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Mt SAC Relays 2014

Mt. SAC Women's 1500m preview

Mt. SAC Women's 1500m preview

Apr 17, 2014 by Isaac Wood
Mt. SAC Women's 1500m preview


Okay, quick--before you read this preview of the Women's 1500m at Mt. SAC, take a look at the two heats. Which one are you most excited to watch? I'll give you a few reasons each to watch both of these star-studded 1500s!

Be sure to watch these races live on Friday night starting at 6:44 PM PST. The link to the live feed is here. 

Section 1 of 2 Finals
1 Kim Conley New Balance- 4:05.70
2 Phoebe Wright Nike- 4:08.60
3 Sara Vaughn Brooks ID- 4:08.34
4 Lauren Hagans Speed River- 4:09.86
5 Lea Wallace Nike- 4:09.13
6 Beverly Ramos Unattached- 4:09.92 (steepled in London 2012)
7 Josephine Moultrie- 4:10.43
8 Katie Flood Washington- 4:11.38 
9 Hillary Holt College of Idaho- 4:11.62
10 Rebecca Tracy Unattached- 4:12.14
11 Carly Hamilton Georgia- 4:12.15

1. Kim Conley
Her 1500m 4:05.70 PR was set en route during her 4:24 mile from the New Balance Grand Prix from earlier in the year. She is fit and Coach Drew Wartenburg and her have been an awesome team, helping Conley reach the point she is at in her career. I would not be shocked to see her run something around her PR this weekend. 

2. Katie Flood gets her first big test
After winning the NCAA title in 2012, Katie Flood has been off the scene for quite a while. This is her first real opportunity to challenge herself with the big dogs and see if she is back to her old NCAA winning ways. She did run 15:45 for 5k at Stanford and 4:20.57 almost a month ago in Eugene, so I do think she is getting close to where she was before. I'm excited to see where her progression is this weekend. 

3. Everyone's favorite blogger is running-- Phoebe Wright
The best blog on the internet that is written by a pro runner will be showcasing her talents not from a keyboard, but on the track this weekend (Editor's Note: why not both?).

Phoebe Wright is certainly a talented athlete and this will be her first go at a 1500m in 2014. Wright ran 2:03.39 at the Iowa State Classic Indoors, but hasn't run a 1500m since 2012. She will definitely be in the mix. 

Section 2 of 2 Finals
1 Shelby Houlihan Arizona State- 4:13.56
2 Amanda Mergaert Oiselle- 4:13.63
3 Stephanie Brown Arkansas- 4:14.41
4 Jamie Cheever Brooks- 4:17.73
5 Jessica Smith Valley Royal- 4:17.96
6 Josephine Adams North Texas- 4:15.33
7 Dana Mecke Unattached- 4:15.49
8 Clara Nichols Oklahoma State- Debut- 2:06.56
9 Laura Thweatt Boulder Track- 4:15.89
10 Linn Nilsson Hälle IF- 4:16.77

1. Amanda Mergaert is ready for something big
Mergaert could be one of the most underrated 1500m talents in the country. Now that she has teamed up with Wartenburg (mentioned above) and gets to train with the likes of Conley and Lauren Wallace, we'll see where Mergaert's fitness is at during this midpoint of the season. She is always dangerous the last 150m of a race and could definitely drop her PR a few notches in the always fast atmosphere at Mt. SAC. 

2. Laura Thweatt is a "baller"
I think I said this 20 times during the Stanford Invite commentating her races, but I was so impressed with Thweatt's unreal 5k/1500m double. After running 4:15.89 in the 1500m, she came back and ran 15:23 for 5k. She is in the best shape of her career and I would not be surprised to see her snag the "W" in this heat. 

3. This race could end up being faster than the first heat
I know, I know, Conley is in the first heat so there's no way that the second heat is faster. That is probably true, but you never know. This heat is full of talented athletes that are ready to drop their PRs a few seconds.

Stephanie Brown is rounding into shape this season nicely and has quality speed to match with toughness. Jo Adams of North Texas is a talent. It's always interesting to see someone debut--who is normally an 800m runner--in Clara Nichols of Oklahoma State. I don't think Mt. SAC would have let her in this type of heat if they were not convinced she was ready to run fast. We could see something like 4:11 win this race.

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