2022 Oregon Relays Preview

Written by Maura Beattie (women) and Garrett Zatlin (men)

After a wild weekend in California, the University of Oregon will now play host to a handful of strong distance fields at their historic (and recently revamped) Hayward Field facility.

With a handful of top-level west coast talents capturing the headlines and numerous Division Two stars making the trek to Eugene, the Oregon Relays are set to give us a handful of notable results...

Duck Hunting in the Half-Mile

The top-five collegiate women entered in the 800 meters at the Oregon Relays have personal bests ranging from 2:03 to 2:06. A lot can happen within that three-second, leading us to believe that any one of these athletes could come out on top...to varying degrees.

Leading the Oregon Ducks is Izzy Thornton-Bott. The middle distance star has already run 2:04 this outdoor season en route to a win at the Hayward Premiere meet. Her 2:03 PR from February of 2021 and her 4:16 mark for 1500 meters give her a unique advantage over the field given her mix of strength and speed.

The endurance is there. The speed is there. The drive to win is there. Thornton-Bott doesn’t have much NCAA racing on her resume, but her success from her time in Australia speaks for itself. She was outstanding earlier this month and clearly has a ton of momentum in her favor.

No, she isn't unbeatable, but it's also hard to dislike anything about her right now, especially given how much progress we've seen from her since the winter months.

Also joining Thornton-Bott from Oregon are teammates Carly Kleefeld and Mia Moerck.

Kleefeld has only run the 800 meters twice since March of 2021, but that hasn’t stripped her from picking up an encouraging 2:05 personal best a few weeks ago.

This race will not only serve as another opportunity for Kleefeld to prove herself after a hiatus from this racing, but it could be act a monumental building point for her throughout the rest of this season.

Seeing her recently run 2:05 is promising, but if Kleefeld can build upon this performance as we inch towards the second-half of the season, then the Oregon Ducks should feel confident about her chances of regional success.

Then we have Moerck who had a solid first season as a Duck last year after transferring from Nebraska, resulting in a 2:06 PR and regional qualification.

Admittedly, Moerck's 2022 indoor track season was a little quieter as she wasn’t able to any drop time. Still, her outdoor track season is off to a great start. She has already matched her 1500 meter PR of 4:21 -- which is a good sign of her overall strength -- but now she needs to match (or better) her 800 PR this weekend.

And if the 1500/800 success of teammate Izzy Thornton-Bott is any indication, then Moerck could certainly deliver a strong 800 meter result this weekend.

There are, however, plenty of women who are looking to break up the Ducks. Those women are Laura Pellicoro of Portland, Danielle Bellino of Wisconsin and Mari Friedman of Oregon State.

More of a miler, Pellicoro has still run a strong time of 2:05 in the 800 meters. She just recently ran a four-second PR in the 1500 of 4:16 at Bryan Clay after her remarkable 4:34 mile during the winter months.

On paper, this Portland Pilot ace is flat-out talented enough to go out with the leaders and try to run away from them. However, she has already raced Thornton-Bott and Kleefeld this season, finishing in between them during their battle.

Bellino hasn’t competed since the BIG 10 Indoor Championships in late February where she ran her 2:05 personal best, so this race will be a real rust-buster for her. The young Badger might not have the same national meet experience as the top women in the field, but her college career is still getting started.

In fact, that youth and raw talent in a strong, but not overwhelming, field like this may be perfect for someone like Bellino. In theory, if the first-race rust doesn't affect her, then her upside may carry her to a new PR.

Oregon State’s Mari Friedman has some serious momentum heading into the Oregon Relays.

The Beaver talent is coming off of two PRs this season -- a 2:07 mark for 800 meters and a 4:18 mark for 1500 meters. She picked up right where she left off at the end of the indoor season in the 800 meters, matching her time from the PAC-12 Indoor Championships.

It will most likely take a time faster than 2:07 to pick up a regional qualifier, but Friedman is on track to drop more time as the weather gets nicer and speed gets sharper. Her recent progress has been encouraging.

U-Mary’s Elizabeth Acheson and Taylor Hestekin are two D2 athletes who could shake things up in the field. Acheson was an All-American last spring, finishing 5th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2:08.

She opened up her season with a 2:11 mark a few weeks ago, but will need to go well under 2:10 to contend for a top-three finish here. This field could, however, put her in a position to be nationally competitive within the D2 scene once the results are finalized.

As for Hestekin, she is much stronger over the 1500/mile distances, but has a solid 2:09 mark for 800 meters. The veteran might not be putting much focus on the 800 meters over the long-term, but a sub-2:10 performance will help Hestekin in the 1500 from a speedier tactical standpoint.

Final Predictions (collegiates only, includes all heats)

1. Izzy Thornton-Bott (Oregon)

2. Laura Pellicoro (Portland)

3. Mari Friedman (Oregon State)

Noble vs Spencer vs Oregon's Sub-Four Army of Milers

It depends on which distance race you prefer, but this 1500 meter field might produce the best distance results of the Oregon Relays on the men's side.With numerous star-level talents aiming to make a statement in the 1500 meters, we will likely see this pace pushed to be something extremely fast.

Christian Noble is likely the biggest name to watch. He is fresh off of a 1500 meter PR of 3:39 which he essentially soloed at his home meet the other week. He also ran 1:49 for 800 meters during that same weekend.

Oh, and he ran 13:24 for 5000 meters in his outdoor opener to defeat an elite field at the Raleigh Relays.

To put it simply, Noble is at his absolute best right now and momentum is very clearly on his side.

Despite running a 3:39 personal best, one could argue that Noble is capable of running faster than that...but how much faster?

The D2 1500 meter record sits at 3:37.35 which was set by David Ribich in 2018. After running a 3:56 mile during the indoor season, one has to think that Noble has his eyes set on that record.

And frankly, I think it's incredibly realistic for Noble to get that record this weekend. It will be close and obviously not easy, but the field he is facing is extremely talented and will certainly push to run something absurdly fast.

No, I'm not just talking about the collegiates in this race. I'm referencing the professionals as well. Guys like Cole Hocker (Nike) and James West (unsigned) could make the invite section extremely fast, potentially running a time that is around (or under) 3:35.

If Noble doesn't let this field or the pace overwhelm him, then a new D2 record should be broken. And yet, at the same time, we're not even entirely sure if Noble is the collegiate favorite.

That honor likely goes to Reed Brown who had a phenomenal indoor track season this past winter. The Oregon superstar and veteran ran an outstanding 3:54 mile at Boston University and then put on a masterclass in tactics at the indoor national meet where he earned bronze.

If Brown is anywhere close to his fitness from the indoor track season, then a 3:37 mark -- and maybe even a 3:36 mark -- could be within his reach.

Admittedly, Brown has a had a few up-and-down moments throughout his career, but he has become far more consistent since the winter of 2021. He has shown greater poise, improved fitness and an understand of race tactics.

Experience is clearly paying off from him.

A lot can happen over the course of a month, so it's hard to know which version of Reed Brown we will see this weekend. However, if this Oregon star is near his peak fitness, then he'll be difficult to take down.

Let's also mention Adam Spencer, one of the breakout stars from the 2022 indoor track season who stunned many of us with a 3:57 mile personal best during the winter months. Spencer was also an electric member of Wisconsin's DMR, helping the Badgers earn a top All-American finish at the national meet.

Spencer has sneaky-good leg speed and has shown on numerous occasions that he can produce sub-four mile results despite his sudden (and somewhat new) leap in fitness. This field, however, will be his greatest challenge yet. The pacing in this race will likely be far more aggressive than anything he has had to battle before.

A great race and a fast time for Spencer at the Oregon Relays wouldn't necessarily be validation for the Wisconsin runner -- we already know how good he is. However, it would make us feel a lot more optimistic about his chances of being nationally competitive in the postseason.

Guys like Elliott Cook and EJ Holland, both of Oregon, are younger talents who could be due for a breakout race. Both men are 3:59 milers and a lot better than some people may realize. In fact, Cook has run as fast as 1:47 for 800 meters.

One of these men is due for a breakout performance, especially in a field that is as fast as this. A sub-3:40 mark seems plenty reasonable for at least one of these men, especially given their underrated momentum, but I think we could see something along the lines like of 3:38 or 3:39.

Jack Meijer (Wisconsin), James Gormley (Oregon) and Sean Peterson (Youngstown State) are all respectable and underrated talents in their own right. One of these men is due for a breakout and if I had to guess, I would think it's Peterson.

Final Predictions (collegiates only, includes all heats)

1. Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.))

2. Reed Brown (Oregon)

3. Adam Spencer (Wisconsin)

The Home-Crowd Favorite vs The Out-of-Towners

Oregon’s Izzy Thornton-Bott might be the pre-race favorite for this 1500 meter battle, but no win is ever guaranteed.

Starting with the home track advantage, Thornton-Bott is coming off of an impressive 800/1500 double at the Hayward Premiere meet. Earlier this month, the Duck ace opened up her track season with a 2:04 win in the 800 meters and a 4:16 mark for 1500 meters en route to a runner-up finish. That 1500 time was a one-second PR for her.

The Oregon middle distance runner has nabbed regional qualifying times in both races, so now will be the time for Thornton-Bott to make a statement to the rest of the NCAA.

Admittedly, it's hard to see Thornton-Bott losing this race to any other collegiate. She has all of the racing tools to be massively successful in the 1500 meters and her 4:16 PR signals that she could be nationally competitive in the event.

However, with Katie Camarena (unattached), Angel Piccirillo (Nike) and Vanessa Fraser (Nike) also headlining this field, Thornton-Bott has an amazing opportunity to drop even more time off of her personal best, potentially in the 4:14 range.

Let's now move to Wisconsin’s Victoria Heiligenthal who has run 4:18 in her career. She will be racing her second 1500 meter race of the season. The Badger talent opened up her season at the Stanford Invitational, finishing 8th in the 1500 meters with a solid time of 4:22.

Heiligenthal’s indoor season, highlighted by a promising 4:40 mile PR, proves that she could be on the cusp of a quick 1500 if in the right race. She was a regional qualifier last season and with more races now under her belt, could she catch her competition off guard?

On paper, this could be her breakout moment for her. The professionals she is facing are talented and will certainly push the pace, but if she has a breakout race, then she can at least hang at the backend and put together a major performance that we know she is due for.

And even if she doesn't have a breakout race, then she'll likely still salvage a very solid result rather than a poor one.

Wrapping up this section are Nicole Louw (Oregon) and Taylor Hestekin (U-Mary) who will be looking for sub-4:20 races this weekend.

Louw ran 2:10 for 800 meters and 4:20 for meters 1500 during a double at the Hayward Premiere meet. She began the season with a 4:29 best, but she has since knocked off the nine seconds over the course of two races.

Could she continue this trend at the Oregon Relays? Given the field, I think so.

Hestekin, a D2 All-American who is in the non-invite heat, has had a respectable start to her season, running 2:12 for 800 meters and 4:36 for the metric mile.

Although both of those times were well off of her 2:09 and 4:26 personal bests, they still match the season openers that Hestekin typically has.

Final Predictions (collegiates only, includes all heats)

1. Izzy Thornton-Bott (Oregon)

2. Nicole Louw (Oregon)

3. Victoria Heiligenthal (Wisconsin)

Battle of the All-American Veterans

This is a FANTASTIC field that will likely be overlooked for now, but it certainly won't be once the results from this weekend pour in.

We do need to mention that Cooper Teare is entered in this 5k field. If Teare actually goes after a fast time in this field (rather than just pacing former teammates), then we're looking at a race where one or two elite names are potentially running under the 13:20 barrier.

However, even if we remove Teare from the equation, there is still very good potential for up to four men to run under the 13:30 barrier in this race.

And yes, I said four men.

Let's start with Oregon's very own, Aaron Bienenfeld. The Ducks' graduate transfer star has been phenomenal throughout his career in the longer distances, throwing down incredible times and often emerging as an All-American contender.

Despite a not-so-great outing at the NCAA Indoor Championships where he fell out of All-American honors, Bienenfeld is someone who thrives in all-out aerobic settings. From a time-trial perspective, he's one of the best in the country.

With personal bests of 7:46 (3k), 13:21.99 (5k) and 28:10 (10k), there's no doubt that Bienenfeld can emerge as the top collegiate in this field. If the pace is honest and if Bienenfeld can replicate his peak success from this past winter, then a time around 13:20 to 13:25 feels plenty realistic.

However, Bienenfeld isn't the only athlete whose raw fitness can carry him to a top time. Gonzaga's James Mwaura is a long distance beast, boasting some of the best raw talent in the NCAA.

With personal bests of 13:36 (5k) and 27:50 (10k), it's clear that Mwaura is a strength-based runner who clearly thrives as the racing distance gets longer. In a field like this, which is likely designed to be fast, this 5k race favors Mwaura quite a bit.

A new personal best for him almost seems like a given, although it will be interesting to see how close to 13:30 he can get.

Mwaura has very slowly improved throughout his career, specifically when it comes to his racing tactics. He salvaged a respectable 36th place All-American finish at the NCAA XC Championships, but this is a guy who has yet to fully translate his elite fitness to the postseason when it comes to earning All-American honors.

Although, in his defense, running 27:50 for 10,000 meters and placing 9th on the national stage last spring is pretty absurd and largely not his fault.

Let's now move to the Wisconsin men, specifically Olin Hacker.

The Badger veteran is the highest ranked name who TSR has in this field. He doesn't necessarily have the 5k or 10k personal bests that make him a megastar, but his dominance this past winter was incredible and he still posted elite times.

His indoor marks of 3:56 (mile), 7:45 (3k) and 13:37 (5k) reflected that elite status and that Hacker has taken a massive leap upwards in his fitness. That was also shown at the indoor national meet as he executed his 3k race to perfection, earning a strong 4th place All-American finish.

In terms of times, range, experience, versatility, race execution and recent momentum, Hacker is probably the best overall collegiate distance talent in this 5k field.

However, it should also be noted that that this field will easily be the fastest regular season race that he has contested this year. For the most part, many of his regular season races were won with ease.

With the indoor national meet being tactical, we haven't really seen Hacker in a setting like this, at least not recently. Plus, the 5000 meters seems to be a (minor) move up in distance for him.

Would we be surprised if Hacker emerged as the top collegiate in this field with a sub-13:25 mark? No, not really, but it will be fascinating to see how he works around this field.

Let's also talk about Jackson Sharp, the other Wisconsin runner in this race who, in opinion, may be the most underrated and overlooked distance talent in the country.

Much like we mentioned with Adam Spencer in the 1500 meters, people don't realize just how good Sharp was this past winter. He was excellent on Wisconsin's DMR (which earned All-American honors) and ran times of 3:59 (mile), 7:48 (3k) and 13:46 (5k).

Yes, his 5k personal best is a little slower compared to guys like Hacker or Mwaura, but Sharp has just as much momentum -- if not more. He rarely has poor races and his range allows him to thrive in a variety of race settings.

If he can translate his 3k success up to the 5k, then a sub-13:35 mark seems well within his reach.

Finally, I think we need to mention Oregon veteran Jack Yearian who finally validated his breakout race from the summer of 2021 when he ran 3:37 for 1500 meters pretty much out of nowhere.

Since then, Yearian has run marks of 7:47 for 3000 meters and 3:54 in the mile. Although he didn't translate that mile performance to an All-American finish, it was clear that Yearian's fitness was at an all-time high and that his 3:37 from the summer was far from a fluke.

Yearian's 5k personal best sits at a strong 13:44 mark, and while his times in the shorter events do suggest that he could run something a bit faster, it's hard to know just how much faster that would be. He is, after all, primarily a miler in our eyes.

Still, a sub-13:40 mark seems well within reason for this Oregon ace and for the most part, I like to think that most people will agree with me...I think.

Final Predictions (collegiates only, includes all heats)

1. Olin Hacker (Wisconsin)

2. Aaron Bienenfeld (Oregon)

3. Jackson Sharp (Wisconsin)

Lights, Camera, Steeplechase

The women’s steeplechase is shaping up to be the event to watch at the Oregon Relays...and when you look at the entries, you can see why.

Oregon Olympian Aneta Konieczek is leaps and bounds ahead of this field time-wise, but the Oregon State duo of Kaylee Mitchell and Grace Fetherstonhaugh are very realistic threat to take down the star Duck.

Konieczek ran a head-turning time of 9:25 in the steeplechase last summer en route to qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. Backtrack to the NCAA season and the Polish steeple stud consistently lowered her time week after week. She started the 2021 season with a 9:59 opener before finishing the collegiate season with a 9:34 mark in the prelims at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and picking up an All-American honor in the final (7th place).

Konieczek's 2022 indoor track season was respectable, earning a strong 4:34 mile mark and running a respectable 9:12 mark for 3000 meters PR. She also secured a national meet berth in the mile.

So far this spring, she has only opened her season with a 2:08 mark for 800 meters.

It would admittedly be surprising to see Konieczek come out of the gates and match her steeplechase PR this early in the season. She was strong during the winter, but there weren't a ton of indicators suggesting that she would be returning to the mid-9:20s in the steeplechase in the month of April.

A time somewhere in the 9:40s range isn't out of the question for Konieczek. And truthfully, all that she really has to do is run just fast enough to ensure a clean race and a regional meet qualifier.

But that brings us to the field where, depending on who you ask, the favorites lie.

After remarkable performances during the indoor season and personal bests in both the mile and the 3k, Oregon State’s Kaylee Mitchell and Grace Fetherstonhaugh are no longer dark horses. Their 3k personal bests sit at or under the 9:00 barrier which, theoretically, indicate faster steeplechase finishes.

Mitchell and Fetherstonhaugh have gone 9:48 and 9:50, respectively, in this 3k steeplechase event. Their outdoor seasons have both started out strong with Mitchell running 2:08 in the 800 meters and Fetherstonhaugh running 4:17 in the 1500 meters.

Clearly, the Oregon State duo was fine-tuning their talent and speed for this race.

The Beavers have experience racing at Hayward before and against Konieczek. They arguably have more recent momentum and they have fast enough steeplechase PRs to be realistic threats to Konieczek.

On paper, this is going to be a thrilling battle.

However, despite the Oregon State vs Oregon rivalry, Wisconsin’s Alissa Niggemann actually has the second-fastest PR in the field with her 9:41 mark. She has tons of experience racing against the nation’s best, something that her 11th and 12th place finishes in the steeplechase at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2019 and 2021 can confirm.

Niggemann might not have had the same indoor seasons as her competitors mentioned above, but she shouldn’t be overlooked this weekend.

We don’t expect the Badger veteran to contend for the win as this will be her first race since late February, but going under 10:00 is well within reason. She's a strong and reliable veteran who has found a way to be nationally competitive in this event for numerous seasons.

We don't expect that to change.

Two women who could benefit from a fast steeple race are Oregon’s Malia Pivec and Wisconsin’s Lucinda Crouch.These two women have run 10:13 and 10:17, respectively.

Pivec has more momentum seeing that her personal best came from last month’s Hayward Premiere meet whereas Crouch hasn’t contested the steeplechase since 2019. Crouch will likely need a sub-10:15 mark to ensure herself a regional qualifying spot.

Final Predictions (collegiates only, includes all heats)

1. Aneta Konieczek (Oregon)

2. Grace Fetherstonhaugh (Oregon State)

3. Kaylee Mitchell (Oregon State)