PREDICTIONS: 2024 ACC Indoor Championships

*Denotes that a collegian is also entered in another individual event. DMR predictions do not always assume that a certain relay will feature the best possible lineup.

Analysis: Clemson’s Gladys Chepngetich hasn’t wasted any time rising to the top of the ACC over 800 meters. The true freshman was an All-American on the cross country course, but rather than focus on the 3k and 5k this winter, Chepngetich has impressed us by running 2:01 for the half-mile distance. However, she'll be facing 2022 NCAA indoor 800-meter national champion Lindsey Butler (Virginia Tech) this weekend, someone who appears to be back in tip-top shape after a recent 2:02 (800) mark and an earlier 2:41 (1k) effort. 

Analysis: Tarees Rhoden (Clemson) is the pre-race favorite given his blistering 1:46 (800) PR, extensive experience and the fact that he’s the reigning 800-meter ACC champion. Of course, Virginia’s Conor Murphy, the runner-up finisher from the 2023 ACC Indoor Championships, will make Rhoden work for the win. Murphy has only raced the 800 meters once this season, matching his 1:46 PR. The Cavalier is going to need to rely on his strength to carry him to the finish given the front-running tendencies of Rhoden. Those two men will also have to watch out for the rising talent of Virginia Tech’s Nicholas Plant, a guy who has been flying under the radar all season. 

Analysis: Amina Maatoug of Duke is the projected winner given her resume. And rather than focus on someone who is the clear favorite, we wanted to highlight the rise of Virginia’s Anna Workman and the arrival of Boston College’s Molly Hudson. Workman really caught our attention when she dropped a massive 4:31 (mile) in late January. Prior to that, the junior had never raced a mile in her collegiate career and boy, has she made her appearance known this winter. As for Hudson, the British athlete caught us by surprise within the span of two weeks. The Eagle ace first ran 4:32 for the mile and then improved upon that with a 4:30 PR. Workman and Hudson will push Maatoug to the line, hoping that momentum will overshadow inexperience. 

Analysis: How do you not root for the dynamic duo of Ethan Strand and Parker Wolfe? The North Carolina stars have been the backbone of the Tar Heel distance program this season, recording top times from the mile to the DMR. Strand could be argued as the favorite this weekend after he opened his indoor track campaign a few weeks ago with a mile PR of 3:54. As for Wolfe, the veteran has the perfect mix of speed and strength that will keep him in the race until the very end. But then there’s Gary Martin and Nathan Mountain, both of Virginia, as well as Steven Jackson of Boston College. Those three men are legitimate threats to the North Carolina duo and could leave the ACC Championships with an upsest victory if they play their cards right. 

Analysis: Notre Dame’s Olivia Markezich might be the Division One leader for 3000 meters right now (thanks to her 8:40 mark from December), but don’t expect the same time to be run this weekend. Rather, this 3k final will probably come down to a two-woman race between Markezich and Amina Maatoug (Duke). Both are extremely versatile athletes and will push the other all the way to the line. Samantha Bush (NC State) and Margot Appleton (Virginia) will battle for bronze, but Bush appears to be riding some momentum after a strong 15:25 (5k) conversion last weekend. 

Analysis: It’s hard to look past the fact that Ethan Strand (North Carolina) is in the slower heat, an odd development that doesn't make much sense. The Tar Heel standout has run 3:54 (mile) and 7:46 (3k) over his career, but he hasn’t contested the latter event this winter. Strand’s going to have to do a lot of work on his own to place well amongst the second heat. Headlining the second heat are Parker Wolfe (North Carolina), David Mullarkey (Florida State) and Gary Martin (Virginia). All three of these men will keep the race honest from the get-go before seeing who has the most guts over the last lap. 

Analysis: To be completely honest, the women’s 5k isn’t as deep as we were hoping for. Savannah Roark of Syracuse has the top time in the field with her 15:45 (5k) personal best, so she will probably win this title...right? Theoretically behind Roark may be Daphnee Lavassas (Miami (FL)). She has been an interesting name to watch as she’s been quietly putting up strong times all season across all the distance events. If Lavassas remains confident, she has the ability to take down a group of All-Americans en route to the podium this weekend. 

Analysis: North Carolina’s Alex Phillip has been pretty quiet this season, only racing three times this winter. The Tar Heel runner is, however, coming off of a recent 5k PR of 13:27 and is in a good position to earn a berth to the indoor national meet later this March. Winning his first ACC Championship title won’t be easy for Phillip given the fact that he is slated to face Notre Dame’s Vincent Mauri, Syracuse’s Perry Mackinnon and Virginia’s Yasin Sado. This event is expected to be close and if it comes down to a kick, Sado or Mauri could come out on top. Phillip will need to tap into his strength and take the kick out of those two men and the rest of the field earlier on.