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Mar 7, 20235 min
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Our TSR writers were asked to produce three sentences or less of analysis on every entrant in every distance event for every division. We will be slowly rolling out these previews over the next week leading up to the indoor national meets. Stay tuned!
With a 1:59 (800) mark leading this half-mile field, Roisin Willis has to be viewed as one of the national title favorites. Of course, she's considered as a legitimate favorite for gold because of her past history and incredible youth-based upside. But will her collegiate inexperience ultimately limit her from securing the national title in her first attempt?
You could argue that Michaela Rose has been the most dominant women's 800 meter runner in the NCAA this year. She has been able to completely out-run some of the strongest fields in the country and has done so essentially unchallenged. It will be interesting to see how Rose responds in a field where she will likely have one or two women running close to her in the second-half of this race.
Unlike fellow teammate Roisin Willis, we would consider Juliette Whittaker a half-mile specialist with a strength-based lean (while Willis is more speed-based). The 4:33 mile PR that this Stanford rookie produced earlier this season should give her enough strength to hang with a fast pace and effectively put her in the title hunt.
We'll admit, Imogen Barrett's showing at the SEC Indoor Championships wasn't ideal. But outside of that meet, the Florida star has been super consistent, is constantly improving and has shown a greater refinement in her tactics. She's also one of the more experienced women in this field, making her one of the best all-around 800 meter talents among this group.
Historically, Sarah Hendrick has been someone who is unafraid to solo fast times and get super aggressive with her front-running racing style. But earlier this season at Boston University, we saw the Kennesaw State veteran show far greater patience and near-perfect execution of her racing tactics en route to a win and 2:02 (800) mark. If she's able to mesh the greatest aspects of her resume on the national stage, then Hendrick may be the last woman who I would want to face in this field other than Michaela Rose.
Despite what her times say, Carley Thomas isn't quite at the same level as she was back in the winter of 2020 as far as title favorites go. But since that point (and since recovering from a broken femur that same year), Thomas has put together a complete resume. She's tactically sound, has excellent racing IQ and is one of the more consistent half-milers in this field.
After a quiet start to her season, Valery Tobias has been electric in the middle distances, running 2:02 for 800 meters and 2:40 for 1000 meters, the latter of which was heavily overlooked. This Texas ace has consistently peaked for the postseason and is shockingly at her best in multiple rounds. She may not win the national title, but it's hard to imagine a scenario where's not an All-American (again).
For the second year in a row, Isabella Giesing has peaked just in time to qualify for the indoor national meet. Her recent 2:02 mark over 800 meters was a fantastic effort, but now we have to see if she can extend her recent postseason peak to the national stage. Luckily, she'll go into Friday with national meet experience that she didn't have last year.
Do not sleep on Kelly-Ann Beckford. The D2 national champion over 800 meters from last spring entered the D1 level with a 2:05 PR for the half-mile distance. And since then, Beckford has taken her seasonal mark down from 2:09 to 2:02 this winter, forcing us to wonder when her incredible progression will slow down (if at all).
It has truthfully been a tough season for veteran Claire Seymour who inspired very little confidence in us going into the final few weeks of this season. But after a slightly encouraging 2:04 (800) mark and a huge 2:02 (800) effort, we have realized that no one in the NCAA can consistently peak like Seymour can. And based on what she did last year, this BYU star could easily outperform her seed this weekend.
The 800 meter performances that we've seen from Wilma Nielsen this winter -- running 2:02 and 2:03 in her two truly competitive races at that distance -- have been really solid. But that stunning 2:38.95 (1k) mark that she produced earlier this season suggests that she could go even faster than 2:02. The only question is, will we see her full potential translate this weekend?
We truthfully didn't learn much about Aurora Rynda this season as her 2023 winter campaign has very closely mirrored her past indoor and outdoor track seasons. The Michigan veteran is experienced and talented enough to earn a backend All-American honor (something that she has done before), but trying to figure out what her ceiling and what her floor is in this kind of field is admittedly a challenge.
Few women who are seeded this low in any middle or long distance event are as dangerous as Katherine Mitchell. She pulled off a massive upset en route to the ACC title over 800 meters, has run 2:03 for the half-mile distance (multiple times) and has run 4:35 in the mile as well. The Boston College ace is quietly great at positioning and has some of the best momentum of any woman in this field.
A 2:03 (800) flat-track conversion, en route to the Ivy League half-mile title, has allowed this second-year Penn runner to sneak into the national meet. Bronwyn Patterson has been very solid and consistent over the last few seasons, but her latest result is a clear outlier. She'll either ride the high of her incredible conference meet performance or use this weekend as a learning experience for the future.
Despite being one of the final few seeds in this field, MaLeigha Menegatti is better than most people realize. She was fairly consistent throughout last spring and has been knocking on the door of a PR over the last few seasons. Now, armed with a 2:03 (800) personal best, Menegatti could thrive in this field given that she is no stranger to racing at altitude (or on this track).
Slowly but surely, Marlena Preigh chipped away at her 800 meter personal best this winter, ultimately running 2:03 for that distance before heading into this weekend. The Washington middle distance talent has been super consistent so far this year and doesn't seem to have any legitimate flaws of her resume this season. Whether or not she's fast enough to make the finals is a separate story, but simply delivering a steady performance can go a long way in the often-unpredictable preliminary rounds.