2019 Indoor Preview: 800 (Women)

The 2018 Indoor and Outdoor 800 meter finals were remarkably similar – six of the finalists appeared in both races – and such little variation provided a stable backdrop on the middle distance event. Four of the six double finalists from 2018 graduated, leaving us with potential for a much more variable situation in the new year. The other two both hail from Texas A&M, 2018 Outdoor 800 Champion Sammy Watson and NCAA Indoor Record Holder Jazmine Fray and will surely be near the front of the 2019 rankings as the season comes to a close.

Also returning from 2018 NCAA finals will be Abike Egbeniyi of Middle Tennessee State, Martha Bissah of Norfolk State, Rachel Pocratsky of Virginia Tech, and Danae Rivers of Penn State. Also returning from 2017 NCAA finals is LSU-to-Oregon transfer Ruby Stauber, Kaylee Dodd of Oklahoma State and Iowa State’s Jasmine Staebler.

Those names don’t even include Kamryn McIntosh and Avi’ Tal Wilson-Perteete of Clemson and UNLV respectively, who lit up the record books as freshmen last year, or Aaliyah Brown of Baylor who has just missed the indoor final the past two years. Plus, there are always new freshmen entering the mix including 2:00 athlete Caitlin Collier, breakout stars, and a whole host of variables that will be sure to shake up the standings on the quest for Birmingham. Here’s our look, group by group, on who will affect and lead that battle up the standings in 2019.

Texas A&M

The only team that earns itself its own section is the Aggies and they deserve it. Sammy Watson is the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Champion and the top returner from the Indoor National Championships where she placed 3rd. Watson has never lost an SEC Championship final, sweeping the 800 meter titles in her first NCAA season.

Not only is Watson fast, but she is consistent and controlled. As a collegian, Watson has only lost one 800 meter or 1000 meter final (the 2018 Indoor Championships). That same meet was the only time Watson won a preliminary heat and has never failed to advance. Clearly, Watson is an intelligent runner who can remain under control while saving her winning instinct for the races that matter.

For now, this is just a preview. However, if I had to pick one person as a lock for the NCAA final, Watson is my pick. Watson has run 2:02 during both indoors and outdoors.

Watson’s teammate Jazmine Fray is the NCAA indoor record holder after running 2:00.69 at the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational in 2017. She also entered the 2018 Indoor Championships with the fastest qualifying mark of 2:02.30. Clearly, speed has not been Fray’s downfall. The challenge for Fray is championship racing and navigating rounds.

Fray’s only two conference victories came in 2017, the year of her national record, while an NCAA title has evaded her. As a senior, Fray will look to overcome those mishaps and find herself on the top of the podium this year. In her defense, Fray’s challenges have mostly come at the Outdoor National Championships, where she fell to 8th in 2018 and unexpectedly failed to qualify for the final in 2017. Fray’s indoor losses have both come in 2:03 efforts, but it will likely take 2:01 or faster to win this year. Hopefully, Fray takes a chapter of out Watson’s playbook in navigating the rounds more smoothly.

Watson and Fray both competed at the Reveille Invitational on the 8th of December. Watson won the 1000m in 2:50, eight seconds slower than when she opened to win in 2018. Fray was listed as an unattached DNF in the mile after pacing the first 1000 meters through in 3:00.

Returning to the Top

This group of athletes represents those runners who will look to return to the top eight after First-Team All-American finishes in the past.

Abike Egbeniyi of Middle Tennessee State should probably be considered the favorite outside of the Texas A&M duo. Egbeniyi was a close 2nd to Watson at the 2018 Outdoor Championships and made the 2017 Indoor Championships final in 2017, while finishing 12th in 2018. Egbeniyi holds a PR of 2:02.34 and holds five sub-2:04 results over her career. Egbeniyi is also the 2018-19 indoor leader through the first couple of weekends with her 2:07.74 opener. While this will clearly need to be improved for qualifying purposes, it ranks two seconds ahead of the rest of the NCAA at this point. Egbeniyi will need to improve her round running and consistency to be considered a safe bet for the NCAA title, but Egbeniyi should be considered a threat in any race she runs.

The top returner from the 2018 Indoor Championships is Rachel Porcratsky of Virginia Tech who finished 6th in that race. Porcratsky’s best NCAA finish came from her 2018 Outdoor 1500 meter race where she captured 5th place. Porcratsky’s PR in the 800 is 2:02.67 from the 2017 ACC Outdoor Championships while also posting the 4th fastest qualifying time in 2018 with a 2:03.17 from her ACC title. It will be interesting to see whether Porcratsky attempts the shorter distance this season, especially as she may get pulled to relay duty with teammate Laurie Barton who would have qualified for the 800 last year, but opted to run the DMR. Porcratsky also qualified for the mile in 2018 but opted to run just the shorter distance.

Danae Rivers may be one of the toughest 800 meeter runners in the country and carries a significant burden for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Rivers dipped into the 800 last winter for 7th place after predominantly running the mile/1500 the rest of her career. Rivers ran 2:03.13 in the lead-up to the Indoor Championships and holds an outdoor PR of 2:02.53. Rivers’ top NCAA performance was a 3rd place in 2017 in the mile indoors. Rivers, like Porcratsky, will likely be positioned to run either the mile or 800, so look for Rivers to compete where she might feel better suited to take the win.

Martha Bissah of Norfolk State was a surprise qualifier for 2018 Outdoor Championship final, where she placed 6th after qualifying with a time two seconds slower than the time qualifiers. Bissah’s surprise finish was foreshadowed by a PR of 2:03.75 at the NCAA East Prelim. While it may be unlikely for Bissah to return to this spot in 2019, momentum is a powerful force as is confidence. She should enter 2019 with both after such a great 2018 season. Bissah was 38th on the NCAA Indoor Descending Order list.

Possibly the most intriguing athlete on this list is Ruby Stauber. Stauber transferred from LSU to Oregon after the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships and has not run attached for Oregon since, but is listed on their TFRRS roster for 2019. Stauber’s fitness has yet to be seen, but if she can return to the 2:03.01 form that landed her a 5th place finish in 2017, Stauber will likely secure her second, First Team All-American honors.

Kaylee Dodd of Oklahoma State earned her 5th place finish in the 2017 Outdoor NCAA Championships, where she ran 2:03.38 for her PR. Sandwiching that meet, Dodd has been ever-present in the 800 meter conversation, but just missing the final. She placed 9th in the 2017 Indoor meet and 10th in Indoors of 2018. Dodd’s PR should not scare her competitors, but her consistency should. The OK State runner just always seems to be around the front and is always ready to pounce if someone falters.

Jasmine Staebler of Iowa State is the final First-Team All American returning after her 6th place in 2017. Staebler has consistently qualified for the NCAA Championships since that result, but has failed to make the final in her three other attempts. Expect Staebler to drop a 2:03 during the regular season as she has the past two years and qualify for her fifth NCAA Championship, but she will need to step up her championship results to return to the top eight.

Speedy Sophomores

Kamryn McIntosh and Avi’ Tal Wilson-Perteete impressed mightily in their freshmen campaigns, qualifying for NCAA's in both seasons. McIntosh of Clemson had the 8th best regular season result of the indoor season in 2:03.59 and had the unfortunate result of placing 11th at both the indoor and outdoor meets. Now, every NCAA 800 runner (minus 10) would gladly take that result, but it will likely only be the start of McIntosh’s ascent to the top of the NCAA ranks.

Wilson-Perteete disappointed in her indoor debut, placing only 15th after running 2:10, but rebounded outdoors running 2:01.14 at the NCAA West Prelim and landing in the unluckiest spot at NCAA's. Her 2:03.53 was the 7th fastest time, but fell to 9th with the automatic heat qualifiers. Her 2:01.14 is the second fastest collegiate result returning.

Miami’s Kayla Johnson could also make an impact in her sophomore season after blasting a 2:03.04 in April last year. Johnson did not compete in any championship races in 2018’s outdoor season. Should Johnson replicate those times on the indoor circuit, she should be a national contender.

We won’t talk about Sammy Watson again, but had Texas A&M not earned their own section, Watson would have headlined this section.

It’s Time to Breakthrough

Aaliyah Miller of Baylor has one of the fastest PR's in the NCAA with a 2:02.41 from the 2018 Big 12 Outdoor Championships and just missed the 2018 Indoor Championships as the fastest regular season time to miss the meet on the TFRRS Descending Order List (19th). In fact, Miller has only run in one NCAA Championship and that was the 2018 Outdoor Championships where she placed 23rd. Miller needs to bounce back and challenge her PR this season. If she can do that, she should be a top five performer.

Another 2:02 performer is Susan Aneno of Connecticut. Aneno ran 2:02.66 in May of 2017 and repeated the feat in 2018 with a 2:02.71, before placing 16th in 2:06.58 at the NCAA Championships. Aneno’s result likely would have been higher had she been in a faster heat, but Aneno was unable to qualify through to the final in 2018. Look for Aneno to qualify for her first indoor national meet if she can channel her form from the end of 2018.

The following individuals have qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 800m and will also be looking for a major breakthrough in 2019...

- Elissa Mann (Colorado)

- Nia Akins (Penn)

- McKenna Keegan (Villanova)

- Kristie Schoffield (Boise State)

Impact Freshmen

Caitlin Collier of Stanford could step into the role as NCAA favorite based on her high school performances. Collier ran 2:00.85 last year at the Music City Distance Carnival to become the 5th fastest high school athlete ever. She also challenged Sammy Watson at the US Junior Championships, placing 2nd in 2:01.66 in 2018. Collier was 12th at the IAAF World U20 Championsions in 2018.

Gabrielle Wilkinson of the University of Florida could be an impact star for the Gators after placing 2nd at New Balance Outdoor Nationals last season in 2:05.72. Her best indoor performance was 2:06.87.

In 4th place at the NBON meet last year was Samantha Friborg, now running for Yale. Friborg ran 2:06.13 and was one of the top prep athletes in 2018.

The Final Word

With so many athletes fighting for only 16 spots at Nationals, someone is going to be left on the outside looking in. That’s the name of the game, I know. But, as we transition into 2019, we can already see that the competition in Birmingham will be steep in the 800 meters. That is, unless, someone decides to leave Jazmine Fray’s NCAA record in the dust. Either way, this is going to be an entertaining year for the four lap affair.