DMR Part 2

Alright, I apologize for the delay in getting this out. Hosting a meet this weekend turned out to be a bit more time consuming than I anticipated. I’ll get straight to it though. I’m going to give you 4 teams in this post, and I’m titling them the contenders. They aren’t the favorites by any means, but I could see them sneaking up there, and if things play out just right, maybe taking the win.

Let’s start with the defending champs, Stanford. Now, I know a lot of people would say they should be included with the favorites. After all, they return their 1200 and 800 legs from last year, and Sean McGorty has already run 3:59 this year. What’s not to like about that? Honestly, there’s a lot to like about this team. If anyone is going to crash the top four, I think it’s them. However, I can’t bring myself to predict that. I love this team up until the anchor leg. Marco Bertolotti is experienced and he’s proven he can get it done on the big stage. Luke Lefebure boasts a 1:47 personal best, and, while they don’t have any huge 400 times this year, I think they’ll manage to hang in there. Honestly, the main reason I don’t see Stanford in the top four is because they have, in all likelihood, Sean McGorty on that anchor leg. Experience is such a huge factor in championship racing, and having a freshman anchor your DMR is a pretty risky proposition. It could turn out great. For all we know McGortyhas ice-water running through his veins. The problem is, we just don’t know, and when in doubt, I have to side with experience. I think Stanford is loaded, but I think they’ll finish 5th, just out of that super competitive group at the top.

Next up, let’s talk about Oklahoma State. This team ran 9:30, and they still can’t get talked about, which just goes to show how deep the DMR is this year. This team has loads of potential, but I’m just not sold yet. Fabian Clarkson on the 1200 could be huge for them. He ran 3:59.47 back in 2013, but hasn’t done much of note since then. They’re 800 leg is, frankly, a huge liability however. Matt Fayers has only run 1:51, and that leaves them a solid 3-4 seconds behind just about everyone else there. 1:51 is a great time, I wish I could run that, but being honest, you just can’t be competitive at a DI national level with it. Now, they do have Chad Noelle bringing things home. He is another sub-4 man, and I think he’ll be able to get them back into the race, at least a little. Ultimately, I think this team will surprise some people and finish 6th. Maybe, if Fayers drops a big split, they hang with the top teams, but I don’t see it happening.

Now let’s look at a team that, quite frankly, is a big mystery to me, Arkansas. I think their best shot is if the put Patrick Rono on the 1200 leg, and Ryan Thomas on the 800, but it’s awfully hard to pass up a 1:46 800 leg. However, I think they gain more withRono on the 1200. He’s going to be able to hang with the big dogs up front, and he’ll hand off to a stud 400 runner, whether it’s Cotton or Washington. Both guys are capable of 46.xx splits. Then they go to Thomas on the 800, who has a 1:48 personal best. He’ll pass it on to Kemoy Campbell, who will bring things home for them. There’s an awful lot to like about this team, but there’s also some issues. One is that, deep down, I have a feelingRono will run the 800 leg, and he could have a lot of work to do. This Arkansas team has a lot of talent, but I don’t see anyone else capable of running an elite 1200 leg. Thomas seems like a pure speed guy. His mile pr. Is only 4:18, so I can’t see him hanging on for a 1200. One other thing that concerns me is Kemoy Campbell’s ability to close. His best event is the 3k, and while his mile pr is 4:00.xx, I’m not sure he’ll be able to stick with everyone else when they start rolling. With all the uncertainty around this team, and my concern’s with Campbell’s ability to close, I have to say they’ll finish 7th.

Finally, the last team I see as a contender is Indiana. They had the second fastest qualifying time last year, and return much of that team. Tre’tez Kinnaird is a stud over 800 meters, and RoreyHunter can close with anyone. The question is, who runs the 1200? I think it will be either Jason Crist or Joshua Roche, but I don’t think either of them can hang with the top teams. That leaves everyone else with a lot of work to do, and it’s really hard to run fast and run well by yourself. As talented as the back end of this relay is, I don’t think it’s enough to do anything more than snag the last All-American spot, which really isn’t all that shabby.

There you have it, my 4-8 teams. I’ll finish this up sometime soon, hopefully. Definitely before Alex Wilson. Let me know what you think.