You mean there were other meets besides Drake, Penn and SAC?

The Beach Invitational in glamorous Cerritos-Norwalk, Calif., was one of those.

Held to apparently coincide with Mt. SAC weekend, the meet produced the sixth-fastest women's 800 EVER by (who else?) Jessica Pixler, who dipped under 2:05. The meet also featured sub-3:50 runs for Ben Zywicki (Colorado Mines) and Tyler Emmorey (Grand Valley State) and a pair of sub-9:05 steeples.

And last weekend, the Gina Relays in Hillsdale, Mich., produced auto marks for Jeff Nordquist (steeple) and Monica Kinney (1,500), both of Grand Valley State.

And Houston's Rice J. Fred Duckett Twilight produced the eighth-fastest men's 1,500 for Jared McNeil (Tarleton State). McNeil was second, beating a bunch of D1ers. He should look forward to a berth in Charlotte.

Mt. SAC 5Ks: 10 crack 14-, 17-minute barriers

Though it'll likely boil down to a Pixler-Zeferjahn duel, Mt. SAC revealed other contenders to the 5,000 crown.

Tori Tyler (Chico State) recorded the third-fastest time in D2-dom this year, running a 16:29 in one of the faster heats. She was followed about 10 seconds later by Monica Kinney (Grand Valley State) and Kristin McGlynn (Adams State). Grand Valley State showed their collective 5k might: The school had four under 17 minutes and another just over that mark.

Abilene Christian's Amos Sang might give that school its first distance title of the school year. The junior had the D2-best 13:50 in the slower Olympic development heat. Reuben Mwei (Adams State) -- off a sub-8:40 performance -- turned in a solid 13:54 in the invitational event, albeit finishing near the back in the night's fastest heat.

Adams State didn't replicate their insane 5-under-14 performance of last year, but Mwei and Luke Cragg (13:54) both eclipsed that standard and Ryan McNiff nearly did. (And didja see how fast indoor 5k champ Brian Medigovich went? He finished nearly even with ex-champ, Chico-er Scott Bauhs.)

Other notables, who will likely figure at Charlotte, include Marko Cheseto (Alaska-Anchorage, 14:00), Reuben Sanca (Mass.-Lowell, 14:05) and Ben Zywicki (Colorado Mines, 14:10).

Pixler's 4:11 at Mt. SAC is nearly best-ever D2 effort

Jessica Pixler came away with easily D2's best performance at Mt. SAC.
The senior finished second and .4 behind what I'm assuming to be a familiar foe (Katie Follett of Washington). Amazingly, Pixler's time is the second-fastest ever by a D2 runner. Only Tina Colebrook (Cal Poly-SLO) ran faster in 1990. (Her 4:07 was recorded in Cologne.) So that makes Pixler the fastest D2er ever on American soil. Wow!
So now that we know the winner in Charlotte (?!), what did Mt. SAC inform us about the second-best?
Seattle Pacific's Jane Larson was fourth out of 86 (!) finishers in the 1,500, but ran 3 seconds slower than at Stanford (4:26).
While D2 men made their presence felt in the steeple, it was more muted in the 800 and 1,500.

Drew Graham of Adams State ran a 3:43.7. Michael Wickman (Chico State) finished two places back in fourth and 3:44. (Graham isn't on the D2 performance list yet, perhaps to a results mixup, but Andrew Graham of Utah Valley runs the 110 highs and 400 hurdles.) Otherwise, Adams State's Drew Soucy was the only D2er under 3:50.

One D2er managed to dip under the auto standard of 1:50, as Anthony Luna (Metro State) was last in the fast 800 on Saturday, but ran a nice 1:49.1. Surprise indoor champ Denise Mokaya (Mankato State) registered a 1:51 in one of the zillion heats earlier in the meet.
On the women's side, Chanelle Caldwell (Grand Valley State) ran a 2:07 -- well under the auto standard. She might be Pixler's biggest challenge in Charlotte.

The 10: Kirwa fastest at SAC

Did the 10,000s at Mt. SAC appear to be a bit slow? I'm not dissing a sub-30 time, having never managed one myself, but I seem to recall some folks running sub 28 minutes?

Regardless, D2 runners more than held their own in the Distance Carnivale.

On the women's side, D2ers did well ruled one heat, led by Sarah Porter (Western Washington) at 34:30. Other auto qualifiers included Laura Kleppin (Western State) and the Alaska-Anchorage duo of Laura Carr and Ruth Keino (love to have that surname). Six other women were within one minute of the auto qualifier in another heat, which should book a ticket to Durham. Event fave Jeanne Nedlo (Queens) wasn't in Southern Cal.

Daniel Kirwa (Harding) -- double winner in San Angelo last year -- ran the fastest D2 time of the night in the fastest heat (29:24). But Jimmy Elam (Chico State) led five D2ers under 30 in the university/open race. Elam ran 29:38; the D2 auto standard is 29:40, but I can't imagine (m)any would run faster elsewhere. A sub-30 at Mt. SAC ought to put you in for the kill in DurhamCharlotte, although Kirwa is my bet for now.

Mwei, Western State shine, as 5 d2ers dip under 9

Good stuff from Mount San Antonio College last night.

In the invitational race, Reuben Mwei dipped just under 8:40 in the steeple, putting him on form to win his third outdoors title in the event. (He also nabbed a school record in the process. Congrats!)

He may have to contend with Western State's Loren Ahonen, who finished 10 seconds back. Grand Valley State's Tyler Emmorey was a further seven seconds on arrears.

But the race for a national title won't come down to those three.

In the men's university/open race, Western State packed three guys under 9:02, led by Glen Watts (8:59). In the Olympic development race, Micah Chelimo (Alaska-Anchorage) ran an 8:49. Tim Guerin (Mass.-Lowell) might've had an off night (9:09). (Don't look now, but Simon Fraser put one under 9. They comin'!)

Mwei remains the prohibitive favorite in DurhamCharlotte. But Ahonen, Emmorey and Chelimo might surprise.

Women's Mt. SAC steeple: Lots of parity

Add Hillory Davis' name to Western State's stable of long-distance hurdlers. She edged Alicia Nelson (Adams State) for second and 10:26 in the university/open race and was fastest D2er of the night. Davis wasn't in the steeple field in San Angelo last year, but was Western's top finisher in Evansville. Cassie Mitchell (Adams State), Sarah Lyle (again, Western State) and Karie MacDonald (Grand Valley State) all finished within 10 seconds of Davis.

Over in the fast university/open heat, Humboldt State's Megan Rowland (10:30) and Southern Indiana's Mary Ballinger (10:34) finished well.

In all, an amazing 10 women got under the auto standard (10:46) with a couple very close. It's anybody's race in DurhamCharlotte!

Mt. SAC is Pre-Nationals

Looking at the start lists, Mt. SAC is likely the definitive meet of the year, excepting nationals.

Not all will go head-to-head. For example, while Reuben Mwei (Adams State), Tyler Emmorey (Grand Valley State) and Loren Ahonene (Western State) will line up in the invitational (and obstensibly faster) steeplechase, Tim Guerin (Mass.-Lowell) and Micah Chelimo (Alaska-Anchorage) are in the olympic development race. So don't base your form chart completely on the results this week. (And I suspect it'll be a bit hotter in DurhamCharlotte.)

Distance teams from Adams State, Alaska-Anchorage, Chico State, Colorado Mines, Grand Valley State, Harding, Humboldt, Metro State, Mankato State, Mass.-Lowell, Saginaw Valley State, (soon-to-be-D2) Simon Fraser, Seattle Pacific, Western State and Western Washington. About the only notable teams missing are Queens, Missouri Southern and Augustana (S.D.).

The lull before Mt. SAC

Aside from a few excellent individual performances, it appears most are waiting to run fast. Which makes sense, at Mt. SAC starts what are the two best weekends in American track (with Drake and Penn relays to follow).

In my estimation, last weekend's best male performance was Amos Sang's 29:15. The Abilene Christian junior got a small altitude adjustment for running his time in (always?) breezy Lubbock. He and the winner, Wayland Baptist's Kennedy Kithuka, beat the field by two minutes. That's a mental test. Sang is entered at Mt. SAC in the 5,000 and 10,000.

Best women's performance to Queens' Tanya Zeferjahn's second-best-in-D2 1,500, where she ran completely by herself to win by 14 seconds in 4:28.

Other performances of note:

• Anthony Luna (Metro State), who won last year's outdoor 800m in San Angelo but sat out this indoors in Albuquerque, enters the list at No. 8. He's set to run the 800 at Mt. SAC.
• Adams State now owns four of the top nine spots in the 1,500, thanks to some decent marks at the Sun Angel Classic in Tempe, Ariz.
• Alexis Skarda (Mesa State) also recorded a quick 4:28 at Sun Angel. Mesa State is definitely an overshadowed program in Colorado. She'll run the same event at Mt. SAC.
• Dani Dell'Orco (Truman State) won the 10,000 at the Jim Duncan Invite, which happens to be at Drake. Dell'Orco is now No. 5 (and an auto qualifier) in that event.

The big ones: SAC, Drake, Penn, Cardinal...and ?

Aside from nationals in Charlotte, I've got four meets that I'm especially interested in:

Mt. SAC Relays (April 15-17)

Penn and Drake relays (April 22-24)

Stanford Cardinal Invite (May 1).

For now, I'm concentrating on these four, but I'd like to hear about other "biggies" where D2ers will shine -- and run fast.

Fast 5s

Between the three schools, Abilene Christian (1), Adams State (4!), and Western State (2) put seven runners under 14 minutes in the various 5000m races at Mt. SAC Relays. (Adams State nearly had a fifth at 14:05). Nice work.

The small-school effort of the night might have been the 13:33 by Azusa Pacific's Aron Rono. Of course, if your name is Rono, you'd better be fast.

Not sure what D2 squads might be off to Drake and Penn, but I'll keep track.

Tonight's the big night at SAC

A few noteworthy performances at the first night of Mt. SAC Relays: A sub-9 minute steeplechase by Western State's Loren Ahonen, and two 10K's nearly under 29 minutes by Marko Cheseto of Alaska-Anchorage and Chris Clark of California (Pa.). Look for Cheseto and Clark to duke it out for the D2 crown; both were in the top 9 at cross nats.
I'm pretty sure I know at least a portion of Clark's success: Cal coach Daniel Caulfield, ex-Adams Stater and standout Irish middle distance runner.
Cheseto could be a factor in the fall, too. (Clark was a senior last fall.)

Mt. SAC

For those living in the Midwest or West, the Mt. SAC Relays are a highlight of the collegiate track season. (That Stanford invite is pretty sweet, too, I've heard.) I've seen guys break through the 29-minute barrier in the 10,000, and I've seen a season's worth of work go by the wayside. It's kind of a crapshoot, but if you get in a fast heat, you'll roll.
For D2, it looks like Adams State is absolutely loading up the 5,000 meters (five under 14 minutes?!?!); Abilene Christian has four quality 5k runners; Western State has quite a small (but quality) squad; Mankato St. has a big squad; Harding brought a pair of fast 10k guys; and do my eyes deceive me, but is that THE Willie Gault entered in the 100m? (You can read all the entries at www.mtsacrelays.com.)