Tyson Invitational Preview

Another week, another meet in Fayetteville featuring some of the top distance names in the NCAA. Here are the main talents who you need to keep an eye on for this weekend's Tyson Invitational at the University of Arkansas.

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Women's Preview

A Potential SEC 800 Meter Title Preview

Razorback standouts Shafiqua Maloney and Kennedy Thomson will be looking to take down Florida's Gabrielle Wilkinson and Abbie Harrelson on their home track this weekend. On paper, this is likely a preview for the women's SEC 800 meter title.

Maloney and Thomson currently sit at NCAA #6 and NCAA #7, respectively, on the national leaderboard with their pair of 2:05 marks. As for Wilkinson, she currently sits at NCAA #9, also with a mark of 2:05. Harrelson hasn't run faster than 2:09 this winter, but owns a personal best of 2:06 for the half-mile distance.

Maloney has been enjoying a stellar season in the half-mile thus far. The Razorbacks senior didn’t start competing in the 800 meters until late February of last winter and finished that indoor season with a promising, but modest 2:08 personal best. Flash forward to 2021 and Maloney has impressively dropped her PR to a time of 2:05.

Her experience in the 200 meters and 400 meters gives her far better leg speed than some of her competitors and her ongoing improvements leads us to believe that she can earn yet another personal best this weekend.

As for Thomson, the Arkansas veteran has raced during every weekend that the Razorbacks have competed and has done more than just run fast times. She has improved each and every weekend, has never finished outside of the top-two of any race, has displayed promising range and appears to have some of the best momentum in the entire country.

In NCAA Championship-contested events, Thomson has recorded new personal bests of 2:05 (800) and 4:39 (mile) so far this season. That new mile personal best has to give Thomson some confidence when racing in the 800 as she may be more capable of handling an aggressive pace for a longer period of time at that half-mile distance.

As for Florida's Wilkinson, she owns a faster PR than the above Razorback duo with her 2:04 mark from the spring of 2019 and so far this season, the Florida ace has run 2:05.

Wilkinson should not be overlooked in this field. She has national meet experience on her resume -- having competed at the 2019 national outdoor meet -- and has a pair of wins under her belt. The Florida sophomore is still relatively young, so her ceiling may be sky-high, priming her for a potentially big performance this weekend.

The second runner from Florida to watch is Harrelson. The Florida senior ran 2:06 back in 2019, but hasn’t put together the same performance since then. Harrelson is coming off of a 2:09 seasonal best from last weekend and could challenge for a top time if she hangs tight with the three other women mentioned above.

One name not affiliated with Arkansas or Florida is Valery Tobias of Texas. Tobias is coming into this race with a 2:07 personal best and just won the Charlie Thomas Invitational last weekend, just one second off her best mark. The Longhorn was the bronze medalist at the 2020 BIG 12 Indoor Championship and knows what it takes to compete against top talents. She could be a sleeper in this field if she builds off of her performance from last week.

How Many Women Will Run Under 4:40?

Not much needs to be said about the Razorback quartet of Lauren Gregory, Katie Izzo, Krissy Gear and Logan Morris. It feels like we give them never-ending praise on a weekly basis (and rightfully so).

On the women's mile national leaderboard, Gregory currently sits at NCAA #1, Izzo sits at NCAA #3, Gear sits at NCAA #6 and Morris sits at NCAA #7. All of their personal bests are currently under the 4:40 barrier and none of these women have yet to have an "off" day. In fact, all of those women have displayed range in a variety of different events, making them, without question, the best distance group in the NCAA for this indoor track season.

Gregory enters as the favorite, but any of her teammates could leave the track with the win. Of course, there are also a handful of talented non-Arkansas milers in this field who could be primed for an upset if that Razorback contingent isn't careful.

Women who could challenge the Arkansas women include proven veterans such as Annie Fuller (Texas A&M) and Maudie Skyring (Florida State) as well as rising Alabama talents Jami Reed and Amaris Tyynismaa.

Fuller was a stud at Michigan State before transferring at the beginning of this winter to Texas A&M where she's finishing her graduate degree. Her personal best in the mile is 4:35 and she has competed on the national stage in all three seasons of competition on numerous occasions.

She won the mile/3k double at the Aggie Invitational at the end of January, and although both results were well off from her personal bests, we can chalk that up as a simple rust-buster. Fuller is capable of staying competitive in any style of racing, whether that be aggressive pace-pushing or a tactical affair.

And how about Florida State’s Maudie Skyring? After an unexciting cross country season, she had a very impressive indoor track debut, recording a strong mile/3k double at the end of January. Skyring opened up her season a mark of 4:40 (mile), only three seconds off her 4:37 mile personal best. She also ran the 3000 meters in a new personal best of 9:13.

In both races, she held off some highly-ranked competition en route to a pair of wins. It's hard to ask for a better start to your indoor track season.

Skyring was the ACC indoor mile runner-up in 2020 and was one of the more consistent milers in the country throughout last winter. The Florida State ace is off to a hot start and her most recent performances suggest that she could very easily mix it up with some of the best talents in this field. Don't be surprised if she's among the top three this weekend.

Jami Reed of Alabama has a new 4:43 mile personal best. Although she may not be competing for the win in this race, Reed could see an improvement upon her current PR. As for Reed’s teammate, Amaris Tyynismaa will be one to pay special attention to after she took off 42 seconds from her 3k PR last weekend, running a jaw-dropping time of 9:03.

The young Crimson Tide runner owns a 4:44 mile best, but after her most recent 3k performance, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Tyynismaa dip under the 4:40 barrier. This could end up being a huge validating result for the Alabama sophomore who has jumped into the national conversation in a stunning way.

Finally, we'll also get to see Taylor Ewert of Arkansas make her mile debut for the Razorbacks. She ran 4:48 as a prep athlete and could certainly improve upon the time if this race is fast -- something that seems to be a given the women who are entered in this field.

Arkansas Loads Up the 3k

This field looks to be a preview for what could come at the SEC Indoor Championships. Although some big names are missing, the ladies in this field were all near the front of the results at the SEC XC Championship and have put together solid indoor seasons thus far.

And yes, a lot of them are from Arkansas. Shocker.

Lauren Gregory and Katie Izzo of Arkansas lead this field with their 8:55 personal bests, although neither woman has cracked the 9:00 barrier so far this winter.

That, however could certainly change given the incredible 5k/mile double that we saw from the Gregory/Izzo duo the other weekend. Not only that, but Gregory’s 9:01 seasonal best from a few weeks ago currently has her listed at NCAA #1 in the women's 3000 meters.

Meanwhile, Katie Izzo’s 9:12 places her at NCAA #8 on the same list, but she is certainly capable of running a faster time. In fact, she may need to if she is going to eventually qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships in that event.

Gregory and Izzo are likely viewed as the presumptive favorites, teammate Logan Morris is arguably just as dangerous. She has blossomed since transferring from Clemson at the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic year, consistently improving upon her times. Her shiny 9:09 (3k) personal best from earlier in the season has her listed at NCAA #7 on the national leaderboard and given what she has accomplished in the mile and 5k so far this season, one could certainly say that the 3k is her ideal distance.

Will Morris continue to carry that momentum into this race and bring her closer towards a new personal best? Given her recent rate of improvement, that seems plenty reasonable.

Arkansas will also have Taylor Ewert, Abby Gray and Gracie Hyde entered in this race. Ewert hasn’t exactly been stellar on the track, but there are still opportunities for her to prove why she is one of the best freshman distance runners in the country. Gray has always been a solid runner for the Razorbacks and Hyde is fresh off of a 4:41 mile who could also improve upon her 9:23 personal best.

Those latter two names have been quietly improving over the past few weeks and one of them is primed for a breakout performance.

One final name who needs to be brought up is Jami Reed of Alabama.

Reed had a strong cross country season in the fall which culminated in a 6th place finish at the SEC XC Championships. At the South Carolina Invitational last weekend, the Crimson sophomore ran an eight second personal best in the mile, finishing 2nd overall in a time of 4:43.

Reed recorded a DNF in the 3k, but we're assuming that she helped pace her teammates (Mercy Chelangat and Amaris Tyynismaa) to their new personal bests. If that’s the case, Reed could be on the cusp of recording a much-improved 3k time, much faster than her current mark of 9:48.

Key Names to Watch in Smaller Women's 5k Field

Only four women are entered in the 5k at the Tyson Invitational this weekend -- two from Florida State and two from Oregon.

Alessia Zarbo of Oregon, a redshirt freshman, leads this field with her 15:50 personal best from August of 2020. The Duck distance runner had a strong prep career in France and could be the newest distance ace for a rebuilding Oregon team. She also boasts a personal best of 9:15 for 3000 meters, so on paper, Zarbo should be the clear favorite in this race.

Given how the Oregon women performed on the grass the other weekend (which admittedly didn't feature a handful of their projected varsity members), it makes sense that the Ducks would potentially want to focus on the indoor oval this winter. That may be their best chance for national-level success for a few of their athletes before the Ducks shift their attention to cross country in the fall. Their lineup at the PAC-12 XC Championships will tell us a lot about their intention/focus for this unique season.

Joining Zarbo in her first race in the yellow and green is Albany graduate transfer Hannah Reinhardt. The newest distance veteran popped onto the national scene after her 2019 cross country season. That year, Reinhardt won her second-straight America East XC Championship title and then went on to win the road race at the Northeast Regional XC Championships.

Reinhardt finished that season with a respectable 99th place finish at the national cross country meet, finishing her cross country eligibility. Now, she is making her Oregon debut, boasting a 16:06 (5k) PR. With some new training and coaching, there is potential for that mark to be improved upon. Will it come in her debut with a new team well over a year after she ran that mark? It will be tough, but at the very least, she'll play a key role in this field.

Florida State freshman Alyson Churchill will be making her 5k debut this season after running solid times of 4:43 (mile) and 9:20 (3k) earlier this season. Churchill had a respectable cross country season in the fall, but her times on the track have been very impressive for the true freshman.

Churchill’s teammate, Rebecca Clark, will also be seeking a new 5k PR after running 16:34 in 2020. Clark had a stellar freshman campaign and has been solid so far this season, already recording a 3k personal best of 9:25. With Churchill in the race, Clark has a solid teammate to work with in an attempt at taking down the Ducks.

Top Women's Teams Pursue DMR National Qualifiers

The women's DMR as the chance to be incredibly exciting, although the Razorbacks are the overwhelming favorites given the numerous top-tier names that they will be able to employ in this race.

If we had to guess, we would think that this lineup would feature some combination of Krissy Gear, Kennedy Thomson and Lauren Gregory on the 1200-800-1600 legs, respectively. Those three make the most sense on the distances legs, although Maloney, Izzo and Morris could also find roles inside this DMR.

And how about Oklahoma State? They don't have any other athletes entered in any other races, so we have a good reason to believe that they'll go all-in for this race. What will their lineup look like? Truthfully, we're not sure, but a DMR featuring Hentemann, Moss and Roe seems like the most reasonable combination of legs.

As for Florida State, a top lineup would certainly be at it's best with Maudie Skyring at the helm. We're not exactly sure who else would be on this relay, but the Seminoles have enough strong pieces capable of putting together a competitive, and potential national qualifying, relay.

As for Texas and Florida, they have a few strong middle distance pieces, but may not have the same firepower on the anchor or opening legs as the teams mentioned above. On the flip side, Oregon has a promising piece in Alessia Zarbo, but that is still a young group and it may be hard to find enough pieces who are capable of staying competitive enough with the top teams in this field.

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Men's Preview

Top Talents Step Down in Distance to the 800 Meters

Numerous men entered in this race are primarily milers, but they appear to be looking for some speed work this weekend in a field that doesn't have a ton of elite superstars. That, however, doesn't mean that this field isn't deep.

Before we get too engrossed when talking about the other names in this race, we absolutely have to note that Sam Worley (Texas) is expected to make his long-awaited return!

Worley hasn’t raced since the Husky Classic last February when he took a nasty fall and left with a fractured tibia. We weren't sure how long his recovery would take him and we didn't know how long it would take him to return to racing shape. Luckily, it seems like he is set to be back on Saturday.

The Texas standout has run 1:48 for 800 meters as well as 3:57 for the mile. He is extremely talented when he's at his best and has earned multiple All-American honors between cross country and track. Given that this is his first race back since coming off of a major injury, we're not really sure what to expect from him this weekend. Nonetheless, it's good to see that he's healthy enough to be racing again.

However, one could argue that the bigger surprise is seeing Oregon’s Reed Brown, Cole Hocker, Charlie Hunter and Cooper Teare all entered in the 800 meters this weekend. Of these four, only Brown and Hunter have competed in the 800 meters at the collegiate level before, recording open times of 1:50 and 1:49, respectively.

If all of these men actually race in the half-mile, could they sneak out a win given their mile and 3k endurance? When you consider that Hocker, Hunter and Teare are racing in the invitational the mile the night before (more on that in a moment), it would make sense that they finish their weekend with some speed work.

However, there are other Oregon runners better suited for this 800 meter race. The two true middle distance Ducks in the half-mile this weekend are Luis Peralta and Angus Fölmli.

Peralta has a PR of 1:48 and was one of the nation’s best young talents last year as only a freshman. Fölmli enters this race with a 1:49 and will be getting his second opportunity at competing against NCAA athletes after arriving in Oregon from Switzerland.

Three men entered in the 800 meters who are ranked in the top-11 of the NCAA for this season are Brandon Miller of Texas A&M (NCAA #6), Kieran Taylor of Arkansas (NCAA #7) and Allon Clay of Texas A&M (NCAA #11).

Miller and Clay have run 1:48 and 1:49, respectively, and are both true freshmen. The only thing that could be a dilemma for these Aggies is that they don’t have as much NCAA experience as their fellow competitors. This is easily the deepest field that they will have raced so far this season, so how will they handle this higher intensity, more crowded race situation?

Kieran Taylor, on the other hand, has been a consistent runner and has the home track advantage in this race. He recently recorded a mark of 1:48 and if he puts himself in a good position, the Arkansas veteran could ride a fast pace to a new personal best.

Finally, let's talk about Texas freshman Yusuf Bizimana who recorded a DNF at the Charlie Thomas Invitational the other weekend. The newest addition from London owns a monster personal best of 1:46 for 800 meters, but much like Allon Clay prior to his first collegiate race, we don't know how Bizimana will handle the indoor oval. That will be a key development to watch this weekend.

Also, be sure to keep an eye on top mile talent Brendan Herbert (Texas) in this race as he aims for a sub-1:50 mark.

A Potential NCAA Record Attempt From the Oregon Men?

Five men are entered in this invitational mile field and all five attend the University of Oregon. NCAA leader Charlie Hunter is the top name in this race thanks to his recent 3:54 personal best, a time he just ran at the Razorback Invitational not even 24 hours after demolishing the NCAA DMR record with teammates.

Despite being entered in this field, we can't help but wonder if Hunter will be a pacer. If he's not, then he's most likely going after the indoor national record of 3:52.01 (set by Cheserek in 2017) which isn't out of the question given who will be pushing him in this race.

As for Cooper Teare, he ran 3:55 in the mile during the 2020 indoor season just before COVID-19 halted the rest of the winter and spring seasons. The Oregon ace could be argued as more of a long distance runner, finding plenty of success in the 3k and 5k. However, his mile speed is clearly at an elite level. He did, after all, split 3:54 on Oregon's record-breaking DMR the other weekend and looked super smooth while doing so.

Despite teammate Charlie Hunter running 3:54 last weekend, it's reasonable to think that Teare could take over the NCAA lead in the mile after this weekend. And if that were to happen, then he'll be creeping closer to that national record. He's also in the conversation to at least get close to that legendary 3:52.01 mark, although that still feels like an aggressive goal for both him and Hunter...but it's not unrealistic.

And then we have Cole Hocker who is rounding into one of the nation’s best distance athletes after almost beating Matthew Centrowitz in the 5000 meters at the Sound Running Track Meet in December, leading the Duck’s DMR to an NCAA record, and recording two wildly impressive 3k marks -- one in a time trial and one at the Razorback Invitational.

The Oregon sophomore owns a mile personal best of 3:58 from his freshman year, but given the massive leap in fitness that we have seen from him, a 3:56 mile time seems like it is well within his wheelhouse (and that feels like a safe prediction).

The two other runners in this field include Austin Tamagno and Angus Fölmli. They might be here for pacing duties or they could be hoping to be drawn to fast times.

Tamagno owns a 4:01 mile personal best and will be looking for his first sub-four minute performance, which is very possible if he latches onto his teammates. Fölmli only owns a 4:10 mile PR, but has run 1:49 for the 800 meters. If he is in this race to actually compete, he could be in the same boat as Tamagno as he aims for a sub-four minute time.

Battle of the Underrated Mile Talents

The Oregon men are so good that they got their own mile field at the Razorback Invitational. As for the rest of these men, they'll be in the non-invitational mile field despite two athletes being sub-four minute milers.

It stinks that Eluid Kipsang of Alabama isn’t listed for the invitational field, but racing against this group gives him the opportunity to prove that his 3:57 mile performance from last weekend wasn’t a fluke. Kipsang is currently ranked at NCAA #5 on the mile national leaderboard and has a ton of momentum going into this race after coming off of a massive PR and a big win from last weekend.

Another big performance from Kipsang would validate the encouraging consistency that we're beginning to see from him and further position himself in the All-American conversation.

Texas sophomore Crayton Carrozza turned heads during the 2020 indoor season when he dropped a 3:59 mile PR as only a rookie. He focused more so on the 800 following that performance and now enters this weekend with a 1:49 personal best.

If Kipsang employs another aggressive pace and attempts to replicate his 3:57 from last week, then we'll be interested to see how Carrozza responds and if he decides to hang with the Alabama runner. Carrozza is certainly more of a middle distance talent while Kipsang is better suited for the longer distances, so this will be an interesting medium when it comes to their race approaches.

As for Andrew Kibet, he has the home track advantage. Kibet joined the Razorbacks at the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic year after competing for Hutchinson CC in the NJCAA.

While racing at the JUCO level, Kibet was a national champion in the 1000 meters and the mile. His mile PR of 4:04 puts him into the conversation for a possible sub-four minute effort this weekend, although it will be interesting to see how he responds to the tactics that develop throughout this race. Will he be an aggressor with the pace?

Three final men worth mentioning are Jon Bishop, Gavin Hoffpauir and Eric Casarez, all of Texas A&M. These men have run 4:05 (Bishop), 4:07 (Hoffpauir) and 4:08 (Casarez). Although they aren’t necessarily in the hunt for the win, they all have the potential to leave this race with new PRs.

Texans Looking for Dominance in Men’s 3k

The 3k this weekend in Arkansas is not as loaded as the other races, but it will ultimately be a battle between Texas and Texas A&M.

Cruz Gomez and veteran John Rice are representing the Longhorns in this field. Gomez’s 3k PR is only 8:26, but he is fresh off of a 4:01 mile personal best and had a very underrated cross country season. Given this newfound middle distance speed, Gomez should have some confidence heading into this meet as the 15-lap event is closer to his ideal race length. Could that result in a possible sub-8:00 effort?

As for Rice, he has run 8:03 during his Texas career and will be in search of a potential sub-8:00 performance as well. The senior distance runner has consistently posted respectable results during his NCAA career, especially in the steeplechase.

It has truthfully been quite some time since we last saw this tenured Longhorn ace toe the line. He was a DNF at the Charlie Thomas Invitational last weekend in both the mile and the 5k and hasn't competed on the track (collegiately) since the spring of 2019. In fact, his last collegiate race in any season came during the fall of 2019 when he finished 83rd at the NCAA XC Championships.

We're not quite sure what to expect from Rice after such a long absence, but he's an underrated talent in the BIG 12 and has been for a few seasons now.

As for the other half of this Lone Star battle, Jon Bishop and Eric Casarez of Texas A&M are entered in the race, each sporting respectable personal bests of 8:06. Bishop has the upper-hand in this race given his recent 4:05 mile and that speed could be useful in this tightly-matched field. And Casarez? Well, he has opted to race in the longer distances, focusing on the 3k and 5k in the early parts of this indoor season.

Of the four men mentioned above, it’s hard to pick a favorite because each one brings something different to the race. Gomez and Bishop are coming off of strong mile times. Rice is a consistent runner and is very experienced over the longer distances. Casarez is solid over the various distance disciplines when he brings his "A" game.

Eliud Kipsang is also in this men's 3000 meter race. He's entered in the mile as well, but this race will be the first one on his list for the weekend. After running 3:57 in the mile last weekend, one would think that he can emerge as the overall winner in this field. He has run 8:02 for 3000 meters, a time which suggests that he should be favored to win this race if he earns a new PR.

Razorback Men Go All-In at 5000 Meters

The men of Arkansas are looking to use their home track to their advantage this weekend in the 5000 meters. Five Razorback men in this field have run 13:59 or faster in this event and they will to put that depth on full display in what could be an impressive team effort.

Razorback star Amon Kemboi is the heavy favorite in this race based on his 13:33 personal best as well as his recent success in the mile and 3k this winter.

Kemboi has remarkable range, being about to grind out a 3:58 mile and turn around with a top 5k time. He was the 6th place finisher at the 2019 indoor national meet in the 5k while competing for Campbell and since arriving at Arkansas, he hasn't looked any less sharp. We don't see why he can't dip under 13:40 this weekend.

Gilbert Boit of Arkansas is next in line with his 13:37 personal best. Boit has been around for quite some time, consistently emerging as a name to watch for near the front of these races. However, Boit has been having some of the best races of his life as of late. The senior recently recorded new personal bests in the mile (4:02) and 3k (7:53). He should be able to stick to a fast pace without too much difficulty given his current fitness.

Arkansas will also be entering Emmanuel Cheboson, Matt Young and Jacob McLeod in this field. Cheboson has run the fastest PR of these three with his 13:41 personal best from last winter. Young, a veteran of this Razorback program, enters with a 13:49 personal best and has already started the season off strong when he matched his 8:03 PR in the 3000 meters.

And last, but not least is Jacob McLeod. The transfer from Belmont was solid during the fall cross country season and should see improvements upon his 13:59 best when you consider that this race will likely be fast and that his cross country performances suggest that he can run faster.

Since everyone loves a good dark horse pick, the men’s 5k at the Tyson Invitational surely has one and his name is Graydon Morris.

Morris, the true freshman from Texas, surprised track fans when he ran 8:01 for 3000 meters to win the Woo Pig Classic by five seconds a few weeks back. He later backed up that stellar performance with a 4:02 mile last weekend.

Morris will be making his 5k debut in a tough field, but given the way he has carried himself thus far, it wouldn’t be shocking to see a sub-14:00 performance from the Longhorn rookie. We're still not sure what his ideal racing distance is, but he has been fearless despite his inexperience.

One final name worth noting in this field is Adriaan Wildschutt of Florida State. Wildschutt was a standout distance runner at Coastal Carolina before transferring to FSU at the beginning of the 2021 calendar year. He has experience racing at multiple national meets and just last weekend at the FSU Winter XC Classic, Wildschutt placed 3rd in a very deep field.

The former Coastal Carolina runner has zero experience competing on the indoor oval, so it will be interesting to see how he handles the tactics and feel of racing on a 200 meter indoor track.

Be sure to also keep an eye out on Haftu Knight (Texas) and Trevor Foley (Florida). Both men have been running very well in their last few outings and are on the verge of a big performance. It wouldn't be a surprise if they went under the 14 minute barrier this weekend.

Texas & Arkansas to Clash in DMR, Oregon's Lineup Unclear

On paper, the Oregon men have the best DMR in this small field, but it would truthfully be surprising if they fielded their best lineup. Many of their top names are doubling between the mile and the 800 meters and there is hardly any reason for the Ducks to pursue yet another fast DMR in only their second indoor meet of the season after running the national record.

In other words, don't expect the Ducks to field their best names in this DMR.

However, when it comes to the Arkansas men, the Razorbacks will be fielding three separate relays, leading us to believe that they'll have a top lineup potentially featuring Gilbert Boit, Kieran Taylor and Amon Kemboi.

Taylor and Kemboi are the two most likely pieces for this DMR and after Gilbert Boit ran 4:02 in the mile earlier this season, he seems like the most logical option for the 1200 meter leg of this relay.

As for Texas, they could actually put together a relay capable of taking home the win. On paper, they have a scary good lineup which might feature Brendan Hebert (4:01 miler), Yusuf Bizimana (1:46 800 meter runner) and Crayton Carrozza (3:59 miler).

Yes, in theory, Sam Worley is the best option to put at the mile leg of this DMR. Even so, it would be a bit surprising to see a guy who is racing in his first meet since a significant tibial fracture to be the guy that Texas leans on the most in this relay.