John Cusick
Mar 11, 20205 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: DMR
Analysis: Holdsworth comes in as the favorite for the 800 meter title this season. The Western Oregon athlete has run a full second faster than the #2 seed on the descending order list. He’ll be part of the DMR team Friday night, meaning that the final will be his third race of the weekend. He has the endurance and speed to take home the national title, but can he get past a field that is showing rapid improvement and consistency?
Other Events: DMR
Analysis: Mbuta was the favorite coming into this season before Holdsworth showed out on the track. The junior has continued his positive trend when it comes to personal bests in the 800 meters and the mile this season. In turn, he’ll be anchoring the Lakers’ DMR team on Friday night, meaning that the 800 meter final could very well be his third race of the weekend as well. He's a lethal competitor, but Mbuta will be running on tired legs when he faces off against Holdsworth and Arlabosse this weekend.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Arlabosse is the third and last athlete under the 1:50 barrier this season and he’s done so numerous times. He has the speed to stay with Mbuta and Holdsworth throughout the four-lap race, but he’s not a proven miler, leaving his endurance to be questioned. He could have the upper-hand this weekend as he’s only competing in the 800 meters while his main competition (see above) will have already raced prelims and the DMR.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: The senior had his breakout race back around Valentine’s Day when he ran his personal best. He’s never contested a mile during the indoor season, but he can run a 400 in 48 seconds. The catch? So can everyone else. Moinat will need a new personal best to have a shot at taking down the rest of the field and win it all.
Other Events: DMR
Analysis: Another year, another very good middle distance runner for the Queens Royals. With a history of recent program success on his side, Wright will be looking to make a push for an All-American bid (or more) as he aims to extend his breakout season.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Miller was one of the last athletes to qualify for the NCAA meet and it largely came due to the fact that he had the best race of his life at the NSIC Conference meet. He had never run faster than 1:52.70, but he eventually bested that by a full second. He’ll need some more of that magic at NCAA's if he wants to make the finals as he doesn’t have the same kind of leg speed that most of the field does. Still, with nothing to lose, look for Miller to put himself at the front of the field in an effort to make some noise.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Tryon hasn’t raced since his qualifying mark back at the GVSU Big Meet, and that could be somewhat concerning for him. When he last competed, he lost to Mbuta and Wright, but that was worth it as he qualified for NCAA's in that race. Will the Lubbock Christian ace be able to shake off the rust? Or will he be the most rested competitor in the field?
Other Events: DMR
Analysis: Anthony was last year’s upstart Queens athlete and he’s back again this year. After improving upon his endurance early in the season (14:39 5k), Anthony was looked at as a miler before he ran his qualifying mark in the 800 meters. With the added endurance and the learning curve now behind him, Anthony will look to get back under that 1:50 threshold and finish better than he did at last year’s NCAA meet.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: The junior from Canyon, Texas has had his best season on track this winter. Despite a poor performance at his conference meet, Taki will look to regain his form in Alabama this weekend. Is it a good thing that Taki got the poor performance out of his system before the national meet? Or is that a sign of things to come? It depends on how you look at it, but don't forget about the West Texas A&M standout during the prelims.
Other Events: DMR
Analysis: Mayo has seen personal bests in both the mile and 3000 meters this season coming off of the best cross country season of his career. He’ll need to put together his best performance in the 800 meters this weekend in order to make the finals. He’s never broken the 1:51 barrier, and in order to become an All-American, he’ll need to do it at least once or he’ll be on the outside looking in. Luckily for Mayo, his endurance should favor him in a fast race which could lead to that aforementioned sub-1:51.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Morse was 2nd at the GLIAC Championships to Mbuta, giving the GVSU ace a strong fight to the end. He is going to need to replicate that performance and then some in order to find a spot in the finals. However, if that conference meet performance is any indication, then Morse will be one of the more underrated entrants coming into this weekend.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Partee is looking to get back under the 1:51 barrier and this is the weekend to do so. At the beginning of February, he set a personal best in the 600 meters, signaling that his training was trending in the right direction. It hasn’t paid off for a full 800 meters quite yet, but given the circumstances of this upcoming weekend, it seems like everything could come full circle and we could see Partee in the 800 meter finals.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Kemboi waited until the last possible moment to qualify for NCAA's when he ran a personal best at Boston’s Last Chance Qualifier. He’s now found himself at his first NCAA meet and could be seeing things move in the right direction. If he can capitalize on his recent momentum, then watch out for Kemboi to become a surprise factor in a deep 800 field. However, his lack of experience may be a liability.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Conrad broke out on the scene this year when he set personal bests in the 800 meters and the 400 meters in back-to-back weeks. The lack of experience for Conrad in NCAA meets is the biggest concern here especially given that the G-MAC doesn’t contest prelims and finals during their conference meet.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Walters ran his qualifying mark in early December and hasn’t broken 1:54 since then. There’s no clear indicator of where his fitness is right now, but he’ll at least have a fighter’s chance if the race becomes tactical.
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Ndiwa has actually run faster than his current seed time, but that was when he was competing for Alabama. The transfer is the last athlete in for the NCAA meet and at the very least, he’s going to need to run as fast as he did at Alabama to have a chance to make the final.