Crater's Gorze takes 2nd in 3,000
Jun. 26—Two days after a pair of stunning efforts at the USATF Under-20 Outdoor Championships, Crater runners Tyrone Gorze and Josiah Tostenson were back in prime form under harsh conditions late Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene.
Running in suppressing heat only days after competing in the men's 5,000-meter run, Gorze and Tostenson each posted top-six efforts to cap an impressive few days under the national spotlight against college-level competition.
Gorze, a Crater senior-to-be who won Thursday's 5,000 in 14 minutes, 8.08 seconds, finished runner-up in the men's 3,000 to Georgetown University's Lucas Guerra with his time of 8:21.03. Guerra finished in 8:19.36.
Guerra held a one-second edge on Gorze through 1,000 meters and trailed only Devan Kipyego, who fell off to 12th after setting the early pace.
Gorze cut his deficit to Guerra in half by 2,000 meters as the lead pack began to emerge but Guerra was able to close with a 2:40.34 in his final 1,000 meters to fend off the standout Comet. Gorze ran the final leg in 2:41.38.
Tostenson, who just wrapped up his freshman year at Crater, won a footrace with William and Mary's Luke Ellwood to the finish line to place sixth in the 3,000 in 8:38.53. Ellwood was seventh in 8:38.79, with James Wischusen third (8:23.32), Ben Calusinski fourth (8:28.84) and Koby Fraaza fifth (8:35.10).
On Thursday, Tostenson finished 12th in the 5,000 (14:40.08) in breaking the national freshman record for that event.
With his efforts, Gorze qualified for the U20 World Championships in Cali, Colombia, later this summer in August. He is the first runner from an Oregon high school to qualify for the world championship meet since 2018 when Micah Williams, then a junior at Benson, made the 4x100 relay field.
In last month's Class 5A state championships, Gorze and Tostenson finished 1-2 in the boys 3,000 and flipped those roles a day later in another dominant effort in the boys 1,500 at Hayward Field.
