* AJ Green is the top returning 800m in 2019
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AJ Green has found his NCAA match.
The Eastview (MN) High School senior, the fastest returning 800 meter runner of 2019, committed to the University of Kansas on Tuesday in front of family and friends, joining a program that historically has developed some of the country's best talent.
Green also considered Penn State, Southern California and Wisconsin.
The Jayhawks' most recent success story, Bryce Hoppel, swept both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships at the distance, was third at the USA Track and Field Championships and fourth overall at the IAAF World Championships. He finished his year with a career best 1:44.25, as a pro, though it would have been faster than Kansas record-holder Jim Ryun's 1:44.30 from 1966.
Green saw the history. He'll join a program led by head coach Stanley Redwine and mid-distance coach Michael Whittlesey, who worked primarily with Hoppel.
And he has the kind of talent that can blossom similarly. The Minnesota half-miler had a four-week stretch this past spring where he broke 1:50 twice and 1:51 three times, posting a career best 1:49.83 at the MSHSL Section 3AA Finals.
Green would go on to win the 800m state finals, his second straight title, and later Brooks PR, grabbing his first national win.
He owns personal records of 49.70 for 400m and 1:49.83 for 800m, along with a best of 4:19.06 for 1,600m. He placed sixth recently at the Nike Cross Nationals Heartland Regional, in a career best 15:19.90 for 5K, and scored his second straight top 10 performance at Minnesota's state cross country championships.
Year-By-Year Progression
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