The Division II Championships are this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Cal State Stanislaus in Turlock, California. Here is a preview of the events with runners to watch…

 

(Look for the women's preview tomorrow)

ENTRY LISTS

100

Desmond Jackson, Bruce Kimour, Tim Price and Mandela Clifford all have sub 10.30 wind-aided times, with Jackson's 10.10 from the Lone Star Conference Champs the top time entering the meet. Jackson was third last year at NC's and  Kimour Bruce is the returning champ. This past indoor season, Bruce beat Jackson again in the 60 (6.62 to 6.64). He has to be the man to beat here.

 

200

Desmond Jackson could garner a title more easily in the 200 than the 100, as he comes in ranked #1 in 20.58. Second is Josh Schuler of Emporia State, far back at 20.82. Indoors, Desmond Jackson finished second to Terrel Cotton of Lincoln. Desmond is the fastest returner from last year (he finished 3rd) because Josh Scott is gone. 

 

400

Leford is the man. After winning the 400 indoors, look for Leford to make it a clean sweep. Johnson C. Smith teammate Akino Ming is the 2 seed, and finished 4th last year in sub-46. It could be a hot battle between the two. Dominic Smith, runner up indoors, could also be a factor. But Leford is the man. He does nothing but win big races, and with Josh Scott out of the picture, he has to feel completely confident anytime he now toes the line in a championship 400.

 

110 hurdles

Jason Boyd won last year in 13.99, and comes in ranked #1 this year at 13.84. It could be a battle for second in this one, as Boyd's time is .27 faster than Tyler Shaw's of NW Missouri (14.11). Shaw was 4th indoors and 6th last year. 

 

400 hurdles

Leford is the man. Last year, he dominated the field, en route to a 48.67 to 49.35 victory. Furthermore, Green won the Penn Relays 400 hurdles earlier this month. He is lights out when the bright lights are on. Steve Banton (2nd last year) comes in with the 3rd fastest time, as Lincoln teammate Roxry Cato is ranked 2nd. It should be all Leford Green again this year, as the Jamaican is the hands down most talented runner in this field.

 

800

Just like indoors, this one should be wide open going in. It's tough to pick a definitive favorite, but Aduo Omot of Augustana has to be it. He won indoors with a tactically perfect race over Shawn Lindbom. Selasi Lumax has the #2 time coming in, as the Southern Conniecticut State junior ran 1:49.90 this outdoor season. His teammate Corey de la Cruz comes in with the #3 seed. Last year's top returner, Andrew Graham of Adams State, could be a real threat if he is in striking distance, as he usually waits until about 600 to make his move. Should be a spectacular finish with 5 or 6 guys in the mix down the stretch.

 

1500

It could be a real McBattle between Ryan McNiff and Mack McLain for the win. McNiff was 4th in 09 and 3rd last year, as McLain won indoors and last year's 1500. McNiff ran terrifically at Mt. Sac, posting a big 3:42.49 PR, as McLain finished 2nd in his heat of the 1500 at Payton Jordan, turning in a 3:44.02 PR. McLain showed just how scary his gear change can be indoors, where he asserted his dominance  about 1000 meters in to pull away for the win. I like his shifting ability, which is why he keeps winning typically tactful championship races. However, McNiff has great strength training at 7,000+ feet in Alamosa, and he is a solid cross runner. So if the pace is more honest his chances improve greatly. Alfred Kangogo comes in third with his 3:44.67, as the Alaska Anchorage junior looks to improve upon his 8th place finish from last year.

 

3k Steeple

A solid field for the steeple this year, as 8 runners have broken 9 coming in. Furthermore, with Rueben Mwei gone, it really opens things up for the rest of the field. Western provides 5 of the top 8 times coming in, with Ryan Haebe, David Goodman and David Flynn leading the charge. Micah Chelimo of Alaska Anchorage was 7th last year, and has run 8:52 thus far. It should be interesting to see if the field can pull away from Haebe enough to avoid his killer kick. With a great showing at RMAC's, Goodman could be the favorite here. The Irishman from Western, David Flynn, followed up his 8:52 Mt. Sac PR with another 8:52 at Payton Jordan, so he's shown great consistency.

 

5k

Indoor champion and last year's 5k and 10k outdoor champion, Amos Sang, has to be the favorite, despite Luke Cragg's leading time. Cragg ran fantastically at Payton Jordan, turning in a huge 13:41.13 out of the second heat. But Sang has shown to be a champion, consistently winning championship races. However, if the 10k proves to be too demanding, look for Cragg or Daniel Kirwa to give Sang a run. Kirwa was 2/4 in the 10k/5k last year, and is always a threat if he is having a good day.

 

10k

Sang is the class of the field here. Hard to imagine a scenario where Sang doesn't win if he is having a fine day. Amos ran 28:20 at Payton Jordan, 21 seconds faster than Dustin Emmerick's 28:41 from Mt. Sac (which was a breakout PR from the Southern Indiana junior). A huge development here is the fact that Michael Crouch and Queens are unable to participate at NC's because they didn't meet the minimum meets/participants rule. It would have been fun to watch a potential battle between him and Sang, as Crouch typically shows up at big races. With him out of the picture, it looks like Sang all the way.