2021 PAC-12 Outdoor Championship Preview

The PAC-12 Championships are starting this Friday and we are PUMPED to see some of the nation's most elite distance talents duke it out for conference titles. Below, Ben Weisel & Sam Ivanecky highlighted five of the biggest headlines to watch for this weekend's conference meet...

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How Low Can Hurta Go?

When Sage Hurta toes the line for the 800 prelim on Saturday, it will have been 21 days since she last raced. Originally slated to run an 800 at the Fresno State West Coast Relays, the Colorado senior has not toed the line for this distance since April 3rd when she ran a personal best of 2:00.62. With whispers of sub-2:00 out there, will she break the barrier this weekend?

Look, barring an absolute disaster or miracle, Hurta will be racing the clock, not the field. The second-fastest seed time is 2:05.60. Given that this is her only race of the meet, there’s no reason to save herself for any other event. Even if she goes out on sub-2:00 pace and falls off, she should have plenty of breathing room before whomever finishes in 2nd place.

If Hurta is able to run under 2:00 this weekend, there could be some serious implications for the coming month. She currently leads the NCAA in the 1500 and is listed at NCAA #2 in the 800. Only Athing Mu has broken 2:00 this year and is the current heavy favorite in the event.

The odds are that Hurta would still focus on the 1500, but that may not be a guarantee. On The Beer Mile podcast, Hurta noted that she would be more likely to run the 800 at the Olympic Trials which surprised some given where she stands in the 1500. If she runs fast enough this weekend, it could cause some serious consideration around her NCAA plans.

Men's 800: Hocker vs Hunter vs Jewett vs Peralta

With Cole Hocker eschewing the 1500 to double in the 800 and 5k, the men’s 800 is much more interesting. USC's Isaiah Jewett has established himself as a possible national title favorite after recently running 1:45 and is an experienced runner in these championships. Additionally, the NCAA champion from this past winter, Charlie Hunter, lurks as another top contender in the event. These three, along with fellow Duck Luis Peralta, will be the key names to watch in this race.

There are so many interesting storylines to follow in this 800. Can Hocker take down two title contenders in yet another event? After beating Kiptoo, Kurgat and Teare in the 5k, he seems to have the range to win a title in the longer event, but he has also run 1:46 this year in the 800. Could this be a preview of the NCAA Championships with him skipping the 1500?

That seemed impossible after his dominance during indoors in the mile, but after losing to Nuguse and Teare, perhaps the plan has changed...or maybe it's just an effort to work on his speed. It's probably the latter, but our theory sounds more interesting.

Hocker’s teammate Hunter entered this outdoor season as the favorite in the 800 after winning the title indoors and running 1:45. So far, we have not seen the Australian run nearly as well this spring. A win this weekend would be a great sign for the Duck and perhaps make him the NCAA title favorite once again.

Lastly, the USC Trojan, Jewett is undefeated this season and has run 1:46 or faster twice this spring. He is the reigning PAC-12 champion in the 800 and just missed the finals in 2019 at the NCAA Championships. The consistency and experience make him one of the top names in the country, but he will face stiff competition this weekend. Keeping his undefeated record after this weekend will make him the favorite in the event going into the regional meet.

Races Within a Race

The women’s 1500 has phenomenal depth up-front, featuring eight runners who have gone 4:17 or faster this year. Micaela DeGenero of Colorado leads the way with her 4:12, good enough for the NCAA #10 mark and 1.5 seconds better than anyone else in the field. However, not to be outdone is Ella Donaghu of Stanford who was the 6th place finisher in this event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2019. Donaghu has notably entered in the 800, 1500 and 5k which could make for a big weekend if she indeed contests all three events.

Adding to the Colorado contingent are Madison Boreman and Rachel McArthur.

Boreman is slated to double in both the 1500 and steeplechase while McArthur is only entered in this event. McArthur has bounced across a number of events this spring, trying her hand at everything from the 800 to the 5k. It remains to be seen if she’ll focus on the 1500 or 5k at regionals, but her result this weekend could go a long way in determining that choice.

Anna Gibson (Washington), Christina Aragon (Stanford), Hannah Reinhardt (Oregon) and Madison Hesiterman (Washington) all could be contenders for the women's 1500 title as well.

Outside of the top names, a big area to watch will be what happens in the “second group”. As things stand, there are four women who sit just outside the top-48 in the West region who could be looking to make a final push for the regional meet.

The current cut-off mark for the West regional women's 1500 meters is 4:20.01 by Grace Fetherstonhaugh of Oregon State. Four women entered this weekend -- Neema Kimtai (Washington State), Allie Schadler (Washington), Lucy Jenks (Stanford) and Jessica Lawson (Stanford) -- are all within 1.5 seconds of that mark.

Given that this will be their last chance to run qualifying marks, it would not be surprising to see an honest attempt at the 4:20 barrier, especially with a slew of fast women also entered. This could also create some intra-race chaos as these four could be battling one another to the finish line not only for team points, but also for the last (automatic) spot for regional qualification.

Distance Running Titans Collide

Any race with both Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker is one to watch, even if it's their second race of the championship meet. The Ducks enter as favorites, but the field is stacked with candidates looking to take them down. For Hocker, a double win that includes the 800 might be nearly as impressive as the double he pulled off at indoors when he won the mile and 3k.

Meanwhile, Teare will look to continue his momentum and prove that he is the clear favorite in the 5k going into the NCAA Championships. He will have his hands full in the 1500 against Sam Tanner and others, but he might need to be even better to win the 5k.

Eduardo Herrera enters the 5k fresh, and, after taking down Conner Mantz and the BYU men earlier in the year, he will try to pick up another impressive win. While he hasn’t run quite as fast as the Oregon men, he has run 13:24 and has strong 1500 chops which bodes well for him in a tactical race.

Behind him will be his teammate John Dressel who has run 13:36 this year and will be looking to stamp his mark on the PAC-12 Championships in his final season of eligibility.

Lastly, Charles Hicks from Stanford has been on a tear this season. While he is entered in the 10k and will certainly not be completely fresh going into the 5k, he will have two days of rest and should be able to challenge the Ducks and Buffaloes this weekend.

The redshirt freshman has gone undefeated this outdoor season with wins in the 10k and 5k in times of 28:25 and 13:34, respectively. We have seen Hicks rise to the occasion throughout this winter and spring and he will get a great opportunity to do that this weekend against some of the best in the nation.

Veteran All-American Stars to Clash in Steeple

The women’s steeplechase is set to feature a fantastic head-to-head battle between Colorado’s Madison Boreman and Washington’s Katie Rainsberger. However, the stories on how each woman got here are wildly different, but equally intriguing.

Boreman has not run at the PAC-12 Outdoor Championships since 2017, all the way back in her freshman season. She won the steeplechase that year in a close race over her teammate and current NCAA 1500 leader, Sage Hurta. Boreman would go on to finish runner-up at the NCAA Championships that season, finishing as the second freshman behind Allie Ostrander. That race also happens to be Boreman’s steeplechase personal best of 9:46.

Since then, she has only recorded three track races as a Colorado Buffalo prior to 2021, although she did compete in cross country a handful of seasons. In her first steeplechase in almost four years, Boreman picked up right where she left off, finishing in a clutch mark of 9:48. Although a number of women have run faster this season, it’s hard to count out Boreman when you look at the full picture. This weekend will be her second time racing the PAC-12 Championships with hopes of remaining undefeated in the steeplechase.

In contrast, Rainsberger had never run a steeplechase until this season. As she entered this spring, the Washington Husky was coming off of an indoor season where she struggled to find the success that we were accustomed to seeing from her.

Maybe all she needed was a change of pace because on April 2nd, Rainsberger (literally) dipped her toe in the water. At the Stanford Invitational, she made her steeple debut in a remarkable 10:00. Only adding to the strength of that run was the fact she was only racing one another woman who finished over a minute back.

When facing real competition at the Fresno State West Coast Relays, Rainsberger smashed her personal best by clocking a time of 9:49 and moving up to NCAAA #7 position in the event. Given that she is not in the top-48 of any other event, all signs point to Rainsberger aiming for a nationals bid in this event.

This weekend should be a great chance to see how she does in a true head-to-head race over barriers against yet another All-American standout. Both of her previous attempts were closer to time trials whereas this weekend should be somewhat more tactical.

The veteran vs the rookie. Who comes out on top?