Mountain West Predictions

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800

One of the more underrated events of the MW Championships should be the 800. The entries are deep with talented individuals who are sleeper picks in the West region. Leading the charge will be Utah State's Clay Lambourne who recorded a 1:47 at Mt. SAC to upset BYU mid-distance stud Abraham Alvarado.

With that in mind, Lambourne won't just be given the title. He'll have to battle through New Mexico star Josh Kerr who will be attempting the 1500/800 double. If Kerr is tired, Lambourne will definitely have a shot of grabbing the outdoor conference title. Still, it won't be easy.

Behind these top two is another New Mexico Lobo, Michael Wilson. The junior has had a solid outdoor season and recently finished as the top collegiate at Payton Jordan. He'll need to improve upon his PR of 1:48 to compete with Lambourne, but he'll certainly be in the mix.

As if the New Mexico contingent couldn't get deep enough, they also have sophomore Kristian Hansen entered. With a personal best of 1:49, Hansen will need to do some serious work to battle with the top group. However, he's coming off of a win at the Texas State Bobcat Classic. That confidence could give him momentum this weekend.

One sleeper pick you should be aware of is Utah State's Jordan Beutler. The Aggie senior isn't afraid to run near the front and compete with the top guys. With 1:49 PR (from 2015) and a 3:44 1500 PR from Payton Jordan last weekend, Beutler could compete with the top guys if all goes according to plan.

The last name we need to mention is Wyoming's Ricky Faure who owns a personal best of 1:48. Admittedly, Faure has been a bit inconsistent with his 800 performances, but he could very easily surprise this field with a big performance. His season best of 1:49 should be enough to put him in the mix.

Predictions

1. Clay Lambourne (Utah State)

2. Josh Kerr (New Mexico)

3. Michael Wilson (New Mexico)

4. Jordan Beutler (Utah State)

5. Ricky Faure (Wyoming)

6. Kristian Hansen (New Mexico)

1500

The 1500 becomes a bit easier to predict, especially with the 1500 NCAA record holder in the field. The headlines will all go to Josh Kerr who should be able to secure the title (even if he's doubling). However, Kerr won't be the only Lobo attempting to tackle this field. Teammate Ian Crow-Wright has been putting together some solid performances over the past two seasons and seems to only be getting better. After a 3:43 PR at Payton Jordan, there's a lot to like about this guy.

I mentioned that Kerr should be able to secure the title, but Colorado State's Cole Rockhold will certainly not make things easy on Kerr. With a 3:41 performance at Bryan Clay, Rockhold may be looking to make things fast in an attempt to get under 3:40. Of course, even if he doesn't, he's strong enough to battle through this field and compete up front. He's extremely consistent and knows how to navigate championship venues.

I really like Utah State's Sam Coleman in this field. He could be another entry that breaks up the New Mexico duo. After altitude conversions of 1:49 and 3:44 in early/mid April, Coleman has shown that he can at least compete with Crowe-Wright this season.

One of the more interesting entries in this field is Boise State's Jeff Lautenslager. The junior has 1500/mile PR's of 3:44 and 4:03 which should put him in the top three conversation. Unfortunately, he hasn't run faster than 3:48 this season and he struggled at Bryan Clay. If Lautenslager is able to rebound and find his groove this weekend, then he could finish as high as 2nd.

Other names to watch include Boise State's Ty Jordan and Addison DeHaven. Utah State's Brody Smith is a great sleeper pick if you're looking for an underdog.

Predictions

1. Josh Kerr (New Mexico)

2. Cole Rockhold (Colorado State)

3. Ian Crowe-Wright (New Mexico)

4. Sam Coleman (Utah State)

5. Ty Jordan (Boise State)

6. Jeff Lautenslager (Boise State)

7. Brody Smith (Utah State)

8. Addison DeHaven (Boise State)

5000

Although the Lambourne vs Kerr 800 and the Rockhold vs Kerr 1500 should be entertaining, there may not be a more exciting head-to-head matchup than what the 5000 provides. We'll get to see long distance stars Dillon Maggard (Utah State) and Cole Rockhold (Colorado State) fight for the MW title. These races typically have a good chance of turning tactical which could play in Rockhold's favor who is doubling with the 1500. Don't forget that Maggard was upset by Rockhold's teammate Grant Fischer this past indoor season.

Still, Maggard is showing some great fitness. He just ran 13:30 at Payton Jordan which is 10 seconds better than Rockhold's season best from the Stanford Invite. He'll be looking to avenge his indoor loss this weekend.

After the top two, I really like the Air Force and Boise State men. Both groups have been incredibly consistent with strong marks across the board. The AF trio of Davey, Bilvado, and Johnston could very easily work together and make this a difficult race for their counterparts. Nonetheless, the BSU Broncos will have a talented distance group of their own. Between Uchikoshi, DeHaven, and Rafla, Boise State has three men with personal bests of 14:01 or faster.

The Colorado State men may not have the same accolades as their Air Force or Boise State rivals, but they bring a lot of depth to the table and had a strong group showing at the Mountain West Indoor Championships. Don't be surprised if they put together another strong set of performances for the 2nd straight season.

Predictions

1. Dillon Maggard (Utah State)

2. Cole Rockhold (Colorado State)

3. Andrew Johnston (Air Force)

4. Addison DeHaven (Boise State)

5. Jacob Bilvado (Air Force)

6. Yusuke Uchikoshi (Boise State)

7. Mickey Davey (Air Force)

8. Andrew Rafla (Boise State)

10,000

While Air Force and Boise State dominate the 5000, Colorado State will attempt to snag the top two spots in the event with veterans Jerrell Mock and Grant Fischer leading the way. With personal bests well under 29 minutes, there aren't too many others in this field who will be able to compete with this duo if the pace is fast.

Despite the strength of Mock and Fischer, Air Force will field Mickey Davey and Jacob Bilvado in an effort to mix it up with the CSU duo. If the pace is slow enough (which is a real possibility), don't be surprised if the Falcons overtake the Rams.

Outside of those dominant duos, Utah State's Luke Beattie looks like a Mountain West star on the rise. The sophomore ran a phenomenal 29:34 at Mt. SAC to complement his 14:22 5k PR from earlier in the season. He's still young, but Beattie has shown a lot of potential and his progression is trending in the right direction.

Predictions

1. Grant Fischer (Colorado State)

2. Jerrell Mock (Colorado State)

3. Jacob Bilvado (Air Force)

4. Mickey Davey (Air Force)

5. Luke Beattie (Utah State)

6. Eric Hamer (Colorado State)

7. Rhys Park (Boise State)

8. James Withers (Utah State)

3000 Steeple

The steeplechase may only have six total entries, but the matchups we could see are definitely exciting. In fact, all six entries have personal bests under 9 minutes.

Boise State's Yusuke Uchikoshi is the overwhelming in this field after running a (still standing) NCAA #1 time of 8:38 at the Stanford Invite. After a rough cross country season and a non-existent indoor track season, Uchikoshi has remerged as one of the top distance threats in the Mountain West.

Despite the fitness that we've seen from Uchikoshi, Utah State's Spencer Fehlberg is in a position to play spoiler. The senior had a huge breakout performance at Mt. SAC after running 8:48 to earn the 17th fastest time in the NCAA. Uchikoshi most likely to cover any moves that Fehlberg makes, but having these two in the field is expected to make things very interesting.

Not far behind Fehlberg is Wyoming freshman Harry Ewing who had also a huge breakthrough race at Mt. SAC with an 8:52. Youth and inexperience aren't always ideal for championship races, but with only six entries, the field should be small enough where he can shine.

Air Force's Andrew Milliron also ran his personal best of 8:53 at Mt. SAC and was ahead of Utah State's Adam Hendrickson who ran 8:57 at the same meet. The last entry is New Mexico's Jonny Glen who ran 8:56 at Bryan Clay. Despite the small field size, this race could end up being one of the faster events of the entire conference meet.

Keep in mind that neither Craig Huff (San Diego State) nor Trevor Siniscalshi (Air Force) are listed to run. The two non-entries have season bests of 8:54 and 8:59, respectively.

Predictions

1. Yusuke Uchikoshi (Boise State)

2. Spencer Fehlberg (Utah State)

3. Andrew Milliron (Air Force)

4. Adam Hendrickson (Utah State)

5. Harry Ewing (Utah State)

6. Jonny Glen (New Mexico)