Conor Stack
Mar 1, 20207 min
Villanova sophomore Charlie O’Donovan is coming off of a huge breakthrough mile race that saw him run 3:58.95 at Boston University, setting a new personal best by roughly three seconds. O’Donovan is still young, but he has clearly stepped up his fitness as a sophomore, becoming a consistent contributor during cross country and putting together a pair of strong mile performances this winter (his other mile result was a 4:02).
With O’Donovan and others seeded at 4:05 and faster, this race has the potential to be somewhat fast and should not be terribly tactical, at least not for too long. The BIG East mile meet record was set in 2008 with a time of 4:00.12 and it wouldn't be super surprising to see that mark be lowered in 2020 depending on how the race plays out.
The top guy that should be on O’Donovan’s radar is actually his teammate, fellow Wildcat Nick Steele. At the Villanova Invitational (his first meet of the season), Steele ran 4:00 in what most would say was a surprisingly positive result, especially for his season debut. However, Steele has been unable to capitalize on that hot start since then, running times of 4:09 and 4:04 in his last two races (which are still competitive and impressive efforts).
He's beaten O'Donovan once this season and with him being so close to the 4:00 barrier this winter, that may be incentive enough for him to chase a sub-four result this weekend.
There are a handful of other competitors who could pose as a threat to both of the Villanova Wildcats mentioned above. The Georgetown duo of Nicholas Wareham and Matthew Payamps are seeded at 4:05 and 4:06 (respectively), but have the capability to run under or near the four minute barrier. Both men have been involved in at least one sub-four mile attempt just this season and their fitness shows that they can be in the mix at the end of the race.
Wareham was also the runner-up at least year’s BIG East Championships, so look for him to come back for revenge and possibly take the title for his own. He's experienced and has a reputation for stepping up and delivering during the postseason.
Also, look out for Providence’s Nick Carleo and Butler’s Matthew Wigelsworth, both seeded at 4:06. Carleo has run in the mid-4:00’s a handful of times and has proven that he can compete with this field. Wigelsworth has also had a breakthrough season thus far, establishing PR’s in both the mile and 800. He ran a new PR of 1:52 in the 800 last weekend at the Alex Wilson Invitational, so watch out for him to be in contention at the end of the race if it turns tactical.
Providence’s Abbey Wheeler comes into this year’s BIG East meet with the fastest seed times in both the women’s 3k and 5k…by quite a bit. In her four races so far this year, she has established new PR’s in three of them (mile, 3k and 5k). On paper, it looks as if Wheeler should be able to handle both races.
However, the tactical style that many conference championship races employ makes it a bit more interesting. Wheeler will most likely not take either race out super fast and may not even lead through the early portions of each race. I could see her slowly ramping up the pace to solidify her title position.
Of course, the rest of the field includes a handful of competitors who could still give Wheeler a run for her money.
In the 3000 meters, look out for Xavier’s Anna Kostarellis who has the second fastest seed time in the field sitting at 9:25. Like Wheeler, Kostarellis is having a stellar season in which she has established new PR’s in the mile, 3k and 5k. With a year of experience under her belt and clear upwards progression, Kostarellis looks like a key sleeper pick to keep an eye on.
Providence’s Maria Coffin is also another athlete who could get herself to the front of the race from the start. Her seed time of 9:27 is the third fastest in the field and the fact that she is teammates with Wheeler gives her a slight advantage as she will likely know what is coming in terms of pacing.
In the 5000 meters, it looks as if Kostarellis will be the main competitor for Wheeler yet again. Her seed time and season best of 16:08 is significantly slower than Wheeler’s 15:40, but if the race is anything like last year's, then Kostarellis could find herself in the mix with one or two K’s to go.
The third fastest seed time of 16:22 is owned by Butler’s Emily Royston. Royston holds a PR of 9:32 in the 3000 meters, so look for her to stick onto Wheeler for a good amount of the race. She was an underrated low-stick for the Bulldogs last fall and has been having quietly solid indoor season.
Butler’s Euan Makepeace and Villanova’s Andrew Marston are the two on-paper favorites for the men’s 3000 meters with seed times both pegged at under eight minutes. The two men went 1-2 in this race at last year’s BIG East meet with Makepeace besting Marston by just three seconds.
Makepeace will definitely want to come back and defend his title while also trying to fend off a return from Marston. The race will most likely not dip under eight minutes, but if enough men challenge Makepeace and Marston, look for them to have to dig a bit more and really make sure they are in a position to win at the win.
Two men to look out for from last year’s race include Villanova teammates Haftu Strintzos (seeded at 8:05) and Josh Phillips (seeded at 8:08). Strintzos, just a freshman, ran his seed time two weeks ago in Boston and will surely come in rested and ready to contend. Phillips finished 9th at last year’s championships, but has shown considerable improvements this year, becoming far more consistent in competitive races.
With that said, look for Villanova to take some serious points in this event with three men entered as the top four seeds. They also have veteran Casey Comber entered in the race with a quieter season best of 8:21, so be on the lookout for him to make some sort of impact. He was an All-American stud in 2019, but a delayed start to his cross country season indicates that Comber has been recovering from some sort of setback.
Georgetown’s Sami Corman comes into the BIG East meet with the fastest mile seed time sitting at 4:40 (which is slower than her seasonal best). There are only three women in the field who are seeded under 4:50, making a good percentage of the scoring positions up for grabs.
Corman was 5th at last year’s BIG East meet, just outside the Villanova contingent led by Rachel McArthur (who has since transferred to Colorado). With all four of those Villanova runners now out of the BIG East, and Corman showing clearly signs of massively improved fitness, it seems safe to say that Georgetown youngster will be the conference title favorite.
It should also be noted that Corman ran 4:39.98 just last night in Boston which came after the official entries for the BIG East meet closed. So, technically, she has an "unofficial" seed time of just under 4:40.
Fatigue may play a bit of a factor for her with the quick turnaround, but my instincts tell me that she will be just fine for the Sunday/Monday competition. In her young collegiate career, Corman has also established an 800 meter PR of 2:07, so look for her to have that closing speed to take the title if her legs aren't too tired at that point.
The second fastest seed time in the field is Georgetown teammate Alie Fordyce sitting at 4:46. Although Corman looks like the favorite on paper, do not rule out Fordyce who has some underrated middle distance chops. If the race turns tactical, the Princeton transfer may become a very legitimate challenger to Corman in the latter stages of the race.
The third entrant in the field who is seeded under 4:50 is Villanova’s Brynne Sumner.
Sumner established her PR of 4:48 like most BIG East talents did at the Boston Valentine meet on Valentine’s Day weekend. Having not raced since, Sumner will be well-rested and fresh (unlike Corman). Sumner’s PR’s are slightly slower than Corman, but like Fordyce, has a great resume in the middle distances from both high school and this season.
The Georgetown men have four athletes entered in the 800 meters, all of whom have seed times south of 1:52. Kenneth Rowe comes in with the fastest seed time of 1:49 followed by defending champion Ruach Padhal at 1:50. Ethan Delgado and Spencer Brown round out the Hoya quartet with seed times of 1:51.
All four men have a great chance to qualify for the final which made me think when looking at the entries: “Man, they’re going to score a lot of points in this.”
Padhal won last year’s 800 meter contest by well over one second, running 1:49.08 en route to the title. He will definitely be one to watch in the final with the way he can close, coupled with his experience and consistency.
Rowe comes in with the fastest seed time and can simply do no wrong this winter. He has also run 48.50 over 400 meters this season, indicating that he has some extra turnover that some others in this field may not.
Ethan Delgado is a younger athlete who can mix it up with his slightly more experienced teammates. He has had a relatively quiet season up to this point, but watch for him to close well and run tough to the tape.
Last but not least is Spencer Brown, an athlete who redshirted the indoor season last year, but is all too familiar with how championship meets play out. Brown has focused primarily on the mile this winter, but has great 800 meter speed. He ran his seed time back in late January when his fitness may not have been fully there. However, based on what he has done for the remainder of this season, he should have no problem making it into the final and scoring valuable points for the Hoya men.
Despite the depth seen from Georgetown in this event, the Hoyas are not the only men in the field that can contend for a title. The DePaul duo of Ben Lee (seeded at 1:50) and Michael Parry (seeded at 1:51) will no doubt be in the mix to score in the 800 meter final this weekend.
Also be on the lookout for Villanova’s Logan Wetzel who comes in seeded at 1:50. He is having a stellar season so far, consistently posting top conference times such as 1:50 (800) and 4:00 (mile). After just missing the four minute barrier, Wetzel will be hungry to potentially dip under the 1:50 barrier as consolation result.