PREDICTIONS: 2024 Ivy League Outdoor Championships

Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
May 3, 2024
6 min read

While most of Division One's conference meets take place next weekend, the Ivy League Outdoor Track & Field Championships will instead be held this weekend. More specifically, the meet will be held on Saturday and Sunday.

It's only fitting that, among Division One programs, that the Ivy League has a weekend (mostly) to themselves as far as conference championships are concerned. While this contingent of academic powerhouses may not be quite as deep as a few Power Five counterparts, few conference meets boast the same kind of prestige and bragging rights that the Ivy League Championships do.

Below, your TSR admin dissected all of the entrants in the men's and women's distance races in an effort to give you top-five predictions for the meet. Let's dive in, shall we?

CLICK HERE FOR ENTRIES

*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

Samuel Rodman (Princeton) - 1:49
Collin Boler (Princeton) - 1:49
Thomas Cirrito (Yale) - 1:50
Harrison Witt (Princeton)* - 1:50
Titus Bretzke (Penn) - 1:51

Analysis: I really like Harrison Witt in this race as he has clearly been the best half-miler of anyone in this field this season. However, given that he'll presumably be coming off of the 1500-meter finals the same day, trying to envision a scenario where he outruns guys with fresher legs is a challenge.

Rodman is the most complete half-miler in this field, especially when you factor-in his experience, and Collin Boler showed during the winter months that he is a major problem in the rounds. Both Cirrito has been VERY consistent this year and Bretzke is too proven to not be a top-five finisher.

Women’s 800 Meters

Sophia Gorriaran (Harvard) - 2:01
Bronwyn Patterson (Penn) - 2:03
Mena Scatchard (Princeton)* - 2:05
Katja Jackson (Cornell) - 2:06
Olivia Schmitt (Columbia) - 2:06

Analysis: Yes, Sophia Gorriaran may be in this field, but this will not be a stroll in the park. Bronwyn Patterson has been great in the postseason throughout her career and she is looking as strong as she ever has.

Mena Scatchard is having a breakout season, although she's doubling back from the 1500-meter finals. Some people may point out that I left Victoria Guerrier out of our predictions. That's because I'll be curious to see how the inexperienced rookie handles racing against stronger competition after running a 2:04 (800) PR that came out of nowhere the other week.

Men’s 1500 Meters

Damian Hackett (Cornell) - 3:44
Harrison Witt (Princeton)* - 3:44
Joe Ewing (Harvard) - 3:45
Ferenc Kovas (Harvard)* - 3:45
Owen Karas (Yale) - 3:47

Analysis: Gosh, there are so many men who could win this race. Harrison Witt has arguably been the best runner out of all of these men this spring. Joe Ewing is seemingly the best pure miler in the field and is seemingly due for a conference title. Ferenc Kovas has been the electric rookie who has defied expectations and Owen Karas has been incredibly reliable over the metric mile distance this season.

However, Damian Hackett seems like the safest pick. He won the Ivy League mile title this past winter, he's run fast enough to compete with any kind of time that these men are capable of producing, his experience is plentiful and his tactics are subtly great. In the grand scheme of things, I see him as the most complete miler in this field.

Women’s 1500 Meters

Maia Ramsden (Harvard)* - 4:16
Nicole Vanasse (Columbia) - 4:20
Mena Scatchard (Princeton)* - 4:22
Margaret Liebich (Princeton) - 4:23
Augustine Haquet (Cornell) - 4:23

Analysis: This is the Maia Ramsden show and I shouldn't need to explain why. Behind her will be Nicole Vanasse and Mena Scatchard who have decisively split themselves from the rest of the field (minus Ramsden). As for everyone else, they've been really solid, but the first three spots in this race are going to be fairly chalk depending on how Scatchard bounces back from her two prelim races on Saturday.

Men’s 5000 Meters

Graham Blanks (Harvard) - 13:48
Nicholas Bendtsen (Princeton)* - 13:54
Talha Syed (Columbia)* - 13:55
Rhys Hammond (Cornell) - 13:55
Charlie Siebert (Columbia) - 14:01

Analysis: Yes, Graham Blanks has only raced once since early December, but his 13:37 mark for 5000 meters a few weeks ago still puts him in a tier above everyone else. Plus, the Harvard star has had even more time to further build his fitness, making him arguably even more dangerous than the last time that he toed the line in April.

Behind him, I legitimately believe that Nicholas Bendtsen and Talha Syed could win this race. However, they'll likely want a tactical affair in hopes that Blanks' finishing speed isn't near it's prior peak levels.

Women’s 5000 Meters

Phoebe Anderson (Columbia)* - 15:51
Maia Ramsden (Harvard)* - 15:58
Olivia Morganti (Penn)* - 16:08
Lily Murphy (Penn)* - 16:11
Ella Gilson (Harvard)* - 16:15

Analysis: How you think this race unfolds will largely determine who you are choosing to win the women's 5k title. Maia Ramsden is going to be coming back from the 1500-meter finals to contest the 5k. There, she'll face Phoebe Anderson who is also entered in the 10k, although that race takes place on Saturday night.

Anderson already defeated Ramsden over 5000 meters earlier this season after the latter had run the 1500 meters earlier in that same day. However, this weekend will be a very different setting and it will be up to Anderson to keep things honest.

If she can run fast enough to take advantage of Ramsden on tired legs, then she'll likely win. But if Anderson let's the Harvard superstar hang around for too long, then the Crimson veteran may take home the dub.

Men’s 10,000 Meters

Ben Rosa (Harvard)* - 29:32
Talha Syed (Columbia)* - 29:37
Nicholas Bendtsen (Princeton)* - 29:37
Acer Iverson (Harvard) - 29:42
Shane Brosnan (Harvard)* - 29:44

Analysis: I think both Ben Rosa, Talha Syed and Nicholas Bendtsen are all very underrated. The former had a fantastic fall campaign, Syed could have won an Ivy League title this past winter had it not been for a debatable DQ and Bendtsen has proven that he can win Ivy League titles in the past. However, as the distance rises, I think that will benefit Rosa's aerobic strength enough to give him gold.

Women’s 10,000 Meters

Phoebe Anderson (Columbia)* - 33:59
Lily Murphy (Penn)* - 34:06
Maeve Stiles (Penn)* - 34:19
Mary Caroline Heinen (Columbia) - 34:30
Ella Gilson (Harvard)* - 34:31

Analysis: Lily Murphy is a really solid talent who is not easy to shake, but Phoebe Anderson is the class of the field and it's not close. Sure, she doesn't have an entered seed time, but that doesn't really matter over 10,000 meters when your 5k PR is 15:29 and was run just a couple of weeks ago. Even so, both Murphy and Maeve Stiles could make this a big opportunity for Penn to score big points in the team standings.

Men’s 3000-Meter Steeplechase

Reed Pryor (Harvard) - 8:48
Jackson Shorten (Columbia) - 8:49
Winslow Atkeson (Yale) - 8:50
Ferenc Kovas (Harvard) - 8:56
Gavin White (Columbia) - 9:05

Analysis: I don't know if there's one true favorite, but Reed Pryor is primed to earn gold in my opinion. The Harvard runner was the runner-up finisher in this race at the same meet last year and has run two personal bests this season. With momentum and prior experience on his side, I think most signs are pointing to the Crimson coming out with the win.

Jackson Shorten has built fantastic momentum in the steeplechase this season, stacking personal best after personal best. If that continues, then he'll be a contender for the title. Meanwhile, Winslow Atkeson and Ferenc Kovas are both dynamic and well-rounded steeplechasers, but the latter is still very young which, on championship stages involving barriers, leaves him more on the cautious side of my predictions.

Women’s 3000-Meter Steeplechase

Olivia Morganti (Penn)* - 10:10
Molly Malague (Princeton) - 10:20
Marge Dalseth (Cornell) - 10:25
Alexis Allen (Princeton) - 10:27
Katherine Strong (Dartmouth) - 10:28

Analysis: I would be absolutely stunned if Olivia Morganti lost this race. She is easily the best steeplechaser in this field and no one else is in the same stratosphere are her. I like Molly Malague grabbing runner-up given how good her overall resume has been, but everyone leaves me shrugging my shoulders with uncertainty.

Men’s 4x800-Meter Relay

Penn Quakers - 7:22
Princeton Tigers - 7:23
Columbia Lions - 7:27
Yale Bulldogs - 7:32
Brown Bears - 7:33

Analysis: Penn is probably favored to win this race, but Princeton is going to be a real problem for the Quakers. The former likely has the most complete lineup, but the latter arguably has more firepower. Columbia, meanwhile, seemingly has a little bit of both.

Women’s 4x800-Meter Relay

Penn Quakers - 8:42
Columbia Lions - 8:43
Princeton Tigers - 8:46
Cornell Big Red - 8:50
Dartmouth Big Green - 8:51

Analysis: Much like their men's team, Penn has the most complete lineup in this field and they probably have the best anchor as well in Bronwyn Patterson. There isn't necessarily a glaring deficiency within their projected quartet, but a few of them will be doubling back from the 800-meter finals. Columbia, meanwhile, may not have the depth of half-milers that the Quakers do, but Olivia Schmitt and Nicole Vanasse on the latter-end of this relay makes the Lions very dangerous.