2019 TSR Mailbag #3

We are back with our last TSR Mailbag of the indoor the season! We took a gander at answering all of the questions below after all of the action that took place at Nationals last weekend. Let's dive in...

Who will run the fastest 10k in D1 and D2 this season?

D1 Men

I think you need to look at the groups like BYU, Alabama, and Northern Arizona for this question. There are likely a handful of top-tier men throughout the country, but these programs have guys like Connor McMillan, Clayton Young, Alfred Chelanga, Vincent Kiprop, Gilbert Kigen, and Tyler Day (among others) who have shown that they can run something near the 28 minute barrier. While I'm not entirely sure which of those men it will be, I can't help but think that they should in that conversation, especially since they are willing to travel to big meets like Payton Jordan and the Stanford Invite.

D1 Women

I think the answer for the Division One women is a bit easier to narrow down since there is a clearer split between the elites and the rest of the national contenders. I would choose Ednah Kurgat or Sharon Lokedi. Although they may not be my first picks for the outdoor national title, they aren't afraid to throw down fast times during the regular season (which we saw this past winter). The same goes for Michigan's Erin Finn (if she decides to use her eligibility this season).

D2 Men

With James Ngandu no longer in the collegiate system, Sydney Gidabuday will likely be the guy who posts the fastest time in Division Two. If it's not him, then it will be Zach Panning or whoever runs the fastest time at the Raleigh Relays or the Mt. SAC Relays (which is where Karim Achengli ran 29:09 last year).

D2 Women

I will bet anyone $5 that Caroline Kurgat runs the fastest time in the country for Division Two this season. She is not only the favorite to win the national title, but she likely wants to add yet another D2 national record to her resume. Everything she's done so far says she can.

Who has a better shot at a national title? Staines in a 5k or Gidabuday in a mile?

I like this question a lot due to the overall absurdity of it, but I also think that the answer is relatively clear. Gidabuday has already run 4:01 during his college career and owns a 3:48 1500 PR as well. While it certainly takes time to develop speed, it takes far longer to build an aerobic base, so I think Staines would be at disadvantage. Even if Gidabuday had to drop down to the 800, I would still say he has a better chance given his personal best of 1:52. I think a better hypothetical would be Gidabuday in the 800 and Staines in the 3000.

Should there have been a DQ in the men's mile finals?

This isn't the first time I've heard this question or something relating to this race. What this question is likely referring to is the final few meters of the D2 men's mile finals where Felix Wammetsberger stepped in front of Elias Gedyon before crossing the finish line. The consensus may not be unanimous, but I feel like it's a bit of a stretch to say that it was a foul and therefore grounds for disqualification. When you watch the replay, Wammetsberger had a full stride (maybe a stride and a half) on Gedyon and I'm not sure the result would have changed if that move didn't happen. Some may disagree, especially those who saw it live from a better angle, but I've seen far more disruptive moves that weren't called.

More likely double for Grant Fisher during outdoors: 1500/5k or 10k/5k?

Grant Fisher will almost definitely not double at the national meet this outdoor season. Instead, he will likely focus on the 5000 meters like he's done in years past. That said, this is a good hypothetical. I think most agree that Fisher is more of a 1500/5k guy given his recent success as an anchor on Stanford's DMR. That said, running a 1500/5k double is extremely difficult due to the very little turnaround you have between the two events. For that reason, a 10/5k double for Fisher seems far more realistic. Let's not forget that this guy pushed Morgan McDonald to the line during cross country. He's more than capable of running the 10k if he wants to (especially if it's tactical), but he'll probably focus on the 5000 and nothing more.

Based on current fitness, who on the TSR staff would win a 400 meter hurdles race?

The initial consensus from the TSR crew was that John is likely in the best shape to handle a middle distance event like the 400. That said, he has warned us about his complete inability to get over a hurdle (much less 10 of them). While John may win that section, Sean actually has the experience and times to make himself a contender. During his time at Penn as a decathlete, he ran 60 seconds for the 400 meter hurdles (and owns a PR of 52 seconds for the open 400) which makes this debate a bit more difficult. We'll let our readers make the decision from here...