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One Sentence Previews: 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships Men's 800 Meters (D2)

  • Writer: John Cusick
    John Cusick
  • Mar 7, 2022
  • 3 min read

Additional contributions by Garrett Zatlin


1. Clement Paillon (American International)

Paillon comes in as the only athlete to run under the 1:49 barrier this winter without a conversion, leading us to believe that it will take a blunder from Paillon -- or a miracle race from someone else -- for him to not end up on top.


2. Tanner Maier (Minnesota State-Mankato)

The verdict is still out as to whether or not Maier can be a title contender after an underwhelming showing at the NSIC Championships, but he has made substantial improvements this winter and is clearly at a new level of fitness.


3. Butare Rugenerwa (West Texas A&M)

Rugenerwa is one of the favorites, if not the favorite, headed into national meet weekend, and despite a poor showing at his conference meet, the West Texas A&M star has a resume which makes him one of the more reliable names in this field.


4. Wes Ferguson (Nebraska-Kearney)

The D2 1000 meter record holder comes into the national meet with a win over D1 star Adam Fogg, outstanding consistency and a great understanding of how to execute race tactics at a high level.


5. Cole Willis (Nebraska-Kearney)

Although Willis has had a breakthrough winter season, consistently posting nationally competitive middle distance marks, he lacks national meet experience, although he should benefit from having teammate Seth Simonson in his heat.


6. Nick Nowlen (MSU-Denver)

Nowlen has never run under 1:51 without a conversion and it is likely that he will have to run faster than that in the preliminaries just to make the final, especially with sub-1:50 men like Clement Paillon, Titus Lagat, Nathan Hood and Jared Gilley all in his initial heat.


7. Jared Gilley (Dallas Baptist)

One of the more surprising names this season has been Jared Gilley who has worked his way into All-American candidacy, specifically in the latter portion of this winter season where has seemingly begun to peak right on time.


8. Terrell Patterson (Southern Connecticut State)

Patterson has some of the best range in all of Division Two, but a majority of his races this season have been all-out, time-centric efforts, leaving us unsure as to what we should expect from him tactically.


9. Dennis Mbuta (Grand Valley State)

Mbuta’s season hasn’t necessarily gone as according to plan, but with his long history of success and his plethora of championship experience, it would be extremely hard to leave him out of the title discussion this year, much less the All-American discussion.


10. Macauley Franks (Western Washington)

Franks has become a serious threat this winter with his combination of speed and strength, all while proving that he has the wits to take on the tactics of a championship race.


11. David Cardenas (Adams State)

Cardenas has improved each time that he has stepped on the track this indoor season, so if that momentum can be carried into the national meet, then the Adams State star will be a very legitimate threat for the podium.


12. Nathan Hood (CSU-Pueblo)

Hood has been an 800 meter specialist for years now and although there is some concern over his latest results, his veteran presence and lengthy experience should still make him a factor if he's able to advance to the finals.


13. Titus Lagat (Lee (Tenn.))

Lagat's most recent results haven't been up to par for what we had expected from him this season, but he has the necessary experience and a past history of peaking in the postseason (spring 2021).


14. Ryan Karker (Roberts Wesleyan)

A breakthrough season has given Karker tons of momentum heading into the "Big Dance", but his lack of experience may be a challenge, especially in a preliminary heat that features some of the most established middle distance veterans in all of D2.


15. Seth Simonson (Nebraska-Kearney)

Simonson has shown us throughout the season that he has the necessary racing tools to be competitive in this 800 meter field, but he needs to be able to take down a few names who are above his pay grade, something that he has yet to truly do this winter.


16. Jonathan Groendyk (Grand Valley State)

This Laker middle distance standout is a seasoned veteran who has performed well in preliminary rounds, so we should expect him to do the same in 2022 as he looks for another All-American bid


17. Stephen Barker (Northwood (MI))

Barker's last six 800 meter efforts, which goes all the way back to last spring, have all been marks of 1:51 or faster, which is encouraging, but he has yet to secure a season-defining finish or win over a top name this winter.


18. Ethan Lang (Fort Hays State)

Lang could emerge as a sneaky All-American candidate this weekend after securing a string of strong middle distance wins leading up to the national meet.


Final Predictions:

  1. Clement Paillon (American International)

  2. Wes Ferguson (Nebraska-Kearney)

  3. Butare Rugenerwa (West Texas A&M)

  4. Dennis Mbuta (Grand Valley State)

  5. Tanner Maier (Minnesota State-Mankato)

  6. David Cardenas (Adams State)

  7. Terrell Patterson (Southern Connecticut State)

  8. Macauley Franks (Western Washington)

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