By Kyle Merber
March 6, 2024
If you are more than a few years out of college and failed at getting that dream coaching gig – which paid way too little for working 70 hours a week and being on the road every weekend most of the year– then odds are you’re not super dialed into what’s on tap at the NCAA Championships this weekend. They’ll be Friday at the TRACK in Boston, which is a real treat because the last time the national meet was in a major US city and not a college town was Indianapolis in 1998. (For the record, that “major US city” distinction is defined as having a big four professional sports franchise.).
Here is my rambling preview to catch you up on everything to know ever since you graduated and started working in a cubicle:
- Last year, Texas Tech’s Terrence Jones won the 60m. Now he’ll try to do the double, adding the 200m to the itinerary.
- I have been leading the charge on the JaMeesia Ford hype train while the South Carolina freshman leads the NCAA in the 200m at 22.36.
- Arkansas has the top four seeds in the women’s 400m. Do you think they’re favored in the 4×400 too?
Credit Georgia Athletics
- Five women are seeded under 2:01 in the 800 and that’s never happened before. Plus you include the returning champ Roisin Willis and super frosh Sophia Gorriaran on home turf and there just aren’t enough lanes.
- Last year’s 800m was a weird one. Yusuf Bizimana won after a successful protest. He is the top seed this year so here’s to hoping he can celebrate crossing the finish in first.
- Maia Ramsden just ran two 4:06 1500s representing New Zealand in Glasgow and is flying back to Boston to hopefully add an indoor title to her one from outdoors. Countrywoman Kimberly May and Florida’s Flomena Asekol won’t be as jet-lagged.
- There were 108 men under four minutes in Division 1 this year and down from 3:56.20 last year, it took 3:55.46 to get into NCAAs. Luke Houser returns to defend his title, but I have convinced myself that 15 seed Parvej Khan is his biggest threat simply because I like the way he eats his gold chain mid-race.
- Six dudes are attempting the 3000m/5000m double so if you like watching Nico Young duke it out against Ky Robinson then I have 20 minutes of TV to sell you!
- Four women’s teams ran under the previous NCAA record in the DMR this season. Meanwhile, I am worried that my DMR world record will finally be beaten, rendering my entire career and remaining relevance moot. Thanks for reading, if this is the weekend I dissolve into dust and am scattered back to nothingness by a gentle breeze.
- This isn’t a fair way to measure things, but if I want to make the point that Lamara Distin is very good at the high jump then it’s important to note that her season’s best of 2.00m would have won Worlds.
- Once again, not how things work… BUTTTTT Wayne Pinnock’s season’s best would have won World Indoors in the long jump by quite a margin. He was second in Budapest though, so it’s not the craziest comparison. (If I don’t get one angry email for the last two bullets, then no one actually reads this newsletter.)
- We are all universally rooting for Mya Lesnar in the shot put, right? I want to ask her father for an interview this weekend, but will probably peer pressure someone else into doing it for me because I’m afraid of being on the receiving end of a spinebuster.Full Women’s Entries | Full Men’s Entries | Schedule/Results
Kyle Merber
After hanging up his spikes – but never his running shoes – Kyle pivoted to the media side of things, where he shares his enthusiasm, insights, and experiences with subscribers of The Lap Count newsletter, as well as viewers of CITIUS MAG live shows.
