Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
Mar 55 min
Editor's Note: Our TSR writers were asked to produce three sentences or less of analysis on every entrant in every distance event for every division.
It's hard to imagine a scenario where someone upsets Michaela Rose for the 800-meter national title this upcoming weekend. Rose has metronomically run under 2:00 for this distance since last spring and her aggressive front-running approach will force even the best women in this field to have their absolute best days in order to be competitive.
In theory, Juliette Whittaker's 4:30 mile strength and recent 800-meter success (running 2:00 two weekends ago) does position her as one of the few threats to Michaela Rose. We also can't forget the fact that she was the national meet runner-up finisher in this event last year and has elite championship pedigree which gives her a fairly high floor as well.
An upset victory over Gabija Galvydyte at the BIG 12 Indoor Championships, as well as a converted 2:00 (800) mark from that same race, has thrown Kelly-Ann Beckford onto our radar as an All-American favorite. This Houston ace was once a D2 national champion at this distance and she's been on the D1 national stage before. Beckford is undoubtedly in a new tier compared to the rest of her career, but can she replicate her conference meet magic in Boston this upcoming weekend?
This Lithuanian middle distance star is one of the more experienced and dangerous runners in this field. Yes, she did just lose to Kelly-Ann Beckford at the BIG 12 Indoor Championships, but her mile strength, prior national meet exposure and proven top-half All-American success makes her more likely than not to earn a top-eight finish in this event come Saturday.
It's true, Carley Thomas has had her fair share of struggles on the national stage in the past. Even so, the Washington veteran has never looked as consistently strong as she has this winter. Don't forget, she ran 1:59 (800) in the latter-half of 2023 meaning that, on paper, she has all of the tools and intangibles to contend for NCAA gold if Michaela Rose were to have an "off" day.
The middle distance phenom has taken a conservative approach to her racing schedule this season, initially attacking a few "off" distance events before contesting her main race, the 800 meters. Gorriaran had a strong, but simultaneously modest, half-mile mark of 2:04 in her first collegiate attempt at that distance, but then dropped a 2:01 mark en route to a win over Nike pro, Helen Schlachtenhaufe. Experience will ultimately be the biggest factor in how high Gorriaran places on the national stage as no one should question her raw, still-developing talent.
Few women have had greater breakout seasons this winter than Sanu Jallow, an Arkansas runner who transferred from Texas A&M. Over 800 meters, the Razorback star has gone from 2:05 (via last year) to 2:02 to 2:01 since late January. Few women have the momentum and upside that Jallow does, but will her inexperience on the nation's biggest stage impact the more nuanced aspects of the preliminary rounds and finals?
It's been hard to dislike Hayley Kitching this winter, a Penn State middle distance talent who has gone from "good" to "great." The Nittany Lion standout dropped a big 800-meter PR of 2:01 this season and has since replicated that mark once more. With a 2:42 (1k) personal best, excellent consistency and prior championship experience, there doesn't appear to be a flaw on her resume.
Very rarely will you find an 800-meter specialist like Gladys Chepngetich who is also a cross country All-American. The Clemson rookie has been great this winter, chipping away at her half-mile PR en route to a 2:01 mark. The Tiger star should be able to lean on her aerobic strength should the prelims be fast from the gun, but the ACC Indoor Championships also showcased a potential need for greater refinement of her race tactics.
Roisin Willis has only contested one open 800-meter race this winter and ran 2:01.99 in that effort. On paper, that's a solid result, although watching the actual race led us to believe that Willis didn't make the best moves and looked a bit uncomfortable. Of course, don't forget that this Stanford sophomore is the defending indoor national champion in this event and if she is able to run that well on an "off" day, then she's probably one of the scariest latter-half seeds of any middle or long distance runner at the national meet.
Last spring, Meghan Hunter made a statement when she peaked beautifully for the outdoor national meet, running 2:01 (800) in the preliminary rounds. Since then, Hunter has certainly validated the idea that she is a nationally competitive runner, but trying to break into that next tier will be quite the task in an extremely top-heavy year for this event.
This Northern Arizona star is going to try the ambitious mile/800-meter double at the national meet this upcoming weekend. And with the 800 meters coming after the mile during both the prelims and the finals, Congdon will be operating on very little rest. The good news is that Congdon, much like Gladys Chepngetich, is a strength-based runner who, aerobically speaking, should have enough talent to at least counterbalance racing on tired legs.
After a breakout 2023 indoor track season and promising success overseas this past summer, Wilma Nielsen has been exactly what we expected her to be this winter. The Husky star has been incredibly consistent this season, running 2:02 (800) three separate times this winter. The Swedish middle distance talent may not have the same upside as a few other women in this field, but her reliability could allow her to sneak into the finals while more inexperienced runners falter in the chaos of the national meet prelims.
A former high school standout with great pedigree, Ainsley Erzen has turned the corner this winter, evolving into a nationally competitive name over 800 meters. The Arkansas talent dropped her PR to 2:02 earlier this season and posted a handful of other promising results, including a 2:43 (1k) PR. Of course, even with her momentum, inexperience could be tricky to overcome.
Largely viewed as a 400-meter runner prior to this winter, Kate Jendrezak has been excellent this season, running a 2:02 (800) PR and and flexing subtly great consistency. This UCLA runner did run 2:04 back in the spring of 2021, but was unable to replicate that half-mile success until Coach Andrew Ferris took over the Bruins' middle and long distance groups. With tons of speed and turnover, Jendrezak could surprise a few people if the prelims are a bit more tactical than one would expect.
Despite being the final seed into the national meet over 800 meters, Lindsey Butler is still one of the last women who we would want to toe the line next to come Friday. The Virginia Tech superstar was the 2022 national champion in this event, just took down Gladys Chepngetich a few weeks ago for yet another ACC title and looks a bit sharper this winter than she did last year. While we may not see her battling for the national title this weekend, it wouldn't really surprise us if Butler emerged as an All-American yet again come Saturday.