Craig Engels

American middle-distance runner

Craig Engels

Engels in 2019

Personal information
Born|  (1994-05-01) May 1, 1994 (age 30)
Pfafftown, North Carolina, U.S.
Height| 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight| 145 lb (66 kg)
Sport
Sport| Track, cross country
Event(s)| 1500 meters, mile
College team| North Carolina State
Mississippi
Club| Union Athletics
Coached by| Ryan Vanhoy
Achievements and titles
World finals| 2019 Doha
1500 m, 10th
Personal best(s)| 800 meters: 1:44.68[1]
1500 meters: 3:33.64[1]
mile: 3:51.60[1]

Medal record

Men’s athletics
Representing  United States
Pan American Junior Athletics Championships
| 2013 Medellin | Men's 1500m

Updated on April 12, 2016

Craig Engels (born May 1, 1994) is an American middle-distance runner. He competed for the United States at the 2013 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, where he won the men's 1500 meters. In the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Engels was focused on making the semi-finals of the 800m and was listed as an alternate for the 1500m. He finished 4th in the 800m final and 5th in the 1500m final, missing out on the Olympics in both events.

## Running career

[edit]

### High school

[edit]

Engels attended Ronald W. Reagan High School in Pfafftown, North Carolina, until he graduated in 2012. In addition to running cross country and track, he played for his school's soccer team and was a member of the Earth Club at his school.[2] By the time he graduated from Reagan in 2012, he had set his school's records in the 800 meters, mile, and 3200 meters. [3] His best high school mile time was recorded at the 2012 Adidas Grand Prix Dream Mile, where he ran 4:03.96, which as of 2017 is the state high school record mile time for North Carolina.[3] Throughout high school, Engels was coached by RunCCG coach, Chris Catton.

### Collegiate

[edit]

Engels first attended North Carolina State with an athletic scholarship. During his freshman year, he was redshirted and experienced chronic injury problems.[4] In the summer after his freshman year, he traveled with the US junior national team to Colombia to compete at the 2013 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, where he won the 1500 meters. Just four months after this, during winter break, Engels decided to terminate his enrollment at NC State. He considered stopping competitive running altogether, but was urged by his high school coach, Chris Catton, not to quit.[4] During his winter of uncertainty, he sent gifts individually to his teammates at NC State as a sign of goodbye, and also bought a used recreational vehicle on Craigslist, which broke down immediately after purchase.[4]

By early 2014, with some persuasion from Mississippi coach Ryan Vanhoy, who had tried to recruit Engels out of high school two years earlier, Engels transferred to University of Mississippi.[4]

During the 2015 indoor season Engels debuted for Ole Miss at the Auburn Invitational, placing third in the mile in 4:05.51. Engels also set a new personal best of 4:01.19 at the Husky Classic for 12th place. Engels ran the 1600m leg of the Rebel's SEC championship Distance Medley Relay while also finishing runner-up in the mile event at the SEC Championships in 4:03.76.

During the 2015 outdoor season Engels made his outdoor Rebel debut at the Border Clash in the 800m, finishing second with a time of 1:48.27. He also made his 1500m Rebel debut at the Virginia Challenge, breaking the school record with a time of 3:40.28. Engels raced to a personal-best 800m time of 1:46.13 at the LSU Invitational, which left him ranked No. 2 all time in school history. Engels finished 10th at the SEC Championships in the 5000m in a Personal-best time of 14:20.27 which was followed up with a third-place finish in the 1500m with a time of 3:45.37. After finishing third in the NCAA East Prelims with a time of 1:47.16, Engels went on to finish 10th at the NCAA Championships with a time of 1:47.33, the eighth-fastest time of the semifinals and .04 seconds from advancing which earned him Second team All-America honors.

During the 2015 NCAA Cross Country season, Engels placed second on the team and 16th overall at the SEC Championships with an 8K time of 24:00.00, followed by a 15th-place finish in the 9.725 Kilometer Race at the NCAA South Region Championships with a time of 31:09.2, earning All-Region honors. In the last race of the season Engels Finished 160th overall at the NCAA Championships with a 10K time of 31:31.7

During the 2016 indoor season Engels ran the 800m leg of the fourth-place DMR team at the Penn State National that set a school record with a time of 9:30.48, followed by a fifth-place finish in the 800m at the Penn State National with an indoor personal-best time of 1:47.75. He finished seventh in the 800m at the SEC Championships with a time of 1:49.86, earning All-SEC First Team honors. Engels ran the 800m leg of the SEC Champion DMR team that won the third-straight DMR crown for Ole Miss at the SEC Championships. He then ran the 800m leg for the Ole Miss DMR team that placed third at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, earning First Team All-America honors.

Engels began the 2016 outdoor season strongly, finished first overall in the 800m at the Texas Invitational with a time of 1:47.17 and a second-place finish in the 800m at the Payton Jordan Invitational with a time of 1:47.06. He then set a school record with a second-place finish in the 1500m at the Florida Relays with a time of 3:38.82, which was the third fastest time in the NCAA in 2016. With a first-place finish in a time of 3:50.71 Engels became the first Ole’ Miss man to win a SEC crown in the 1500m Run. Engels would finish 11th in the 1500m at the NCAA East Prelims (3:44.19) to qualify for the NCAA Championships, where he placed an impressive 7th in a time of 3:43.23, earning First Team All-America honors.

During the 2016 Olympic Trials Engels finished 4th and 5th in the 800m and 1500m finals while setting a personal best time of 1:46.03 in the 800m and 3:37.66 in the 1500m, which set a new Ole Miss Rebels school record.

### Professional

[edit]

In July 2017, Engels joined the Nike Oregon Project to be coached by Pete Julian and left Oxford, Mississippi for Portland, Oregon. Engels planned to be coached by Pete Julian, instead of Alberto Salazar, the latter whom Engels had inadvertently introduced himself to at the 2013 USATF Outdoor Championships. Engels states his reasoning for joining the Oregon Project as largely the result of Ryan Vanhoy's (Engels coach at Ole Miss) advice and because they had the coolest gear. Vanhoy himself had briefly coached NOP Member Eric Jenkins while at Northeastern. While Engels could have joined NOP during the USATF Championships, he decided to wait until he was able to make an official visit to Portland and meet all the major players. After officially joining the Nike Oregon Project, Engels raced the Sir Walter Miler, where he finished a close second in 3:57.67 to former high school standout and professional Adidas athlete Drew Hunter’s 3:57.32 efforts for first. This marks Engels first official time under 4:00 minutes in the mile, although his 3:35 1500m mark converts to a 3:53 mile.

During the 2018 indoor season, Engels knocked nearly four seconds off his mile personal best at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University, finishing in 3:53.93. Engel's time was fast enough to qualify for the USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At the USATF Indoor Championships, Engels finished third behind Ben Blankenship and Paul Chelimo, the former not having run the qualifying time for the IAAF Indoor Championships. Because of this, Engels made his first world championships team, where he finished 7th in the finals in 3:58.92, only .73 seconds behind World Indoor Champion Samuel Tefera.

Engles at the 2019 US Track & Field Championship

On July 28, 2019 Engels won the 1500m final at the 2019 USATF Outdoor Championships. Engels ran a 3:44.93, beating out 2016 Olympic gold medalist Matthew Centrowitz by 0.04 seconds in a tactical race which displayed the advantage of commanding the race from the front in lane 1.

On September 6, 2019 Engels finished 5th in the 1500 at the Diamond League final in Brussels, Belgium running a PR of 3:34.04. His time was under the Olympic Standard (3:35.00).

Engels finished 10th in the IAAF World Championships 1500 final in Doha, Qatar on October 6, 2019. He faded out of medal contention in the last 600 meters but still ran 3:34.24, just .20 off his personal best. The race was won by Kenya's Timothy Cheruiyot in 3:29.26, who led gun to wire in one of the fastest World Championships 1500s in history.[5]

During the 2021 Olympic Trials, Engels finished 4th in the 1500m final at Eugene, Oregon.

Engels qualified for the 2024 US Olympic Trials in the 1500m.[6] He finished in ninth place.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c IAAF. "IAAF: Craig Engels - Athlete Profile". Retrieved August 31, 2018.
2. ^ Ben Rohrbach (June 20, 2012). "North Carolina Boys Track AOY: Craig Engels".
3. ^ a b Reagan Track and Field. "Reagan Track and Field Records 2006-2014" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 27, 2015.
4. ^ a b c d Brant Wilkerson (April 16, 2015). "Engels runs to the beat of a different drum".
5. ^ "1500 Metres Result | IAAF World Athletics Championships, DOHA 2019".
6. ^ "USA Track & Field | Status of Entries". usatf.org. Retrieved June 23, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Craig Engels at www.USATF.org
* Craig Engels at World Athletics

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Nike Oregon Project

Support|

* Alberto Salazar
* Pete Julian
* Darren Treasure

Roster|

| Men's|

* Galen Rupp
* Suguru Osako
* Craig Engels
* Clayton Murphy
* Eric Jenkins
* Yomif Kejelcha
* Donavan Brazier

|

Women's|

* Jordan Hasay
* Shannon Rowbury
* Sifan Hassan
* Konstanze Klosterhalfen
* Jessica Hull

Former
members|

* Mary Cain
* Matthew Centrowitz Jr.
* Tara Erdmann
* Mo Farah
* Kara Goucher
* Adam Goucher
* Cameron Levins
* Treniere Moser
* Luke Puskedra
* Dathan Ritzenhein
* Dorian Ulrey

* v
* t
* e

US National Championship winners in men's 1500-meter run or mile

1876–78
New York Athletic Club|

* 1876M: Harold Lambe (CAN) * Cornelius Vought
* 1877M: Richard Morgan
* 1878M: Thomas Smith

1879–88
NAAAA|

* 1879M: Henry Pellatt (CAN) * William Duffy
* 1880–83M: Harry Fredericks
* 1884M: Percy Madeira
* 1885M: George Gilbert
* 1886–87M: Edward Carter
* 1888MNote 1: Thomas Conneff

1888–1979
Amateur Athletic Union|

* 1888MNote 1: G.M. Gibbs (CAN) * Thomas Conneff
* 1889–90M: Albert George
* 1891M: Thomas Conneff
* 1892M: George Orton (CAN) * Ernest Hjertberg
* 1893-5M: George Orton (CAN) * A.J. Walsh
* 1896M: George Orton (CAN) * Mortimer Remington
* 1897–98M: John Cregan
* 1899M: Alex Grant
* 1900M: George Orton (CAN) *Alex Grant
* 1901–03M: Alex Grant
* 1904M: David Munson
* 1905M: Jim Lightbody
* 1906M: Albert Rodgers
* 1907M: James Sullivan
* 1908M: Herbert Trube
* 1909M: Joe Ballard
* 1910M: Joe Monument
* 1911–12M: Abel Kiviat
* 1913M: Norman Taber
* 1914M: Abel Kiviat
* 1915M: Joie Ray
* 1916M: Ivan Meyers
* 1917–23M OT: Joie Ray
* 1924–25M: Ray Buker
* 1926M: Lloyd Hahn
* 1927M-28OT: Ray Conger
* 1929M: Leo Lermond
* 1930M: Ray Conger
* 1931M: Leo Lermond
* 1932OT: Norwood Hallowell
* 1933: Glenn Cunningham
* 1934: Bill Bonthron
* 1935–38: Glenn Cunningham
* 1939: Blaine Rideout
* 1940: Walter Mehl
* 1941: Leslie MacMitchell
* 1942–43: Gil Dodds
* 1944: William Hulse
* 1945: Roland Sink
* 1946: Lennart Strand (SWE) * Leslie MacMitchell
* 1947: Gerry Karver
* 1948: Gil Dodds
* 1949–50: John Twomey
* 1951: Len Truex
* 1952–53M: Wes Santee
* 1954M: Fred Dwyer
* 1955M: Wes Santee
* 1956: Jerome Walters
* 1957M: Merv Lincoln (AUS) * Bob Seaman
* 1958M: Herb Elliott (AUS) * Ed Moran
* 1959: Dyrol Burleson
* 1960: Jim Grelle
* 1961M: Dyrol Burleson
* 1962M: Jim Beatty
* 1963M: Dyrol Burleson
* 1964: Tom O'Hara
* 1965–67M: Jim Ryun
* 1968: John Mason
* 1969M: Marty Liquori
* 1970M: Howell Michael
* 1971M: Marty Liquori
* 1972: Jerome Howe
* 1973M: Leonard Hilton
* 1974: Rod Dixon (NZL) * Tom Byers
* 1975: Leonard Hilton
* 1976: Eamonn Coghlan (IRL) *Michael Manke
* 1977–79: Steve Scott

1980–92
The Athletics Congress|

* 1980: Steve Lacy
* 1981: Sydney Maree (SAF) * Steve Scott
* 1982–83: Steve Scott
* 1984–85: Jim Spivey
* 1986: Steve Scott
* 1987: Jim Spivey
* 1988: Mark Deady
* 1989: Terrance Herrington
* 1990: Joe Falcon
* 1991: Terrance Herrington
* 1992OT: Jim Spivey

1993-onwards
USA Track & Field|

* 1993: Bill Burke
* 1994: Terrance Herrington
* 1995–96OT: Paul McMullen
* 1997: Seneca Lassiter
* 1998: Jamey Harris
* 1999: Steve Holman
* 2000OT: Gabe Jennings
* 2001: Andy Downin
* 2002: Seneca Lassiter
* 2003: Jason Lunn
* 2004–05: Alan Webb
* 2006: Bernard Lagat
* 2007: Alan Webb
* 2008: Bernard Lagat
* 2009–10: Lopez Lomong
* 2011: Matthew Centrowitz
* 2012: Leonel Manzano
* 2013: Matthew Centrowitz
* 2014: Leonel Manzano
* 2015–16: Matthew Centrowitz
* 2017: Robby Andrews
* 2018: Matthew Centrowitz
* 2019: Craig Engels
* 20212020 OT: Cole Hocker
* 2022: Cooper Teare
* 2023: Yared Nuguse

Notes|

* Note 1: In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships

* M: Denotes that the race was run over a mile rather than 1500 m

* OT: The 1920, 1928, 1932, 1992, 1996 & 2000 championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.

* 2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

* v
* t
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USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners in men's mile (1500 m)

1906–1979
Amateur Athletic Union|

* 1932: Gene Venzke
* 1933: Gene Venzke
* 1934: Glenn Cunningham
* 1935: Glenn Cunningham
* 1936: Gene Venzke
* 1937: Archie San Romani
* 1938: Glenn Cunningham
* 1939: Glenn Cunningham
* 1940: Charles Fenske
* 1941: Walter Mehl
* 1942: Gil Dodds
* 1943: Frank Dixon
* 1944: Gil Dodds
* 1945: James Rafferty
* 1946: Leslie MacMitchell
* 1947: Gil Dodds
* 1948: Tom Quinn
* 1949:  Willem Slijkhuis (NED), Neil Pratt (3rd)
* 1950:  John Joe Barry (IRL), Fred Wilt (2nd)
* 1951: Fred Wilt
* 1952: Bill Mack
* 1953: Fred Dwyer
* 1954:  Josy Barthel (LUX), Fred Wilt (2nd)
* 1955: Wes Santee
* 1956:  Ron Delany (IRL), Fred Dwyer (3rd)
* 1957:  Ron Delany (IRL), Fred Dwyer (3rd)
* 1958:  Ron Delany (IRL), James Grelle (3rd)
* 1959:  Ron Delany (IRL), Pete Close (4th)
* 1960: Phil Coleman
* 1961: Jim Beatty
* 1962: Jim Beatty
* 1963: Jim Beatty
* 1964:  Ergas Leps (CAN), Vic Zwolak (2nd)
* 1965: Jim Grelle
* 1966: Jim Grelle
* 1967: Sam Bair
* 1968: Preston Davis
* 1969:  Henryk Szordykowski (POL), Marty Liquori (2nd)
* 1970: Marty Liquori
* 1971:  Henryk Szordykowski (POL), John Mason (2nd)
* 1972:  Byron Dyce (JAM), Bruce Fischer (3rd)
* 1973: Marty Liquori
* 1974:  John Walker (NZL), Michael Slack (2nd)
* 1975:  Filbert Bayi (TAN), Paul Cummings (2nd)
* 1976:  Filbert Bayi (TAN), Paul Cummings (2nd)
* 1977:  Filbert Bayi (TAN), Joseph Dubina (3rd)
* 1978:  Eamonn Coghlan (IRL), Steve Lacy (3rd)
* 1979: Steve Scott

1980–1992
The Athletics Congress|

* 1980: Craig Masback
* 1981: Steve Scott
* 1982: Jim Spivey
* 1983:  Eamonn Coghlan (IRL), Steve Scott (2nd)
* 1984: Steve Scott
* 1985: Sydney Maree
* 1986:  Marcus O'Sullivan (IRL),  Marcus O'Sullivan (IRL), Mark Fricker (3rd), Kevin Johnson (3rd)
* 1987:  Eamonn Coghlan (IRL), Jim Spivey (3rd)
* 1988:  Marcus O'Sullivan (IRL), Brian Abshire (2nd)
* 1989:  Frank O'Mara (IRL), Jeff Atkinson (3rd)
* 1990:  Marcus O'Sullivan (IRL), Steve Scott
* 1991:  Noureddine Morceli (ALG), Eric Henry (3rd)
* 1992:  Noureddine Morceli (ALG), Jeff Atkinson (5th)

1993–present
USA Track & Field|

* 1993:  Noureddine Morceli (ALG), Steve Holman (3rd)
* 1994:  William Tanui (KEN), Marcus Dunbar (3rd)
* 1995:  Niall Bruton (IRL), Erik Nedeau (3rd)
* 1996: Steve Holman
* 1997: Jason Pyrah
* 1998: Paul McMullen
* 1999: Matt Holthaus
* 2000: Jason Pyrah
* 2001: Seneca Lassiter
* 2002: Jason Lunn
* 2003: Jason Lunn
* 2004: Rob Myers
* 2005: Scott McGowan
* 2006: Chris Lukezic
* 2007: Alan Webb
* 2008: Rob Myers
* 2009: Rob Myers
* 2010: Leonel Manzano
* 2011: Jeff See
* 2012: Leonel Manzano
* 2013: Will Leer
* 2014: Lopez Lomong
* 2015: Matthew Centrowitz Jr.
* 2016: Matthew Centrowitz Jr.
* 2017: Ben Blankenship
* 2018: Paul Chelimo
* 2019: Craig Engels
* 2020: Josh Thompson
* 2022: Cole Hocker
* 2023: Sam Prakel
* 2024: Cole Hocker

Notes|

*Distances have varied as follows: Mile (1940–2002) and 1932, 2007 and odd numbered years since 2011, 1500 meters (1933–1939), (2003–6, 2008–2010) and even numbered years since 2010

Authority control databases: People |

* World Athletics

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*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[NED]: Netherlands
*[IRL]: Ireland
*[LUX]: Luxembourg
*[CAN]: Canada
*[POL]: Poland
*[JAM]: Jamaica
*[NZL]: New Zealand
*[TAN]: Tanzania
*[ALG]: Algeria
*[KEN]: Kenya