PREDICTIONS: 2024 Ivy League Indoor Championships

Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
Feb 23, 2024
6 min read

*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.

Women’s 800 Meters

Sophia Gorriaran (Harvard) - 2:02
Bronwyn Patterson (Penn) - 2:04
Chloe Hassman (Penn) - 2:07
Hannah Riggins (Princeton) - 2:08
Olivia Schmitt (Columbia) - 2:09

Analysis: Sophia Gorriaran is the overwhelming favorite -- she is just flat-out better than everyone else. Bronwyn Patterson, however, should not be brushed aside in this conversation. The Penn veteran has been great in the postseason throughout her career and she owns a 2:03 (800) PR. It'll still take a herculean effort to upset Gorriaran, but Patterson should is a key name to watch.

Men’s 800 Meters

Samuel Rodman (Princeton) - 1:47
DJ Matusz (Dartmouth)* - 1:49
J'Voughnn Blake (Dartmouth) - 1:49
Titus Bretzke (Penn) - 1:51
Nicolas Pizarro (Penn) - 1:52

Analysis: On paper, Samuel Rodman is the favorite to take home gold, even if he hasn't been in top form this winter. The Princeton star own a 1:46 (800) PR and has run 1:48 twice this season. He likely wants to go after a national qualifying spot and I don't think anyone in this field can hang with him if he does. However, the Dartmouth duo of DJ Matusz and J'Voughnn Blake have been insanely consistent at this distance, clocking numerous sub-1:50 marks over the last year or so. In terms of reliability, they're tough to dismiss.

Women’s 1000 Meters

Bella Pietrasiewicz (Dartmouth) - 2:43
Ellaney Matarese (Harvard) - 2:44
Mena Scatchard (Princeton)* - 2:44
Rory Clare (Columbia) - 2:49
Gwen Parks (Cornell) - 2:51

Analysis: Given how this field is constructed, our predictions didn't need much pondering. Bella Pietrasiewicz has been great over this distance in her last few attempts and Ellaney Matarese has had a handful of respectable efforts as well. If one of those two women don't win this race, I'll be a little surprised.

Men’s 1000 Meters

Ferenc Kovacs (Harvard) - 2:23
Harrison Witt (Princeton) - 2:23
DJ Matusz (Dartmouth)* - 2:24
Derek Amicon (Cornell) - 2:25
Braden King (Yale) - 2:25

Analysis: This is going to be one of the more underrated middle or long distances of this meet. Ferenc Kovacs is the star freshman who has run 2:21 (1k) this winter and looks flat-out great this winter. However, Harrison Witt is a veteran who is having a nice season. And given how consistently strong DJ Matusz has looked this winter, I wouldn't necessarily call Kovacs a lock for this win.

Women’s Mile

Nicole Vanasse (Columbia) - 4:37
Margaret Liebich (Princeton) - 4:38
Olivia Morganti (Penn)* - 4:39
Augustine Haquet (Cornell) - 4:43
Marianne Mihas (Harvard) - 4:44

Analysis: I feel pretty good about my top-five given that their seed times hold a significant gap over the rest of the field. The top-three women -- Nicole Vanasse, Margaret Liebich and Olivia Morganti -- could all win this race. However, I'll take Vanasse who has been super consistent throughout her career and ran a 2:45 (1k) PR this winter.

Men’s Mile

Damian Hackett (Cornell) - 3:59
Joe Ewing (Harvard) - 3:59
Pierre Attiogbe (Cornell) - 4:00
Winslow Atkeson (Yale) - 4:01
Connor McCormick (Princeton) - 4:03

Analysis: Given that he has the fastest mile PR in the Ivy League this year, Joe Ewing is probably favored to win this title. However, the Cornell men, specifically Damian Hackett, have been quietly great this winter. Hackett is a sub-four miler who has strung together numerous personal bests this season. His fellow teammate, Pierre Attiogbe, is also catching fire, seamlessly translating his high school pedigree to the collegiate realm. We haven't seen Winslow Atkeson race since February 3rd, and he had a few challenges in this race last year, but in terms of talent, he's just as good as the other men who I have listed above.

Women’s 3k

Maia Ramsden (Harvard) - 9:12
Phoebe Anderson (Columbia)* - 9:14
Elia Ton-That (Columbia)* - 9:20
Ella Gilson (Harvard)* - 9:23
Olivia Morganti (Penn)* - 9:24

Analysis: Maia Ramsden is only going to do enough to get the win. And while Phoebe Anderson is an incredible talent, her Harvard rival is one of the best distance runners in the nation this winter. Behind them, Elia Ton-That, Ella Gilson and Olivia Morganti could pretty much finish in any order and I wouldn't be surprised. The former is a hard name to dislike and she will likely key off of her teammate, Anderson, before the race really ramps up.

Men’s 3k

Nicholas Bendtsen (Princeton)* - 7:55
Ben Rosa (Harvard)* - 7:56
Rhys Hammond (Cornell) - 8:00
Matthew Farrell (Princeton) - 8:00
Talha Syed (Columbia)*- 8:00

Analysis: This should be an awesome race. I love the dynamic nature of this field as far as skillets and strengths are concerns. If this race is more tactical than not, then I could see Rhys Hammond getting into the mix for gold. However, I think the overall talent in this field will lead to Nicholas Bendtsen and Ben Rosa pushing each other to the finish.

Women’s 5k

Phoebe Anderson (Columbia)* - 15:58
Elia Ton-That (Columbia)* - 16:03
Maeve Stiles (Penn)* - 16:19
Mary Caroline Heinen (Columbia)* - 16:20
Molly Malague (Harvard) - 16:24

Analysis: I try not to take the top seeds and just list them out in my predictions, but this race is pretty straightforward. The tiers of talent in this field are fairly defined and there are very few scenarios where the Columbia women aren't going 1-2 in this race. That said, if Maeve Stiles is able to suddenly relocate her prior peak form (she experienced a setback late last year), then she could be more of a factor than we realize.

Men’s 5k

Talha Syed (Columbia)* - 14:01
Nicholas Bendtsen (Princeton)* - 14:04
Ben Rosa (Harvard)* - 14:05
Sean Kay (Yale) - 14:12
Charlie Siebert (Columbia) - 14:14

Analysis: Most people would probably argue that Nicholas Bendtsen or Ben Rosa are the favorites to win this 5k title -- and I would agree. But Talha Syed is very underrated. The Columbia product has run three different PRs this season, giving him a 13:49 mark in this very event. After a strong end to his cross country campaign, I have only seen extremely positive signs from this Lion junior over the last few months. That's why I'll take him for the upset.

Women’s 4x800-Meter Relay

Harvard Crimson - 8:36
Dartmouth Big Green - 8:44
Penn Quakers - 8:49
Princeton - 8:50
Cornell Big Red - 8:53

Analysis: The Ivy League record and Ivy League Championship record in the women's 4x800-meter relay is 8:41. And I'll be honest, that was a massive surprise to me. Those records are bound to be broken, especially when you consider that splitting 2:10.00 or faster on all four legs would give you the top mark. The Harvard women should be able to do that with ease as long as they field the lineup that is listed in the entries. And frankly, the Darmouth women shouldn't be too far off from that meet record, either.

Men’s 4x800-Meter Relay

Harvard Crimson - 7:30
Penn Quakers - 7:32
Princeton Tigers - 7:33
Dartmouth Big Green - 7:33
Columbia Lions - 7:34

Analysis: I sincerely believe that the above five teams are all capable of winning this race. The Harvard men are favored given the raw talent that they flex, but the other teams in this field are fairly deep through 800 meters. And if I had to guess, many of those programs are probably entering their top lineups thinking that they can win gold which may create a very fun 4x800-meter clash.

Women’s DMR

Harvard Crimson - 11:08
Cornell Big Red - 11:15
Penn Quakers - 11:17
Princeton Tigers - 11:26
Dartmouth Big Green - 11:26

Analysis: There are two ways to think about this race from Harvard's perspective. The Crimson women may think, "Oh, we're NCAA #14 in the DMR right now and need to get into a national qualifying position. We should go after another fast DMR this weekend." That would make sense given that they have, according to the entries, entered their top lineup. But if the goal is to simply get the win with comfort, then that makes sense too. Behind Harvard, I could see a handful of different teams getting silver. However, I'll take Cornell with Augustine Haquet and Gwen Parks on either end of this lineup.

Men’s DMR

Princeton Tigers - 9:54
Dartmouth Big Green - 9:56
Yale Bulldogs - 9:57
Harvard Crimson - 9:59
Columbia Lions - 9:59

Analysis: Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. The Princeton men have the most recognizable names and Dartmouth is close behind. If Yale decides to field Winslow Atkeson (a sub-four miler), then this may be a different result. Regardless, I don't see the DMR producing many fireworks this weekend.