Clarion Area Cross Country And Track And Field Athlete Nathaniel Lerch Gets To Meet NCAA Track Champion (06/27/17)

Clarion Area Cross Country and Track athlete, Nathaniel Lerch, who will be a sophomore this fall, had a big thrill while vacationing with his family.

(Photo by Matt Lerch) Nathaniel Lerch with NCAA DI 5000 Meter Champion Grant Fisher

Nathaniel, a PIAA State Cross Country qualifier, was in attendance at the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The meet, at the University of Oregon’s historic Hayward field in Eugene ran from Wednesday, June 7th through Saturday, June 10th.

On Friday evening, the Men’s 5000 meter run was contested. In a very exciting finish, Stanford’s Grant Fisher, Arkansas’ Jack Bruce and Justyn Knight of Syracuse broke away from a tight field and made it a three man race, down the stretch.

When the dust cleared, Fisher was the winner, with Bruce finishing second and Knight taking third. Less than two seconds separated the trio. Fisher finished in 14:35.60, Bruce in 14:35.88 and Knight in 14:36.23. In fact, the spread from first through tenth was less than three seconds (14:35.60 – 14:38.45).

After the race, Lerch got to meet up with the champion, with the two posing for a picture, with Lerch experiencing the thrill of actually holding Fisher’s 2017 NCAA 5000 Meter Championship Trophy.

Fisher’s win was televised on ESPN and can be seen on youtube.

(Congratulations Nathaniel, this had to be the thrill of a lifetime!!!!)