Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
Mar 10, 20204 min
Updated: Mar 12, 2020
Our TSR staff is previewing each athlete in each distance event for the Indoor National Championships. Below, we offer analysis and evaluate how each of these athletes will fare at the National Championships. Names are ordered by seed time.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: A near indoor collegiate record holder with a 2:00.71 from earlier this season, Akins is considered the title favorite in the eyes of most. Her back-to-back 2nd place finishes in her past two national meets indicates that she is due for NCAA gold. Between her range, experience and consistency, Akins is all-around the best 800 meter runner in this field.
Other Events: DMR (expected to run)
Analysis: A potential title contender, Thomas has championship experience on global stages and has seamlessly adjusted to collegiate racing. She is the only collegiate who has been able to defeat Akins this season and is excellent at executing her race plans.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Tanner has always been a top talent, but has struggled to get past prelims in championship meets. Her recent 2:03 breakout performance paired with an SEC title is a clear signal that she has received an up-tick in fitness this winter.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Much like Tanner, the Delaware star ran 2:03 is what was an absurdly big PR (by four seconds) for her. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, don't be surprised if Meyer attempts to mix things up with the top group in the prelims with some aggressive early-race tactics.
Other Events: Mile + DMR (not expected to run)
Analysis: Arguably the most surprising entry of any event, Jones will attempt the rare mile/800 double. The Colorado veteran has displayed some of the best range in the NCAA (maybe ever), but has always been a more endurance-based athlete. Will the fact that the meet is being held at altitude favor the Buffalo star? It's possible...
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: The former Virginia Tech Hokie transferred to Clemson and has thrived as a result. Barton has always been an underrated middle distance runner, but it's clear that she is peaking at the right time after taking down a strong 800 meter field to win the ACC title (en route to a 2:04 PR).
Other Events: 4x400
Analysis: Only a sophomore, McDonald has found a way to keep herself in the national conversation over the past few seasons. She quietly worked her way through top-tier competition last year and has since refined her talent with a new 2:04 PR and narrow runner-up finish to Tanner at SEC's. With a year of experience under her belt, she should handle the prelims of the 800 meters incredibly well this weekend.
Other Events: DMR (Unclear if she will run)
Analysis: Ejore surprised most of us when she decided to scratch the mile for the 800 meters. However, the Oregon standout has rarely had a struggle at the half-mile distance. She was 4th in this event at the National Championships last spring. Often one of the best runners in the country when it comes to mid-race positioning, Ejore will likely work to incorporate a similar race strategy this weekend.
Other Events: DMR (Unclear if she will run)
Analysis: One of the more under-the-radar talents, Rudden has quietly evolved into a very dangerous middle distance talent. She wasn't far off from upsetting Rivers at the BIG 10 Championships and her win at the Music City Challenge earlier in the season tells us that she has enough racing acumen to thrive the prelims.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Fazio has been a rising talent in the 800 meters for the past seasons, but her jaw-dropping breakout performance at the A-10 Championships (2:04.95) to defeat Rhode Island's Lotte Black validated Fazio as a national-caliber talent.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Quietly one of the better middle distance runners in the eastern half of the country, Foster threw down impressive early-season times of 2:50 (1000) and 2:05 (800). The middle of her season was quiet until she ran a new PR of 2:04.98 at the ACC Championships to finish runner-up to teammate Laurie Barton. Foster has since turned on the jets and is looking to peak for Nationals.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Arguably the most overlooked runner in this entire field, Mallory King threw down a breakout 2:05.12 800 meter performance at the Iowa State Classic earlier this season. She later finished 4th in the 600 meters at the BIG 10 Championships, which truthfully doesn't tell us a whole lot. We're still trying to figure out what we should expect from this little-known Iowa talent.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: An experienced veteran who was a focal point of last year's absurdly deep 800 meter field. Bissah has underrated range and is unafraid to put herself at the front of races. Despite being the #13 seed, Bissah has a very good chance of getting herself to the finals.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Brewer gained some attention last spring after running 2:04.93 in March before missing out on Nationals by a few spots. She's always had the raw talent, but the USC youngster has now been able to translate that outdoor success to the indoor oval. Whether or not her race tactics have been refined enough to get her out of the prelims has yet to be seen.
Other Events: 4x400
Analysis: The Jamaica native was primed for success after coming out of the high school ranks with a 2:07 PR. However, seeing her translate this level of success to the indoor oval at the collegiate level via a 2:05.80 PR from earlier in the season is awfully impressive. Inexperience is a minor concern for this true freshman, but a 3rd place finish at the SEC Championships indicates that she can at least stay competitive in championship meets.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Ayoub has always been a respectable middle distance talent, but even with a recent PR of 2:05.80, we didn't expect there to be enough scratches for her to qualify for Nationals (we thought wrong). The Ohio State junior has yet to earn a top three individual finish this season, but it's not often that we see her have a bad race. Her extensive racing schedule should allow her to be familiar with a variety of different race scenarios.