West Coast Classic Preview

We've got a bonus preview on tap! While most meets usually take place over a two-day span (typically Friday and Saturday), the University of Oregon has opted to host a smaller, one-day meet this Saturday. Despite the smaller field sizes and the absence of key names, a handful of these races will still feature plenty of top talents.

Below, we broke down the major headlines and let you know what you should be looking out for during tomorrow's races at Hayward Field.

The women’s 1500 meters is expected to be one of the best races of the weekend based on the entrants and their resumes. Oregon and Stanford are sending some of their top guns to toe the line and a fast finish could be the result if someone is willing to establish an aggressive-enough pace.

Oregon's Aneta Konieczek and Stanford's Ella Donaghu are the two favorites in this race and truthfully, they make it hard to pick one over the other.

Konieczek had a great indoor track season which ended with a 4:35 mile PR and a 7th place All-American finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. She also just recorded a new steeplechase personal best of 9:59.

The rising Duck has a modest 1500 personal best of 4:29 right now, but given how she is running right now, a sub-4:20 mark is not out of the question. She is clearly the most fit she has ever been and as we saw during the indoor national meet, Konieczek isn't afraid to put herself near the front of competitive races.

Of course, Ella Donaghu will be the biggest threat to take home the overall win given her resume. The Cardinal distance ace was an All-American in the 1500 meters back in 2019 when she finished 6th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. That same season, Donaghu ran a huge time of 4:11, making her one of the nation's top returners in this event and likely the favorite in this field.

That spring turned out to be a breakout season for the Stanford star. Donaghu’s career has taken off since that outdoor national meet, recording monster personal bests of 4:33 (mile), 8:54 (3k) and 15:36 (5k).

Donaghu has the range, speed and endurance to take off from the gun, make a decisive move in the middle of the race or employ a sit-and-kick approach. Konieczek will certainly not make things easy, but this Stanford veteran just has way too much in her racing arsenal to not be considered the favorite.

The other Cardinal women in this race who could make some noise near the front are Ellie Deligianni and Lucy Jenks, two freshmen.

Deligianni has already run 2:08 (800) and 4:22 (1500) this outdoor season and has recorded three individual wins. She may not be able to earn another win this weekend, but it's clear that she is riding a wave of momentum. With her recent success, Deligianni's rise may be perfectly coinciding with a race that has a chance to be fairly quick. That could lead to a fairly big breakout performance for this Stanford rookie.

As for Jenks, she just ran 16:06 (5k) at the Stanford Invitational, finishing 3rd in a fast race. She ran 4:26 for 1500 meters in high school and if she is in similar shape, then a faster time isn’t out of reach, especially if Konieczek and Donaghu push the pace.

Aside from Konieczek, the Ducks are also fielding Mia Moerck, Hannah Reinhardt and Alesia Zarbo.

Moerck, primarily an 800 meter runner, has only run 4:44 for 1500 from when she was competing for Nebraska. Since arriving in Eugene, she has run a three-second PR in the 800 meters. A faster 1500 time in a quicker race seems realistic, although we're not sure she'll be running fast enough to take her focus away from the half-mile distance.

Reinhardt and Zarbo have been standouts for Oregon in the longer distance races. Reinhardt, who transitioned to Oregon from Albany as a graduate transfer, has gone 16:01 (5k) and 33:54 (10k) this year, two fairly significant personal bests. With a current 4:24 best, could she go three-for-three with recording new PRs?

Reinhardt certainly has plenty of stamina-based strength based on her 5k and 10k times, but we'll be interested to see how her middle distance speed has come along. This 1500 race might be an interesting development when talking about Reinhardt in tactical settings later this season.

Zarbo, who just ran 15:54 (5k) at the Hayward Premiere meet, hasn’t recorded a PR in the 1500 meters since she ran 4:28 back in 2017. The Duck ace has the ability to improve upon that mark when racing against some of the nation’s best, although we've typically seen her in the 3k and 5k, so it's difficult to know just how good she'll be at this distance.

Looking at current personal bests for the men entered in the 5k, this race has the chance to be fairly quick depending on who takes control of the pacing duties. Admittedly, the Stanford men will most likely will dominate this field, but Oregon’s Charlie Hunter has proven to be a sneaky-good talent in the 5000 meters as well, running a personal best of 13:57 back in December.

The clear headline talent in this field is Stanford's Charles Hicks who has been on an absolute tear as of late. Hicks, the 14th place finisher at the NCAA XC Championships this past winter, just ran a stellar mark of 28:25 (10k) at the Stanford Invitational and ran a major negative split after the first half.

This will be Hicks' 5k track debut, but a sub-13:40 is possible if the pacing is right and if someone is there to push him. Right now, Hicks can do no wrong and on paper, he is just the best overall runner in this field.

Teammate Devin Hart recorded a very strong time of 13:48 at the Stanford Invite a while back, finishing 8th in a field that was led by his teammates. Fellow veterans Alek Parsons and Callum Bolger should also be close behind given their 13:47 and 13:57 personal bests, respectively.

Parsons may have the upper-hand over Hart and Bolger as he ran a massive 10k PR of 28:31 a few weeks ago, so his recent momentum and proven long distance strength should benefit him if this race is fast enough.

As mentioned above, we also have Charlie Hunter slated to compete. Hunter’s 13:57 from the Sound Running Track Meet is a respectable time for a middle distance runner. Just this past indoor track season, the Duck ace ran 1:45 (800) and 3:53 (mile), the former mark resulting in a narrow national title win.

Hunter is a key threat for the win if this race turns into a sit-and-kick affair, but that scenario is unlikely. The Stanford men likely wouldn't be loading up this field if they didn't intend to push the pace and earn top marks. Even so, Hunter is clearly in the best shape of his life and while he may not be viewed as a favorite, the idea of him flirting with the 13:50 barrier seems realistic.

We should also highlight Arizona's Victor Ortiz-Rivera who has been quietly improving week after week for the Wildcats. In his last two races, he’s gone 3:42 for 1500 meters and 13:59 for the 5k. He might not be the favorite this weekend given who he will be racing, but running a new PR would qualify this as a solid weekend for Ortiz-Rivera. He is incredibly underrated and is rising much faster than some people realize.

After posting stellar results in the 5k at the Stanford Invitational, big times are on the line for the top Cardinal men in this race.

Stanford’s two true freshmen, Cole Sprout and Thomas Boyden, haven’t needed additional time to acclimate to college training (or racing) this year. Sprout, the second Stanford runner across the line at the NCAA XC Championships in 15th place, dropped a massive 13:43 (5k) effort a few weeks ago.

That time currently has Sprout ranked at NCAA #12 for the 5000 meters on the national leaderboard. Now, the Cardinal rookie will be dropping down to the 1500 meters this weekend -- an event that may be his best distance given what he accomplished in high school.

Sprout has the potential to dip under the 3:40 barrier this weekend. In high school, he "only" went 3:54 for 1500 meters, but his 4:02 mile is indicative of a much faster time. It's clear that he has since dramatically elevated his fitness since then and there is obviously enough stamina-based strength for him to run 3:39. As long as he has retained enough middle distance speed, then a top mark like that isn't out of the question.

Sprout’s teammate Thomas Boyden also posted a top-16 mark nationally when he ran 13:45 to finish runner-up at the Stanford Invitational. Boyden did run 4:04 for the full mile in high school and this will be the first 1500 meter race of his career. He is running like a veteran right now and could challenge for the win in Oregon, even over Sprout.

Four other names to watch are Matt Wisner (Oregon), DJ Principe (Stanford), Cole Lindhorst (Air Force) and Sam Gilman (Air Force).

Wisner could take the win this weekend given that he is A) racing on his home track, B) coming off of a seven-second 1500 PR meter from the Hayward Premiere and C) training alongside the nation’s best middle distance runners.

Wisner transitioned to Oregon from Duke at the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic year as a graduate transfer. In his last year as a Blue Devil, he ran a stellar 1:48, so he clearly has a set of wheels that other men in this race might not be able to match, especially at the end of a race. He's plenty capable of challenging guys like Sprout and Boyden who, in theory, are dropping down in distance for this race.

We then move to DJ Principe who owns a recent 13:49 (5k) PR from the Stanford Invitational. Principe will likely benefit from that recent spark in momentum as well as having numerous teammates to work alongside with in this race. He paced the 1500 a few weeks back, but we expect that he will be completing the race this time around.

Let's not forget, this guy ran 4:00 in the mile during his time in high school and this past winter was the most consistent we've ever seen Principe. Could that consistency translate to a top mark this weekend in an area that he once had so much success in?

I think one name who is easy to overlook in this field is Air Force's Cole Lindhorst. Yes, he's only a freshman, but this guy was an absolute stud in high school, boasting personal bests of 4:07 (1600), 9:01 (3200) and 14:41 (5k). Now, Lindhorst has only gotten better, recently posting a 3:59 mile personal best this past winter.

Sprout and Boyden will understandably get plenty of attention thanks to the flashiness of the Stanford brand and the major success that these two have been having as of late. However, on paper, Lindhorst is just as dangerous and his youth is clearly giving him plenty of upside. He could end up being a real threat to these two Cardinal rookies this weekend.

A sleeper in this race is Sam Gilman. The Air Force Falcon has been on the rise since he ran 13:48 (5k) at the Iowa State Classic and later sprinted down the homestretch at the Mountain West XC Championships for the win. He recently just won the 1500 in his event debut at the Stanford Invitational in a time of 3:45.

Gilman has momentum heading into this race, but his experience of racing upfront may affect this outcome. This field is likely going to be more competitive than what he saw the other weekend (depending on his heat), but maybe that will allow Gilman to build off his recent 1500 meter effort and earn yet another PR.

The steeplechase fields don’t have the same depth as some of the other distance races this weekend at the West Coast Classic, but some of the names expected to be upfront could produce some fairly quick times.

On the women’s side, California’s Annie Boos and Margie Cullen headline the field given their experience. Boos, a junior, enters this race with a current 10:10 PR from late in the 2019 season, the same year that she finished 4th at the PAC-12 Outdoor Championships. She is coming off of a 4:24 (1500) PR and a respectable 16:39 (5k), leading us to believe that Boos may be near her 10:10 fitness from that 2019 season.

Boos may be the favorite based on her having the fastest entry time, but teammate Margie Cullen had fair share of success in the steeplechase while competing for Georgetown. Cullen owns a PR of 10:23 in the steeplechase, but hasn’t contested the event since 2018. With recent performances in the 1500 and 5k, Cullen could knock on the door of improving upon her 10:23 personal best.

The surprise contender in this race could be Mahala Norris. The Air Force distance standout has been a force on the track and on the cross country course as of late, picking up two 4th place All-American finishes, one in the 5k at the indoor national meet and one at the cross country national meet.

Norris just ran a personal best of 4:18 for 1500 meters at the Stanford Invitational and has run 15:51 for 5000 meters. This weekend will be her steeplechase debut, but given her clear level of national-caliber talent, Norris could surprise the field and emerge as a top contender in this event. Still, it's hard to know just how good she will be in her first-ever go at the event.

The men’s race, similar to the women's race, has three names who should contend for the win. Two of the men are Oregon Ducks and the other is a Stanford Cardinal who will be making his NCAA steeplechase debut.

Oregon's Jackson Mestler leads the field with his 8:44 PR and is coming off of a solid cross country season that culminated with a 3rd place finish at the PAC-12 Championships and an 81st place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

The veteran has plenty of experience racing against some of the nation’s best in the steeplechase and was only three places shy of qualifying for the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships in this event. Mestler also has the fastest 5k PR in the field, owning a time of 13:36 from the 2020 indoor season and is recently coming off of personal bests in the 800 and 1500.

With his mix of endurance and newfound speed, Mestler could dip under that 8:55 mark this weekend as he shakes off the steeplechase rust. Even if he doesn't have his best day, he should still be favored for the win.

Oregon teammate Steve Neumaier, a graduate transfer from Cornell, will be making his steeplechase debut for the Ducks this weekend. Neumaier was a very solid steeplechase runner, posting a personal best of 8:53 from the spring of 2019. He might not be the near top of the NCAA right now, but training with Mestler and a core group of standout men at Oregon could bolster Neumaier into a nationally competitive tier.

This race will likely be a steeplechase rust-buster for him, but he's a solid talent who was a bit underappreciated in the crowd of respectable Ivy League steeplechasers.

Stanford will be sending out freshman Ky Robinson for this race. The Cardinal runner has a 3k steeplechase PR of 9:04 from his prep days when he was competing in Queensland, Australia. His is coming off of a great cross country season for a freshman, highlighted by an 8th place finish at the PAC-12 Championships and a 46th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships. Since then, Robinson has run 13:51 for 5000 meters at the Stanford Invitational.

This Cardinal rookie could push guys like Mestler and Neumaier in this race given his string of performances where he can seemingly do no wrong regardless of the discipline. His 9:04 effort isn't quite on par with the steeplechase times of that Oregon duo, but you could argue Robinson has done more than those two have over the past year.