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PREDICTIONS: 2024 BIG 12 Indoor Championships
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Feb 23, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 24, 2024
*Denotes that a collegian is also entered in another individual event.
NOTE: TSR is aware that an athlete could scratch out of certain events to pursue a more manageable weekend double (or even triple). As such, TSR's predictions assume that an athlete is contesting a certain event as part of a weekend double/triple that would be deemed "reasonable." DMR predictions do not necessarily assume that a certain relay will feature the best possible lineup.
ANOTHER NOTE: The BIG 12 Indoor Championships will be held at Texas Tech's indoor track facility which sits at 3200 feet of elevation, thus applying an altitude conversion to the final results (specifically the distance events). However, the times listed below are unconverted.
Women’s 800 Meters
Listed times are unconverted
Gabija Galvydyte (Oklahoma State)* - 2:02
Meghan Hunter (BYU) - 2:03
Kelly-Ann Beckford (Houston) - 2:03
Olivia Howell (Texas) - 2:03
Billah Jepkirui (Oklahoma State)* - 2:04
Analysis: Wow, this is an awesome field. Gabija Galvydyte is the top favorite, but she's not necessarily unbeatable against women who have proven themselves plenty in this event. All of the women who I listed behind Galvydyte have a shot of pulling off the upset, but they would need one of the best races of their careers for that to happen.
Men’s 800 Meters
Listed times are unconverted
Finley McLear (Iowa State) - 1:47
Jason Gomez (Iowa State) - 1:47
Mehdi Yanouri (Oklahoma State) - 1:47
Gideon Kiplimo (Texas Tech) - 1:48
AJ Green (Kansas) - 1:48
Analysis: The Iowa State duo listed above are favored to go 1-2, but Mehdi Yanouri is talented enough to break up that pairing and maybe even get the win. Of course, we're not quite sure if we'll see that version of him this winter. This will also be an important race for Gomez who has run 1:47 multiple times this season, but needs to better his chances of advancing to the indoor national meet.
Women’s 1000 Meters
Listed times are unconverted
Sivan Auerbach (Oklahoma State) - 2:44
Carmen Alder (BYU) - 2:45
Grace Boone (Oklahoma State)* - 2:47
Mikenna Vanderheyden (West Virginia) - 2:48
Tabitha Kalunde Ngao (TCU) - 2:53
Analysis: I don't love just listing the top seeds in a certain race (somewhat in order) and then not offering any analysis. But there's not a whole lot to talk about here. This may be Sivan Auerbach's best event and Carmen Alder is the one woman who I think could give her the most trouble en route to gold.
Men’s 1000 Meters
Listed times are unconverted
Yusuf Bizimana (Texas) - 2:19
Darius Kipyego (Iowa State) - 2:19
Peter Smith (Iowa State) - 2:21
Alex Stitt (Oklahoma State) - 2:21
Brian Musau (Oklahoma State)* - 2:22
Analysis: This may end up being the best race of the weekend in the NCAA. Yusuf Bizimana ran 2:18 for 1000 meters earlier this season and briefly held the collegiate record. Meanwhile, Darius Kipyego also ran 2:18 for 1000 meters, a time that was run on a 300-meter track. I imagine that the idea of a new collegiate record may still be on the minds of these two men. And by pushing each other, we could potentially see the greatest 1k race in NCAA history. Oh, and don't forget, those 2:19 marks that I predicted above are closer to 2:18 after factoring in conversions.
Women’s Mile
Listed times are unconverted
Ceili McCabe (West Virginia)* - 4:34
Riley Chamberlain (BYU) - 4:35
Billah Jepkirui (Oklahoma State)* - 4:36
Carlee Hansen (BYU)* - 4:38
Maddie Salek (Oklahoma State)* - 4:40
Analysis: You could make the argument that Ceili McCabe, Riley Chamberlain and Billah Jepkirui are all capable of winning this race. However, I'm not going to go against a star-caliber veteran in McCabe. Yes, I have praised Jepkirui endlessly in the past, but she'll be contesting numerous different races this weekend. And while I doubt that she'll actually toe the line for the DMR, the mile prelims and the 800-meter prelims, as well as the impending 800-meter finals and the 3000 meters, are still on the schedule for her.
Men’s Mile
Listed times are unconverted
Ryan Schoppe (Oklahoma State)* - 3:58
Laban Kipkemboi (Oklahoma State) - 3:59
Tyler Wirth (Cincinnati)* - 3:59
Kian Davis (Oklahoma State) - 4:00
Ezekiel Rop (Iowa State)* - 4:01
Analysis: I can't imagine the Oklahoma State men would go after a super fast time when they largely don't need to. If they can simply get the team points and the slow the race down enough for guys like Kian Davis to score, then that will be a job well done for the Cowboys.
Women’s 3k
Listed times are unconverted
Taylor Roe (Oklahoma State)* - 9:03
Lexy Halladay-Lowry (BYU) - 9:04
Sadie Sargent (BYU) - 9:04
Billah Jepkirui (Oklahoma State)* - 9:08
Ceili McCabe (West Virginia)* - 9:09 (H1)
Analysis: If this was the first long distance race of the weekend, then I would be predicting much faster times. But a lot of these women will be doubling (or even tripling) this weekend. Plus, trying to come back for another fast race at altitude is a challenge. Even so, there are very few women who I would take over Taylor Roe when it comes to the 3k -- and that's ultimately reflected in my predictions. Oh, and by the way, Ceili McCabe is listed in the "slower" heat.
Men’s 3k
Listed times are unconverted
Alex Maier (Oklahoma State) - 7:52
Aidan Troutner (BYU)* - 7:53
Denis Kipngetich (Oklahoma State)* - 7:57
Brian Musau (Oklahoma State)* - 8:02
Ryan Schoppe (Oklahoma State)* - 8:03
Analysis: It wouldn't surprise me if both Alex Maier and Aidan Troutner wanted to be aggressive and strengthen their national qualifying spots on the 3k national leaderboard (they both sit on/near the fringes). But other than those two men, the Oklahoma State guys should be able to snag a heavy portion of these team points without too much concern. Also, Fouad Messaoudi is also entered in the 3k. The catch? He's in the "slower" section.
Women’s 5k
Listed times are unconverted
Taylor Roe (Oklahoma State)* - 15:57
Jenna Hutchins (BYU) - 16:00
Aubrey Frentheway (BYU) - 16:00
Molly Born (Oklahoma State)* - 16:04
Madelynn Hill (Iowa State)* - 16:16
Analysis: None of the women in this 5k field have an incentive to run ultra fast. The first four women who I listed above all have strong-ish national qualifying spots in this event (at the moment) and a few of those runners also need to double back later on. This won't be a jog fest, but it's certainly not going to make headlines, either...I think.
Men’s 5k
Listed times are unconverted
Denis Kipngetich (Oklahoma State)* - 13:45
Joey Nokes (BYU)* - 13:49
James Corrigan (BYU)* - 13:49
Aidan Troutner (BYU)* - 13:50
Sanele Masondo (Iowa State)* - 13:58
Analysis: This race doesn't necessarily need to be fast, but it could still be respectable given the personnel in this field. There are a lot of aerobic-centric distance standouts in this race who may gradually attack the front of this field. With a select few pace pushers listed as well, I could see a handful of fairly strong times coming out of this field after conversions.
Women’s DMR
Listed times are unconverted
Oklahoma State Cowgirls - 11:05
West Virginia Mountaineers 11:10
BYU Cougars - 11:13
Texas Tech Red Raiders - 11:18
Iowa State Cyclones - 11:23
Analysis: The entries suggest that Billah Jepkirui, Gabija Galvydyte and Taylor Roe are going to be on this relay, but I highly doubt that we will actually see all three of them. Yes, the lineups of West Virginia and BYU are both strong, but as long as the Cowgirls have a strong enough anchor, they should be able to snag gold.
Men’s DMR
Listed times are unconverted
BYU Cougars - 9:28
Oklahoma State Cowboys - 9:30
Iowa State Cyclones - 9:35
Cincinnati Bearcats - 9:38
Oklahoma Sooners - 9:43
Analysis: Both the Oklahoma State men and BYU men are fielding top lineups...or at least, that's what the entries suggest. The Cougars will have something to run for after missing out on a national qualifying position in this event last week. Will placing Lucas Bons on the anchor leg make up the deficit? After conversions, I think it could.
