2024 Hokie Invitational (1k Preview): Lindsey Butler's Season Debut & Georgetown vs Viktor Idhammar

The Hokie Invitational begins tomorrow, an early-season meet hosted by Virginia Tech which often features a handful of strong middle distance performances, specifically over 1000 meters. And as a VT alum, I couldn't help but feel a little excited to write this preview compared to a few others.

This year's distance fields for the Hokie Invitational are a bit more thin compared to previous seasons, although the men's and women's 1k races should be as good as ever. For that reason, we've opted to keep this preview to the 1000-meter fields.

And yes, part of that is due to time limitations.

We did, however, make our full predictions for each distance event at the bottom AND made sure to add a few notes of analysis for each of those predictions as well!

Alright, let's begin...

As is usually the case, the women's 1000-meter field promises to be incredibly quick. With a handful of top Virginia Tech women battling many east coast standouts, Friday's race could be as entertaining as ever.

The main headliner of this field is Hokie veteran, Lindsey Butler, someone who was the indoor national champion over 800 meters back in 2022. That year, she was straight-up dominant, running 2:01 multiple times for the half-mile distance while running 2:43 for 1000 meters at this same meet.

Few women are more accomplished and experienced than Butler is in the middle distance events. However, after an injury took her out of the 2022 outdoor track season, the Virginia Tech star spent the following year rounding back into form. And while she was still a nationally competitive name, it was clear that she didn't have the same command of her fitness as she had the year prior.

Of course, with an entire summer and cross country season behind us, Butler could be just as dangerous as she was in 2022. She has often thrived on her home track, she's plenty familiar with her competition and the 1k distance has very rarely gone poorly for her.

 Other Virginia Tech women such Star Price and Hannah Ballowe could also play key roles during Friday's races.

Let's not forget that Price ran 2:02 for 800 meters last spring, suggesting that she should be much better than her 2:48 (1k) PR from last winter. However, she is listed under "United States" (likely meaning "Unattached") in the second-best heat. And of course, Ballowe has run 2:44 for this distance, making her a name who you must keep on your radar.

However, I wouldn't argue with anyone who said that Melissa Riggins was the favorite to take home the win on Friday. This Georgetown star was a strong middle distance runner last winter, running 2:43 (1k) at this same meet in back-to-back years. However, her explosion as a top-tier 1500-meter and cross country talent has been stunning.

Originally, we viewed Riggins as a half-miler. But given the tremendous leap in her aerobic-based fitness, it seems as though the mile may actually be the best option for this Hoya star over the next month and a half.

And when it comes to the 1k racing distance, this weekend will be the perfect opportunity to showcase Riggins' proven turnover while incorporating a little bit more strength than an 800-meter race would allow for. In theory, that favors this rising Hoya standout.

NC State's Sam Bush has traditionally be a major factor in this race -- and that could still be the case in 2024. However, Bush battled injuries this past fall. And outside of an unbelievably clutch national meet performance, it seems as though she's still aiming to get back to her peak form.

With a 2:43 (1k) PR, a wealth of experience and outstanding range, Bush's resume demands respect, even if she's not firing on all cylinders (yet). A recent 9:01 (3k) effort isn't a personal best, but that's still a very quick time all things considered. And while I wouldn't pick her to win, I do think that Friday's race could be a great step in the right direction, possibly for a quick mile effort at the Camel City Elite meet.

Other women such as DeAnna Martin (Georgetown), Julia Fenerty (Duke) and rookie Angelina Napoleon (NC State) all have credentials -- or at the very least, the potential -- to be major factors in this race.

Fenerty is a true veteran who could surprise a few people if she positions herself well enough. The same could be said for DeAnna Martin, although she's listed in the next-best heat. Napolean, of course, is a rookie star who likely has a ton of upside, something that could be on full display on Friday night.

Gosh, the amount of middle distance speed in this field is absurd. With Virginia Tech and Georgetown both entering many of their top men in this race, it feels like a potential 2:20 winning mark for this 1k battle isn't out of the question.

For the Hokies, 3:57 miler, Viktor Idhammar, and 1:47 (800) man, Nicholas Plant, will likely be the key names to watch. However, Plant is listed in the second-fastest heat as an unattached athlete. Could that be indicative of a redshirt season?

When it comes to Idhammar, he had a breakout year over the mile and the 1500-meter distances last winter and spring. The Virginia Tech ace will be moving down in distance this weekend, although he does have experience in the 1k, running 2:23 on this same track at the Virginia Tech Invitational last year, one week earlier than the Hokie Invite.

Of course, Idhammar has grown stronger since then. And between his 1:48 (800) and 3:39 (1500) personal bests, the 1000-meter distance could theoretically be his sweet spot event.

However, the Georgetown men will likely put up a challenging fight this weekend. That's because they have entered many of their absolute best middle distance runners for this race. That includes veteran standout, Matthew Payamps, and rookie superstar, Tinoda Matsatsa.

Payamps is one of the more naturally talented middle distance runners in the NCAA. He's also one of the more experienced as well. With blistering-fast personal bests of 1:47 (800), 2:20 (1k) and 3:55 (mile), this Hoya star is likely considered to be the overall favorite for Friday's showdown.

The Georgetown veteran was great at this same meet last year where he ran that 1k PR. However, the rest of his results weren't quite up to par with that performance.

But in 2024, we would suspect this DC-based ace to return to top form. He knows this track fairly well and he's simply the most proven middle distance runner in this field. Plus, the 1000-meter distance could be argued as his outright best event.

And then there's Tinoda Matsatsa, the freshman star from Maryland who has already made an impact this winter, running 1:49 (800) for an early-season win.

With personal bests of 1:47 (800) and 3:58 (mile) from his high school days, Matsatsa has the credentials to be a major name in this field. Of course, the 1000 meters is an event that he has sparse experience in and this will likely be one of the quicker races in the NCAA this year for this specific distance.

It's more likely than not that Matsatsa thrives and runs a fast time, but an overall win would likely constitute as an upset -- and an impressive one at that.

Other Hoyas such as Camden Gilmore and Abel Teffra could very easily find themselves contending with that top group. Each of those men have solid experience over 1000 meters and I've always felt like one of these guys was going to have a breakout season...I just don't know when.

Also, keep an eye on NC State's Zach Hughes who is listed in the second-fastest heat. He's run 2:23 for 1000 meters before and was one of the more consistent half-milers in the country last spring. He may be due for a big performance after metronomically running 1:49 over 800 meters from March to May.

*Assumes all runners will contest the race that they are entered in completely fresh.

*Collegiates & attached athletes only

ANALYSIS: This race is basically Duke vs a bunch of unattached guys. And with a handful of sneaky-good unattached runners in this field, I could see a few of these Blue Devils having quietly great races. But truthfully, your 3k predictions are as good as mine.