2019 NCAA Indoor Championship Review

This past weekend track and field fans were treated an outstanding national championship meet. Some big names lived up to their hype while others fizzled. Along with our theme in recent championships more collegiate records fell.

Grant Holloway has come up short in the Bowerman Award in the past two seasons. This season he should win it by default. The performances he displayed this season and in specific this past weekend have been nothing short of spectacular. New to the 60-meter dash, it did not matter. The moment he debuted in the event he has held the number one ranking on lock. He ran a personal best in the final clocking in at 6.50. Before he did that, he broke the American and Collegiate record in the 60 hurdles with a time of 7.35. The only athletes who have ran faster than that are Olympic Gold Medalist Dayron Robles of Cuba and world record holder and Olympic Medalist Colin Jackson of Great Britain. A truly sensational sprint performance.

In the 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles on the women’s side it was all USC. The lady Trojans got a stunning victory from Chanel Brissett. The talented sophomore held on to her top ranked time from earlier in the season and clocked in at 7.90 for the win over defending champion Payton Chadwick of Arkansas. Twanisha Terry tied the top time on the season with a time of 7.14 in the 60 dash to defeat favorite Kortnei Johnson of LSU and Teahna Daniels of Texas. The double sprint victory was huge for USC and a sign of their potential for outdoors.

The 200 is where Divine Oduduru of Texas Tech was able to shine. After a disappointing performance in the 60 dash he had something to prove in the final. He followed Kasuan James of Florida State around the track until the final 40 meters or so he surged pass with a strong effort to claim victory in a time of 20.49. His performance was one of the few highlights for Texas Tech. The number ranked team going into the meet had a disappointing showing.

Kayla White of North Carolina A&T proved her number one ranking early in the season was no fluke. The talented senior ran a close race in the 60 hurdles to finish second and she came back in 200 to blast past Kynnedy Flannel of Texas to win in a time of 22.66. White is North Carolina A&T’s first 200 finalist and champion.

The 400 had a surprise victor on the men’s side. Senior Kahmari Montgomery went into the race as the heavy favorite with his NCAA leading time of 45.04. He did nothing to put doubts in the mind of anyone after a strong preliminary race that saw him run 45.32. Senior Tyrell Richard South Carolina State would also run an impressive preliminary winning his heat win a time of 45.65. In the finals Richard got to the 200-meter mark first after an impressive first 150 meters from the outside lane. He would never let up with Montgomery hot on heels and stopped the clock at impressive time of 44.82. 

Lynna Irby of Georgia entered the meet as the favorite to win the women’s 400, that’s not how it turned out. USC got another national title from their talented sophomore Kaelin Roberts. Roberts ran a strong race nipping at Irby’s heels throughout. Irby seemed to be missing her speed. Roberts seemed to have it surging pass her in the last 50 meters to win with a time of 51.50. This is now back to back wins for USC in this event with a bevy of top tier recruits coming next year. USC seems to have taken the title as 400 U.

The 800 was quite an interesting race on both sides. For the men the favorite Devin Dixon of Texas A&M was not involved in the final lap of the race. Instead it was Marco Arop of Missisippi State who was making a strong charge on his final lap only to be passed by Big 12 champion Bryce Hoppel of Kansas. Hoppel was not discussed as a possible favorite even though he was ranked amongst the top 10 in the country. He ran a smart tactical race that saw him finish with a time of 1:46.46. Arop would finish in second while pre-meet favorite Dixon finished in fourth.

Danae Rivers of Penn State was the favorite to win the 800. If not for a strong charge within the last 30 meters she would have not been. Ivy League queen Nia Akins of Penn made a push with a lap to go and got out front. It seemed as if another top seed would be upset. Within the last 30 meters Rivers gave an amazing effort to surpass Akins at the line 2:03.69 to 2:03.74. For Akins it was a personal best and a sign that can compete on a high level.

Like the 800 the mile for both men and women were more tactical races that saw the favorites come home empty handed. Julia Rizk of Ohio State who was the Big Ten runner-up clearly did not seem to concern when Karisa Nelson of Samford, the 2017 NCAA Champion passed her on the final lap. She waited until the homestretch to due her damage to retake the lead and win the race in a time of 4:37.64. She is the first NCAA Champion in the mile for Ohio State and this also her first NCAA final with the Buckeyes. What a way to perform in your first opportunity.

Another newbie to the NCAA finals was Geordie Beamish of Northern Arizona. Although Northern Arizona has a great program history with distance athletes Beamish was not considered a threat. The race was extremely tactical which gave him the advantage in an event that technically is not his best. He had the kick that many others did not, and he was fresh and rested. His winning time of 4:07.69 is not a barn burner but it is a winner.

Many, including myself though Oregon senior Jessica Hull would compete in her specialty this indoor season the mile. Instead she stepped up to the 3,000 and claimed the title. The star senior winning time was 9:01.14. Favorite Alicia Monson of Wisconsin did not have the kick that she had the previous day before winning the 5,000. Her time of 15:31.26 was a personal best and may have left too tired to keep up with Hull. Hull who ran a great anchor in the Distance Medley Relay to Oregon to another title in the event was fresh enough to win the 3,000 in impressive fashion.

Morgan McDonald like teammate Alicia Monson attempted to the distance double competing in the 3,000 and 5,000. Unlike Monson however McDonald came away winning both events including a star studded 3,000. He was able to exact revenge against Grant Fisher of Stanford after losing to him at the Millrose Games. The senior from Wisconsin ran a time of 7:52.85 setting a facility record. The performance is perhaps more impressive since the day before he set the facility record in the 5,000 with 13:41.76.

The men’s long jump competition top four were separated by mere inches. This certainly was one of the closest competitions in NCAA history. Rayvon Grey of LSU who led for majority of the season vaulted to the top mark on his very last jump. His mark of 26 feet 1 ¾ inches was enough to surpass Trumaine Jefferson of Houston who was runner up with 26’1 ½. Grant Holloway secure six points for the Gators finishing third with his mark of 26’1. He only completed three jumps and led for majority of the competition to only be passed by Jefferson and Grey.

In the men’s triple jump there was a big withdrawal. Top seed Tahar Triki of Texas A&M was removed from competition leaving the title up for grabs. Jordan Scott of Virginia was the man to step up. The junior leaped to a facility record of 55-5 over senior Odaine Lewis of Texas Tech.

The women’s triple jump did not have the same suspense. Number one seed senior Yanis David of Florida led the competition from her opening jump with a mark of 46-0 ½. After years of chasing Keturah Orji, David finally broke through to win her NCAA title. It was a nice way to rebound after finishing third in the long jump after Jasmyn Steels of Northwestern State won the competition on her first jump with a mark of 21-2 ½.

Payton Otterdahl of North Dakota State lived up to the hype. The senior completed the double while breaking two facility records. He threw for a personal best in the weight throw with his throw of 79-1 ¼. In the shot put his winning mark of 71-2 ¾ and he served as the only athlete in the field who went over the 70 foot mark. The collegiate record holder is setting himself for a impressive outdoor season and winning two national titles this past weekend.

Senior Sade Olatoye of Ohio State did not begin her weekend the way she wanted. The favorite to sweep the throwing events found herself finishing fifth in the shot put with a mark of 56-6 ½ well off her personal best. Samantha Noenning of Arizona State continued their winning tradition with her mark of 58-9 ¼. On Saturday Olatoye rebounded in weight throw. Her throw of 80-3 was a personal record and the first mark over 80 feet this season. She also broke the facility record as well along with winning by almost seven feet.

Remaining Champions

Pole Vault (Men): Mondo Duplantis (LSU)- 19-1 ½, the talented freshman was the only competitor over 19 feet and concluded an incredible freshman indoor season.

Pole Vault (Women): Alexis Jacobus (Arkansas) 15-1 ½, the only competitor in the field over 15 feet and continues to separate herself from her sister Victoria as the better vaulter.

Pentathlon: Michelle Atherley (Miami) 4,547- The senior had a dominant meet, either winning the event in which she competed or finished among the top competitors.

Heptathlon: Harrison Williams (Stanford) 6,042- The senior stunned favorite Johannes Erm of Georgia with a personal best performance. Although he only won one event out of seven he was amongst the top performers in the other six events.

4x400 Relay: Neither men’s or women’s relays surpassed their top times for the season but there was a lot of heart. On both sides it was clear the affects of a long indoor season and less the favorable track had took its toll. The South Carolina women won their first 4x400 relay title since 2007 with a time of 3:30.7. It was their first victory over conference Texas A&M all season. On the men’s side it seemed as if Florida was going to end the meet in a exclamation point but Kahmari Montgomery of Houston surged pass to give the Cougars their first NCAA title in the event with a time of 3:05.04.

The team titles went to the defending champions. Florida scoring 55 points and Arkansas women scoring 62 points. Both programs had very dominant performances. Florida received 26 points from Grant Holloway alone. Arkansas women scored all over the track. For Texas Tech men this is the second time that they arrived at the meet as favorites and failed to prove their ranking. The irony is this is what Florida went through a few years ago. Arkansas just keeps on chugging along with their ability to score in every area. They will likely carry that success to the outdoor season. Expect for a stronger challenge to the Florida dominance come outdoor season from Texas Tech. 

Men's NCAA Indoor Championship Preview 2019

FLORIDA AGAIN?

Similar to the women, the men’s NCAA Indoor Championship seems to be a two team race between Texas Tech and Florida. Both are bringing fire power from multiple sides. There is also plenty of headliners for teams not necessarily competing for a national title.

SPRINTS/HURDLES

The sprints will be huge in the team title picture. Both Florida and Texas Tech have a great athlete looking to double. For Florida it is Grant Holloway and for Texas Tech it is Divine Oduduru. This year Holloway added the 60-meter dash to his array of events where he has proven to be incredibly talented. He leads the NCAA in both the 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles with times of 6.51 and 7.43 respectively. Oduduru has ran 6.54 in the 60 and 20.15 in the 200. Something must give. It will be the first time the two have met in a race and it looks to be full of fireworks. Holloway has the busiest weekend so I think with more rest Oduduru will surprise the superstar and pull off the sprint double.

The 400 could be a 1-2 sweep by Houston. Kahmari Montgomery came into the season with a lot of hype after winning the USATF National title last season. He has lived up to the hype and is currently ranked number one in the world with his time of 45.04. His teammate and Arkansas transfer senior Obi Igbokwe has shown impressive speed in the 200 and 400. His time of 45.35 ranks third. They have made a strong case for a 1-2 finish all season long. Wil London of Baylor is one of the top challengers. The senior has made Team USA in the past and has performed well throughout his career. He is currently ranked second with a time of 45.30 and will look to add the only thing missing in his career a national title.

As dominating as Grant Holloway of Florida has been this season, including making ESPN’s top 10 he is vulnerable in both events. In the 60-meter hurdles he is ranked number one as well with his time of 7.43 but will have strong challenge from Kentucky junior Daniel Roberts. Roberts took Holloway to the line with a time of 7.48. Roberts will have the advantage of fresh legs since it is the only event he is competing in. However, I still feel that Holloway has been holding back slightly and will look to dip under 6.4 for the win.

DISTANCE

Devin Dixon is the latest 800-meter star out of Texas A&M. Dixon can compete at a high level in the 400 as well which has proven to be his advantage. His NCAA leading time of 1:44.97 is one of the best times in NCAA history. What perhaps is more surprising is that he actually could lower with his blazing 45 second speed in the 400. Marco Arop of Mississippi State is perhaps the only challenger with a time of 1:45.90 but Dixon already beat him at the SEC Championships two weeks ago. It is clear this maybe the only sure-fire victory on the track, but stranger things have happened in the 800.

The mile provides with an impressive group of 16 sub four-minute milers led by junior Oliver Hoare of Wisconsin. Hoare was a highly touted recruit out of high school in Australia who has had quite an impressive career. His leading time of 3:54.83 was achieved competing against professionals at the Millrose Games in New York. He has a two second lead on the number two ranked runner Waleed Suliman of Ole Miss. Suliman is apart of what has become one of the best distance programs in south. His time of 3:56.78 was earned early in February at Boston University. Hoare has more championship experience and better results on the big stage and has shown he has the tactical ability to win a major race.

The 3,000 will give us a rematch of the Cross Country National Championship. Grant Fisher of Stanford was taken down by Wisconsin senior Morgan McDonald in the final seconds of the race. Fisher was the heavy favorite going into the meet and will be here as well. Fisher already gained a victory on McDonald in the regular season with his national leading time of 7:42.62 but this is a championship meet and McDonald clearly knows how to shine. He will joined by his teammate Hoare and it will be a difficult task for Fisher to defeat them both. Keep an eye on Amon Kemboi of Campbell who is ranked third with a time of 7:44.77. He has been somewhat ignored this season due to the success of Fisher and McDonald but he will be in heart of the race competing for a national title.

McDonald and Kemboi will both be looking to double by competing in the 5,000 but neither are the current favorites to win. Tyler Day of Northern Arizona has led the event since the beginning of the season. The talented junior has a leading time of 13:31.36 and he will not have to worry about competing in another event since this is sole event to compete in. Couple that with having the leading time makes him a strong candidate for the title and the obvious favorite.

FIELD EVENTS

Shelby McEwen of Alabama has had the top mark in the high jump for majority of the season with 7 feet 7 inches. JuVaughn Harrison of LSU is currently second with a mark of 7 feet 5 ¾ inches. At the SEC Championship Harrison took down McEwen amongst a real quality field. McEwen who was the defending conference champion maybe looking to exact a little revenge by claiming the national title. Harrison has consistently stepped up to the competition all year long performing at a high level, the win may have only confirmed what he personally may have been feeling.

In the Long Jump Florida does not have its depth that is has had in the past. However, they have Grant Holloway who is currently ranked second in the nation. He has the legitimate chance of winning all three events or losing all three. Florida will rely heavily on him for their team title hopes and when he failed to score last outdoor championship it proved too difficult for them to recover resulting in their runner up performance. Rayvon Grey of LSU has led the nation most of the season and is part of resurgent jumps program at LSU. His leading mark of 26’5 ½ is slightly ahead of Holloway’s 26’3 ¾ mark. At the SEC Championships Grey was still able to claim victory of Holloway. Even knowing that, he must be conscious of the Holloway magic he has shown all season. It would surprise no one if he wound up winning the event.

The triple jump has been dominated by Tahar Triki the moment he began his season. The junior from Texas A&M has a strong lead with a mark of 56’2. No other athlete has gotten over 56 feet all season. In the field is defending champion O’Brien Wasome of Texas. Although Wasome is the defending champion indoors, Triki is the clear favorite after a strong start to his season and his outdoor national title as well. This should be an easy victory for Triki.

The Pole Vault has been controlled by freshman superstar Mondo Duplantis of LSU. After a recording breaking high school career the freshman takes his record holding exploits to LSU and has continued that trend. Having broken the collegiate record this season he owns the leading mark of 19’5. Only one other athlete in the entire field has gone over 19 feet and he is Matthew Ludwig of Akron. Akron has had a history of great pole vaulters and Ludwig is certainly the next in line. Defending champion Hussain Al Hizzam of Kansas almost seems like a non-factor with his seventh placed ranking but he was not mentioned last season and went on to win. With that being said, it’s all about Mondo.

Senior Payton Otterdahl of North Dakota State has been the king of throws this season. He is currently the leader in both the shot put and weight throw. He may be from a small school, but he puts up big time performances. His leading mark in the shot put is 71’6 ¾ and he is the only athlete over 70 feet. In the weight throw his mark is 78’11 ¼. Otterdahl will not be without his challengers, mainly Denzel Comenentia of Georgia who is also competing in both events and ranked in the top three in each. Comenentia has the benefit of having already won National titles last season. Outdoors he won the shot put and hammer throw, indoors he won the weight throw. No other athlete in the field seems to pose Otterdahl more of a threat than him.

The Heptathlon looks as if it is Johannes Erm of Georgia event to win. The Georgia Bulldogs have won the heptathlon seven straight times indoors at the SEC Championships and is testament to their dominance in the event over the years. They routinely have an athlete competing at a high level in this event. The sophomore enters with a point total of 5,996. Although he arrives as favorite he will not be without a challenge, especially from this quality group. There are three other athletes over 5900 points including Harrison Williams the senior from Stanford who has score 5961. Erm gets the nod because of his championship history and ability to perform at a high level in a challenging environment.

RELAYS

The 4x400 relay on the men’s side is sure to have some fireworks. As always it will have the two usual suspects in Florida and Texas A&M but Houston will enter as favorite. Under the direction of former world record holders Leroy Burrell and the great Carl Lewis, Houston has become a sprint factory. The boast two of the top three runners in the 400 and have already beaten a solid team in Texas A&M. Their leading mark of 3:01.51 was a school record and one of the fastest in NCAA history. Florida has not ran against any challengers all season and are a big of enigma. The pulled out of SEC Championships since they had already looked up the team title before the event. How fresh will Grant Holloway be. Texas A&M who ran a 3:01.56 was barely beaten by Houston and always shows up at the national meets. In this race because of the unknown I will push.

The Distance Medley Relay is always a fun event to watch since it is only run indoors at the national level. Notre Dame brings the top team who have a time of 9:26.10. What is more impressive is the fact that the entire field has teams who all can run under 9:30. The Irish still have a three second lead on the field and will fresh legs since none of the individuals on their relay will be competing in individual events.

Texas Tech has a lot of depth and Florida feels to reliant on one athlete. I feel the amount of quality that Texas Tech is bringing they are my favorite to win the national title.

Women's NCAA Indoor Championship Preview 2019

(Alexis and Victoria- Arkansas Pole Vaulters)

It is finally here, the NCAA Indoor Championship. There is a lot of story lines heading into this meet and I will try to cover them all. Let us first get started with the women.

SPRINTS/HURDLES

In the 60 meter dash LSU is looking to continue their storied success in this event. Just last season Aleia Hobbs claimed the 60 meter title to add to their illustrious history. Her former teammate Kortnei Johnson is now the favorite to win it this year. The senior has the fastest time in the nation clocking in at 7.14. Kiara Parker of Arkansas is currently number two with a time of 7.15. At the SEC Championship Johnson defeated Parker at Arkansas making a large statement. Both are being heavily relied upon for the team title. Arkansas the big favorite is expecting big points from Parker. A dark horse in this race is former champion Teahna Daniels of Texas.

The 200-meter dash entered this season with Johnson of LSU as a heavy favorite. She’ll be in the field, but she is not listed as one of the top athletes. Instead we have three athletes who have run 22.8. First there is Anavia Battle of Ohio State, a talented sophomore won the Big Ten with a time of 22.80. Then there is senior Kayla White of North Carolina A&T who held the number leading mark for several weeks with a time of 22.82. Finally, there is true freshman Kynnedy Flannel of Texas with a time of 22.88, the early season leader. White is the only athlete of the three who will be competing in a second event, the 60-meter hurdles and led the NCAA for much of the season. However, you cannot ignore the race ran by Battle at the Big Ten Championship. With everything stated, this race is still wide open.

The 400 has been a bit quit majority of the season. Even now there is surprisingly not one athlete who has gone under 52 seconds all season long. Even favorite Lynna Irby of Georgia who ran a sub 51 second race last indoor season. She is still the leader with a time of 52.02 achieved at the SEC Championship. The race was without challenge as Syaria Richardson of Texas A&M stayed close with a time of 52.09. Kyra Constantine of USC ran a strong race of 52.07 out west to qualify. Even though Constantine and Richardson have times that could challenge Irby has the speed and endurance to dominate. I expect a big season’s best and a title.

The 60-meter hurdles figures to be huge in the team title picture. Both the top ranked programs, Arkansas and USC, have multiple athletes in this race. Arkansas has defending champion senior Payton Chadwick and number two ranked Janeek Brown. For USC there is number one ranked Chanel Brissett who defeated Brown already this season 7.90 to 7.95. USC also has three other hurdlers in Dior Hall, Anna Cockrell and Mecca McGlaston. It is possible that all six of these ladies may make the final but it will be difficult. This field is deep and there will be a few surprises. Brissett is the current favorite and has gone undefeated and topped every athlete considered a contender for the crown and as of now is my choice to win the title.

DISTANCE

At the beginning of the season Sammy Watson of Texas A&M and her teammate Jazmine Fray were among three favorites to contend for the NCAA Indoor title in the 800. Well fast forward, Watson has now turned pro, Fray has qualified but not considered a threat. To be fair Fray is the collegiate indoor record holder and could still pull out a title. However, Danae Rivers of Penn State has been on a tare this season. She has broken the collegiate record in the 1,000-meter run along with her top ranked mile performance has lived up to the lofty expectations placed upon her this season. Although her season best of 2:02.94 is not the top ranked time her performances on the track lead her to be the top favorite in the 800. Martha Bissah of Norfolk State leads the NCAA with her time of 2:02.58 and Allie Wilson of Monmouth is second with a time of 2:02.65 will make strong cases for the title but Rivers is still the favorite.

In the mile Danae Rivers of Penn State pulled out to focus solely on the 800. After more jostling by top athletes in the event Hannah Meier of Michigan and the Big Ten Champion will step in as the top entrant in the event with a time of 4:32.46. Challenging Meier will ironically fellow senior Ohio State Buckeye Julia Rizk. The two already had a great race at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Ann Arbor. Lauren Gregory a freshman from Arkansas will look to challenge the two Big Ten rivals with her time of 4:32.92.

Wisconsin has built quite the distance program. In the 3,000 Alicia Monson will serve as the top entrant with her NCAA leading time of 8:45.97. Monson will look to fend off mile star Jessica Hull of Oregon. Hull is ranked second with her time of 8:53.91. Hull has a national title already having won the 1,500 last outdoor season. Hull also finished third in the race last year and maybe looking for a little redemption. Monson has no national hardware but she did double at the Big Ten Indoor Championship winning the 3,000 and 5,000 meter runs. The time disparity of eight seconds cannot go unnoticed and gives a slight nod to Monson for the title.

In the 5,000 New Mexico is looking to get a 1-2 punch. The National Cross-Country runner-up have become a distance powerhouse and with the top two entrants they will look to make a big statement. Senior Ednah Kurgat leads the NCAA with a time of 15:14.78. Her time stood number one the entire indoor season. Her teammate Weini Kelati has sat in the second position with her time of 15:15.24 all season as well. Both are competing in the 3,000 but the 5,000 is where they are expecting big points. The only challenger to them in the field seems to be Sharon Lokedi of Kansas who is third with a time of 15:15.47.

FIELD EVENTS

In the High Jump Andrea Stapleton-Johnson of BYU garnered the number one ranking in mid-January and never relinquished the ranking. Loretta Blaut of Cincinnati did tie her mark of 6 feet 1 ½ inches but was unable to surpass it. With a total of nine athletes that have surpassed six feet making for this to be an interesting competition. The winner will be decided by who can handle the pressure of a championship meet. For this event I push with no clear favorite.

The Long Jump is led by Rougui Sow of Florida State a senior who transferred from South Carolina. Yanis David of Florida was the favorite in the event at the beginning of the season and was the favorite for the triple jump as well. Currently David is ranked second with a mark of 21’2 ½ in the long jump and first in the triple jump with 45’5 and is coming off two strong performances at the SEC Championships to win both. Davis who is also a senior is looking to continue Florida’s championship jumping tradition. Sow has beaten her already along with leading the nation with 21’3 ½ and has the added motivation of attending a rival school. However, with the spotlight David has shown over the years to perform at her best. I look for her to pull of the double winning both the Long Jump and Triple Jump. Keep an eye on Marie-Josee Ebwea-Excel of Kentucky who led the NCAA for much of the season with her mark of 45’2 ½ in the triple jump.

The Pole Vault figures to be a critical event for the top ranked Arkansas Razorbacks. They have the twins Alexis and Victoria looking to go 1-2 and score 18 team points. However, they are not the only Razorbacks in the field. There is fellow senior Desiree Freier. Although she enters the event ranked seventh it not out of the realm of possibility that they could take a 1-2-3 sweep. The twins are the only the athletes in the field having jumped over 15 feet this season and outside of their teammate the only real challenge is Donnie Braxler of San Diego State. She has a season record of 14’10. A championship meet brings out the best in true competitors, but I am not sure anyone can overcome Alexis Jacobus’ leading mark of 15’4 ¼.

On both the men’s and women’s side the throwing events look to be dominated by one person. For the women it is Ohio State senior Sade Olatoye. She entered the season as a favorite to win the Weight Throw with Stamatia Scarvelis of Tennessee. Throughout the season Olatoye has stepped up as the sole favorite with her NCAA leading mark of 78’11 ¾ She is only a ½ inch ahead of Scarvelis but that is all that is needed to win. She has taken over as the favorite in the Shot Put after earning her second NCAA leading mark of 58’8. In both events she has competitors within striking distance, but she has defeated everyone she has come against this season there is no real reason why she should not be able to continue.

Senior Michelle Atherley took the reigns as the favorite to win the pentathlon after a strong showing at the ACC Championships amassing a total of 4,498 points. Her conference performance was dominant and saw her earn first place in majority of the events in which she competed. She has over 100 points on her closest competitor Aliyah Whisby of Georgia. Whisby is the latest multi-event talent out of Georgia to vie for a national title. If Atherley’s performance at the ACC Championships is any indication of how she will perform this week, this will be a tall order for Whisby.

RELAYS

The 4x400 relay looks to be a barn burner. The SEC Indoor Championships produced four 3:30 teams in Texas A&M, South Carolina, Arkansas and Florida. A&M came out on top with their NCAA leading mark of 3:29.15. Although USC sends a strong group they are not in the final heat with the top four teams and the lack of competition could cause them the title with time. A&M is bringing three athletes in the open 400 showcasing their strength in this event. It looks as if they have what it takes to win but you cannot ignore South Carolina who is second with 3:29.56. This reminds me of the old South Carolina teams that used to regularly compete for a national title and win the Penn Relays. Expect for some fireworks in this event.

The Distance Medley Relay has Michigan as the leader. The Wolverines broke their school record just before the Big Ten Championships and ran the fastest time ever by a big ten school. Their time of 10:54.47 was quite impressive. There is only one athlete on their squad who will be competing in another event and that is anchor Hannah Meier who is the favorite in the mile. A fresh rested squad with the lead miler on the anchor makes for a tough group to beat. However, Oklahoma State had the number one ranking early in the season and barely relinquished it. Michigan also proved they are human after losing on their home turf to rival Michigan State at the Big Ten Championships. Oklahoma State has an impressive group and could easily win this race.