2017 NCAA Indoor Predictions: Jarrett Felix

800

1. White

2. Harris

3. Rutto

4. Engels

5. Kuhn

6. Heppenstall

7. Arroyo

8. Lilly 

Mile

1. Cheserek

2. Thompson

3. Palamar

4. Maton 

5. Kerr

6. Saarel

7. Maggard

8. Koech 

3000

1. Knight

2. Gilbert

3. Cheserek

4. Klecker

5. Barrazza

6. Scott

7. Carpenter

8. Young

5000

1. Cheserek

2. Gilbert

3. Scott

4. Erb

5. Terer 

6. Dressel 

7. Green

8. Fischer

DMR

1. Indiana

2. Ole Miss

3. Stanford

4. Georgetown

5. Virginia Tech

6. OK State

7. Villanova

8. Arkansas

Official 2017 NCAA Indoor Predictions

By: The Etrain Crew

It's that time of the year again and at this point you all know the drill. With NCAA's this weekend, a few of us put in our predictions to show that we could see into the future (or theoretically blow everything we have gambling in Vegas).

We'll be doing the same scoring as we always have which is...
-Lowest score wins
-Correctly predicting the winner of an event gives you a -3 point bonus
-The difference between where you predicted a runner to finish and where they actually finish will be how many points are added to your score.
-The largest point penalty a someone can earn is 8 points (per runner).

Here are the predictions

ALEX FOX

CALEB GATCHELL
JARRETT FELIX

GARRETT ZATLIN

Tell us who you think will win and feel free to comment below some of your predictions as well!

2017 NCAA Indoor Predictions: Garrett Zatlin

By: Garrett Zatlin

800

1. Joe White (Georgetown)
2. Emmanuel Korir (UTEP)
3. Eliud Rutto (Middle Tennessee State)
4. Drew Piazza (Virginia Tech)
5. Robert Heppenstall (Wake Forest)
6. Daniel Kuhn (Indiana)
7. Craig Engels (Mississippi)
8. Isaiah Harris (Penn State)

Whether we like it or not, multiple mid-distance stars will be going home early. I didn't like making this decision, but I see Patrick Joseph and Michael Saruni ending their weekend early. Two 1:46 guys not making the final is a bit hard to believe, but the level of depth at the 800 this year is insane. Saruni is very young and inexperienced. Joseph, historically, has struggled in the preliminary rounds at NCAA's. Of course, I'm sure they'll end up proving me wrong and blowing away the field. 

As for my picks, I really like Joe White this year. He has been on fire this year with big wins over big names. He can kick hard, run from the front, and contend with anyone in the nation. What's not to like? Korir is super talented and could very well win this, but he's a bit young and that's a concern for me. Heppenstall is super clutch in the post-season, Kuhn is due to become an All-American, and Craig Engels is sneaky good in championship races. 

Mile

1. Edward Cheserek (Oregon)
2. Josh Thompson (Oklahoma State)
3. Ben Saarel (Colorado)
4. Josh Kerr (New Mexico)
5. Dillon Maggard (Utah State)
6. Neil Gourley (Virginia Tech)
7. Jonah Koech (UTEP)
8. Liam Dee (Iona)

Like the 800, a lot of these picks are based on how the preliminary heats are structured. The first heat is incredibly talented and will be the toughest to get out of. However, I think it will be fast enough to the point where we see six men make the finals from that heat.

As for the actual final race, Cheserek is going to win whether the pace is fast or slow. He isn't going to lose unless he gets careless. However, if anyone can beat Ches it will be Thompson who has been absolute monster this season with a PR of 3:56. As for Saarel, he's one of the few Colorado guys that can be called a miler. He competed at the Olympic Trials in the 1500 and is simply more talented than the guys behind him.

Josh Kerr has a lethal kick and I like his chances to surprise a lot of people at the line. Maggard and Gourley have waited patiently to be All-American milers and this year they should be able to pull it off. Koech has had some great experience in big time races and Liam Dee is not afraid to stick his nose into fast races. 

3000

1. Edward Cheserek (Oregon)
2. Justyn Knight (Syracuse)
3. Colby Gilbert (Washington)
4. Joe Klecker (Colorado)
5. Morgan McDonald (Wisconsin)
6. Erik Peterson (Butler)
7. Brian Barraza (Houston)
8. Clayton Young (BYU)

When I first heard that Cheserek was doing the triple, I was convinced that he wouldn't be able to pull off the 3k win. But the more and more I thought about it, I realized that not only was it possible, but probable. If we assume that the mile prelim and the 5000 are tactical, then the two hard efforts will be during day two of competition (mile final and the 3000). There's a good chance that the 3000 turns tactical (because it always does) and that Ches completes the historic triple. That's just how I see it.

I think Colby Gilbert is an extremely underrated talent this season. People will be quick to point out that he lost to Cheserek, but it seems pretty clear to me that no other distance runner besides the King is on Gilbert's level. I do, however, think he'll have some tired legs from the 5000 and get hawked by Knight in the final straightaway.

With the exception of Erik Peterson, the rest of my top eight will all be fresh and that's a huge plus in my eyes. Barraza and Klecker have shown tremendous improvement this season while Justyn Knight and Morgan McDonald have already established themselves as elite. Clayton Young has simply run too fast this season to not be All-American.

5000

1. Edward Cheserek (Oregon)
2. Colby Gilbert (Washington)
3. MJ Erb (Mississippi)
4. Marc Scott (Tulsa)
5. Erik Peterson (Butler)
6. Zach Herriot (Virginia)
7. John Dressel (Colorado)
8. Alex Short (San Francisco)

Cheserek will win in a tactical race and shake off Colby Gilbert just when we thought he might have a chance. After those two, I see MJ Erb stepping up and taking bronze. In his four races this season, he's had two PR's, two wins, and no finish outside of the top two. That's enough to convince me that he'll be top three.

Others like Marc Scott and Erik Peterson are guys that dominate during the regular season, but struggle in the post-season. On the track, Peterson been All-American only once (8th place in 2016 Outdoor 10k) while Scott has NEVER been All-American. While that does concern me, I think these two have taken it to another level this season and should be locks to be All-American. 

Others like Zach Herriot and Alex Short have great experience and rarely have a poor race. Dressel has been on fire as of late and I think he'll carry that momentum into nationals.

DMR

1. Oklahoma State
2. UTEP
3. Mississippi
4. Arkansas
5. Oregon
6. Stanford
7. Indiana
8. New Mexico

-Oklahoma State will win because of my blind faith in Josh Thompson.

-UTEP will take silver because they have two 1:46 guys and a sub-four minute miler.

-Mississippi will finish third because they have some of the best mid-distance runners in the nation along with a reliable anchor.

-Jack Bruce is really good and will surprise a lot of people when he anchors Arkansas home to a four place finish.

-Oregon always performs extremely well in the post-season. They are too deep of a squad to not finish in the top eight.

-Stanford is incredibly underrated and so is their anchor Jack Keelan.

-Daniel Kuhn on the 800 and an underrated freshman named Kyle Mau on the anchor is good enough for 7th.

-As long as their other legs don't completely blow up, Josh Kerr will pull out All-American for his teammates.

2017 Indoor NCAA Predictions: Caleb Gatchell

By: Caleb Gatchell

800 Meters: I really hate having to pick this event before prelims, because if we’re going to be honest here, I have no idea who will end up in that final. This field is not only wide open, but also deep. We have two trials finalists, indoor world record setter, and a top 9 separated by just over half a second. The problem? Only 8 guys make the final, and one of the trials finalists, Craig Engels, isn’t even in that top 9. So, now that I’ve given all the reasons I’m wrong, here’s what I’m going with. I said a week ago my gut pick was Dan Kuhn and I’m going to stick with it. Craig Engels will place 4^th in every big race for the rest of his life. Sorry, man, you’re just cursed. One final detail worth noting is that Emmanuel Korir did not race at his conference meet and has been cross training due to an injured ankle. I think that’s really going to shake things up a bit.

1. Dan Kuhn – Indiana
2. Joe White – Georgetown
3. Eliud Rutto – MTSU
4. Craig Engels – Ole Miss
5. Isaiah Harris – PSU
6. Robert Heppenstall – Wake Forest
7. Patrick Joseph – VA. Tech
8. Drew Piazza – VA. Tech

Mile: Spoiler alert: Ed Cheserek will win this race. It’s not close. The real story is the race for second, especially with Dave Smith saying he’s going to turn Josh Thompson loose. No reservations, no racing safe, just go for it and if you blow up and finish 8^th, so be it. I think that makes this race really interesting. Does Thompson hold on? Does he drag anyone with him or does the field play it safe and sit and kick? We saw the field sit and watch Soratos and Cheserek duel it out two years ago, but I think it’s going to play out a little differently this time. Either way, this race is going to be really fun to watch.

1. Ed Cheserek – Oregon
2. Josh Kerr – New Mexico
3. Josh Thompson – Ok. State
4. Ben Saarel – Colorado
5. Matthew Maton – Oregon
6. Sampson Laari – MTSU
7. Tim Gorman – Oregon
8. Zach Perrin – Colorado

3000: Guess what? Ches wins again. After that? I have no idea. Gilbert, Scott, and Knight all look very strong, but all have their drawbacks as well. Scott has struggled at NCAAs historically and will be on the double, as will Gilbert. And Knight? He hasn’t done anything overly impressive indoors. He failed to qualify in the mile and his 3k is solid, but not insane. However, I don’t think we’ve seen Knight all out. He’s been waiting for this moment. Also keep an eye on Erik Peterson. The senior is severely underrated and poised to breakout big time.

1. Ed Cheserek - Oregon
2. Justyn Knight - Syracuse
3. Erik Peterson - Butler
4. Jack Keelan - Stanford
5. Joe Klecker - Colorado
6. Marc Scott - Tulsa
7. Amon Terer - Campbell
8. Brian Barraza – Houston

5000: The last individual event in my predictions but the first event that will run. This is where Cheserek will begin his historic triple, despite Marc Scott and Colby Gilbert’s best efforts. However, Gilbert has already had his wheels run off by Cheserek this year, so I can’t see him taking the win. Scott can close really well, but I don’t think he can close better than Ches. Behind these three favorites watch out for Erik Peterson, Alex Short, and Amon Terer to keep the rest of the race interesting.

1. Ed Cheserek – Oregon
2. Marc Scott – Tulsa
3. Colby Gilbert – Washington
4. Amon Terer – Campbell
5. Erik Peterson – Butler
6. Matt Baxter – Northern Arizona
7. Alex Short – San Francisco
8. Alfred Chelenga – Alabama

DMR: This event is always one of my favorites to watch just because there are so many different ways it can play out. I think there’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to the anchors this year which will make it even more interesting than usual. Is Kyle Mau legit?  What about Wetzel, Wiebke, and Ciattei? Because of this uncertainty, I think the first 3 legs will be even more important than usual. That makes Ole Miss really interesting because of how strong their first 3 legs are. I think Arkansas is also sneaky good, although they were unable to beat Ole Miss at SEC’s so I don’t know if they could beat them here. Then of course we have Oklahoma State who has the best anchor in the race, Josh Thompson.

1. Ole Miss
2. Ok. State
3. Arkansas
4. Stanford
5. Indiana
6. UTEP
7. Oregon
8. Virginia Tech

2017 NCAA Indoor Predictions: Alex Fox

By: Alex Fox

It’s that time again. Us Etrain writers risk our dignity and sense of intelligence making predictions over collegiate track and field. I’m feeling good after my individual win during cross country (I am Jacob Pickle…the fake Alex Fox refuses to identify themselves. Sad!) Here’s to an incredibly difficult NCAA field and not picking Andres Arroyo!

800

For months, I’ve been all about Craig Engels. I said it after Olympic Trials. I said it again in the first episode of Full Speed Ahead (which if you haven’t checked out, here’s the link: https://soundcloud.com/user-571877119/full-speed-ahead-episode-1-the-ches-triple). He’s got the speed (PR of 1:46), he’s got the awareness, and he’s got the look. (https://www.google.com/search?q=craig+engels+mullet&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS728US728&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwih5vvYgsrSAhVFMyYKHaMdDnQQ_AUIBigB&biw=1366&bih=662#imgrc=sD5M7vg5br5rVM:). Make me look as good as you do Craig. 

After him, it gets tough. I really like Korir, but he lacks experience and we saw some freshman not produce at NCAA Indoors last year. Isaiah Harris is a tough pick; he’s run fast, but has lost a couple of times this season. Joe White has been nothing short of dominate this year, but had a tough time at Nationals last year. Daniel Kuhn has also shown his stuff this season, but this will be his first Nationals race. Then there’s Eliud Rutto, last year’s top returner. I’m banking on Rutto making Heat 2 fast in the prelims, giving them 5 qualifier, with 3 out of Heat 1.

Prediction

1) Engels

2) Harris

3) Korir

4) Rutto

5) Kuhn

6) Heppenstall

7) White

8) Piazza

Mile

Edward Cheresek is winning. Remember what he did to Cristian Soratos two years ago? I sure do. Second should be Josh Thompson. He’s got a mean kick, and honestly, this field doesn’t really scare me. After that it keeps tricky. Matt Maton runs for Oregon, who tend to run out of their mind come March as Caleb mentioned last week (I will not stop plugging our podcast. Seriously, check it out). Josh Kerr might just be the most underrated runner in the NCAA. Adam Palamar managed to quietly run 3:57 very early this season. Then we have the altitude conversion boys from Buffalo in Perrin and Saarel. Jonah Koech ran well at NCAAs last year, but his cross country season could be cause for concern. What about PA alum Ned Willig, and maybe Tim Gorman is the next Sam Prakel? I feel good about 1 and 2, but everything is a bit jumbled after that. With the prelims here, I predict Heat 1 to be faster, as Ches tries to help get his two teammates through.

Prediction

1) Cheserek

2) Thompson

3) Maton

4) Kerr

5) Palamar

6)  Ben Saarel

7) Neil Gourley

8) Willig

3000

This will be the last race of the weekend for The King (assuming he doesn’t blow up and scratch, which is what happened last time this triple was attempted). If more of this field was fresh, I’d be more willing to pick an upset, but I just don’t see it happening. The one big name who will be fresh is of course Justyn Knight, who did manage to beat Ches during cross country. Knight is a tempting pick, but last year, he had a similar opportunity to beat Ches when he was on tire legs, but opted to race for second. There are other names in this race like Colby Gilbert and Marc Scott who could potentially push the pace, but given that they’re coming off the 5k, I think this race goes down similarly to how it did last year: a strong field on paper shies away, Ches wins in a relatively moderate time, he makes history. The question behind him and Knight will be how talented guys fair coming off the double against fresh talent. Names like Scott, Gilbert, Dressel, Saarel, Maton, and Peterson will all be doubling back (and I think the 5k could be quick, but I’ll get to that) while Joe Klecker, Morgan McDonald, Clayton Young, and Brian Barraza will all be fresh. This should make for an interesting pack.

Prediction:

1) Cheserek

2) Knight

3) Scott

4) Klecker

5) Young

6) Barraza

7) McDonald

8) Gilbert

5000

The only Etrain writer with All American credentials said if Ches is going to lose, it’ll be in the 5k (You still haven’t listened to our podcast yet? Do it, I worked somewhat hard on the audio-editing). Caleb makes a good point. Marc Scott has been a man on a mission this year. He can run fast and he can kick hard. Colby Gilbert has also run fast, but Ches showed that Gilbert’s kick is just not on the same level. I think Ches will have to work for this victory, but he’s the GOAT for a reason. It’ll be interesting to see some of the other names fresh here too: we’re all big fans of Eric Peterson, John Dressel is no slouch, plus we get to see how the cross country heroes from NAU fair on the track. This will be my race of the weekend.

Predictions

1) Cheserek

2) Scott

3) Gilbert

4) Dressel

5) Peterson

6) MJ Erb

7) Mat Baxter

8) Rory Linkletter

DMR

What a difference a year can make. Last year’s DMR featured some of the best anchor legs ever, including Sean McGorty, Brannon Kidder, Izaic York, Mason Ferlic, Jordy Williamsz, and of course, Ches. This year, there’s a lot of young talent, but this race is nowhere near the caliber of last year’s dramatic race (which featured a 3:52 and 3:53 anchor). On paper, Ole Miss should win. Between Robert Domanic, Sean Tobin, Craig Engels, and Ran Manahan, these guys have far and away the best mid distance crew in the country. However, questions surround their anchor decisions; if I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times, Sean Tobin is a talented runner, but has no business anchoring that team. Do they have the frontend talent to hold off star anchor Josh Thompson? Other interesting teams to watch will be New Mexico, with Josh “you should really learn my name now” Kerr, UTEP, with the ever-mercurial Jonah Koech, and the upstart Indiana squad with Kyle “no not like the sound a cat makes” Mau. Okay, I made my bad joke. In all seriousness, I’m intrigued by Virginia Tech, and could this be the breakout race for Villanova’s oft-forget Logan Wetzel? Finally, can Oregon scratch out some points in their pursuit of an upset team title? Only time will tell.

Predictions

1) Ole Miss

2) UTEP

3) Virginia Tech

4) Indiana

5) Oklahoma State

6) New Mexico

7) Villanova

8) Arkansas

Well, there they are. Let the embarrassment commence AND FOR REAL LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST :)

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)

-------------------------------------------------------------

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)

Prediction Contest Winners!

It was an incredibly exciting day of upsets and first-time winners. No one could've expected that Edward Cheserek would actually lose. It was unprecedented. However, in a day that is always filled with uncertainty and surprises, our fans gave us some very solid predictions.

Below are the scores of the prediction contest. Congrats to Jacob Pickle for winning the individual contest and CITIUS for winning the team contest! Please contact the blog via twitter (@TheRealTrain11) or email (lxvplus@gmail.com) to coordinate your shirt delivery!

Here are the scores from the prediction contest...

Team Predictions
Name	Score
D6 Legend	15
CITIUS	12
Jack M.	23
@King_Dave57	25
Forrest Kentwell	26
Noah Shebib	21
Jacob Pickle	31
Alex Fox	24
Garrett Zatlin	23
Flotrack	27

Individual Predictions
Name	Score
D6 Legend	79
CITIUS	65
Jack M.	60
@King_Dave57	x
Forrest Kentwell	61
Noah Shebib	59
Jacob Pickle	54
Alex Fox	73
Garrett	64
Flotrack	71

Thank you to everyone who participated! Now to indoor track...

-Garrett