What To Watch For: SEC Indoor Championship Preview

The SEC is quietly turning into one of the more top-heavy conferences in the country when it comes to the distance events, leaving us good reason to believe that the races at this indoor conference championship will yield plenty of exciting result this weekend. Below, we dive into a few of the main headlines and give you a preview of what to expect...

Alabama’s Amaris Tyynismaa has really caught our eye this indoor season. Our TSR #10 runner is a talented sophomore who had a respectable cross country season this past fall, but she has really taken off on the track, recently posting massive personal bests of 4:33 (mile) and 9:03 (3k) which have seemingly come out of nowhere.

Tyynismaa has a ton of momentum heading into this meet and given who she beat in her last race, her lack of experience on a championship stage may not be an issue. In fact, one could argue that the women's mile field at the Tyson Invitational a few weeks ago was more competitive than the women's mile field that we'll see this weekend.

Of course, the main obstacles in Tyynismaa's path towards gold is the Razorback duo of Krissy Gear and Lauren Gregory. Tyynismaa finished smack dab between those two at the Tyson Invitational two weeks ago, but will she be able to continue her momentum and take down Gear in what would surely be considered an upset?

Truthfully, it's hard to pick Tyynismaa over our TSR #6 runner Krissy Gear given the fact that Gear owns a mile PR of 4:31. She recorded that time in the same race as Tyynismaa’s 4:33.

Gear, a Razorback senior, is the top returner from the 2020 SEC Indoor Championship where she finished 2nd overall and will have home track advantage once again. Gear is in the running for not only her first SEC title, but also her first NCAA title, so this could be yet another strong challenge for her that will allow her further display her tactical prowess and solidify herself as a national title favorite.

TSR #3 runner Lauren Gregory has consistently put together top performances all across the board in the mile, 3k and 5k this season. The standout Arkansas ace appears to be at full health this winter and owns the second-best mile PR in this field 4:32 (which came in 2018).

Gregory won the SEC mile title back in 2019 before picking up her first All-American honor at the national meet. Gear and Tyynismaa may be the two names to watch in this field, but Gregory's seasonal best of 4:34 isn't far behind those two and she may have the most experience out of anyone who is entered in the women's mile.

Now that she knows what to expect from both Gear and Tyynismaa, she may have a chance to better navigate this field and potentially pull off a (minor) upset.

Some other names who need to be mentioned are Arkansas' Gracie Hyde and Kennedy Thomson, as well as Florida's Imogen Barrett. Hyde recently ran a big personal best of 4:37 and has been making steady improvements throughout the entirety of this season. As for Barrett, she ran 4:39 in that incredibly deep Tyson Invitational field two weeks ago.

Thomson’s 4:39 came at the Arkansas Qualifier, a week where she stepped up in distance after recording strong times in the 800 meters. If this race turns tactical, Thomson's middle distance speed could make her a threat for a top finish.

Arkansas' Katie Izzo (TSR #2) enters this race as the clear favorite after winning the 3k at the 2020 SEC Indoor Championships and owning a slew of top-tier times in this event.

Izzo owns a PR of 8:55 for the 15-lap distance and has already run 8:57 so far this season. The redshirt senior has been putting in a lot of work in the mile -- most likely in an effort to pick up some speed -- and her recent 4:34 mile PR at the Tyson Invitational bodes well for her in any future 3k races that might turn tactical.

Izzo will have run the 5k the night before this race, but doubling hasn't ever been a problem for this Arkansas star. In fact, many of Izzo's best races this season have come when she is doubling.

Challenging Izzo will most definitely be teammate Lauren Gregory who has dominated the indoor oval this winter, never finishing outside of the top-three in any race. Her 8:55 personal best matches Izzo’s PR and she has plenty of experience competing for top spots at these SEC meets. She is arguably just as much of a favorite to take home this win as Izzo is.

Krissy Gear is the last Razorback to watch in this race. She ran a remarkable 4:31 mile which came less than 24 hours after she anchored Arkansas to an NCAA-leading DMR time. If this race is tactical, then Gear could have a chance to pull off an upset. The former Furman runner, who ran 9:08 for 3000 meters earlier this year, has even said that she runs better off the double. However, when you factor in the mile prelims that she'll have to race, the 3k will be her third race of the weekend.

Although it may seem like the Razorback’s have this race in the bag, it is possible that a few challengers could emerge and make things interesting. The Alabama duo of Mercy Chelangat (TSR #14) and the aforementioned Amaris Tyynismaa will toe the line alongside Georgia’s Jessica Drop (TSR #20), all of whom have recorded times of 9:03 or faster so far this winter.

Chelangat, who is more of a longer distance runner, has 15:37 (5k) endurance and can grind through a fast pace with the nation’s best. The Alabama star also took down the slew of Arkansas women at the SEC XC Championships this past fall and has proven that she is one of the top names in the SEC.

Now, admittedly, she is dropping down in distance for this race, but we think that a sub-9 performance in the right setting isn't out of the question for this Crimson Tide standout.

We've already mentioned how Tyynismaa has been on a tear this indoor season, especially after running 4:33 for the mile. As for the 3k, the Alabama sophomore started the season with a 9:44 best, but at the South Carolina Invitational, she chopped off 41 seconds and ran 9:03.

The only thing that might affect Tyynismaa this weekend is her inexperience doubling at this high of a level. She'll have two very challenging finals on Saturday after a mile prelim on Friday. This Alabama sophomore is super talented, but how will she handle the workload?

Lastly, we come to Drop. The redshirt senior has recorded a 2nd place finish (2018) and a 3rd place finish (2020) in the 3000 meters at the SEC Indoor Championships throughout her career. However, one could argue that this has been one the best indoor track season of Drop's career as she has run times of 4:39 (mile) and 9:03 (3k) this winter, both of which are personal bests.

That 9:03 mark came at the Razorback Invitational where Drop beat Gear by five seconds. That race, plus a respectable 16:07 (5k) from two weeks ago, should give Drop some confidence heading into this conference meet.

Five men entered in this race own a 800 meter season best of 1:48. We will see one senior, two juniors and two freshmen fighting for the individual title, although it's anyone's guess as to who will come out on top. Experience may play a role in this 800 meter final.

Razorback ace Kieran Taylor enters this race with the fastest seed time and has the home track advantage. The senior placed 6th at the 2020 SEC Indoor Championships and has consistently been near the top of the NCAA in his main event. Taylor is plenty familiar with these kind of races, is super consistent and for the most part, is tactically pretty sound.

However, Baylor Franklin (TSR #23) of Ole Miss took down Taylor earlier in the season with some exceptional race navigation of his own. Not only that, but he is coming off of a stellar 3:59 mile. So far this season, Franklin has won his two efforts in the 800 meters this season and probably has the most momentum heading into these championships. If we had to choose, we would say that Franklin is the title favorite for this weekend.

One other potential challenger to Franklin and Taylor could be Mizzou’s Christopher Conrad who has produced back-to-back 1:48’s this season and has beaten numerous SEC rivals on each occasion.

Conrad hasn’t competed at an SEC Championship on the track since the 2018 outdoor season where he placed 5th in the 800 final. However, he has had a very solid winter when it comes to his overall performances and that should keep him in the conversation for the title this weekend. If this is the time that he begins to peak, then a gold medal seems realistic for him.

Finally, we have the Texas A&M freshmen of Allon Clay and Brandon Miller who have found themselves within the NCAA's top-15 this winter when it comes to the 800 meters. Both men have been fairly consistent this season and have handled their competition with poise despite their inexperience.

Neither Clay nor Miller have ever raced at the SEC Indoor Championships, so the preliminary rounds of the 800 meters may be an interesting caveat that this duo isn't always used to, although Clay has been in a few multi-round 800 meter races before.

When all is said and done, this might end up being the closest distance race of the meet.

It may take a sub-four mile effort to win the 2021 SEC Indoor Championships this weekend given the men who are entered in this field. Heck, even if it doesn't, the clash between tactical approaches in this race could lead to a few thrilling results.

Ole Miss star Waleed Suliman (TSR #12) leads this field with his recent 3:55 personal best which gave him a statement victory at the Music City Challenge, the same race where he led five other men under the famous barrier.

Suliman is the top returner from the 2020 conference meet when he finished 4th in a slow, tactical race. However, everything that we've seen from him this year suggests that the Rebel middle distance talent will stand atop the podium in Fayetteville.

Suliman was favored to take home the win last year, but continued to deal with some postseason track woes that he has faced throughout his career. Hopefully the Ole Miss ace will be able to shake off whatever has previously held him back and that this weekend will be a confidence booster for him when it comes to the indoor national meet.

Fellow Ole Miss teammate Everett Smulders (TSR #20), a true middle distance ace with his recent personal bests of 1:48 and 3:58, will join Suliman in this race. Smulders has run two nearly identical 3:58 mile races this indoor season and if he remains consistent, could at least put himself in the mix to win after placing 5th in 2020. He now has the mix of middle distance speed and top-tier mile consistency that could make him a threat for the upset.

Two names who we really need to pay attention to (aside from the Ole Miss men) are Davis Bove of LSU and Amon Kemboi (TSR #8) of Arkansas.

Bove has put together three solid performances in the 800, mile and 3k this season and has picked up a PR in each event. His range across the three distances will come in handy when he faces his SEC rivals this weekend as he is amongst the top of the field with his 3:57 PR. He is arguably one of the most consistent talents in this race and he's plenty familiar with these Ole Miss runners after doubling at the Music City Challenge. If you're looking for an upset pick in this race, Bove may be your guy.

As for Kemboi, the Razorback star leads an ultra-deep Arkansas team in the mile, 3k and 5k this winter and will be using his 3:58 mile speed from earlier in the season to try and pick up his first SEC title.

The Campbell transfer has won all of his individual races this indoor season and will benefit from having raced on his home track each time. His recent 13:38 (5k) seasonal best sets him up nicely for a strong showing this weekend, although many would probably argue that the 3k and 5k are his best events. He might need to run a new PR in order to win this race.

The Rebels were outstanding at the SEC XC Championships during the abbreviated fall 2020 season when Mario Garcia Romo, Cole Bullock and Waleed Suliman went 1-2-3 in what was one of the more exciting results of last fall. Now, all three of those men are entered in the 3k this weekend and will surely be going after another sweep.

Garcia Romo (TSR #7) has the fastest seed time in this race with his 7:48 personal best which he picked up at the Razorback Invitational in an uber-deep 3k field led by Oregon’s Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker. Not only that, but Garcia Romo also finished 2nd in the mile a few weeks later in a blistering time 3:56, losing only to teammate Waleed Suliman at the Music City Challenge.

This will be Garcia Romo’s first SEC Indoor Championship since the 2019 season when he finished 5th in the 3k. However, since then, he has been on a roll. If this race is honest, then he should be one of the clear favorites to take home gold...but he's not a lock.

Suliman is also in this field. In that same 3k race where Garcia Romo ran 7:48, the Ole Miss veteran also ran a time 7:54 which essentially matched his prior personal best. However, the biggest reason why he could be a threat in this race is because he benefits from having 3:55 mile speed. If this 3k turns into a sit-and-kick affair, then Suliman could swoop in and take home a surprise win.

We should also mention that Suliman is currently sitting at NCAA #13 on the national leaderboard in the 3000 meters. He may be going for a quicker time at SEC’s to give the flexibility of also running in that event at the indoor national meet.

Redshirt freshman Cole Bullock will be racing in his first SEC Indoor Championship this weekend. His 3k PR of 8:00 is respectable, but it doesn't place him immediately amongst the best talents in this field. When he finished 3rd at the SEC XC Championships in the fall, it was obvious that big things were to come, but Bullock hasn't quite replicated that kind of success in this event. However, this weekend could be a perfect opportunity to capitalize on his fitness after he just ran a stellar 13:51 (5k) a few weeks back.

The men who could alter Ole Miss's plans of a 1-2-3 sweep is the Arkansas duo of Amon Kemboi (TSR #8) and Gilbert Boit (TSR #22), as well as Alabama's recent breakout star Eliud Kipsang (TSR #17).

Kemboi is strong across all distance races and enters this race with multiple wins under his belt. He owns a 7:44 (3k) personal best from 2019 and could challenge Garcia Romo at the front of this race. We've seen him take down his competition with relative ease this season, but Garcia Romo could end up being Kemboi's biggest challenge yet.

As for Boit, he has been a name near the top of the NCAA the last few seasons. With seasonal best times of 4:02 (mile), 7:53 (3k) and 13:40 (5k), he has the credentials to be a top-three finisher in this field. However, we're still waiting to see if he has the necessary edge to take home a win over highly-ranked talents like Kemboi and Garcia Romo.

Alabama’s Kipsang is an interesting one in this field. The redshirt freshman has shown us that he didn’t need collegiate experience to prove that he is a top name. He won the mile and 3k at the Tyson Invitational two weeks ago in times of 3:56 and 7:58, respectively. He currently sits at NCAA #23 on the national leaderboard in the 3000 meters, but this field has the potential to pull him to a faster time.

Kipsang knows how to assert his own pace and seems to be gaining confidence when it comes to dictating the circumstances of the race that he's in. We'll be interested to see how he approaches this uniquely balanced field.