PREDICTIONS: 2024 BIG 10 Indoor Championships

*Denotes that a collegian is also entered in another individual event.

NOTE: TSR is aware that an athlete could scratch out of certain events to pursue a more manageable weekend double (or even triple). As such, TSR's predictions assume that an athlete is contesting a certain event as part of a weekend double/triple that would be deemed "reasonable." Unless shown otherwise in the entries, DMR predictions do not necessarily assume that a certain relay will feature the best possible lineup. These predictions were constructed prior to the release of full heat sheets.

Analysis: Penn State’s Hayley Kitching is the clear favorite for the 800-meter title this weekend as the Nittany Lion star has been on a tear this season. Kitching’s 2:01 (800) PR is two seconds faster than Iowa’s Alli Bookin-Nosbich’s 2:03 (800) personal best -- and Kitching has run 2:01 twice this season. At the half-mile distance, those two seconds can seem like an eternity, although Bookin-Nosbisch’s recent performances have been trending in the right direction. It’s a shame that we won’t get to see Minnesota’s Brooke Jaworski in this race, but the other competitors are bound to make this a close one between 3rd, 4th and 5th place.

Analysis: Handal Roban (Penn State) is a championship-style runner, always peaking incredibly well for the final meets of the season. Roban was stuck at the 1:47 (800) mark for much of these winter months, but he saw a breakthrough into the 1:46 (800) range a few weeks ago. That was still one second shy of the Nittany Lion’s 1:45 (800) PR (from last spring), but it shows us that Roban of returning to his usual elite postseason form. However, Roban is going to be pushed this weekend by Wisconsin’s Abdullahi Hassan, the current 800-meter leader in the BIG 10. Indiana’s Camden Marshall, someone who is coming off of an impressive 3:55 (mile) effort, should also be considered as a major threat in this race. One dark horse name to watch is Iowa’s Rivaldo Marshall. The Hawkeye standout, who is a recent NJCAA transfer, has raced only twice this winter. However, when he dropped a recent 1:46 mark for 800 meters, he validated his impressive December-time effort of 1:47. Could he end up challenging for gold?

Analysis: Penn State’s Kileigh Kane has been a stud in the mile this winter. Kane began the season with a respectable 4:38 (mile) personal best, but she has since demolished that mark by running a shiny 4:32 PR a few weeks ago. Of course, the Nittany Lion ace faces tough competition in Alexandra Carlson (Rutgers) and Lauren Freeland (Michigan State). Those two women are experienced and the latter is usually great in the postseason. However, it's admittedly been tough to know which versions of those women, both good and not-so-good, we'll see each week.

Analysis: Adam Spencer (Wisconsin) and Nick Foster (Michigan) are the two names to watch this weekend. Spencer has the advantage over Foster given his recent 3:52 mile PR against the pros at the Millrose Games. However, the Michigan veteran will still keep the race tight. These two foes were 1st and 2nd last year at the BIG 10 Championships with Spencer taking gold. And of course, Evan Dorenkamp will find a way to have an impact on this race as he seemingly always does. Regardless of the outcome this weekend in the mile, expect a real nail-biter that comes down to the final few steps. 

Analysis: Even though Alexandra Carlson (Rutgers) hasn’t been as dominant as she was last winter, she has still posted some respectable times. Carlson’s seasonal best 3k time of 9:02 leads us to believe that she could repeat as the BIG 10 champion. Leane Willemse (Wisconsin) is a legitimate challenge for Carlson as the Badger sophomore ran a strong 9:04 (3k) PR a few weeks ago. And aside from Willemse, two Penn State women who are on a similar tier are Florence Caron and Kileigh Kane. The former is sort of an unknown right now given that this is her first season in the NCAA, but Kane is rounding into a very strong miler. 

Analysis: Wisconsin’s Jackson Sharp is the clear-ish favorite in the men’s 3k this weekend thanks in part to his lengthy experience and personal bests of 3:57 (mile) and 7:44 (3k). We don’t anticipate Sharp running anything crazy fast this weekend, but he will still make the race interesting given how tactically strong he has proven to be. Badger teammate Bob Liking is always near the front and that should be able to do the same this weekend . That also goes for All-American talent, Tom Brady of Michigan. A name who we are curious to see is Indiana’s Austin Haskett. The Hoosier talent has been racing at a new level this season and we're wondering if that's in part due to the addition of Coach Eric Heins this past summer. Regardless, Haskett’s 3:58 (mile) and 7:51 (3k) personal bests from earlier this winter make him competitive amongst those in this field. 

Analysis: Leane Willemse of Wisconsin was impressive on the cross country course, finishing 2nd at the BIG 10 XC Championships last fall. Since then though, we haven’t seen the Badger star toe the line for 5k -- but that’s about to change. Willemse’s current 5k PR is 16:09. However, that mark will likely be improved upon this weekend as she’s developed more speed and more endurance since the spring of 2023. Ohio State’s Daniella Santos and Andrea Kuhn will probably be the two competitors who hang the longest with the Wisconsin Badger as the two Buckeyes often race well when they are paired together.

Analysis: Tom Brady (Michigan) is a veteran of the sport and just like Tom Brady the football player, you can never count him out. Brady’s going to face the dynamic duo of Wisconsin’s Jackson Sharp and Bob Liking. Those three men will likely break away from the chase pack somewhat comfortably. However, for Brady to win, he’s going to need to take the kick out of sub-4:00 milers Sharp and Liking by being a bit more aggressive a bit earlier.

Analysis: According to the entries, the Michigan women are fielding their same lineup that ran at the Alex Wilson Invite. Penn State, meanwhile, is fielding a less potent version of their DMR lineup from last weekend. That, on paper, should make this race closer. But with Hayley Kitching being supported by still-respectable talents in Lea Hatcher and Makenna Krebs, the Nittany Lions should still be able to earn the win.

Analysis: This race should be incredibly entertaining as Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana all have realistic shots at winning this race. In fact, the latter two are fielding their best possible lineups (as of right now) which threw down some outstanding times last week. On paper, the Michigan men are the favorites, but this race will be much more different than what these three teams saw at the Alex Wilson Invite.