German Fernandez, after winning the 2009 US Junior Cross Country Championships |
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 November 1990 |
| Sport | |
| Country | United States |
| Event(s) | Cross Country, Middle Distance Track and Field |
| Team | Oklahoma State Cowboys (2008-present) |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) |
1500 m: 3:39.00 |
German Fernandez (born November 2, 1990) is an American collegiate runner from Riverbank, California, known for his performance in high school cross country and track and field. He is most well known for running the CA Cross Country State Meet course record (14:24), as well as running a new American high-school record, 8:34 for two miles, at the 2008 Nike Outdoor Nationals championship. He also holds the World Junior Indoor Mile record at 3:55.02.
He currently attends Oklahoma State University.
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Fernandez was coached by Bruce Edwards of Riverbank High School, which competes in Division IV of the Sac-Joaquin Section. Fernandez first drew some attention as a high school freshman in track, when he raced 1600m in 4:22.95.[1] During his 2005 CIF State championship victory, he clocked the second fastest sophomore time of all divisions, 15:14, on the heralded Woodward Park course. He went through a number of injuries throughout his junior year, giving him a relatively slow season.[2] Fernandez set a number of course records in California. He won the prestigious Stanford Invitational (5k) with a time of 14:42, gapping the second place runner by 40 seconds.[3] He won the Sac-Joaquin Section finals race with a time of 15:03, setting the course record and leading his team to win the section title.[4] This culminated with his performance at the 2007 California CIF state meet where he ran the 5k race in 14:24, breaking the historic course record set by Olympian Marc Davis by 14 seconds.[5] The performance is seen as one of the most outstanding in the history of high school distance running.[6]
In 2007, Fernandez took first place at the Foot Locker West Regional, finishing in a time of 14:53.[7] Fernandez capped his high school cross country career by placing third at the 2007 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, 19 seconds behind winner Mike Fout of LaPorte, IN.
On February 16, 2008 Fernandez won the USATF Cross Country Junior Nationals at Mission Bay Park in San Diego, CA in 24:18. This earned him a berth to the USA squad for IAAF Junior World Cross Country Championships.[8][9]
In the 2008 CIF California State Meet at Cerritos College in Norwalk, California, Fernandez ran a 4:00.29 for 1600 meters to break Ryan Hall's state meet record of 4:02.62, and 3 hours later, ran the 3200m in 8:34.23. Fernandez's 8:34.23 (~=8:37.43 for 2 miles) converts slightly slower to the American high school 2-mile (3.2 km) record of 8:36.3. However, his 4:00.29/8:34.23 double for 1600/3200 meters is the fastest distance double in American high school history, beating Rich Kimball's 4:06.6/8:46.5 mile/two-mile double set at the 1974 California state high school championship meet.
Three weeks later, on June 20, 2008, Fernandez surpassed Jeff Nelson's 29-year-old national high school record for the 2-mile (3.2 km) race at Nike Outdoor Nationals, winning with a time of 8:34.40.Fernandez opened his first mile in 4:19.4, and finished with a second mile of 4:15. He also broke Galen Rupp's high school 3000 meter record with a 3000 meter split of 7:59.82.[10]
The top distance recruit in the nation, Fernandez elected to attend Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma to run for Coach Dave Smith. During the Razorback Invitational, Fernandez broke a World Junior Record by running 3:56.5 mile indoors. At the Big 12 Championships, he ran 3:55.02 to further his record and beat the converted collegiate indoor record in the mile.
In outdoor track, he broke Galen Rupp's American Junior Record at 5000 meters at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational, but Chris Derrick finished ahead of German to take the American Junior Record. However, at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships he placed 5th in the 5000m, beating Derrick's American Junior Record in a time of 13:25.46.
He was the 2009 NCAA Division I champion in the outdoor 1500 meters, winning in 3:39.[11]
| Distance | Mark | Date | Location | Type of Terrain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1500m | 3:39.00 | 6-13-2009 | Fayetteville, AR | Outdoor Track |
| Mile | 3:55.02i* | 1-24-2009 | College Station, TX | Indoor Track |
| 3000m | 7:47.97i | 2-14-2009 | Seattle, WA | Indoor Track (Oversized) |
| 2 mile | 8:34.40** | 6-20-2008 | Greensboro, NC | Outdoor Track |
| 5000m | 13:25.46*** | 6-26-2009 | Eugene, OR | Outdoor Track |
| 8000m | 23:20.00 | 2-7-2009 | Derwood, MD | Cross Country |
| 10000m | 29:15.30 | 10-16-2010 | Fayetteville, AR | Cross Country |
| Half Marathon | 1:09:45 | 2-4-2007 | Davis, CA | Road Race |
* This is the Junior (under age 20) Indoor World Record and ties the U.S. Collegiate Indoor Record
** Stood as the American High School record until 2011
*** This is the Junior (under age 20) U.S.A. national record
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