This edition of the NCAA's INdoor Championships is setting the bar high!
Which is another way of saying that we all expect Mondo Duplantis's PV BAR to be the highest ever a Collegiate male has ever cleared!
Jokes aside, there are the usual number of truly elite athletes here, with a whole lot of wannabe's!
A few weak events dot the landscape, but overall, expect the usual assortment of Records broken, and Marks making my All-Time lists!
Lots to cover, so here's a brief guide to this Preview!
Events are listed in the order of the finals, with the Men's events listed first for each day!
Meet Records are given, with odds for them being broken.
A few athletes names are also listed, but are NOT predictions of who will win!
Friday, March 8
MEN
Long Jump (27-10.25)
Grant Holloway is apparently going to attempt to win FOUR events--3 open, and one Relay!
Amazingly enough, I see him as fully capable of doing it!
He begins here, where I see few potential 27 foot leaps.
MR odds are just 25-75, despite Holloway being ready to go 27-6!!
Fabrizio Edoki, Charles Brown, Rayvon Grey, and Jordan Latimer might join Holloway on the podium!
Pole Vault (19-4.25)
Too bad they scheduled this event so early in the meet!
Once over, I wonder if some fans will go home, having seen MONDO perform!
Odds for the MR--despite his presence--are 70-30, NOT 100-0!!
And he'll have what many are calling the greatest Men's Collegiate PV field ever to spur him on!
Sondre Guttormsen, KC Lightfoot, Chris Nilsen, Zach Bradford, Jake Wooten, Devin King, and Matthew Ludwig!
WOW!!
Get the popcorn ready!!
Shot Put (71-3.50)
See the Meet Record?/
That WAS the Collegiate Record also, but Payton Otterdahl broke it already!
Give him 80-20 odds to do it again--for the MR!
Tripp Piperi. Jordan Geist, McKay Johnson, and Denzel Comenentia are others to watch!
5000 (13:25.4)
There are some runners capable of sub-13:20's, but this being a Championship race, watch them jog the middle 20 laps, keying for a mad dash to the tape!
Morgan McDonald might decide to do things differently, so give this MR 45-55 odds!
Amon Kemboi, Edwin Kurgat, Conner Mantz, Joe Klecker, Tyler Day, and Clayton Young are ones to watch!
DMR (9:27.27)
No ILLEGAL track to help them cheat, so give the odds just 30-70!
Wisconsin, Texas, Stanford, and Oregon appear to have the best squads!
Pick and choose!
WOMEN
Shot Put (64-2.25)
No big names to challenge the MR, so give it ZERO odds!!
Lena Giger, Sade Olatoye, Kiley Sabin, and Ashlie Blake appear to be the main podium contenders!
Pentathlon (4703)
Michelle Atherley would need to PR by 206 points to get this MR, so give her just 15-85 odds!
Aliyah Whisby and Ashton (ASHTON??!!) Zamzow will play Follow the Leader!
Long Jump (22-8)
Forget this MR--ZERO odds!
Yanis David--who is far better in the TJ--should win, but she'll need to watch for Rougui Sow
One of the weakest events of the entire meet!
5000 ((15:14.18)
As with the Men, here's another event where we have potential MR breakers (and CR breakers!!), but that old nemesis of fast times will be lurking on everyone's shoulders!
That said, this is the best Women's distance field since that race on December 1st at BU!!
Ednah Kurgat, Allie Ostrander, Alicia Monson, Sharon Lokedi, and Weini Kelati are just SOME of the runners to watch!
Others include Elly Henes, Lauren LaRocco, Fiona O'Keefe, Makenna Morley, Jaci Smith, Charlotte Prouse (WHEW!!), Dorcas Wasike, AND Jessica Pascoe!!
DMR (10:50.98)
Another strong field, but run on a 200 meter track!
MR odds, therefore, are only 20-80!
Oregon, Washington, Boise State, and Michigan might be challenged by Indiana, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, and Kansas!
Saturday, March 9
MEN
High Jump (7-9.25)
Shelby McEwen has jumped the highest of the entrants, but MR odds are ZERO!!
Darius Corbin, Darryl Sullivan, JuVaughn Harrison, and Tejaswin Shankar are "rising stars" (Heh!) to watch!
Weight Throw (80-10.25)
Despite Payton Otterdahl's presence, he is NOT the main character here!!
Denzel Comenentia, Adam Kelly, and AJ McFarland are better at this event!
Others to watch are Joseph Ellis and Gleb Dudarev!
A sentimental favorite might be Bobby Colantonio, who battled cancer in recent years--and WON!!
Heptathlon (6499)
NO chance for a MR--and maybe not even 6100 points!
Best bets for top podium spot include Harrison Williams, Aidan Owens, and Johannes Erm!
Triple Jump (57-0)
Another weak field, so give this MR 10-90 odds!
However, both Donald Scott and Taher Triki are pretty good!
Mile (3:54.74)
Before Oliver Hoere ran a 3:54 recently, I would have given the odds here just 5-95!
But even WITH Hoere's presence, the odds build to just 20-80!
With no really serious opponents, he'd have to time trial the race to even approach the MR!
Casey Comber, Sam Worley, and Blake Haney could make things interesting!
60H (7.45)
The 2nd of Grant Holloway's events, he could get the MR!
Give him 80-20 odds!
But if Daniel Roberts continues to improve, watch out!!
Also key on Chad Zallow and Trey Cunningham.
400 (44.52)
No one has broken 45 this season--yet!
But I don't see anyone dipping under that by 0.50!!
Kahmari Montgomery and Wil London should be the front runners!
Also watch for Jonathan Jones and Obi Igbokwe!
60 (6.45)
Coming just minutes after his 60H race, this might be Grant Holloway's toughest challenge!
The MR will still be 6.45 at race's end, so give it 15-85 odds!
Divine Oduduru could be Holloway's wall he'll have to climb past for the W, but Oduduru is better at 200!
Also watch for Mustaqeem Williams, Andrew Hudson, and Akim Sani Brown, who could shock them all!!
800 (1:45.15)
Will Devin Dixon chase the MR--or be content with the win?
Odds are 35-65!
Carlton Orange, Isaiah Jewett, and Marco Arop are ones to watch!
200 (20.02)
Divine Oduduru has run this in 20.08 this season!
Give him 40-60 odds to dip under the 20,barrier!
Andrew Hudson, Mustaqeem Williams, and Obi Igbokwe are others to watch!
3000 (7:45.94)
Another distance race wide open for strategizing--meaning give this MR just 40-60 odds!
Grant Fisher should win, but he'll be challenged by Oliver Hoere and Morgan McDonald--maybe to the wire!!
Also watch for Cooper Teare, Kyle Mau, Conner Mantz, Aman Kemboi, and Joe Klccker!!
4X400 Relay (3:00.73)
Despite some speedy legs, no team has MR possibilities--as I see it!
Give it 20-80 odds!
Houston, Baylor, USC, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech are good possibilities for the podium!
On the LOWER steps, as Florida will have Grant Holloway chasing down his FOURTH Gold of the meet!
Don't think he won't throw down a 43-low to try to complete his task!!
WOMEN
High Jump (6-6)
ZERO odds!!
Loretta Blaut and Lillian Lowe should jump the highest--if you want to call it that!!
Triple Jump (46-10)
Keturah Orji is in the Pro ranks, so no MR--odds are 10-90!
And that's only because Yanis David is here--and she's capable of going over 46 feet!
Shardia Lawrence, Marie Josee Ebwea-Excel, and Tatiana Marsh could close in on 45 feet!
Pole Vault (15-3.50)
Lisa Gunnarsson is injured, and isn't here!
So that leaves Lexi Jacobus and Tori Hoggard with only the CR and MR to challenge them!
Give the MR 60-40 odds, and the CR 15-85 odds!
Lucy Bryan, Bridget Guy, Rachel Baxter, Bonnie Draxler, and Andrea Willis will have Razorback Desiree Freier to challenge them for the Bronze!
That is, unless the former Weeks twins falter!
Mile (4:27.18)
The consensus pick for the W seems to be comebacker Hannah Meier of Michigan!
But I don't see a clean path to the line for her!
She'll have Millie Paladino, Lauren Gregory, and Katie Rainsberger to get past first!!
60H (7.79)
No MR (0-100 odds!), as no one in the WORLD has beaten 7.85 this season!!
Chanel Brissett has the fastest seed time, but Dior Hall, Tonea Marshall, Anna Cockrell, and Payton Chadwick will be there to challenge!
Also watch for Janeek Brown and Tiara McMinn!
Weight Throw (83-10.25)
That's the Collegiate Record also, so give it ZERO odds!
Stamatia Scarvelis, Sade Olatoye, and Laulaga Tausaga should be the best bets to beat 80 feet!
But watch also for Taylor Scaife, Alyssa Wilson, and Kelsey Bedard!
400 (50.34)
Lynna Irby is the best here, but she hasn't even broken 52 this season, so give the odds at 25-75!
Alexis Holmes, Kaelin Roberts, SyAira Richardson, Kiara Horton, and Kaye Constantine might dip under 52---on a good day!
60 (7.07)
Kortnei Johnson should have her way with the hoi polloi, but give her odds for the MR of 10-90!
Twanisha Terry could make it a close race, but not too close!
Also watch for ShaKarra Richardson, Marybeth Sant, Kiara Parker, Jayla Kirkland, and Tamara Clark!
800 (2:01.09)
Athing Mu isn't in college yet--but Danae Rivers is!
So give the odds at 40-60!
Jasmine Fray hasn't been heard from for awhile, but she has some street cred!
Allie Wilson, Rachel Pocratsky, and Abike Egbeniyi are ones to watch!
200 (22.38)
Kennedy Flannel might be a WARM person (Get it?? LOL), but she's only a slight favorite for the W!
Lauren Rain Williams, Sha Karri Richardson, and Kortnei Johnson are key challengers!
Others might be Kayla White, Tamara Clark, Anania Battle, and Lanae Tava Thomas!
ZERO odds!
3000 (8:42.03)
Like the 5K, this race has the potential to produce some great times--and a lengthy revision to my Record Book!!
BUT--it's a distance race, and we all have heard the broken record line about that!!
Give Jenny (Barringer) Simpson's mark yet another year to live!
15-85 odds!
Weini Kelati, Ednah Kurgat, Allie Ostrander, and Alicia Monson should lead this motley gang!
But they should be aware of the other speedsters--Lauren Gregory, Katie Rainsberger, Charlotte Prouse, and Jessica Hull!
Taylor Werner has had a good season, so add her to the list, along with Erica Kirk, Makenna Morley, and Elly Henes!!
4X400 Relay (3:27.03)
This MR should be fairly safe, as it's getting 25-75 odds!
The 400 crowd just hasn't been very productive in 2019!
Teams to watch are Texas, Baylor, Miami, Arkansas, Texas A&M, USC, LSU, and Georgia--where Ms Irby reigns supreme!1
Enjoy the two days of shocks and upsets and comethroughs--and failures!
Next post will be my NBIN Preview--up in a few hours!
See you soon!
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