By Jack Pfiefer // Photo by Rick Russell

EUGENE, Ore. – Jesse Garn arrived here for his first NCAA outdoor championships hoping to erase the memory of his NCAA indoor debut three months ago. In the semifinals indoors, he was disqualified for stepping over the line before the starter’s gun, a rare occurrence in the middle distances.

Garn, a junior at Binghamton, had a rough indoor season, as he was also dq’d in the America East Conference 1,000, contested at the Armory. Although he won the race by a large margin, he cut in too soon at the break and was flagged for it.

Now he wants to put all that behind him. He advanced confidently through the first two rounds of the 800 at the East Regional, winning his quarterfinal in 1:47.21, just off his outdoor PR of 1:47.03 from earlier this spring. He also won the America East outdoor 1,500.

 A native of Marcellus, N.Y., just outside Syracuse, Garn will be in Heat II of Wednesday’s semifinals, along with two other Eastern halfmilers, Dylan Capwell of Monmouth and Joe White of Georgetown. Capwell was NCAA runnerup indoors.

Another runner from upstate could be a factor in the men’s middle distances. Chad Noelle – who grew up in Greene, N.Y., a few miles up State Route 12 from Binghamton – is competing in the 1,500 semis on Wednesday for Oklahoma State. Noelle has the fastest time in the nation this spring in the event, 3:38.35. A star high school miler, Noelle ran two seasons for Oregon before transferring. /JP/

Watch our interview with Jesse Garn: armory.tf/1IvqMFW