Razorback Invitational Preview

Additional contributions by Garrett Zatlin

This weekend is set to be an absolute thriller for NCAA distance running fans. Between the Millrose Games, John Thomas Terrier Classic, the UW Invitational and the Razorback Invitational, fans of the sport are set to see what may be the fastest weekend of the season so far.

With teams like Oregon, Stanford, Arkansas, Iowa State and Oklahoma State headlining the distance fields in Fayetteville this weekend, we thought it would be a good idea to get ahead of the action and to conjure up a preview.

Here are the key developments that you need to look out for at the Razorback Invitational...

When you have Krissy Gear (Arkansas) stepping down in distance, wide-range runner Julia Heymach (Stanford) contesting the half-mile event and 2:01 talent Katy-Ann McDonald (LSU) all in one race, things are surely going to be fast.

Of this bunch, McDonald has the most experience racing the half-mile. The LSU star has competed on the national stage before in this event and will be looking to earn her first All-American honors this season.

Depending on who you ask, this LSU middle distance ace is in contention to compete for the individual 800 meter title this winter and will be out for redemption after being disqualified at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

McDonald is an interesting name. She was an up-and-coming talent last year, but didn't truly begin her rise to national prominence until the tail-end of last spring. The LSU veteran has consistently improved over time, has top-end personal bests and is super experienced.

On paper, she's the favorite in this race, but whether or not we see that version of McDonald this weekend is the biggest uncertainty.

Looking to give McDonald a run for her money will be Heymach. The Stanford Cardinal star has run 2:02 for 800 meters, but what’s more impressive is that she can also run 4:33 in the mile and 15:33 in the 5000 meters. Oh, and she qualified for the 1500 meter finals in the Olympic Trials, running a monster time of 4:04 in the process.

Heymach's range is impeccable and with her extra endurance, Heymach could push this race from the beginning and still have an extra gear at the end. She's typically great in a variety of race scenarios, although this will be a challenging field that features numerous women with different strengths.

Boasting the home court advantage will be Arkansas' Krissy Gear, someone who is arguably just as versatile as Heymach.

The middle distance stud, who excels at the mile and 3000 meter distances, has also run 2:04 in the 800 meters. Although this most likely won’t be an event that she contests at the NCAA Indoor Championships, it’s always a good rust-buster event before a strong mile opportunity.

On paper, this half-mile distance, isn't necessarily Gear's ideal event, but she's more than capable of pulling off an upset win this weekend.

We should also keep in mind that both McDonald and Gear will be joined by a teammate or two on the starting line.

Lorena Rangel Batres (LSU) has some speed in her legs with a 2:04 PR of her own. Then there is Kennedy Thomson (Arkansas) and Quinn Owen (Arkansas) who each boast times of 2:05 and 2:06, respectively.

Of these three additional names, Thomson is the only one to have not yet raced this season. Batres and Owen have both been strong so far this season, but it will be interesting to see how they do when they are in a race where they aren’t leading. In theory, they should be strong enough to stick to the fast pace and earn a new PR.

We should also expect to see a strong contingent of Oklahoma State Cowgirls. Sivan Auerbach, Rilee Rigdon and Stephanie Moss all have identical 2:05 personal bests for this distance.

One of these talents is primed for a true breakthrough performance and this could be the field where that happens. The pace will be hot up front, but the rest of the field is talented enough to maintain a fast pace throughout most of this race.

In theory, that could mean a plethora of new personal bests for the women from Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The final duo to mention for this race are USC’s Alyssa Brewer and Jemima Russell, both holding 2:04 personal bests. Both of these athletes are veterans and have shown glimpses of success throughout their collegiate careers, although their 2:04 personal bests haven't come since the spring of 2019. Could this weekend be the first step towards returning to those marks?

Finally, we have Iowa’s Mallory King, a 2:05 half-miler, and Oregon’s Mia Moerck, a 2:06 half-miler in this race. Both of these women, especially King, could be in the hunt for a national qualifying performance this weekend.

King qualified for the indoor national meet in this event last year and is arguably one of the most experienced middle distance runners in the country. In a race that will be fast and crowded at the top, this Iowa ace will have a chance to show that she's better than her 2:05 mark implies.

With the way the season is going thus far, the women’s mile might be the hottest event on the track. The ladies toeing the line for the mile at the Razorback Invitational will need to bring their "A" game this weekend to place amongst the nation’s fastest times.

This race could honestly be won by any of these contenders: Lauren Gregory (Arkansas), Aneta Konieczek (Oregon), Taylor Roe (Oklahoma State), Kennedy Thomson (Arkansas) or Carmie Prinsloo (Arkansas).

Gregory comes in with the fastest PR in a time of 4:32 and is effectively now seen as the favorite. However, teammate Thomson is within spitting distance given her 4:33 personal best.

Gregory has already run 15:34 for 5000 meters this season and has endurance-based strength in her racing arsenal. Thomson, meanwhile, placed 3rd last year in the mile at the indoor national meets, leading us to believe that she is highly experienced when it comes to working around competitive fields.

When working together, Gregory and Thomson could dictate how this mile unfolds in terms of pacing and they could carry teammate Carmie Prinsloo to a fast time as well. Prinsloo, the South African distance standout, has never run a mile, but her 1500 meter best of 4:18 should bode well for a sub-4:40 mile effort this weekend.

We then come to Oregon’s Aneta Konieczek who jumped into the D1 scene after transferring from Western Colorado State. This Duck standout wasn’t struggling in the deep end of collegiate distance running, but rather she was gliding atop the water, unfazed by the D1 competition in her first winter with the Ducks.

Konieczek ran 4:35 in the mile last season before earning All-American honors with a 7th place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. However, it was during the outdoor season where things only got better for Konieczek as she ran a monster 9:25 personal best in the 3000 meter steeplechase and competed at the Olympics.

Her cross country season was respectable, but her true talent lies on the track.

Konieczek may actually be the biggest threat to Gregory in this race. The Oregon star is a proven top-tier miler who actually got better last spring based on her steeplechase success. If just some of that steeple fitness can be translated to the indoor oval this winter, then Konieczek could be a scary-good name come March.

Oklahoma State Cowgirl Taylor Roe may be the most underrated name in this field. She has a solid personal best of 4:39, but that's not a mark that typically contends with the upper-echelon women in this distance.

Of course, it’s her 8:58 personal best for 3000 meters that turns heads. If Roe can channel that 3k endurance in the mile, and use her proven endurance to hang on to what could be an aggressive pace, then it wouldn’t be surprising to see her drop her mile time closer to the mid-4:30s.

Three other women will be looking for their first sub-4:40 efforts this weekend. Those women are Lucy Jenks (Stanford), Anna Marian Block (Georgia) and Melissa Menghini (Missouri).

Jenks hasn’t competed in a collegiate mile, but she has run 4:17 for 1500 meters on the outdoor oval and recently secured a new 3000 meter PR of 9:15 at the UW Preview. In other words, Jenks has been thriving as of late. She just ran a new PR during her rust-buster and proved in the spring that the 1500/mile distance is likely her ideal distance.

All things considered, Jenks could be set up for a monster breakout race this winter.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s Block and Mizzou’s Menghini have both run 4:41 in the mile.

Block hasn’t contested the mile since 2021, but her times in the 600 meters and the 1000 meters are promising heading into this weekend. A potential sub-4:40 effort could be in the cards for her this weekend.

Meanwhile, Menghini chopped off eight seconds from her previous PR last weekend and will be looking to build upon that momentum in a field that is significantly stronger across the board.

The Razorback Invitational’s 3000 meter race on the women’s side could see a big performance out of Stanford’s Julia Heymach. Although the Cardinal ace is also entered in the 800 meters, this near-two mile event could become her ideal distance this winter, especially after such a successful cross country season.

If you were to search for Heymach's meet results, you would see that the Stanford star doesn’t have a 3000 meter time next to her name. The veteran from Palo Alto has run 2:02 in the 800 meters, 4:04 in the 1500 meters, 4:33 in the mile and 15:33 in the 5000 meters.

Yet, shockingly, no 3000 meter time.

What could Heymach do with her mix of speed and stamina? Can she run sub-9:00 in her first attempt at the distance? In theory, she's certainly capable of doing so, but she'll also have a field of women who can put her in position to do so.

Home team favorite Logan Jolly of Arkansas comes in behind Heymach after running 9:07 for this distance back in December, but Cailie Logue of Iowa State isn’t far behind with her 9:10 mark.

Jolly has faster turnover than Logue does based on their mile performances and that could come in handy if she wants to hold off the endurance-heavy 4th place finisher from the 2021 NCAA XC Championships.

However, Logue has some momentum heading into this race after running a new 4:42 mile PR just last weekend. With some newfound middle distance speed, the stamina-centric Iowa State runner may have the perfect balance of endurance and speed to drop under 9:00 in this race.

One interesting note is that the Oregon women are sending a potentially formidable duo that could challenge for a top finish: Aneta Konieczek and Keely Small.

Konieczek has run 9:27 in the 3000 meters. That's a respectable time, but given her 4:35 mile PR and 9:25 mark for the 3000 meter steeplechase, a much faster 3000 meter PR is possible.

Then we come to Small, a newly minted Duck from Australia who may be the most interesting entry in this race. The Aussie standout is moving up from her middle distances, owning times of 2:00 (800), 4:07 (1500) and 4:33 (mile).

This will be Small’s first collegiate race, but she has competed at numerous Australian Championships before, securing big-time wins and setting records. We'll be fascinated to see how she performs after sustaining a L5 fracture last March.

As we continue to work our way down this list, we come Gabby Hentemann of Oklahoma State who could be a surprise challenger in this race. The Cowgirl distance runner has a solid 9:22 personal best at this distance, but looking at her 4:42 mile PR, it’s possible that Hentemann could drop her current 3000 meter PR even further.

Of course, how much Hentemann drops her time is the real uncertainty.

Aside from the women mentioned above, there are also a few other key women to keep an eye on.

Oregon’s Emilie Girard has a strong 1500 meter best of 4:17 and will be in contention to post a top time if she sticks her nose into this race. Her 1500 meter mark clearly suggests that she has necessary speed to run well in the 3000 meters, but theory vs actuality are often hard to reconcile.

Stanford’s Abi Archer has run 9:22 and Imogen Gardiner has run 9:36. Archer has room for growth, but it will be interesting to see where she is after not competing since September. As for Gardiner, she will be making her Stanford debut this weekend. The young Cardinal runner owns a 4:39 mile PR and could challenge herself for a faster 3k time, especially in a field like this.

Logue’s Iowa State teammate and Northern Illinois University transfer Ashley Tutt ran 9:23 last season and helped pace her teammates last weekend before stepping off the track. Tutt has developed well under the Cyclone program and training alongside Logue has to give Tutt some confidence. Don't be surprised if Tutt ends up landing a new PR, she's due for a noticeable improvement.

Prep phenom Sydney Thorvaldson will be racing her second race in an Arkansas singlet after running a 4:55 mile a few weeks ago. Thorvaldson owns a 3k personal best of 9:30 from high school. She might not be in the running for the win, but could this field pull her towards a new PR? Or at least a time close to her high school performances?

Four men entered in the 800 meters own personal bests of 1:47 in the half-mile with a slew of other entrants hovering around 1:48. In other words, this field has the potential to be crazy fast. In fact, in the right setting, it could even produce a sub-1:47 time...right?

Jason Gomez of Iowa State headlines this field based on his resume at the indoor national meet. Gomez, who took the Division One realm by surprise last year after transferring from Notre Dame de Namur, placed 5th in the men's 800 meters at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships after running consistent 1:47 marks week after week.

This Cyclone star, despite running 2:21 for 1000 meters earlier this season, will be out for blood this weekend. He was a DNF at the outdoor national meet last spring, had a tough 1:56 outing for 800 meters back in December and was a recent DNF at the Cyclone Open, presumably pacing his teammates.

Gomez is a legitimate national-caliber star at this distance, but this weekend will be crucial for him as he attempts to post his first strong 800 meter performance of his season.

Meanwhile, Alex Lomong will join his Iowa State teammate in Arkansas this weekend with his identical 1:47 personal best. Similar to Gomez, Lomong also transferred into Iowa State, although Lomong previously competed for Ohio State.

The Cyclone middle distance athlete is a veteran and super consistent, running under the 1:50 barrier a total of 21 times throughout his collegiate career. However, despite running 1:47 multiple times on the outdoor oval, he has never run faster than 1:49 on the indoor track.

Lomong qualified for the outdoor national meet last spring, so we know he's capable of having some of his better performances in big-time scenarios. However, fully translating his success from last spring to the winter months is going to the one aspect of his resume that we monitor this year.

We then move to Missouri's Christopher Conrad, yet another 1:47 runner who is a common name near the top of the 800 meter national leaderboard.

During his career, Conrad has competed at one national meet, but has consistently finished amongst the best in the SEC. The Missouri middle distance standout, much like Lomong, has thrown down numerous sub-1:50 marks throughout his career. However, Conrad is a bit more proven on the indoor oval.

That said, the Mizzou ace just ran a semi-unexciting time of 1:50 for 800 meters at the Cyclone Open, finishing 4th overall in that race. That was his first 800 meter effort of the season, so we won't look too heavily into that result.

However, this weekend will be a big one for Conrad as he looks to reaffirm the idea that he can be a national qualifying talent yet again come March.

As we transition to Stanford, the Cardinal men will be debuting high school superstar John Lester. The true freshman from California ran an eye-popping time of 1:47 for 800 meters back in high school, a mark that could immediately put him amongst the nation’s best collegiates if he replicates that performance.

That 1:47 result was the seventh-best 800 meter time ever for a prep athlete and it makes Lester a major name to watch as his collegiate career gets underway. Of course, the only question is how much of that fitness from last spring can be bring to the indoor oval? If his 4:06 mile effort from earlier this month was any indication, then the answer to that question might be, "all of it".

A few key guys to keep an eye out for are Kieran Taylor (Arkansas), Juan Diego Castro (Oklahoma State), Antonio Abrego (Iowa) and Darius Kipyego (Iowa State), all four of whom have run 1:48.

Kieran Taylor has the advantage of having the Razorback crowd behind him, as well as a 7th place finish from the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships to his name. He is, without question, one of the most underrated 800 meter runners in the country and is arguably the most experienced middle distance talent in all of Division One.

Oklahoma State’s Juan Diego Castro will be making his season debut this weekend. He has an excellent 3:57 mile PR on his resume to go along with his 1:48 mark for 800 meters. If Castro can start fast out of the gate in his season opener, then maybe this will be the season where he qualifies for an NCAA final.

We know he's talented, he just needs to put it altogether on the national stage.

Antonio Abrego was a standout talent in the 800 meters in high school and it looks like he has translated that success to the NCAA. As a freshman, the rising Hawkeye star ran 1:48 last weekend, putting the BIG 10 and the rest of the country on notice.

A big performance this weekend could be massive for Abrego. He would be able to build major momentum and have a top mark that will put him on the cusp of the indoor national meet.

Be sure to also keep an eye out for fellow Iowa teammates Alec Still and Tyler Olson, two men who ran 1:49 in the same race that Abrego ran his 1:48. In fact, Still has previously run 1:48 during the 2021 spring track season.

Could the Iowa men actually be the main headline talents of this event? I guess we'll see soon enough.

And finally, there’s Darius Kipyego. The newest Cyclone runner benefits greatly from training alongside the likes of Gomez, Lomong, Frank Hayes, Cebastian Gentil and a few others. He’s been solid so far this indoor season, but in a field like this, he could truly hit a new tier this weekend.

On the accepted entries list, one man has a sub-4:00 mile time next to his name. That runner is LSU’s Davis Bove who boasts a 3:57 mile PR from last winter.

Bove’s mile PR came last season at the Music City Challenge when he dropped an unbelievable six seconds off of his previous best. He later went on to finish 12th at the indoor national meet in the same event.

Bove is recently coming off a 5th place finish in the 800 meters at the Red Raider Open, falling to the Texas men who went 1-2-3-4 in that race. The 800 meters was likely just a rust-buster for Bove who could make a major statement at the Razorback Invitational this weekend with a statement win.

This LSU Tiger was quietly one of the more consistent distance talents in the nation last winter and he flexes some underrated range as well between the 800 meters and the 3000 meters. However, a win this weekend over a strong, but not overwhelmingly strong, field would be the perfect way for Bove to enter the month of February.

However, there are plenty of other men fighting to cross that four minute barrier alongside Bove.

Iowa State's Chad Johnson may not be under the four minute mile barrier at the moment, but he is right at that point with a 4:00 mile personal best after his performance at the Cyclone Open last weekend, only 0.75 seconds shy of breaking the 4:00 barrier.

Johnson has set personal bests this season in the 800 meters, the 1000 meters, the mile and the 5000 meters. In other words, he's on a major hot streak of posting his best-ever performances.

Opportunities are endless for Johnson if he pushes himself at the gun this weekend and aims to stick with what will surely be a fast pace. He's due for a 3:59 mark (or faster) next to his name given his season-to-season consistency and quietly strong range.

Outside of Bove and Johnson, fans of the mile will also get to see SEC foes Andrew Kibet (Arkansas) and Martin Prodanov (Missouri) squaring off in this field. Both men currently own 4:02 personal bests.

Kibet brings a long distance background to this race, running 13:51 for 5000 meters and emerging as a strong cross country runner. However, the opposite could be said for Prodanov who has built his reputation in speedier events, running 1:49 for 800 meters and 3:42 for 1500 meters.

Both men are due for sub-four results this weekend, especially for Prodanov who has been flirting in the low 4:00's for quite some time. If this race plays to his (or Kibets') strengths, then we could see a sub-four PR out of these two.

An interesting addition to this race is Stanford’s Devin Hart. The Cardinal athlete is coming off of a massive 3000 meter performance at the UW Preview where he ran 7:51, demolishing his previous PR by 11 seconds.

Hart hasn’t contested the mile yet in a Stanford uniform and has only run 3:49 for 1500 meters. Of course, given how he opened up his 2022 track season, the ceiling is only getting higher for the Cardinal ace. A major performance here would validate Hart's incredible breakout race from earlier this month, even if he doesn't win.

Oklahoma State’s Rory Leonard will be a top freshman to watch in this field. Leonard has a 1500 meter best of 3:44, a time that is very solid considering that he is just getting started with his collegiate career as a Cowboy.

Leonard's cross country season this fall was solid and he made the team's top-seven in the postseason. The newest Cowboy ace is an endurance-centric distance talent, so an aggressive pace would, in theory, favor his aerobic prowess.

Three other names to watch for in the results are Luis Peralta of Oregon, primarily an 800 guy who has 1:46 speed, Evan Addison of Pittsburgh, a 4:03 miler, and recent Iowa State JUCO transfer Kelvin Bungei, a 4:04 runner.

With the departures of Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker from Oregon, Aaron Bienenfeld is the new top Duck when it comes to the longer distance events.

Bienenfeld headlines the Razorback Invitational 3000 meter field this weekend with his 7:50 personal best, a time that he ran while competing for Cincinnati in 2021 prior to his move to Eugene before the 2021 cross country season.

Based on his results from this past fall, Bienenfeld surely has the proper endurance to run another fast time in the 3000 meters this season. The Oregon ace was a top All-American finisher back in November and his 5k personal best of 13:31 borders on the line of elite as well.

Coach Ben Thomas’s training has only benefitted his newest Oregon Duck. Bienenfeld is primed to make some major noise this weekend and we have no reason to doubt him. However, there's an argument to be made that he's not even the best distance talent in this field...

Hoping to steal the show from Bienenfeld will be Razorback star Amon Kemboi.

The Arkansas ace has a faster 3000 meter PR than Bienenfeld with a mark of 7:44. Not only that, but Kemboi has more All-American honors and higher finishes to his name compared to Bienenfeld.

Kemboi hasn’t raced since finishing 12th at the NCAA XC Championships this past fall, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t be quick out of the gate. In theory, the 3000 meters is his ideal event, allowing Kemboi to lean on his great endurance while still utilizing his sub-four mile speed.

Oregon has also entered Reed Brown, a 3:56 miler who is making his 3000 meter debut. Speaking of debuts, teammate James Gormley, a 7:57 runner, is making his debut for Oregon.

Gormley, a recent addition to Oregon’s roster from England, has competed on the national stage in Great Britain and the greater European area. With a 7:57 personal best already next to his name, Gormley could make his way into the top-16 on the descending order list if he runs alongside Bienenfeld and is able to maintain a fast pace.

That, of course, is easier said than done.

Oregon veteran Jack Yearian is an 8:01 guy, but he could be a major sleeper pick in this race. He ran a jaw-dropping time of 3:37 for 1500 meters last summer (unattached) as well as a 13:44 personal best for 5000 meters during the spring. In theory, the 3000 meters is a perfect middle ground that will allow Yearian to combine the best aspects of his resume and (hopefully) produce a huge result.

Teammate Caleb Brown is making his NCAA track debut. He ran cross country this past fall and will now toe the line in a Duck uniform after transferring out of Wisconsin before his first semester with the Badgers was over.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys will also be sending out Shea Foster, Fouad Messaoudi, Alex Maier and Ryan Schoppe for this race. That is a very scary four-headed distance monster for the other teams and athletes in this field.

Foster and Messaoudi have each run 8:00 in the 3000 meters while Schoppe is just a second behind in 8:01. Foster began to make a name for himself last winter and spring while competing for Southeastern Louisiana and has already transitioned incredibly well to a new coaching philosophy.

Meanwhile, Messaoudi is just arriving in Stillwater from Morocco and could make an immediate impact. Of course, it's still too early to say what we should expect from him as he has yet to truly test the waters of the NCAA.

We then come to Maier who has run 8:07 for 3000 meters. That's a respectable time, but it's not going to make him one of those top men in this field.

However, Maier has been phenomenal on the grass. He was a top All-American during the winter cross country season and despite a poor performance at the cross country national meet this past fall, he was excellent yet again on the grass during the prior semester.

In other words, Maier is due for a major breakout performance on the track.

As for Schoppe, this guy just ran 3:58 in the mile, so big things are already happening for him. He has proven to be a star in the longer distances, so we're incredibly encouraged about his potential in the 3000 meters if he has already done so well in the mile.

A few other men to watch are Emmanuel Cheboson (Arkansas) with his 8:02 personal best as well as Stanford's Callum Bolger (8:03), Cole Sprout (8:03) and Ky Robinson, an 8:32 steeplechaser.

Sprout is the major name to watch out of that group. He has some of the best name recognition in the NCAA given his contributions to this Stanford team at such a young age. His 13:43 personal best of 5000 meters and past cross country All-American finishes makes him too talented to not finish under 8:00 in this race this weekend.

Also keep an eye on Thomas Pollard (Iowa State), Jack Miller (Pittsburgh) and Max Murphy (Iowa). This trio of men may not have the same level of star power as a few other names in this preview, but they are each highly accomplished names in their own way.