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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, N. Carolina
Ryan Coleman, d3photography.com

Men's Track & Field Ascends to 1st after Day 1 of 2022 NCAA D-III Indoor Championships

| By: Joe Ginley '16, SID
The Blue Streaks stand atop the pack after Day 1. 
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Remember the date March 11, 2022.

Today marks the day that John Carroll Track & Field firmly cemented its place amongst the best programs in the country. 

Folks in University Heights have known that something special has been brewing for a long time in this program. The student-athletes, alumni, and fans have smelled the sweet aroma of what Kyle Basista and Co. have been cooking. But today, the NCAA Division III community enjoyed a full serving after tasting it at last year's outdoor championship meet.  

After Day 1 of the 2022 NCAA D-III Indoor Men's Track & Field Championships, the Blue Streaks stand atop the pack in first place, due in large part to a historic championship-effort by the one and only Alex Phillip. 

Phillip became John Carroll's first national champion in a track event on Friday. The Blue Streaks have claimed several individual national championships in field events, but never a track event before today. But Alex Phillip isn't one to shy away from history. 

The junior started out strong, with fifth-year senior Jamie Dailey pushing him forward. Phillip broke away with a small pack at the front as the race developed, but showed why he's so special late in the race. Between 4600m and 4800m, Phillip extended his lead from less than a second to six seconds during that 200m span. Just like his cross country championship, Phillip kicked like no one else can, vaunting for a time of 14:10.02.

"With about 800m left, Kyle told me to let Joe [Freiburger] take the lead, knowing that I have the speed to kick to win the race," said Phillip. "I let Joe take over, and I was pretty calm. I knew what I had in me and what I could do at the end of the race, and took it over at the end." 

Dailey fought with a secondary pack, fighting for All-American positioning. Like Phillip, Dailey was striving to go 3-for-3, after winning All-American honors during outdoor track season and cross country season in 2021. With a last-minute burst, Dailey's heart and focus fired him into seventh for All-American honors. 

"I don't know the next time we'll have a combination like these two," said Basista. "Jamie and Alex are two guys who have helped each other a ton. Alex will miss Jamie not being around next year. It's a special duo because they feed off each other and gain confidence from each other."

Phillip's history-making was no surprise to his fans. But it doesn't make it any less enjoyable. 

"He knows his body and pace and when to make a move," said Basista. "He was biding his time and waiting for the moment where he felt confident to make a move that would last to the finish line. He executed it perfectly and enjoyed the last lap."

Dailey's battle for his All-American trophy was not easily won. It came down to his heart. 

"Most of my attention on that race was Jamie," said Basista. "He did a great job of initially moving up. He was aggressive, because he's a grinder and competitive, he knows one speed. I'd rather you be too aggressive than not aggressive enough. He put his heart, blood, and tears into it. I'm proud of him getting All-American in indoor to add to outdoor and cross country. And like he said today, the job's not finished."

"There will always be huge packs especially when you have top 20 guys running at the national meet," said Dailey. "You always want to get your way at the front of the pack. I can be aggressive in those races, so I tried my best to work my way around guys and compete."

The Men's Distance Medley Relay effort also highlighted what was an exceptional day.

With such a quick turnaround from the 5k, Phillip wouldn't be able to help the DMR squad duplicate its record-setting time from Boston earlier this season. Basista sent out Ian Pierson, Garrett Clark, Caleb Correia, and Ethan Domitrovich to rep the Blue Streaks in the event. 

And they didn't disappoint. 

In his first indoor nationals, Ian Pierson roared out of the gate with a 3:05.699 split. Garrett Clark sprinted for a time of 49.300 to keep things trucking. Caleb Correia tackled his first national meet like a pro next, clipping a time of 1:55.046. And Ethan Domitrovich, another nationals rookie, ran with ice in his veins for an incredible time of 4:10.233.

Add that up, and you get a sixth-place time of 10.00.27.

"The coaching staff and athletes are ecstatic with the performance," said Basista. "We knew going into the indoor season that Alex was a means to an end to getting the relay there. We didn't expect to run as fast as we did. Very rarely do you see individuals execute the first time as well as Caleb and Ethan did. And specifically, anchoring a national-record relay is a lot of pressure. To do what he did, a 4:10 mile, is just incredible."

Garrett Clark also raced earlier in the 200m, but just barely missed the cut with a time of 22.05, off by just .21 seconds. But he's quickly becoming a regular at the national meet for JCU, a consistent force to be reckoned with.

At the end of the day, the team results were tallied, and to the surprise of the Blue Streaks, the men of University Heights stood atop in first place. 

"From a team perspective, we didn't think about it," said Basista. "We didn't even know, and never would have guessed. Only 5 events have been scored, but our guys stepped up today, no doubt about it."

As Basista will tell you, today's success is not about one person. Rather, it's about everyone who's contributed to the success of the program. Particularly deserving of kudos are Associate Head Coach Daniel Tutskey and Graduate Assistant Jordan Doore, who have put in plenty of work to make it happen.

And the work is not done. Tomorrow, Phillip and Dailey will race in the 3k at 4:45 pm.

"We've set a high standard here for the runners of John Carroll," said Phillip. "Everytime we step on the track, we want to meet that standard."
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