The entries for the 2019 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, March 8-9 in Birmingham, Alabama, dropped on Tuesday, and below I’ve outlined my top takeaways:

Grant Holloway Is Entered In Four Events

The moment Florida junior Grant Holloway ran a 6.51 60m on Jan. 26-- ninth in collegiate history-- it became nearly inevitable that he would declare for the event at NCAAs. And a month later, that’s exactly what the four-time NCAA hurdles champion has done as Holloway will add the 60m to his usual indoor routine of the 60m hurdles, long jump and 4x400m relay.

For the top-ranked Gators, Holloway will carry a heavy burden in Birmingham. In a men’s team battle that is projected to be won with a mid-40s point total, the 2018 Bowerman finalist will be by far the biggest difference-maker in the meet; there is a very real possibility that Holloway could win his three individual events-- he’s the top seed in the 60m and 60m hurdles, and No. 2 in the long jump-- and anchor Florida to a 4x400m victory. That’s 40 points right there.

Holloway completed an abbreviated dress rehearsal for his ambitious NCAA plan at SECs, and it went quite well over the weekend. He finished runner-up in the long jump to NCAA-leader Rayvon Gray on Friday before sweeping the 60m (6.54) and the 60m hurdles (7.44) within the span of 35 minutes on Saturday. At NCAAs on March 9, he’ll have 40 minutes between the hurdles and the 60m final.

Wisconsin Men Will Try To Topple Traditional Powers With Their Distance Stars

The Badgers finished a distant third at last weekend’s Big 10 Indoor Championships, but at a NCAA meet that values superstars over depth, Wisconsin has a shot at a national title. NCAA champs Morgan McDonald (3k/5k) and Oliver Hoare (mile/3k/DMR) are each entered in multiple events, and the Aussie pair could combine to accumulate the 40+ points necessary to contend.

Morgan McDonald's solo 13:37 5k win at Big Ten:

McDonald will be the favorite in the 5,000m, where he will battle guys like Tyler Day, Edwin Kurgat and Joe Klecker-- all of whom he beat at NCAA XC last November. His 13:15 outdoor PR is considerably faster than anyone else in the field as well. Hoare, the 2018 NCAA 1,500m champion, will be similarly favored in the mile. His 3:54.83 is nearly two seconds better than the next-best miler, and that fact will make the Badgers a strong contender in the DMR as well. Their 9:26.24 was second only to Notre Dame in 2019, who they will once again battle at NCAAs.

Still, facing the balanced attacks of Florida and Texas Tech, Wisco will have to see a few breaks go their way to win a title. McDonald and Hoare could take care of business by combining to win the 5k, DMR and mile, but they will still need big points out of the 3k. McDonald will only have the 5k on his legs from the night before, and he has a solid shot to win, but Hoare will have run three separate mile races by that point. Whether or not Hoare can summon a top-five finish in the final event of a brutal two-day stretch may determine Wisconsin’s fate.

Top-Three Women’s Milers All Scratch

The NCAA’s three fastest female milers in 2019-- Danae Rivers, Jessica Hull and Weini Kelati-- have all scratched the mile, a somewhat surprising development in the cases of Rivers and Hull. Penn State’s Rivers is the only woman to break 4:30 this season, but she has elected to push all her chips into the 800m. Hull, the reigning NCAA 1,500m champion from Oregon, will focus on the DMR and 3,000m-- the same two races she entered last year. 

Despite her converted 4:31.70 mile from last weekend’s Mountain West Championships, New Mexico’s Kelati was never really expected to enter the mile as she is much stronger in the 3k and 5k.

For the women left in the mile field, they have to be thrilled with this news. Two huge favorites are gone, leaving a wide-open race that features a top seed in Hannah Meier (4:32.46) who will be making her first appearance at NCAA indoors.

No. 1-Ranked Arkansas Women Have The Most Entries With 15; Texas Tech Men 14, Florida Men 13

The team battle on the women’s side is widely expected to come down to Arkansas and USC, and the Razorbacks should like their chances as they will bring the deepest roster to Birmingham. Of Arkansas’ 15 entries, 14 of them are currently ranked within the top eight of their respective disciplines, giving coach Lance Harter a bounty of scoring opportunities to draw from.

In the men’s team race, Florida and Texas Tech have 13 and 14 entries respectively. The Red Raiders would appear to have more scoring opportunities with 11 of their entries ranked in the top eight compared to just seven for the Gators, but the Grant Holloway factor will make Florida the men’s favorite heading into Birmingham.