THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 1, 1996 TAG: 9607010124
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 109 lines
Brian Hyde does not like to plan too far ahead. He is, after all, just 23 years old, fresh out of William and Mary, at an age when life is wide-open and full of possibilities.
But there is the matter of those two weeks in late July and early August. Hyde would like to get those pinned down. Soon.
Is he going to the Olympics, or isn't he?
The question should have been answered nine days ago, when Hyde ran in the 1,500 meter final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials in Atlanta.
It wasn't. In fact, Hyde may not know whether he's going to the Atlanta Olympics until July 16, just three days before the opening ceremonies.
``It's frustrating,'' Hyde said. ``I go through periods where I think I might be on the team. Other times I think I won't.
``But it's out of my control.''
Hyde's fate is in the hands of three runners who finished ahead of him at the trials, but have not yet met the Olympic qualifying standard of 3 minutes, 38 seconds for the 1,500.
Hyde, who was fifth at the trials, has met the standard. If the other runners don't meet it by July 16, Hyde will make the team.
``Some days I think about it and my initial reaction is that it's not that hard to run 3:38,'' Hyde said. ``Other days I start thinking that it might not be that easy.''
The world record in the 1,500 is 3:27.37, so 3:38 is not a particularly tough standard. Hyde, who graduated from William and Mary in May, has run 3:35.84, which is the American collegiate record.
To try to meet the standard, the three runners who finished just ahead of Hyde - Jim Sorensen, Jason Pyrah and Erik Nedeau - will go to Europe, where the summer track circuit is in full swing. Paul McMullen, who won the trials, has met the standard, and is on the team.
If Sorensen, Pyrah and Nedeau get in the right race, running under 3:38 should not be a problem, William and Mary coach Walt Drenth said.
``There are probably 50 people in the world who can go under 3:38,'' Drenth said. ``They could get in a race over there, and finish 15th or 20th, and still run 3:38. If they're competitive, they won't have any trouble meeting the standard.''
Still, there's always the chance they won't meet the standard. Hyde could make the team without running another race.
``I'd rather it was the other way,'' he said. ``I'd rather I was the one who had to run.''
Hyde, of course, could have prevented all this uncertainty by finishing in the top three at the trials. He was certainly capable. He finished second at the U.S. championships in 1995, but a nagging injury and a slow pace combined to keep him out of the top three at the trials.
Much has been made of the poor state of American distance running. Even so, few people expected the 1,500 final to be run as slowly as it was in Atlanta. No one was willing to set a quick pace, and the runners stayed bunched together through three laps.
Some runners like that kind of pace. It favors big kickers, who have the speed to sprint away over the final 200 meters.
Hyde prefers a quick pace, which strings out the pack early.
``You leave it to a big kick and you leave too much to chance,'' Hyde said. ``You let too many people in the race. I prefer it to be fast from the get-go.''
Had he been healthy, Hyde would have set a quick pace himself. But he's coming off a back injury that caused him to miss the NCAA championships, and didn't feel capable of running from the front position.
The plan, then, was for Hyde to watch the favorites, Steve Holman and Paul McMullen, and take cues from them.
``I thought Holman would take it from the gun, and go out fast,'' Hyde said.
Holman, though, was inexplicably slow. He's run 3:33, but finished in 3:47.
McMullen was not much faster, but finally made his move with a lap to go.
Hyde went with him, and with 200 meters to go, began closing on the leaders.
But he was blocked by another runner, and had to swing wide. He was gaining ground when he crossed the line, but it was too late.
``I ran out of track,'' he said.
McMullen's winning time was a torpid 3:43.86. Sorensen and Pyrah, relative unknowns, were surprise finishers at second and third. Holman, the favorite, finished 13th.
``If I'd been healthy, I would have taken it out there,'' Hyde said. ``I might have with a quarter to go let someone go by me, and I would have become the hunter.''
Instead, Hyde is waiting for results from Europe.
Even if he doesn't make the team, Hyde should have another shot at the Olympics in 2000. He recently signed a contract to run for New Balance, and will head to Europe after the Olympics.
He's come a long way since the day he showed up in Williamsburg five years ago. He looked, Drenth said, ``Like he was about 14.''
Hyde, who grew up in Michigan, was a hot prospect who was recruited by most of the big-name track schools. He remembers getting his first letter from William and Mary.
``I threw it away,'' he said. ``I remember taking it out of the trash later, and returning the little card, just out of respect for Walt.''
Drenth had been the coach at Central Michigan. Hyde knew him by reputation, and decided to look into William and Mary.
``We hit it off,'' Hyde said. ``Walt was young, and I knew he was going places. We had a lot in common. I felt I was going places, too.''
He is. The question is: Will Atlanta be one of them? ILLUSTRATION: OLYMPICS 96 COUNTDOWN
[Color Photo]
Brian Hyde, shown here leading the pack at the 1995 NCAA
champion-ships, placed fifth in the 1,500 at the Olympic trials in
Atlanta. Three runners who finished ahead of him have not met the
Olympic qualifying time of 3 minutes, 38 seconds. If they fail to
qualify, Hyde would get a spot on the team.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLIAM AND MARY by CNB