Razorback Invitational Preview

The Razorback Invitational is set to be an absolute thriller with numerous big-time names currently listed in the entries. We're also set to see a handful of major debuts from some of the NCAA's best distance talents.

Below, we highlight the main races and runners to watch this weekend...

It seems like it's been a long time coming, but Colorado’s Sage Hurta is finally returning to racing and is expected to don a Colorado singlet this weekend. The Buffalo star hasn’t recorded a finish since the 2019 national cross country meet where she finished 38th. Hurta was plagued by injury heading into the 2020 indoor track season and had a delayed return to competition due to COVID.

Hurta last raced on the track at the 2019 Music City Distance Carnival and recorded a stellar time of 2:00.99, oh-so-close to the coveted sub-2:00 barrier. While we don’t expect her to be in the same shape as she was back then, we do think she is primed to do something special, maybe within the vicinity of a sub-2:05 time this weekend. Her potential in the 800 meters is sky high and given her already strong resume, Hurta should walk away with a respectable 2021 debut.

However, this will not be an easy win for the Boulder-based runner. She will be pushed up-front by Alyssa Brewer (USC) and Kennedy Thomson (Arkansas), two women who have put up strong performances as of late. Brewer is coming off of recent 2:07 performance and owns a PR of 2:04 for the half-mile distance.

Thomson, on the other hand, has been putting together some of the best racing of her career, recently beating Brewer at the Woo Pig Classic and recording a 4:41 mile PR in the same meet.

It should be a fairly competitive race at the front as Hurta, Thomson and Brewer look to run fast times as we inch closer to the middle portion of the indoor track season. Hurta is the favorite, but Thomson has a tom of momentum and Brewer is an established talent at this distance. Keep an eye on the result of this matchup.

10 men are entered in the 800 meters at the Razorback Invitational who have run faster than 1:50 in their careers. Each individual is theoretically capable of taking home the win this weekend and could even drop their current personal bests even lower given the level of talent that is set to toe the line.

Jason Gomez and Alex Lomong of Iowa State, as well as Cade Bethmann of Ole Miss, lead the field with their personal best times of 1:47. That, however, doesn't necessarily make them the overall favorites.

Gomez, a recent transfer from Notre Dame de Namur, is coming off of a massive win at the Cyclone Open where he beat some big-time names (i.e. his teammates) such as Festus Lagat, Roshon Roomes and Daniel Nixon.

That was a three-second personal best for Gomez which immediately shot him up to NCAA #2 on the national leaderboard. However, as exciting as that result was, we do have to question whether or not he will be able to do it again. Can he continue to build upon his incredible season opener? I suppose we'll have to wait and see...

As for Lomong, he competed at the Cyclone Open, but appears to have been a pacer for Gomez. His personal best comes from the 2018 outdoor season, but given his new training environment and new teammates, it's possible that we could see him replicate some of the early success that we just saw from Gomez. According to TFRRS, Lomong has never run faster than 1:49 for the indoor 800 meters.

We then come to Bethmann who is a highly accomplished middle distance runner, posting times of 1:47 (800) and 3:41 (1500) during his sophomore year in 2019. Despite having some of the best times in this field, he is continuing to work his way back after a supposed injury left him at less 100% this past fall.

His performance at the Vanderbilt Invitational was a modest 1:52, but there's potential that he could build upon that result and hopefully get back under 1:50 this weekend.

Despite Bethmann’s talent, it's his teammates Baylor Franklin and John Rivera who are the two big-time names that we'll have to watch. They have both run 1:48 with Franklin's time most recently coming at the Vanderbilt Invite where he took home the win.

As for Rivera, he was one of the more consistent 800 meter talents in the NCAA last winter. He consistently improved and was often competitive with some of the better names that he faced. However, this will be one of the biggest tests of his career as he looks to legitimize his presence as an upper-echelon half-mile talent.

I'm also liking the potential of Sam van Dorpe (USC) in this race given that he just won the Woo Pig Classic over Kieran Taylor in a time of 1:49, only one second off of his PR. With a win under his belt, a respectable time and maybe some momentum, van Dorpe has the potential make things interesting this weekend.

Finally, we have the Oregon men who will be entering two Ducks in this race.

Luis Peralta broke onto the scene last year as just a freshman with his massive 1:48 personal best. He will be a wildcard in this race as we're not entirely sure what to expect from him in year two. He was an NCAA qualifier last winter and if he can take one more step up, he may be someone who could an All-American favorite.

Teammate Angus Fölmli, a recent addition to the Oregon roster from Switzerland, has run 1:49 and has competed in Swiss National Championships. Keep an eye on him as he is a new name seemingly capable of injecting more middle distance firepower into the Ducks' roster.

There isn't one overwhelming favorite in particular when it comes to this field. In fact, we didn't even talk about all of the entered men who have run under 1:50! They could very easily be contenders in this race and yet we haven't mentioned them. That's just how deep this field is.

The women who highlight the mile at the Razorback Invitational are either doubling back from the 5k the night before or are doubling back in the 3k later in the day.

The Arkansas trio of Lauren Gregory, Logan Morris and Katie Izzo have all run sub-4:40 miles in their careers and have been consistently posted top-level times in their recent races. It will be interesting to see how they fare after competing in the 5000 meters the night before, but given their talent, that shouldn't dramatically alter how they perform in this eight-lap contest.

Gregory’s 4:32 personal best leads the Lady Razorbacks and she has been on fire as of late, recently running 9:01 for 3000 meters last weekend. However, I like the recent improvements and progress that we've seen out of Morris as she has put up solid marks in the mile and 3k so far this winter after having such a strong cross country season. Don't be surprised if she comes away with the win and a personal best close to the 4:37 or 4:38 mark.

And how about Madeleine King (Ole Miss)? She might be using this race as a potential tune-up as she is entered in the 3000 meters for later in the day on Saturday. King’s 4:46 mile PR comes from the 2019 indoor track season and she hasn’t raced since the 2020 SEC Indoor Championships. However, given her competitors, King could be pulled along to a quick time, so keep an eye out for her.

One runner who will not be doubling in another event is Georgia's Anna Marian Block, leaving us to believe that she could be quietly competitive in this field. The rising Bulldog talent also has a matching 4:46 mile PR and is coming off of a 2nd place finish in the mile at the Carolina Challenge, as well as a 2:08 personal best for 800 meters from earlier in the month.

Block was 8th last year at the SEC Indoor Championships in the mile, but we like the way that she has been developing as of late and consistently posting respectable results. She is someone who could be building towards a breakout performance if she takes advantage of her peak this season (whenever that may be).

Two men entered in the mile have run under four minutes while one is right on the cusp of breaking that barrier. This race could end up being incredibly quick, especially if Luis Peralta (Oregon) is set to be the pacer that we think he might be.

Peralta, only a sophomore, is also entered in the 800 meters, his primary event given. If he is competing in the mile, not pacing, then we'll be interested to see what he could produce. However, if Peralta is pacing, his Oregon teammates Reed Brown and Charlie Hunter will surely benefit.

Brown has run 3:57 for the mile while Hunter has one upped him with his 3:55 best from last winter. Brown hasn’t competed since the 2020 cross country season, but he probably has the most experience out of anyone in this field and has dipped under four minutes (or the 1500 equivalent) numerous times throughout his career. A sub-four seems extremely realistic and it wouldn't be a total shock if a 3:56/3:57 was in play.

Hunter competed in an outdoor 3k time trial in November where he threw down a time of 7:50 with teammates Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker. Hunter then followed up that performance up with a 13:57 (5k) personal best at the Sound Running Track Meet. He's clearly in the best shape of his career and will now be toeing the line for his ideal racing distance. On paper, everything suggests that he'll be favored to win.

Even though both of those Oregon men have run under 4:00, Everett Smulders (Ole Miss) could be a key challenger in this field with his 4:01 personal best. Smulders just posted a strong 1:48 personal best last weekend which sets him up for a potential sub-four attempt against experienced Oregon athletes.

With a field this fast and plenty of momentum behind him from his last race, don't be surprised if this Ole Miss talent keeps things competitive in the latter stages of this eight-lap battle.

Also, be sure to keep an eye on Dalton Hengst (Ole Miss). He has run 3:43 for 1500 meters back when he was a freshman. He only raced once last winter, but could be primed for a big performance if he is anywhere near his 2019 fitness when he qualified for the outdoor national meet.

Jessica Drop (Georgia) and Krissy Gear (Arkansas) are the top two entries in the women’s 3k this weekend. They both have run similar mile times this winter, Drop with a 4:39 and Gear with a 4:38, each in their season debuts. Drop jumped up in distance last weekend and ran 16:13 for 5000 meters while Gear helped paced her teammates to a fast time in the 3000 meters before recording a DNF.

In the 3000 meters, Drop owns a faster PR with her time of 9:11, but Gear is close behind with a time of 9:14 and has debatably had more momentum over the past few seasons of competition compared to Drop. In theory, Drop is slightly dropping down in distance for this race while Gear is moving slightly up.

Given the closeness in talent between these two women, we're not sure either one can be considered as the favorite over the other this weekend.

Four Ole Miss women, Madeleine King, Anna Elkin, Ylva Traxler and Cate Tracht will be looking to improve off of their current personal bests. The fact that there are multiple Rebels in the field increases the chances of a strong showing for each woman and could lead to a pack running mentality where they feed off of the pace that they establish.

Elkin has the most momentum heading into this race after she ran a 4:46 mile two weekends ago and recorded a strong 8th place finish at the SEC XC Championships in the fall.

I don’t even know where to begin when talking about the men in this weekend’s Razorback Invitational 3k. It is an absolutely loaded field and it may be the most elite group of distance runners in one singular race that we see all winter long.

Oregon’s Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker boast the fastest times in this field based on their 3k time trial from November where they ran 7:44 and 7:45, respectively. The two Ducks recently raced at the Sound Running Track Meet in December, each recording personal bests in the 5k. Teare threw down a time of 13:17 while Hocker threw down a massive time of 13:32. Based off of everything that we've seen, it's not out of the question to think that these two could go 1-2 this weekend despite the insane firepower scattered throughout this field.

Oregon teammate Reed Brown is also entered in the 3k, but we could see him pacing this field en route to a fast time.

The Arkansas Razorbacks are also going all-in for this race with entries from Gilbert Boit, Matt Young, Emmanuel Cheboson, Ryan Murphy, Jacob McLeod and Amon Kemboi.

Kemboi owns a 7:44 personal best in this event, the same as Teare's time trial, and is fresh off of a 3:58 mile from last weekend. He has a ton of momentum heading this race and plenty of underrated speed. Not only that, but he also has the home track advantage.

While he wasn't exactly amazing this past fall on the cross country course, Kemboi looks to be rounding into shape and is slowly moving up in distance each and every week as he regains his elite-level of fitness. Don't be surprised to see him pushing Teare and Hocker and a few others to a sub-7:50 effort this weekend.

Fellow Arkansas teammates Murphy, McLeod, Boit, Young and Cheboson will be looking for a sub-8:00 (3k) time of their own this weekend and it's possible for all five of these men considering their resumes. Cheboson, especially, could be due a big personal best after a strong cross country season where he displayed surprisingly strong consistency.

The top three men from the 2020 SEC XC Championships are back and will be ready to take on some of their toughest competition to date. The Ole Miss trio of Mario Garcia Romo, Cole Bullock and Waleed Suliman will be three men to keep an eye on after a massive breakout season on the grass last fall.

Garcia Romo had a stellar 2020 cross country season where he never failed to finish outside of the top-three in any race that he toed the line for. He has 4:03 mile speed and clearly gained some new endurance for the longer distances this past fall.

How will the newest Ole Miss star translate his recent success on the grass to the track? Will he be able to better his 8:05 (3k) personal best? If so, by how much? There's plenty of questions that we have for Garcia Romo heading into this race, but we only see good things happening for him this weekend.

Bullock will be racing for the first time on the track for the Rebels after his freshman year was cut short due to COVID-19, making him a bit of an unknown in this field. The redshirt freshman was a strong cross country runner, earning runner-up honors at the SEC XC Championships. After running 13:49 (5k) unattached this past November, we feel like he can at least be competitive in this field.

Suliman, the fastest of the three Rebels with his 7:54 (3k) PR, should be right up in the mix with the Arkansas and Oregon men. Suliman’s 3:56 mile speed will come in handy if this ends up being a kicker’s race, but the only question is whether or not he can keep up with what could be a hot pace from the start.

Finally, let's talk about the one guy who could turn heads amongst those already mentioned. Iowa State’s Wesley Kiptoo, a JUCO transfer from Colby CC, immediately saw success after winning three cross country races this past fall. He picked up a new 10k PR of 27:37 at the Sound Running Track Meet in December and looks to be amongst the NCAA's most elite distance runners right now.

Armed with a personal best of 7:51 for 3000 meters, we have to believe that the newest Iowa State star can dip under the 7:50 barrier this weekend. He's talented enough to make things fast from the gun (if he wants to) and if his competition isn't careful, Kiptoo could be the one who emerges with the overall win.

It is hard to pick a favorite in this race because almost all of these men have solid-enough resumes to contend for the win. At the end of the day, a lot could happen in 15 laps. Multiple national title contenders contesting the same race in the month of January doesn't happen very often, so we will surely enjoy this matchup.

The Lady Razorbacks have been on a complete tear over the last few weeks, racing the mile and the 3k, recording top times in the NCAA and showing off their remarkable depth. As we enter the Razorback Invitational, Arkansas is fielding a strong group of 5k challengers, much like the group that we see in the 3k last weekend.

Some of these women are entered in both the mile and the 3k, so some might be pacing or legitimately attempting to double.

Arkansas' Katie Izzo and Lauren Gregory headline the field with their respective personal bests of 15:13 and 15:42. Despite owning the slower time, Gregory has more momentum heading into the race as she has run 4:39 (mile) and 9:01 (3k) in her first two races this season. As for Izzo, she has run 4:40 (mile) and 9:12 (3k).

Izzo is stronger over the longer distances compared to Gregory, but Gregory has looked strong as of late. Will it be the recent success from Gregory that leads her to the victory? Or will it be Izzo's preferred racing distance that gives her enough of an edge to secure the win?

Teammate Logan Morris is another interesting name to watch in this field. Since transferring to Arkansas at the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic year, Morris has secured a mile PR of 4:39 and a 3k PR of 9:09. Currently, she owns a 5k PR of 15:56 from the 2018 outdoor track season when she ran unattached, but she could dip back under 16 minutes this weekend given the field that she'll be racing against/with.

Freshman Taylor Ewert (Arkansas) will be making her 5k debut after competing in the 3k last weekend. She ran a new personal best of 9:27 last week, finishing alongside a few of her Razorback teammates. Ewert has the potential to run right around 16 minutes if everything goes right, although the same could be said for Abby Gray (a 16:06 runner) as well as her up-and-coming teammate Gracie Hyde.

One of those three women are on the verge of a massive breakout performance, we just don't know who it will be or when it will happen.

Some women outside of the Razorback crew to look for are Samantha Drop (Georgia), Anna Elkin (Ole Miss) and Victoria Simmons (Ole Miss). Drop has run 16:16 for 5000 meters and has experience on the national stage. Elkin has run 16:26 and Simmons has run 16:31, two respectable times that could be lowered this weekend if they can stick with a hot pace.

Considering how deep the 800, mile and 3k fields are, one would’ve expected the 5k to be just as deep. However, there are only six men entered.

Georgia’s three-person group of Sam Bowers, Chase Condra and Nicholas Yanek will be the ones who lead the field. Bowers has run 14:33 for 5000 meters while Condra is making his 5k debut. Yanek owns a personal best of 14:47.

Of the three, Bowers and Condra should compete for the win after recording 10th and 12th place finishes (respectively) at the 2020 SEC XC Championships. They looked strong this past fall, leading us to believe that they could dip under 14:20 this weekend.

Oregon, a typical distance powerhouse, has freshman Abdinasir Hussein entered in the 5k this weekend. Hussein could challenge the Bulldog men for the win, although it's unclear what we should expect from the rookie in his college debut.

Here we go, the distance medley relay, a race which could end up being a high-octane display of excessive firepower and elite middle distance speed. At the Razorback Invitational, it looks like Iowa State, Oregon, Arkansas and Ole Miss will be looking to send a message to the rest of the NCAA depending on who walks away with the win.

The men of Oregon are probably the favorites heading into this race. Luis Peralta would be the obvious choice for the 800 meter leg given his 1:48 personal best. As for the 1200 and 1600 meter legs, any variation of Charlie Hunter, Cooper Teare, Reed Brown and even Cole Hocker could propel the Ducks to the top. In theory, Teare and Hunter are the two best options, but all of those other men are solid talents and could do enough to get the Ducks the win.

Iowa State’s lineup amongst the 800, 1200 and 1600 could see any mix of Jason Gomez, Alex Lomong, Cebastian Gentil and Wesley Kiptoo.

Gomez, Lomong and Gentil are all solid middle distance runners, owning 800 personal bests of 1:49 or faster. Kiptoo, meanwhile, is an ideal selection for the 1600 leg as has a set of wheels with his 4:04 mile PR from last year. However, we think he is capable of a sub-four effort based on his recent performances.

As for Arkansas, they have the home track advantage here and are also boasting a sub-4:00 miler in Amon Kemboi, the guy who will most likely fill the 1600 meter leg. Kieran Taylor owns a 1:48 personal best for 800 meters and has been on the Razorback's best version of their DMR before, so he’s a shoo-in for the third leg of the relay.

Gilbert Boit, Luke Meade, Emmanuel Cheboson and Jadon Bartholomew are potential 1200 meter leg runners for the Razorbacks, but if we had to guess, it would likely be Boit who is stepping in. He has experience racing at the national meet in the DMR and has enough speed to keep things competitive.

Finally the Ole Miss Rebels are arguably the deepest middle distance team at this meet. Each relay leg will be filled by experienced and solid veterans who boast collective personal bests that could create significant challenges for Oregon, Iowa State and Arkansas.

Cade Bethman, Baylor Franklin, John Rivera are great candidates for the 800 with their 1:48 (or faster) personal bests. Meanwhile, Everett Smulders and Waleed Suliman have run 4:01 and 3:56, respectively, for the mile.

Suliman would probably be the better choice for the anchor as he could contend with the likes of Teare, Kiptoo and Kemboi. As for Smulders, he is a respectable tactician and his ability to effectively run in both the 800 and the mile makes him an ideal choice for the 1200 meter leg.