2024 Wake Forest Invite Preview & Predictions: Graham Blanks Returns to Battle Parker Wolfe, Kelsey Chmiel to Make Season Debut & Olivia Markezich vs Doris Lemngole in Steeplechase

One of the more underappreciated outdoor track meets of the year is the Wake Forest Invitational. It's a meet that has quietly collected a large handful of the best distance talents on the east coast in recent years -- and that may be underselling it.

Admittedly, The Stride Report received these heat sheets very late. As such, this meet preview won't be nearly as extensive as what we had for the Bryan Clay Invitational. Even so, we made sure to dive into all of the key headlines that you need to look out for.

Also, you can find our predictions by clicking here!

The women's invitational section of the 800 meters looks awesome as a handful of top names are scattered throughout the entries. However, Georgetown's Melissa Riggins and Harvard's Sophia Gorriaran seem to be the clear favorites as far as collegians go.

Riggins looks excellent right now. She was a top-half All-American in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships last month and just ran 4:07 for 1500 meters at the Bryan Clay Invitational to emerge as the top collegian. And let's not forget, she initially started her collegiate career as an 800-meter, running 2:03 last spring and running 2:03 at the BIG East Indoor Championships this past winter to win the conference title.

With newfound aerobic strength and tons of momentum, Riggins is primed to run something exceptionally fast. And frankly, I don't see too many scenarios where she's not the top collegian.

Sophia Gorriaran, however, is not going to make life easy for the Hoya standout.

The Harvard rookie has been good this year, maybe even really good. And even though she has yet to match her 800-meter PR of 2:00.58, Gorriaran has still proven to be a consistently competitive name with a high floor.

And given how well the Harvard women have been running in the middle distance events as of late, it feels like this Crimson freshman is due for a big result of her own.

Two names who you need to keep an eye on are Star Price and Makayla Paige, a pair of rising middle distance standouts from the ACC who are trending in a positive direction. The former ran 2:02 for 800 meters this past winter and finished a narrow 3rd place at the ACC Championships. The latter name, meanwhile, just ran a huge 2:01.92 (800) PR last weekend at the Duke Invite.

If this ACC duo can continue to build upon their recent successes, then it isn't unrealistic for both of these women to run in the 2:01 range on Friday. And if they do, then they would validate their upwards-trending resumes.

By comparison, the men's 800-meter field at the Wake Forest Invitational isn't quite as stacked as the women's field.

However, Indiana's Camden Marshall is seemingly primed for a big-time performance. After all, he holds a 1:46 PR, recently posted a 1:47 effort at the Bryan Clay Invite and had a really strong win over 800 meters at the BIG 10 Indoor Championships this past winter.

That being said, Rynard Swanepoel of Wake Forest was sneaky-good throughout last spring, running 1:47 for 800 meters multiple times, even posting his PR at this meet. And after seeing him produce a 3:41 PR for 1500 meters, all signs are pointing to the Demon Deacon veteran having one of his better performance.

The same can be said for Andrew Regnier of North Carolina. His 800-meter PR sits at 1:47, but that was from his high school days. Thankfully, the Tar Heel rookie showed us that he can still produce times close to that mark, running 1:48.33 for 800 meters this past winter on the indoor oval. If he can replicate his 1:47 form, then he'll be a challenging name to take down.

And how about Reed Cherry? The Northeastern middle distance talent has been an underrated name for a while, but this is his first season of racing since February of 2023. He recently posted a 1:51.98 (800) mark en route to a comfortable win, but for the most part, he's a major question mark given his recent lack of results.

Simply put, if either of those men can catch Marshall on an "off" day, then there's a chance that one of those three men could be the top collegian.

Following a disappointing end to his indoor track season, this South Carolina star is set to return to the outdoor oval this weekend for his second race of the season (he ran 1:47 for 800 meters recently). And when he does, he'll toe the line for the 1500 meters, an event in which he owns a 3:32 PR in (from last summer).

After running 3:50 in the mile last year and then 3:51 in the mile this past winter, it truthfully wouldn't be a shock if Anass Essayi scared the collegiate 1500-meter record of 3:33.74 come Friday night. This is someone who thrives in time trial settings and his personal bests suggest that he'll be close to Eliud Kipsang's mark if the race plays out in his favor.

However, for as much as I like this field, I don't see many men pushing Essayi to that extent. He'll still run an excellent time, but this may not be the race for an NCAA record.

Behind Essayi is a slew of men who could finish in any order. The most reliable of them all is Nick Foster. The Michigan veteran has been so solid during the regular season and he often comes up big in high-profile non-championship races like this. And given how consistent he has been with his times this year, Foster feels like a safe pick in our predictions.

Nick Plant may be viewed as an 800-meter runner, but he is much better in the mile and 1500-meter distances than some may think. The Virginia Tech sophomore was arguably the best 1200-meter leg of any DMR lineup this past winter and he was an All-American over 800 meters in March, showcasing impressive poise despite his youth.

Plant does hold personal bests of 3:59 (mile) and 3:41 (1500), but that latter time came at the Colonial Relays (en route to a win) in what seemed to be a pretty obvious rust-buster. He is undoubtedly capable of more. The only questions is...how much more?

Foster Malleck (Boston U.) and Tyler Wirth (Cincinnati) are two key names who I feel are fairly underrated. Both men went under four minutes in the mile multiple this past winter. The former has run 3:55 and the latter has run 3:57. With recent personal bests on their resume, it wouldn't be surprising if both of these guys dipped under 3:40 (1500) this weekend.

When TSR writes these previews and says that someone is a "favorite," we usually mean that the athlete is the collegiate favorite. That, however, is not the case here as Harvard superstar Maia Ramsden could very much be considered the overall favorite to win this race despite the pros who are entered in this field.

At this point, we don't really need to explain why Ramsden is such a heavy favorite to win. She's a 4:24 miler with international championship experience who has shown elite tactics and a variety of gear changes that very, very few women can match.

Alright, now let's talk about everyone else...

Virginia Tech's Lindsey Butler and NC State's Sam Bush are two key names to watch as they'll likely be battling to be the second-best collegian in the field.

Most people may view Butler as primarily an 800-meter runner. And for the most part, that would be an accurate assessment. However, let's not forget that the Hokie veteran ran 4:31 in the mile last year and advanced to the finals in that event at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Butler hasn't given us any reason to doubt her fitness as of late. In fact, she's arguably in better shape now than she was in the winter of 2023. And after thriving in a very fast 2023 Boston U. race which yielded her 4:31 PR, it's easy to think that Butler could run a comparable time on Friday.

As for Bush, her slow rise throughout the winter months after rebounding from a fall injury led to her running a fantastic 15:32 (5k) personal best which later earned a 15:25 conversion. Tack on a 4:35 mile PR and you get someone who, in theory, should be reaching her peak fitness at this exact time.

Admittedly, consistency is something that Bush is still working to reestablish. Throughout this academic year, certain performances of hers have been different from others. However, a big race in this field could begin to turn the tables and give the NC State veteran even more momentum going into the NCAA Outdoor Championships than she had for the indoor national meet.

Other women such as Judy Kosgei (South Carolina) and Taryn Parks (North Carolina) are more than capable of being competitive with Butler and Bush. Each of those women own 4:34 mile PRs and are fairly dynamic, Kosgei especially. The biggest question, however, is if those women can replicate a similar 1500-meter time in this field.

Rejoice! Graham Blanks has returned!

The Harvard distance star and reigning 2023 cross country national champion is seemingly set to return from his four-month hiatus. After running a then-NCAA record of 13:03 (5k) at Boston U. in early December, Blanks was rumored to have sustained an injury, leaving him sidelined for the rest for the winter months.

Of course, in an Olympic year, it's the outdoor oval that matters the most.

However, Blanks is going to have his work cut out for him. The Crimson star will be going head-to-head against Parker Wolfe who has been the second-best distance runner in the NCAA behind only Nico Young. And after seeing him post a 3:36 (1500) PR the other week, there aren't any signs that Wolfe's momentum is slowing down.

On paper, this is a fantastic matchup, but in most nuanced discussions, the Tar Heel superstar would be (and likely is) favored to be the top collegian. Blanks likely wouldn't be entered in this race if he wasn't healthy and fit, but given Wolfe's recent success and lack of rust, he will have the edge.

There are a large handful of other talented men in this field who could be in store for a big PR if they're willing to hang with what may be a fast pace.

One of those men is David Mullarkey, the Florida State star who was excellent in the fall and was just as good in the winter. The 7:42 (3k) talent has traditionally leaned towards the 5k as his primary distance. And after running 13:28 (5k) on the indoor oval a few months ago, this Seminole star gives us very little to dislike about him.

Tennessee's Yaseen Abdalla has been a challenging name to figure out. There is no denying that he's talented -- he did, after all, run 7:42 (3k) in each of his last two winter seasons -- but consistency has alluded him at times. Thankfully, his floor for lesser performances has raised considerably since last year. And based on his cross country success (minus the national meet), he is long overdue to crack the 13:40 (5k) barrier again.

And how about Ethan Strand? The North Carolina runner just threw down an electric 1500-meter time of 3:35 last week and clearly looked like a more poised ace this past winter. Admittedly, the 5000 meters is a move up in distance for this Tar Heel star, but his raw talent alone should will him to be a sub-13:30 (5k) at the very least.

Speaking of milers who are moving up to the 5k, Rocky Hansen has returned!

Well, he actually returned this past winter, running two 3k races in February and leaving the ACC Indoor Championships with a 7:56 (3k) personal best.

The Wake Forest star captured the attention of almost every cross country fan this past fall after securing outstanding top-10 finishes at two major invitationals despite only being a true freshman. However, a late-season injury kept Hansen out of the national meet as well as most of the ensuing indoor track season.

It's hard to know what we should expect from Hansen on Friday. He built his reputation on the track in high school, mainly as a miler, but his recent cross country success suggests that he could be a 5k standout. Of course, with just four total races on his collegiate resume, predicting what he'll do tomorrow night feels like a shot in the dark.

Other men such as Acer Iverson (Harvard), Nickolas Scudder (Charlotte), Jack Jennings (Tulane), Dylan Schubert (Furman) and a few others could also thrive in a race that may end up as a pure test of one's aerobic strength.

To answer the headline's question, no, I don't think so. Of course, just because I don't think there is a singular collegiate favorite in this field doesn't mean that I think the field is bad.

In fact, I think quite the opposite -- this field is stacked.

Toeing the line for the women's 5k on Friday night will be Georgetown's Chloe Scrimgeour, Georgetown's Melissa Riggins, NC State's Grace Hartman, NC State's Amaris Tyynismaa, Columbia's Phoebe Anderson and Harvard's Maia Ramsden.

NC State's Sam Bush is also in this field, although per one coach, she is expected to be the pacer on Friday night after she contests the 1500 meters.

The two "safest" picks you could make are probably Scrimgeour and Hartman. The former was a double 7th place All-American at the indoor national meet last month. The latter, meanwhile, was also an All-American in this event last month and recently secured a huge 32:28 (10k) win at the Raleigh Relays a few weeks back.

In my eyes, Scrimgeour is more established and more proven while Hartman has all of the upside and momentum in the world. Who you pick to be the top collegiate finisher in this race is likely based on which of those two resumes you prefer the most.

Maia Ramsden is a legitimate threat to Scrimgeour and Hartman. However, I wouldn't be totally surprised if she doubled back from the 1500 meters. And if she only intends to toe the line for one race, then Ramsden is likely doing the 1500 meters rather than the 5k.

Melissa Riggins has proven to be a far better long distance runner this year than we expected her to be. However, her entry in the women's 800 meters a few hours beforehand creates an interesting Friday night of potential races for her.

Amaris Tyynismaa is exceptionally talented and is slowly beginning to gain momentum once again. I don't necessarily see her matching her 15:30 (5k) PR tomorrow night, but it's important to remember that, at one point, she was one of the best 5k runners that the NCAA had last spring.

Lost in the crowded mass of star names is Columbia's Phoebe Anderson, one of the NCAA's more underrated distance runners...at least in the eyes of The Stride Report. After a great cross country season, the Lion veteran continued to thrive on the indoor oval. She ran 15:33 for 5000 meters to gain a conversion of 15:26 which eventually put her on the national stage.

While her competition will be tough, I wouldn't be totally shocked if Anderson ended up defeating all of the women who we just spoke about.

The women's 10k field at the Wake Forest Invitational admittedly feels fairly light in comparison to a few others. However, it is worth noting that NC State's Kelsey Chmiel is in the entries!

For those of you who may have forgot, the Wolfpack veteran was thriving this past fall before a season-ending injury took her out of the regional and national meets. But now, after many months of waiting, NC State's aerobic-centric star has returned and is seeming going to contest her ideal event (the 10k).

I have no idea what to expect from Chmiel this weekend. Her competition is simply not as good as her and one of the better runners in this field, Mackenna Curtis-Collins, is apparently set to be the pacer (per one coach attending the meet).

Your guess is as good as mine in terms of what we think she could produce, but I highly doubt that Coach Laurie Henes would field her veteran standout if she wasn't fit and wasn't able to be competitive.

I'd be lying if I said that this men's steeplechase field was particularly loaded with stars -- because it's not. Even so, the top section does feature a small handful of names who could find themselves on the national stage in June.

Duke's Michael Keehan, NC State's Brett Gardner and Eastern Kentucky's Pedro Garcia- Palencia, Virginia Tech's Declan Rymer and Alabama's Allan Kiplagat are the key athletes who we'll be monitoring.

Keehan was great for the Penn men last spring before transferring to Duke as a graduate student. The steeplechase veteran ran a PR of 8:36 in the event and also posted a 3:59 mile PR on the outdoor oval. However, he was unable to make it out of the East regional meet.

Gardner is a very good steeplechaser and, when he's at his best, could be the top collegian in this field. The NC State veteran has run 8:37 over the barriers and water pits and has been very steady over the last year or two. With a mostly-solid 8:42 steeplechase effort at the Raleigh Relays a few weeks ago, this Wolfpack runner should be able to dip under the 8:40 barrier come Friday.

With an 8:40 steeplechase PR, Garcia-Palencia is roughly in the same tier as Keehan and Gardner. However, given his lack of exciting performances over the last year, it's tough to gauge expectations for this 2023 outdoor national meet qualifier.

As for Rymer, there are a lot of subtle marks on his resume which suggest that he could be in store for a strong PR. Since the beginning of February, the Virginia Tech runner has posted new personal bests in the mile, 3k and 5k. So when you consider that the steeplechase is his best event, it's not unrealistic to say that he'll scare the 8:40 barrier.

However, arguably the most interesting runner in this field is freshman Allan Kiplagat from Alabama. If his name sounds familiar, that's because we reported on his addition to Alabama's roster this past winter. He enters the NCAA with an 8:41 PR.

While it's hard to know what kind of impact international athletes with limited results like him will have, the Crimson Tide have a proven track record of consistently landing legitimate high-impact contributors from overseas. And if I was a betting man, I'd say that Kiplagat will be exctly that.

Despite everything that we just discussed, this could very easily be the best race of the meet.

In fact, this could be the best race of the entire weekend!

That's because Notre Dame juggernaut and steeplechase superstar Olivia Markezich will be toeing the line against Alabama's new aerobic-centric star, Doris Lemngole. And in theory, a battle between these two ladies could lead to fireworks and historically fast results.

Those who read TSR consistently are plenty familiar with Markezich's resume. She ran 9:25 in the steeplechase last spring to win the NCAA title in that event. She later went to the USA Championships where she placed 4th in a blistering PR of 9:17. And since then, this Fighting Irish standout has been on absolute fire.

Lemngole, meanwhile, has been just as good as Markezich, although her success has come over the longer distances. But more importantly, the Crimson Tide rookie boasts a very strong 9:35 PR over the barriers and water pits from her time in Kenya.

Oh, and by the way: That time was run at over 5000 feet of altitude.

This race seems like it could be incredibly fast, especially with someone like Lemngole in the field. Markezich will enter as the favorite, but that is simply because we know that she's an elite NCAA steeple talent and she's proven it before. Lemngole, meanwhile, feels like much more of an x-factor by comparison.

As for everyone else, the South Carolina women seemingly have a new distance runner weapon on their roster: Teresa Cherotich. The Gamecock talent from overseas holds decent personal bests, but a 9:55 (steeple) mark stands out.

That 9:55 PR did come all the way back in 2022, but given that she's run a handful of personal bests this year, it seems safe to say that she could be due for a new PR.

*Denotes that a collegian is also entered in another individual event. However, an athlete will not be denoted with an asterisk if TSR knows that the athlete is entered in a certain event for pacing duties. In these predictions, TSR is assuming that each runner is contesting an event fresh (i.e. not doubling back).