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Nothing says outdoor season like a massive track meet hosted by Stanford!

Slated for April 1-2, the Stanford Invitational is known as one of the premier track-and-field events of the season. California’s top preps, the NCAA’s best student-athletes and a slew of professionals will test their fitness at Cobb Track and Angell Field this weekend, and FloTrack will be there to provide 20-plus hours of coverage!

WATCH THE 2016 STANFORD INVITATIONAL LIVE!

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The Men of the Stanford Invite

10,000m

This year’s 10,000m race is poised for big performances -- debuts will be made, and Olympic-qualifying times will be chased. German Fernandez announced his move up to the 10,000m on Instagram, and Hoka One One NAZ Elite athletes Scott Fauble and Craig Lutz have their eyes on the U.S. Olympic Trials starting line. Fernandez, who spent the winter in Flagstaff, Arizona, has been relatively quiet since last spring. More recently, he placed 13th and eighth, respectively, at the U.S. 10-mile and 5k championships. What kind of time is he planning on chasing? 



Lutz and Fauble have seen success on cross country courses and the road in their first year of professional running, and the Stanford 10,000m race will mark their track debuts for Hoka One One. Last year, the former Texas and Portland athletes turned in sub-29:00 performances, but must dip under 28:15 this Friday for a spot at the Trials. 

Fernandez’s former Oklahoma State teammate and U.S. Army team member Shadrack Kipchirchir has run 27:36 before and finished fourth at the U.S. Championships last June. He earned a spot in Beijing and was 16th in his first world championship. After two top-three performances on the roads (third in the U.S. 12k and second in the U.S. 15k championships), don’t be surprised if Kipchirchir dips under 28:00, the Olympic standard.

Former Syracuse All-American Martin Hehir ran 28:27 in this race last year and should challenge the front pack, as well. After finishing ninth at the NCAA cross country championship, Hehir exhausted his eligibility, so he's currently testing the post-collegiate waters. His sixth-place finish at the U.S. 15k championship is a good sign he’ll be aiming for a spot on the Trials' starting line in July.

Watch the 2015 Stanford Invite 10,000m race, where 25 men ran under 29:00!

5000m

The men’s 5000m will be one of the hottest events on the track. UPenn’s Tommy Awad will be on a mission, and Paul Chelimo, one of the nation's rising stars, should challenge for the win.

Awad finished third in the NCAA mile and ran 3:57.03 at Millrose Games for a new Ivy League record. He’s been gearing up for a big 5000m performance, so this will be one to watch. Fresh off his seventh-place finish at the IAAF World Indoor Championships, Chelimo should be in the mix, too. He ran 13:21 in 2012, but hasn't run within 15 seconds of that time since. After their big indoor seasons, will the Olympic standard achievable for these two men? Keep an eye on the clock -- 13:20 will be the time to beat.

Colorado State’s Jefferson Abbey, Boise State’s David Elliott, North Carolina State’s Luis Vargas and Meron Simon and Colorado’s John Dressel and Ammar Moussa highlight the top NCAA athletes in the field, but there's could be someone who breaks out and grabs the spotlight. Last year it was Lamar’s Sam Stabler, who stunned the crowd with a blistering last lap to hold off NCAA champion Anthony Rotich and win in 13:30.50 — the second-fastest time in the NCAA that season.

Watch the 2015 Stanford Invite 5000m race where Sam Stabler bested four time NCAA Champ Anthony Rotich

1500m

After winning the NCAA Division II indoor mile in 2015, Adams State’s Oliver Aitchison now has three consecutive national champion titles to his name. After running his first indoor sub-four-minute mile at the Husky Invite this winter (3:58.59!), Aitchison is well-positioned to run the fastest 1500m mark this Friday. Last year, he wasn’t even in the fastest section and came away with the best time — 3:40.77, his second-fastest mark ever.

Arizona’s 800m ace Collins Kibet should put up a fight. After finishing seventh in the 800m at the NCAA Division I Championship last spring, the junior ran 1:48 four times this indoor season and did not make it to Birmingham for indoor nationals. Coming off a 1:46.90 at the Pac-12 vs. Big 10 Invitational last weekend, Kibet makes it seem like outdoor season suits him much better. Look for him to use his closing speed against the milers.

Syracuse miler Joel Hubbard (1500, 5000m) and Adam Palamar (800m, 1500m, 5000m) are entered in multiple events, but should especially stand out in the 1500m for the Orange. Palamar is rounding into his old form since transferring to Syracuse this year from Tulsa, and Hubbard broke 4:00 twice this indoor season. Regardless of events they choose to compete in, these two should be competitive. 

Watch Adams State's Oliver Aitchison win with the fastest time of the day at the 2015 Stanford Invite

3000m Steeplechase

If you missed the steeplechase, you’re in luck! Some of the best steeplers in the NCAA will take on the barriers on Friday evening: Florida State All-American Zak Seddon, 2016 Pac-12 champion Connor Winter and Northern Arizona’s Caleb Hoover, who will compete in this event for the first time since 2015.

One question mark is Arizona’s Bailey Roth, the national high school record-holder from 2014. Roth is a two-time U.S. junior 3000m steeplechase champion and finished 10th at the 2014 World Junior Championship with the national record of 8:47.04.

After redshirting much of 2015, Roth ran 8:48.53 at the Portland Track Festival (against pros) and cruised to victories at the U.S. Junior Championship and at Pan American Juniors. This will be his first challenging steeplechase race in a field of fellow collegians, and all eyes will be on Coach James Li's young prospect.

Watch the men's steeplechase from last year's 2015 Stanford Invite, Will anybody break 8:30 this year?