A Tale of 2 Meetz

By: Garrett Zatlin

If there's one thing that Jarrett and I have in common, it's that we make really poor references to rap music. Hence the title. But I digress...

After weeks of winter break, many student-athletes have returned back to campus and are prepping for the first big week of collegiate track and field. We'll get to see two major meets headlining both the east coast (Nittany Lion Challenge @ Penn State) and the west coast (UW Indoor Preview @ University of Washington).

Below, I have previewed the distance events of each meet. I also made sure to mention which PA alum are running in which events. Be sure to point out if I missed someone!

Let's hop into it.

NITTANY LION CHALLENGE (performance list here)

800

Surprisingly, the half-mile at this meet seems to be a bit more mild this year than it has been in the past. The race will be headlined by many youngsters, but the favorite will most likely be Georgetown's Charles Cooper (junior) who owns PR's of 1:49 and 2:24 (1k). 

It will also be interesting to see how freshman Jack Salisbury (Georgetown) is able to handle his first collegiate track race. Luckily, the field shouldn't be too overwhelming for him.

Final Predictions

1. Charles Cooper (Georgetown)

2. Jack Salisbury (Georgetown)

3. Louis Tobias (Bucknell)

PA ALUM ENTERED

-Joey Logue, Penn State (Rs. Sophomore) 

-Brad Rivera, Penn State (Senior)

1000

This will be the event to watch this weekend. Penn State star Isiah Harris will look to build off of his unbelievable freshman year and become the focal point of PSU's middle distance program now that Brannon Kidder is gone. He is the favorite to win when you consider his 800 PR of 1:45. 

That said, there has been a lot of positive talk about Georgetown's Joe White. He is in the early-season discussion for the half-mile national title and could very easily get a win this weekend. In addition to a strong 800 PR of 1:46, White also has experience in the 1000 with a PR of 2:23. Harris has never run the event.

The match-up will surely be labeled as "Harris vs White", but there are plenty of other guys that could mix it up with the front pack. In addition to Harris, Penn State will also field guys like Jordan Mankins and freshman Dominic Peretta. PSU alum Robby Creese is also entered.

Meanwhile, Joe Gioielli (Central Connecticut) and Spencer Brown (Georgetown) have shown to be very consistent in the 1000 and boast PR's of 2:23. I like their experience in the event and I think that will bode well for them in this race.

Final Predictions

1. Joe White (Georgetown)

2. Isaiah Harris (Penn State)

3. Joe Gioelli (Central Connecticut)

4. Spencer Brown (Georgetown)

5. Robby Creese (Unattached)

6. Jordan Mankins (Penn State)

7. Dominic Peretta (Penn State)

8. Ben Malone (Villanova)

PA ALUM ENTERED

-Dominic Peretta, Penn State (Freshman)

-Kyle Adams, Bucknell (Sophomore)

-Brad Rivera, Penn State (Senior)

Mile

Curious to see how our PA alumni are doing? This is the event to watch as a total TEN PA alumni will contest the event. Many of them are freshmen.

In fact, the youth of this field makes it hard to gage just how this race will play out. Many of these guys are freshmen who have yet to run a race this season.

But the most experienced (and arguably most talented) in the field will be PSU alum Robby Creese. It's very possible that he is the rabbit for this race, but there is also a good chance that he goes out and runs something fast.

Outside of Creese, we'll get to see Georgetown's Michael Clevenger drop down in distance. He has a PR of 4:02, but has mainly focused on the 3000 and 5000 throughout his career. 

Penn State's Tim McGowan now has a year of being a Nittany Lion under his belt and also holds a mile PR of 4:06. He could be an x-factor in this race.

Final Predictions

1. Robby Creese (Unattached)

2. Tim McGowan (Penn State)

3. Michael Clevenger (Georgetown)

4. William Bordash (Bucknell)

5. Jack Van Scoter (Georgetown)

PA ALUM ENTERED

-Jaxson Hoey, Penn State (Freshman)

-William Loevner, Penn State (Freshman) <--running unattached

-Billy McDevitt, Penn State (Rs. Freshman)

-Billy Caldwell, Pittsburgh (Junior)

-Matt McGoey, Pittsburgh (Sophomore)

-James Hare, Pittsburgh (Junior)

-Nate Sloan, Pittsburgh (Rs. Sophomore)

-Kent Hall, Georgetown (Freshman) 

-Jacob Stupak, Bucknell (Freshman)

-Dominic DeLuca, Cornell (Junior)

3000

The Cornell duo of James Gowans and Mark Tedder will be the favorites in this race. With mile PR's at or under the 4 minute mark, these two have the best resumes in the field. However, Gowans has never recorded a race in the 3000 while Tedder owns a PR of 8:02. 

I'll also be on the lookout to see how Villanova's Paul Power does. He could find a moment to shine in a very manageable field.

Final Predictions

1. Mark Tedder (Cornell)

2. James Gowans (Cornell)

3. Paul Power (Villanova)

4. Tom Hogarty (Maryland)

PA ALUM ENTERED

-Kent Hall, Georgetown (Freshman) 

-Paul Power, Villanova (Rs. Freshman)

-Chris Pastore, Pittsburgh (Senior)

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UW INDOOR PREVIEW (performance list here)

800

Honestly, I don't know a lot about the names in this race. However, there are definitely a few names that pop out at me. The biggest being Edward Kemboi.

The former NCAA 800 champion will be making his season debut this weekend as he continues his search for a sponsor*. He will be the favorite in this race and will most likely dip under 1:50.

It's tough to say if anyone in the field is quite at Kemboi's level, but guys like Austin Tomagno (Oregon), Christian White (Stanford), and Paris Speidel (Concordia) will be fighting for positioning behind him.

Hoka One One will also be fielding two sub-4 milers in Aric Champagne and Derek Thomas.

*I believe I've seen Kemboi compete in a Nike kit, but there is nothing online that mentions him having a major sponsor.

Final Predictions

1. Edward Kemboi (Unattached)

2. Aric Champagne (Hoka One One)

3. Derek Thomas (Hoka One One)

4. Austin Tomagno (Oregon)

5. Christian White (Stanford)

6. Paris Speidel (Concordia)

1000

Eric Jenkins of Nike Oregon Project will drop down in distance to get some speed work in before pursuing longer events later this season. Even with him being out of his comfort zone, he is still the favorite.

However, Stanford's Tai Dinger and Scott Buttinger have both gone under 1:50 in the half-mile before. They have the speed to make things interesting with Jenkins. 

Many track fans will be interested to see performances from the freshman duo of Issac Cortes (Stanford) and Austin Tomagno (Oregon). These were two big-time recruits that are about to make their collegiate track debut. 

But the most dangerous runner in the field might be Washington's Blake Nelson. The Husky senior has a 1k PR of 2:23 as well as a 4 minute mile. His experience and success in the event may end up being the biggest threat to Jenkins crossing the line in first. 

Final Predictions

1. Eric Jenkins (Nike Oregon Project)

2. Blake Nelson (Washington)

3. Tai Dinger (Stanford)

4. Scott Buttinger (Stanford)

5. Keith Williams (Washington)

Mile

In a field full of pro's, one collegiate stands out. After a disappointing cross country season, Washington's Colby Gilbert will look to redeem himself on his home track this weekend. We saw Gilbert break out last winter and spring where he earned 1500 and Mile PR's of 3:40 and 3:59. Hopefully we see Gilbert improve as he transitions back to the oval.

Gilbert will provide competition to a slew of pro's which includes Eric Jenkins. Some of the entered milers are also in the 1000 so it's hard to know if they will scratch one event in favor of another.

In addition, be sure to keep an eye out for Oregon alum Jeremy Elkaim as he pursues a sponsorship. He'll be motivated to prove himself in a talented field.

Final Predictions

1. Eric Jenkins (Nike Oregon Project)

2. Luc Bruchet (Asics)

3. Ciaran O'Lionaird (Nike)

3. Colby Gilbert (Washington)

4. Aric Champagne (Hoka One One)

5. Jeremy Elkaim (Unattached)

6. Brian Llamas (Roots Running)

3000

After looking at the performance list, I feel pretty comfortable saying that this will be the race of the meet. Just like the mile, the 3k has plenty of pro athlete entries. One of them includes Olympic Gold medalist Matt Centrowitz who is competing in his first race back since August. Others include Dan Huling (Nike), Craig Lutz (Hoka), and Suguru Osako (Nike Oregon Project).

But the collegiates will be out in full force looking to establish fast times early on in the season. Portland will be racing their top guys such as Tim Ball, Nick Hauger, Jeff Thies, Caleb Webb, and many more. After such a successful cross country season, it will be interesting to see which of these guys can transition their cross country fitness to the track.

But out of all of these names, I'm most looking forward to seeing a result from Gonzaga's Troy Fraley who has flown under the radar the past few seasons. With a 3k PR of 7:57, I imagine Fraley will be hungry to grab an NCAA qualifier this season. A strong opening race may give him enough momentum and confidence throughout the rest of the winter to do so.

Final Predictions

1. Matt Centrowitz (Nike Oregon Project)

2. Dan Huling (Nike)

3. Suguru Osako (Nike Oregon Project)

4. Craig Lutz (Hoka One One)

5. Troy Fraley (Gonzaga)

6. Nick Hauger (Portland)

7. Tim Ball (Portland)