The Biggest Questions of the Upcoming Indoor Track Season

A shroud of uncertainty and a plethora of questions still surround the upcoming seasons of competition, especially for indoor track. While we may not have all of the answers to your questions, we can at least analyze and speculate as to what could happen.

Here are our biggest questions for the upcoming indoor track season...

We already spoke about (and addressed) this question in an article from last week called Friday Musings. Ultimately, we don't really know, but we figured that we should still ask the question that everyone wants an answer to.

There are numerous factors that we need to consider when trying to predict what an indoor track season could actually look like this year. Those factors include, but are not limited to...

- Certain conferences already suspending (or eventually suspending) winter sports

- Certain conferences limiting their meets to conference-only competition

- Certain programs prioritizing the winter cross country season over track

- Extended winter breaks interrupting collegiate competition

- Meets requiring testing vs schools that can afford testing

- Smaller meets resulting in less competition (or less intensive competition)

- Athletic departments showing hesitancy towards travel

- Schools simply choosing not to compete

Based on those aspects, the idea that we'll see the same amount of crazy fast times in each event this year seems highly unlikely.

However, the one "distance" event that could remain somewhat unaffected by all of this craziness is the 800 meters. Half-mile specialists don't always compete in cross country and if they do, they aren't always high-impact scorers for their respective teams.

That's not to say that they can't be great on the grass or that they aren't valuable, but it's generally pretty rare to see 800 meter runners playing major roles during cross country. As a result, I would imagine that the 800 meters won't see the same kind of drop-off that other events like the mile, 3k and 5k will.

Despite an expected drop-off in times and depth, sources have informed The Stride Report that there still seems to be significant interest when it comes to collegiate programs looking for indoor track races this winter.

The lack of uniformity around the NCAA in terms of where certain teams can and can't compete has made things tricky, as has the varying requirements for testing and the clashing protocols between conferences.

Even so, many distance programs are still looking for opportunities to race on the indoor oval this season, including some highly-ranked cross country teams.

When it comes to the upcoming indoor track season, teams competing in D2 or D3 will likely face the same challenges that their D1 counterparts do. Between testing requirements, accessibility to meets and the wavering willingness of conferences to allow for competition this winter, it is safe to say that this indoor track season will surely not be normal even for those not competing in D1.

However, just for this moment, let's pretend that an indoor track season will happen as it is currently intended to. Let's pretend that no other conferences will cancel competition, everyone will have a reasonable number of opportunities to compete and the NCAA Indoor Championships will actually go on.

In that specific instance, is it safe to say that there won't be a dramatic difference between this winter and a normal season of indoor competition for D2 or D3 athletes? While D1 programs try to find a difficult balance between cross country and indoor track, those competing at the D2 and D3 levels will at least have one central focus and will all be gunning to qualify for one singular national meet.

Are the details and logistics as easy at that? No, far from it, but it seems fair to suggest that there will be less dilution when it comes to fast times and overall depth in the D2 and D3 rankings compared to D1.

I think Washington's Carley Thomas could be in a great position to do something special this year. She was ranked at NCAA #2 last winter in the women's 800 meters with a monster time of 2:02.75, sitting behind only Nia Akins.

Most of the top women around her last year have since graduated or have run out of indoor eligibility. Of course, Thomas was still among the top contenders to win the national title last year even when all of those veteran middle distance runners were still around.

Not only that, but Washington has the luxury of having their very own 300 meter indoor track. Thomas will likely have plenty of opportunities to run something fast depending on how the Huskies handle the logistics of their meets this year.

But outside of Carley Thomas, who else could be in that conversation? Given the mass number of elite departures, that question isn't easy to answer.

Whittni Orton is out of indoor track eligibility. Dani Jones has turned pro. Weini Kelati has turned pro. Alicia Monson has turned pro. Nia Akins has turned pro. Taylor Werner, who didn't run attached last indoor season, has turned pro.

So who are the other top options remaining?

Arkansas' Katie Izzo could certainly be in the conversation to be considered as the top-ranked runner after running a jaw-dropping 5k personal best of 15:13 last winter. And what about Stanford's Ella Donaghu? She was highly ranked in both the mile and 3000 meters and can offer a lot in terms of versatility.

The problem, of course, is that we don't know what races those women (or their respective teams) will prioritize this winter.

For Arkansas, they likely have a greater incentive to run more indoor track races this year since they already shown off their cross country fitness this past fall en route to a SEC title.

Conversely, Stanford has had zero cross country action since the 2019 season, so they could be aiming to race on the grass and dirt this winter, especially given how highly ranked their distance group is.

On the men's side, you're probably looking at your classic suspects. Cooper Teare, Luis Grijalva and Yared Nuguse will surely headline the top of the indoor rankings, although trying to figure out if they will seriously pursue indoor track races this winter is a different conversation.

All three of their respective programs, Oregon, Northern Arizona and Notre Dame, have the potential to be podium teams if a cross country season does happen.

On the women's side, I would have said the Harvard duo of Abbe Goldstein and Anna Juul, but the Ivy League has axed any plans for winter competition this year. Truthfully, I'm not sure there are a ton of sleeper picks on the women's side. However, I did like what we saw from current Texas A&M sophomore Cherokee Young last year.

As just a freshman, she qualified for the (ultimately cancelled) Indoor National Championships last year with a personal best 2:05.80 in the 800 meters. I find it hard to believe that an elite Texas A&M program won't be able further develop a promising talent like Young, especially with star recruits like Athing Mu and Dominique Mustin now training alongside her.

Separately, on the men' side, I really like Indiana's Matthew Schadler and I have for a while now. As just a redshirt freshman, the Hoosier ace turned out to be a wildly valuable name, running a mile personal best of 3:58 as well as a 1000 meter PR of 2:23.

Schadler made a ton of progress during the 2020 indoor track season and was extremely consistent as well. He emerged as a key DMR piece and took down some talented names at the BIG 10 Championships as well. If he's at his best, then I think he could be due for a big indoor track season this winter.

Yes, I know that pretty much every athlete in the NCAA has had a "long-time absence" from collegiate competition since the start of the pandemic. However, some of those absences have been much, much longer than others.

Women like Elly Henes (NC State) and Courtney Wayment (BYU) were some of the top-ranked distance runners in the NCAA during the 2019 cross country. However, they would ultimately redshirt the 2020 indoor track season -- a move that turned out to be a beneficial one all things considered.

Both of those women would compete unattached in a couple of races this year, but they haven't been able to actually contend for a conference or national title in over a year now. Neither woman has any remaining cross country eligibility, so the idea that these two women could go all-in on this indoor track season would very be interesting.

And how about Sam Worley? The Texas star fractured his tibia during a mile race at the University of Washington in February of last year. Despite the Longhorns toeing the line twice this fall, Worley has (understandably) not yet raced.

It's unclear what kind of recovery timeline Worley is on, but is it possible that he returns at some point this winter? If so, will it be on the track or the grass?

Speaking of injuries, what about Sage Hurta? Much like Henes and Wayment, the Colorado veteran doesn't have any cross country eligibility remaining. After sustaining an injury which sidelined her during the 2020 indoor track season, Hurta could come in as a major name to watch.

The dynamic Colorado talent owns a personal best of 2:00.99 for 800 meters from the 2019 Music City Distance Carnival (where she was competing unattached). She also owns a 1500 meter PR of 4:09.

If she is able to get anywhere close to her 2019 fitness, then Hurta could put herself in a position to win a national title (should the indoor national meet actually happen) and pick up where former teammate Dani Jones left off.

Other names such as Emily Venters (Colorado), Adriaan Wildschutt (Florida State) and Fiona O'Keeffe (New Mexico) could also toe the line after extended absences later this winter if given the opportunity.