2016 NCAA Indoor Preview: Women's Middle Distance

2016 NCAA Indoor Preview: Women's Middle Distance

Much like the women’s 3K and 5K, there are plenty of unknowns in the middle distances heading into the 2016 NCAA indoor season. Both 800m and mile winners,

Jan 6, 2016 by Meg Bellino
2016 NCAA Indoor Preview: Women's Middle Distance
Much like the womenÂ’s 3K and 5K, there are plenty of unknowns in the middle distances heading into the 2016 NCAA indoor season. Both 800m and mile winners, Natoya Goule and Leah OÂ’Connor, have moved on after setting NCAA meet records in Fayetteville last March. That doesnÂ’t mean the talent isnÂ’t there, though.

First let’s talk about how some people didn’t really “show up” until the outdoor season. Oregon’s Raevyn Rogers didn’t even qualify for the indoor championships with her season’s best 2:06.50 indoors. I think we all remember what happened in the outdoor season…

Mississippi State’s Rhianwedd Price was disqualified in the prelims of the indoor mile and went on to become an NCAA Champion in the 1500m last June. But her teammate Marta Freitas really emerged in the late spring when she ran 2:05/4:13 after hardly competing during indoors — not to mention she was an All American in Louisville this fall.

And then there’s Wesley and Ryen Frazier, the super sister duo at North Carolina State. While in high school, Wesley was the first to complete “The Triple” (Mile, 2 Mile, 5K) at New Balance Outdoor Nationals in 2013. Wolfpack frosh Ryen followed in her footsteps and replicated that feat last June. Interestingly, their two mile times were nearly identical.

One Mile
Wesley: 4:39.66, margin of victory 9 seconds
Ryen: 4:45.23, margin of victory 4 seconds

Two Mile
Wesley: 10:07.35, margin of victory 6 seconds
Ryen: 10:07.16, margin of victory 17 seconds

5K
Wesley: 15:55.94, margin of victory 22 seconds
Ryen: 16:20.72, margin of victory 18 seconds

After two rocky seasons at Duke, Wesley is now at NC State with her younger sister and her Wolfpack eligibility begins now. She ran 15:45 at the Raleigh Relays unattached last spring and ran 4:49 in the mile at a November all comers meet in Winston-Salem. Yes she lost to high schooler Nevada Mareno, but it was also her first mile on the track in over two years. ItÂ’s uncertain whether these sisters will focus on the mile or 3K/5K but it sure is exciting thinking of these two leading North Carolina State to a potential DMR NCAA title. LetÂ’s explore.

800m


The Case for Raevyn Rogers (Oregon)


1:59.71 are you kidding me? Her outdoor campaign was impressive if not astonishing. She only ran 2:06 during the indoor season so expect A LOT MORE from Rogers in 2016. Whatever acclimating-to-college she was doing in Eugene last winter has surely passed and sheÂ’ll shoot for her second NCAA title in March.

The Case for Kaela Edwards (Oklahoma State)


The junior has finished third and second in the last two NCAA Indoor Championship 800 races and ran her first full cross country season this fall. Not bad for a 2:02 half miler. Where speed makes Rogers so dangerous, EdwardsÂ’ new-found strength from cross country (and not to mention her kicking ability) will help her come out on top.

The Case for Hanna Green (Virginia Tech)


Maybe the most underrated of them all is VTÂ’s Hanna Green. She finished fifth indoors and third outdoors as a sophomore and even managed to end the year by running 2:01 in the USATF semi-finals. Fact: she was the only female in the NCAA to defeat eventual champion Natoya Goule during the indoor season in 2015.

The Contenders


Claudia Saunders (Stanford): Two-time NCAA Outdoor runner-up with a 2:00 outdoor PB, has yet to impress in an individual race during the indoor season.

Brooke Feldmeier (Oregon): While at Ole Miss she was the lone freshman in the NCAA Indoor 800m finals and the SEC Champion outdoors. Now a Duck, sheÂ’s got the best training partners in the NCAA.

Olicia Williams (Baylor): Third in the nation last year, she improved both her indoor and outdoor 800m PBs by 5 (indoor) and 4 (outdoor) seconds from 2014 to 2015.

One Mile


Last year 4:40.69 was the 16th and final time qualifier into the NCAA Indoor Championships. In 2014 it was 4:38 and in 2013 4:37. Is the NCAA getting slower? OÂ’ConnorÂ’s 4:27 mile in the finals proves otherwise, but the depth of talent just wasnÂ’t there in 2015. The top four finishers from last year have left so who is next?

The Case for Erin Teschuk (North Dakota State)


Erin Teschuk, fifth in this race in 2015, is on the rise after finishing 26th in NCAA XC and running a 4:32 mile last winter. That was a 19-second personal best from 2014 so whateverÂ’s in the water in Fargo, just keep drinking.

The Case for Rhianwedd Price and Marta Freitas (Mississippi State)


Price is the defending NCAA 1500m Champion. She still has a 4:32 personal best and is no doubt seeking redemption from that disqualification.

Freitas could have been an All American in the 1500m had a nasty fall not occurred in the finals. She was 37th in her first ever NCAA XC appearance and will be our dark horse in this event this season.

The Case for Wesley and Ryen Frazier (NC State)


Wesley ran 4:39 in high school to win the adidas Dream Mile in 2013. Ryen closed out her high school career in 2015 with a 4:38 best, winning the Pre Classic mile and finishing runner-up the 2015 adidas Dream Mile. Whether or not these sisters will focus on the mile or not is unknown, but it would be a treat too see Wesley achieve success many years after track fans probably suspected she would.

DMR


Though it takes four to build a relay team, the strength of your DMR lies in your final leg, the miler. Dominique Scott is out of indoor eligibility, so itÂ’s unlikely Arkansas will three-peat in the distance medley relay. These teams will contend for a national title:

Stanford


If Elise Cranny and/or Aisling Cuffe are healthy, thereÂ’s a 100% reliable mile leg for you. The 2015 runner-up team returns 400m leg Olivia Baker, 800m ace Saunders and a questionable mile leg Cranny.

NC State


Sixth last year, they were anchored with a 4:37 split by Samantha George. Move George to 1200m leg and replace her with a Frazier and that looks pretty solid to me.

Georgetown


Always in the mix are the Hoyas. They may have messed up by putting Katrina Coogan in the 1200m slot instead of anchor last year, a mistake they could easily correct in 2016 and bring home hardware. Fact: Coogan has completed the DMR/3K double at the past three NCAA Championships.

Villanova


They were DQÂ’d in 2015 but always bring the relay fire. They return the excellent Angel Piccirillo who was seventh in the indoor mile and ran 4:34 last winter.