2021 NCAA Indoor Preview Part 1- Sprints
It is officially 2021. We have been fed the idea that
magically live will be better once the clock struck midnight. Then reality set in.
Covid numbers have increased and several states are returning to lock down, including a few countries. Even
with the advent of two vaccines it seems as if we cannot shake this virus. The
year will begin with plenty of empty seats and competitions without fans.
If College Track and
Field is anything like College Football or College Basketball, there will be
some challenges. Athlete, coach, and trainer responsibility will be at an all
time high. Athletes will be tested on site and a star athlete testing positive
can changed the trajectory of the team. Imagine an athlete at Arkansas testing
positive at the SEC Championships. Will the entire team be subject to quarantine?
What about the venue itself? There are many questions and concerns about the season along with
there is still no guarantee that the season will finish. Let us hope. Will all
that, this is still our indoor season preview.
For our senior sprinters it will feel like a season was
taken from them. Teams had arrived at the NCAA Indoor Championship last season
ready to compete regardless of their circumstance and found the meet cancelled.
Instead of granting those seniors another indoor season, All-American
performances were assigned to athletes based on their top performance during
the season. This means new faces will become champions and stars. The year 2020 will have no Champions.
Brendon Stewart of USC and Waseem Williams of Purdue are the
top returnees from the 2020 Indoor season. Stewart is a key piece in USC
chances for a team title. Williams is coached by Norbert Elliott at Purdue who
has developed national champions before.
In the 200 Micaiah Harris of Texas was sensational last
season. He was ranked number two (20.49) in the country and was headed for a
great challenge with the number one ranked sprinter in Terrance Laird (20.43) of
LSU. Both Texas and LSU will be competing for a team title and will be relying
on their sprinters to produce.
In the long sprint, the 400 Bryce Deadmon of Texas A&M
returns as a graduate student and the Texas A&M legacy. Pat Henry brought
the 400-meter success he had at LSU over to Texas A&M and it has translated
tremendously. A&M has had plenty of NCAA Champions in this event over the
years and Deadmon looks to be next in line. Randolph Ross of North Carolina
A&T had an impressive indoor freshman campaign. I expect this season we
will find out who is the better quartermiler.
On the women’s side Julien Alfred of Texas was quite
impressive all last indoor season. She began the season with a number one
ranking and held on to it all season long collecting some impressive wins. She
will return this season as the obvious favorite. However, you cannot leave out
2019 Indoor Champion and now senior Twanisha Terry of USC. Terry has the championship
pedigree to outduel Alfred but can she is the question.
In the 200 Abby Steiner lit up the track last season on her
way to impressive SEC Indoor title with a time of 22.57. She will return as the
number one athlete but keep an eye on Anavia Battle of Ohio State (22.66).
Battle and Steiner swapped number one rankings a few times last season and a head-to-head
matchup between the two is inevitable.
The 400 is perhaps the most intriguing event. No one athlete
truly cemented their dominance last season. Bailey Lear of USC is the top
returnee based on time (51.60), but you cannot leave out SEC Champion Alexis
Holmes of Kentucky and or Kennedy Simon of Texas. Lear also has the challenge
of defeating her teammate and 2019 NCAA Indoor Champion Kaelin Roberts. Roberts
indoor personal record is the best time and I think a year off to heal her
injuries should put her in perfect position to reclaim her title.
On Post 2 of our Indoor Preview, we will look at the Hurdlers
and Multi-Event athletes. This preview as always is speculative but must sincerest
hope is that we are able to have a full track season.
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