KOLAS SELECTION SHOW LIVE 10AM CT | INDIVIDUAL AT-LARGE PREDICTIONS

TEAMS:
Syracuse, Iona, Columbia, Providence, Dartmouth, Harvard, Yale, Central Connecticut, Cornell, Binghamton, Brown, New Hampshire, Stony Brook, Army, Northeastern, Canisius, Boston U., Boston College, UConn, UMass Amherst, Maine, Albany, Buffalo, Fordham, Vermont, Fairfield, Marist, Holy Cross, Quinnipiac, Manhattan, Hartford, Siena, Bryant, Hofstra, Colgate, Niagara, St. Bonaventure

 

WHAT TO WATCH MEN:

Syracuse and Iona are two Saucony Flo50 top 5 teams that will enter the Northeast Regional with one goal in mind: run as easy as possible. Both of these squads punched their tickets to Terre Haute during the regular season, as the Orange and the Gaels went 1-2 at Wisco in the year’s most competitive meet. While the goal is to coast into nationals, it will be interesting to see how these heavily favored squads approach this race. NCAA’s is just eight days after regionals, so these top squads want to be fully rested when they compete for a spot on the podium in Terre Haute. 

 

Syracuse has been the surprise team of 2014, and their dominating victories at Wisco and ACC’s have propelled them to #4 in the Flo50. Led by Martin Hehir, ‘Cuse had an astonishing 14 second spread at Wisconsin and a 16 second spread at ACC. That will make any coach happy. 

 

Iona trotted at the MAAC Championships to win their 24th straight conference title, and would love nothing more than to run just as easy this weekend. The #3 Gaels are back to full strength after Kieran Clements debuted at conference, and this team should find itself on the podium at NCAA’s with Clements in tow. 

 

#21 Providence was a disappointing 3rd at the Big East Championships, but they most likely earned a bid to Terre Haute when they placed 11th at Wisco. The Friars were beat handily by Villanova and Georgetown at conference, but they should expect better performances this weekend from their top 3 of Shane Quinn, Ben Connor, and Brian Doyle. If these three are up front with the best from Syracuse and Iona, Providence will have no trouble placing third and securing their trip to NCAA’s.

 

WHAT TO WATCH WOMEN:

The Dartmouth women were a disappointing 19th at Wisco, but they made up for it by dominating Heps, led by Dana Giordano’s 2nd place finish. Dartmouth should have a good enough 1-2 punch with Giordano and Sarah Delozier (3rd at Heps) to earn an auto bid this Friday, but they will face significant pressure from Syracuse, Boston College, and Iona.

 

Syracuse would easily be favored in this region based off their 12th place finish at Wisco, but they were dreadful at ACC’s, finishing 8th after losing a tiebreaker with Boston College. That meant that the ‘Cuse lost to a team at conference that they beat by 138 points at Wisco. Led by low-stick Margo Malone, the #22 ranked Orange women will have to resemble their Wisco selves to nab an auto spot on Friday.

 

Boston College and Iona will be right on the heels of Dartmouth and Syracuse challenging for a top 2 finish. These squads both have the benefit of super low-sticks, as Liv Westphal (BC) and Kate Avery (Iona) should compete for the individual win. Both women are coming off victories at their conference meets, but it was Avery’s 19:15 6k at Van Cortlandt Park that was most impressive. If she runs that quick on Friday, not even Westphal can touch her.

 

Boston College only beat Iona by three points at Wisco, and the Gaels were without Avery. With Avery, Iona should have no trouble placing 3rd, and could even jump up into an auto spot. A lot will depend on which ‘Cuse team shows up, and if the ACC’s version duplicates itself on Friday, Iona will finish 2nd. 

 

MEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. Syracuse 2. Iona 3. Providence

Individual Winner: Martin Hehir (Syracuse)

Individual Qualifiers: Dominic Deluca (Cornell) Kevin Dooney (Yale), Brian Eimstad (Cornell), Tom Purnell (Harvard)

 

WOMEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. Dartmouth 2. Syracuse 3. Iona 4. Boston College 5. Providence (out)

Individual Winner: Kate Avery (Iona)

Individual Qualifiers: Catarina Rocha (Providence), Kira Garry (Yale), Emily Durgin (UConn), Lauren Sara (UConn) 

 

TEAMS:

Villanova, Georgetown, Princeton, Penn, Penn State, La Salle, Lehigh, Navy, UMBC, Duquesne, St. Joseph’s (Pa), American, Bucknell, Rider, Monmouth, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, New Jersey Institute, George Washington, Marshall, Temple, St. Francis (Pa), Robert Morris, Howard, Seton Hall, Loyola (Md)

 

WHAT TO WATCH MEN:

The Australian machine that is the Villanova Wildcats didn’t have all their pieces together until Big East’s, but there they proved just how dangerous they can be when running at full strength. Led by Patrick Tiernan’s individual win, ‘Nova went 1-3 and scored 23 points, beating 2nd place Georgetown by 28 points. Tiernan, Sam McEntee, and Jordan Williamsz form one of the most formidable trios in the NCAA. 

 

The Wildcats should win the Mid-Atlantic region with similar ease this Friday, as the #16 Hoyas are the next best team in this race. Georgetown has been a pleasant surprise this season, as they took third at Pre-Nats with a tidy 9.8 second spread between their 1-5. At Big East XC, they were led by super-frosh Jonathan Green, who was 5th. Green has All-American potential as a freshman, and another solid outing for him this weekend will help the Hoyas beat #24 Princeton to claim an auto spot. 

 

Princeton needs to beat Georgetown to make it to NCAA’s. The Tigers dominated at Heps, but the Ivy League is much weaker than last year’s version which had four teams earn bids to NCAA’s, and the conference is in danger of having no teams earn a trip to Terre Haute. Coach Vig’s squad couldn’t pick up any Kolas points at Wisco with their 23rd place finish, and have put themselves in the tough position of needing an auto bid to make it to NCAA’s. 

 

For that to happen, Princeton has to have another day like they did at Heps. Four runners in the top seven helped the Tigers score 30 points, which was certainly a big improvement from Wisconsin, where their 2-5 runners finished between 116th-150th. Georgetown is just too tight of a pack for Princeton to have anything other than a perfect day.

 

WHAT TO WATCH WOMEN:

The Georgetown women were even more dominant at Big East’s than the Villanova men. Led by Katrina Coogan’s victory, The Hoyas went 1-3-4-5-6 to score a measly 19 points, and appear well on their way to a podium finish. The #2 Hoyas pose the greatest threat to Michigan State at NCAA’s, and they will not be challenged this Friday in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

 

#13 West Virginia has been on the rise all season. The Mountaineers didn’t even make it to Terre Haute last season, but after their 5th place finish at Wisco, this team was all but assured of a trip to NCAA’s. Sophomore Jillian Forsey was particularly impressive there, netting an 11th place finish in a race loaded with NCAA All-Americans. 

 

WVU proved their mettle by finishing 2nd at Big 12’s on a day where Forsey was only the Mountaineers #3 runner. If Forsey and senior Katie Gillespie (5th at Big 12) can be low-sticks this Friday, this young group will have no trouble earning an auto bid. 

 

Just like the Princeton men, the Lady Tigers need to finish in the top 2 to assure themselves a trip to NCAA’s. Their only win over a projected auto team is Baylor from Pre-Nats, and that was a slight victory over the #2 in the weakest region. 

 

The issue with Princeton is the considerable drop-off in their 4-5 runners. At Heps, Princeton had three runners in the top 8 (Curham, Fluehr, Rathjen) but their next two finished 25th and 26th, combining to score more points than the sum of Dartmouth’s five. That won’t cut this Friday against the #2 Hoyas and #13 Mountaineers. The bright spot for Princeton is that they could qualify three individuals, led by Ivy League champion Megan Curham. 

 

MEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. Villanova 2. Georgetown 3. Princeton (out)

Individual Winner: Patrick Tiernan (Villanova)

Qualifying Individuals: Tommy Awad (Penn), Ryan Mahalsky (Lehigh), Sam Pons (Princeton), Matt McDonald (Princeton)

 

WOMEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. Georgetown 2. West Virginia 3. Princeton (out)

Individual Winner: Katrina Coogan (Georgetown)

Qualifying Individuals: Megan Curham (Princeton), Elizabeth Chikotas (Penn State), Kathryn Fluer (Princeton), Natalie Rathjen (Princeton)

 

TEAMS:

Stanford, Oregon, Portland, Washington, UCLA, Boise State, Arizona State, Cal Poly, Washington State, UC Santa Barbara, Gonzaga, Cal, UC Davis, Arizona, Loyala Marymount, San Francisco, Long Beach State, Sacramento State, UC Irvine, Eastern Washington, Santa Clara, UC Riverside, Fresno State, Cal St. Fullerton, Seattle U., Portland State, Pepperdine, Idaho, Oregon State (W), Hawaii (W), San Diego, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV (W), USC (W), Cal St. Northridge (W), St. Mary’s 

 

WHAT TO WATCH MEN:

The West regional is a rematch between Oregon and Stanford, who were separated by just three points at PAC-12’s. At that race, the Ducks took down Stanford 57-60 as Edward Cheserek and Eric Jenkins went 1-2. An off day by Maksim Korolev (9th) made the difference for a Cardinal team that clearly misses Jim Rosa.

 

Stanford has the tools to take down Oregon on Friday. We still expect Ches and Jenkins to go 1-2, but Korolev should have a better outing at regionals based on his victory at Wisco. If Joe Rosa and Korolev find their way into the top five, and Sean McGorty can nab a top 10 finish, the Cardinal will take this region. The Ducks strength is clearly their two super low sticks, but Stanford’s top two will be close behind. After that, Stanford is much stronger than Oregon 3-5. One more factor: Stanford will have a home-field advantage in Palo Alto. 

 

This region should have a minimum of five teams punch tickets to NCAA’s. Outside of the two auto teams, Portland, UCLA, and Washington all have resumes that put them in the field of 31. These teams went 4th-7th-8th at Wisco, respectively, as Portland actually beat a Stanford team still reeling from the loss of Jim Rosa. We expect #10 Portland to finish third, followed by # 12 Washington and then #18 UCLA. 

 

Boise State is one team that could jump into the top five of this region on the right day. The Broncos would have to beat one of the teams listed above to make it to NCAA’s, but it’s not outside the realm of possibilities given their conference performance. 

 

Boise State was 4th in the Mountain West, but they were only three points behind Colorado State, a team that figures to earn a bid in the Mountain region. If UCLA runs as poorly as they did at PAC-12s, the Broncos, led by MWC champion David Elliot, will beat the Bruins and make it six qualifiers from the West region. 

 

WHAT TO WATCH WOMEN:

The women’s side of the West is perhaps the deepest region in the country. Six teams are ranked in the top 25 of the Saucony Flo50, led by #4 Oregon and #7 Stanford. These two PAC-12 squads will be the auto qualifiers out of this region. 

 

The Ducks have run in a tight pack, or flock, all year. Their ability to stick together 1-5 was never more evident than at PAC-12s, when they rode an 11 second spread to a 54-74 victory over Stanford. The addition of Waverly Neer (10th at PAC-12) gives the Ducks another weapon to lean on for a podium finish in Terre Haute. 

 

If it wasn’t for an Aisling Cuffe injury, we could be talking about Stanford as a potential NCAA champion. Even without her, the Cardinal managed 2nd place at PAC-12s led by super frosh Elise Cranny. The 1500m star has been as good as advertised in her first collegiate season, and she figures to finish 3rd on Friday behind Shelby Houlihan and Emma Bates. 

 

Stanford will be very good in the next couple years, as they return all but one scorer from PAC-12s, and should get a red-shirt year out of Cuffe. The battle for spots 3-6 in the region will be fought for by #14 Washington, #19 UCLA, #20 Arizona State, and #24 Boise State. Our latest Kolas release has all four teams earning bids to Terre Haute, as each team was in the top 20 at Wisco, and thus each collected a nice sum of Kolas points. Washington, UCLA, and Arizona State went 4-5-6 at PAC-12s, while Boise State was 2nd to New Mexico in the Mountain West. 

 

MEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. Stanford 2. Oregon 3. Portland 4. Washington 5. UCLA 6. Boise State (out);

Individual Winner: Edward Cheserek (Oregon)

Individual Qualifiers: Chris Walden (Cal), Jose Madera (USF), David Elliot (Boise State), Eric Causey (USF), Bryan Guijarro (UC Santa Barbara)

 

WOMEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. Oregon 2. Stanford 3. Washington 4. UCLA 5. Arizona State 6. Boise State

Individual Winner: Shelby Houlihan (Arizona St.)

Individual Qualifiers: Bethan Knights (Cal), Abby Regan (WSU), Tansey Lystad (Portland), Danielle Shanahan (Loyola Marymount)

 

TEAMS:

Akron, Bowling Green, Butler, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Dayton, Detroit, Eastern Michigan, Evansville, Indiana, Indiana State, IPFW, IUPUI, Kent State, Marquette, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oakland, Ohio State, Ohio U., Purdue, Toledo (W), Valparaiso, Western Michigan (W), Wis.-Green Bay, Wis.-Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Xavier (Ohio), Youngstown St.

 

WHAT TO WATCH MEN:

The races in Madison will be similar to the Big Ten Championship fight a few weeks ago. On the men’s side, that outcome saw #9 Wisconsin taking down #11 Michigan by 30 points, but we think a slew of top individuals will make it much more difficult for Wisco to dominate. #14 John Mascari and #19 Matt McClintock will go against Big Ten Champ #17 Malachy Schrobilgen and 2013 top NCAA finisher (from this region) #22 Mason Ferlic. The Badgers are young, and fresh, which should play in their favor on their home course. 

 

WHAT TO WATCH WOMEN:

The women’s race features #1 Michigan State, who are led by the duo of #8 Rachele Schulist and #9 Leah O’Connor, as well as the strongest supporting cast in the NCAA. It’ll be easy to replicate their Wisconsin Invite performance (1st), and the battle will lie in the second auto qualifying spot. #8 Wisconsin took down #10 Michigan, who just lost Erin Finn to injury. Despite a disappointing B1G performance, the Wolverines still have the talent to compete against the Badgers for that runner-up position. 

 

MEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. Wisconsin 2. Michigan 3. Indiana 4. Michigan State

Individual Winner: John Mascari (Indiana State)

Individual Qualifiers: John Mascari (Indiana State), Matt McClintock (Purdue), Erik Peterson (Butler), Willy Fink (Eastern Michigan)

 

WOMEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. Michigan State 2. Wisconsin 3. Michigan 4. Ohio State 5. Toledo 6. Notre Dame

Individual Winner: Rachele Schulist (Michigan State)

Individual Qualifiers: Victoria Voronko (Eastern Michigan), Mara Olson (Butler), Maria McDaniel (Western Michigan), Jess Hoover (Miami-Ohio)

 

TEAMS:

Bradley, Chicago State, Creighton, Depaul, Drake, Eastern Illinois, Illinois, Illinois State, Illinois-Chicago, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Loyola, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, North Dakota St., Northern Illinois (W), Northern Iowa, Northwestern (W), Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Oral Roberts, Saint Louis, SE Missouri St., SIU-Edwardsville, South Dakota, South Dakota St., Southern Illinois, Tulsa, UMKC, Western Illinois, Wichita State

 

WHAT TO WATCH MEN:

The front pack of the Midwest Region will be flooded with men from Oklahoma. #2 OK State and #19 Oklahoma are the obvious choices for automatic births to Terre Haute. Tulsa will need to beat Iowa State to get into NCAA's. The Cycloneswere only 15 points behind the Sooners at the Big 12 race, and have late-season momentum that may play in their favor. Oklahoma’s #24 Abbabiya Simbassa and Brandon Doughty will need to pull the rest of their team along to fend off the Cyclone men.

 

WHAT TO WATCH WOMEN:

The Cyclone women are the favorites heading into this region. Their #4 ranking suggests they are a podium contender, and they’ve been getting better every race this season. #2 Crystal Nelson and #12 Katie Moen are the best duo in the NCAA, but look for UMKC’s #18 Courtney Frerichs to challenge their pack.

 

MEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. Oklahoma State 2. Oklahoma 3. Tulsa

Individual Winner: Abbabiya Simbassa (Oklahoma)

Individual Qualifiers: Jacob Morgan (Kansas), Dan Curts (Iowa State), Martin Coolidge (Iowa State), Sam Penzenstadler (Loyola Il.)

 

WOMEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. Iowa State 2. Minnesota

Individual Winner: Crystal Nelson (Iowa State)

Individual Qualifiers: Courtney Frerichs (UMKC), Monika Juodeskaite (Ok. State), Kaitlyn Fischer (Mizzou), Laura Galvin (Kansas State)

 

TEAMS:

Northern Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Brigham Young, Air Force Academy, Colorado State, Southern Utah, Wyoming, Montana State, Texas-El Paso, Utah State, Texas Tech, Utah Valley, Weber State, Idaho State, Montana, New Mexico State, Northern Colorado, Utah, Nevada

 

WHAT TO WATCH MEN:

Albuquerque, New Mexico will be the site for the 2014 mountain region battle for two automatic team spots, five at-large bids in the men’s race, one at-large bid in the women’s race, and four individual spots in both the men’s and women’s races. On the men’s side, it will be an all-out battle for team supremacy between Saucony Flo50’s undisputed No. 1 Colorado and No. 7 Northern Arizona. The Buffaloes haven’t lost a race all season and most recently posted a 30-point spread to easily take their fourth Pac-12 championship title in a row.

 

The Lumberjacks recently won the Big Sky conference title and carry a solid 1-2-3 punch, but it will come down to the 4th man’s performance to catapult NAU to the podium. No. 13 BYU’s four wins in early season competition will set them up nicely in the at-large race as well as a second-place team finish at the west coast conference championships. The No. 14 New Mexico Lobos will use their five early season wins as well as their mountain west conference title from a couple weeks ago to capture an at-large bid. Led by Patrick Corona’s second-place finish at mountain west, Air Force Academy will look to build off of their runner-up finish at the conference meet. Colorado State earned five wins from early season competition and Southern Utah racked up four, which will round out an incredibly stacked field for automatic and at-large bids to Terre Haute. 

 

WHAT TO WATCH WOMEN:

In the women’s race, Saucony Flo50’s No. 9 New Mexico will look to build off of a mountain west team win that demonstrated some major depth. The Lobos went 4-5-6-8-10 at mountain west to earn 33 points and take down runner-up Boise State by 25 points. The No. 11 Colorado Buffaloes finished third at the Pac-12 championships and should easily snatch the second automatic qualifying spot to the big dance. The at-large race will boil down to a battle from BYU, who earned three wins in early season competition and most recently earned the first WCC championship in school history with a 36-point spread to overthrow Portland’s 57 points. 

 

MEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. Colorado 2. Northern Arizona 3. BYU 4. New Mexico 5. Air Force 6. Colorado State 7. Southern Utah

Individual Winner: Blake Theroux (Colorado)

Individual Qualifiers: Anthony Rotich (UTEP), Cosmas Boit (UTEP), Amos Bowen (Wyoming), Jake Turner (Montana State)

 

WOMEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. New Mexico 2. Colorado 3. BYU

Individual Winner: Charlotte Arter (New Mexico)

Individual Qualifiers: Melanie Townsend (NAU), Ashley Hawks (Southern Utah), Jamie Stokes (Weber State), Kayla Freeman (NAU)

 

TEAMS:

Alabama, Alabama State (W), Auburn, Belmont, Chattanooga, East Tennessee State, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia State (W), Georgia Tech, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Memphis, Mercer, Midd. Tennessee State, Mississippi State, Mississippi, North Florida, Samford, South Alabama, South Florida, Southern Mississippi (W), Tennessee, Tennessee-Martin, UAB (W), UCF (W), Vanderbilt

WHAT TO WATCH:

It’ll be a Seminole show on the men’s and women’s sides in the Tallahassee, FL. #24 Florida State men (5th at ACC) and #12 women (2nd at ACC) look to advance from their home course, which should not be too difficult. The Seminole men saw many gutsy performances at the Wisconsin Invite and will be challenged by SEC runner-up’s Ole Miss. The lady Seminoles are led by #15 Colleen Quigley, who has been struggling in 2014 but should take the top spot. The South Region can be unpredictable, but for the most part, these ranked teams should have no issues making it to Terre Haute.

MEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. Florida St. 2. Ole Miss

Individual Winner: Ty McCormack (Auburn),

Individual Qualifiers: Ty McCormack (Auburn), Damian Roszko (Miss. State), Shadrack Matelong (Midd. Tenn St.), Austin Whitelaw (Tennessee)

WOMEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. Florida State 2. Vanderbilt

Individual Winner: Colleen Quigley (Florida State)

Individual Qualifiers: Chelsea Blasse (Tennessee), Rhianwedd Price (Miss. State), Katelyn Greanleaf (Alabama), Alexis Panisse (Tennessee)

 

TEAMS:

Eastern Kentucky, Virginia, NC State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, William & Mary, Louisville, Duke, High Point, Liberty, UNC-Greensboro, Kentucky, George Mason, Morehead State, Furman, App State, Wake Forest, Richmond, Clemson, Davidson, Campbell, VMI, Western Kentucky, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, UNC-Asheville, VCU, USC Upstate, UNC-Wilmington, Radford, Western Carolina, Col. of Charleston, Murray State, Longwood, Presbyterian, Elon, East Carolina, Coastal Carolina, Davidson, Winthrop

 

WHAT TO WATCH MEN:

It’s all going down in Louisville, Ky. where teams from the southeast region will throw down for two automatic team spots, one at-large team bid in the men’s race, three at-large bids in the women’s race, and four individual spots to Terre Haute. On the men’s side, Saucony Flo50’s No. 15 NC State is going to battle for the regional title with No. 17 Virginia. NC State is coming off of an impressive second place finish at the ACC conference championships. Virginia wasn’t as lucky and fell off to fourth, but should come back to battle for the second automatic spot. In the at-large race, it will come down to an all-out battle between Furman, who carries five wins from early season competition, UNC, who received an at-large bid to last year’s NCAA championships and returns all but one runner, and Eastern Kentucky, who received an early season Saucony Flo50 top 20 ranking and is returning from a conference sweep.

 

WHAT TO WATCH WOMEN:

In the women’s race, No. 6 North Carolina returns after a huge upset at the ACC Championships that saw the Tar Heels take down formerly ranked No. 11 Florida State and No. 13 Virginia. Prior to the conference championships, the Tar Heels were ranked No. 14 in the Saucony Flo50 poll, but the 57-point spread that beat the Seminoles by a whopping 42 points, catapulted UNC to No. 6 in the rankings. No. 15 Virginia is returning from a third-place finish at the ACC championships and will look to regain their once tight pack from early on in the season. No. 16 NC State will be right behind to battle for the first at-large position after finishing a disappointing fourth-place at conference, but their fifth-place showing at Pre-Nats gave them three team wins, which will help tremendously in the run to Terre Haute. William & Mary will be in the mix after taking their 20th CAA conference title with a low 35-point spread, and Virginia Tech will also be in the running after earning three team wins in early season competition. 

 

MEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. NC State 2. Virginia 3. Furman

Individual Winner: Ernest Kibet (Louisville)

Individual Qualifiers: Ernest Kibet (Louisville), Luis Vargas (Elon), Ambrose Maritim (EKU), Luka Ndungu (EKU)

 

WOMEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. UNC 2. Virginia 3. NC State 4. Virginia Tech

Individual Winner: Annie LeHardy (North Carolina)

Individual Qualifiers: Allie Buchalski (Furma), Sinead Haughey (Furman), Bethany Sachtleben (George Mason), Marisa Ruskan (Richmond)

 

TEAMS:

Arkansas, Texas, Lamar, SFA, Rice, North Texas, Texas A&M, UTA, Baylor, TAMU Corpus, Houston, Central Arkansas, Ark-Little Rock, Sam Houston, Houston Baptist, UL-Monroe, LSU, UTSA, Arkansas State, Tulane, SE Louisiana, UL-Lafayette, New Orleans

 

WHAT TO WATCH MEN:

The teams to beat out of the south central region on the men’s side will be No. 25 Arkansas and Texas. After taking the SEC title, steeplechase All American Stanley Kebenei should lead the Razorbacks to an easy victory in Fayetteville for an automatic berth to NCAAs, and with little team competition, the Texas men should repeat and qualify automatically as well.

 

WHAT TO WATCH WOMEN:

On the women’s side, it will be No. 3 Arkansas for the win. They just put up 32 points to shatter the team competition and take the SEC title. Just behind them will be a battle for the second automatic spot between Baylor and SMU. The Mustangs finished second last year at south central, but Baylor’s low stick in Rachel Johnson may bump the Bears up for an auto. 

 

MEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. Arkansas 2. Texas

Individual Winner: Stanley Kebenei (Arkansas)

Individual Qualifiers: Isaac Spencer (Texas A&M), Will Firth (Rice), Virgilio Martinez (Texas-Arlington), Sam Stabler (Lamar)

 

WOMEN’S PREDICTIONS:

1. Arkansas 2. Baylor

Individual Winner: Rachel Johnson (Baylor)

Individual Qualifiers: Hillary Montgomery (Texas A&M), Karis Jochen (Texas A&M), Agnes Sjostrom (SMU), Stephanie Wangui (UTSA)