Ben Weisel
Feb 25, 20217 min
The ACC Championships are kicking off today and will go into the weekend, likely leaving us with plenty of race results to analyze. While we don't necessarily have the time to do a deep dive on each and every distance event, we did want to highlight a few key races...
With Notre Dame deciding to hold out their back-to-back ACC mile champion (Nuguse), the men's mile field seems to be wide open in a way that it has not been for the last few years. Additionally, with Virginia Tech only entering just one of their sub-4:00 milers (Ben Fleming), the list of title contenders grows even more expansive.
I suppose we should start with the aforementioned Ben Fleming, the Virginia Tech Hokie who has run 3:59 this winter and is actually the only one in this field to have broken the 4:00 barrier.
The mile ace from Blacksburg, Virginia has been on a tear this year, running personal bests in three different events. He has run 2:23 in the 1000 meters, 3:59 in the mile and 7:58 in the 3000 meters. He is also coming off of a 2:55 1200 meter split in the DMR at the Camel City Invitational which roughly converts to a 2:52.
Given his consistent progression, top-tier mile time, encouraging consistency and exceptional range, Fleming likely enters this weekend as the favorite. However, one of the men who beat him on that opening DMR leg could certainly change that narrative.
UNC's Thomas Ratcliffe has only run once this indoor season, but his impressive 1200 split of 2:55 shows that he at least has some sharpness and could be returning to a nationally competitive level. Narrowly beating Fleming and fellow mile contender Evan Addison of Pittsburgh is a good sign for the Tar Heel ace.
However, Ratcliffe's unpredictability makes him more of an x-factor rather than a title favorite. He has had so many up-and-down performances and rumored injuries have kept him out of competition throughout his career. We haven't seen a ton from this Tar Heel star this winter, but if he's at 100%, then he could be a contender to take home the ACC crown.
North Carolina teammate Brandon Tubby is another top name to keep an eye on. The Tar Heel has had an impressive winter season, picking up two key wins in times of 4:04 and 4:01. The senior also added a PR to his resume in the 800 meters, running 1:49 before throwing down a 4:03 split in the DMR at Camel City (which roughly converts to 3:59).
Tubby’s times along with his numerous victories against strong fields could make him a co-favorite with Fleming depending on who you ask. If there is anyone who knows how to position himself for a win, it's Tubby.
NOTE: Elly Henes is also entered in the 5000 meters at the Texas Qualifier in addition to the ACC Championships. It is unclear which meet she will be attending.
Henes has been on a tear throughout the last year, running strong times from the mile all the way to the 10k. In December, she ran 32:12 for 10,000 meters and this winter she earned a PR in the 3k with a time of 9:03 (which was part of a 5k/3k double).
Most recently, she threw down another impressive double, running a 4:36 mile split in the DMR (which roughly converts to a 4:33) and then came back the next day to run a converted 4:39 in the open mile. Henes enters as the strong tutle favorite this weekend given her clear level of talent and experience, but there is a long list of women behind her who could (and will?) make her work for this ACC title.
Those top two challengers will likely be Nicole Fegans and Maudie Skyring.
Fegans is coming off of a converted 9:08 in the 3k at Camel City and has already run a PR of 4:41 in the mile this winter. The Georgia Tech star had a strong cross country season which has ultimately carried her to multiple personal bests this winter, including a time of 16:06 for 5000 meters.
She doesn't have the top-end mile speed that Henes has, but she knows when to make her moves and if the pace isn't out of reach, Fegans will at least be able to stick around in the final moments of this race.
However, one woman who does have the speed to stick with Henes is Florida State's Maudie Skyring who just ran a 4:34 mile at the Tyson Invitational. The Seminole has also run 9:13 (3k) this winter (which was part of a weekend double) and has picked up two victories during this shorted indoor season. She's been incredibly consistent throughout her career and this indoor season and been nothing but positives for the Seminole star.
Skrying finished a close 2nd place in the mile at the ACC Indoor Championships last year and if this race turns tactical, she may have the best finishing speed in the field. She has done nothing but impress us this winter and we wouldn't be surprised if she landed a new personal best.
Additionally, Skyring won't have to worry about doubling this weekend as she is only entered in the 3000 meters.
We should also mention that Katelyn Tuohy will be toeing the line for the women's 3000 meters. She ran a converted 9:14 at Camel City in her collegiate debut and although she finished last, that wasn't a terrible performance after not racing for such a long time.
With the rust now shaken off, the NC State phenom has a chance to build upon her past performance and potentially run something faster than last weekend. We're not sure if she'll be in the title conversation just yet, but Tuohy could certainly mix it up with some of the top women in this field.
In his first season with Seminoles, Wildschutt has been nothing but outstanding. He finished 3rd at the FSU Winter XC Classic against a very strong field before running a terrific 13:39 in the 5k at the Tyson Invitational, nearly beating Amon Kemboi. But what makes that 5k performance even more impressive is that it was his first ever collegiate indoor track race!
While he has not run a 3k this year, he does own a PR of 8:02 from his Coastal Carolina days while running on the outdoor oval. Wildschutt, though, appears to be in the best shape of his life which makes him the clear favorite going into this weekend’s 3k. If he was able to run that fast in his first collegiate indoor track track race, how will he fare in his second indoor track race now that he has shaken off the rust?
Of course, this title will not come easily for Wildschutt. With four men who have broken 8:00 this winter in the field, Wildschutt will need to summon the same type of performance that he had at the Tyson Invitational to bring home the victory.
On paper, his biggest competitors and threat to the title will come from the Virginia Tech trio of Benjamin Nibbelink, Ben Fleming and Antonio Lopez Segura, all of whom have run 7:58 or faster. Fleming, however, will be doubling back from the mile which may bump him out of title contention.
Nibbelink has run a personal best every time he has stepped on the track this year, running 2:24 in the 1000 meters, 3:59 in the mile and 7:57 in the 3000 meters. Segura has had a very similar season, running 2:23 (1k), 3:59 (mile) and 7:56 (3k).
Both men have the speed to win a tactical 3k, although Segura may be the biggest threat given his success in cross country this past fall. Antonio Lopez Segura did, after all, finish 9th at the ACC XC Championships back in late October.
One other name to keep an eye on is Georgia Tech’s Andrew Kent. The Yellow Jacket standout has run 7:56 in the 3000 meters and 13:47 in the 5000 meters. While he doesn’t have a mile time as fast as the Hokies, he does have plenty of strength and has been staying competitive with some of the better distance talents in the country this winter.
He nearly took down Cameron Ponder in the 3000 meters earlier this season and recently took down a very underrated 5k field at the Music City Challenge to secure the overall win.
If you're looking for a sleeper pick to take home the upset win in the men's 3000 meters, Kent may be a good guy to choose.
The Clemson runner has been dynamic this season, running 2:03 in the 800 meters, but also running personal bests in the 600 meters (1:30) and 1000 meters (2:42). Barton’s 2:03 ranks her at NCAA #4 in the event and she enters ACC’s as the clear front-runner to defend her title. On paper, we haven't seen anything which suggests that she isn't the overall favorite.
Still, there should be two women who could challenge the Clemson star and potentially break the 2:04 barrier in the process.
Virginia Tech's Lindsay Butler came oh-so-close to dipping into the 2:03 range with her mark of 2:04.00 from a few weeks ago. Like Barton, the Hokie standout has run quick times in other events like the 600 (1:30) and the mile (4:40). She also anchored Virginia Tech to a victory in the DMR at Camel City.
Now, we should note that Butler has only run one 800 race this season. We're not sure how (or if) that will impact the Virginia Tech middle distance specialist, but she toed the line for this race at the ACC Indoor Championships last year and at least knows what to expect from the Clemson women. If Barton isn’t in top form, then Butler could be there to claim the title.
Barton’s teammate, Andrea Foster, also enters this weekend with a fast mark from this season. The Clemson senior has run 2:05 so far this winter and she also improved her PR in the 400 meters to 54.14.
Foster was a standout middle distance talent later year and hasn't seemed to waiver from her prior fitness during this 2021 winter season. She was a narrow runner-up during last year's ACC indoor meet where both her and Barton peaked.
If Foster's peak this winter is bigger and better than Barton's, then we could see a teammate over teammate upset this weekend.
Currently, the ACC has a few teams on the bubble of the DMR picture. The Pittsburgh men and Virginia men are currently ranked at NCAA #11 and NCAA #12, respectively, while the North Carolina women and Wake Forest women sit at NCAA #12 and NCAA #14, respectively.
All four of these teams will likely want to improve their DMR times to guarantee a spot to the NCAA Indoor Championships. We could also see teams like the Duke women or Georgia Tech women try to vault themselves into the top-12 nationally by the end of the weekend.
Regardless of how many teams go for a qualifying time, there should at least be enough for ACC fans to be treated to some quick relay races.