2024 Boston U. David Hemery Valentine Invite Preview (Part One): Michaela Rose vs Sophia Gorriaran, Ceili McCabe vs Hilda Olemomoi & Amina Maatoug's Return

Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
Feb 8, 2024
10 min read

It's a special weekend, ladies and gentlemen.

Not only will collegiate distance running fans be treated to a handful of fantastic matchups at the University of Washington and at "The TRACK" at New Balance, but we'll also get another Boston U. meet! And for the most part, the David Hemery Valentine Invitational is arguably just as good as the Boston U. Season Opener and the John Thomas Terrier Classic -- and maybe even more so.

Remember, this weekend's meet at Boston U. is a two-day affair. Nearly all of the women's races will be contested on Friday and the men's races will take place on Saturday. Also, we are basing this preview off of the latest entries/performance list which are not split by heat.

As such, it's possible that someone may end up contesting a different event (or not race at all) when it comes time to toe the line.

So without further ado, let's jump right into it...

Click here to see Day One entries

Click here to see Final Schedule

Women's 800 Meters: Michaela Rose vs Sophia Gorriaran

It's finally happening! Both Michaela Rose (LSU) and Sophia Gorriaran (Harvard) are set to contest their first 800-meter races of the season!

Now, I already know what you're thinking. "But Garrett, they've been entered in this event in past meets this winter and still haven't contested this distance! How can we be sure that they'll do so on Friday?"

Great question.

Well, the women's 800 meters is the only individual event that both Rose and Gorriaran are entered in. So as long as they actually intend to race, we should see both of them battle over the half-mile distance. There is, however, a catch: Gorriaran is also entered in the 800 meters at the Boston College Eagle Elite Invitational.

If I had to guess, Harvard distance coach Alex Gibby will likely have Gorriaran contest the event in a field that will give her the most competition. And in that case, we should expect to see the Crimson rookie at Boston U. this weekend.

Both of these women have looked very strong so far this winter, thriving in a handful of unique events, relays and "off" distances. And while it's tough to pinpoint where their fitness in their primary event is at, it does seem safe to suggest that Rose and Gorriaran could be primed for big-time results.

Michaela Rose at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships // Photo: David Hicks

It's important to remember that Rose ran under 2:00 for 800 meters three separate times last spring. And if we're under the impression that she's just as strong now as she has been over the last year, then a sub-2:00 effort in a pro-laden field seems reasonable. That's especially true given her aggressive front-running approach.

As for Gorriaran, this race will be fast enough where she can simply follow the leaders and try to hang on for a fast time. And truthfully, there isn't a ton of pre-race analysis to be had with this Harvard freshman -- we're still waiting to see how she handles a field of this caliber in her best event for the first time in a while.

Behind those two women is someone who sits in an awkward tier. It's a tier that isn't quite at the same level as Rose or Gorriaran, but it's certainly higher than the other collegiates in these entries. I am, of course, talking about Penn State's Hayley Kitching.

Throughout last year, Kitching proved that she could be a competitive half-miler, running 2:03 for 800 meters, finishing runner-up at the BIG 10 Indoor Championships and qualifying for the outdoor national meet. However, so far this winter, she has reached an entirely new level.

The still-rising Penn State star was fantastic in a large handful of middle distance events earlier this season before dropping a fantastic 800-meter PR of 2:01 on her home track. And with that result comes a lot of questions.

Video: Penn State Track & Field via X.com embed

What is Kitching's ceiling this winter? Can she dip under 2:01? Is she an All-American favorite?

Those are all fair questions given that the Nittany Lion star skipped the 2:02 (800) range entirely when she ran her personal best. And frankly, she hasn't truly been tested yet. I'll be very interested to see how she responds in a field as loaded as this.

Other key names to watch include Houston's Kelly-Ann Beckford and the Kentucky duo of Sydney Steely and Jenna Schwinghamer.

Don't forget, Beckford was a D2 national title winner a few years back and even made massive improvements with Houston last year. With a 2:02 (800) PR, she's more than qualified to be considered a major threat and make a run at another national meet birth. So far this season, she hasn't truly been pushed, meaning that a return to her 2:02 personal best could be in play.

As for Steely and Schwinghamer, both of those women are experienced veterans who have been fairly consistent in the middle distances over the years. It feels like one of these two Wildcats (or both) are due for a breakout race. And if I had to guess, based on recent momentum, it would probably have to be Schwinghamer.

Women's Mile: Amina Maatoug Returns to Action to Face Flomena Asekol & Margot Appleton

There's potential that, collegiately, this will be the best distance race of the weekend.

Part of that is because Duke's Amina Maatoug has finally returned to competition after being sidelined since December. But when she did race all the way back on December 2nd, the Dutch distance star produced a monster 8:46 (3k) PR, further complementing her incredible cross country season.

As long as Maatoug is healthy and in shape, there's a very good chance that she runs around 4:28 in the mile on Friday. She has the 800-meter speed to handle a quick finish and her recent 3k/cross country success shows us that she should be able to respond well to a strength-based race that is fast from the gun.

And if Maatoug was already running a converted 4:29 mile mark last year, then what can she run in a season where she is undeniably better than she was in 2023?

The other two collegiates who will aim to knock-off Maatoug as the top NCAA finisher are Flomena Asekol (Florida) and Margot Appleton (Virginia).

Admittedly, the former name is tough to figure out. When Asekol is at her best, she's one of the most dangerous distance runners in the NCAA. She was the 3rd place finisher in the mile at the 2023 indoor national meet, finished 6th at the NCAA XC Championships and produced an excellent 8:52 (3k) PR at the Boston U. Season Opener.

However, this Alabama-turned-Florida star has also had moments of inconsistency on the track. She ran a "just okay" mile time of 4:37 a few weeks back and was unable to advance out of the 1500-meter prelims at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last spring.

But if you really look at the fine nuances of her resume, you'll find that, more often than not, Asekol produces great marks in fast, time-trial settings. And that, ladies and gents, is exactly the kind of field that she'll be racing in come Friday.

As for Margot Appleton, when she's at her best, she's not too far off from the caliber of Amina Maatoug. Yes, the Virginia runner seemed a little off her game during the fall and the early portions of December, but she has rallied back beautifully with a big-time 4:30 mile PR.

With tons of experience in this event and some recent momentum under her legs, Appleton should be just as competitive as the other top collegiates in this field. It would be a slight surprise if she ran slower than 4:33 on Friday.

We then come to LSU's Lorena Rangel Batres, a middle distance veteran who has found a lot of success when moving up to the 1500 meters and the mile. Last spring, she ran a tremendous time of 4:11 for the metric mile distance and has run 4:37 in the mile this season (which is actually a PR).

If you think that Rangel Batres' 1500-meter success will translate to the indoor oval, then she is someone who could run 4:30 on Friday (and maybe even 4:29). But in terms of actual mile results, it's going to take a big day from this Tiger to actually run her seed time of 4:31.

As for everyone else, we'll likely see an assault on the 4:32 mile barrier this weekend. Anna Workman (Virginia) and Florence Caron (Penn State) are two women who could validate their recent breakout performances. Amaris Tyynismaa (NC State) will aim to shake off two modest 3k efforts from earlier this season. Caroline Timm (Virginia) should be a safe pick to run under 4:35 (even though her PR is 4:36), although it's hard to know by how much. Lauren Freeland (Michigan State) is due for a big-time performance that will match her 1500-meter success.

In other words, these predictions are going to be extremely difficult to figure out.

Women's 3000 Meters: Can Riggins & Scrimgeour Keep Pace With McCabe & Olemomoi?

Gosh, where do I even begin? From a collegiate standpoint, this is a very unique and diverse field as far as skillsets and recent performances are concerned.

The Georgetown duo of Melissa Riggins and Chloe Scrimgeour have both been incredible since the fall months. However, the 3000-meter distance is an event that Riggins will be moving up to while Scrimgeour will be taking a step down in distance.

When reviewing Riggins recent success this winter (namely with a 4:30 mile PR) and recalling Scrimgeour 's fantastic 15:24 (5k) personal best from December, one would think that this Hoya duo should be capable of dipping under 8:55 (3k) tomorrow. In fact, I think they have the potential to inch closer to the 8:50 barrier if everything goes their way.

However, Scrimgeour hasn't contested (or more specifically, hasn't finished), an open race this season since her December 5k effort. And when Riggins ran this same race in December, she settled for a still-solid, but just fine, 9:04 (3k) mark.

In other words, both of these Georgetown standouts should be fit enough to be factors (collegiately) in this race. However, given that the 3k is neither of their ideal distances, it's hard to know exactly how well they'll run.

We then come to Ceili McCabe (West Virginia) and Hilda Olemomoi (Alabama). The 3000 meters is probably McCabe's best event on the indoor oval. And while Olemomoi is more of a 5k/10k runner, she has proven that she can find great success at the 3k distance as well (owning an 8:45 personal best from last winter).

So far this season, both of those women look just as sharp as they've ever been. McCabe just ran a 4:30 mile PR the other week and Olemomoi ran a 15:17 (5k) PR back in December before running a 4:40 mile PR a few weeks ago. And yes, I do think there is an avenue where both of these women run sub-8:50, maybe significantly so.

Truthfully, I don't know if there's a whole lot more to say other than that. Both of these women are flat-out talented and have proven that they can be elite 3k runners in the past. As long as they find their spots in the pack and follow the pace, they should be able to produce some outstanding marks come Friday.

Sam Bush (NC State), Kenzie Doyle (UMass Lowell), Juliet Cherubet (Texas Tech), Alexandra Carlson (Rutgers) and Amaris Tyynismaa (NC State) are other notable entries in this field.

Doyle, in particular, could be due for something very fast. She had a monster breakout 5k race back in December (running 15:27) and in theory, that should translate to a sub-9:00 showing over 3000 meters. The only question is, by how much?

Bush and Tyynismaa are arguably just as talented as many of the collegiates who we have already highlighted. However, both NC State women are still working their ways back from a roller coaster cross country season. A handful of Bush's marks suggest that she may still be able to dip under 9:00, although it's unclear if Tyynismaa will even contest this race.

Women's 5000 Meters: How Fast Can Doris Lemngole Go?

There aren't necessarily a ton of top collegiate entries for the women's 5000 meters. However, the one entry that instantly catches your attention is Doris Lemngole.

By now, many of us know Lemngole's background: She's an accomplished steeplechaser who thrived on the grass this past fall. Oh, and she ran 14:40 for 5000 meters on the roads prior to coming to Alabama.

In terms of raw fitness, there are very few women in the country better than this Crimson Tide star. And in a race that will almost surely be a time trial environment, Lemngole should only benefit from that.

Doris Lemngole (right) at the NCAA XC Championships // Photo: Andrew LeMay

But what if I told you that another Alabama runner is in these entries -- and they aren't named Hilda Olemomoi? The Crimson Tide women are debuting their newest long distance star, Brenda Tuwei, this weekend.

The Kenyan distance ace has a 10k PR of 31:20, a time which she ran on the roads. And for perspective, that mark is just two seconds off of the NCAA record over that distance (which was contested on a track).

Do I know how fast she's going to run tomorrow? Nope. Truthfully, I don't. And with the possible exception of those at Alabama, I'm not sure anyone else does, either.

Florida's Amelia Mazza-Downie is also in this field, aiming to return to the indoor national meet at what has been her marquee distance. With a 15:18 (5k) personal best, the Gator grad student should, in theory, be great tomorrow. However, after a limited cross country where she battled injuries, we won't know what her fitness is like until she crosses the finish line.

Arkansas' Sydney Thorvaldson could be due for a big race, Emily Covert will make her debut with Tennessee and New Mexico will place their Kenyan rookie, Mercy Kirarei, in her first-ever collegiate 5k. The Lobo youngster has already run a converted 9:03 (3k) mark this season.

However, the name who I'm most excited to see may actually be Winona State's Lindsay Cunningham. The future Wisconsin graduate student is as elite as they come at the Division Two level. Her 15:41 (5k) PR will likely be reset on Friday, therefore changing the NCAA D2 indoor 5k record as well.

Whenever Cunningham has been pushed by higher-tier competition, she has been fantastic, and I don't think that changes when she toes the line in Boston.

FINAL PREDICTIONS (collegiates only)

*Denotes that a collegiate is also entered in another individual event. TSR is assuming that all runners will contest the race that they are entered in completely fresh.