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What To Watch For: 2022 Mt. SAC Relays Preview
- Gavin Struve
- Apr 13, 2022
- 13 min read
Additional contributions by Garrett Zatlin
One of the most historic track and field meets in the United States is set to begin on Thursday in Walnut, California. And yes, I am of course talking about the Mt. SAC Relays.
With the Bryan Clay Invitational taking place at the same time, this weekend feels like the unofficial ramping-up of the 2022 outdoor track season.
Believe it or not, there aren’t actually any more relays at Mt. SAC than a traditional meet, at least not for the collegiates. However, some of the nation’s top amateurs will be matched up with professionals as they chase quick times in what should be optimal weather.
Here are the five key distance races to keep an eye on...
Top West & Midwest Talents Collide in Men’s 800 Meters
The men’s 800 meters is arguably the deepest field of all the distance races in this meet. There are five individual NCAA medalists in this race and several others who have competed in this distance or in a relay at the NCAA Championships.
Few athletes are on a better hot streak right now than Texas’ Jonathan Jones. The Longhorn star will be the man to beat amongst collegiates after finishing his first collegiate 800 meter race ever just over two months ago in 1:46 and subsequently finishing runner-up in this event at the NCAA Indoor Championships back in March.
Nowadays, he owns the NCAA #1 outdoor 800 meter time with a mark of 1:45.
On paper, Jones can do no wrong. Yes, he is a bit inexperienced compared to a few other names in this field (like our next athlete who we'll highlight), but he can also run absurdly fast times and still take down elite names.
After all, he has already beaten Texas Tech's Moad Zahafi this season.
The lone collegiate joining Jones in this invitational heat is Notre Dame’s Samuel Voelz, a Fighting Irish veteran who placed 6th at the Olympic Trials last summer with a 1:45.54 mark. However, Voelz has not finished as an All-American in the last two track season (2022 indoors and 2021 outdoors).
If he can again hang with some of the top professionals and with Jones, then Voelz has the talent to emerge as the top collegiate in this field and potentially the holder of the NCAA #1 time after this weekend. His indoor track season was fine, but it wasn't fully reflective of his actual capabilities.
On paper, he's due for a major performance and this field, in theory, should give him the best opportunity to return to an elite tier of competitiveness.
The man with the highest ceiling in the top non-invite heat is likely Iowa State's Jason Gomez. He is one of the most fascinating names who is set to toe the line this weekend.
Gomez, who was an indoor All-American in 2021, is trying to rebound from a rough start to 2022. His indoor track season certainly left us something to be desired.
However, a recent 1:47 season opener, en route to a win over teammate Darius Kipyego who also ran 1:47 (and is also in this field), last weekend was extremely encouraging. Another big-time performance here would validate the idea that Gomez is truly "back" as an elite name in the NCAA's 800 meter field this year.
Also in the fastest non-invite heat are two pairs of talented teammates.
Arkansas’ Kieran Taylor and Leroy Russell both ran 1:47 during indoors and are capable of running new personal bests if they hang on to the leaders (whoever that may be) for long enough.
Taylor, admittedly, is more experienced, but Russell's recent surge this past winter was just as encouraging. In our opinion, he might still have more to offer this spring.
Joining that Fayetteville duo are Michigan’s Cole Johnson and Miles Brown. The latter is a true freshman and the indoor 800 meter school record holder...but not by much. The former is an established veteran whose sudden improvements this season were validated with an All-American finish.
It also doesn't hurt that Johnson recently secured a clutch 1:48 win over a quietly loaded field at the Duke Invitational. Momentum is absolutely on his side, and he's proven that he can hold his own in elite fields.
However, this Mt. SAC field has to be viewed as a major challenge.
Taylor, Johnson, Brown and Gomez, on a good day, are all capable of winning this heat. While less consistent, Brown and Gomez have the top-end talent to keep it close while Taylor and Johnson have the tactical savvy to capitalize on any mistakes and put themselves in a position to win.
It would hardly be a shock if one or two of those guys end up running in the 1:46 range and enter the current NCAA outdoor top-10.
There is also a large contingent of sub-1:50 athletes in this meet outside of those top heats.
The next fastest heat is headlined by Notre Dame veterans Bashir Mosavel-Lo and Tim Zepf, Division Two stalwart Dennis Mbuta (Grand Valley State), as well as true freshmen John Lester (Stanford) and Antonio Abrego (Iowa).
Mosavel-Lo, the most heralded name of that group, could use a big race to rebuild his confidence after a respectable, but unexciting, indoor track season. Mbuta could also show-out for the Division Two landscape, and the freshmen could confirm their status' as "names to watch" in the near future, emerging as likely NCAA Outdoor Championship qualifiers.
Final Predictions (collegiates only, all heats included)
Jonathan Jones (Texas) -- Invite
Kieran Taylor (Arkansas) -- Heat 7
Jason Gomez (Iowa State) -- Heat 7
Cole Johnson (Michigan) -- Heat 7
Samuel Voelz (Notre Dame) -- Invite
Miles Brown (Michigan) -- Heat 7
Leroy Russell III (Arkansas) -- Heat 7
Antonio Abrego (Iowa) -- Heat 6
Top Athletes From All Disciplines Compete in Women’s 5k
Since Taylor Roe emerged as a national champion in the women’s 3000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, she has finally gotten the respect that she’s long deserved as one of the most explosive and talented athletes in the NCAA from the mile up to the 6k during cross country.
Her collegiate debut in the 5000 meters should, in theory, be a perfect distance for her. Her debut will also be the biggest story of this race. However, depending on who you ask, the Cowgirl superstar may not even be the collegiate favorite.
Roe will be up against a number of professionals who should help her to a fast time, including Olympic double-qualifier Karissa Schweizer. However, the women who will give us the best relative gauge of Roe's 5k capabilities are those in the collegiate ranks.
Foremost amongst them is Arkansas’ Lauren Gregory who earned All-American honors in the 3000 meters and the 5000 meters this past winter.
Oh, and she also holds the NCAA #1 mark in the 10,000 meters this season.
Or perhaps the collegiate favorite in this race is Colorado’s Abby Nichols, a veteran who didn’t compete during indoors due to exhausted eligibility. However, she holds the NCAA #1 time in the 5000 meters this spring with a jaw-dropping mark of 15:27.
The firepower doesn’t stop there. Alabama’s Mercy Chelangat, who earned bronze in the 5000 meters at NCAA Indoor Championships this past winter, and won an individual cross country national title in March of 2021, holds the fastest collegiate PR in this field at 15:17.
While the Alabama distance ace may have the most aerobic-based strength in this field, if it turns into a kicker’s race, she may be at a disadvantage. That, however, seems unlikely given the women who are in this field.
In other words, it's more likely than not that Chelangat will post a fast time at Mt. SAC. In fact, this field may favor her more than anyone else.
The craziest part in all of this is that we haven’t even gotten to Minnesota’s Bethany Hasz who has a similar resume as Chelangat. She's a four-time All-American with top 5000 meter and cross country credentials.
Hasz had a very solid and very respectable indoor track season this past winter, but it also wasn't her best. She did not qualify for the indoor national meet. Luckily, this race is primed to get Hasz back to her elite level of fitness that we know she's capable of reaching.
Yes, her 10k performance at the Raleigh Relays left something to be desired, but she is certainly capable of doing so much more, especially in her ideal distance.
Stanford’s Lucy Jenks and Christina Aragon are the other names to watch in the top heat. Jenks has yet to compete at a national meet on the track, but she recently ran well under 16:00 at this distance (15:41) while Aragon is an established talent in the 1500 meters and mile.
Aragon has also run well for 3000 meters in the past and will test how her high-level ability translates to a longer race. As for Jenks, this is a major opportunity for her to not only validate her fitness with another fast time, but being able to mix it up with the veterans in this field will be another great gauge of her fitness.
Storylines abound -- Gregory, Chelangat and Hasz have had the most postseason success at this distance, Nichols will look to defend and improve upon her NCAA-leading time and Roe has arguably as high of a ceiling as any woman in the country at this distance.
And that’s before mentioning the women in heat two.
Minnesota's Megan Hasz has an argument to be in the top heat with her 15:39 PR. She’ll still be able to push herself against versatile Arkansas talent in Isabel Van Camp, as well as Razorback rookie Sydney Thorvaldson, who has lived up to her pedigree this season as an elite high school recruit.
Final Predictions (collegiates only, all heats included)
Lauren Gregory (Arkansas) -- Heat 1
Abby Nichols (Colorado) -- Heat 1
Taylor Roe (Oklahoma State) -- Heat 1
Mercy Chelangat (Alabama) -- Heat 1
Bethany Hasz (Minnesota) -- Heat 1
Lucy Jenks (Stanford) -- Heat 1
Megan Hasz (Minnesota) -- Heat 2
Sydney Thorvaldson (Arkansas) -- Heat 2
Men’s 5k is Wide Open, But Does Not Lack Talent
In some respects, the men’s 5000 meters is no different than the women’s 5000 meters. It features top collegiates in an invitational field and has big-time talents overflowing into the open heats.
Although, depending on who you ask, the men's 5k doesn’t quite match-up in terms of top-end firepower...but it's not that far off, either.
Like the women’s race, there is no clear-cut favorite, but the man who is having the most success of late is Oklahoma State’s Alex Maier. The rising Cowboy star has established himself near the top of the NCAA in everything from the mile to the 10,000 meters.
However, the 5000 meters, at which he’s run 13:25, is probably his best distance.
Maier will have his work cut out for him as he tries to defeat a number of established NCAA stars. BYU’s Casey Clinger has as much (or more) talent as anyone in this field with a 3:38 mark for 1500 meters and several All-American cross country finishes.
However, Clinger didn't qualify for the indoor national meet this past winter on the track and has raced sparingly this year.
A big performance could establish Clinger as one of the NCAA's top names this outdoor track season, and he’s certainly capable of living up to that hype. After all, we recently saw him drop a monster 28:16 mark for 10,000 meters at the Stanford Invite, beating Alex Maier in that same race.
BYU teammate Brandon Garnica has run 13:26 for 5000 meters, but has had some consistency challenges in the past, specifically in the postseason. That, however, doesn't make him any less talented. Garnica is just as good as some of the men in this field and often thrives in elite, high-level fields that are as loaded as this Mt. SAC field.
On paper, this is actually a field that very much benefits Garnica.
Minnesota's Alec Basten is a key name to watch. He's a top-flight steeplechaser who was an indoor All-American at this distance in 2021. He is incredibly consistent, seems to hold his own in strong fields and often peaks for the postseason.
After a promising steeplechase performance at the Raleigh Relays to start his season, Basten's fitness may be refined to the point where he could be a fairly big factor in this 5k race.
We also can't forget about Air Force’s Sam Gilman who ran 13:25 for 5000 meters this past winter to reach the NCAA Indoor Championships. On paper, he's just as versatile and explosiveness as a few other names in this field. Don't forget, this is someone who beat Wesley Kiptoo in a sub-7:50 race for 3000 meters just a few months ago, so we know he's capable of defeating star-caliber men.
Oklahoma State’s Isai Rodriguez, a three-time All-American all on the grass, is another key name to consider in this race. He has seemingly rebounded from a winter car accident incredibly well, running as fast as 13:43 at the BIG 12 Indoor Championships.
Do we think Rodriguez will be in contention to win this race? Probably not. He's much better on the grass than he is on the oval. He's also better in the 10k than he is in the 5k. Even so, Rodriguez often holds his own against top competition. Don't be surprised if this field brings him to a new PR given that his current personal best is a 13:41.
Colton Johnsen of Washington State is a major dark horse to finish as a top-three collegiate given his versatility and speed. He’s another athlete due for a bounce back performance after leaving the NCAA Indoor Championships without an All-American finish.
Johnsen, on paper, offers the greatest range and the best athleticism in this field. He consistently runs some of the nation's fastest times and is typically in the mix with some of the NCAA's best distance runners. However, trying to translate that talent to an All-American finish is something that he's still looking to deliver on.
Rounding out the field is Colorado Mines’ Jake Mitchem, Michigan’s Devin Meyrer and Oklahoma State’s Shea Foster, four men who are all capable of running in the 13:30s if they haven’t already.
Unbelievably, the second-fastest 5k heat is nearly as hot, headlined by names like Alabama’s Hillary Cheruiyot, Grand Valley State’s Isaac Harding and Tanner Chada, Iowa State’s Ezekiel Kibichii, Stanford’s Devin Hart, Southern Utah’s Nate Osterstock and Oklahoma State’s Ryan Schoppe.
Depending on who you ask, someone could make a very strong argument for that second group being stronger than the bottom-half of the invitational 5k field. Don't sleep on that second section.
NOTE: Alabama's Victor Kiprop was originally in the entries, but it appears that he has since been removed from the performance list. For that reason, we have omitted his name from our meet preview.
Final Predictions (collegiates only, all heats included)
Alex Maier (Oklahoma State) -- Heat 1
Casey Clinger (BYU) -- Heat 1
Brandon Garnica (BYU) -- Heat 1
Alec Basten (Minnesota) -- Heat 1
Sam Gilman (Air Force) -- Heat 1
Colton Johnsen (Washington State) -- Heat 1
Hillary Cheruiyot (Alabama) -- Heat 2
Ryan Schoppe (Oklahoma State) -- Heat 2
NCAA Titans Converge in Women’s Steeplechase
The women’s steeplechase does not have the same depth that the other top-end distance events at Mt. SAC boast. However, these field do feature some of the biggest names in the NCAA right now.
BYU's Courtney Wayment is the overwhelmingly clear favorite, collegiately, in this invitational field. She just won an indoor 5k title, has the NCAA #2 time in the 1500 meters this spring and is extremely experienced in this event.
This veteran superstar has not given us any reason to doubt her and after last year's personal best of 9:23 during the Olympic Trials, it's hard to imagine a scenario where she's not the top collegiate in this field barring a fall.
Could she emerge with the overall win? Yes, that's certainly possible, although pro athletes like Val Constien and Grayson Murphy, the former being a recent Olympian, will not simply turnover the win to Wayment.
Wayment, however, will still have to watch out for Colorado’s Madison Boreman who is due for a major PR soon in her signature event after breaking out in a big way during indoors en route to winning the PAC-12 title and earning All-American honors in the mile.
Boreman has a ton of momentum under her belt and it feels realistic to suggest that she can improve upon current 9:46 personal best, especially in this kind of field...but by how much?
Minnesota’s Abby Kohut-Jackson is also a steeplechase specialist who has made big improvements in both cross country and the mile this academic year. She is looking for her first All-American finish on the track and is certainly capable of doing so this year.
Kohut-Jackson is far better than some people realize, but this will still be a good gauge to figure out how far in that All-American campaign she sits.
Michigan’s Alice Hill does not quite have the same level of credentials as these other top steeplechasers, but she’s a great veteran runner with some nice speed to boot. She could find herself toward the top-half of the field in a perfect scenario.
Wayment will be looking to establish her dominance over the rest of the NCAA, Boreman will likely be looking to finish close to Wayment and both Kohut-Jackson and Hill will be aiming for top national times to set them up for individual runs at a BIG 10 title.
Final Predictions (collegiates only, all heats included)
Courtney Wayment (BYU)
Madison Boreman (Colorado)
Abby Kohut-Jackson (Minnesota)
Alice Hill (Michigan)
Lexy Halladay (BYU)
Men’s 1500 Offers Key Opportunity For Underrated Names
The men’s 1500 meter race at the Mt. SAC Relays is hardly the deepest field in the meet, but it could prove to be one of the most important races by the week's end.
This event has been relatively underwhelming to open this 2022 outdoor track season despite a historic number of NCAA athletes dipping under the 4:00 barrier during indoors.
There are, however, a few under-the-radar athletes contesting this event who are more than capable of sitting in the NCAA's top-five this time next week. That, admittedly, is only because seven men have broken 3:40 thus far, something that will likely change after this weekend beyond just Mt. SAC.
Even so, one of those names is Michigan’s Tom Dodd, is an experienced miler who is featured in this field. While chasing the professionals in this race, Dodd could make a run for the NCAA #1 mark of 3:38.34, especially with teammate Nick Foster, a 3:58 miler, at his side.
The other top collegiate in the invitational field is doubling back from the 5000 meters. That man is the aforementioned Sam Gilman. He has 3:40 for 1500 meters and could very well find himself on the other side of that 3:40 mark if he has enough energy carried over from the 5k.
Don't forget, Gilman ran a converted 3:57 mile during the indoor track season.
In the non-invite field, Washington State’s Colton Johnsen (also racing the 5000 meters) and Zach Stallings are more than capable of something in the 3:39ish range after running times in the mile during indoors that translate to a similar effort.
No one would be surprised if these two runners went under 3:40, although how far under that barrier they go is what could really capture our interest.
Despite all of that, the biggest wild card in this race may be California's Garrett MacQuiddy.
The sophomore was a talented, but unheralded recruit lost in the shuffle of California’s morass of youth talent a few years back. That, however, didn't stop the sophomore from quietly posting a 4:01 mile time during indoors and then finishing as the top collegiate at the Stanford Invitational 1500 meters in early April with a 3:41 mark.
Given his trajectory and recent momentum, MacQuiddy is a very real dark horse contender to win the collegiate section at Mt. SAC. He should improve his PR at the very least.
Final Predictions (collegiates only, all heats included)
Tom Dodd (Michigan) -- Invite
Zach Stallings (Washington State) -- Heat 1
Garrett MacQuiddy (California) -- Heat 4
Colton Johnsen (Washington State) -- Heat 1
Nick Foster (Michigan) -- Invite
Sam Gilman (Air Force) -- Invite
Adam Moore (Wichita State) -- Heat 4
Bennett Pascoe (Arkansas State) -- Heat 4
