By: Michael Weidenbruch, Ben Weisel, Sean Collins, Sam Ivanecky Garrett Zatlin We weren't going to bore you with a traditional recap, so we got the TSR crew back together again and gave you some of our thoughts from the national meet. General takeaways from Nationals? Garrett: Let’s start with the men. For me, I can’t help but think that Grant Fisher should realistically have at least two or three national titles on his career resume (instead of one). He first had to go through Justyn Knight and now he has to deal with Morgan McDonald. He’s also been a bit unlucky in his final kicks which is odd considering he may have some of the most underrated finishing speed in the country. Ben: It is unbelievable to me that Fisher doesn’t have more titles. It seemed like he was destined to win multiple titles in track and cross country. Is he is the best ever to only win one title? Michael: My biggest takeaway is that Joe Klecker is the real deal. He has had some impressive track performances in previous years and ran a very aggressive race at NCAA XC this past fall which paid off for him. He went for it in both the 5k and the 3k this weekend and came away with 2nd and 3rd place finishes behind the two best distance runners in the NCAA right now. In my predictions, I had Klecker getting 4th in both races, but he exceeded that. He’s definitely on my watch list for the 5k title outdoors, although he will face the same competition. The DMR finishes between Nuguse and Fisher were also one that I think will go down as one of the most exciting ever. Garrett: Agreed on Klecker, dude was incredibly impressive. One of the most underrated performers of the weekend. Sean: I guess I shouldn’t be surprised be this, since it happens every year, but my biggest takeaway is always how ridiculous the DMR lineups are compared to the qualifying teams. Every year, it feels like two or three teams qualify and then run a “B” lineup which is really sad. Would love to see deeper races with teams going all in or increase the number of teams to 16 so that the race for All-American is more competitive. Sam: Sean, I like your take on the "B" squads. It seems like deeper lineups across the board would produce a better result. What do you think of making teams run the same lineup they ran when they qualified for NCAA's (barring injury)? Sean: I don’t love requiring teams to run the same lineup as their qualifying team, because moving away from the six-person relay pool is far too difficult. I’d rather them open it up to more teams and see how those additional four teams impact the race. For example, the women’s teams would have been Ohio State, Stanford, Texas, and Michigan State. All four probably would have gone all out in the relay considering their individual entries and their team ranking possibilities. Sam: This year’s NCAA meet epitomized everything track & field is about. The fans got a true spectacle of racing, showing the unpredictable finishes and exciting competition that can be great for growing the sport. Both mile races were complete surprises for the vast majority of folks (myself included) and although McDonald came away with two wins (as expected), both were close to the finish. Oh, and the DMR’s were crazy as usual. Ben: In one of the deepest 800 fields, it wasn’t the American collegiate record holder who took home the title. Instead, it was Bryce Hoppel who paced himself perfectly to track down Marco Arop to earn the win. I can’t wait for outdoors to see how fast Arop, Dixon, and Hoppel all run. The mile also must be mentioned as Hoare was a lock in my opinion, but Beamish and Comber ran perfect races to take down the favorite. Garrett: The women’s 800 was also wildly fun to watch. It felt like anyone could come away with the national title and it certainly seemed that way when Nia Akins was nearing the finish. Overall, it was a great effort from every woman in the final of this race. This is likely one of the most underrated half-mile fields we’ve seen for the women in quite some time. Michael: On the women’s side, the chaos of the mile shows how stacked the event is right now (along with most other events). Rizk’s upset is one thing, but the 2-8 finishers crossed the line all in the span of 1.1 seconds. Some of the best talent in the NCAA wasn’t even in there either. Dani Jones and Jessica Hull would have certainly been factors as well had they been running. Ben: While all of the women’s races were great, you could definitely feel Dani Jones’ absence. She most likely would have won the mile and it would have been awesome to see her fight down the stretch with Hull and Birk at the end of the DMR. Where does the Beamish upset rank for you in recent memory (for the men)? Garrett: Jordy Williamsz over Cheserek at the Penn Relays was a pretty big upset, but maybe not more significant than when Tiernan won the XC national title over Cheserek back in 2016. Still, both of those men were at a super high level and had proven themselves on multiple occasions. Beamish has never actually run a mile faster than 4:06 which is absolutely mind-numbing to think about. It’s also ironic that the guy who upset the best miler in 2018 (Hoare) was the best miler in 2019 and was upset by a new name. Sam: I agree with the Tiernan take. That was completely unexpected. Another would be Kerr taking down Cheserek in the mile indoors as a freshman. This was only a year after Cheserek ran his crazy triple and at the time he looked untouchable. Beamish had a crazy run, but I didn’t feel like anyone in this field was as much of a lock as Cheserek was before Kerr dethroned him. Ben : The Williamsz win over Cheserek is a cult classic that I am willing to watch on repeat for weeks, but I tend to agree with Sam and Garrett that the Tiernan title was more impressive. Tiernan beat Cheserek at his own game while Williamsz and Kerr took it to Ches in the mile. I think the Beamish upset ranks behind the Kerr upset because of how shocking it was to see Ches lose, but I might rank it above the Williamsz upset. Sean: I think the most interesting thing about Beamish’s upset was that Beamish upset the entire field, not just the favorite. Tiernan was a top five contender and Villanova was expected to challenge Oregon in that Penn Relays 4xMile. Beamish beating Hoare was an upset. Beamish beating Mau was an upset. Beamish beating Villarreal was an upset. Beamish beating Suliman was an upset. You can just keep going down the list of people in the race of who Beamish was not supposed to beat. In the other examples given above, the upsets were between the second best and the best. This is just different. Garrett: I also think we can’t leave out Ben Flanagan’s 10k win last spring. That was also pretty wild. Sam: Flanagan winning is definitely my biggest upset in recent memory. That was insane. Could we consider Cheserek beating Kithuka as a major upset? Michael: To be honest, I don’t see this as that major of an upset. Beamish may have a much slower PR than everyone else in that field, but if anything, his win just tells me that the altitude conversions are legit. I, for one, counted Beamish out as a contender, but as soon as I saw him go to the front I knew he had a chance. I was surprised to see Hoare lose the race, but Flanagan’s 10k and even Andy Trouard’s win over Knight in the 3k last year stand out to me a bit more. Beamish was the NCAA leader for a while after all. Ben: I think it is easy to think that the Beamish win wasn’t a big upset in hindsight because he ran such a fast (converted) time earlier in the season. That said, no one expected Beamish to compete for a podium spot, much less the win. If someone was going to beat Hoare, I expected it to be Villarreal or one of the Ducks. I think Flanagan’s upset was as surprising as the Beamish's win. The Ches win over Kithuka, while surprising, wasn’t as crazy to think about before the race. Where does the Rizk win rank for you in recent memory upsets (for the women)? Sam: Personally, while I did not expect Rizk to win, it wasn’t really that much of an upset. She came in with the #5 fastest time in the NCAA this year and three of the four women ahead of her opted for other events. Garrett: Would have to agree with you there, Sam. She ran 4:32 two weeks before the national meet, but it seems like everyone thought she couldn’t make any noise on the national stage (we were wrong). That said, I’m not sure I can think of another recent upset of this magnitude with the (possible) exception of Dani Jones winning the cross country national title this past fall. Sean: Who knew who Julia Rizk was before 2019 though? Ben: I did not. Garrett: That’s a fair point, it truly just depends on how you look at her season from start to finish. Entering the season, if someone told me that she would win the mile title, I would have said no way. After BIG 10’s, it wasn’t the craziest assertion. Sean: Rizk had never made a NCAA Championship meet before this one. What Ohio State and Rizk did this season was an incredible way for them to put themselves on the map. Once Rizk made the meet, her win was not an upset at all. However, I don’t think we would have even picked Rizk for the BIG 10 top eight in the mile at the beginning of the season. Michael: This may seem to go against my thoughts on Beamish’s performance, but I think this is one of the bigger upsets in recent years. Rizk certainly came in with a fast time, but she seems to have been much more unknown on the national scene than many of the “underdogs” we’ve seen win in recent years. Sam : Out of curiosity, who were we considering the favorite going in? The only woman ahead of her was Michigan’s Hannah Meier who ran her personal best in the same race as Rizk and hadn’t broken 4:40 until this season. Garrett: Hannah Meier? Lauren Gregory? Maybe Karisa Nelson depending on who you ask. I don’t think there was a clear-cut favorite, but I’m not sure I would have put Rizk among the nation’s top three entering the meet. I think a lot of people (including myself) put too much stock into Meier’s conference win, but we can’t discount the fact that the Michigan veteran made so much progress in 2019. Ben: I thought Nelson had the win with about two laps to go, so I was surprised to see Rizk pull out the win. She definitely was a surprise winner, but after BIG 10’s, it seemed realistic that she could win the title. Can Notre Dame now be considered as a powerhouse? Sam: I would say no to Notre Dame on the basis that you have to be in contention over multiple events/distances to be considered a powerhouse. Notre Dame won the DMR, but they lacked a presence in other events. Sure, many of the guys on that relay team could have been in contention for other events, but I think they need more depth to be a “powerhouse”. Sean: Are the Syracuse men a powerhouse team? Garrett: That is a great question and it depends on who you ask because everyone has a different definition as to what a powerhouse is...but sure, Syracuse is a powerhouse. Sean: Notre Dame is a powerhouse if Syracuse is one. Notre Dame has had two great seasons on the men’s side that I would say mimic the general trajectory of Justyn Knight’s impact on the Syracuse men. Syracuse even had better years before that with Martin Hehir and others. If you don’t think the Syracuse men are a powerhouse (a reasonable answer in my book), then I don’t think you can give that to Notre Dame. Michael: I would definitely consider Notre Dame to be a powerhouse program. They may not have had much depth in terms of entries in this meet, but they are a team that will be high on my radar this year going into next year. They are certainly not a dynasty , but I don’t think long-term success is as important when considering powerhouse status. If Nuguse had chosen to run the mile, I think he would have finished well. The Irish have young talent with a lot of potential too, so I’ll be watching for them in cross country this fall. Garrett: I’m saying yes. I don’t know what else they need to do to get to that status. After the Fighting Irish upset the Orange for the conference title in cross country, they came back to win the national title in the DMR after finishing 2nd the year prior. That said, I would like Notre Dame to find an identity that is more than just Yared Nuguse. Still, Kilrea and Jacobs seem like they will develop into true low-sticks for this team. Plus, they have another monster recruiting class on the way! It's hard for me to say no... Ben: I don’t think we can call them a powerhouse. Syracuse won a national title in cross country in addition to having Justyn Knight win multiple individual titles. Plus, they had All-Americans in other events such as Colin Bennie and Martin Hehir. Syracuse had depth to go along with top-end talent which made them a powerhouse. Notre Dame didn’t have anyone competing for an All-American spot, much less an individual title, and had only one All-American in cross country. Sam: Syracuse has also been to a cross country national meet for ten straight years now, including a national title in 2015 and a 3rd place finish in 2016…Plus, Bennie and Knight were strong performers on the track at NCAA's. Ben: They could become a powerhouse, but they aren’t there yet.

Beamish and Rizk pull off massive upsets A guy with a personal best mile of 4:06 just won the national title. Yes, you read that correctly. Northern Arizona's Geordie Beamish pulled off one of the year's biggest upsets as he took down Wisconsin's Oliver Hoare for the gold medal. Remember in our article from earlier in the week where we said that Hoare had the greatest chance of anyone to bring home a national title? Looks like we were wrong. Instead, he will return to Madison without a single gold medal. Surprising would be an understatement. Regardless, we have to credit Beamish with making one of the smartest tactical moves of the entire meet. He knew that his endurance was his biggest strength and that starting his kick early would be better than waiting. Looks like it paid off for him... We should also give some credit to Villanova's Casey Comber who showed incredible poise in the first national meet (on the track) of his career. Finishing runner-up to also take down Hoare is wildly impressive and it goes to show that he has far more speed than we originally thought. As we turn to the women, there may not have been anyone more disrespected by the TSR crew than Julia Rizk. The Ohio State ace ran 4:32 at the BIG 10 Championships, but lost to Hannah Meier in that race by less than .4 seconds. For some reason, that result instantly catapulted Meier into the national title conversation while Rizk was left as an afterthought. Of course, Rizk changed that narrative with a brilliant move on the final turn which put her ahead of Karisa Nelson for the win and left us scratching our heads as to why no one had her finishing higher than 5th. Hoppel thrives, Dixon falters Hoppel and Dixon let us know before the final that the pace was going to be fast from the gun, but only one of them seemed prepared to handle the heat. Dixon took the first 200 out in 24 seconds and led the group through 400 meters in 51 seconds. Unfortunately for Dixon, he was unable to keep that pace and eventually faltered to 4th. It depends on who you ask, but it seems like this is yet another championship meet where Dixon has underperformed relative to expectations. However, Bryce Hoppel did use the fast pace to his advantage as he crept his way to the front over the final two laps and simply pulled away from a field that could not catch him. The consistent performances, rapid improvement, and numerous wins were all sign that he would be in the title conversation. Sure enough, he did just that. Rivers cuts it close, Akins surprises The final 100 meters of this race was absolutely wild. It was Monmouth's Allie Wilson holding the lead on the final curve, but (mistakenly?) let Penn's Nia Akins sneak through the inside lane. With 50 meters to go, Akins looked like she was in terrific position and was going to take home the win. However, Penn State's Danae Rivers had different plans as she swung off the curve and used her momentum to barely nip Akins at the line, 2:03.69 to 2:03.74. It was a beautifully executed race by both of these women. Hull displays absolute dominance, Monson struggles in 3k In our Group Chat articles from earlier in the week, I named Jessica Hull as the woman who had the greatest chance of taking home a gold medal this weekend. Unlike Oliver Hoare, my prediction was correct as she was the winner in both the DMR and 3000 meters. The Oregon senior has developed a kick that simply cannot be matched by her collegiate competitors and it has given her an advantage in any race, fast or tactical. As for Monson, she struggled in the 3000 despite winning the 5000 meter title the night before. She simply looked too tired to compete with a top group that made sporadic surges throughout the race. It wasn't her best performance, but she will undoubtedly be a problem for her opponents once again come outdoors. McDonald establishes himself as top dog in Fisher rivalry First it was Fisher vs Knight, now it is Fisher vs McDonald. The media (which includes us) loves to artificially create rivalries among the nation's best and this year was no different. However, unlike Fisher and Knight, the best runner in this rivalry seems obvious. McDonald has developed not only strength, but also speed, that seemingly no one in the country can match. McDonald is now 2-1 against Fisher in the 2018-2019 academic calendar. That one win gap could either expand or disappear depending on how the outdoor season goes, but right now it's hard to bet against McDonald. He is simply at another level and there's not much more you could ask Fisher to do. Brandt is now a 3x All-American...and an 8th place machine UCLA's Robert Brandt was 8th in last year's outdoor 10k, 8th in the 5k this past Friday, and 8th in the 3k on Saturday. Is this guy the best 8th place finisher NCAA history? All jokes aside, Brandt has made solid improvements when it comes to consistency. He's clearly a lot stronger and can handle a larger workload better than ever before (which is typically what comes with experience).

Paladino advances to final despite tough fall The first prelim of the women's mile was going just about how you would expect it to go...until the final lap. As the top pack entered the back straightaway, Oregon's Susan Ejore was spiked from the runner in front of her, causing her to lose her balance and bring down Paladino who was right behind her. There was nothing either of the women could do except to pick themselves back up and sprint back across the line. Paladino still posted a respectable 4:40 mark, but she ended up as the first woman out of the final. Luckily for Paladino, the NCAA officials accepted her protest and advanced her to the finals. It would have been a massive loss for invested distance running fans around the country who expected the Providence veteran to be a top contender. She is a heavy favorite to earn a spot on the podium. Stanovsek, Knevelbaard fail to make mile finals There are always a few surprises misses when it comes to top names who fail to make the final. After following Coach Powell from Oregon to Washington, Stanovsek was likely hoping that his second go at the indoor national meet would yield a different result. Although he didn't fall this time, his race tactics were still not enough to put him in the final on day two. As for Knevelbaard, he was on our radar for a heavy portion of the season. His mix of speed and endurance, along with his experience, made him an appealing contender for this year's national meet. Unfortunately for him, it just wasn't his day. He lacked the proper positioning to make effective moves at the right time, forcing him to race from the back of the pack. The Oregon men also surprised me as neither Reed Brown nor Blake Haney (both previously All-Americans) made the finals. Instead, it was the least experienced Duck (Charlie Hunter) making it to day two. Kelati avoids DQ despite blatant false start New Mexico's Weini Kelati posted a strong 2nd place finish in the women's 5000 meters, but what was arguably just as interesting was that she nearly got disqualified. The sophomore blatantly false started before the gun went off, but was only shown a yellow card (a warning) by the officials. While I am certainly glad that she got to race, you can't help but wonder why she wasn't DQ'd. In nearly all sprint events, the guilty party would have been asked to step off the track and subsequently disqualified. The inconsistent consequences between events has me scratching my head. Heppenstall earns seventh consecutive All-American honor; Perretta wins appeal to advance to the final The Wake Forest star was at the very back of the pack with a lap to go. Yet, slowly but surely, he crept his way up to the front and finished with a guaranteed qualifying spot to the finals. As a result, he will earn his seventh straight All-American finish on Saturday as long as he doesn't finish last (since it will be a nine man final). Regardless, the master tactician continues to impress, especially when he was still out of position with 70 meters to go in an extremely stacked preliminary heat. As for Domenic Perretta, his All-American hopes stayed alive after he was tripped up on the final curve of his preliminary heat. It's difficult to say whether or not Perretta would have been able to do enough in that final 100 meters to earn a spot on the line for day two. Nonetheless, his prayers were answered and he will survive to race another day. Quick thoughts on the men's DMR... - It was no fluke. The Fighting Irish and Yared Nuguse are the real deal after winning the national title. True freshman Dylan Jacobs held his own as well. - Stanford potentially wins the DMR title if Fisher waits to kick...but others will disagree. - Georgetown gets 3rd thanks to a heroic 3:57 anchor leg from Nicholas Wareham. It may be the most underrated performance of day one. - Indiana (4th), Iowa State (5th), and Arkansas (6th) showed that having a well-rounded squad will at least put you on the podium. However, despite the great opening leg from Festus Lagat, Iowa State should have switched him and Curts on the anchor (but that's an argument for another day). - Teams who had athletes doubling or used relay substitutes struggled. Wisconsin, Ole Miss, Oregon, Washington, and Texas took spots 7th through 11th. - Illinois' ran well enough to get into the national meet, but they needed the right pieces to put Davis in a good position and unfortunately that just didn't happen for them. Quick thoughts on the women's DMR... - Susan Ejore avenges her fall in the mile prelims on the 800 leg which effectively sealed the deal once Jessica Hull got the baton. - BYU, Oklahoma State, and Villanova all thrived due to solid performances from each of their four legs. Their anchors held their own and kept things competitive. - Arkansas (5th) was saved by a huge 4:30 split from a fresh Taylor Werner. - No one on Michigan ran incredibly well, but they still pulled out a 6th place finish which just goes to show how crucial it is to have depth across all four legs. - Washington's 7th place finish is relatively strong considering that they didn't have Katie Rainsberger on their relay. - Indiana did enough to sneak into the final All-American spot, but they clearly didn't have enough mid-distance star power to elevate them to a better finish. - Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Kansas, and Boise State called in their "B" lineups which explains why they failed to get on the podium.

Men's 3k - Elliott Portillo Women's 3k - Garrett Zatlin Men's 5k - Quenten Lasseter Women's 5k - Quenten Lasseter Men's DMR - John Cusick Women's DMR - John Cusick A quick message from your TSR Admin The Division Two National Championships are set to take place tomorrow and The Stride Report crew couldn't be more pumped. Our D2 admin John Cusick will be on-site (in Kansas) tomorrow and Saturday with a media pass sporting the blue TSR t-shirt. He'll also be snapping some pictures and taking over our Instagram for the weekend (assuming his phone battery doesn't die in five minutes). If you see him at the meet, be sure to say hi! In other news, our official predictions for both the Division One and Division Two national meets are now live on the site! You can see all of our All-American picks by clicking the link here. We will likely be keeping you updated on our draft picks as well as our predictions throughout the weekend and potentially offering up some reaction articles after each day of competition. So hang tight! We've got more content coming your way this weekend. Finally, if you haven't already, be sure to enter our D1 prediction contest! The winners of the men's and women's contest will receive a free TSR t-shirt. Just enter your top eight picks for the distance events and press submit. It's that easy! Alright, let's get to the previews... 3000 (Men) The NCAA Division II men’s 3k may be one of the most anticipated distance races of the weekend. The last individual event of the championship meet definitely looks like it may pack the biggest punch as a handful of athletes seek to solidify the end of their indoor collegiate careers with a hard earned victory at the highest level before heading to outdoors. The top names in this event have been here before, and will know just what it takes to come out on top. Behind them, a deep and lethal field looks to make a statement, and perhaps even come away with an upset when everything is said and done. If we take a look at just seed times alone, three individuals automatically stand out. Sydney Gidabuday and Elias Gedyon are the only two entries in the field with times under the eight minute barrier. Gidabuday ran his time of 7:54.5 at the end of January at the Dr. Sander’s Challenge, while Gedyon ran his 7:58.63 in early December at the ASU Early Grizzly Open. His time comes from an 8:28.71 conversion due to Alamosa’s location at 7,500 feet above sea-level (which is definitely an impressive feat) Zach Panning of Grand Valley State also has a strong case for the crown after running his 8:01.12 at the GVSU Big Meet on February 8th. Of the three, Panning’s time is the most recent, which may help in terms of confidence going into this weekend. Behind the titular trio lies a field ripe with athletes with legitimate podium hopes. Josh Hoskinson comes in ranked #4 in this field with a time of 8:08, nearly seven seconds behind Panning, but still well within podium-shot, especially if the pace goes tactical as many championship races are prone to. The Colorado contingency only grows from there, as four of the next five fastest seeds hail from yet another RMAC institution. Charlie Sweeney of Western Colorado is the only freshman in the field, but could make some serious noise as well when all is said and done. He is joined by his teammate Taylor Stack, who looks like a quality candidate to take control of the RMAC once Gidabuday and Gedyon graduate. Kale Adams is another one of the Adams State seniors looking to go out with a bang as well. Luke Julian and Luc Hagen of Colorado Mines, as well as Isaiah Rodarte of Adams State, also could make noise depending on how the race unfolds. Washburn junior Jacob Klemz is the highest seeded non-Coloradoan in the field with his 8:11.79. He is joined by the likes of Daniel Wallis of Queens (N.C.) and Victor Moreau of Academy of Art. All of these men sport times under 8:12 and all could potentially sneak into those coveted all-American positions. What will be the most interesting to see is how this race unfolds after all the racing that occurs beforehand. According to the start list, 13 of the 16 men entered in this race have at least one other race before, with some committed to multiple events preceding the 3k. Some guys such as Gidabuday, Panning, Stack, Hoskinson, Hagen, Klemz and Sweeney, will attempt to run the 5k the day before. On top of that, Gidabuday, Panning, Julian, Gedyon, Adams, Sweeney, Zach Lundberg of Sioux Falls, Rowan Doherty of Simon Fraser, and Austin Pasch of Minnesota State are all slated to run as members of their respective distance medley teams only 30 or so minutes after the 5k on Friday night. Scratches may definitely come into effect, which definitely opens up the rest of the field to take the victory. It also means that this 3000 meter race will be a test of which individuals can endure multiple races over a very short time. This definitely will play into the hands of the most experienced racers and could definitely lead to slow, tactical, championship style races. Regardless of what happens, the 3k could turn out to be a truly spectacular event to watch. All premonitions and preconceptions will be tossed aside once the athletes toe the line and the gun fires. 3000 (Women) The women's 3000 meter race will likely mirror the 5000 as the favorites for the national title are relatively similar. Alaska Anchorage's Caroline Kurgat is well ahead of the rest of the field by over 10 seconds with an NCAA leading time of 9:07 and will be racing with a target on her back. However, Roisin Flanagan of Adams State has proven to be a legitimate title contender on the track this year with a season best of 9:18 (which sits at NCAA #2). Kurgat may be the favorite, but she'll need another solid performance if she wants to beat Flanagan. Let's talk about the #3 seed Eilish Flanagan (Adams State) who has been just as good as her sister and even holds the #2 seed in the 5k. She's very consistent and could make the pace aggressive if Kurgat chooses not to. We could talk about the rest of this field in order, but it simply makes more sense to talk about all of the other Grizzlies in this race. Outside of the Flanagan sisters, Adams State is also fielding Tiffany Christensen, Kaylee Bogina, and Malena Grover. The crazy thing is that all five of these ASU women could finish as All-Americans. They are all experienced veterans with big meet experience on a powerhouse program. What's not to like? I'm a big fan of Leah Hanle (Mount Olive) and Allie Ludge (Grand Valley State). I think both of these women bring really impressive range to the table. If the race is tactical, both Hanle and Ludge have a chance to thrive. Expect them to pull a few surprise finishes. Gina Patters (Grand Valley State) has been a key leader on this Lakers team for quite some time now. She has put up strong performances in championship meets and I can't help but think that she'll do that again. Joining Patterson will be teammates Hanna Groeber, Jessica Gockley, and Stacey Metzger. I would not all be surprised to see Groeber find her way onto the podium. The race is expected to be fast and Groeber has seemingly done better in longer distance races where the pace is relatively honest. I like the U-Mary contingent as well. They will field Jaiden Schuette, Emily Roberts, and Ida Narbuvoll. Truthfully, it feels like almost anyone in this field could be an All-American and these ladies certainly fall into that category. That said, it's wild to think that none of our contributors opted to predict any of these women to finish in the top eight. Knowing their resumes and experience, they may prove us wrong. They know how to peak at the right time. One underrated name that hasn't earned as much attention this season is Colorado Mines' Chloe Cook who has posted some impressive performances. She is ranked #10 in both the mile and 3000 meters this season. That lethal mix of speed and endurance makes her a dangerous competitor. Eileen Stressling (Azuza Pacific) and Kennedy Rufener (Western Colorado) are two names that our writers are big fans of. They are a bit under the radar, but have continued to post strong result after strong result. No one picked Rufener to podium in the 3k, but her strength has allowed her to get through a handful of big-time races this season that were no shorter than 3000 meters. If anyone can double and succeed in the 3k, it's Rufener. Hannah Thompson (Malone) should take comfort in the fact that she is a veteran with range which is something that very few women can boast. She was a top 25 runner in the mile, 3k, and 5k this year and has shown that she can race with anyone in any event. She could quietly sneak her way onto the podium. As for Alexa Shindruk, the Central Washington senior doesn't necessarily have a mind-blowing resume that pops out at you. However, she is arguably the most consistent woman in this field. She has seemingly never had a bad race and you can look at her results if you don't believe me. If she's not posting a top mark, she's winning races. That's an underrated racing aspect that very few people recognize. 5000 (Men) The predominate favorite in the 5000 is Sydney Gidabuday of Adams State. The interesting aspect of Gidabuday is that he has only run the 5000 once this season. Not only has he run it only once, but it was actually three months ago at the ASU Early Grizzly Open which was held in December. At the ASU Early Grizzly Open, Gidabuday ran a converted time 13:52.50, which gives him the fastest time in the NCAA this year. We should not be too worried about the Adams State senior running the 5000 one time this season, because he ran a blazing fast mark of 7:54.77 at the Dr. Sander Columbia Challenge in January. Not to mention, Gidabuday also has an outdoor PR of 13:29.31 at the Bryan Clay Invitational in 2018. Needless to say, he's plenty fit. The man expected to give Gidabuday the most trouble in this event is Zach Panning of Grand Valley State. Panning has also run the 5000 once this season, but just like Gidabuday, he made it count. Panning ran a time of 13:58.19 at the GVSU Holiday Open in December. The senior from Grand Valley State has also run a fast time of 8:01.12 in the 3000 at the GVSU Big Meet in February, so expect Panning to be right there in the mix for the National Championship. Taylor Stack from Western Colorado had a very impressive outing at the RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, which was held at Adams State in Alamosa, CO. Stack won the 5000 over top competitors in the race with an unconverted time of 15:15.53. Entering the National Championships, Stack has the #3 fastest time of 14:06.65 which was run at the 2019 Husky Classic. Josh Hoskinson of Colorado Mines has only run the 5000 once this season at the Mines Alumni Classic & Multi. Hoskinson’s converted time of 14:08.73 ran at that meet puts him in great contention with the top group and could be a big sleeper pick for this weekend. Dalton Graham from Adams State had a breakthrough race at the 2019 Husky Classic, running a time of 14:09.25 and giving him the #5 fastest time entering the meet. It will be interesting to see how Graham will handle the big stage because just two weeks after his break out performance, Graham was just #13 overall in the 5000 at the RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Tom Goforth of Saginaw Valley opened his season in December with an impressive time of 14:10.89 at the GVSU Holiday Open. This was the only time Goforth has run the 5000 this season, but he's proven to be a top-tier contender at the longer distances. Luc Hagen is entering the NCAA National Championships with the 7th fastest time of 14:11.87. Hagen ran this converted time in the 5000 at the Mines Alumni Classic & Multi. Hagen recently placed 8th at the RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships with an unconverted time of 15:46.90. With the 8th fastest time entering the event is Jacob Klemz from Washburn. Klemz has run 14:12.49 at the GVSU Big Meet, this time is a huge improvement for Klemz as he ran 14:28.75 at the Mel Tjeerdsma Classic in December. Expect Klemz to lower his time at NCAAs. The start of Charlie Sweeney’s (Western Colorado) season was very impressive as he finished 4th in the 5000 with an unconverted time of 15:10.56 at the ASU Early Grizzly Open against heavy competition that included Sydney Gidabuday (Adams State) and teammate Taylor Stack. Continuing his success, Sweeney ran a personal best of 14:13.02 at the 2019 Husky Classic giving him the #9 fastest time entering the race. He's the name no one is talking about and has the potential to surprise a few names. Karim Achegli of NW Missouri and Gideon Kimutai of Missouri Southern have some history together from earlier in the season. While Achegli has a faster time in the event of 14:13.09 over Kimutai’s 14:13.17, Kimutai just recently beat Achegli at the MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. It will be very interesting to see who wins this battle at NCAA' as these two men are seemingly the exact same runners. Tanner Chada of Grand Valley State holds the #12 fastest time coming into the race with a time of 14:16.51 ran at the GVSU Holiday Open in December. This was the only time Chada has run the 5000 this season. At the 2019 Husky Classic, Dane Blomquist from Adams State ran a personal best of 14:16.70 giving him the #13 fastest time in the race. Recently, Blomquist placed 12th at the RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships with an unconverted time of 15:53.14 in the 5000. It may not be the most encouraging result, but don't look too much into that result. Running sub-14:20 puts him in good company and it's better to have an off-day at the conference championships than at Nationals. Luke Greer of Carson-Newman just recently won the South Atlantic Conference Championship in the 5000 with a time of 14:48.74. The impressive win and a personal best of 14:16.82 at the 2019 Husky Open will make Greer a dark horse in the 5000. Jack Mastandrea from Charleston (W.V.) has improved drastically this season. In January at the 2019 Spire Midwest Open Indoor T&F Meet, Mastandrea ran a time of 14:34.31. However, just one month later at the GVSU Big Meet, he dropped his time to the #15 fastest mark in the country (14:17.20). Just a couple of weeks ago, Kyle Moran of Colorado Mines impressively placed 5th in the 5000 at the RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships over great competition. Earlier this season, Moran ran a converted time of 14:17.56 at the Mines vs CSU-Pueblo vs MSU-Denver meet. This will definitely be a two-man competition at the top between Gidabuday and Panning. It’ll be interesting to see if there is anyone that wants to step up to the forefront and throw their name into the hat. Panning is the most recent 5000 meter champion (outdoors) while Gidabuday is looking to repeat as the 5000 meter distance for indoors and add a seventh national title to his trophy case. 5000 (Women) Caroline Kurgat has been dominating just about every distance this season. Kurgat is entering the national meet with a time of 15:28.46 in the 5000 meters. This time was run at the 2019 UW Invitational and is over 50 seconds faster than the next competitor. Not only that, but Kurgat has also run a personal best of 9:07.05 in the 3000 meters at the 2019 UW Preview. We also can't forget that Kurgat just recently won the mile at the GNAC Indoor Track & Field Championships with a fast time of 4:47.86. The senior from Adams State, Eilish Flanagan, will look to challenge Kurgat for the national title. Flanagan is entering the race with the #2 fastest time in the country with a 16:19.45. Like Kurgat, Flanagan also has great range as she just won the 3000 meter title at the RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championship with an unconverted time of 10:01.23. Leah Hanle of Mount Olive enters the race with the #3 fastest time of 16:23.52. Hanle is recently coming off an easy win in the 5000 at the Conference Carolinas Indoor Track & Field Championships with a time of 19:18.22. She may be one of the more underrated competitors in this field and holds plenty of upset potential. Hanna Groeber had a very impressive start to the season at the GVSU Holiday Open where she ran the #4 fastest time in the nation with a time of 16:25.99. However, just recently, Groeber finished 3rd in the 5000 at the GLIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships with a time of 17:23.98. It will be interesting to see how Groeber bounces back at NCAA’s where she will likely be aiming for a podium spot. Emily Roberts from U-Mary is coming off an outstanding performance at the 2019 NSIC Track & Field Indoor Championship where she took home 1st place in the 5000 meters with a time of 16:58.65. Earlier in the season at the SDSU Indoor Classic, Roberts ran her personal best of 16:37.74, giving her the #5 best time entering the race. She may not win a national title, but she is incredibly consistent and may have the highest probability of finishing as an All-American. Malena Grover of Adams State did not start her indoor campaign early like many others. Grover opened up her season in January and hit her stride a month later, running 16:38.88 at the 2019 Husky Classic in February. Grover recently showed out at the RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships winning the 5000 meter title with an unconverted time of 18:06.86. Kennedy Rufener of Western Colorado is entering NCAA’s with the #7 fastest time of 16:39.26. Earlier this season at the ASU Early Grizzly Open, Rufener was beaten by Kaylee Bogina of Adams State and will likely want revenge this weekend. Bogina holds the #8 fastest time in the race with a 16:40.74 ran at the 2019 Husky Classic, where Rufener beat Bogina. It will be fascinating to see who wins the battle this time around. Gina Patterson from Grand Valley State has raced the 5000 once this indoor season, running 16:42.50 at the GVSU Big Meet. Despite not racing the 5k a lot this season, it will be interesting to see how she handles this race on the biggest stage with some of the country's best athletes. Eileen Stressling of Azusa Pacific had a very impressive outing at the 2019 UW Invitational, running 16:43.33 to put her at the #10 spot on the NCAA leader board. She looked a little iffy at the Husky Classic, but should still be in the All-American conversation. Jessica Gockley of Grand Valley State has majorly improved throughout this season in the 5000 meters. At the GVSU Holiday Open in January, Gockley ran 17:01.43 in the event. Three months later at the GLIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, Gockley impressively dropped her time by almost 18 seconds to win the 5000 in a time of 16:43.63. If Gockley keeps improving the way she is, she can be a contender for a top spot. Hannah Thompson of Malone popped off her season running the #12 mark in the nation at the GVSU Holiday Open in December with a time of 16:43.68. At the Kent State Tune-Up, a very tactical 5000 forced Thompson to settle for 4th. Based on that result, it's fair to say that Thompson may benefit from a quicker race. The two teammates from Grand Valley State, Malea Teerman and Stacey Metzger, will also look to compete for All-American status. Teerman is currently entering the race with the #13 time in the country (16:45.57) while Metzger is right behind her teammate with the#14 fastest time (16:48.06). Alexa Shindruk of Central Washington is coming into NCAA’s with the 15th fastest time in the event with a 16:48.43 ran at the 2019 Husky Classic. Shindruk has great range whereas she has a personal best of 9:42.19 in the 3000. Madison Goen from Grand Valley State only had to run the event just once this indoor season to get her into NCAA’s. At the GVSU Big Meet, Goen ran 16:53.46 to seed her at #16 spot in this field. Within three month’s time, Allison Dorr from Saginaw Valley dropped her time from 17:14.87 at the GVSU Holiday Open to 16:53.60 at the GVSU Big Meet. This improvement will give Dorr a shot at All-American status. Ida Narbuvoll of U-Mary ran a personal best of 16:54.38 at the SDSU Indoor Classic to get her into the national meet. Recently Narbuvoll placed 2nd in the 5000 at the 2019 NSIC Track and Field Indoor Championship with a time of 17:08.51. Lauren Bailey of Indianapolis made a 10-second improvement in the event to give her a ticket to NCAA’s. At the GVSU Holiday Open in December, Bailey ran a time of 17:05.54. Three months later at the GVSU Big Meet Bailey dropped a time of 16:55.44. This race is Kurgat’s to lose and there’s no real question about it as she holds a 50 second lead over her next competitor. She will likely take it from the gun and see if anyone can hang with her. The race for second place could be one of the most interesting races of the weekend. Distance Medley (Men) Editors note: Entries / lineup orders could change The top three teams on this list are all from the RMAC and all have altitude converted times that have put them under the automatic qualifying mark. The rankings are led by Western Colorado who set the nation's leading time on their home track in the middle of February. The squad of Woodrow Murray-Wood, Juman Randall. Gage Mayo, and Charlie Sweeney were able to knock off the team from Colorado Mines. They ran a raw time of 10:12.19 and saw it convert down to 9:45.61. Murray-Wood and Randall are entered in the mile and 800 individually and it’ll be interesting to see how their legs feel just a couple hours after their events. Colorado Mines sits at a 9:46.17 conversion after a 10:09.61 on their home track back towards the end of January. Their squad was Miller Kettle, Triston Sisneros, Josh Evans, and Luke Julian. Evans will be racing in the mile prelims earlier in the day while everyone else will be fresh for the Orediggers. Colorado Mines is going to have a great shot at living up to their #2 seed on Friday. Adams State is the #3 seed and the team that qualified for this meet is very interesting. Elias Gedyon, Augie Larranaga, Kale Adams, and Sydney Gidabuday ran a time of 10:08.41 at the Power 5 meet a week before Mines ran their top mark. At the time, it was the #1 performance in the country. That being said, with Gidabuday running the 5000 right before the relay, it’d be hard pressed to see him running the anchor leg. Gedyon will be racing the mile beforehand and he seems to be more of a fit to anchor this team given he is individually entered in the mile and 3000. With the loss of Austin Anaya due to eligibility reasons, the Grizzlies could be in a bind to find someone to help them stay competitive with the other teams in this event. Stonehill qualified on the last weekend possible with a team of Nickolas McNamee, Joseph Connolly, Stephen Vercollone, and Lucas Taxter. They ran a raw time of 9:47.24 to lock them in as the #4 seed. Vercollone is entered in the 800 while Taxter is entered in the mile. Both should be a part of this relay that looks to upset some of the nations best. Grand Valley State reminds me of Adams State with their roster that ran 9:47.55. It consisted of Dennis Mbuta, Thomas Capers, Nick Salomon, and Zach Panning. Mbuta is only entered in the mile individually, Capers is entered in the 400, and Panning is entered in the 5000. I am not sure that Panning will take part in this relay, but if he does it’ll be an interesting weekend for him. I’d expect Mbuta to be on the anchor which gives the Lakers their best chance at winning the title. CSU-Pueblo is another team that enters with an altitude converted mark. They consist of Patrick Scoggins, Shawn Horne, Devundrick Walker, and Thomas Staines. They ran 10:13.92 at the RMAC Championships to take home the victory. Walker and Staines are both entered in the 800 earlier in the day and they both should still be entered on the relay. Staines anchoring here is an interesting choice as he is clearly in great shape and has run 1:46 earlier this year for 800 meters. If there’s any reason on why the race slows down at the mile leg, I would not be surprised at all to see him try and blow the doors off the competition the last half. Sioux Falls is an interesting team and a potential dark horse coming in. Zach Lundberg, Trey Furgeson, Billy Beseman, and Mason Phillips ran 10:01.83 at the Stinger Open and saw their time convert to 9:48.17. Lundberg opted for the 3000 instead of the mile, leaving him fresh for the relay while the rest of his team will only be competing in the DMR. Expect a full-blown effort from them to take home this title. I wonder if there will be a change in Lundberg and Phillips in terms of who runs the 1200 and mile... Simon Fraser ran 9:49.47 at the Seattle Pacific Final Qualifier and moved themselves up into the #8 seed coming in. Pierre-Louis Detourbe, Nate St. Romain, Carlos Vargas, and Rowan Doherty looks to be the roster that is running for the Clan this weekend. Detourbe is entered in the mile and is the only athlete that is racing beforehand. Their attempt to ensure they qualified on the final weekend leads me to believe that they are all in on the DMR and would love to show that the GNAC is more than just Western Oregon. Black Hills State ran their qualifying time at the same meet Sioux Falls did. They ran 10:03.69 and saw it move down to 9:49.99. Jordan Theisen, Tristan Hepp, Levi Fried, and Jonah Theisen are the team for the Yellowjackets. This the only race for all four members of the team. Look for them to play spoiler. Alaska Anchorage was apart of that Seattle Pacific Final Qualifier that saw three GNAC teams move themselves into qualifying position. Felix Kemboi, Nathanial Brunett, Eduardo Orozco, and Drew Johnson were the four to run 9:50.19. Like Black Hills State this will be the only race for these four athletes. Western Oregon was that final GNAC team to make it into Nationals on the final weekend with a 9:50.69. The two-time reigning champs will be looking for a three-peat with a lineup of Justin Crosswhite, Gave Arce-Torres, Curt Knott, and Tyler Jones. Not having Dustin Nading may hinder their chances a bit, but this will be the only race for these four meaning that emptying the tank is a must for them. They’ll be competitive, that I am sure of. The final team getting in is Minnesota State who was the 3rd place team at the Stinger Open behind Sioux Falls and Black Hills. They ran 10:05.43 with their constructed roster of Jacob Wahlers, John Schuster, Aaron Mayfield, and Austin Pasch. The only athlete with a race before the DMR is Schuster who is entered in the 400. Luckily, the 400 leg can be minimal in terms of affecting the outcome of this relay. This is a tough race to predict as many things happen during the course of each leg, but I think that if it does slow down on the final leg, teams are going to have a hard time holding CSU-Pueblo off with Staines being their anchor. Taxter from Stonehill is a great miler as well and if Gedyon of Adams State is the anchor, it’ll be interesting to see who wins out. Teams that will be in play should be Sioux Falls, Simon Fraser, and Grand Valley State. Distance Medley (Women) The women’s DMR sees Alaska Anchorage sit three seconds clear of the #2 team in Adams State. Ruth Cvancara, Vanessa Aniteye, Danielle McCormick, and Caroline Kurgat ran 11:23.47 at the GNAC Championships and are favorites for the national title. McCormick is looking to defend her title in the 800 as she races in the prelims earlier in the day. Kurgat is an interesting topic as she is entered in the 5000 right before. She is 50 seconds clear of the #2 seed in that event so the double can conceivably be done if she wanted to race the 5000 and then the DMR. Adams State ran 11:54.83 at the RMAC Championships to move into #2 on the seed list. Eilish Flanagan, HaLeigh Hunter-Galvan, Stephanie Cotter, and Roisin Flanagan was the team that took home the championship on that day. Roisin Flanagan and Cotter are both slated to run the mile prelims earlier in the day while Eilish Flanagan is racing the 5000 right before. It’ll be interesting to see how the Adams team is shuffled around in order for the best success as there is sure to be changes. Grand Valley State ran 11:27.31 at their home meet at the beginning of February with a roster of Rachael Walters, Heather Johnson, Abby Crouch, and Allie Ludge. Just like Adams State, there could be changes coming for the Lakers as Walters is running the 800, and Ludge is running the mile. If this team doesn’t change any of its members they have a great chance at competing for the DMR crown. If AAU and ASU change theirs, they’d be the favorites in my book as they are eight seconds ahead of the #4 seed. Simon Fraser ran 11:35.62 at the UW Invitational in late January and boasted a team of Paige Nock, Renate Bluschke, Sophie Dodd and Addy Townsend. This is a team that I feel like could sneak in and take home the title because they have two very good runners in Dodd and Townsend. Both Dodd and Townsend are entered in the 800 and will be looking to make noise there. It’s worth noting that Townsend had the #2 fastest mile time in the country and she dropped the race in a likely attempt to bolster their chances at winning the DMR. Southwest Baptist enters as the #5 seed with their time of 11:37.16. Stephanie Penticuff, Tamia Rayford, Oluwabukola Pereira, and Elysia Burgos make up the team. Burgos is the only runner that will be participating in an individual race on the weekend and it’ll be in the mile. The CSU-Pueblo women come in ranked the same as the men as the #6 seed with their time of 11:37.93. They consist of Hailey Streff, Tatianna Clanton, Yasmine Hernandez, and Nicole Bouma. None of these runners are entered in any individuals events and with fresh legs, they’ll be looking to find their way into the top five. Cedarville finds themselves sitting in the #7 seed after their 11:48.27 time from the G-MAC Championships was given a track conversion that bumped it down to 11:40.77. They are three seconds back of CSU-Pueblo and it presents a possible break within our list. With Sarah Hoffman, Olivia Hoffman, Rachel Sweeney, and Carsyn Koch-Johnson, the possibility of finishing inside the top eight is a realistic endeavor as Koch-Johnson is the only athlete that is running an individual event over the weekend (800). The fresh legs should bode well for them. Mount Olive is another team that looks to be in good position to place well. Celine Ritter, Jacqueline Thring, Shona Blades, and Leah Hanle ran a time of 11:49.13 at the JDL DMR Invitational. The time converted down to 11:41.62. The question at hand here is if Hanle will run the 5000 and then come right back and anchor the mile for her team. The likely guess is no, especially since she is also entered in the 3000 the next day. UC-Colorado Springs has the potential to be a team that upsets a lot of other teams. Their team of Maia Austin, Dejah Glover, Layla Almsari and Skylyn Webb ran 12:05.05 at the Colorado running Company Mountain Lion Open the second weekend of February. It converts down to 11:41.65 and has them sitting #9 right now. A big reason the Mountain Lions could be a factor at the end is because of Webb. She is running the 800 beforehand, but if they are close at the end, Webb’s backend speed could be deadly as she could be picking athletes off. Winona State is the #10 seed after they ran 11:50.74 at the Maverick invite. With a team of Hope Willenbrink, Brittany Schyvinck, Allison Johnson, and Anna Rogahn there’s a strong possibility that they can improve upon their current seeding. Schyvinck and Rogahn are penciled into running events earlier in the day with Schyvinck in the 200 and Rogahn in the mile. You could easily see this lineup change with an emphasis on individual results. Walsh comes in as the #11 seed with a time of 11:43.70 that was run at the GVSU Big Meet in February. Alexa Leppelmeier, Jetaiya Smith, Megan Soehnlen, and Andra Lehotay were on the team that ran that mark, but considering they have an almost identical time with a different athlete on the 800 leg, we could see a variation of this team. Lehotay is the only athlete that is entered in an individual event and she’ll be running the mile. It’s a possibility that she could be replaced for someone else. The last team making into the national meet is Malone. They have a time of 11:44.54 that was run at the GVSU Big Meet where they finished behind the likes of Walsh. Their team consists of Jasmine Penrod, Rebekah Carr, Katie Grimes, and Hannah Thompson. It’s more than likely that Thompson will not be running the mile leg for Malone as she is entered in the 5000 and the 3000 on the weekend. This race is obviously dependent upon who is entered and a part of the relay team. I don’t think that Alaska Anchorage and Adams State are going to be running the same squads as they did earlier in the year. I think Grand Valley State has the greatest opportunity to run away with this even though they have athletes in some preliminary heats beforehand. I also really like the team of Simon Fraser if they run the same team that they did in January.

Men's 800 - John Cusick Women's 800 - Quenten Lasseter Men's Mile - Quenten Lasseter Women's Mile - Quenten Lasseter A quick message from your TSR Admin The Division Two National Championships are set to take place tomorrow and The Stride Report crew couldn't be more pumped. Our D2 admin John Cusick will be on-site (in Kansas) tomorrow and Saturday with a media pass sporting the blue TSR t-shirt. He'll also be snapping some pictures and taking over our Instagram for the weekend (assuming his phone battery doesn't die in five minutes). If you see him at the meet, be sure to say hi! In other news, our official predictions for both the Division One and Division Two national meets are now live on the site! You can see all of our All-American picks by clicking the link here. We will likely be keeping you updated on our draft picks as well as our predictions throughout the weekend and potentially offering up some reaction articles after each day of competition. So hang tight! We've got more content coming your way this weekend. Finally, if you haven't already, be sure to enter our D1 prediction contest! The winners of the men's and women's contest will receive a free TSR t-shirt. Just enter your top eight picks for the distance events and press submit. It's that easy! Alright, let's get to the previews... 800 (Men) The 800 meter race has essentially been a one-man show at the past two national track meets. CSU-Pueblo's Thomas Staine’s snatched the crown with a breakout indoor season last year and didn’t let go during the outdoor season. Coming into this race, it certainly feels like it has been pre-determined who the winner will/should be. Luckily for us, nothing is real until the race is run and there are athletes from across the country that are trying to put an end to Staines’ streak of spectacular racing. Staines set the D2 collegiate record earlier this season as he ran 1:46.27 (and won that race by three seconds). Prior to that, Staine set the British national record for 600 meters as he ran 1:15.31. At the time, it was the fastest time in the world. Any race that he has been in this year has not really been close and it gives us reason to believe that the two times he races as an individual this weekend will be to the same tune. Juman Randall of Western Colorado is the RMAC Champion (thanks to Staines opting for relays) and has a seed time of 1:48.95, placing him as the #2 seed heading into the weekend. However, he has not broken the 1:50 barrier with an unconverted mark. The last time he raced Staines he faded towards the end for a 4th finish. Dennis Mbuta from Grand Valley State has the #3 fastest result going into the weekend with his 1:49.24 that was run at the same time as Staines’ collegiate record. Mbuta is the GLIAC Champion and has shown range with his time of 4:07.70 in the mile. He should be a contender this weekend as he has made a significant leap in fitness since last year. Ayman Zahafi (TAMU-Kingsville) and Jaylen Tryon (Lubbock Christian) both are names that could play spoiler this weekend. The Lone Star opponents battled it out at their conference championship to a 1-2 finish with Zahafi running 1:49.96 and Tryon running 1:50.27. Zahafi’s time is the #4 seed and Tryon’s is #7. Not to be lost in all of this is Eastern New Mexico’s Ivar Moinat who was 3rd at the Lone Star Conference meet. He ran 1:51.01, but his seed time comes from the Texas Tech Open where he ran 1:51.00 (literally, .01 better than what he ran at conference) and that places him as the #11 seed. Shaquille Dill of St. Augustines waited until the last possible moment to qualify for this National Championship, making him 4/4 in his career. He ran 1:49.69 at the BU Last Chance Qualifier two weeks ago and is looking to make more noise at the national meet. The 400/800 runner poses a strong threat to as he has the speed and strength to stick around when the race gets down to the end. It also helps that he was a national champion at this discipline in 2017. He was 4th at last year's national meet and is the only other returner from the final that will be competing this weekend. Other names that I think are worth mentioning for the weekend include Hugo Arlabosse of Franklin Pierce, Devundrick Walker of CSU-Pueblo, and Seb Anthony of Queens (N.C.). Arlabosse was in the same race that Dill was in and he broke the 1:50 barrier in the process. Arlabosse qualified for the Outdoor National Championship last year when he ran 1:50.00. I think he has a chance to be competitive as he continues to trend the right way. Walker is likely under the same training plan as Staines at CSU-Pueblo. He has run 1:48 during the outdoor season before and his 1:50.00 from this year is the fastest he has run during the indoor season. It’s also possible that if he makes the final, there is a strong chance him and Staines try to work together to place as high as possible making for a unique race for everyone else. Anthony is a sleeper pick for this race if you ask me. He’s just a freshman, but has already run 1:50 and has gotten faster every time he has raced the event (minus his conference meet). I think he can sneak into the final and mix things up. 800 (Women) Skylyn Webb of UC-Colorado Springs has the top time coming into the first heat, owning a personal record of 2:03.87 that was run at the 2019 Colorado Invitational. Webb has consistently won races all year, recently including winning the 800 and 400 at the RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships with unconverted times of 2:11.46 & 54.65. Her speed in the 400 should benefit her in a sit-and-kick style of racing that we see in most championship meets. Webb was awarded the national title last year during the outdoor season as the original winner was disqualified. Her finishing speed gives her a strong tactical advantage. Carsyn Koch-Johnson of Cedarville is coming off a great performance at the NCCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships winning the 800 (2:16.15) and mile (4:59.82). Koch-Johnson has the next fastest time in the first heat with a 2:08.93, where she ran that earlier in the season at the GVSU Big Meet. Monique McPherson from U-Mary is also coming off a great performance at the NSIC Track and Field Indoor Championships where she won the 800 in a time of 2:11.11. Previously during the indoor season, McPherson ran her fastest time at the SDSU Indoor Classic with a 2:09.93, setting her up with the #3 fastest time in the heat. Danielle McCormick of Alaska Anchorage is entering heat one with a time of 2:10.63. McCormick has consistently run fast times all season. At the 2019 UW Preview, she opened her indoor season with a 2:11.32. Two weeks later at the 209 UW Invitational, she dropped her time in the 2:10’s and later ran her fastest time of the year at the Seattle Pacific Final Qualifier 2019 (2:10.63). If McCormick keeps improving like she has, she will be in great contention on making the final. McCormick is the reigning indoor national champion, so to see her times continue to improve signals she should be back on track to try and repeat. Sophie Dodd of Simon Fraser is entering the NCAA Championships with a time of 2:10:99, this just slightly puts her behind Danielle McCormick (Alaska Anchorage). Dodd had her breakthrough race this indoor season at the Boston University Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invitational where she ran 2:11.02. Merely three weeks later, Dodd would run her fastest time of the season at the Seattle Pacific Final Qualifier 2019 (2:10.99). Haleigh Reindl from Minnesota-Duluth progressively got faster throughout the season. Reindl first ran 2:17.31 at Warren Bowlus in January and she would eventually drop her time to 2:11.60 at the 2019 NSIC Track and field Indoor championship to give her the ticket to NCAA’s. Kristen Metcalfe of Embry-Riddle is one of the favorites to win the whole thing. Metcalfe is entering the race with the nation’s leading time of 2:03.59, she impressively stayed consistent all season with three different 2:06’s during competition. Her breakout race of 2:03.59 came at the Boston University Last Chance Qualifier. Olivia Woods from Western Oregon is looking to advance to the finals, as she is entering NCAA’s with a time of 2:09.35. Woods is no stranger to running fast times as she has a personal record of 2:05.91 at the NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field Championships from last year. Woods can be a dark horse when it comes to challenging the two favorites Metcalfe (Embry-Riddle) and Webb (UC-Colorado Springs) in the finals. The #3 and #4 fastest times in heat two comes from teammates Bailey Sharon and Jessica Cusick of Western Colorado. Sharon enters with a time of 2:09.60 that was run at The GVSU Big Meet. Cusick got her time of 2:10.73 from placing 3rd at the RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Expect the two teammates to work together in the preliminaries and also in the final. Ashleigh Macleod of Lewis is coming off a recent win at the GLVC Championships where she eclipsed the line at 2:13.52. Macleod ran her fastest time of the indoor season at the 2019 Meyo Invitational recording a 2:10.86 to get her to the NCAA meet. Bianca Bryant of San Francisco State caps off heat two with a time of 2:11.62 at the GVSU Big Meet. The impressive statistic about Bryant is her personal record of 2:06.79 that was run last year at the NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field Championships. With this speed, she should have no problem advancing to the finals. The last and final heat of the preliminaries is led by Rachael Walters of Grand Valley State. Walters has a fast time of 2:05.93 that was run at the GLIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships giving her the win. Walters also has a fast personal record of 2:04.48 set at the outdoor national meet from last year. Addy Townsend of Simon Fraser has great range from the 800 to the mile. Townsend enters the race with a time of 2:08.70 which was run at the 2019 UW Invitational. The impressive part about her range is her personal record of 4:44.81 that was just set this season at the Boston University Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invitational. This kind of range from Townsend gives her the ability to go out hard if necessary. Quincy McSweeney from McKendree ran her time of 2:09.62 at the Crimson & Gold Invitational earlier this season to punch her ticket to NCAA’s. McSweeney recently placed 2nd at the GLVC championships right behind Ashleigh Macleod of Lewis who is competing in heat two, it will be a very interesting battle if the two conference rivals meet in the finals. Shayla Huebner of Northern Michigan is coming into the race with a time of 2:10.17, this time was run during her 2nd place performance at the GLIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Just like in McSweeney (McKendree) and Macleod’s (Lewis) case, Huebner was beaten by conference and rival Rachael Walters (Grand Valley St.). Both women are in the same heat, expect a fierce battle between the two to advance to the final. Abbie Porter of Hillsdale had great success at the GVSU Big Meet, where she ran a time of 2:11.23 to help her advance to the meet. Porter impressively dropped more than 3 seconds from her previous mark in the season (2:14.86) at the GVSU Open. Dawnel Collymore of Benedict dropped her time of 2:16.69 at the JDL Early Bird Duals to 2:11.57 at the USC Open Indoor to help her earn a spot in the NCAA Championships. If the racing comes down to a sit and kick, Metcalfe and Webb are likely the favorites as they can outrun almost everybody. It’ll be interesting to see who makes the final because if teammates make it, some team racing could come into play causing the field to go out harder or slower depending on their thought process. Mile (Men) This event is a tad more wide open than the 800 is. As we look at the start list, it seems clear that Elias Gedyon is the favorite going into the weekend as he currently holds the top seed time of 4:00.75 and is just under three full seconds clear of the next athlete. Gedyon’s time is a converted time from when he ran 4:06.77 at the Colorado Invitational. For what it’s worth, Gedyon would still be the #9 fastest runner in the country if that time wasn’t converted. We’re also not basing Gedyon’s fitness (although, it certainly helps) off of just that meet at CU. He made the trek up north to run at the Husky Invitational and he ran 4:01.47 for a 6th place finish. He also holds the #2 fastest time in the 3000 meters (also converted). The speed and the strength are both there for the Grizzly ace, he’ll just need to find a way to hold on at the end. However, the rest of the competition isn’t going to make that easy on him. There are eight other athletes who are all under the 4:07 mark on the season. Leading that list of names is Lucas Taxter from Stonehill. He’s the only other athlete who is under 4:04. He garnered his 4:03.39 after a flat-track conversion from the Northeast-10 Conference meet almost a month ago. Taxter had a really strong cross country season that saw him finish 19th at the national meet and he’s built off of that to put together a strong candidacy for the mile title this weekend. Taxter has also run 1:51.53 during the outdoor season indicating that he has the speed for this event. The combo of strength from this cross country season says Taxter will be in this at the end. Brett Meyer is a name that I have liked since the beginning of the season. He was a runner-up in this event last year and then followed that up with a 4th place finish during outdoors in the 1500. Meyer has enjoyed a strong indoor season as he dropped down his PB two seconds and now sits at #3 entering Nationals with his 4:04.23. Meyer has been to the last four National Championships and holds experience in both the 800 and mile/1500 in terms of championships racing. He’s savvy enough to know when to make his move and likely has enough strength to hold off his opponents. Embry-Riddle’s Calahan Warren is the only athlete that has a mark in the 4:05 realm. His came way of Boston University’s Last Chance Meet. His official seed time is 4:05.74 and it comes via a raw time that has him sitting #4 overall. Warren likely would have been safe heading into selection week with his previous mark of 4:07.14, but getting one last race in that brought a two second personal best has to have Warren feeling very confident going into Nationals. Coming into the season, Warren hadn’t run faster than 4:18. He immediately broke that barrier in his first meet with a 4:17. His next time out was a 4:11. The time after that was 4:07 and then 4:07 again. His 3:47 1500 from last year’s outdoor season signaled that this type of breakout was coming. He has also run 1:51 for 800 meters and a strong 8:24 for 3000 meters. It’ll be interesting to see if his breakout season also means he’ll break into the top tier of athletes. Five athletes sit at the 4:06 mark and each of them have a legitimate shot to make the podium and even find their way to the top. Starting with the duo from Queens (N.C.) we have Daniel Wallis and Felix Wammetsberger. They come in with the #5 and #7 fastest times of 4:06.06 and 4:06.64. Wammetsberger ran his time at the GVSU Big Meet and it was a PR by three seconds. He was 6th in the mile last year and made the final during outdoors for 1500 meters. Wammetsberger has also run 14:24.60 before Christmas break and also has a PR of 8:13 in the 3000. I think he is a legitimate contender going into the weekend. Wallis is qualified in two events as he finds himself also entered in the 3000. Wallis has run 4:04 before and he has been close to that at the end of this season. He finished 8th in the mile last year and proceeded to run 3:47 for 1500 meters during outdoors. His 8:17.58 3000 PR from three weeks ago shows us that he is in great shape. He is much like Wammetsberger in terms of time as he has run 1:51 and 14:25 before during his career at Queens. If we think Wammetsberger is a contender, then Wallis has to fall in the same boat. Josh Evans of Colorado Mines ran 4:17.72 in the middle of February and saw his time convert 11 seconds down into the 4:06 realm. He has run 4:10.49 before (last year) and he failed to make the final at the indoor meet. He’ll be looking to bounce back as he heads into this years meet. The other two athletes are Ross Husch of Western Colorado and Aaron Ahl from Simon Fraser. Husch’s is likely the easiest to critique here as he hasn’t run faster than 4:17 before in his career, but he ran 4:20.91 at the RMAC Conference Championships and saw it convert down 14 seconds to get him into Nationals. Husch has strong times in the 3000 (8:21) and 5000 (14:15) which indicates that he has the strength for this event. However, the real question is the speed. Ahl ran his 4:06.92 in early February which was a big PR by six seconds. Before that, he had set a PR by three seconds. He has continued to be successful throughout this season including helping Simon Fraser qualify for the national meet in the DMR. I like the consistency he brings to this field. I think he has progressed well throughout the season and finds himself in prime position for the weekend. There are lots of good racers this weekend and they’ll likely be taking aim at Gedyon as he runs for Adams State and most schools would do anything to keep them from the top spot. That being said, a tactical race likely plays into the hands of Gedyon given his speed and strength. Is anyone going to take this race out hard to try and hold off those who kick? It’s uncertain as most of these athletes have the same 800 and mile personal bests. Mile (Women) Just like the men’s side, there’s an Adams State athlete that is at the top of the field entering the weekend. Roisin Flanagan is the only athlete that has a time that is under the 4:40 mark while there are six other athletes that find themselves under the 4:50 barrier. The Adams State star has run 4:46.32 at the Colorado Invitational and saw her time convert down to 4:39.34. Her time is five and a half seconds better than that of Kristen Metcalfe from Embry-Riddle who has run 4:45. Flanagan holds a non-converted PR of 4:41.95 which she ran last year at the Husky Invite. This year at the Husky Invite, she elected for the 3000 where she also ran a new personal best of 9:18.24 (#2 in the country). She also holds a PR in the 800 of 2:09.37. Despite her time coming way of conversion, it would be poor judgment to not think that she is capable of running under 4:40 for a mile. While I don’t think that will happen at the national meet, Flangan’s chances of taking home the title are very strong. The senior has been in multiple national meets before which should benefit her this weekend. Kristen Metcalfe will be attempting the 800/mile double this weekend and she has a legitimate shot to win both of those events. She capped off the end of her indoor season in a strong fashion. She ran 4:45.00 at the USC Open Indoor and then came back at the Boston University Last Chance meet in a time 2:03.59 for the 800. Both of marks were personal bests. Metcalfe is clearly trending in the right direction in terms of what kind of shape she is in. She was an All-American in both the 800 and 1500 during the 2018 outdoor season which means she knows how to attack the mile in order to be successful. She had a poor showing at the indoor national meet last year, finishing 15th in the 800, so she will be looking to avenge that performance this weekend. After those two, we have three athletes at 4:48 and two others at 4:49. The three that sit at 4:48 include Adams State’s Stephanie Cotter (4:48.01), Grand Valley State’s Allie Ludge (4:48.31), and Edinboro’s Stefanie Parsons (4:48.51). Cotter is just a freshman at Adams State, but she ran 5:03.67 at the RMAC Championships. That would be her personal best. Given her 2:09.49 best in the 800, there is a good chance that Cotter has the ability to legitimately run 4:48. I also believe that there is the potential of that happening this weekend given the championship racing. Ludge has also run two personal bests this year, just not in the mile. She holds a personal best of 4:45.50 from last year. This year, she’s run 2:08.91 and 9:23.70 for the 800 and 3000, respectively, cementing her as a legitimate threat to take home the title when the weekend is all said and done. The strength and the speed are all there given how fast she has run in those two events. Now it’s a question of blending it all together in a championship format. Whatever type of race this becomes, Ludge will be the mix at the end. Parsons is an interesting runner as she has run 4:48.51 this year as well as 2:11.70 just a week apart from each other. The day after her mile PR, she ran 9:53.06 for 3000 meters which would also be her personal best. She is just a sophomore and is racing at Nationals for the second time in her career. Last year, Parsons was 15th at the Indoor National Championships and only raced one time during the outdoor season, likely postponing even faster times that would have come during this indoor season. I wouldn’t be surprised one bit to see her towards the front on Saturday. Tiffany Christensen (Adams State) and Andra Lehotay (Walsh) are the other athletes that have times under the 4:50 barrier. Christensen’s comes from the Colorado Invitational where she ran 4:56.38 and saw her time convert under 4:50. Meanwhile, Lehotay’s is a flat-track conversion after she ran 4:52.53 at the G-MAC Championships. Christensen has run 9:33 for 3000 meters and will be racing that as well this weekend while Lehotay has run 2:10 for 800 meters. They are polar opposite in terms of the speed/strength debate, but meet in the middle when it comes to 1609 meters. Other names that I like this weekend include Heloise Duffie De Tasigny (Flagler), Elysia Burgos (Southwest Baptist), Kate Lilly (Seattle Pacific), and Anna Rogahn (Winona State). Duffie De Tasigny has some range as she has run 2:10 for 800 meters and has run 4:29 for 1500 meters during the outdoor season. Burgos is just a freshman, but has already run 2:10 as well in her career for 800 meters. Kate Lilly boasts strong PR's of 2:14 and 10:02 for 800 and 3000 meters while Rogahan is a strong runner with personal bests of 2:14 and 10:07. All three have a shot at making the final and mixing things up on Saturday. I’m guessing you’re going to see a race that goes out hard from the gun. I think there is one runner who thinks that they have a legitimate shot to win the title if they can take the legs out from underneath some of those who have fast 800 meter times. With that in mind, I think Flanagan, Metcalfe, and Ludge will be the three that we are talking about at the end of this.

By: Michael Weidenbruch, Ben Weisel, Sean Collins, Garrett Zatlin Read up on Part 1 here Also, if you haven't already, be sure to enter our Prediction Contest by clicking here... Over/under 38.5 - The number of points the Wisconsin men will score in the distance events Sean: Under. They need to average 7.7 points per opportunity to make 38.5 points. That’s just absurd to expect. Garrett: Under, but not by much. Let’s say McDonald scores 10 points in the 5k (1st) and 8 points in the 3k (2nd). Then Wisconsin scores 5 points in the DMR (4th). Meanwhile, Hoare scores 10 points in the mile (1st) and 4 points in the 3k (5th). That puts them at 37 points despite a handful of great performances. If they replicate those finishes and earn a better position in the DMR, they could definitely break that 38.5 barrier, but I think it’s just too much. Ben: I am all aboard the under train. For me, it comes down to whether or not Hoare runs in the DMR. If he does, then I think they have a legitimate shot because I agree with Garrett’s math. I just don’t know how well Hoare will be able to run in the mile and 3k if he runs the mile prelims and the DMR the day before. Michael: Under. I think Hoare and McDonald each have two great opportunities to pick up individual points, but adding in the DMR will make it tricky. I wouldn’t be surprised to see one or both of them pull out of the relay which would make it difficult to get to 38.5. Garrett: Maybe TSR should do an over/under podcast... Over/under 20.5 - The number of points Arkansas women will score in the distance events Michael: I think they can go over. They could get close to halfway to the 20.5 threshold in the DMR alone and then some big performances in the 3k could give them a boost. I think Gregory and Viljoen will do very well in the mile and push them over. Ben: I am going to go out on a limb and say that Arkansas hits the over. Gregory could absolutely score 10 points on her own, and I believe that the DMR will earn them at least 5 points. That puts them at 14 with Werner and Viljoen left needing to score 7 points which is very realistic. Garrett: I think it’s very possible that they go over. They have three women in four individual events and that doesn’t even count the DMR. The problem is that they need a few top-tier finishes to get them to that total. Their distance group is good, but they may not have the firepower that the Wisconsin men do. Regardless, I think there are enough opportunities to get to 21+ points. Sean: Arkansas goes over. I think it’s safe to assume Gregory and Viljoen score 10 points in the mile. I also think that Gregory and Werner will combine for 3 points in the 3K. Arkansas then gets 2nd in the DMR for 8 points. That’s 21. I’m high on the Arkansas women generally because they have run spectacularly lately and they’ll want to avenge their NCAA XC experience. Biggest snub (name left out) of Nationals? Sean: Generally, I don’t like this question because there are no selections, just time qualifying. But I’ll answer who should be most disappointed. That’s Adva Cohen. Cohen ran 9:05.04 for 3K which would’ve qualified in the 2018. She also ran 15:42.85 for 5K. That would have been 8th in 2018!!! 8TH! Pretty unbelievable that mark doesn’t make NCAA's this year. Garrett: It jaw-dropping that you could run 15:42 and not make Nationals. It blew me away. We were a few weeks out from the regular season ending and you could already tell how fast this season was going to be for the distance events. The same can be said for the men. Garrett: On the women’s side, I’m pretty bummed that we didn’t get to see the women from Ohio State qualify in the DMR. Julia Rizk has proven to be a top-tier miler and Sean even mentioned that they would be a team to watch midway through the season. This is a talented group that has come a long way and I’m sure they’ll be hungry for revenge during outdoors... Michael: This might not exactly count, but I am surprised not to see Lilli Burdon toeing the line individually. Granted, she is on Washington’s DMR which has a great shot at the podium, but Burdon ran 9:03 for 3k and didn’t make it individually. She was the first one out in that event which surprised me a lot; none of the top 16 women in the 3k scratched. Most years, Burdon would have made it in. Sean: If I have to give an answer for the men, I will say I’m surprised not to see Rory Linkletter qualify. He should still be happy though since he is leading the Canadian National Team to Worlds and was a top five finisher at NACAC's in February. Garrett: For the men, I can’t help but think that Cameron Griffith should be toeing the line for the mile or 3k. Yes, he’s running the DMR (so I’m kind of cheating on this question), but when a 3:59/7:49 guy (who ran 3:59/7:52 this season) is left on the sidelines, you can’t help but feel like he should with the nation’s best. Ben: I think it is a shame that we don’t get to see Gilbert Boit run at Nationals. He took down a very strong SEC field in the 5k and then followed it up with a 4th place finish in the 3k. He ran 13:42 and can clearly compete in a tactical race. Unfortunately, we won’t get to see Boit flying around the last lap at Nationals. Michael: I was surprised to see Avery Bartlett miss qualifying in the 800. His 1:47.32 PR puts him solidly in the elite bracket of the NCAA, but he just came up short this season. His season best of 1:48.39 is just .3 seconds off the last spot, and I think he could have performed at a higher level than that at NCAA's. Which #16 seed has the best chance of getting on the podium? Garrett: I struggled with this one. For me, it comes down to Clayton Young in the 3k and Vincent Kiprop in the 5k. In the end, I’ll take Clayton Young. He’s due for a good performance at Nationals and his 5k win at Iowa State was so impressive that I have no reason to believe that he can’t be top eight at Nationals. Michael: Vincent Kiprop. He was runner-up in the 10k outdoors last year and the #1 and #16 seeds in the men’s 5k are only separated by 10 seconds. Kiprop was 2nd in the 5k during indoors last year and after redshirting cross country, I imagine he has a lot of strength that he’s waiting to show off. Ben: This was a tough question to think about because it is like asking which #14 seed will make it the furthest in the NCAA basketball tournament which is to say not very far. That said, I agree with Michael on taking Kiprop. He has proven that he can compete on the highest level. The same can’t be said for the other #16 seeds. Also, be on the look out for Dominic Perretta from Penn State in the 800 who beat Cooper Williams to win the BIG 10 title. It is unlikely that he makes it to the podium because of how talented the 800 field is, but he might finish the highest out of the any of the #16 seeds. Sean: I think Clayton Young in the 3K, too. Young is the #3 seed in the 5K and clearly is in shape enough to make a difference. Plus, he’s got teammate Connor Mantz in the race as well. My Ivy and PA roots will be cheering for Sam Ritz of Columbia, though. Garrett: I also thought about Ritz, he is great tactician who has clearly upped his fitness to a new level this year. He's sneaky good. Ben: For the women, this was even harder. My pick? Sarah Feeny from Utah. My reasoning? The mile field is so tight that as long as you make the final you have a chance to earn a spot on the podium. Garrett: I'm with you, Ben. I think it can actually be Sarah Feeny of Utah. Yes, it took a ton of scratches for her to even get in, but the 3k and 5k are so stacked that it seems almost impossible to break into that top eight. On the flip side, the mile field is wide-open and is not nearly as crowded at the top of the NCAA leaderboard. Sean: Abbie McNulty in the 5K. I know this absolutely bonkers given how deep the event is, but she’s one of only five people to not run her qualifying time in 2019 (as opposed to December 2018) so I think that gives her a real shot. Plus, the pace has potential to be flying from the get-go and maybe having teammate Fiona O’Keeffe in the race will each other stay in control and pick off anyone who dies toward the end. Michael: Abbie McNulty is also my pick. Her seed time may be almost 30 seconds off of Kurgat’s #1 spot, but McNulty has had a bit of a breakout season and I can see her surprising some people. Which runner/relay has the most to gain or lose from a legacy standpoint this weekend? Michael: Jessica Hull can make or break her legacy this weekend. She has a cross country team title, an indoor DMR title, and an outdoor 1500 meter title. Picking up a 3k title will be challenging, but if she can do it I think she can be considered one of the best female runners in NCAA history. If she doesn’t win...her legacy is not ruined, but she has picked up some big wins during indoors this year and winning the 3k title would bring it altogether for her. Ben: I think Karisa Nelson could put herself on another level historically if she can win her second indoor mile. This is a feat that few have done, and it would validate her legacy as one of the best middle distance runners during her time as a collegiate. Garrett: I’ll go with Allie Ostrander on this one. She’s proven that she can win a national title in the steeplechase, but she has been unable to secure NCAA gold in the traditional distance events (3k and 5k) along with cross country. A gold medal would show that she can compete with the women from New Mexico and that she is truly one of the elites in what is arguably the greatest era of women’s collegiate distance running ever. Sean: I’m torn between Ednah Kurgat and Weini Kelati. Kurgat has the potential to finally earn a track title, defend her result from the BU 5K in December, and show that she can come out on top in a championship race. Kelati can gain validation by winning her first NCAA title as she takes over the New Mexico program from Kurgat and Prouse. Both Kelati and Kurgat need a track title to bolster their legacy, especially Kurgat since she’s a senior. Garrett: For the men, I’ll actually go with Notre Dame’s DMR. The program has seen a massive shift in their overall talent level in the past year. After winning the ACC title over Syracuse in cross country, the Fighting Irish will be able to establish themselves as a modern-day distance running powerhouse by taking home gold. If they take home the title, they’ll let the rest of the NCAA know that they aren’t going anywhere other than up anytime soon. Ben: Another distance star that could see their legacy enhanced is Oliver Hoare. The Badger has earned the top position in our power rankings even over more decorated runners such as Fisher and McDonald. Winning the mile would validate his surprise 1500 meter title from last spring and he would be regarded as the best miler in the country. This, though, is small potatoes compared to what could happen to his legacy. IF he wins the mile AND the 3k, then we are looking at one of the most dominant distance runners we have seen since Cheserek. No one has won two events at Indoor Nationals since Ches. Beating McDonald and Fisher in the process would also put Hoare on a different plane. Now, I’m not saying Hoare could be this generation’s Cheserek, but I think he could legitimately stake the claim that he is the best distance runner since Ches with two wins this weekend. Michael: I have to go with Grant Fisher here. After a thrilling victory in the 5k outdoors in 2017, Fisher has come up short a number of times. He lost to Morgan McDonald on the cross country course, but his win in the 3k at the Millrose Games sets him up for a stellar postseason. Fisher is surely hungry for the win and getting it will prove that he hasn’t lost his edge. Sean: Blake Haney. Before people react too strongly, Haney is remembered as one of the best milers in the NCAA from his 2015/2016 seasons, but has been lackluster lately. He can either cement himself a great miler by returning to the podium, or he can fall into the list one year stars. Garrett: Big fan of this pick. I love the idea that Blake Haney can return to his former glory. He’s a stud and can truly be one of the country’s best milers once again. Give us a massive bold prediction for the men and women’s distance races that absolutely no one is expecting... Garrett: In regards to the women, I will say that someone in the 3k or 5k gets disqualified. Those fields are going to be so crowded with so many women who will want to fight for a national title. This may cause some pushing, shoving, falling, and DQing (although I am not rooting for that to happen). Garrett: As for the men, UCLA’s Robert Brandt can win a national title. There, I said it. He’s an experienced championship competitor who is gaining serious momentum at the end of the season. He knows how to race with the nation’s best. If he doesn’t win, he’ll be top three. You heard it here first. Sean: The Texas men come away with two NCAA Championships wins. Ben: I love this because Worley could absolutely win the mile, but the fire burns bright by predicting Alex Rodgers to win the 3k. Unless of course you are predicting a Worley win and a DMR win which is much more plausible. Michael: Obsa Ali wins the 5k. He’s the #8 seed and has hardly gotten any attention. He’s the reigning 3k steeplechase champion (almost entirely due to Brian Barraza’s fall, but still...) and deserves much more hype. Michael: On the women’s side, I say Allie Ostrander competes in the 3k, 5k, and DMR and comes away with at least two wins. Ben: I am no longer sitting because my chair has been burned by these takes. My goodness! With that said my prediction for the men is that 0 points will be scored between NAU and BYU. Sean: Woah. Ben: For the women, I think Alicia Monson becomes a double champion in the 5k and 3k. Garrett: I feel like that’s just a prediction. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her pull that off. Sean: This is my super outlandish pick. Sharon Lokedi anchors the Kansas DMR to a win after running the 5K minutes before. Garrett: Sean, yours is so outrageous that I might believe it could happen.

By: Michael Weidenbruch, Ben Weisel, Sean Collins, Garrett Zatlin The biggest meet of the season is right around the corner which sparked some interesting discussion for a few writers at TSR. Below, we brought our typical group texts to a Google Doc and gave you some of our thoughts on the upcoming National Championships... Who has been the most disrespected runner when it comes to the national contender conversation? Michael: On the men’s side, I think Geordie Beamish is extremely underrated in the mile. With the conversions his times have undergone, I think a lot of people have discredited his ability. While it’s true that he hasn’t run a mile at sea level this year, he did run 7:56 in the 3k at Iowa State. I think he is certainly capable of 3:57 (his converted time), which doesn’t necessarily put him in the conversation to win the title, but he could easily get him on the podium for sure. I overlooked him when making my predictions and I think that may come back to bite me. Garrett: Good point on Beamish. Along with Grijalva, I think people are just growing numb to the NAU dominance. Garrett: In regards to the men, I don’t think people realize how much of a legitimate title contender Amon Kemboi can be. Sure, he was two seconds behind Fisher and McDonald at Millrose, but he has shown that he has some of the best range in the country with season bests of 3:59, 7:44, and 13:33. I think he could walk away with a national title this weekend as he may be the best equipped in terms of potential race execution. Sean: Kemboi is a great choice and my pick to win the 3K, although he might be an even better 5K runner. Not having Kipkoech in the field with him is limiting his exposure this year, probably to his advantage actually. Sean: For the men I think it has to be Conner Mantz of BYU. Mantz had a ton of accolades coming out of high school and he’s been forgotten a little bit since he came back from his mission trip. He doesn’t have quite the kick as the other runners, but if the 5K or 3K gets pushed from the gun, there’s a possibility he comes out on top. Plus, he’s got a ton of teammates to help him. Ben: With Mantz, I’m curious to see how he reacts to his first Indoor National Championship. He is not scared of taking on the pace, but with such a deep field, I’m not sure if that will help him. Ben: Although he has received a lot of praise for his performances this indoor season, I don’t think enough people have taken Kyle Mau seriously as a contender. He is #4 in the mile, #6 in the 3k, AND could be anchoring Indiana’s very fast DMR squad. He, like Hoare, could score a ton of points for his team. Garrett: Mau is a personal favorite of mine. He has become a truly elite distance runner this season with impressive range. Great choice. Sean: For the women, I would say the majority of the 800 meter field qualifies. but Allie Wilson definitely takes the crown across men and women for most underrated. Wilson ran 2:02.65 and a number of other good races at the 800 and mile distance. Unfortunately, she has been almost completely ignored. I get that Rivers and Pocratsky are larger names, but Wilson has been a star and might even be my favorite to win the title. Garrett: I’ll argue in favor of someone similar to Allie Wilson and say that Martha Bissah needs more recognition. She has the top time in the NCAA and although it was a flat-track conversion, it was still an incredibly fast result. She has been very consistent this season and needs to be in the conversation along with Pocratsky and Rivers. Ben: You guys took both of my answers, so I’ll go in a different direction. I think Karisa Nelson has been slept on by everyone. The 2017 Indoor Mile Champion suffered a foot injury last year, but has come back strong this year. Perhaps everyone isn’t sure if she is all the way back from injury, but I think she could be a top contender in a hard-to-predict mile. Garrett: She can absolutely be an All-American, but I’m just not sure we’ve seen the same spark from her as we did in 2017. Regardless, she’s talented enough to make some noise. Michael: Portland's Lauren LaRocco stands out to me as being underrated. Her mile and 3k PR's don’t stack up with some of the top women in the 5k field, but she is very solidly in the mix behind the top four or so entries. She has only raced two 3k's since she ran her 5k qualifier in December which has kept her out of the conversation a bit. She is only running the 5k at NCAA's so she should be at her best. Which DMR is the best all-around relay when it comes to the 1200, 800, and mile legs? Sean: Boise State women. The group of Alexis Fuller, Kristie Schoffield, and Allie Ostrander will be very dangerous if they put all of their pieces together. I don’t think any other team has a qualified individual at every distance leg. Garrett: I’m not sure that the Boise State women will run all of their pieces which is why I’m going with the Oklahoma State women in this one. They have 800 and mile specialists on each distance leg of their relay and have already proven that they can be majorly successful. They scratched all of their open events for this race and I think it will pay off. Ben: I 100% agree with Sean as long as everyone runs for Boise State. Each runner fits so well in the DMR from 800 specialist Schoffield to Allie Ostrander who can run with anyone in the country. Sean: I should correct an earlier statement. The Oregon men also have qualified athletes at all distance legs, but I don’t hold them in the same conversation because they’re weaker in the 1200/800 than they are at the mile and 3K. Michael: If Boise State runs their best squad, I’ll hand it to them. If not, I think Villanova is very well rounded. That may be a bit of a hot take, but the trio of McArthur, Keegan and Hutchinson has the potential to make some noise. None of their legs are necessarily the best in the field, but when you put them all together they are very well-rounded. Garrett: As of the men, I think Iowa State is probably the most well-rounded as they don’t necessarily have any weaknesses. Festus Lagat is a 1:48/4:00 stud who has another a very underrated half-miler in Roshon Roomes on the 800 leg and a consistent miler in Dan Curts on the anchor. I’m not saying they’re the best out there, but they will be able to post consistent performances around the board. Sean: Garrett, if you were coaching at Iowa State, would you anchor Curts or Lagat? Garrett: Great question, I had never thought about it. I think I would take Lagat on the anchor since he has better mid-distance times which would (theoretically) give him better closing speed in a tactical race. Michael: Oregon immediately stands out to me. West, Brown, and Teare are all studs who will be strong contenders for individual titles as well. These are all guys who could run away from the field on their legs, except for possibly Reed Brown. His 800 meter speed might not be good enough to put a gap on the competition, but he might not need to. This has to be the deepest team in the field in terms of raw talent. Ben: For the men, I think the obvious answer is Oregon. They are loaded with six sub-four milers who will fill the three distance spots for the team. Even if West, Brown, and Teare don’t run they have Blake Haney and Charlie Hunter to fill in. They might be a little weak at 800 because they don’t have someone who has run 1:48 on the squad, but other than that they have no weaknesses. Garrett: Maybe I should’ve said Oregon... Sean: If we were talking 4xMile, Oregon gets the edge. Here, Ole Miss is definitely a little bit stronger. Waleed Suliman and Derek Gutierrez are just as good if not better than whoever Oregon puts at the 1200/mile. John Rivera is better than whoever Oregon puts at the 800 too. Ben: I agree that Ole Miss is loaded and Suliman might just put them over the top. Garrett: The only reason I didn’t take Oregon is because I’m not sure they have a reliable, established 800 leg. That has been a (minor) area of weakness for them over the past few years. You have to put all of your money on one distance runner (or relay) to win a national title this weekend. Who is it? Garrett: It has to be Oliver Hoare for the men...right? Between the mile, 3k, and DMR he’s bound to get a gold medal. He’s the top seed in both events and the numbers are in his favor. Ben: I could not agree with you more. He is the clear favorite in the mile whereas the 800, 3k, and 5k all have at least two co-favorites. Michael: I agree with Hoare. I will be surprised if he doesn’t win the mile, and I can see him taking the 3k as well. I’m not as confident about Wisconsin’s DMR title chances, but they are an easy podium pick there too. Garrett: As for the women, the answer is a bit less clear. Between the 3k and DMR, Jessica Hull has the best chance to bring home a national title. She has phenomenal closing speed, even in fast races. That said, I would feel a lot more confident if she were running the mile instead of the 3k... Michael: Between the 3k and the 5k, I have to go with Weini Kelati. She has been on fire this year. I like her chances in the 5k a bit better than in the 3k with Monson and Hull running the 3k, but those two seem beatable as well. Ben: Danae Rivers is the pick for me as she has been dominant all season. While we talked earlier about Wilson and Bissah, I think Rivers is the best bet to win the 800. Garrett: Rivers is surprising for me. I’m not sure I would have picked her when considering how absolutely stacked the 800 is at the top of the NCAA. Ben: I agree that the 800 is strong, we haven’t even mentioned Rachel Pocratsky yet, but I think she is the best runner in the country right now and the other fields are stacked as well. Sean: I would not put Hull as the favorite in either of her races and picking Rivers is too risky with one event only. I’m torn between Weini Kelati and Lauren Gregory. Kelati has been basically unstoppable lately. Gregory seems the closest to Oliver Hoare in terms of the women’s field. Sean: Heading back to the men’s conversation, I am going to pick Devin Dixon. He got his biggest challenge of the year at SEC's from Marco Arop, but handled that very well. Even more than Hoare, I think Dixon is a class above the field in the 800. Ben: This may be hypocritical considering I just picked Rivers for the women, but I think the men’s 800 field is even deeper. I wouldn’t be surprised to see five different guys take home the title. Arop challenged Dixon at SEC's by making a hard move with 300 left and didn’t have enough in the tank to finish, but that might be different at Nationals. If Dixon does catch him again, then he will have to contend with White, Hoppel, and Heppenstall who all can close hard as well. Michael: I agree that both 800 fields are just too deep to pick a favorite from. Both Rivers and Dixon have proven that they have what it takes to win, but these fields are just too stacked for me to be sure. Who has the most to prove this weekend? Garrett: It took me some time to think about this one, but despite what Sean said in the earlier question, I think Devin Dixon needs to prove that he’s as good as his monster personal best from earlier this season. He dropped his indoor PR from 1:47 to 1:45 earlier this season which eventually earned a 1:44 conversion. He is clearly an elite runner, but can he take home the national title or at least contend for it? He hasn’t always been spectacular at National Championship meets which is my only concern, but I do think he has turned to corner this season. Sean: If you think Devin Dixon has to prove himself, what do you think about Jazmine Fray? Garrett: You were smart to ask Sean because she is going to be my pick for the women. The indoor collegiate record holder hasn’t exactly had much of a spark with this season and although she qualified, I feel like she’s capable of more. Fray will likely want to prove that she’s just as good as she was during the 2018 track seasons. Ben: I tend to agree with Garrett on the Dixon pick because I am still a little skeptical that he can win a national title. I’ll go in a slightly different direction and say that Suliman has the most to prove this weekend. He ran his 3:56 on the BU indoor track which, as we saw after last weekend, is very fast. Suliman has shown flashes of his talent since last spring when he ran 3:39 for 1500 meters, but he hasn’t shown an ability to truly contend at the national level (yet). Even though he ran 3:39 last year, he wasn’t able to qualify for NCAA's out of his region. A solid performance this week would end all of that talk right away. Michael: Similar to Ben’s argument for Suliman, I think Carlos Villarreal has a lot to prove in the mile. He didn’t run anything spectacular or put down a qualifying time until mid-February. He has looked great since then which is a good sign heading into NCAA's, but he is still pretty inexperienced on the national level. In his one NCAA appearance (indoor 2018) he failed to make the mile final. Villarreal has improved a lot, but he has yet to show he has what it takes to be a title contender. Sean: I’m going to cheat on this question and pick an entire team for the men: Oregon. This is their time to step up and show that they are still a distance powerhouse and not just the biggest name in track. If the Ducks cannot pull away a top three performance from one person, I think that you have to drop them from the top five current distance programs. Garrett: Love the Oregon pick. They’re probably hungry to show that staying in Eugene was the right move over going to Seattle. Ben: Wow! I like it. Big weekend for Powell vs Thomas. Michael: On the other side of the Washington/Oregon debate, my pick on the women’s side is Katie Rainsberger. She has run well this year, performing very similarly to how she did at Oregon in terms of times, and it will be interesting to see if she can follow up her move with another trip to the podium this weekend. Obviously, with her coaching remaining the same, it is safe to say not much has changed in terms of her training. However, I wonder if she will be able to match her performance from NCAA's last time around (3rd in both the 3k and DMR in 2017). Sean: I forgot a women’s pick too since I got hung up in the Dixon debate emotionally. I think Susan Ejore has to step up this weekend. Ejore was erratic in her performances during cross country and is being relied on to run a huge leg in the DMR and uphold the Oregon tradition in the mile. Ben: For me, the women who have the most to prove this weekend are Bissah and Wilson who are trying to show that they can compete with the big schools. Bissah especially after people have snickered a bit at the flat-track conversion. Garrett: Agreed with you there, Ben. No doubt that they’re talented, but will be interesting to see if they can prove it at the national level.

Just like on the men’s side, it is time to review how the TSR Draft for the women went and predict who might be best set up for the NCAA meet. However, the women’s draft did bring up one major issue that the men’s draft did not – redshirting. 9 of the 36 athletes picked ended up either redshirting the season, not competing at all, or going pro. Since this had such an effect on the draft, we allowed each TSR writer with an effected athlete to take one compensation pick. Those compensation picks were... Sam - Hannah Meier (Michigan) Ben - Lauren Gregory (Arkansas) Sean - Erica Birk (BYU) Elliott - Kristie Schoffield (Boise State) Zach - Nia Akins (Penn) Garrett - Allie Wilson (Monmouth) Michael - Did not earn a pick. All athletes competed and qualified. These picks were made before the NCAA accepted athletes lists were posted, so they were based on positions in the descending order lists, not the scratches/declarations. Feel free to tweet us or comment for our rationale on those picks. These athletes will contribute to the teams just like any other athlete, so let’s get started on the team evaluations. Ben’s Team Weini Kelati - Qualified in the 3K (#3) and the 5K (#2) Sammy Watson - Went Pro Susan Ejore - Qualified in the Mile (#8) and the DMR (#7) Katherine Receveur - Qualified in the DMR (#6) Abike Egbeniyi - Qualified in the 800 (#6) Whittni Orton - Qualified in the Mile (#15) and the DMR (#4) (Compensation Pick) Lauren Gregory - Qualified in the Mile (#3), the 3K (#6) and the DMR (#5) Total Scoring Opportunities: 11 Projected Score: 30.75 Maximum Potential Score: 69.25 Ben’s team was the favorite at the midway point and it was clear why. One of those reasons was due to the absolute dominance of Weini Kelati who has demolished almost every race she has been a part of. She has even excelled in the 1200 and mile as she ran those events at the Mountain West Conferences and set blistering times. No one should be leaving races up to a kick with her in the field. Being able to add Lauren Gregory in the Mile/3K/DMR triple will also add a ton of impact to Ben’s team. It’s unclear if Gregory will appear in the DMR, but there’s so much potential for Gregory to have an incredible meet. The DMR potential from Ejore, Receveur, and Orton should provide Ben a solid array of points at the end of day one as well. It won’t be many due to the scoring policy of the relay, but with three athletes, they should make a positive impact on the standings. Abike Egbeniyi will also make a splash in the 800. She is not the most consistent, so she will either shine brightly or miss out on the final. No one knows which until then. Ben’s team just has too much firepower over all events to be anything less than the favorite. Zach’s Team Allie Ostrander - Qualified in the 3K (#4), the 5K (#4), and the DMR (#3) Sharon Lokedi - Qualified in the 5K (#3) and the DMR (#8) Fiona O’Keeffe - Qualified in the 3K (#8) and the 5K (#13) Sage Hurta - Did not compete Jaci Smith - Qualified in the 3K (#12) and the 5K (#7) Aubrey Roberts - Qualified in the 5K (#8) (Compensation Pick) Nia Akins - Qualified in the 800 (#10) Total Scoring Opportunities: 11 Projected Score: 21.75 Maximum Potential Score: 71.5 This team relies on a ton of strength in the 5K and the 3K. Gaining so many athletes here makes it almost impossible not to score some points in those events, especially with Allie Ostrander taking the lead with Sharon Lokedi in the 5K. Those two are now in the NCAA All-Time Top 10. Jaci Smith and Fiona O’Keeffe will also be trying to score in both events, but are borderline scoring contenders. Neither should be expected for too many points. Zach should be hoping for a handful combined from that duo. Aubrey Roberts will also be counted upon to bolster the point total after she dropped a fast time at BU in December. In Zach’s only middle distance event, Nia Akins will be aiming to make the final in the 800. She will be in a tough battle with such a deep field in that event. Lokedi and Ostrander may also score a couple of points in the DMR, but with the 5K minutes before, it will be interesting to see whether either athlete will appear to help their teams make it to the medal podium. Zach will need to hope they do. Michael’s Team Elly Henes - Qualified in the 3K (#13) and the 5K (#10) Katie Rainsberger - Qualified in the Mile (#10), the 3K (#15) and the DMR (#12) Alicia Monson - Qualified in the 3K (#1) and the 5K (#11) Dorcas Wasike - Qualified in the 5K (#5) Nicole Hutchinson - Qualified in the 3K (#5) and the DMR (#10) Carina Viljoen - Qualified in the Mile (#6) and the DMR (#5) (Compensation Pick) - None Total Scoring Opportunities: 12 Projected Score: 22 Maximum Potential Score: 72 Michael clearly established the most opportunities of any team and had the best original draft since he did not have to claim a compensation pick. There’s no weak link in the qualified athletes either, although Henes and Rainsberger are not expected to score based on their seed times. Being able to pick up Alicia Monson in the 3rd round of the draft was a huge steal and could bring Michael 20 points if she can translate her 3K form into the 5K the night before. Carina Viljoen and Nicole Hutchinson are the other two main pieces for Michael, owning DMR and individual potential. Since Lauren Gregory is going to attempt the 3K/mile double, Viljoen will likely step into the DMR to relieve a little stress and team up with Taylor Werner for Arkansas. Hutchinson will be fresh for the DMR and should attempt to spoil some of the more star-studded teams with a very deep Villanova squad. Both could also surprise with top three finishes in their individual events if some of the XC-focused runners get caught napping in the at the end of the long distance races. The best part of Michael’s team is that there is no weak spot. Every athlete can score major points and will be expecting to reach the podium. If you had to find a weakness, it would be the lack of an 800m runner, but the depth in the 3K and 5K does more than enough to overcome that. Elliott’s Team Jessica Hull - Qualified in the 3K (#2) and the DMR (#7) Charlotte Prouse - Qualified in the 3K (#10) and the 5K (#6) Erin Finn - Did not compete Aaliyah Miller - Did not qualify Lauren Larocco - Qualified in the 5K (#9) Adva Cohen - Did not qualify (Compensation Pick) Kristie Schoffield - Qualified in the 800 (#8) and the DMR (#3) Total Scoring Opportunities: 7 Projected Score: 14 Maximum Potential Score: 50.5 Elliott’s team does not necessarily have the projected point total to establish himself as a major challenger, but has a number of good opportunities. The main question will be what kind of shape Charlotte Prouse and Lauren Larocco are in. Both set their 5K qualifiers in December, while Prouse also qualified in the 3K last weekend. These two women will need to score in order to push Elliott out of the bottom of the group. The addition of Kristie Schoffield should be a big boost as she will pick up a point or two in each the 800 and DMR. However, it's Jessica Hull wh obviously holds all the cards for Elliott. Should the Oregon star not earn a top three finish, Elliott may struggle to break into double digits. Sean’s Team Ednah Kurgat - Qualified in the 3K (#9) and the 5K (#1) Christina Aragon - Did not compete Caitlin Collier - Did not qualify Anna Rohrer - Did not compete Kamryn McIntosh - Did not qualify Kaylee Dodd - Qualified in the DMR (#2) (Compensation Pick) Erica Birk - Qualified in the 3K (#10) and the DMR (#4) Total Scoring Opportunities: 5 Projected Score: 13.25 Maximum Potential Score: 32.5 Sean’s team is in deep trouble after so many of his original athletes did not compete or qualify. He will be relying on Ednah Kurgat for almost all of his points. If you had to rely on one athlete though, Kurgat is a pretty good choice as she set the NCAA #3 All-Time 5K in December. Kurgat has not been quite at her top form this winter, but she has shown that she is still a threat at the 5K and 3K. Erica Birk will carry the rest of the team with an outside shot at the 3K title since so many athletes will be doubling from the 5K. Birk and Dodd have opportunities at some points in the DMR too, but even phenomenal races may leave Sean left behind the field and in last place in the draft. Garrett’s Team Danae Rivers - Qualified in the 800 (#3) Rachel Pocratsky - Qualified in the 800 (#4) and the DMR (#11) Millie Paladino - Qualified in the Mile (#5) Makena Morley - Qualified in the 3K (#14) and the 5K (#14) Laurie Barton - Did not compete Rachel McArthur - Qualified in the DMR (#10) (Compensation Pick) Allie Wilson - Qualified in the 800 (#2) Total Scoring Opportunities: 8 Projected Score: 23 Maximum Potential Score: 58 Garrett’s team has a lot of opportunities to score, but centers on a very strong 800 meter core. Rivers, Pocratsky, and Wilson could very well pull 1-2-3 in that event and earn Garrett 24 points. However, two of them will be the same heat as each other and there’s a high probability that they could cancel out each other out or even knock one of the three out of the final. Rivers is probably the favorite of the three since she set the 1000 meter NCAA record earlier in the season, but all three could come away with the win. Millie Paladino returns to the mile after qualifying in 2018. Paladino is being looked over as a favorite behind Hannah Meier, Karisa Nelson, and the pair from Arkansas, but should certainly be a factor as the race comes to the wire. Makena Morley could make or break Garrett’s team though; Morley has shown ability to enter the top 8 in cross country, but has not done that (yet) on the track. Sam’s Team Dani Jones - Did not compete Lilli Burdon - Qualified in the DMR (#12) Jazmine Fray - Qualified in the 800 (#13) Katrina Robinson - Did not compete Ruby Stauber - Did not compete Sinclaire Johnson - Qualified in the DMR (#2) (Compensation Pick) Hannah Meier - Qualified in the Mile (#1) and the DMR (#1) Total Scoring Opportunities: 5 Projected Score: 14.5 Maximum Potential Score: 26 Sam’s draft was really hindered by how many athletes just did not compete at all over the season. Losing Dani Jones crushed his team and having to take the losses of Robinson and Stauber certainly did not help. Johnson also hurt Sam’s team by opting out of all the individual events to pursue the DMR title since she can only earn ¼ points for Sam there. Compensation pick Hannah Meier will have to carry Sam’s team on her back in order to move Sam out of last place in this draft. Jazmine Fray will need to bust out another sub-2:03 effort as well since she’s only run 2:05 this year. Sam got unlucky, hopefully for him, he can pull just a little bit closer to the field.

It has now been a few days since the fields for the National Championships were released and we've had some time to digest and process the entries. As we look through the performance list, it's hard to ignore some of the exciting rivalries and matchups that are on deck for Friday and Saturday. Below, we gave you a few of the biggest battles to keep an eye on for this upcoming weekend... McDonald vs Fisher There may not be a matchup thats fans of the NCAA want to see more than McDonald vs Fisher. The two distance running titans have clashed only twice in the current academic calendar with McDonald winning the cross country national title and Fisher winning the Millrose 3k title. As a result, it has left us wondering if there really is a clear-cut favorite who can be considered "the best in the NCAA". Of course, the 3000 meters won't be the only race that these two run at Nationals. McDonald will be running the 5000 meters on day one while Fisher is expected to run the DMR just 40 minutes after. Will doubling back on day two have an impact on the 3k title for either of these men? Regardless of if it does, McDonald vs Fisher is the newest rivalry that the media and followers of the sport have latched onto (and for good reason). Women's 800 Meters: Power Five vs Non-Power Five The women's 800 meters race has the potential to be one of the fastest and most thrilling races of the entire national meet. The race will be headlined by four different women. Norfolk State's Martha Bissah and Monmouth's Allie Wilson have been on fire this year, securing the top two spots in the NCAA (a pair of 2:02's) and showing consistency along with drastic improvement throughout the winter. However, mid-distance stars Danae Rivers (Penn State) and Rachel Pocratsky (Virginia Tech) are the favorites for the national title in the eyes of many. Maybe it's because they attend smaller schools or run in conferences with lesser competition, but it seems like Bissah and Wilson have unfairly been set aside as afterthoughts in the few conversation's I've had with other collegiate distance running fans. Of course, it is hard to pick against the collegiate record holder for 1000 meters (Rivers) and one of the best overall mid-distance runners in the nation (Pocratsky). Will the consistency and improvement from Bissah and Wilson be enough to take the top spots on the podium? Or will the experience and overwhelming fitness of Rivers and Pocratsky prove to be too much to handle? Men's DMR: Notre Dame vs Stanford In just a single year, the Notre Dame men have gone from being an unimpressive ACC distance program to one of the best teams in the country. Their roster has suddenly developed plenty of depth and they have added a handful of low-sticks who can provide elite firepower. After upsetting Syracuse for the ACC title in cross country, the Fighting Irish were able to pull off another upset over Wisconsin at the Alex Wilson Invite just a few weeks ago. Both relays ran the #2 and #3 fastest times ever in the NCAA. While Wisconsin will certainly want revenge for their 2nd place finish, they will likely not have McDonald in the lineup and may opt to not enter Hoare in the relay either. If that happens, then it will be difficult for the Badgers to contend with Notre Dame this weekend However, the team that likely wants revenge on Notre Dame more than Wisconsin is the Stanford Cardinal who posted an underwhelming 4th place finish at last year's national meet after Fisher was out-kicked by Nuguse. However, with Grant Fisher seemingly regaining enough poise to win a national title this season, the Fighting Irish may have a target on their backs as the Cardinal likely still have a bitter taste in their mouth from 2018. Luckily for Coach Carlson's squad, they will have Yared Nuguse completely fresh after they decided to scratch him from the open mile. If one thing is clear, it's that the Irish are all-in for the distance medley on Friday night. Meier vs Rizk There may not be a rivalry more intense than Michigan and Ohio State. The BIG 10 programs have a long history of heavy disdain for each other across all sports and disciplines. After Michigan's Hannah Meier narrowly edged Ohio State's Julia Rizk at the BIG 10 Championships two weeks ago (4:32.46 to 4:32.79), Rizk and Buckeye fans around the country are hungry to topple their Wolverine rival on the nation's biggest stage. Luckily, the margin between these two runners is nearly zero and the path to win a national title is wide-open. It's very possible that the battle for individual gold comes down to just two these once again... Stanovsek vs Oregon The departure of Andy Powell from Oregon to conference rival Washington sent a shockwave throughout the running community this past summer and essentially deteriorated parts of the Oregon program. In addition to Powell's exit, Mick Stanovsek and Tanner Anderson also opted to leave Eugene for Seattle. Despite the roster casualties, Oregon came back arguably even better than they were a year before. Just this season, they had a jaw-dropping six men run under the four minute barrier for the mile. With three Ducks entered to run the mile at Nationals, Stanovsek will have his hands full as he attempts to battle past former teammates who likely have extra incentive to prove that staying in Oregon was the right choice. Ostrander vs New Mexico Boise State's Allie Ostrander has been one of the nation's fastest and most dangerous national contenders for years now and 2019 is no different. However, the Bronco star has often had to face the hurdle of dealing with conference rival New Mexico. So far this year, Ostrander has been unable to hang with the New Mexico duo of Kurgat and Kelati. She finished 4th at the BU Season Opener where the Lobo duo went 1-2 and later finished runner-up to Kelati in the mile at the Mountain West Championships. Ostrander also finished behind both New Mexico women at the NCAA Cross Country Championships this past fall. Allie O is more than capable of winning a national title in something other than the steeplechase, but New Mexico seems to be her biggest obstacle in doing so. Despite the crowd of elite competition in the distance events, next weekend may be Ostrander's greatest opportunity to take home indoor gold.

With the 2019 indoor season coming to a close next weekend and the NCAA Championships fast approaching, it’s time to do a review of our TSR Draft from earlier in the season. When we checked in midway through the season, Garrett was way out in front of the rest of the TSR writers . Of course, plenty has changed since then. Let’s check back and see which teams are pushing their way to the front as we head into the NCAA Championships. As a reminder, here are the teams (women's draft review coming Monday) ... Since Garrett’s team was leading at the midway point, we will start the analysis there and move on down the mid-season rankings. To score, we will only be using the NCAA scoring metrics and the official accepted athletes, not the descending order lists. Garrett’s Team Amon Kemboi - Qualified in the 3K (#3) and the 5K (#2) Jonathan Davis - Qualified in the DMR (#9) Kyle Mau - Qualified in the Mile (#4), the 3K (#6), and the DMR (#4) Mick Stanovsek - Qualified in the Mile (#13) and the DMR (#7) Nahom Solomon - Did not qualify Cole Rockhold - Did not qualify Total Scoring Opportunities: 8 Projected Score: 23.75 Maximum Potential Score: 52 Garrett’s team shows a great deal of strength heading into the national meet thanks to high-scoring duo of Amon Kemboi (Campbell) and Kyle Mau (Indiana). Mau is attempting the mile/3K/DMR triple (we believe) and sports one of the highest point scoring potentials of any NCAA athlete behind Grant Holloway. He also shares the possibility of tripling alongside the Wisconsin duo of Hoare and McDonald. Mau will be faced with some tough decisions on whether to run the DMR based on his mile heat earlier in the day. Amon Kemboi enters as one of the favorites in the 3K and 5K and is clearly among the best long-distance runners in the nation. Kemboi has not fared particularly well in NCAA Championships so far in his career, but was an All-American in both 2018 5K championships. Kemboi shouldn’t be expected to bring home 20 points for Campbell and Garrett, but he should be strong enough to bring home a fair number of points. Davis and Stanovsek could also make a small impact in the DMR and even help bring an NCAA title for their respective schools, but that will only impact Garrett’s team in a small way since DMR runners only receive ¼ of the points. Stanovsek may sneak in for points in the mile if he pulls off an upset for the national title. Nahom Solomon was a big point scorer in the mid-season draft for Garrett as he had an NCAA top five time in the 5K from the BU meet in December, but he just missed the meet after some big 5K races later in the season. Cole Rockhold of Colorado State managed some good results late in the season as he returned from injury, but it just wasn’t enough to qualify for NCAA's. It was a draft pick that was high risk, high reward. With these performances, Garrett’s team should be considered a contender, but maybe not the favorite that he was at the halfway point. Sean’s Team Oliver Hoare - Qualified in the Mile (#1), the 3K (#5), and the DMR (#2) Kasey Knevelbaard - Qualified in the Mile (#11) Robert Heppenstall - Qualified in the 800 (#7) James West - Qualified in the 3K (#11) and the DMR (#8) Lawrence Kipkoech - Did not qualify James Sugira - Qualified in the 5K (#7) Total Scoring Opportunities: 8 Projected Score: 20 Maximum Potential Score: 60.5 Oliver Hoare is projected to score 75% of Sean’s points based on his lead in the mile and his projected 3K points. Hoare has clearly shown himself to be one of the best athletes in the NCAA and has the potential to help push Wisconsin to the top of the team standings if he and Morgan McDonald both do well. However, Hoare’s individual prowess will likely not be enough to push Sean’s team over the top in this competition. Robert Heppenstall should be a big part of Sean’s attempt at a draft win as he has never missed All-American status in the 800. James Sugira is also projected to score in the 5K, but will have to overcome a very deep field that is known for better kicks than he is. Lawrence Kipkoech leaves Sean with a gap at the 3K and 5K after he failed to qualify for the national meet. Luckily, Oregon's James West attempting the DMR/3K could also increase Sean’s point totals. Kasey Knevelbaard will need to return to early season form to make the final and score. While Sean’s maximum points are a good sign, his reliance on Oliver Hoare leaves him vulnerable compared to team with more diverse talent. Elliott’s Team Carlos Villarreal - Qualified in the Mile (#3) Tyler Day - Qualified in the 5K (#1) Gilbert Kigen - Qualified in the 5K (#11) Cooper Teare - Qualified in the 3K (#8) and the DMR (#8) Peter Lomong - Did not qualify Dallin Farnsworth - Did not qualify Total Scoring Opportunities: 5 Projected Score: 17.25 Maximum Potential Score: 40.5 Carlos Villareal and Tyler Day are some of the top contenders in their events and have the benefit of being able to focus fully on those races. Day will take on a totally fresh field in the 5K on Friday night and will have to hold off the likes of Morgan McDonald, Edwin Kurgat, Joe Klecker, and a handful of others. Still, Day should be confident in his ability to come out on top. Villarreal faces an equally difficult challenge with Oliver Hoare and Waleed Suliman in the mile. Villarreal will be the most rested of the three coming into Saturday’s final, so expect him to utilize this factor. Cooper Teare can probably pick up more points with the DMR than in the loaded 3K, but some fans may disagree with that sentiment. Alabama's Gilbert Kigen is an outside shot at adding points for Elliott’s team. Without point potential for Lomong and Farnsworth, Elliott will need a big performance from his top two. Michael’s Team Joe White - Qualified in the 800 (#4) and the DMR (#10) Alex Ostberg - Qualified in the 3K (#12) and the DMR (#12) Vincent Kiprop - Qualified in the 5K (#16) Blake Haney - Qualified in the Mile (#14) and the DMR (#8) Yared Nuguse - Qualified in the DMR (#1) Waleed Suliman - Qualified in the Mile (#2) and the DMR (#2) Total Scoring Opportunities: 10 Projected Score: 17.75 Maximum Potential Score: 56.25 Michael’s potential points mainly come from athletes who could appear on the DMR, but may not line up (Alex Ostberg and Blake Haney) as well as from outside hopefuls for individual points (Alex Ostberg, Vincent Kiprop, and Blake Haney). While these points could easily be scored with some great races, counting on more than a couple of points out of those three is probably too hopeful. Counting on Waleed Suliman and Joe White is a much more reliable way for Michael to move up the standings as both men could come out victorious in their individual events and help push their DMR's up the results (potentially to national titles). Yared Nuguse hurt Michael’s chances of winning the draft title by choosing to opt out of the mile after a huge ACC Championship win. That said, Nuguse being fresh leaves Notre Dame as a favorite for the hotly contested DMR title. If he had chosen to run the mile, Nuguse and Suliman would have given Michael the hottest 5th/6th round punch of the entire draft. Suliman alone might still give Michael that honor. Michael has numerous opportunities to grab points, but the quantity of draft picks doesn't necessarily mean they all have a high probability of scoring significant points. Michael’s team is the only one to have all six athletes qualify for Nationals. John’s Team Morgan McDonald - Qualified in the 3K (#2), the 5K (#6), and the DMR (#2) Cameron Griffith - Qualified in the DMR (#11) Rory Linkletter - Did not qualify Devin Dixon - Qualified in the 800 (#1) Sam Worley - Qualified in the Mile (#7) and the DMR (#5) Paul Roberts - Did not qualify Total Scoring Opportunities: 7 Projected Score: 26 Maximum Potential Score: 46 Morgan McDonald holds the key for John’s team as McDonald should be aiming for the 3K/5K double after his XC win this past fall. McDonald is not the official favorite by seed time, but should see 20 points as a realistic goal in the Badgers’ aim for the NCAA title. John will need those points even more than Wisconsin will if he wants to win the TSR Draft title. Devin Dixon enters the meet as the NCAA American indoor record holder after a huge effort earlier in the season which converted to below 1:45 based on Lubbock’s altitude. Dixon was almost beaten at SEC's, but is the clear favorite in this race. Sam Worley is an interesting figure to watch in the DMR and mile. He is expected to make a big difference in both races, but is not among the top three favorites in either race. If he can make the jump into the highest tier, John’s team becomes the certain favorite instead of just barely sitting ahead of Garrett’s team. Cameron Griffith does hold a small bit of potential with his DMR leg for Arkansas, but even a win is only worth ¼ points, so his ability plays more into the DMR race potential and less into this draft analysis. Regardless, John has two huge powerhouses who could lead him to a fantasy team championship win. Ben’s Team Grant Fisher - Qualified in the 3K (#1) and the DMR (#12) Marco Arop - Qualified in the 800 (#2) Edwin Kurgat - Qualified in the 5K (#4), and the DMR (#6) Reed Brown - Qualified in the Mile (#10) and the DMR (#8) Isai Rodriguez - Did not qualify Cooper Williams - Qualified in the 800 (#11) and the DMR (#4) Total Scoring Opportunities: 9 Projected Score: 24.25 Maximum Potential Score: 55.25 *Kurgat is unlikely to appear on the DMR so his DMR points are currently not calculated Grant Fisher sits atop the 3K rankings and should be one of the fresher main contenders since he will only be coming off the DMR the night before and not the 5K like McDonald and Kemboi. This bodes well for Fisher in regards to him taking the NCAA title, but he still has not returned to the top step of the podium since 2017. Marco Arop will also be looking to move to the top of the podium after a gutsy effort in the 800 at SEC's where he nearly upset Devin Dixon. Arop is probably the only athlete who can challenge Devin Dixon should the final have any real pace from the gun. Edwin Kurgat will also be going hard from the gun in the 5K in his only race as he is not expected to appear on the Iowa State DMR (but could if truly needed). Reed Brown and Cooper Williams are the most interesting athletes for Ben’s team because they definitely have point scoring potential in the DMR as well as their individual events. However, they could also run hard prelims and then not perform as well as they hoped in their DMR legs. This could be especially troublesome for Indiana who will also have Kyle Mau on the double for the DMR. Reed Brown may get left off the DMR team altogether as Oregon has three athletes in the mile who could all join the 3K duo of James West and Cooper Teare on the relay. They could also upset their respective fields to pull out individual points. Like Michael, Ben has more opportunities than John and should hope that he can cut away at the firepower of John’s team with his high number of national qualifiers. Sam’s Team Joe Klecker - Qualified in the 3K (#4) and the 5K (#5) Bryce Hoppel - Qualified in the 800 (#3) Jonah Koech - Qualified in the 800 (#9) John Dressel - Qualified in the 5K (#15) Myles Marshall - Did not qualify Aaron Templeton - Did not qualify Total Scoring Opportunities: 5 Projected Score: 15 Maximum Potential Score: 46 Sadly for Sam, his team remains at the bottom of the standings as there are just not many opportunities for his team to score at NCAA's. Sam’s best hope is with the Colorado Buffaloes who could bring him 28 points if Klecker and Dressel race out of their minds in the distance races which is certainly not outside the realm of possibility. It’s not the most likely thing to happen either though, and earning a combined 10 points from those two would be a respectable result. Bryce Hoppel enters the 800 trying to upset Arop and Dixon and could make that a reality if they push each other too hard in the first 600. Hoppel has the #3 fastest time in the NCAA right now should pull a few points, but no result is certain in the four lap affair. Jonah Koech will have to see how his 800 prelim plays out, but is a contender in a tight race to pick up a few points as well. Still, the chances for Sam look slim. In total, here's a brief recap of what the men's fantasy draft looks like... Overall, the teams evened out a lot more than one may have expected after Garrett led everyone by so many points at the halfway mark. Every team is still with 11 points of each other by the projected score and anyone could emerge as the TSR Draft winner. Watch out for Women’s Draft NCAA preview with a special twist in the coming days!