One Sentence Previews: 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships Men's 800 Meters (D2)

Additional contributions by Garrett Zatlin

NOTE: Athletes are listed in order of their seed position. Final predictions are at the bottom.

The overwhelming favorite has nearly two seconds over the rest of the field and boasts all of the necessary qualities to win this event...except for national meet experience.

Last year’s title winner is headed into the national meet with newfound confidence and his new personal best says that he’s in the best shape of his life, but just like last year, he’ll need to execute his race plan to perfection if he's going to take down the title favorites.

Ferguson is an elite tactician and his level of consistency makes him an athlete who should be taken very seriously in any kind of race and as long as he executes his race plan.

Hood doesn’t get the respect that he probably should, but after running 1:48, all he has done is work on his turnover in the 400 meters, theoretically making him a fairly underrated threat late in certain races.

Maier’s level of consistency has made him an elite talent and his ability to race in high pressure situations leads us to believe that he is capable of holding off a loaded field, whether it’s in a sit-and-kick race or one that is fast from the gun.

Paillon is heading into the NCAA Championships with a world of confidence and while he has shown us a level-head in high pressure situations, he will still need to execute a strong game plan to near perfection for a shot at the title.

Cohen ran 1:48 all the way back in March which forces us to question if he can replicate that time, but since then, he has improved both his strength and his speed in an effort to be competitive this weekend.

The Westminster athlete is the definition of persistence as Urban just had a major breakthrough in this event and if he can make this a real tactical race, then the odds of him finishing in the top-eight increase dramatically.

Dailey is more of a natural 800 meters runner than anything else, meaning that his speed is in line with the rest of this field (which is promising), although his lack of national meet experience could play a role as he jumps from the PSAC level to the national level.

The Flames middle distance athlete should have tons of confidence heading into the NCAA Championships given his (very small) 800 meter PR this season, but a cause for concern is the inconsistency that he has shown us since the start of 2022, something he will need to correct heading into this weekend.

There's not necessarily anything flashy about Cardenas' racing tendencies, but he’s a veteran when it comes to the 800 meters and his ability to calmly race and cover moves will be a valuable asset when it's all said and done with.

Ahl will be contesting the 800 meters after his 1500 meter preliminary and while we aren’t too concerned with how tired he might be, his improvement in this event and mile strength has told us that he’s strong enough to compete with this field even if he has tired legs.

Wells is likely the "dark horse" who everyone has been looking for and his consistent improvement across all events has led us to believe that he's exactly that, but with zero championship experience, there’s validity around the question of how he will fare with four potential races on tap.

Sometimes, all you need is recent momentum on your side which is exactly what Mustapha has despite some very inconsistent racing this season.

Burrows has quietly put together a really strong resume, labeling him as another "dark horse" candidate in this event who will need to put together a game plan that plays to his strengths in order to be competitive.

A recent breakthrough race for Gilley means a shot of confidence and heading into the NCAA Championships, but the Dallas Baptist star will need to replicate his recent PR on the national stage if he wants to get out of the preliminary rounds.

The Indianapolis star has had an up-and-down season in 2022, but he is a legitimate threat to finish inside the top-eight as he has shown impressive racing savvy before and he doesn’t fear anyone.

Tipton is the third Thunderwolf in this event, but he’s arguably the most improved runner in this field as his recent breakthrough races should give him plenty of confidence, as will the understanding of how Sharman-Newell will approach his race plan in the same preliminary heat.

Lang has sneaky-good foot speed which could allow him to be competitive in this event, but overall, he may lack the necessary strength to keep pace with the rest of the field if it does end up getting out faster than expected.

Weber has quietly improved, setting personal bests in five different events this spring and his ability to compete with some of the nation’s best tell us that he’s not scared of the spotlight...maybe even one as big as this.

Dannatt is known more for his 1500 meter prowess, but his combination of speed and strength theoretically makes him one of the few athletes in this field capable of running well on tired legs, something he has previously done at the NCAA Indoor Championships and at the recent GNAC Championships.

Groendyk has tons of experience, so much so that he could play spoiler in this loaded field, but stagnant marks this season has made it difficult to see a scenario where he makes it out of the prelims.

The improvement that we've seen out of Sumner should not be overlooked this season and after his really impressive double (1:49/3:46) at the APU Last Chance meet, our confidence in him has steadily risen to the point where he's a (very deep) sleeper pick.

Mahgoub is likely another year away from being competitive in this event, but his steady improvement since transferring from NW Missouri is always a good sign and while he is definitely on the verge of a breakthrough, he’ll likely need a perfect race to be in the top-half of this race.