Craig Engels Wins U.S. 1500-Meter Title to Wrap Up Successful USATF Championships

DES MOINES, Iowa – After several near misses in his young but electric career, Rebel NCAA Champion and six-time All-American Craig Engels managed to get over the hump, qualifying for his first U.S. outdoor national team after winning the men's 1500-meter final to wrap up an extraordinary USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships for Ole Miss on Sunday.

In his trademark mustache and mullet, Engels – a native of Pfafftown, North Carolina who was the reigning U.S. indoor champion entering the meet – held off a late challenge from defending Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz, edging him by four hundredths of a second at his winning time of 3:44.93.

We mustache you a question: Do you know the 1500m Champion?

It's Craig Engels, who held off a late Centrowitz kick to bring home the win! pic.twitter.com/iLhQng5QZ1
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 29, 2019

Engels was at the top of the pack all race, but he made an adjustment mid-race to charge with 800-meters left – a move that ultimately proved successful. His final 800 clocked in at 1:50.65, helped greatly by a 51.92 final lap that gave him the edge against Centrowitz at the line.

"(Winning) is all I wanted to do, and I came out here and I did it, baby! I get to represent the United States of America, that's awesome!" an excited Engels told NBC Sports' Lewis Johnson postrace on national television. "I just went for it. I threw the plan right out the window. I was supposed to go with 200 to go, and I went with 800 to go."

This might be Engels' first U.S. outdoor national team, but it won't be his first trip to the World Championships, as he was a finalist in the 1500-meter at the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, finishing seventh overall. Engels is the first Rebel to ever medal at the U.S. meet in the 1500-meter, and he is the first American to complete the indoor/outdoor sweep since Centrowitz in 2016.

.@craigathor is FIRED UP 😤🔥#HottyToddy | #WAOM pic.twitter.com/wenyKRWbo4
— Ole Miss Track&Field (@OleMissTrack) July 29, 2019

Engels, Centrowitz and Ben Blankenship will now lead Team USA and look to continue American excellence in the 1500-meter on the world stage in Doha, building off of Centrowitz's Olympic title in Rio in 2016 – which was the first by an American since 1908.

"That's an awesome team, and we're looking to medal all of us and represent the United States well," Engels said.

Olympic high jumper and seven-time All-American Ricky Robertson was also in competition on Sunday, finishing sixth overall in the high jump at a season-best 2.21m (7-03.00).

Fellow Olympian Isiah Young wrapped up a solid weekend of competition on Sunday, finishing 14th overall in the men's 200-meter semifinal at 20.82 (-1.4).

Ole Miss also had two volunteer coaches, Jeneva Stevens and Jessica Ramsey, compete in the women's shot put. Stevens, a three-time NCAA Champion and 13-time All-American for Ole Miss head coach Connie Price-Smith at Southern Illinois, came heartbreakingly close to making her third outdoor World Championships roster, falling just three inches shy in fourth place at 18.36m (60-03.00). Ramsey took 12th overall at 16.70m (54-09.50).

The 2019 IAAF World Outdoor Championships will be held in Doha, Qatar from September 27 until October 6. Ole Miss will have four representatives on Team USA: Engels in the 1500-meter, Sam Kendricks in the pole vault, Brittney Reese in the long jump and Brian Williams in the discus.

In addition to the World Championships, Ole Miss will also have Team USA representatives at the Pan-American Games in Lima, Peru on Aug. 9 (Jessica Ramsey, shot put) and the USA-Europe match in Minsk, Belarus on September 9-10 (Janeah Stewart, hammer).

For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.

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Players Mentioned

Craig Engels

Janeah Stewart

Brian Williams

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