Cardinal Mooney’s Lenn ‘right where I need to be’
Junior wins distance race at Anchor Bay Invitational
Tyler Lenn found comfort outside his comfort zone.
The Cardinal Mooney junior continued a solid season Friday with first- and second-place finishes in open races at the Anchor Bay Invitational track and field meet.
“This year, I’m in a different level of fitness, a different level of competition,” Lenn said after winning the 1600-meter run in 4 minutes, 29.04 seconds.
A Division 4 all-stater in the 1600 last year, Lenn had a promising cross season going in the fall. He ran a personal-best 15:50 in late September, but an ankle injury changed the trajectory of his campaign.
“My improvement was ended pretty early,” he said. “I had a nasty ankle sprain and some issues in the ankle area.
“I was where I wanted to be in terms of progression, and that was cut short. I kept my season going, kept running, but it hurt. I wasn’t running the same times that I could have been.”
Lenn used the remainder of the fall to heal and returned to competitive running during the indoor season.
He turned in a personal-best 9:24.87 in the 3200 meters during an outdoor meet at Oakland University on April 21.
A week later, he was in the Rising Stars true mile section of the Barnyard Invitational at Romeo. Lenn finished in 4:21.25.
“To step out of my comfort zone and go to the Rising Stars and win that — it was pretty cool,” he said. “It’s been some good racing, and I’m stacking some good miles along with it.”
Lenn came in second to Ford’s Drew Graves in the 800 run at Anchor Bay. He finished in 1:59.57 in his third race of the day, following the distance medley relay and the 1600.
“I have the same mentality as I had before, but now it’s a matter of putting my plans into action and getting the times that I believe in,” he said.
“I feel I’m right where I need to be.”
After running the 1600 leg of the DMR and helping the Cardinals finish fourth, Lenn wanted a “solid time” in the 1600.
He took the lead about 100 meters into the race and crossed the finish line with a lead of about six seconds.
“I felt pretty good, and I’m feeling confident for what I can do in the future,” Lenn said.
He was asked to name his “goto” event.
“I’m not sure,” Lenn said. “My legs say the 3200. But at heart, I’m an 800 and miler guy. I’m getting the legs again for those events.”
Cardinal Mooney competes in a Catholic League jamboree in Ann Arbor today.
The Cardinals were assigned to the Dryden regional on May 20, and they have the Catholic League championship meet on May 24.