Catching Z's: Part 1

A new year brings new possibilities. Veterans will graduate and new faces will rise to the top of the NCAA. Of course, there are plenty of established names who have already laid the foundation for grand success. Unfortunately, these NCAA stars may not get the recognition they deserve.

In the other words, these runners are "sleeper" picks (see how that connects to the title? don't care? ok, we'll move on).

You may not think of them as podium stars or collegiate elites yet, but these individuals could do some serious damage by the time March rolls around...

When it comes to the 800, there are numerous names that headline the event. Between Joe White, Robert Heppenstall, Devin Dixon, Bryce Hoppel, and Marco Arop, the half-mile is stacked with crazy good talent. However, Rhoads is a fearless competitor who will go head-to-head with anyone. He took the 800 prelims out in 24 seconds through 200 meters at last year's indoor national meet. Ultimately, that strategy didn't work out, but you've got to commend this guy for his aggressive tactics.

During the 2017 track seasons, Rhoads broke the 1:50 barrier only once (with a 1:49.66). Fast forward to 2018 and the Air Force mid-distance stud began to pick up some serious momentum. He went on to run under 1:50 four different times. With a personal best of 1:48.83 (converted to 1:48.22), Rhoads has the potential to reach All-American status this winter if he continues to follow this trend of improvement. Don't be surprised if you see him on the podium in March...

Unlike Rhoads, Hawthorne didn't have the same level of consistent improvement throughout 2018. As a sophomore, Hawthorne never broke the 1:50 barrier until May 10th of last year. Two weeks before the East Regional Preliminaries, he had a breakout race, running 1:47.77 to earn the 18th fastest time of the 2018 season. At East Regionals, he ran 1:49 and 1:48 to secure one of the most shocking national qualifiers of the weekend. He failed to make the finals once he was at NCAA's, but Hawthorne accomplished so much more than most fans expected.

The winter of 2019 will be a key season for Hawthorne. Over the next couple of months, the LaSalle junior will have an opportunity to validate his 2018 performances and prove that he is among the nation's best. With a 1:47 PR, it's possible that he can join the top ranks of the NCAA.

Kentucky's 2018 season was headlined by Jacob Thomson who earned a pair of All-American performances (once during indoors, once during outdoors). However, one of the Wildcat's unsung heroes was Ben Young. The SEC mile ace posted a personal best of 3:59 last winter and went on to run 3:42 for 1500 meters in the spring. In addition to his mid-distance prowess, Young also owns a personal best of 8:09 for 3000 meters. He has yet to qualify for Nationals, but this is someone who could potentially run 3:57 and 7:59 this indoor season. He'll need to prove himself in the postseason, but the Kentucky junior should have enough experience to reach the national contender echelon.

It's amazing that someone can run as fast as Michael Ward and still be left under the radar. Maybe it's because Bradley is a smaller school, but this Welsh distance stud could do more than just qualify for Nationals in 2019. If everything goes well, he could eventually find himself on the podium...but in what event?

With personal bests of 1:52, 4:02, 7:58, and 13:54, this Bradley senior may have some of the best range in the NCAA. After leading the Braves to so much success for so many years, Ward will have the opportunity to refine his talent and make a bid for the National Championships in March. Will he focus on just one event? Or will he try a variety of events as attempts to qualify for Nationals? It's a tough call, but there has to be some comfort knowing that he has plenty of options to choose from.

San Francisco never gets much love. It's a shame, especially when you consider the number of talented individuals they've had on their roster throughout the past few years. Between Alex Short, Mohammed Aziz, Ben Alcock, Jacob Allen, Chris Olley, and Jack Rowe, the Dons have consistently produced exceptional distance runners. I'm 2019 will surely be no different...

Jack Rowe, much like Michael Ward, can seemingly do it all. With personal bests of 3:44 (1500), 7:58, and 13:58, the San Francisco senior has nearly identical times to his Bradley counterpart. The only difference is that Ward has never run a 10k on the track like Rowe (who has a personal best of 29:10 in the event). Just like Ward, Rowe hasn't made it to a National Championship outside of cross country. That could very easily change this winter...

You have to appreciate some the guts you see from guys like Rowe. While others may choose to sit back, he'll go with the top group for as long as he can. After making it to his first national meet this past fall, he may have the chance to earn a top 16 in the NCAA this year. And, when you consider his range, it could be in multiple events...

The third and final "Michael" of our Catching Z's article is Florida State veteran Michael Hall. However, Hall's best comparison isn't Michael Rhoads or Michael Ward. In my eyes, it is likely Ben Young.

The Seminole senior had a strong 2018, running personal bests of 3:59 for the mile and 8:55 for the steeplechase. He also ran 14:07 for 5000 meters. Those may not be superstar-caliber times, but Hall gained valuable experience last year when he toed the line against some incredibly tough competition. He made significant improvements and seemed to be a legitimate contender in every race he was in.

With the exception of cross country, Hall has yet to reach the national meet and his ACC performances show that he still needs to develop his race tactics. Still, this is a talented individual who has a ton of upside potential. With Moroccan Zouhair Talbi (13:29/28:22) now training alongside him (and set to compete this winter), Hall will have an elite training partner to chase in practice. If the Alabama men showed us anything, that's a VERY good thing to have...