Alsen to Meet Running Rival on East Coast

Ian Alsen of Granada Hills will run in the National Interscholastic Track and Field Indoor Championships in New Haven, Conn., on Sunday.

Alsen, the 1987 Kinney West regional and City Section cross-country champion, will compete in both the mile and two-mile events at Cox Cage Arena at Yale University.

Rated as favorites along with Alsen are Rob Kennedy of Westerville, Ohio; Chip Smith of Albuquerque, N.M.; and Alex Acetta of Durango, Colo.

Kennedy, the Kinney national cross-country champion, narrowly defeated Alsen in January’s Sunkist Invitational at the Sports Arena. Kennedy and Alsen placed 1-2 in the two-mile run with identical times of 9 minutes, 16.6 seconds.

Smith is the fastest returning high school 1,500-meter runner in the nation and Acetta is the second fastest. Smith has run 3:51.40 in the event and Acetta’s best is 3:53.08.