Sayen places 11th at NCAA Championships 1500 meter finals
ALLENDALE, Mich. – The most prolific Michigan Tech 1500 meter runner in school history Clayton Sayen crossed the finish line 11th Saturday at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Grand Valley State Track and Field Stadium with a 1500 meter time of 3:51.64.
Sayen started on the outside and used his customary closing speed to vie for top-five position heading into the final lap. He was involved in a three-runner collision which and was tripped up, effectively taking him out of national title contention. He recovered to place 11th in the 12-athlete field.
Callum Elson (American International) won the title with a time of 3:46.35, followed by Austin Miller (Augustana), Charlie Dannatt, and Connor Southard (Pittsburgh State).
"Clayton ran a great race and it's hard to see him run that well and then get unlucky, but that's racing," said head coach Kristina Owen. "He got himself in position to do something special, but there are certainly no guarantees in sport or in life. It's one of the risks of a tactical race, where the field gets tightly packed and there is more contact. He was frustrated immediately after the finish, but he's so professional and already putting it into greater context. This experience will serve him well next year, where he is going to come back even stronger and faster."
Thursday, Sayen ran to seventh place overall in the men's 1500 meter prelims with a personal best time of 3:43.84. It marked the fourth time Sayen topped the Michigan Tech school record in the event this season. Sayen ran in the faster of the two heats.
Sayen's became the 12th Michigan Tech men's track and field athlete to make an NCAA appearance and was the first to do so in the 1500 meter event. Matthew Pahl (10,000 meter run) and Braden Reichl (3000 meter steeplechase) were the last to qualify in 2019.