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Berryhill celebrates NCAA mile crown By KEVIN GOFF FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. � Colorado State University�s Bryan Berryhill achieved the pinnacle of his indoor track career last Saturday. The former Crater High standout raced to his sixth indoor track win of the season, but by far his biggest. Berryhill cruised to a convincing win in the mile run at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track Championships with a time of 3 minutes, 56.84 seconds. It was his first NCAA championship win in the mile after some close calls the past few seasons. "I�ve been runner-up at the meet twice before," said Berryhill, a senior at CSU, who lost a photo finish in the finals two years ago. "It just feels great to get the win after coming so close a couple of times." Berryhill easily outdistanced the rest of the 10-man pack. His nearest competitor, Kansas� Charlie Gruber, finished in 3:58.51, but never seriously threatened the lead. "I pretty much led the whole way," said Berryhill. "It was close for about 100 meters at the start, but then I got a little bit of a gap." Berryhill has enjoyed a successful career with the Rams. He won the Mountain West Conference cross country championship in November, finishing nearly 12 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor. Berryhill also finished fifth at the USA Championships in 1999 and placed sixth at nationals later that year. He also won three straight state championships in the 400 while competing for the Comets. Berryhill�s indoor season began on Jan. 20 and included five wins in as many races up until the championships. The outdoor track season is currently under way. The NCAA Championships will be in Eugene. Berryhill hopes to ride his current success right into the finale in Eugene. "I�ve been close a few times in the outdoors (national championships)," said Berryhill. "We�ll just have to see how it goes from here." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.