Chico State University’s Michael Wickman, a senior from Walnut Creek, ran the second fastest 1,500 meters in Division II this year and the 20th fastest by any NCAA athlete Friday at the Mt. SAC Relays at Hilmer Lodge Stadium on the campus of Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut. Wickman, running in the Olympic Development heat, crossed the line in 3:44:03, just a half second off his personal best, to earn an NCAA Automatic Qualifying mark and Wildcat of the Week honors
Wickman has missed a fair amount of training with injury issues this season, but his return to the track was a very successful one. He followed a pack of swift moving competitors through early splits of 60 seconds, two minutes, and 3:01 before the race really got under way.
As virtually the entire field of very talented runners scrambled for position around the final turn, Wickman held tight to his spot on the rail. He survived a momentary stumble after being tripped up by a competitor and then bolted down the stretch in impressive fashion, finishing fourth overall. His final 300 meters was clocked in 42.7.
Check out Wickman’s race via flotrack at:
http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/236734/326881
Wickman, who already has a provisional qualifying time in the 800 meters, finished third in the 1,500 and 800 at last year’s NCAA Championships.
