Iowa State Classic Preview (Women)

The Iowa State Classic, along with the Husky Classic, produces some of the fastest regular season marks each and every indoor season. With national qualifying marks on the line, we will see a number of the NCAA's best toeing the line. We highlight some of the top names below...

800

Like every other distance event, the half-mile is loaded with a handful of women who could not only qualify for Nationals, but even finish on the podium. Virginia Tech's Rachel Pocratsky is likely the favorite in this race when you consider her veteran status and wicked fast personal bests of 2:02 and 2:41. She is looking to continue her momentum after running a flat-track converted 4:33 at Camel City last weekend.

However, Pocratsky will not simply be handed the top collegiate finish. Baylor's Aaliyah Miller is the top collegiate seed (behind Nike's Shea Collinsworth) and has run 2:08 this season, but with an indoor best of 2:04 she will be considered a contender for a top finish this weekend.

The same can be said for Iowa State's Jasmine Staebler who has only run 2:08 this season, but has an indoor PR of 2:03 dating back to the 2017 season. Much like Pocratsky, she is a dangerous weapon in the middle distance events of 400 meters all the way up to 1000 meters.

LSU ace Ersula Farrow could very easily take home the win in what has been a strong indoor season for her so far. She has three individual wins (two in the 800, one in the mile) along with a season best of 2:05. Farrow still has a lot of untapped potential and will be running with the incentive of possibly qualifying for the first national meet of her career.

Kelsey Haris (Indiana) also deserves a mention. She's been on the NCAA leaderboard since the indoor season started and has been tremendously consistent. Look for this to be her breakout race.

Sleeper picks to keep an eye on include Kelly Hart (Notre Dame), Gabrielle Wilkinson (Florida), and Kaylee Dodd (Oklahoma State).

Mile

The mile doesn't hold quite the same depth as some of the other distance events, but the field will still provide some excellent matchups. BYU's Whittni Orton seems to be one of the more under appreciated milers in the country right now. Between her personal bests, extensive experience, and championship accolades, it's hard not to pick her as the potential winner this weekend.

Of course, there are plenty of other interesting names in this field. UNC's Morgan Ilse has been one of the biggest breakout stars of the 2019 indoor track season. Her season best of 2:09, 4:40, 9:08*, and 16:11* show that she has some jaw-dropping talent. She will be a legitimate challenger to Orton this weekend.

*indicates flat-track conversion

Much like her sister, Indiana's Haley Harris has shown off some impressive consistency. She has four individual wins this season and owns a season/personal best of 4:43. This field should be just fast enough to push to her to a new PR while also keeping her in the hunt for a win.

Sleeper picks to watch include Morgan Mooney (Wisconsin), Kristlin Gear (Furman), and Anna Camp (BYU).

3000

The 3000 meter race will be the marquee event in Ames, Iowa this weekend. There are so many top-tier names that it will be tough to talk about all of them...but we'll give it a go.

We are set to see an exciting matchup between Erica Birk-Jarvis (BYU), Jessica Pascoe (Florida), and Katherine Receuver (Indiana). While there are certainly others who could contend for the win, I think it's fair to say that these three likely have the best shot.

Birk-Jarvis is coming off of a breakout cross country season where she finished 7th individually at the Cross Country National Championships. After running 4:36 earlier this season, Birk-Jarvis seems primed to rip open a fast time for 3000 meters. The 3k will likely be the sweet spot for her this season.

Jessica Pascoe had a monumental cross country season and followed that up with a massive 15:34 personal best for 5000 meters back in December. Since then, Pascoe has displayed some respectable mile speed (4:43) which complements her in a race like this.

As for Receuver, she has seemingly hit a rough patch this winter after a pair of mile performances that yielded times of "only" 4:50 and 4:47. Still, she has been one of the best 3000 meter runners in the NCAA over the past few years. With a personal best of 9:03, she will certainly be in contention to take home the win.

Outside of those three, I really like the BYU pairing of Olivia Hoj and Courtney Wayment. These two produce consistent results and have found a way to quietly compete against some of the NCAA's top talent. The Cougars work better when they race together and I expect that to benefit them in this race.

One of the more underrated names in the NCAA is freshman Cailie Logue (Iowa State). She ran 9:20 earlier this winter, but after such a remarkable cross country season it's hard not to think that she can go faster.

Virginia Tech junior Sarah Edwards should definitely be on your radar. After running a flat-track converted 4:33 at Camel City, Edwards has proven that her fitness is as good as anyone's. She could pop off something fast at Iowa State this weekend if she's comfortable enough with the 3k distance.

Nevada Moreno (NC State), Bethany Hasz (Minnesota), Aubrey Roberts (Northwestern), and Sydney Meyers (Eastern Michigan) are just a few of the top names who could also contend for a top spot this weekend.

5000

The 5000 will be an exciting race to watch, mainly due to the 5000 meter debut we are expecting to see from Syracuse star Paige Stoner. With a personal best of 15:41, she could be considered the favorite, although she won't be guaranteed the win.

Wisconsin will likely gain a lot of attention this weekend as Alicia Monson, Oliver Hoare, and Morgan McDonald race at Millrose. However, Amy Davis will also be in the mix to run something fast. The field at Iowa State will be deep, but won't hold quite the same firepower like we've seen from other top meets like the BU Season Opener. That should benefit Davis in this race and potentially lead her to a new PR (which is currently 15:44).

I think the Furman duo of Savannah Carnahan and Emma Grace Hurley are relatively underrated. Carnahan has quietly put together times of 9:11 and 15:49 this season while Grace Hurley has flirted with 16 minute barrier earlier this year (by running 16:07). Looking for a pair of breakout performers? These two will be the ones to watch.

As for the rest of the field, there are plenty of names to keep an eye on. The ISU duo of Amanda Vestri and Anne Frisbie should work well together on their home track. Indiana's Margaret Allen is due for a breakout race. Notre Dame freshman Jacqueline Gaughan is a young star with plenty of potential.

The storylines are endless.

Other names to keep an eye on include Megan Hasz (Minnesota), Paige Hofstad (Georgetown), Sarah Freix (Virginia Tech), Haley Herberg (Oklahoma), and Annie Heffernan (Notre Dame).