3K/5K

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A big question looming over the menÂ’s distance competition is what events will nine-time NCAA Champion Edward Cheserek run at the NCAA Indoor Championships? The answer will determine OregonÂ’s strategy in their quest for another team title as well as the fate of the remaining distance contenders heading into the 2016 season. Gordon Mack explored the possibilities after Cheserek told FloTrack at the Bowerman Awards that he would be willing to do Â“everythingÂ” at the NCAA Indoor Championships if the coaches asked him to.Â“I would pick anything from the mile to the 5K so I would rather maybe do everythingÂ…whatever coach asks me to do IÂ’ll do it,Â” Cheserek told FloTrack when asked what his favorite events are.The Oregon Duck has always maintained his commitment to the team performance over his own, and his answer reflected that sentiment. At the past two NCAA Indoor Championships, Cheserek has competed in at least two events to assist Oregon with the team titles in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, Cheserek won both the 5K and 3K races and in 2015 he anchored Oregon to a distance medley relay title, an individual mile win, and a runner-up finish in the 3K.With a middle-distance heavy Oregon class in 2016, itÂ’s entirely possible that Cheserek could run the 3K and 5K double again. If he also competes in the DMR, he would join the ranks of Galen Rupp in NCAA Championship history. But if he completes the 3K, 5K, and mile triple, he would become the first male athlete in history to accomplish the feat. The possibilities are exciting and tiring just to think about.Should Cheserek run the 3K and 5K, he will have a host of emerging contenders to deal with in both events.Track audiences already got an early glimpse of the 5K competition at the Hoosier Open on Dec. 11 where PortlandÂ’s William Kincaid edged out Northern Arizona All American Futsum Zienasellassie for the win in 13:44 . The two All Americans were followed by standout performances from PortlandÂ’s Reid Buchanan (13:49), Boise StateÂ’s David Elliot (13:49), and NC State's Luis Vargas (13:49).Kincaid experienced a big breakthrough last spring when he ran a personal best of 13:48 to win his NCAA West preliminary heat and went on to finish fifth in the NCAA Outdoor Championship final. The performance was his first time competing at the championships on the track.After sitting out the cross country season, ZienasellassieÂ’s performance in Indiana showed that he hasnÂ’t lost his competitive edge on the track. The NAU standout is returning from a 2014-15 season that included a third-place individual finish in NCAA cross country meet and a 12th-place finish in the NCAA outdoor 10K. Although he historically hasnÂ’t competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships, 2016 will be a different story since he sat out of competition during the fall cross country season.A handful of graduating seniors in the menÂ’s distance events have left room for an emerging class of talent on the track. Patrick Tiernan, Thomas Curtin, Justyn Knight, and Pierce Murphy, just to name a few, proved their worth on the cross country course and should lead an older and wiser class in 2016. Tiernan famously took the pace out hard at the NCAA Cross Country Championships last November, which resulted in a runner-up finish to Cheserek in Louisville. It was a strategy that Tiernan did not regret, and it made other competitors take notice.Â“He raced like a man,Â” Zienasellassie told FloTrack following TiernanÂ’s strategy against Cheserek at the NCAA meet.As always, the Colorado Buffaloes will be another group to consider in the distance events. Although the NCAA XC-winning streak ended last fall, the Buffaloes will be led by the strong senior leadership of All Americans Pierce Murphy, Ammar Moussa, Connor Winter and Morgan Pearson. A young Buffalo who should also be counted upon is freshman John Dressel who contributed to ColoradoÂ’s runner-up honor with a 26th-place finish at the NCAA XC Championships. Syracuse, the team that executed the XC upset will also have a group of athletes poised to return with fire power in 2016. Sophomore Justyn Knight (RS freshman for indoors) proved his worth on the track last year with a sixth-place finish in the NCAA outdoor 5K and personal bests in the 1500m (3:39) and mile (3:59) as a freshman. His teammate Collin Bennie also emerged in a big way during the fall with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.Although he did not perform as well as expected at the NCAA XC meet, Virginia Tech All American Thomas Curtin should also mix it up with the pack after finishing eighth in both the 3K and 5K at the NCAA Indoor meet last year. He also completed the 2015 track season with a seventh-place finish in the 5K at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.Despite battling with injury for most of the 2014-15 season, StanfordÂ’s twin duo of Jim and Joe Rosa both managed to come back and assist the Cardinal with a third-place team finish in Louisville last fall. In his third cross country race since the 2013 NCAA XC Championships, Jim managed to finish sixth overall and was followed by All American Sean McGorty, who should also contend well in either the 3K or 5K this winter. Stanford freshman Grant Fisher is another athlete to consider for multiple events Â— mile through 5K Â— after the sub-four minute miler finished 17th at the NCAA XC meet, the highest finish for an American-born freshmen at the meet.The possibilities are endless for these athletes as well as others who executed impressive fall seasons Â— GeorgetownÂ’s Jonathan Green, TulsaÂ’s Marc Scott, to name a few. As the NCAA indoor season quickly approaches, time will tell who will be on top by the Championship in March.