NCAA Preview: Men's/Women's 800m

Mar 7, 2015 by Taylor Dutch

Natoya Goule, Clemson

Goule has returned to the scene in a big way after transferring from LSU to Clemson after the 2013 season when she won the NCAA Outdoor 800m title. In Jan. Goule recorded a season’s best mark of 2:02.78 at the Armory Track Invitational where she finished sixth overall. Prior to The Armory, she recorded a personal bed in the 1000m (2:43) at the Virginia Tech Invitational as well as an indoor personal best in the 400m (53.33) at the Aggie Invitational Feb. 7. Although she got beat at the line by Virginia Tech’s Hanna Green at the ACC Indoor Conference Championships, Goule’s experience, ability to successfully get through the rounds, and ability to race when it matters most, show that she is a serious threat for an indoor NCAA title.

Brandon McBride, Mississippi State

The junior from Mississippi State hasn’t raced very much this season, but McBride has made each race count, including an indoor personal best mark of 1:46.80 at the SPIRE NCAA D-1 Indoor Invitational on Feb. 14. The two-time NCAA champion currently holds the third-fastest NCAA qualifying mark behind Edward Kemboi and Andres Arroyo, but his progress this season and lack of racing show that he is fresh and ready to roll in Fayetteville.

Chrishuna Williams, Arkansas

Williams is coming on strong at the exact right time after posting a huge personal best at the SEC Indoor Conference Championships with a mark of 2:02.95. The senior from Arkansas is relatively new at the 800m, but clearly has a knack for the event after dropping her time from a 2:06 in 2014, to a 2:05 in Feb. 2015 and a 2:02 for the conference win in Lexington. She is also entered to contribute to the Arkansas Razorbacks’ distance medley relay team that won the 2014 NCAA Indoor title. Although she has never competed in the open 800m at the NCAA Championships, her range and momentum heading into Fayetteville prove she is legit.

Kaela Edwards, Oklahoma State

She may not have the fastest entry time, but Edwards has shown fire on the track all season long. At the Big 12 Indoor Championships, Edwards came from behind to chase down Baylor’s Mariah Kelly in the last lap of the 1000m. Kelly had a 30m lead over the rest of the field, but in a late surge, Edwards rolled past her for the conference title in a time of 2:43.12. She posted her season’s best in Feb. which is also a new personal best at the Iowa State Classic where she finished third overall. Factor in the fact that she finished third as a freshman at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships, and Edwards is without a doubt a contender in Fayetteville.

Olicia Williams, Baylor
The junior from Baylor has been building all season long, notably with a new personal best in the 800m at the Iowa State Classic where she finished second in 2:03.21. She has also been a major contribution to the Baylor women’s DMR, who ran 10:58 at Alex Wilson for the No. 3 seed on the NCAA qualifying list. Most recently, Williams posted a second-place finish in the 800m final, a third-place finish in the 4x400m and a second place finish in the distance medley relay at the Big 12 Indoor Championships.

Edward Kemboi, Iowa State

Kemboi started the season off with a bang after winning the first indoor meet of the season at the Iowa Big 4 Dual with a 1:46.94, and continued a week later with a new personal best in the 400m at the the Razorback Invitational, running 48.37. He also helped contribute to an NCAA-qualifying DMR squad at Alex Wilson, where the Cyclones posted a 9:31 for the 10th spot heading to Fayetteville. The 2014 NCAA Indoor runner-up most recently earned conference titles in both the 800m and the 1000m at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. With great performances under his belt, Kemboi will be a dangerous contender for an NCAA title.

Andres Arroyo, Florida

The young sophomore from Florida has put himself on the map this season with a huge personal best in the 800m, running 1:46.78 at the Iowa State Classic for second place. Although he hasn’t been able to make it past rounds to the final in the NCAA Championship meet, Arroyo’s personal best and lack of racing this indoor season show that he is fresh and ready to roll heading into the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Ryan Schnulle, Florida

The 2014 NCAA Outdoor runner-up may not have the fastest seed time heading into the NCAA Indoor Championships, but Ryan Schnulle knows when to race when it matters. The junior from Florida finished fifth at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships and was part of a thrilling photo finish at the 2014 Outdoor Championships. He most recently won the SEC Indoor title and a season’s best at Iowa State Classic where he ran 1:47.29.

Hanna Green, Virginia Tech

The sophomore from Virginia Tech proved that pre-season favorite Natoya Goule is beatable after edging out the Clemson transfer at the ACC Conference Championships last weekend. Green’s marks throughout the season show some serious potential, with personal bests in the 600m (1:28.78) and 800m this season (2:03.43). Although Green did not qualify for the final at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last year, she is timing her peak perfectly with a most recent personal best just last weekend at ACCs. She proved she can successfully run through the rounds, finishing second in her heat in the prelims (2:06) and conserving enough energy to bust out a 2:03 for the conference win.

Jesse Garn, Binghamton

The senior from Binghampton is having the greatest indoor season of his career after posting personal bests in both the 800m (1:46.98) and 1000m (2:21.10). Garn’s personal best in the 800m was run at the Iowa State Classic, where most of the qualifiers punched their tickets to Fayetteville (Garn finished third behind Kemboi and Arroyo). The performance shows that the senior is ready to contend and hitting the the perfect peak at the right time.