAA indoor meet in March and ended a string of second-place finishes in NCAA meets by winning the mile in 3:56.84.

He owes the other spring results to that indoor title. "Before that race I was the most nervous I'd ever been, just knowing I had two more chances to get a title," he said. "When I won that in Arkansas, that was definitely the whole goal of my college career. Obviously, I want to win the outdoor title. That right there gave me a boost. I could end it now and be happy. Before I wouldn't have been happy just because I'd come so close."

He burst to the front in the indoor race and remained there, increasing his tempo with each lap. "The only reason he didn't run faster is no one wanted to take the lead from him," Hessel said. "When you have a Bryan Berryhill or (NCAA outdoor champ) Gabe Jennings up front, who's going to pass you? They tried to close the gap, but the gap was getting wider and wider."

Since then, Berryhill hasn't increased his training mileage, just the intensity.

"The last three weeks I've been feeling very confident with the way the workouts are going - by far, the best since I've been here," he said.

With one more All-America certificate, he'll surpass former CSU thrower Shelley Greathouse Borrman (nine) for the most All-America honors in a Ram's career. He has a chance for two - in the 1,500 and 800 (Berryhill holds the nation's third-fastest 800 at 1:47.98) - but coming off the Prefontaine, he might skip the NCAA 800 to concentrate on the longer race.

"As far as track and field goes, it will be extremely difficult for anyone here to equal what he has accomplished," Hessel said.