2015 NCAA Men's 800m Preview
2015 NCAA Men's 800m Preview
Brandon McBride, Mississippi State (PB 1:45.35)
Last Year: 1st Indoors, 1st Outdoors
Last Year: 1st Indoors, 1st Outdoors
The undisputed favorite in the event returns after a perfect 2014 season that saw two NCAA titles in at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. In an incredible sophomore season, McBride was undefeated during the entire season and broke the MSU school record with a time of 1:45.35 at the Mt. SAC Relays. The Canadian and North American national high school record-holder came to MSU after capturing a sixth-place finish at the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships.
Ryan Schnulle, Florida (PB 1:46.29)
Last Year: 5th Indoors, 2nd Outdoors
Schnulle had the race of his life in the 800m final at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last year. He put himself in contention with 200m to go for a mad dash to the finish to just barely finish runner-up to McBride by 0.03 seconds. Schnulle’s performance was a personal best (1:46.29) and the third-fastest 800m in Florida history. The second-place finish helped the Florida Gators to a second-place team finish as well. He returns for his junior season as one of the heavy favorites to contend for an NCAA title.
Patrick Rono, Arkansas (PB 1:46.46)
Last Year: 3rd Indoors, 4th Outdoors
Rono was also part of the epic 800m final at last year’s NCAA championships that saw four men finish within two-tenths of a second apart. Rono notched a fourth-place finish with a time of 1:46.46, a personal best for the returning senior. His previous personal best was run at the 2013 NCAA West Preliminary, and he currently owns the No. 7 all-time best mark in school history.
Keffri Neal, Kentucky (PB 1:46.39)
Last Year: N/A Indoors, 3rd Outdoors
Last Year: N/A Indoors, 3rd Outdoors
Neal shocked the crowd at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a third-place finish and a one second personal best of 1:46.39 on his way to breaking the three-year-old school record by 0.6 seconds. In one of the greatest kicks of the meet, Neal passed four runners in the final 50m before finishing to score the first six NCAA championship points of his career.
Edward Kemboi, Iowa State (PB 1:45.98)
Last Year: 2nd Indoors, 15th Outdoors
Kemboi may have had a disappointing performance at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships, but he was dominant during the indoor season after finishing runner-up to McBride in the NCAA Indoor final. Kemboi continued in outdoor with a season’s best of 1:46.14 at the Mt. SAC Relays and his fourth career Big 12 title.
Eliud Rutto, Middle Tennessee State (PB 1:45.37)
Last Year: 12th Indoors, 5th Outdoors
Rutto has tallied first team All American honors in both the 2013 and 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships. His fifth-place finish at the 2014 Outdoor Championships was his third-fastest time of during the 2014 season (1:47.32). The returning junior caught the track community’s eye after winning the Payton Jordan 800m in a blazing time of 1:45.37, which catapulted him to a No. 2 ranking in the U.S. at the time. If he can maintain the same progression during the 2015 season, Rutto will be a serious threat.
Luke Lefebure, Stanford (PB 1:47.64)
Last Year: N/A Indoors, 6th Outdoors
Last Year: N/A Indoors, 6th Outdoors
The Stanford senior completed an impressive 2014 season with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and a team title as a member of the 2014 NCAA Championship-winning distance medley relay. Lefebure has captured four first-team All American honors as a member of the Stanford DMR, but his sixth-place finish at the outdoor championships was his first individual honor. After gaining the experience of battling in the NCAA final, Lefebure should contend this indoor season.