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One Sentence Previews: 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships Women's 800 Meters (D1)

  • Writer: Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
    Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
  • Jun 7, 2022
  • 5 min read

Additional contributions by Garrett Zatlin



NOTE: Athletes are listed in the order that they are shown on the official qualifiers list.

1. Kristie Schoffield (Boise State)

After suddenly running 2:02 at the Mountain West Championships and then 2:01 at the West Regional Championships, Schoffield has reignited her past firepower almost out of nowhere, although history suggests that she is one of the best women in the country when it comes to peaking in the postseason.


2. Valery Tobias (Texas)

It's incredibly hard to get a read on Tobias who has been fairly inconsistent this year, but after peaking in the championship portion of the indoor season and recently running a 2:02 PR at the West Regional Championships, we may have to wonder if some of that inconsistency is going to be negligible going in to Eugene, Oregon this weekend.


3. Sarah Hendrick (Kennesaw State)

Sarah Hendrick may have the most raw talent in this field given that she thrives in aggressively paced settings, and while some people may point to a few postseason inconsistencies, this Kennesaw State star looks like a different (read: better) version of herself this spring.


4. Josefine Eriksen (Utah)

Eriksen came to Utah with a 2:10 personal best and now has a monster 2:02 PR, although her championship inexperience and sudden rise makes it difficult to truly gauge whether or not she'll be able to replicate this magic on the national stage.


5. Imogen Barrett (Florida)

In a field that is LOADED with realistic title contenders, Barrett may have an argument of being the best favorite, boasting a 2:01 PR, wildly impressive versatility, experience in competitive fields and highly impressive consistency -- something that no one in this field should be able to fully match.


6. McKenna Keegan (Villanova)

This veteran may be overlooked in this top-heavy field, but the Villanova ace has arguably been the most reliable 800 meter runner throughout the entirety of her career when comparing her to some of these high-octane superstars.


7. Aaliyah Miller (Baylor)

After an underwhelming indoor track season, Miller has rallied incredibly well, nearly reaching her top fitness and building enough momentum to the point where a presumably aggressive 800 meter final could favor the front-running tendencies that we've seen from her in the past.


8. Gabija Galvydyte (Oklahoma State)

Easily one of the most consistent middle distance runners in the country, a slew of 2:02 and 2:03 marks puts Galvydyte in the All-American conversation, and even if she doesn't earn a top-eight finish, she feels like the least likely woman to have a poor race this weekend (with the possible exception of McKenna Keegan).


9. Kassidy Johnson (Kansas State)

With the NCAA getting faster in general, Johnson has reinvented herself as a competitor, showing season-long steadiness and the potential for her best races to happen in the postseason, as evidenced by her recent 2:02 PR at the West Regional Championships.


10. Avi' Tal Wilson-Perteete (Texas A&M)

One of the most naturally talented 800 meter runners in this field, Wilson-Perteete could thrive in this field if women like Sarah Hendrick and Aaliyah Miller opt to get aggressive with the pace, especially when you remember that this Texas A&M graduate student has a 2:01.14 personal best.


11. Claire Seymour (BYU)

Admittedly, Seymour has been somewhat quiet this spring, but she has done this before, has proven that she can peak in the postseason and has a 2:01 PR, leading us to believe that this BYU ace could realistically win a national title this weekend.


12. Laura Pellicoro (Portland)

We originally thought that the 1500 meters was the better event choice for Pellicoro, but her 800 meter speed has improved as the season has progressed and she has posted numerous personal bests in the month of May, making her a dangerous name in this field if you're not prepared for what she brings to the table.


13. Carley Thomas (Washington)

Carley Thomas was a very realistic title threat to Penn superstar Nia Akins in the 800 meters before the pandemic cancelled the 2020 indoor national meet, and when you look at her spring season so far, she may have the most momentum out of anyone in this field.


14. Gabrielle Wilkinson (Florida)

Wilkinson ran 2:01 at the 2021 outdoor national meet (placing 3rd overall) and while she hasn't been quite as dominant this year, her recent momentum over the last month or two has been wildly encouraging, so much so that we can't count her out as an outside title contender.


15. Katy-Ann McDonald (LSU)

McDonald hasn't been perfect this season, but she has flexed tons of raw firepower with her 2:00.98 NCAA co-lead and her improvements in the 1500 meters which show a level of strength that should, in theory, allow her to thrive in a variety of race scenarios en route to a possible national title.


16. Ellie Deligianni (Stanford)

Deligianni had shown signs of promise leading up to this spring season, and although her resume doesn't necessarily jump off the page compared to a few of the other women in this field, her recent PR and ongoing success when contesting multiple rounds/races does leave us encouraged about her going into this weekend.


17. Aurora Rynda (Michigan)

The 2022 spring track season had admittedly been underwhelming for Rynda up until the BIG 10 Championships where she took home the conference title before running 2:03 in the regional rounds, leaving us fairly confused as to what we should expect from this 2:01 runner at Hayward Field this weekend.


18. Rachel Gearing (Penn State)

Gearing is a really solid, reliable and consistent talent who always holds her own in whatever field she is in, but it will take improved firepower (i.e. a new personal best) in order for her to be in the All-American conversation this weekend.


19. Honour Finley (Kansas)

This is Finley's first season racing in the 800 meters and although we saw her upside at the West Regional Championships when she ran 2:03, her talent ceiling will need to be high enough to counterbalance her inexperience when she toes the line later this week.


20. Victoria Tachinski (Penn State)

One of the more underappreciated 800 meter runners on Penn State's roster, Tachinski is experienced and rarely has a bad day, although she'll need to capitalize on any opportunities to run fast as her 2:03 PR can only do so much in this field.


21. Dorcus Ewoi (Campbell)

Ewoi has been quietly great this season, showing off promising consistency and improving her middle distance marks, although she hasn't consistently raced elite talent as often as some of these other women have.


22. Presley Weems (Auburn)

When it comes to the 800 meters this season, Weems has been super consistent and has rarely had a poor race time-wise, although she did place 6th at the SEC Championships and 12th at the West Regional Championships, meaning that her margin for error this weekend is almost zero.


23. Sydney Steely (Mississippi State)

Steely has been really strong this spring and may be the most underappreciated name in this field, although she has yet to truly defeat (or even challenge) a top-ranked 800 meter runner at their peak this season.


24. Katherine Mitchell (Boston College)

Mitchell's 2:04 mark is one of the slower personal bests in this field and while she is certainly an underdog heading into this weekend, she has also shown subtle signs of being fairly competitive in championship races (i.e. the ACC Championships and the IC4A Championships) throughout 2022.


Final Predictions:

  1. Claire Seymour (BYU)

  2. Imogen Barrett (Florida)

  3. Aaliyah Miller (Baylor)

  4. Carley Thomas (Washington)

  5. Sarah Hendrick (Kennesaw State)

  6. Katy-Ann McDonald (LSU)

  7. Kristie Schoffield (Boise State)

  8. Gabrielle Wilkinson (Florida)

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