Recent Princeton graduate comes off nationals steeplechase win
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
One and a half years of planning, training, devotion and dreaming will come to a head next week for Donn Cabral.
”I’ve been through plenty of seasons — cross country, indoor and even last outdoor, and I’ve given them a fair shot,” said Cabral, a recent Princeton University graduate. “But in the back of my mind, it’s always been, I want to be at my best at the end of June 2012.”
It’s finally here for one of the most consistent runners the Tiger men’s program has seen. Cabral will compete in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase as the United States Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. The preliminary race is next Monday with the finals set for June 28. The top three finals finishers will represent the U.S. at the Olympics in London in late July.
”I’m always been someone who’s dreamed really high,” Cabral said, “but I’ve got to say, the position I’m in now, I didn’t even dream when I came to Princeton. I thought if everything turns out great, I’ll be All-American and one of the better runners in the country. I didn’t think I’d be vying for an Olympic bid in 2012. . . or having the American record. . . or showing the speed I had in anchoring the 4xmile relay at Penn Relays.”
On Cabral’s way to competing for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team, he’s collected myriad accomplishments that have not been his main focus. He’s only paused for a second to consider the magnitude of some of them, including his NCAA championship in the steeplechase on June 9. Cabral crushed the collegiate field in 8:35.44 for just the third Princeton NCAA title overall and first track title since William Bonthron in 1934.
”When I was coming through the (finish) line, it really hit me how significant what I had done was,” Cabral said. “Over the course of the season, I had been focusing a lot more on Olympic Trials than NCAAs. When I finished, I realized it’s something I had never done and so few people get to do, and at this point last year, I had only been dreaming of.”
Cabral’s win was the highlight of maybe the program’s best ever showing at the NCAA Championships. He was one of five Tigers to garner All-America honors.
”It started off with Brian Leung,” said Tiger men’s head coach Fred Samara of the West Windsor-Plainsboro High South graduate who also just graduated from Princeton. “He ran great. He hung in the race and did a nice job. Considering the injuries he had in cross country and indoors, it was tremendous.”
Leung ran 29:58.45 for the 10,000 meters to place 16th and close his Princeton career as second-team All-America. He will use his remaining eligibility to compete at Wisconsin next year.
Trevor Van Ackeren was also second-team All-America after coming in 14th overall in the men’s 1,500 meters in 3:42.83. Joe Stilin earned second-team All-America as well when he took 14th in the men’s 5,000 meters in 14:03.76. Damon McLean was first-team All-America after setting a new Princeton school record of 52-feet-7¼ to finish eighth in the men’s triple jump.
The Princeton women’s side was represented well by Greta Feldman. The junior earned her first All-America accolades with fifth-place in the 1,500 meters in 4:14.76.
”The quality of athletes that we had go helped,” Samara said. “They’ve all really trained hard and believe in themselves and had successful seasons. At that point, they were mostly injury free.
”What we’ve done with the program last year and this year, we’ve been riding the wave for the past two years. With winning Penn Relays, and then the 4×4 setting the all-time record of 3:05, and then winning the Heps Triple Crown and this year another Triple Crown and two Penn Relay championships and all the great things we’ve done in all the events, we’re riding the wave.”
Cabral is hoping he can ride the wave of a tremendous outdoor season to an Olympic team berth. One month ago, he set a new American College Record of 8:19.14 to win the steeplechase at the USATF Oxy High Performance Meet at Occidental College. Weber State’s Farley Gerber held the old record of 8:19.27 since 1984.
”It just kind of reaffirmed the fitness that I thought I was in,” Cabral said. “It was a real relief. I’ve been hearing from everyone who has seen my training that they thought I was in 8:20 shape. To do it, it was a fairly welcome sign and I had arrived on the national scene as a contender.
”It was a great sign, but I guess the thing with running is your confidence can come and go so quickly. One bad workout can change your perspective on your chances in the course of a day. Things are looking great now. Even now, there’s still a long time until the Trials.”
In April, Cabral’s outdoor season had gotten underway with him anchoring Princeton to a repeat win in the 4xmile relay. Cabral, the lone member to return from last year’s winning four, ran 3:59.9 for the final mile. That speed is what gives the Tigers confidence if the Trials race goes out slow and becomes a sprinter’s race at the end.
”If he’s in the race with a lap to go, he’s making the Olympic team,” Samara said. “It doesn’t matter who he’s running against. He’s strong enough and has the heart enough to run with these guys.”
Cabral proved it in the Oxy High Performance meet, a race that featured several professional athletes to open some eyes. Then, he sealed his spot with the nationals gold.
”When you’re the favorite like that, there’s obviously tremendous pressure on you,” Samara said. “But he ran a tremendous race and went early enough to just kill everybody off. The pressure was pretty big because everyone expected him to win and that’s a tough thing sometimes. He certainly rose to the occasion the whole year.”
Cabral will be one of the younger competitors in the steeplechase field at the Olympic Trials, but that’s just one more hurdle.
”It’s difficult to do,” said Princeton cross country and distance coach Steve Dolan. “He’s definitely young compared to top level runners in these events. His progression is good. Some of his experiences have been really important for him.
”He’s had three years in the event. He’s been running really well. He’s been at the national level the last couple years. He is a pretty seasoned college runner. He’s had an amazing season. He’s in a good spot heading towards it.”
Cabral progressed quickly once he tried the steeplechase. He came to Princeton as a standout runner out of Gastonbury, Conn., but he wasn’t a steeplechaser until his sophomore year.
”He was a good all-around runner in high school,” Dolan said. “He had his most success in cross country. He had some top times and even had a top 10,000 time. We didn’t know for sure. After freshman year, I talked with him about trying steeplechase. He’s a good all-around athlete. He played soccer and basketball. Indoor season sophomore year, he started working with hurdles. He could hurdle with both legs, so he had great potential for it.”
That hurdling prowess sets him apart from other steeplechasers who may have the foot speed, but not the form of Cabral.
”He has the running potential and combine that with ability to hurdle well, and it’s pretty exciting,” Dolan said. “Not a lot of runners have the coordination and ability to hurdle with both legs. At nationals, his form and technique separated him from a lot of guys.
”The other thing that helps him is his strength. When you jump up and down on water jumps, his strength helps him handle the challenges of that event. He’s got some unique talents that help him handle it.”
Cabral has gotten stronger and his form has taken another step forward with his dedication to his event this year.
”I’m training a lot more like a steepler than a 5k runner who also steeples,” Cabral said. “The biggest thing is a lot more hurdling this year. Mostly more hurdling, but this year, I have trained more like a 1,500 runner than a 5k runner.”
Cabral will come to the Olympic Trials with plenty of precious memories from the year already. Fresh in his head are the Penn Relays win and a sixth straight Heptagonals team title.
”To come out on top six Heps in a row,” he said, “each one of them feels like a miracle.”
Unless he is signed professionally in the days leading up to the Trials, Cabral will be competing in the Orange and Black of Princeton.
”I definitely want to go there and represent Princeton,” he said. “If it means I’d be giving up some big opportunities, I guess I’ll suck it up.”
Cabral is not going to the Trials for the experience. He is not a young, inexperienced runner just happy to be there and looking ahead to 2016. Cabral has been focused on competing at the Trials since Jan. 2011, and he’s geared everything up for the chance to make the Olympic team.
”As a runner, I’ve absorbed a lot of the things I’ve seen other runners excel at,” Cabral said. “I’ve grown a lot in my racing strategy, and my racing tactics mid-race. I’ve grown a lot in the weapons I have in a race. I’ve developed aerobically, and I can be a quick runner who can beat people at the line.
”The big dream is to win the meet. That’s not going to happen without being in striking distance. It’s realistic to think I could be in striking distance in the last lap. If all things are going well, I think I’ll have just as good a chance as anyone else.”