Fernandez Breaks Own Facility Record in 800-meter

Middle-distance runner Sebastian Fernandez broke his own facility record in the 800-meter at the Clarence F. Robison Track and Field Complex Saturday afternoon, running 1:46.77 across the finish line.

Fernandez Breaks Own Facility Record in 800-meterFernandez Breaks Own Facility Record in 800-meter

PROVO, Utah — Middle-distance runner Sebastian Fernandez broke his own facility record in the 800-meter at the Clarence F. Robison Track and Field Complex Saturday afternoon, running 1:46.77 across the finish line. 

Robison Invitational Full Results

The junior from Andover, Minnesota moved to No. 4 all-time in program records with his performance. Fernandez bested his previous facility record and personal best he set nearly two years prior at 2022 Cougar Invitational. 

"The race felt very relaxed and very controlled today," said Fernandez. "At the 600-meter mark, I thought, 'This is really going to hurt.' I just kept digging and was able to pull it off." 

The former walk-on was joined in the heat by Olympian and 2016 gold medalist in the 1500m Matthew Centrowitz. Assistant distance coach Ryan Waite competed against Centrowitz as a student-athlete and paced him in preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. 

 

"Sebastian was incredible," said Waite. "His workouts leading up to the race went really well. The biggest thing for him was that he took confidence from those workouts and realized that there was no real difference when he went out on the track to race. It was fun to have Matthew (Centrowitz) join in because he helped the guys with their confidence. It's great to have an athlete with such experience compete with our crew. I'm excited for Sebastian and the rest of the guys for the rest of the season."

On the sprints side, Logan Hubler ran 14.01 in the 110m hurdles finals to take first overall and No. 7 all-time. Hubler beat his previous personal best of 14.24.

The Cougars also had individual first overall wins from Luke Grundvig in the 5000m, Dallin Shurts in the discus and Cameron Bates in the javelin throw. 

The final day of the Robison Invitational featured senior recognition for nine men. 

2024 Seniors (Male)
Name Event
Christian Allen Distance
Kenneth Rooks Distance
Cameron Bates Javelin
Michael Whittaker Javelin
Dallin Draper Sprints
Abram Schaap Sprints
Dallin Shurts Discus
Harrison Gould Throws
Nathan Burnett Pole Valut

Next Call

The Cougars will prepare for the their inaugural Big 12 Outdoor Championships May 9-11 at the University of Baylor in Waco, Texas.