Men: Elliott Portillo Women: John Cusick MEN BU Terrier Classic The BU John Thomas Terrier Classic saw most of the D2 action that went down this weekend. Overall, seven new provisional marks were set. 800 In the 800, four men made it on the NCAA performance list. Hugo Arlabosse of Franklin Pierce finished 5th behind multiple post-collegians with a time of 1:50.77. This is currently #3 in all of Division II and only the third time under 1:51 this season. Behind him, Ayman Zahafi of TAMU-Kingsville, Stephen Vercollone of Stonehill, and Nick Fenton of American International ran 1:51.46, 1:52.95, and 1:53.12, respectively. Mile This event saw two competitors run their current season bests, as Benoit Campion of American International and Lucas Taxter of Stonehill ran 4:07.32 and 4:09.49 to settle at #2 and #5 on the national leaderboard. Expect an exciting duel between the two at the NE-10 Conference Championships in February. 3000 Christopher Lebeau of So. Conn. St. hung tough in a field comprised of top Division I and post-collegiate talent. The sophomore ran 8:22.15 to win his section of the 3k. DMR Riding off some stellar individual performances, American International also showed their team depth. The Yellow Jackets finished 2nd behind Boston College in a provisional time of 9:53.38. Campion and Fenton both were legs in the relay, and it will be interesting to see if they decide to focus on individual events or help the team when it comes down to Nationals in March. Pittsburg State Invitational 800 Matt Christoffer of Southwest Baptist finished 3rd, Brandon Rivera of West Texas A&M finished 4th, and Murad Baheyadeen of Emporia State finished 7th as all three ran good enough to make it onto the NCAA qualifying list. Christoffer’s time of 1:51.81 currently ranks #7 in the country. Rivera and Baheyadeen ran 1:52.21 and 1:53.22 to make it within the top 22 in the nation thus far. Mile So far, nobody has thrown down what would be considered a “burner” over the mile distance. In fact, nobody has even hit the Division II auto mark of 4:02.24. Despite this, a new national lead was set this weekend, as Brett Meyer of Fort Hayes State ran 4:06.08 to finish runner-up behind Wichita State’s Zack Penrod. Academy of Art’s Victor Moreau moved to #3 on the qualifying list with his 4th place time of 4:07.36. While these times are impressive for January, it will be interesting to see how much faster the mile lead can get, especially as more Colorado based athletes turn their attention towards it. UW Invitational While Division I stars through down fast times this weekend at the Dempsey, there were still plenty of quality D2 performances of note as well. 3000 The 3k saw Simon Fraser’s Pierre-Louis Detourbe join his teammate Rowan Doherty on the qualifying list for NCAA’s. The sophomore ran 8:16.19 to clinch a top 10 time so far this season. 5000 Not to be outdone by their northern rivals, the Alaska Anchorage duo of Wesley Kirui and Edwin Kangogo both made earned their way onto a pretty cramped 5k qualifiers list. Kirui finished 8th overall to hit a time of 14:18.62, which is good enough to be the #15 time in D2 this year. Kangogo finished 10th in the second section with a time of 14:39.15. As of right now, it looks like the 5k is the go-to event this season, and it will be interesting to see who the first person out is in what appears to be one of the more stacked fields in Division II. DMR Two GNAC foes both hit provisional standards in the DMR this weekend. Simon Fraser finished 4th behind some D1 heavy hitters with a time of 9:58.86. The Wolves of Western Oregon weren’t far behind, as their team finished 6th in 10:01.78. GVSU Open 800 At his home meet, Grand Valley senior David Jones took the victory in the 800 with a 1:52.35, beating out freshman teammate Jonathon Groendyk by one second. Jones is one of four Lakers on the national leaderboard in the 800 this year. 3000 Hillsdale junior Joseph Humes beat out the rest of the field by nearly 15 seconds to take home the victory. His time of 8:18.68 currently closes out the top 10 fastest times this season. 2019 Spire Midwest Open 5000 Jack Mastandrea of Charleston (W.V.) ran over 25 seconds faster than his next closest competitor to finish with a time of 14:34.31, good enough to be the #30 time in D2 so far. DMR The distance medley squads of Walsh and Malone battled to nearly identical times this weekend, with the Cavaliers edging out the Patriots by only one hundredth of a second, 10:02.31 to 10:02.32. Mines Division II Invite and Multi 3000 Sam Berg of MSU Denver (8:19.61) and Dylan Ko (8:20.99) of Colorado Mines both ran altitude and track converted times to land on the national leaderboard at 11th and 14th, respectively. DMR This weekend saw the DMR floodgates open as teams finally decided to give the event an honest effort. Of the 13 qualifying marks so far, 11 were set this weekend. Of those 11, five were set at the Mines Division II Invite. Traditional RMAC powers like Colorado Mines (9:46.17), CSU-Pueblo (9:53.32), and Western Colorado (9:59.48) all ran sub-10. Sioux Falls was the only non-RMAC squad to get a provisional mark with their time of 9:53.82. To further show the depth of the Orediggers, the Colorado Mines "B" squad also ran a provisional time. Their time adjusted for altitude and track size comes down to 10:04.74, good enough for the 13th fastest time this season. USM III 800 Max Michaud of Assumption ran 1:52.96 after a track-size conversion landed him at #19 on the 800 meter qualifying list. Jayhawk Classic 3000 Washburn’s Jacob Klemz ran 8:11.79 after track-size conversion to win the 3k at the Jayhawk Classic. His converted time is currently #4 indoors. Principia Relays DMR Lindenwood’s relay squad bested the field by nearly 30 seconds to run a 9:59.95 (track-size conversion) in the distance medley. They are currently ranked #9 in the nation. WOMEN We mentioned that this was the weekend that things were going to start heating up and boy did they not disappoint! There were a lot of provisional times, and one collegiate record to get things going. The performance lists are continuing to grow as athletes pick and choose where they race and what events they think they will be the best at. We’ve already got some clear favorites in some events while we’re beginning to see other fields become more crowded. Let’s begin... 2019 KMS Invitational 800 We have one time to talk about here and it’s from Embry-Riddle’s senior Kristen Metcalfe. She posted the second automatic qualifying time in the 800 with a time of 2:06.91. That’s a stellar time to begin with, let alone that she was 11 seconds ahead of the 2nd place finisher in the race. 2019 UW Invitational 800 Addy Townsend kicked off the UW Invite with a strong performance of 2:08.70. That's good enough for a #3 ranking on the national performance list. She opened up just as fast as she ran at the National Championships last year, signaling very exciting progression for the Simon Fraser ace. Danielle McCormick of Alaska Anchorage is now #6 on the performance list after she ran 2:10.90 at UW. Sophie Dodd of Simon Fraser ran 2:13.11 and is now #9. Behind her is Bianca Bryant from San Francisco State. She ran 2:13.66 to crack the top 10. 3000 Eileen Stressling of Azusa Pacific opened up her season with a strong 3000/5000 double (we’ll talk about her 5k soon). She ran 9:38.69 and is ahead of where she was last year at this time. She currently sits at #4 on the performance list and is 20 seconds under the provisional mark, essentially securing herself another National Championship appearance in 2019. Alexa Shindruk from Central Washington was the other top 3000 meter performer from the weekend. She ran 9:42.19 to the #5 spot on the performance list after the weekend’s results. The senior PR’d in the mile last week (5:09.04) and hit another PR this weekend after a strong cross country season. 5000 You could argue that the best performance from the weekend came from Alaska Anchorage’s Caroline Kurgat. She broke the collegiate record for Division 2 and would have bettered the outdoor mark, running 15:28.46. This comes on the heels of running 9:07 last weekend and she is looking to cement her mark within the ranks of all NCAA classifications. We mentioned Stressling earlier and she ran to the #4 best mark on the season in the 5000 meters with her time of 16:43.33 from the weekend. She continued her strong start to the 2019 campaign as she has likely qualified for Nationals in both events. Liberty Kickoff 2019 Mile We have a new leader in the mile after the weekend and it comes with a real track time and not a converted one. Leah Hanle of Mount Olive ran 4:53.34 on her way to a seven second win. Her time is a new personal best and put hers four seconds ahead when she ran the mile last year. Whether or not Hanle will decide to run the mile at Nationals or stick to the 5000 and 3000 is still unbeknownst to us, but I’d gamble and say she goes 3k/5k like last year. Pittsburg State Invitational Mile Southwest Baptist’s freshman Elysia Burgos continues her strong start to her very young track and field career. After running 4:57 before Christmas break, Burgos came back and ran 2:18.94 last week and then came back this weekend with a two second personal best in the mile of 4:55.97. She’s currently #4 on the performance list. 2019 Spire Midwest Open Indoor T&F Meet Mile Andra Lehotay is back after competing in the mile at Nationals the lpast two years. She ran 4:58.58 last weekend and then came back to run 4:56.99 this weekend to move up on the performance list to #6. She was an All-American as a freshman in the mile and a two-time All-American at 1500 meters. Mizzou Open Mile Drury’s Claire McCune continues her phenomenal season. After placing 16th at Cross Country Nationals, she came out after Christmas break to run 10:13 (a personal best) last week. She followed that up with personal bests in the mile (5:00.74) and then 2:25.73 for 800 meters. Her mile time converts down to 4:57.80 due to the track size placing her at #9 in the country for the moment. Mines Division II Invite & Multi Mile Taryn Ceglowski of Sioux Falls gives us our first altitude converted time of the weekend after she ran 5:10.36 in Golden, Colorado for a three-second victory. Her time converts down to 4:58.14 which is good enough for a #10 on the NCAA D2 leaderboard. Tom Hathaway Distance Classic Mile Indianapolis’ Mickayla Wenzel ran a personal best of 5:01. She took 2nd place overall at the meet just a week after running a personal best of 10:11 in the 3000. In fact, all three of her races this season have been the best times of her career. Her 5:01 converts down to 4:58.61 which dips underneath the provisional mark and is #11 on the provisional list. JDL College Meet Madness Mile Flagler’s Heloise Duffie De Tassigny is the last athlete we’ll talk about this week as she is #12 on the performance list and also dipped underneath the mile provisional mark. She also ran in the 5:01 range and saw a five second improvement from the week before. Her time converts down to 4:58.69.

It's Wednesday afternoon and for many of us at TSR, we are still digesting this past weekend's results. The second-to-last week of January almost always produces high quality performances and despite plenty of warning, we always end up surprised. Why? I have no idea. Allie Ostrander just shook up the national qualifying picture this past weekend after a pair of match-ups against Sinclaire Johnson and Oklahoma State. No, she didn't run an absurd time or even leave Seattle with a win which is a rarity for Ostrander. But somehow, none of that really matters. What does matter is the DMR performance that we saw on Friday night. On a day where Stanford's bus caught on fire and Indiana's men ran an NCAA #6 DMR, the best highlight was arguably the relay battle we saw at the Dempsey indoor facility. With Oklahoma State securing the victory by a margin of less than half a second (in a time of 10:55.92), the Pokes have effectively laid claim to the DMR as national title favorites, especially when you consider that the time is an NCAA #10 All-Time performance. However, that result is not what complicates this year's qualifying picture. With Boise State's DMR finishing close behind in 10:56, Ostrander's future plans for NCAA's have suddenly become less concrete in a season where she ran one of the fastest 5k races in NCAA history. Even so, there's an argument to be made for Ostrander returning to the DMR at Nationals... *** At the moment, competition in the women's distance events is at an all-time high, specifically for 5000 meters. If you don't believe me, jump back to what we saw at Boston University in December where four women ran NCAA Top 10 All-Time marks for 5000 meters. If the season ended today, the top 14 women from that race would qualify for Nationals. Only two women who did not run in that race would make it into the national meet. In 2019, talent in the 5000 meters will likely be at it's pinnacle. The field will be increasingly crowded with numerous women who could walk away with a national title. Is it unrealistic to think that either Kurgat, Kelati, Lokedi, Ostrander, Finn, or even Wasike could be a 5k national champ? I think there's an argument for each of these runners and a maybe a few others if the race turns tactical. So why would Ostrander subject herself to a race where the fitness for an NCAA Top 10 time may not even be enough to secure a top three finish for that same event at Nationals? Why not choose to run the DMR where there are far fewer title contenders? That's not to say that Ostrander can't win a national title in the 5000 meters (heck, she's already run 15:16 this season), but if her goal is to walk away with her first NCAA indoor gold medal and/or secure as many points for her team as possible, then Allie and the Boise State coaching staff may want to consider making another effort at the DMR, an event they finished 5th in at last year's indoor national meet. *** Obviously, the season is still young and we have yet to see how certain fields for certain events will look at the National Championships. That said, it's hard to imagine a ton of new names or relays climbing to the top of the NCAA leaderboard in either the 5000 or DMR. When you compare the current standings to the final list we saw in 2018, there is plenty of parity between the top five times. New Mexico could run something fast in the distance medley, but it's far more probable that the Lady Lobos pursue open events. Oregon always has the potential to turn heads, but if Jessica Hull were to enter the mile instead of the 3000 this year, then she'll likely have to run on tired legs. If Oregon does run the DMR, it will almost definitely be with Hull and Susan Ejore on the double. Outside of Arkansas and Stanford's "A" lineup, I'm not sure who else could join Oklahoma State, Boise State, BYU, and Villanova as title contenders. Maybe a reorganized Washington relay where Rainsberger and Burdon are switched? It's tough to say... If Ostrander did opt to choose the DMR, then a double in the 3000 meters would be inevitable. After all, I think most would agree that it's easier to double-back in a 3k after racing a mile compared to racing a full indoor 5k. Not only that, but Ostrander hopping out of the 5k would also open up a qualifying spot for teammate Emily Venters who seems to be a borderline qualifier in both the 3k and 5k distances. If she does earn a trip to Birmingham, Venters will be someone who can score in the open events for Boise State without having to worry about the DMR. *** When was the last time a Top 10 All-Time performer didn't run that respective event at Nationals that year? No, seriously, when was the last time that happened? I don't know if anyone would be able to find that answer. Regardless, history still sides with the 5000 meters on this one. Of the six remaining women on the All-Time Top 10 NCAA 5k list (with a time that was run prior to this season), five of them went on to become national champions in that same year. Only Sarah Disanza (#10) did not (she finished 3rd). Of course, we've never been in a situation where four different women clocked an All-Time Top 10 5k mark in the same year... While it may seem overly dramatic, Ostrander stepping away from the 5000 meters could wind up being a subtle indicator (whether we realize it or not) of how top athletes will weigh their options in this continuously evolving and growing era of elite competition. As for right now, Ostrander choosing the DMR could open up a national qualifying spot for her teammate, force other programs to realign / reconsider their current relay lineups, and even give Erin Finn one less roadblock towards her first NCAA gold. And most importantly? It could give Ostrander the best chance of winning her first indoor national title.

25. Fiona O'Keeffe, Rs. Sophomore, Stanford (-6 / 18) We have yet to see teammate Christina Aragon make her season debut, but O'Keeffe had a nice opener at Washington with a 4:39 mile. Despite the strong time, she had to lose few spots in our rankings due to a number breakout performances in the mile and the incredible talent in the 5000 meters. 24. Susan Ejore, Junior, Oregon (Unranked) It's hard to dislike what we've seen from this Oregon junior so far in 2019. Ejore ripped off a fast time of 2:44 for 1000 meters at the UW Preview and just recently ran a 4:35 mile at the UW Invite. She has become an integral part of the Ducks distance arsenal and should be a key name to watch moving forward. 23. Jessica Pascoe, Junior, Florida (0 / 23) For someone who will likely focus on the 3000 and 5000 meters later this season, a time of 4:43 in the mile is a solid result. It's nice to see that she's developing some of her mid-distance speed before the later portion of the season arrives. 22. Elly Henes, Junior, NC State (-2 / 20) Her 15:34 5k is still a top 10 time in the NCAA, but she was able to tack on a personal best of 4:38 in the mile as well. Much like Monson and Pascoe, it's nice to see a top long distance talent drop down in distance and further develop her speed. 21. Alicia Monson, Junior, Wisconsin (0 / 21) After running a flat-track converted 4:36 in the mile, Monson showed off her long distance fitness this past weekend with a monster time of 15:34, currently placing her at #11 in the NCAA for 5000 meters. With such strong performances in both the mile and 5k, it will be interesting to see how she'll fare in the 3000 meters (which may be her best event this season). 20. Carina Viljoen, Junior, Arkansas (Unranked) 19. Lauren Gregory, Rs. Freshman, Arkansas (Unranked) When you run as fast as this Arkansas duo did, it's hard to leave them out of the Top 25. The Razorback pairing of Gregory and Viljoen kept things interesting this past weekend when they faced off against Oregon's Jessica Hull in the mile. Neither of them pulled out the win, but they secured two NCAA top five times in the process. Gregory (4:32) and Viljoen (4:33) may be at the top of the NCAA leaderboard, but we haven't seen this kind of elite fitness from either of them before. They both lack experience on the big stage (Nationals), so I would like to see how the rest of their season goes before we move them up our rankings. 18. Millie Paladino, Senior, Providence (+1 / 19) Millie Paladino continues to stay under the radar. She has shown off some incredible range so far this season with times of 2:08 and 9:19. She recently ran a blistering 2:42 for 1000 meters at Boston, further strengthening the idea that the mile is her sweet spot for the 2019 indoor track season. 17. Nicole Hutchinson, Senior, Villanova (+5 / 22) Hutchinson has been on fire so far this season. The Villanova ace recently anchored her Wildcat teammates to an NCAA #4 time of 10:59 in the DMR and posted a 4:33 mile as well to beat out 2017 indoor mile champion Karisa Nelson. Watching out for this 'Nova star in March... 16. Charlotte Prouse, Junior, New Mexico (0 / 16) We haven't seen Prouse toe the line since her 15:26 personal best at Boston. If we don't see her the next time New Mexico hits the track, then there may be a cause for injury concern. 15. Erin Finn, Rs. Senior, Michigan (-8 / 7) Erin Finn has extended her racing hiatus as we have not yet seen her post a result this indoor season. If she doesn't race at Michigan's home meet this weekend, then it is very likely that she'll be opting not to race this indoor season so that she can focus on outdoor track. 14. Dorcas Wasike, Rs. Sophomore, Louisville (-1 / 13) Wasike's 4:48 from the Notre Dame Invite two weekends ago isn't anything eventful, but we can't dismiss her 15:25 5k from Boston. Hopefully we see her in a 3k soon. 13. Katie Rainsberger, Rs. Sophomore, Washington (+1 / 14) So far, Rainsberger seems to be adjusting well to life in Seattle. The Husky ace threw down a very strong 4:36 this past weekend after anchoring her DMR to an NCAA #5 time of 11:00. The highlights may have gone to Sinclaire and Ostrander, but Rainsberger can't be forgotten for staying competitive in one of the more stronger fields of the weekend. 12. Sharon Lokedi, Senior, Kansas (-2 / 10) Lokedi hasn't raced since she ran 15:15 for 5000 meters back in December. We'll continue to monitor the results in hopes that she'll be back on the track this season. 11. Rachel Pocratsky, Senior, Virginia Tech (0 / 11) So far, Pocratsky has run back-to-back 1k's this season and the results have been worth her ranking. After opening up her season with a 2:47 and following that up with a 2:43 two weeks ago, it's clear that Pocratsky was readying herself for a big mile debut at the JDL Fast Track this weekend. 10. Karisa Nelson, Senior, Samford (+2 / 12) It's been over a year since we last saw the 2017 mile national champion step onto a track. Her return, however, has certainly been entertaining. She may have lost to Nicole Hutchinson at the Armory this past weekend, but a 4:34 mile result puts her back into the All-American conversation. With season bests of 2:05 and 9:22, Nelson may have some of the best range in the NCAA as of right now. For that reason, she moves into the top 10. 9. Allie Ostrander, Junior, Boise State (0 / 9) We saw two very strong efforts from Ostrander in first competition back from winter break. However, she dropped to 2nd in both of her races this past weekend as Oklahoma State's Sinclaire Johnson proved to be her kyrptonite. Nonetheless, anchoring her relay to a 10:56 and running 4:35 the next day is super impressive, especially for someone who is predominately a 3k/5k runner. Still, it would've been nice to see her emerge at the top of the results in one of those races. 8. Jazmine Fray, Senior, Texas A&M It's been a very quiet January for the Aggie senior who has been on relay duty in her last two weekends of competition. Look for Fray to make her 800 debut in the next week or two. 7. Sinclaire Johnson, Sophomore, Oklahoma State (Unranked) When I watched the replay of the UW Invite DMR, I audibly said out loud "Wow, that was incredible" to an audience of no one. Oklahoma State gave Sinclaire Johnson the stick well behind the leaders. There was at least a 30 meter gap before she steadily climbed back into the top group and pulled away for the win in the final 150 meters. Her patience and poise showed a tremendous amount of race acumen, something that you don't often find in underclassmen. As if that wasn't enough, Johnson would go on to run 4:35 in the mile and hold off Allie Ostrander for the second night in a row to earn the top collegiate spot. I'm usually someone who is pretty conservative on their estimates and rankings after seeing just one big weekend of performances, but this was one was wildly impressive. Plus, I didn't think anyone else was suited for the #7 spot in our rankings... 6. Sammy Watson, Sophomore, Texas A&M (-2 / 4) Admittedly, Watson's season debut for 800 meters was a bit underwhelming. Her 2:06.89 was eventually converted to a 2:06.52 following her upset by Alyssa Brewer (USC) at Texas Tech. It's important that we don't over analyze this performance, but it wasn't the start that Ben Weisel was looking for in regards to his fantasy track team... 5. Weini Kelati, Sophomore, New Mexico (+1 / 6) The New Mexico sophomore star has been known her for what she can do in the longer distances, but she impressed many fans of the NCAA this past weekend with a 4:39 mile at nearly 5000 feet of altitude. That time converts to an NCAA #3 ranking, although it's fair to say that Kelati will likely choose to run the 3000 and 5000 meters over the mile. Then again, with Kurgat likely attempting the same double, the Lobos may think about fielding Kelati in the mile and 3k to maximize their points. Don't shut down that idea just yet... 4. Ednah Kurgat, Senior, New Mexico (-2 / 2) The New Mexico veteran still holds the top time in the NCAA when it comes to the 5000 meter racing distance. However, she hasn't raced since Boston, leaving many of us to wonder what her next move will be. 3. Danae Rivers, Junior, Penn State (+2 / 5) So far, 2019 has been the year of Danae Rivers. The Penn State superstar has elevated her fitness to a completely new level this year. She ran a collegiate record of 2:38.58 for 1000 meters in her season opener and just ran 2:02 this past weekend. Rivers has gone from an All-American lock, to a very legitimate national title contender. It'll be interesting to see if she attempts the mile this season and what she decides to run when Nationals rolls around. 2. Jessica Hull, Senior, Oregon (+1 / 3) The national champion for 1500 meters in 2018 has returned to the indoor equivalent of that distance and absolutely dominated in her debut. Her 4:31.03 was enough to claim the top time in the NCAA and hold off two very impressive efforts from Arkansas' Lauren Gregory (4:32) and Carina Viljoen (4:33). With a strong mile time now under her belt, Hull can look towards the 3000 meters as her next choice of an event. Since the mile finals will be complete before the 3k toes the line at Nationals, it's hard to see the Oregon senior not attempting the mile/3k double this year (should she qualify for both events). 1. Dani Jones, Senior, Colorado (0 / 1) Jones is the only one on this list who hasn't officially raced this indoor season. That, however, should come as no surprise considering Colorado's "lay-low" approach towards racing. Expect to see the Colorado star make her season debut this weekend or next.

Honorable Mentions Alex Rodgers (Texas) Alex Ostberg (Stanford) Fred Huxham (Washington) Nahom Solomon (Georgia Tech) Logan Orndorf (Portland) Carlton Orange (Texas A&M) Vincent Crisp (Texas Tech) 25. Rory Linkletter, Rs. Senor, BYU (-5 / 20) Linkletter’s speed is looking good as he nearly broke four for the first time at the UW Invite (with a time of 4:02). I am curious to see what he will run in the 3k and/or 5k later on this season. Linkletter is the first of a couple BYU Cougars who made this list. 24. Bryce Hoppel, Junior, Kansas (-13 / 11) We haven’t seen much from one of the top returners from the outdoor 800. Hoppel has only run 1:56, 4:16, and took part in a 4x400. I’m keeping him on the list for one more week, but if he doesn’t run something soon then it will be hard to justify keeping him with how deep the 800 suddenly is. 23. Cooper Teare, Sophomore, Oregon (+2 / 25) One race that hasn’t been mentioned much is Cooper Teare taking down Cameron Griffith at the Arkansas Invite. Going sub four and taking down Griffith who is highly rated by this particular TSR ranking "expert" is super impressive. 22. Jonah Koech, Senior, Texas Tech (-3 / 19) Koech looked good in his Red Raider debut. One of the most versatile runners in the country, ran a converted 1:46.98 at his new home track in a loaded 800 field. It will be interesting to see where he would stack up in the mile this year if he eventually decides to run that event. 21. Clayton Young, Rs. Senior, BYU (+2 / 23) Young ran a nice race at UW Invite to finish 5th overall with a time of 7:51. With the amount of top times BYU is turning out, Young sticks out as someone who has qualified for Indoor Nationals before. 20. Connor McMillan, Rs. Senior, BYU (Unranked) McMillan earned a spot in the rankings after his 3rd place finish behind the man one spot ahead of him in the rankings. McMillan has some very strong PR's in the 5k and 10k, so it's good to see him drop down in distance and produce another solid result. He might struggle in a tactical 3k, but could very easily be an All-American contender in the 5000 meters. 19. Andrew Jordan, Junior, Iowa State (Unranked) Another new member of the power rankings, Andrew Jordan followed up his 8:04 2nd place finish with a beautifully run 7:51 to be the top collegiate in the 3k at the UW Invite. We haven’t talked much about Jordan after a respectable cross country season, but one that was undoubtedly frustrating after his 15th place finish at Nationals in 2017. The Cyclone ace could pair up with teammate Edwin Kurgat to form a powerful duo at Nationals this season. 18. Mick Stanvosek, Junior, Washington (0 / 18) Stanovsek continues to pound out solid performances. Following his 2:21 in the 1000, the Husky ran 1:49 after anchoring the DMR to a 9:37 the night before. His speed is looking sharp and giving us some exciting signs about what he'll be able to do in the mile later this season. 17. Isaiah Jewett, Junior, USC (Unranked) One of the big surprises of the season has been Jewett who had already run 1:15 in the 600 before coming in 2nd to Dixon at the Texas Tech Classic and running a converted 1:46.60. He has to be considered, even in a loaded 800, as one of the top runners in country. Beating Jonah Koech among others is also a good sign. Keep an eye on him the rest of the season because he could continue to move up the rankings. 16. Robert Heppenstall, Senior, Wake Forest (-6 / 10) Heppenstall started his indoor season with a win over John Lewis to run 1:50.05. While not a fast time, the most consistent runner in the country will undoubtedly run faster as the season goes on. As a runner in an 800 field that seems to be getting deeper by the day, it is important that Heppenstall step up with the rest of the field to regain his status as a favorite. 15. Edwin Kurgat, Junior, Iowa State (Unranked) Kurgat slides down a few spots after a disappointing race that saw him run 8:00 and finish 2nd to Oregon’s Charlie Hunter. I still am confident that Kurgat will earn a spot at Nationals with teammate Andrew Jordan, but I certainly don’t feel as good about it as I did at the start of the season. I am also curious as to why Kurgat didn’t run at Washington like Jordan did. Hopefully he will have other chances to run 7:50 later in the season. 14. Tyler Day, Rs. Junior, NAU (-5 / 9) Day backed up his converted 13:33 5k with an unconverted 1:57 and 8:33. It is good to see him run an 800 and continue to develop the speed he will need for the 5k at Nationals. 13. Carlos Villarreal, Junior, Arizona (0 / 13) Villarreal is showcasing his range. After running 4:00 two weeks ago, he came back to run 7:58 with his typical furious finish. I’m still a little worried about how much he got beat by Davis in the mile and how he will fair in the prelims at Nationals. This said, he is showcasing a level of fitness that we have not seen from him before. 12. Marco Arop, Sophomore, Mississippi State (-6 / 6) Lost in all the hoopla surrounding Dixon after his stunning race was Arop’s win at the Arkansas Invite in 1:47.63. Arop, the top outdoor returner in the 800, needed this type of race to prove that he still belongs in the national title discussion with White and Dixon who have been running very well so far. I really hope we get to see Arop run against one of the top contenders before Nationals. 11. Cameron Griffith, Senior, Arkansas (-3 / 8) Griffith got edged out by Cooper Teare in the mile at the Arkansas Invite, but still ended up running a PR of 3:59. With Griffith’s stellar 7:49 PR in the 3k, it is good to see his mile drop by a few seconds. I’m excited to see what he does in the 3k over the next few weeks. 10. Kasey Knevelbaard, Rs. Junior, Southern Utah (+7 / 17) I was very impressed by Knevelbaard’s race in the mile at the UW Invite. He finished as the top collegiate, narrowly losing to Neil Gourley and ran 3:58. The 5th place mile finisher from last year’s indoor national meet has to be considered one of the top two milers in the country (maybe outside of Oliver Hoare). 9. Johnathan Davis, Rs. Sophomore, Illinois (+5 / 14) Davis put together one of the top races from last weekend beating Villarreal to run 3:58. If Davis is focused on running the mile this season (which it seems like he is), then he has to be one of the favorites. He owns the fastest time in the country so far and has already beaten one of the other favorites. It is time to start taking Davis serious as a contender for the mile crown in Birmingham. 8. Kyle Mau, Junior, Indiana (+7 / 15) If it weren’t for Oliver Hoare, then Mau’s 7:50 on his home track would have the top time in the NCAA in the 3k. It was an impressive time and performance for the Hoosier who has now put his name into the ring as one of top 3k candidates. Mau also anchored Indiana’s DMR team which ran 9:27. It will be interesting to see if Mau competes in both the DMR and 3k come Nationals. 7. Amon Kemboi, Junior, Campbell (0 / 7) Kemboi flashed his speed to pair with his 13:33 from December. Running sub four and winning his race bodes well for his chances in the 5k at Nationals. If anyone can topple Fisher and McDonald, then my bet is on Kemboi. 6. Joe Klecker, Rs. Junior, Colorado (0 / 6) Klecker has yet to race indoors so there isn’t much to report. He drops back two places only because of two great performances. 5. Devin Dixon, Junior, Texas A&M (+17 / 22) The performance of the weekend (quite the compliment in a very good weekend of racing) earns Dixon a huge 17 place jump into the #5 slot. Perhaps this is an overreaction based off of one race, but considering he beat Donovan Brazier’s American indoor record, it is hard not to think of him as one of the top runners in the country. We will see if this race translates to a top finish in NCAA's, but right now no one wants to race Dixon. 4. Joe White, Senior, Georgetown (0 / 4) While White didn’t run as fast a Dixon, he keeps his #4 spot because of how easily he beat the rest of the field while running 1:46.91. This time, combined with White’s experience at championship meets, keeps White as the favorite...for now. 3. Grant Fisher, Rs. Junior, Stanford (0 / 3) Holy smokes, this is hard. Honestly, I feel like you could pick the top three out of a hat, and I couldn’t argue with the order. Fisher just threw down a 3:56 split in the DMR to lead Stanford to the win and a 9:29. To run that well and show that much speed this early in the season would normally catapult Fisher into the top spot. Yet, as fate would have it, there were a handful of other elite performances this past weekend. However, with another race like this, Fisher could easily climb to #1. 2. Oliver Hoare, Junior, Wisconsin (0 / 2) Wooooo boy! What a race Hoare had at the Indiana University Relays! 7:48 for the win this early in the season is a nice race. Beating #11 Kyle Mau while running a PR is impressive to say the least. The question at the beginning of the year was what race Hoare will run a Nationals. I made the case that Hoare should run the mile because he won the 1500 outdoors and faces less competition in the mile than he does in the 3k. However, running 7:48 might change the calculus a bit. I still believe the field will be stronger in the 3k, but at this point it might not matter. Hoare might just be unbeatable. 1. Morgan McDonald, Rs. Senior, Wisconsin (0 / 1) I know keeping McDonald at #1 after the weeks that Fisher and Hoare just had is a bit controversial. I am keeping here because of his cross country performance and top PR's. With that said, if McDonald doesn’t race in the next week or two, it might be time for a new leader in the best power rankings that track and field has to offer...

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UW Invitational 800 Alexis Fuller of Boise State led all collegiate finishers with a 2:06.40 which slates her at an NCAA #12 placing. This is a PR for Fuller who has focused on the mile and 5k in the past, but is dropping down in distance to the benefit of the Boise State DMR. Gabby Crank of Texas was the only other college athlete under 2:07 with her 2:06.72, but has a personal best from last weekend of 2:04.50. In total, 31 athletes (including pros and unattached) broke the 2:12 barrier. Mile Sinclaire Johnson of Oklahoma State might earn performer of the week honors based on her double in the DMR and mile. Johnson was the top collegiate finisher in 4:35.62 to narrowly beat out Boise State’s Allie Ostrander who finished in 4:35.79. The fact that Johnson was able to do this two days in a row means that Johnson is a legitimate national contender. Moving into the season, there were certainly questions on Oklahoma State’s position after a disappointing end to XC season; that seems to have changed. There were no questions as to Allie O’s strength and this 4:35 is almost expected at this point. It’s nice to see Ostrander focus on the shorter events as her max speed will always be the biggest question with the Boise State star. Sinclaire and Ostrander are NCAA #8 and #9 so far in 2019. Katie Rainsberger represented the home team well with her 4:36.76 to edge Portland’s Taryn Rawlings and BYU’s Erica Birk who also broke 4:37. Whittni Orton of BYU was next across the line with her 4:38.46. These four are currently NCAA #11 - #14 and will need to improve slightly to qualify for the NCAA meet. This race was certainly a breakout performance for Orton and Birk in 2019 as both have been under the radar this season, especially with the high number of returning NCAA champions. Fiona O’Keeffe of Stanford was the last runner to break 4:40 with her 4:39.71. O’Keeffe skipped the DMR the weekend but this result shows that she could handle that role if Christina Aragon chooses another event. Like in the 800, there was a ton of quality results as 32 total athletes broke 4:50.Washington’s duo of Allie Schadler and Lilli Burdon certainly deserve recognition for running 4:40 and 4:42 as does Dana Klein of San Francisco for running 4:42. Kristi Schoffield of Boise State stepped up to the mile this week to run 4:43.43, but will likely return to the 800 for most of the season since she qualified in that event during outdoors. 3000 NCAA #1 mark time! Abbie McNulty appeared not to be too rattled by Stanford’s travel difficulties as she dropped a 9:05.66 to top the NCAA ranks. McNulty was absent from Stanford's XC season in 2018, but has returned for a number of quality races in 2019 and only adds to the Cardinal’s depth. The addition of McNulty into the NCAA picture might actually push Stanford into contention for the NCAA team title conversation after they narrowly missed the outdoors title in 2018. Boise State’s depth is also incredibly strong and that showed with Emily Venters taking the 2nd place NCAA finish and overall NCAA #3 in 9:08.66. Clare O’Brien was the 4th collegiate athlete across the line in 9:11.48 for NCAA #5 as well. Predicting what Boise State is going to do later in the season is getting much more difficult as they continue to push up the rankings individually and in the DMR. Washington’s Isobel Batt-Doyle finished in 9:09.30 to split the Boise State duo. She earned herself a NCAA #4 ranking in the process. BYU’s Olivia Hoj ran 9:11.75 to slip right behind O’Brien and earned an NCAA #6 position. Of the times above, McNulty is probably the only one who could qualify with her mark from this weekend and that’s a little bit of a stretch. Regardless, all five of these results established this group as a quintet of possible spoilers for NCAA qualification and only bolsters the impressive depth of each school. 5000 Caroline Kurgat of Alaska Anchorage absolutely crushed the NCAA DII record in this race to win in 15:28.46. Leading the DI marks was Angie Nickerson of Southern Utah who ran 16:12 (and doubled back in the 3k in 9:38) as she completed a good weekend of results. DMR Wow was this a race. Oklahoma State came out on top as Sinclaire Johnson unleashed an unbelievable anchor leg. In doing so, Johnson out-kicked Allie Ostrander and Erica Birk in what is certainly one of the most impressive results so far in 2019. Oklahoma State’s team of Sughroue-Dixon-Dodd-Johnson blasted a 10:55.93 NCAA#1 which makes them the 10th fastest collegiate relay of all-time (if you includ oversized tracks). With Sughroue struggling a bit on the opening leg, this mean Oklahoma State could be making a challenge on the NCAA record books if she improves. Boise State’s quartet of Fuller-Menegatti-Schoffield-Ostrander was close behind in 10:56.42 while BYU’s Orton-Ellsworth-Ellsworth-Birk grouping narrowly missed 2nd with a time of 10:56.51. Boise State and BYU are NCAA #2 and NCAA #3. These times are exceptional results for this early in the season and really challenge our ideas of where these athletes might end up at NCAA's. Members of all three of these teams should be considered as major contenders for an individual NCAA title. However, I can’t see any of the teams earning a DMR victory without their full squads from this weekend. Washington’s quartet also earned a likely NCAA qualifier (NCAA#5) with an 11:00.35 from Katie Rainsberger, Imani Apostol, Hannah Derby, and Lilli Burdon. Washington and the 2018 Oregon team have seemed to favor Burdon anchoring over Rainsberger; however, I would like Rainsberger to close out the race as she anchored the collegiate record race in 2017 which Burdon led off. Doubles and triples will certainly play a factor in the final decision, but Rainsberger deserves another shot on anchor. Washington deserves an additional shout-out for placing a B team at 11:20 and a C team at 11:36. That’s exceptional depth for any program... Penn State National 800 What a race it was at Penn State as collegiate record holder Danae Rivers returned to her home track after her blazing 1000 meter race two weeks ago. Rivers went head-to-head with Norfolk State’s Martha Bissah. The entire seeded section of that race went out in 60 seconds on a mission for the NCAA #1 mark. That quick early pace hurt sub-2:05 performers Kaya Knake and Nia Akins who really struggled in the final lap to place 9th (2:10.85) and 4th (2:08.14) for UMBC and Penn, respectively. Bissah and Rivers however, were completely unphased and pushed strong until the finish. Rivers was able to break away from Bissah in the 3rd lap and maintained that gap in the final trip around the oval to become the first and only woman under the 2:03 barrier in the collegiate ranks this season at 2:02.94. Bissah maintained a solid race for herself in 2:04.27 and earned an NCAA #4 mark. Bissah’s outdoor PR is only 2:03.75 so this was an extremely good race for her and puts her in strong contention for a trip to Birmingham. 1000 The best time in the 1000 came from the unseeded section from Hayley Johnson of West Virginia in 2:48.70. Lauren Trumble of Vermont won the invitational section in 2:50.32. Mile Josette Norris of Georgetown upset her teammates by taking the victory in 4:46.04. 3000 High schooler Marlee Starliper schooled the collegiate field to become a US Top 10 All-Time performer at 3k, but behind her was a group of solid performances. Penn State claimed three sub-9:50 finishers led by top collegian Moria O’Shea in 9:33. DMR Danae Rivers began her campaign for NCAA qualifying this weekend with her anchor leg for the Penn State DMR. She, alongside teammates Marissa Sheva, Alexis Holmes, Victoria Tachinski, set the NCAA leading mark Friday night before being surpassed later in the weekend. Their time of 11:09.85 is good for NCAA #7, but will need to improve by at least five or six seconds to truly challenge for NCAA contention. Razorback Invitational 800 The seeded section of this race felt loaded with LSU’s Katy-Ann McDonald and Ersula Farrow, Gabrielle Wilkinson of Florida, and Jasmine Staebler of Iowa State, but the race was slightly underwhelming. Ersula Farrow gapped the field almost immediately in the textbook LSU "lead-from-the-front" style we often saw from Natoya Goule in the past. That strategy worked out well for the Tiger, taking her 2nd victory in as many weeks with an NCAA #6 time of 2:05.45 while teammate McDonald took 2nd in the televised section in 2:07.41. McDonald has run 2:03 outdoors before and should gain confidence based on placing more than time. Erinn Stenman-Fahey bested the rest of the field at 2:07.53 for Iowa State. Florida’s Wilkinson finished 4th in 2:07.85, Staebler of Iowa State earned 5th in 2:08.35, Arkansas’s Alexandra Byrnes placed 6th in 2:08.81 and Kaytlyn Larson of Oklahoma State rounded out the heat in 2:11. But let’s talk about the unseeded section! Kansas State’s Kassidy Johnson surprised everyone to take the 2nd fastest time of the day in 2:06.92. This was a seven second improvement from the week before. I’m not sure what’s in the water in Manhattan, KS, but I want it. Johnson’s result has to put her in the conversation for best freshman in the nation. Mississippi State’s Charlotte Cayton-Smith also beat out the entire seeded heat other than Farrow and Johnson. Cayton-Smith ran 2:07.17 and could be the next Mississippi State Bulldog to make a difference on the nation stage since Rhianwedd Price has graduated. Mile While the 800 may not have lived up to the hype, the mile most certainly did. Jessica Hull of Oregon ran an almost perfect even split to claim NCAA #1 4:31.03. Hull broke away from most of the field behind pacer Taylor Chiotti and never looked back. Hull did look to be straining for much of the race. The scary part for the rest of the NCAA is that if Hull can improve running more smoothly and efficiently, Hull could likely drop even more time. Her aerobic capacity is clearly still there, so any additional speed work will make a significant difference for the Oregon star. Lauren Gregory of Arkansas was the first person to try to break away from the chase group at 800 and she succeeded. The Razorback reeled in Hull slowly over the final 400, but came up about two seconds short. Gregory still ran an NCAA #2 of 4:32.92. Carina Viljoen, also of Arkansas, also closed hard in the final quarter to finish faster than anyone else in the field. Her final kick could prove important in a tactical race later in the season as she ran NCAA #5 at 4:33.88. Hull, Gregory, and Viljoen should all be considered locks in the NCAA qualifying picture based on 2018’s descending order list which saw 16th place at 4:36 and scratches down to 29th miler. 29th on that list? Susan Ejore. This year, the Oregon Duck will not have to wait for scratches (or at least not that many). Ejore took 4th in this race in 4:35.57 for NCAA #7, currently. Ejore did not have quite the kick of the Razorbacks who finished 2nd and 3rd, but Ejore should be very happy with a PR and confidence builder for both the mile and DMR moving forward. 3000 This race marked the return of Taylor Werner. Werner had dealt with the side effects of a car accident for over a year and struggled some during the XC season because of it. Over the winter break, Werner appears to have had a procedure to eliminate much of the pain she had been dealing with, and finally earned a victory. Werner ran away from the field from the gun and beat the field by 17 seconds for 9:08.46 for NCAA #2. While that won’t be quite good enough for NCAA qualification later (most likely), Werner has returned to top contention in the NCAA. Arkansas teammate Maddy Reed had a breakout race for 4th in 9:27 as well. Iowa State had a trio at 9:25, 9:26, and 9:27 led by freshman Callie Logue in 2nd overall. Amanda Vestri and Anne Frisbie followed their teammate for 3rd and 5th overall. Oregon’s Weronika Pyzik struggled much more than expected in 9:28.36 with Emma Benner of Purdue running 9:29 for 7th. DMR In the Florida vs. Oregon dual of a relay, Oregon looked to take the victory after holding a five second led after 1200. Jessica Hull led off with a solid 3:26 while Susan Ejore ran 2:05.13 on the 800 leg. Amanda Gehrich was chosen to anchor for Oregon, but could only split 4:48 for 1600. While Gehrich did improve with a 4:43 mile later in the weekend, this allowed Florida to take the victory behind a 4:42 from Jessica Pascoe on anchor. Gabrielle Wilkinson ra 2:06.92 for 800 for the Gators. Overall, Florida’s 11:15.59 was good for NCAA #9 and Oregon’s 11:17.54 earned them NCAA #11. Dr. Sander Columbia Challenge 800 Allie Wilson of Monmouth ran her second 2:06 result in a row to win the meet at the Armory. She outraced Breanna Porter of BYU and Brittany Aveni of Duke who both ran in the mid 2:08's. Mile Three DI athletes ran the invitational mile, led by winner Nicole Hutchinson of Villanova. Hutchinson ran 4:38 two weekends ago and dropped five seconds off that to run 4:33.47 for the win and an NCAA #4 time. That time would have easily qualified for NCAA's in 2018. Karisa Nelson of Samford finally appeared in the mile as well after sandwiching the event in previous weekends. Nelson’s 4:34.81 NCAA #6 is also almost guaranteed to earn her a spot in the mile at NCAA as she tries to defend her title from 2017. Both are almost certainly going to focus on the mile and should be considered favorites especially after beating a field of mainly pros. 3000 Caroline Alcorta had a breakthrough race for 2019 to win by 10 seconds for an NCAA #8 mark. She was able to break away from Haley Herberg of Oklahoma and Grace Moore of Temple who ran 9:24 and 9:26 for 2nd and 3rd. Columbia’s DMR While most of the DMRs from this weekend came from UW, Villanova blew away the Dr. Sander field to break 11 minutes! The team of Rachel McArthur, Amari Onque-Shabazz, McKenna Keegan, and Nicole Hutchinson ran 10:59.98. We do not have splits at this point, but we would certainly love to see them. With Hutchinson running 4:33 in the open race, that anchor leg could have been sub 4:30, especially since there was no other teams within striking distance. McArthur surely would have had a better split than her mile race as well and that should be a confidence booster for her. Monmouth led the rest of the group in a very respectable 11:15. Allie Wilson anchored for the NJ team and could be a surprise factor in the 800 or mile after her 2:06's in the past few weeks. Columbia took 3rd in their home invite with an 11:22 with Temple right behind at 11:23. Indiana University Relays 800 Kelsey Harris probably deserves the title of most consistent early-season performer as she seems to set an NCAA Top 10 mark every weekend. This week was no different as the Hoosier ran an NCAA #8 800 time of 2:05.83. Harris is still two seconds off her PR and will need to find those seconds to make her early season dominance worth a trip to NCAA's. Mikayla Schneider of Notre Dame stuck close to the Indiana star with her 2:06.56 for NCAA #14. Mile Haley Harris of Indiana made it another Hoosier victory as she raced to 4:43.44. 5000 The race of 25 laps has begun once more. No one had entered the top 16 places since the early-season races at BU and JDL...until this race. Alicia Monson announced her return last week with a 4:38 mile, but moved into the top 16 in the 5k this week with a runaway 15:34. Monson moves into an NCAA #11 with a time that would have been NCAA #3 in 2018. Monson should feel relatively secure with that time, but with such a competitive 5k field, there will surely be attempts to top that result throughout the year. Monson should feel comfortable, but be cognizant if the 5k is her race of choice. Teammate Amy Davis was 2nd in 16:00 while Indiana's Margaret Allen was 3rd in 16:01. They both surely would have benefited from a larger field and more competition, but should also be happy with the possibility of challenging for an NCAA spot later in the season. Texas Tech Classic 800 “Sammy Watkins takes her first win of the season at 800 meters!” That’s how you would expect Watkins’ first 800 of the year to go. Alyssa Brewer decided that was not the story of this race. USC’s Brewer upset the Texas A&M star with a 2:06.48 time on the blazing fast Texas Tech track. Due to a slight altitude conversion, that moves Brewer to NCAA #10 at 2:06.12 and makes her the fastest freshman in the NCAA. Watkins did keep this race close as she ran a converted 2:06.52 for NCAA #13. This is not the sign you’re looking for though if you’re Watkins, especially with teammate Devin Dixon running a spectacular mark at this same meet. USC’s Jemima Russell took 3rd in 2:08.04 with Aaliyah Miller of Baylor in 4th in 2:08.79. Clemson Bob Pollack Invitational 800 Kamryn McIntosh returned to the 800 meters this past weekend, taking the top NCAA mark of her home invite in 2:08:07. McIntosh will certainly be looking for a massive improvement moving forward in order to qualify for NCAA's again in her sophomore season. Mile Morgan Ilse of North Carolina doubled at this meet, earning a victory at the mile in 4:40.10. Combined with a 2:09, this is an extremely impressive result for the Tar Heel. Jodie Judd of Florida State placed 2nd exactly two seconds back with Logan Morris of Clemson one second back of Judd. Hannah Steelman of Wofford also ran 4:43 with Militsa Mircheva of Florida State right behind in 4:44. Steelman and Mircheva both set solid marks over 5k at the BU meet in early December. 3000 While Ilse doubled in the mile/800, Militsa Mircheva and Jodie Judd went for the mile/3k double. Mircheva earned the victory in 9:22 over teammates Judd and Maddie Skyring who ran 9:26 and 9:27, respectively. Those three were crucial in Florida State’s XC South region title and are making huge strides on the track this winter. DMR Florida State took a 24-second victory to win in 11:30.15. Their team was Mooney-Harris-Judd-Skyring according to TFRRS. That would mean a Judd ran a full triple this weekend. BU John Thomas Terrier Classic 1000 Millie Paladino of Providence has run great results in all of her races this season and this was no exception. Paladino won in 2:42.13, but we are still waiting on Paladino to premier at the mile in 2019. Mile Shannon Murdock of New Hampshire took the outright win in the eight-lap affair. The New Hampshire junior ran 4:44.73 to best Rachel Bonner of Syracuse who ran 4:46.14. 3000 Providence earned a 2nd victory behind Brianna Ilarda’s two second win in the 3k. Ilarda ran 9:12.58 for an NCAA #7 time in the 15 lap race. Syracuse’s Laura Dickinson was the second DI athlete in 9:29 while Kaley Richards of UMass Lowell was the 3rd in 9:38. New Mexico Team Invitational Mile Weini Kelati returns! It’s been almost two months since Kelati ran an NCAA #5 All-Time 5k in Boston and this first race did not disappoint. Kelati went 4:39.43 at altitude to convert down to NCAA #3 4:33.34. Ednah Kurgat had a mile conversion around the same time last year in preparation for a 3k/5k double and Kelati may be under the same plan in 2019. Adva Cohen was 2nd in 4:47.90 converting down to 4:41 while Hannah Nuttall ran 4:51 to convert down to 4:45.39. HYP (Harvard - Yale - Princeton) 1000 Kathryn Gillespie of Harvard out-sprinted Anna Jurew of Princeton and Jocelyn Chau of Yale to grab a victory in 2:47.40. Jurew ran 2:48.72 while Chau was 3rd in 2:48.93. Missing the top three by less than a tenth of a second was Madisn Offstein of Princeton in 2:49.02. GVSU Open Mile A trio of Toledo athletes took the top spots in the mile behind Athena Welsh and Janelle Noe who both ran 4:43.5x.

Washington Invite 800 The Washington duo of Connor Morello and Mick Stanovsek went 1-2 in the 800 this past weekend, each running a time of 1:49 (with Morello taking home the win). This is an encouraging sign for Stanovsek who seems to be developing some early-season speed. Mile It was one of the deepest races of the weekend as we got to see five men run under the four minute barrier this past weekend. The top collegiate was Southern Utah's Kasey Knevelbaard who continued the strong start to his season with a 3:58. He was closely followed by Alex Rogers (Texas) who also ran 3:58, a one second improvement from his 3:59 one week ago. Alex Ostberg (Stanford) and Talon Hull (Washington) both ran under the 4 minute barrier for the first time in their careers (running 3:59) while Arizona State's William Paulson (a transfer from Princeton) rounded out the top five collegiates with a 3:59 of his own. For someone who is known for his talent in the longer distances, this is an exciting result for Alex Ostberg. It will be interesting to see what he chooses to race in the future. As for Talon Hull, you have to be excited about what he's been able to accomplish so far in his career as just a redshirt freshman. The future if very bright for this young Husky. 3000 We saw a grand total of 14 collegiates (13 attached) run under the 8:00 barrier. After a slightly underwhelming cross country season, Iowa State's Andrew Jordan came back to the indoor oval to finish as the top collegiate with a strong personal best of 7:51. He was able to hold off strong performances from BYU's Connor McMillan, Washington's Fred Huxham, and BYU's Clayton Young who took the next three spots, all in a time of 7:51. The next tier of finishers saw Portland's Logan Orndorf continue his breakout season with a 7:52 result. That time should qualify him for Nationals, but we are seeing a lot of fast and impressive 3k times this early in the season. BYU's Connor Mantz finished close behind in 7:53 while Minnesota's Obsa Ali (the steeplechase champion from outdoors last year) finished 8th overall in 7:54. The following men also dipped under the 8:00 barrier... Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse (Portland) Dan Curts (Iowa State) Addison DeHaven (Boise State) Michael Ward (Bradley) Chris Olley (San Francisco) Michael Somers (Portland - Unattached) Carlos Villarreal (Arizona) 5000 The top collegiate was Arizona State's Fearghal Curtin, a transfer from Charleston Southern. His time of 14:05 was enough to finish 3rd overall and hold off Utah State's Luke Beattie (14:08) and Washington's Julius Diehr (14:12). DMR The distance medley relay essentially became a matchup between Stanford and Washington. However, with Grant Fisher splitting 3:56 on the anchor, the Huskies had to settle for 2nd. The Cardinal were victorious in an NCAA #2 time of 9:29 while UW finished runner-up in 9:37. Arkansas Invite 800 Mississippi State sophomore Marco Arop threw down a big time of 1:47.63 to take home the win this past weekend. He held off a strong effort from Iowa State's Roshon Roomes who ran 1:48.94 for 2nd. Kieran Taylor (Arkansas), Dejon Devroe (Mississippi State), and Blake Haney (Oregon) finished 3rd, 4th, and 5th, respectively, all with times of 1:49. For Arop, this is a strong and encouraging start to his season. Many see Arop as a potential candidate to win the national title come March. A big win like this may have been necessary to maintain that narrative, but it certainly doesn't make his performance any less impressive. Mile It was a dual between Oregon's Cooper Teare and Arkansas' Cameron Griffith in an exciting sub-four minute matchup. In the end, Teare would emerge victorious in the final few meters while Griffith settled for 2nd, 3:59.21 to 3:59.68. 3000 It was one of the more underrated performances of the weekend as Oregon's Charlie Hunter came out of nowhere to upset Iowa State's Edwin Kurgat, 7:59.88 to 8:00.23. For Kurgat, this was a bit of an off race. For Hunter, this is likely a huge confidence booster moving forward. DMR Oregon soloed a time of 9:36 while the men from Arkansas settled for 2nd in 9:46. John Thomas Terrier Classic 800 Zachary Lanigan (Brown) was the only collegiate to run under the 1:50 barrier with a time of 1:49.65. 1000 Dartmouth's Reed Horton was the top collegiate (8th overall) in a time of 2:25 and was closely followed by Siena's Luciano Fiore who also ran 2:25 for 9th. Mile In a field full of professionals, Syracuse's Aidan Tooker stood out in a time of 3:59.39. It was the first time in his career that he dipped under the four minute barrier. Michigan's Chase Barrett ran a heart-breaking 4:00.86 to finish as the second-best collegiate while teammate Ben Hill was close behind in 4:01. For Tooker, this is a huge time which indicates that he has more track speed than we initially thought. It will be interesting to see if he continues to pursue the mile or will chase something longer in distance later this season. 3000 The field was headlined by the Alabama duo, but Michigan's John Aho had planned an upset. The Wolverine sophomore finished 2nd overall (top collegiate) in a time of 7:57 to upset Vincent Kiprop and Gilbert Kigen who each ran 7:59. In fact, Aho wasn't the only collegiate to finish ahead of the Crimson Tide. Paul Hogan from UMass Lowell ran 7:58 to finish as the second-best collegiate. It's important that we don't overanalyze these results from Alabama. They are both coming off of a cross country season where they were rumored to be injured. In the meantime, Aho is coming off of a cross country season where he finished as an All-American. All things considered, these are encouraging results from everyone involved. 5000 Syracuse's Joe Dragon was the top collegiate in 14:05 while teammate Kevin James finished behind him in 14:12. Dr. Sanders Columbia Challenge 1000 The invite section of the 1k held some elite names such as Craig Engels, Robby Andrews, Johnny Gregorek. Columbia's Alek Sauer finished in a time of 2:22 for 6th overall. It's a very solid result that should put him in the national qualifying conversation for 800 meters later this season. Mile Columbia's Alek Sauer was the winner with a strong time of 4:01. Ohio State's Luke Landis was close behind in 4:02 and was the next collegiate finisher to cross the line. 3000 After redshirting the 2018 cross country season, Robert Brandt has returned to the UCLA lineup. He took home the win this past weekend in a time of 7:59. He was able to hold off Columbia's Brian Zabilski who ran 8:02 for 2nd. 5000 In a field packed with elite-level professionals, Sydney Gidabuday was the top collegiate. The Adams State superstar put together an aggressive (and impressive) performance where he finished in 7:54 for 6th place overall. DMR Columbia took home the win in a time of 9:38 to fend off a strong effort by Duke who finished 2nd in 9:41. Texas Tech Classic 800 My goodness, this may have been the race of the weekend. We've been talking about how wide-open the men's 800 national title is this year, but Devin Dixon may have just made himself the favorite. The Texas A&M junior ran a monster time of 1:45.27 (altitude converted 1:44.97) to take home the win over USC's Isaiah Jewett who ran 1:46.91 (altitude converted 1:46.60) for 2nd. Dixon's time is a new American collegiate record. Dixon's teammate Carlton Orange had a nice race of his own, running 1:47.05 (altitude converted 1:46.74) for 3rd. That time should qualify him for Nationals. Texas Tech teammates Vincent Crisp and Jonah Koech finished 4th and 5th overall, each running a pair of 1:47's. After conversions, those times round down to 1:46.97 (Crisp) and 1:46.98 (Koech). They are also likely to qualify for Nationals. UT-Arlington's Erik Martinsson (6th) and Texas Tech freshman Sven Cepus (7th) earned converted times of 1:48.14 and 1:48.69, respectively. This might be one of, if not the, fastest races for 800 meters that you will see this season. With so many fast times also run elsewhere in the country, 2019 may be one of the hardest years to qualify for Nationals in the half-mile. As for Dixon, we can't ignore what he just accomplished. That is a huge time and a monumental record that has stood since 1999. However, we've seen this story before. We know Dixon can run absurdly fast times, but can he put it together on the national stage? I guess we'll have to wait and see... Indiana University Relays 800 Indiana freshman Jalen Royal continued the strong start to his collegiate career by crossing the line in 1:49.81 for 1st place. He held off Ole Miss sophomore John Rivera (1:50.11) and Wisconsin veteran Eric Brown (1:50.28) to take home the win. Mile Ole Miss star Waleed Suliman had a strong race, running 4:01.00 to hold off Indiana's Daniel Michalski who ran 4:01.32 for 2nd. As great of a result as this is for Suliman, we have to give Michalski some credit. This guy continues to be one of the more underrated distance runners in the NCAA this season. He continues to improve each weekend and is battling with some of the NCAA's best. Keep an eye on him as we enter the next month of competition. 3000 The Morgan McDonald vs Grant Fisher debate just got a whole lot more complicated...and the reason has nothing to do with either of them. Wisconsin's Oliver Hoare just ran a mind-boggling time of 7:48 to assert himself as a lethal favorite to win the national title in March. Is this guy the best runner in the NCAA? Better than his teammate who won the national title in cross country two months ago? For now, it's a fair question... Indiana's Kyle Mau was the only one who could keep things interesting against Hoare, running a huge time of 7:50 to finish 2nd. This is a very exciting performance for Mau who ran also 7:50 for 3000 meters last year. To run it once more validates his elite level of fitness. He will certainly be a favorite to podium come March. Ben Veatch (Indiana) and Olin Hacker (Wisconsin) posted strong times of their own, finishing 3rd and 4th, respectively each with a time of 7:56. Derek Gutierrez continues to show that he can be an ace for his Ole Miss teammates after finishing 5th in a time of 7:57. DMR It may have been one of the most impressive performances of the weekend. Indiana's lineup of Daniel Michalski, Zubin Muncherji, Cooper Williams, and Kyle Mau ran a blistering fast time of 9:27.30 to earn the top time in the NCAA. That time is now the 6th fastest time ever run in NCAA history. We would love to find splits if anyone has them... With the Hoosiers now comfortably owning a national qualifier, they'll have the luxury of pursuing other individual events in the final weeks of competition while most teams will flock to meets like Alex Wilson. Penn State National Open 800 Joe White is BACK and he it's clear that he wanted to make a statement. The Georgetown star threw down an NCAA #4 time of 1:46.91 this weekend to comfortably take home the win. He held off a respectable challenge from Penn State's Domenic Perretta who ran 1:48.09 (NCAA #8). With Isaiah Harris no longer on the roster, Perretta will be viewed by many in the BIG 10 as Penn State's next mid-distance ace. Don't forget that the Nittany Lion junior ran 1:47 as a freshman in 2017. Georgetown's Ruach Padhal finished 3rd overall in a strong time of 1:49.91. New Mexico Team Invite 800 Josh Kerr went back to his home track to run 1:48.55 for the win. More importantly, he was able to lead two teammates under the 1:50 barrier. Michael Wilson (1:49.78) and Kristian Hansen (1:49.85) took the top two collegiate spots and earned altitude conversions of 1:49.17 and 1:49.24. Clemson Bob Pollock Invite 800 We got to see two ACC rivals go at it this past weekend. Robert Heppenstall (Wake Foreset) took home the win in his season debut in a time of 1:50.05. He held off John Lewis (Clemson) who finished 2nd in 1:50.57. It's surprising to see times this slow for two All-Americans, especially with someone like Lewis who is known to push the pace. Still, these are solid results and a nice win for Heppenstall. Mile It's been a while since we last saw Amon Kemboi toe the line, but the Campbell star has finally returned. After running 13:33 in December, Kemboi is looking to show off his range. The Camel junior ran 3:59 this past weekend to comfortably defeat a strong contingent from Florida State. His time now ranks #7 in the NCAA.

With the Razorback Invite having a televised portion of the meet, the fields in the invitational sections of the distance races are prepped for fast times and NCAA leading marks. 800 With only a seven person field, almost every entry has a shot to win. Jasmine Staebler of Iowa State is probably the slight favorite given her experience at NCAA Championships. In fact, Staebler has been to the last four national meets, a sign of impressive consistency. However, her 2019 season has gotten off to a slow start with an 11th place finish at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational 600. Iowa State teammate Erinn Stenman-Fahey set her mile PR last weekend with a 4:46 and could challenge as well with her 2:05 800 PR. Oklahoma State’s Kaitlyn Larson also comes in with a 2:06.60 PR after a 1:34 600 race two weekends ago. The LSU duo of Ersula Farrow and Katy-Ann McDonald should also contend for a top finish. Farrow established an NCAA #7 result at 800 last weekend with a 2:06.90 and has run 2:03.66 in her career. McDonald has not yet raced an 800 during her freshman year, but ran 2:03.20 during the IAAF U20 World Championships for England. Florida freshman Gabrielle Wilkinson ran 1:34 for 600 meters at the Clemson Invitational, but has a 2:05.72 PR from high school. Rounding out the field is Arkansas’s Alexandra Byrnes. Her best performance in 2019 is a 1:32 for 600 and she brings in a 2:07 PR. Every single one of these athletes could come out on top if the race goes their way and no matter the results, each one should benefit from this race in their season progression. Predictions 1. Katy-Ann McDonald (LSU) 2. Ersula Farrow (LSU) 3. Erinn Stenman-Fahey (Iowa State) 4. Gabrielle Wilkinson (Florida) 5. Jasmine Staebler (Iowa State) 6. Alexandra Byrnes (Arkansas) 7. Kaitlyn Larson (Oklahoma State) McDonald might not be known well in the United States (and I even missed her in my 800 NCAA preview), but her PR is too good to leave her off the top spot. McDonald should also be confident based on her teammate’s effort from last week. Farrow will obviously benefit from her own effort as well. LSU is known to push the pace early in the 800 and even if they fade, I think they might push the race fast enough to gap some of the other athletes. Staebler would normally be a top three lock in this type of race, but an 11th place finish last week really gives me a lot of pause in considering her for a victory. I still feel confident in her ability to pull it together later in the season for Iowa State, but don’t think she’ll be able to hold it together quite as well as her teammate Stenman-Fahey and Wilkinson from Florida. Mile Jessica Hull returns to action after her 3rd place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and her first track race since her title in the 1500 last June. Without going even further into Hull’s credentials, it is clear that this Oregon ace is a threat (if not the favorite) in any race she enters. Hull will be joined by Susan Ejore and Amanda Gehrich. Both are important for the Ducks as they need more distance depth after the departure of Lilli Burdon and Katie Rainsberger. Ejore could be an outside challenger for the mile at NCAA's and should definitely benefit from her teammate being in this race. She was 29th on the NCAA list last year and ran 2:44 for 1000 meters last weekend. That speed could allow her to challenge in a kick if it comes to that. Regardless, Ejore should gain confidence as a DMR leg with a good result if she does not quite move into individual an NCAA qualifying position. Gehrich will be making her 2019 debut and is slightly further down the Oregon depth chart. Gehrich would need a 10 second PR to push herself into legitimate NCAA qualifying contention, but like Ejore, might be an important DMR piece depending on how the rest of the team plays their hand. Arkansas will look to bolster their strength at the mile after losing Nikki Hiltz to graduation. Carina Viljoen is the most likely to pick up the slack after a 4:39 personal best last year and a 4:47 this season. Viljoen and teammates Taylor Werner and Lauren Gregory were all part of a Razorback top four in XC which looked like a formidable force until a fluke race at NCAA's. Werner and Gregory are in this race as well and could make the Razorbacks the best NCAA squad at the mile this indoor season. Gregory has run 2:44 for the 1000 meters in her freshman season while Werner will be making her season debut. Werner has run 4:39 before as well, but should benefit more in the longer events with her 15:51 PR. Devin Clark will also represent the home team. She is primarily a steeplechase specialist and should be at the back of the pack here. Oklahoma State’s trio of Ariane Ballner, Molly Born, and Montana McAvoy all have PR's in the mid-to-high 4:40's and could play a factor late in the race if it runs slow. They could also be pulled to some quick PR's. Florida’s Jessica Pascoe burst onto the NCAA scene this past fall and should begin her assault on the track and field rankings as well. She has only broken 4:30 in the 1500 during high school, but had also never broken 16:55 in the 5k before running 15:34 at Boston off of her XC fitness. Thus, the prediction window for Pascoe is basically thrown out the window. The only thing you should expect is that Pascoe will not want to allow the Arkansas group to establish a stronghold on the event. Predictions 1. Jessica Hull (Oregon) 2. Carina Viljoen (Arkansas) 3. Jessica Pascoe (Florida) 4. Susan Ejore (Oregon) 5. Lauren Gregory (Arkansas) 6. Taylor Werner (Arkansas) 7. Montana McAvoy (Oklahoma State) Hull is simply too good for this field and should be able to break away in the last 400 of this race if she wants to. Viljoen and Pascoe will likely have the best likelihood of sticking with her until that point and should get pulled to times near 4:36 if this race goes all out from the gun. Ejore is a major wildcard since she seems to alternate between good and mediocre races during XC. Still, Ejore’s 800 speed is one of the best in the field and that could lead to an upset if it comes down to a kick. Gregory and Werner are really a toss-up and could be as high as 2nd or 3rd on a great day, but I think they’ll fall slightly off the pace when the rest of the field goes to kick. 3000 Lauren Gregory and Taylor Werner will both be returning to the mile after racing the 3k. Their strength should be able to keep them in contention and if they are at their bests, they can certainly threaten for the win. However, with a second race coming only an hour later, this may not be a 100% effort. Maddy Reed was the consistent fifth/sixth XC scorer for Arkansas this past fall and will be gunning to improve on her 9:30 3k PR. Rachel Nichwitz enters with a similar PR, but less speed at both the mile and 5k as compared to Reed. Sydney Brown also enters with a 9:31 PR. Brown and Nichwitz should stay in contention throughout the race, but will probably be behind their other three teammates. All of the Razorbacks will be running fresh (with the exception of Nichwitz who will have run the open mile). Purdue’s Emma Benner will join in the race as well with a PR of 4:54 last weekend in the mile. She will need to improve greatly to prove a threat for the victory. Almost all of Iowa State is entered in this race as they have six of the 13 athletes. Callie Logue and Anne Frisbie are the two to pay close attention to as they led the squad throughout XC. Logue has never raced a 3k in college, but does have a sub 16-minute 5k and a 4:49 mile to her name from last weekend. Frisbie beat Logue just last weekend in the mile running 4:48.55. Her best at 3k is 9:23 and she could absolutely lower that time this weekend. Karly Ackley enters with a 4:49 from last weekend as well and is on an upward trajectory based on her 2019 results. Kelly Naumann ran 9:40 for 3k last weekend for Iowa State and will likely not be a major factor. Amanda Vestri could be, however. She ran 9:29.66 last weekend as well, only a half second off her PR. Vestri was finishing behind her teammates in XC, but her return to PR shape should be a major sign in preparation for a great race Saturday. Gwynne Wright will also be racing for Iowa State. I’ve been saving the best athlete for last in Weronika Pyzik. Pyzik was 12th at the NCAA XC Championships before earning a podium finish at the European U23 XC Championships. This will be her first track race for Oregon. Pyzik has never had the same strength in track as she has had in cross country throughout her career, but I believe 2019 will change that. Her speed is slightly lesser than most of the field, but Pyzik’s strength will be there. Expect her to try to lead early and set a blistering pace to benefit her stamina. Predictions 1. Weronika Pyzik (Oregon) 2. Taylor Werner (Arkansas) 3. Maddy Reed (Arkansas) 4. Callie Logue (Iowa State) 5. Amanda Vestri (Iowa State) 6. Lauren Gregory (Arkansas) 7. Anne Frisbie (Iowa State) Pyzik is probably too strong for anyone in the rest of the field to handle and should be attempting to jump into the NCAA Top Five with this result. Werner has the greatest strength of the rest in my opinion and should be able to hold off the rest of the field, although there’s much more uncertainty here than at #1. Vestri is a wild card who could certainly upset the rest, but I think the 2nd through 7th positions will all be quick in the 9:20's or below, so Vestri ends up in the middle with a new PR. Of the group, I suspect Gregory will be looking forward more to the mile than this race and falls back in a sprint. Reed should be looking to finish strong in her only race of the weekend on her home track. DMR Only two teams here: Oregon and Florida. The best team for Oregon is probably Ejore-Waller-Stauber-Hull which should beat any team Florida can construct. Remember in 2018, Oregon used the Dr. Sander Invitational as their NCAA qualifying mark run on this exact weekend. Oregon is probably going to try to do the same thing here and cement their qualifying mark to focus on individual events through the end of the season. Ejore is an almost perfect 1200 leg with her combo of 800 and mile speed while Hull is debatably the best anchor in the NCAA. Waller has run 51 seconds for 400 and Stauber has yet to debut for Oregon, but this could be her coming out party in a Ducks uniform. My bold prediction? Ejore (3:23), Waller (53.5), Stauber (2:06.3) and Hull (4:36). This equates to 10:58.8 and would likely cement their NCAA placing. Obviously, the team could be completely different, but with UW also hosting a quick DMR, I think Oregon will want to put a quick time on the board. Waller is scheduled to run the 200 as well on Friday night, but Oregon has a number of sub-54 400 legs they could substitute. Florida’s best team is probably Wilkinson – Barnett – Harrelson – Pascoe. Barnett, like Waller, is scheduled in the 200 and I cannot foresee Florida using Barnett here unless they believe they can challenge Oregon (which I doubt). Due to this, it is tough to predict any rationale for the Florida team order. If Wilkinson does run the 1200 leg, Wilkinson should challenge Ejore. Florida could surely stay with Oregon through the 400 leg as well, but at 800 Florida could lose four or five seconds. With Pascoe on anchor, she could run 4:38 most likely. This predicts a maximum result of 11:06 approximately. That time would probably be on the outside looking in come NCAA qualifying, but could inspire a faster run later in the season. This would be Florida’s best plan, but again predicting this team is much more difficult than Oregon’s. Predictions 1. Oregon 2. Florida

The John Thomas Terrier Classic at Boston University is part of what will be a very exciting weekend of collegiate track and field. With the UW Invite, Penn State National, and the Dr. Sander Columbia Challenge all taking place, we will likely see some impressive performances as athletes shoot for a top-16 spot to earn a trip to NCAA's. The indoor track at Boston University is heralded as one of the fastest tracks in the nation due to its steep banks and gentle turns. Teams from the northeast and beyond flock to BU to chase times and race against top competition. Just last year, Edward Cheserek ran the second fastest indoor mile of all time at BU in his first season as a professional, one year after setting the collegiate mile record on the same track. The Terrier Classic is just one of the high performance meets BU will host this year, and if their December 1st preview meet is any indicator, this should be a great season of racing in Boston. 1000 Starting with the middle distance events, the 800 is not looking particularly competitive beyond some professionals and semi-pros. The 1000, however, should have some good competition. The 1000 meters isn’t an NCAA Championship distance, so it isn’t always heavily focused on, but many athletes use it as a tune-up distance or just run it to add another fast time to their resume. Providence College is bringing the heat in the 1000 meters with Nick Carleo (2:27/4:04), Michael Wyman (4:05), and Ryan Jendzejec (1:52) as some of the top seeds. Reed Horton of Dartmouth is another top entry with PR's of 1:52 and 2:25. UMass Amherst’s Brian Gendron comes in as another top entry in the 1000 with a 1:50 PR for 800 meters. Mile The men’s mile is highlighted by some studs who tend to lean towards other distances. Syracuse’s Aidan Tooker and Noah Affolder are the top collegiate seeds in the race. The steeplechase specialists have both run 4:02 in the mile and could threaten the 4-minute barrier at BU. It’s always exciting to watch an athlete break 4 for the first time, and we could possibly see these two teammates do it together. Chase Barnett of Michigan also comes in with a 4:02 PR, along with his teammates Jordan Hewitt, Ben Hill, and Ryan Wilkie who have all run 4:05. UMass Lowell’s Grant Hauver holds a 4:06 PR and is entered as well. These guys could all push the 4:00 barrier if they’re in top fitness this early in the season. With most conference meets still about a month away, it may be a couple weeks before we really see people rounding into form. Another athlete to watch is Jack Pinho from Springfield College. He’s an indoor and outdoor Division III All-American in the mile and 1500, and holds PR's of 3:47 and 4:07. Those might not be top-tier DI times, but I have no doubt that he can compete with the talented field this weekend. The DIII leading time is a flat-track converted 4:10, so Pinho could very well take over the DIII lead. 3000 The 3000 meters at BU is shaping up to be one of the most exciting races of the weekend. Vincent Kiprop and Gilbert Kigen, two members of the famed Alabama trio are entered after remaining absent for 2018 cross country season. Kiprop has run 7:55 while Kigen has run 7:59. Both of these men are a bit more suited for the 5k/10 distances, but if we assume that they're at full then they should be ready to rip the shorter distance. Syracuse’s Iliass Aouani comes in with a 7:57 PR and will be looking to lower that in search of an NCAA qualifying time. Aouani has had some up-and-down performances over the past few seasons of competition. He'll look to gain some early-season momentum during his season debut. Paul Hogan, the Northeast Region cross country champion from UMass Lowell has started off his season strong with PR's of 13:53 in the 5k and 4:08 in the mile. He’ll be in search of a time under 8:06 if he is going to continue his string of personal bests. Brown’s Cameron Daly is also seeded pretty high with an 8:11 PR. There is a whole pack of guys entered with PR's in the 8:10 to 8:20 range who could break out into the next level if the race goes out hard, which it likely will. The Alabama guys don’t like to mess around with tactical races and like to push the pace from the front. This should be a great race that could produce some national qualifiers. 5000 While the 3000 contains some of the top distance talent from around the NCAA, the 5000 should produce some fast times as well. Cameron Avery of Stony Brook is the top collegiate entry with a PR of 14:07. He has also run 8:18 for 3k and had a strong cross country season. He will likely be up front with an impressive post-collegiate crowd. The Syracuse trio of Kevin James, Joe Dragon, and Dominic Hockenbury will also be headlining this race. They come in with PR's of 14:09, 14:24, and 14:34, respectively. Dragon and Hockenbury’s times are not necessarily top-tier, but they are both on the rise after impressive performances during outdoor track last year. Similar to the 3000, the 5000 has a bunch of guys who are looking to make the jump to the next level from the 14:30 to 14:45 range to the lower 14-minute mark. On a fast track with good competition, we could see a lot of guys make that jump.

600 Penn State’s Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track has been home to a number of record attempts at the 600 and 1000 meter distances throughout the years. While this year’s group does not appear to be tackling any all-time NCAA marks, a number of 800 meter runners are dropping down in distance in preparation for conference races and a little bit more speed work. Headlining the field is Olivia Arizin of Georgetown who has not appeared since December 1st. Arizin has a collegiate PR of 2:09.00 for 800, but has run 2:06.80 during her high school career. Arizin’s teammate Lexi Del Gizzo could also contend for the race win this weekend. Del Gizzo has only raced the 500 and 600 so far this indoor season and could use her experience at the event to spell an upset. Cathilyn McIntosh will also represent the Hoyas. The home team’s Victoria Tachinski should be considered the favorite, however. Tachinski has already raced the 600 this season, finishing in 1:30.79 and has run 2:10.54 over four laps in 2019. That 600 is the fastest in the field by three seconds. Fellow Nittany Lion Antoinette Bradley raced the 600 last weekend as well and comes in with the second fastest time in the field, 1:33.33. Cornell sports two contenders for the title as well with Elise Burdette and Allyson Gaedje. Both have already run 1:17 for 500 meters earlier this season. Penn’s Ellen Byrnes has run 1:16 for 500 and 1:35 for 600. Pittsburgh’s Alexis Leech has also run 1:15.83 and 1:36.80 before, but does not appear to be at that level of fitness just yet. Closing out the field is UMBC’s Ariella Garcia who has PR's of 1:17.90 and 1:37.51 for 500 and 600. Predictions 1. Victoria Tachinski (PSU) 2. Antoinette Bradley (PSU) 3. Olivia Arizin (Georgetown) 4. Ellen Byrnes (Penn) 5. Elise Burdette (Cornell) 800 This race has the potential to be the single best race in the nation this weekend. NCAA 1000m record holder Danae Rivers returns to action after her record setting run two weeks ago. Her PR of 2:02.53 is the top of the field and obviously Rivers has the strength from her 1000m and mile experience. Rivers could definitely challenge the NCAA #1 mark in the 800 of 2:03.77 if the race goes out quickly enough. Penn State’s Victoria Tachinski is also entered in the 800 alongside Elyse Skerpon. Skerpon has never raced a full 800m before while Tachinski is returning from the 600. Both could challenge late in the pack if they complete the race, or could be pacers for the early part of the race. Grace Trucilla was added to the field as a late addition as well. Martha Bissah of Norfolk State is the closest competitor to challenge for the win with her PR of 2:03.75 and a 6th place finish at the NCAA Championships. Bissah has shown her own strength this indoor season as well with a solo 2:45 victory in the 1000 meters last weekend. Bissah will also want to return to the NCAA Championships so expect her to challenge Rivers to a quick time. Penn’s Nia Akins has also reached an NCAA Championships in the past and just set a top five NCAA time in the 800 of 2:05.86. Her Penn teammates Katherine Devore and Melissa Tenaka could also make a splash with a top five placing. UMBC’s Kaya Knake has also run sub 2:05 and should make it a foursome of individuals attempting to earn top NCAA marks. Army West Point’s Cassie Mundekis ran an impressive 800/1000 double last week and could challenge for a spot in the top five. Richmond duo, Brooke Fazio and Maria Acosta, both have some impressive marks which could make this race very interesting. Fazio has run 2:07 for 800 and gone 1:14 for 500 meter this winter. Acosta sports the same past results. University of Toronto’s Jazz Shukla and UT UC’s Madeleine Kelly will also be in the race. Shukla has run 1:30.27 for 600 and could become a major player as well. With 14 athletes entered, Penn State has opted to run two heats. The fast section is slated to include only six athletes: Elyse Skerpon (PSU), Danae Rivers (PSU), Kaya Knake (UMBC), Madeleine Kelly (UTUC), Martha Bissah (Norfolk State), and Nia Akins (Penn). The other eight athletes will compete in a second heat. While this does alleviate concerns about a single heat being too crowded, it is certainly surprising to see a heat of only six athletes. Hopefully that decision facilitates some quick times. Predictions 1. Danae Rivers (PSU) 2. Martha Bissah (Norfolk State) 3. Nia Akins (Penn) 4. Kaya Knake (UMBC) 5. Jazz Shukla (Toronto) 1000 The 1000 is probably one of the weaker events this weekend, but still has some opportunity for quick times. Monmouth will provide three members of the nine-person field which includes Sarah Crissman, Amber Stratz, and Kyra Velock. Velock has the best credentials of the group with a 2:08 800 PR, while Stratz and Crissman are stronger at the mile than the 800. Stratz ran 4:54 last week. Penn’s Caroline O’Sullivan has run 4:59.60 for the mile in her first collegiate season. Bucknell’s Tiara Tardy has run 2:51 for 1000 meters before, but has been a number of seconds off her PR's from previous seasons. Her best result so far in 2019 is a 2:14 at 800 meters. Cornell’s Sara O’Malley has run 2:55 for the 1k this year at Boston. Vermont’s Caroline O’Shea has also attempted the 1000 this year and has run 2:59.26. Teammate Lauren Trumble has attempted only longer races so far in 2019, but has one of the better results in the field with a 4:57.19. Toronto’s Avery Garrett-Patterson might actually claim this victory for Canada with a PR of 2:52.59. The non-invitational section might actually come away with the fastest time of the weekend over 1000 meters. Hayley Jackson of West Virginia has predominantly been a longer distance star, but could drop a quick time. Penn State’s Grace Trucilla has run 2:11 and 2:53.87 in the past and could certainly top the results of the invitational section. Predictions 1. Kyra Velock (Monmouth) 2. Avery Garrett-Patterson (Toronto) 3. Lauren Trumble (Vermont) 4. Amber Stratz (Monmouth) 5. Sara O’Malley (Cornell) Mile Danae Rivers returns for the double this weekend to earn a mile qualifier alongside the 800. Rivers will be the favorite in this race as well because of her 4:32 PR and her collegiate record run from two weeks ago. No one should be able to really challenge her if she’s anywhere near her best. An interesting addition to this race is Marissa Sheva, also of Penn State, who has bounced between soccer and track throughout her college career. Sheva has a best time of 4:45 for the mile, but ran only 5:02 last weekend. She will need to return to her best form to be a factor. Georgetown sports a foursome of athletes, led by Paige Hofstad. Hofstad ran 9:39 for 3k at the Nittany Lion Challenge and established herself as a strong threat throughout this past cross country season. Kennedy Weisner has one of the fastest mile PRs in the field at 4:37.92, but has only run 2:50 for 1000 meters this year. Meg Mathison is also in the field after running 4:56.83 for the mile at the Nittany Lion Challenge. Josette Norris has run 4:46 during her collegiate career and could push her teammates to quicker times. The two Cornell athletes in the field, Briar Brumley and Annie Taylor, could also be a factor. Brumley’s best result on the year was a flat track 2:54 for 1k, while Taylor has range from 1000 to 3000 with a 2:52, 4:58, and 9:47 this season all on flat tracks. Penn’s Danielle Orie has run 5:01.64 this year and 4:51 in the past. Army West Point’s Abby Halbrook has a 4:54 to her name this season and should be a top five threat. The final athlete is Nuria Tillo-Prats of East Carolina who ran a 2:16/2:54 (800/1000) double last week. Predictions 1. Danae Rivers (Penn State) 2. Paige Hofstad (Georgetown) 3. Annie Taylor (Cornell) 4. Kennedy Weisner (Georgetown) 5. Abby Halbrook (Army West Point) 3000 Taylor Knibb of Cornell enters this race with a flat-track time of 9:42. That times converted into the NCAA top five when it was run in earlier in December and still remains in the top 30. Her teammates Audrey Huelskamp and Gabrielle Orie could also have an impact in the race. Orie ran 9:25.52 a year ago, but has struggled to find form this academic year. This race might change that. LaSalle sports the Mancini sisters in this race. Grace was a surprise 2nd place finisher at the Mid-Atlantic Regional XC meet and has run 9:43 for 3k. Her sister Elizabeth is entering her first collegiate 3k. Penn State’s Jordan Williams should also be considered for a good race after running 4:55 and 10:02 this year. Teammate Kathryn Munks leads the Nittany Lions at 3k so far this year with a time of 9:54. We also can't forget about Moria O’Shea who ran 4:56 last weekend. Maryland’s Brittany Lang leads the Terapins at 5:03 in the mile this season and will be moving up this weekend for this race. St. Joseph’s (PA) Lindsey Oremus will be a contender for a top five finish as well after running 10 flat earlier this winter. A spoiler for the collegiate field could be Marlee Starliper, a high schooler representing Northern (PA). Starliper has run 9:45.92 for 3k before and has set US Top 10 marks in the 3k (9:55.39) and 1k (2:50.25) in 2019. Predictions 1. Taylor Knibb (Cornell) 2. Marlee Starliper (Northern (PA)) 3. Kathryn Munks (PSU) 4. Moria O’Shea (PSU) 5. Gabrielle Orie (Cornell) 5000 Cornell, East Carolina, and Richmond all have three entries in this 13 person field. Cornell’s Eve Glasergreen should lead the Big Red with her career PR's of 16:49 and a 9:47 over 3k this season. Teammate Gracie Todd has run 10:03 on a flat-track this season on the double and could make a good run, while Big Red runner Isabella Dobson will look to improve on her 17:38.83 PR. Richmond’s group contains Jordan Angers, who PR’ed in her last race – a 10:02.97 over 3k. Eryn Mills will also represent the Spiders with her 17:04 PR as will Courtney Thompson with her 17:12 best. East Carolina’s trio contains two freshman Abby Yourkavitch and Anna Bristle. Bristle leads the team at the mile and 3k so far in 2019 with a 5:02/10:03 pairing. Yourkavitch is within a handful of seconds of her teammate at both events. Junior Mikayla Stoudt has run 10:05.70 for 3k this year for her PR. LaSalle’s Megan Connell is the only Explorer in the race with a 10:26 effort earlier this season. Penn’s Alyssa Condell has run 5k already this season with a 17:14 result prior to the winter break. Allegheny’s Emily Forner has run 10:15.87 this season and has broken 17 minutes in her collegiate career. Vermont’s Samantha Sayer rounds out the field with a PR of 17:08. Her best race this indoor season is a 10:15 3k. Predictions 1. Eve Glasergreen (Cornell) 2. Eryn Mills (Richmond) 3. Emily Former (Allegheny) 4. Alyssa Condell (Penn) 5. Anna Bristle (East Carolina) DMR This race features five teams: Penn State (x2), Penn, Richmond, and Cornell. With the DMR on Friday night, we could see a number of quick efforts with athletes doubling back for Saturday. Penn State will probably leave Danae Rivers off their relay due to a potential double, but they have a number of individuals to choose from. Kathryn Munks and Jordan Williams in particular could run mile legs before running the 3k the next day. Marissa Sheva could also appear alongside Antoinette Bradley or Moria O’Shea. Regardless, without Victoria Tachinski and Danae Rivers, Penn State will likely not be running a full A team. If they do, this race could establish the new NCAA #1. Cornell has a strong potential team lined up with Annie Taylor and Taylor Knibb running the 1200 and mile legs. Both have shown strength over multiple events. Christina Welzer would be a likely figure on the 800 leg. Penn could also load up a relay led by Nia Akins. Akins, alongside a team of Melissa Tanaka and Katherine Devore for 1200 and 800 could certainly challenge . for the current NCAA #1 spot. Richmond could also challenge with a lineup of Caroline Robelen, Ave Grosenheider, Claire Brown, and others. Without full team lineups, there will be no predictions here. However, if each of these teams attempt a full lineup, Penn State should be the favorite ahead of Penn and Cornell. With a full A-squad, expect a time between 11:10 and 11:20. Results in the mid to high 11 minute range should be expected with makeshift squads.