4. Cruz Culpepper's Emergence As The Country's Top Miler
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Cruz Culpepper needed just one race to get the kinks out, and then his next two attempts were absolutely bonkers. Each performance by the Niwot (CO) senior and University of Washington recruit saw an improvement in small and large ways, as he surged to the top of the national leaderboard and became the country's best miler.
In his first tune-up, Culpepper clocked a 4:11.44 to beat several of the country's top runners at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. Then, as he turned his attention to two more mile races at his future home facility, the Dempsey Indoor Stadium, he truly started to emerge.
On his first attempt, at the UW Invitational, he authored a time of 4:01.66. Two weeks later, he came back for the Husky Classic on Feb. 15, lowering his career best mile to 4:00.10, which is the fastest time ever run on a 300-meter track.
If Culpepper gets a chance to race a full mile during the outdoor track season, watch out because it's guaranteed to be fast.
- Bryan Deibel
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