PREDICTIONS: 2024 BIG East Outdoor Championships

Maura Beattie
May 8, 2024
5 min read

The BIG East doesn't always get the respect it deserves when we talk about the top athletic conferences in the NCAA. Sure, the conference isn't nearly the same caliber as the SEC, ACC, BIG 12 or BIG 10, but it among the headliners of the next-best tier.

This year's BIG East Outdoor Championships will, once again, hold plenty of excellent results as well as a matchups that we could also see on the national stage. Here's how TSR veteran Maura Beattie sees the distance events unfolding at this meet...

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*Denotes that a collegian is also entered in another individual event. In these predictions, TSR is assuming that each runner is contesting an event fresh (i.e. not doubling back).

Men’s 800 Meters

Tinoda Matsatsa (Georgetown) - 1:46
William Cuthbertson (Butler) - 1:47
Sean Dolan (Villanova) - 1:47
Matthew Payamps (Georgetown) - 1:48
Mahamed Sharif (Connecticut) - 1:48

Analysis: Man, is this race going to be close. Freshman stud Tinoda Matsatsa (Georgetown) is primed to win his first BIG East title after being denied by Sean Dolan (Villanova) at the indoor edition of this meet.

Be sure to also keep an eye on Butler's William Cuthbertson who may be able to upset Dolan for silver. Cuthbertson has momentum on his side after running 1:47 (800) to secure a win at Indiana University one week ago. And while Dolan has not at all run poorly in recent weeks, he has also given us very little to review in terms of results. Yes, I'm going out on a limb here, but I don't think it's out of the correction.

Women’s 800 Meters

Madison Martinez (Villanova) - 2:04
Nora Haugen (St. John’s) - 2:04
Micah Trusty (Villanova) - 2:05
Maeve O’Neill (Providence) - 2:05
Katy-Ann McDonald (Georgetown) - 2:06

Analysis: Villanova’s Madison Martinez is a veteran of the sport, especially over 800 meters at the BIG East Championships. That's why it's only fair that the senior stands atop the podium this weekend. Martinez’s teammate Micah Trusty might have the fastest seasonal best time in the field, but there are other underclassmen who have been just as good over the last few months.

That contingent of younger challengers includes St. John’s Nora Haugen (who has run 2:05 for 800 meters) and Providence Maeve O'Neill (who was really solid at the Penn Relays on her team's 4x800-meter squad).

Men’s 1500 Meters

Liam Murphy (Villanova) - 3:42
Charlie O’Donovan (Villanova) - 3:43
Abel Teffra (Georgetown) - 3:43
Sean Donoghue (Villanova) - 3:45
Jesse Hamlin (Butler)* - 3:46

Analysis: Liam Murphy of Villanova is the obvious pre-race favorite, but Abel Teffra of Georgetown and Jesse Hamlin of Butler are going to make the Wildcat star work for the win. Murphy’s incredible range from the 1500 meters up to 5000 meters is unmatched, as is his incredible kick. If someone wants to pull off the upset, then we may see some team tactics. The only problem for Murphy's challengers is that the Wildcats have also loaded up the metric mile, meaning that Villanova will be able to employ some team tactics of their own.

Women’s 1500 Meters

Melissa Riggins (Georgetown) - 4:07
Shannon Flockhart (Providence) - 4:07
Cara Laverty (Providence) - 4:15
Chloe Thomas (Connecticut) - 4:16
Chloe Gonzalez (Georgetown) - 4:18

Analysis: It’s going to be Melissa Riggins (Georgetown) vs Shannon Flockhart (Providence) in the women’s 1500 meters. These two women are mostly interchangeable athletes, excelling in a variety of distances, showcasing great race savvy and thriving as top-tier names in the mile.

Riggins has the advantage over Flockhart though thanks to her 2:01 (800) speed and in my eyes, that's what’s going to land the Georgetown star atop the podium. However, let's not forget that these two women have both run well under 4:10 this season and in a race where they'll push each other, the final results could be much faster than some may expect.

Men’s 5000 Meters

Marco Langon (Villanova) - 13:38
Florian LePallec (Butler)* - 13:40
Jesse Hamlin (Butler)* - 13:40
Devon Comber (Butler) - 13:49
Lucas Guerra (Georgetown) - 13:52

Analysis: Many of the favorites in the men’s 5k will either be doubling back from the 1500 meters or the 10,000 meters. However, someone who is expected to come in with fresh legs is Marco Langon (Villanova). The redshirt freshman is coming in with extra confidence after helping Villanova win a wheel in the 4xMile relay at Penn Relays.

Langon’s 13:28 (5k) PR is sandwiched between Butler’s Jesse Hamlin (who is doubling back from the 1500 meters) and Florian LePallec, two men who have been consistent all season long and thrive at this distance arguably more than Langon does.

Women’s 5000 Meters

Kimberley May (Providence) - 15:50
Lily Tuck (Providence) - 15:54
Sadie Sigfstead (Villanova) - 15:55
Maggie Donahue (Georgetown) - 15:58
Emma McGill (Villanova) - 16:09

Analysis: Jumping up in distance to the 5k from her marquee 1500-meter event is Providence’s Kimberley May. The Friar front-runner is expected to run sub-16:00 over this distance given her resume and she will surely carry teammate Lily Tuck along with her. Villanova’s Sadie Sigfstead could break up the May-Tuck duo after the strong season that she's been having, but that’s going to take some extra speed from the long distance specialist if this comes down to a fast finish.

Men’s 10,000 Meters

Florian LePallec (Butler)* - 28:45
Abdel Laadjel (Providence) - 28:53
Will Minnette (Butler) - 29:12
Jack McMahon (Butler)* - 29:12
Jack Fredian (Villanova) - 29:16

Analysis: Of the 16 men entered in this 10k field, Florian LePallec (Butler) and Abdel Laadjel (Providence) are expected to be up at the front, outdistancing themselves from the chase pack early-on in the race. And in my eyes, these two men won’t need to do anything special to secure a top finish. However, arguably the bigger development to monitor is how many points a team can in this race. This is a huge opportunity for Butler to rack up some serious points.

Women’s 10,000 Meters

Chloe Scrimgeour (Georgetown)* - 33:06
Laura Mooney (Providence) - 33:14
Kelsey Swenson (Georgetown) - 33:29
Elizabeth Vaughn (Villanova)* - 34:47
Abby Olson (Butler) - 34:54

Analysis: Distance ace Chloe Scrimgeour will be making her 10k debut at the BIG East Championships. Scrimgeour’s 15:21 (5k) PR leads us to believe that her potential to post a strong time in the 10k is in the cards. Laura Mooney of Providence, who is an underrated talent when she's firing on all cylinders, has the best shot of staying close to the Georgetown runner. Even so, the raw fitness of Scrimgeour will likely be too much to overcome.

Men’s 3000-Meter Steeplechase

Patrick Thygesen (Providence) - 8:41
Peter Herold (Georgetown) - 8:43
Martin Kovacech (Butler) - 8:44
Kevin Cawley (Connecticut) - 8:54
Dan Weizeorick (Marquette) - 8:59

Analysis: It’s going to be a battle up front with Providence’s Patrick Thygesen, Georgetown’s Peter Herold and Butler’s Martin Kovacech. Of those three men, Thygesen has the most experience and the fastest steeplechase PR of 8:33. Don’t expect that fast of a time this week as the Friar will be doing just enough to safely cross barriers as well as out-sprint Herold and Kovacech in the latter-half of this race.

Women’s 3000-Meter Steeplechase

Mary Hennelly (Georgetown) - 10:12
Wiktoria Klebowska (Butler) - 10:23
Sophie Coughlin (Connecticut) - 10:25
Rachel Woodruff (Connecticut) - 10:26
Amy Prugh (Xavier (OH)) - 10:35

Analysis: There’s not much to focus on here in the steeplechase. Georgetown’s Mary Hennelly comes in as the heavy favorite after posting a 10:08 (steeple) PR earlier this season. Instead, this race will instead be for 2nd place as Wiktoria Klebowska (Butler), Sophie Coughlin (Connecticut) and Rachel Woodruff (Connecticut) enter with PRs separated by only three seconds. The nod has to go to Klebowska who has momentum after running a 1500-meter PR of 4:24, speed that will come in handy at the end of this steeplechase bout.