| Fennell among AU’s fastest-ever indoor milers BY MIKE UNGER
Photo by Landon A. Medley
Brendan Fennell finished first in the Jan. 22 mile at the Terp Invitational. |
Four minutes and nine point three seconds after Brendan Fennell crossed the starting line Jan. 22 at the Terp Invitational, his race was over. He had run a mile faster than it takes some cautious motorists to drive one, recording the fourth-fastest indoor time in American University history while establishing another milestone in his comeback from an injury that threatened to end his collegiate career before it began. “I’m delighted,” said his coach, Matt Centrowitz. “He hasn’t had a breakthrough race until Saturday, even though he’s been working very hard. He was nice and relaxed and went out and ran a very competitive race.” That Fennell even ran—let alone won—the race in Prince George’s County earlier this month was dubbed a “miracle” by Centrowitz. As a high school senior three years ago in Pearl River, N.Y., Fennell took to the basketball court for a game of hoops in gym class. In the course of the action he awkwardly twisted his previously injured hip, fracturing it. “It was a freak accident basically,” Fennell, 20, said.
| WRESTLING |
Rocketing up the charts
Josh Glenn and his American University wrestling team have both reached historic heights. In the latest NWCA/Intermat poll, Glenn was ranked No. 2 among all Division I 184-pound wrestlers. AU improved to No. 21 in the nation in the recent WrestlingReport.com’s rankings, marking the highest individual and team rankings in program history.
“Josh has wrestled a very competitive schedule,” head coach Mark Cody said. “It seems the better the competition, the better he wrestles. He does an excellent job scouting each opponent. I feel he is the most dominant wrestler in his weight class.”
Undefeated Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov remains at No. 4 in the 165-pound weight class. The 15-0 senior has won four matches by fall, two by technical fall, and five by major decision. The only top-10 wrestler he has faced this year so far is No. 10 Matt Nagel of Minnesota, who he defeated 13-3 at the Northeast Duals.
A pin victory last week over Nebraska’s No. 18 John May helped move heavyweight Adam LoPiccolo up to No. 13 in the country. The team next hits the mats Saturday when it travels to Cambridge, Mass., to take on Harvard. |
The lanky Fennell was on crutches for 10 weeks and couldn’t run for more than six months. His weight ballooned from 130 to 165 pounds, but he never contemplated hanging up his running shoes. After consulting with physicians and Centrowitz, Fennell decided to take a medical redshirt year in 2003–04. “I really was in no condition to compete,” he said. “Just getting back into shape took me three months. I really have to thank my teammates and my coach for having patience in me. Each day was a better day.” Fennell began racing again last season, but his return to the track was not incident-free. He suffered some minor injuries and said it took him longer than he anticipated to regain the competitive fire that fuels his love of the sport. “I was in good shape, but I think I needed some kind of breakthrough,” he said. That came at the Terp Invitational. Setting a brisk pace, Fennell exerted his will on a field that included teammates Kevin Tschirhart and Conor Lanz, who finished second and fifth, respectively. On the women’s side, all-everything Keira Carlstrom cruised to a six-second victory. Fennell, a junior with two years of eligibility remaining, and Carlstrom, a senior, were named Patriot League Track Athletes of the Week. “I’m very pleased,” Centrowitz said of his teams’ performances. “We’re off to a very good start. We have some areas where you can’t see the improvement yet, but we have a couple of breakthrough races coming up. One of the stumbling blocks is that we have no indoor facility, but the weather’s been super the last few weeks, and they’ve done a lot of hard work.” Fennell regards his exceptional performance not as the culmination of an inspirational story but as the start of a new, brighter chapter. He’ll run in the 5k at this weekend’s Armory Collegiate Invitational in New York City. “I’m looking to crack into the top ten, have a good time, and continue this positive momentum,” he said. “I love competing against the other guys, and I like the mental aspect as well. You can be in top condition, but your head can beat your body. Coach has had a lot of patience with me over the past two years, and I’m hoping that his patience and my working hard will finally show this spring.” With green grass and budding trees still two months away, Fennell, as usual, seems to be ahead of the pace. |
