The Mt. SAC Relays serve as one of the biggest events of the regular track season. One does not come to Mt. SAC to run “average.” It’s where Laura Roesler ran her fastest NCAA mark in the 800m (a blistering 2:00.54 FTW). Cam Levins ran 13:18.47 there in 2012, the year in which he was awarded the Bowerman Award. Arizona’s Meg Ritchie set the collegiate record in the discus there in 1981, a mark of 67.48m that has remained untouchable.

So what do we have to look forward to this weekend as FloTrack provides three straight days of Mt. SAC coverage? Plenty.

Women’s Invite 1500m, Friday 8:33pm CT
Who’s Who: Sarah Brown, Stephanie Brown, Alexa Efraimson, Cory Mcgee, Natalja Piliusina, Rhianwedd Price, Colleen Quigley, Dominique Scott
The Verdict: Dom Scott. The double NCAA Champion indoors, Scott is on fire. Yes she just ran a 10k at Stanford so we know she’s strong. But her speed is just as good as anyone’s in the field, as evidenced in her closing speed en route to Arkansas’ DMR victory. Her former Arkansas teammate Stephanie Brown (now representing Nike) is fresh off a 2:03.47 800m season opener, and Cory McGee debuted in her New Balance kit with a solid 2:04.13 at Florida Relays. We’d like to say Alexa Efraimson will be a part of the equation, but we only have one 800m race and three 1ks in 2015 to base our judgement. When it counts, Scott gets the job done.

Men’s Invite 1500m, Friday 8:39pm CT
Who’s Who: Michael Atchoo, Kemoy Campbell, German Fernandez, Dan Huling, Lopez Lomong, Chad Noelle, Cristian Soratos
The Verdict: Soratos. His social media posts of him sporting a boot had to be a joke. (Just kidding, you were probably actually injured.) Regardless, he’s back. His 3:39 conversion last weekend is an excellent season opener, even more impressive when you consider the fact that he was probably without a pacer, unlike every race at Stanford where no sub-3:40 marks were recorded. Look out for German Fernandez, though. His 3:43 at Stanford gave him new found confidence that he probably has not had since leaving Oklahoma State. Speaking of the Cowboys, Chad Noelle ran an almost identical 3:43 in Arkansas last weekend in what he called “solo.”

Got the W and regional qualifier with a solo 3:43 today âÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂœŠ

— Chad Noelle (@ChadNoelle) April 12, 2015

But, if Soratos races like he did when he obliterated the field at the Husky Classic, we’re betting on him FTW in this field.

Men’s Invite 5000m, 10:35pm CT
Who’s Who: Adam Bitchell, Andrew Colley, Diego Estrada, Colby Gilbert, Shadrack Kipchirchir, Christo Landry, Ammar Moussa, Morgan Pearson, Jason Witt
The Verdict: Diego Estrada. Coming off of a sixth-place finish at the Carlsbad 5000m, Estrada is having quite the 2015. He won the U.S. Half Marathon Championships in 60:51, beating Jared Ward by almost one minute. He only ran one 5k on the track last year, a 13:41.45 at Payton Jordan, as he dabbled more on the road circuit. But we’d bet he’s the strongest competitor in this field at the moment. We’d like to see former OK State Cowboy Shadrack Kipchirchir perform well, and you can always count on the Colorado boys to be in the mix. Watch out for Washington frosh Colby Gilbert. His PB may only be 14:07.13, but his 7:49.25 this winter shows us he’s ready for a big performance in his outdoor debut.



Women’s Invite 100m, Saturday 4:46pm CT
Who’s Who: Kim Duncan, Tania Gaither, English Gardner, Muna Lee, Jenna Prandini, Jasmine Todd, Ky Westbrook
The Verdict: Jenna Prandini. It was here at Mt. SAC where Prandini recorded her PB of 11.11. Sure she’s going against former Duck teammate English Gardner, but Gardner’s 2014 best of 11.01 didn’t look like her 2013 self, where she won the NCAA and USATF titles and finished fourth at the World Championships. It will be interesting to see how Jasmine Todd, one of the fastest 60m ladies in the NCAA, does in this field. And when you add USC frosh Ky Westbrook and 3x NCAA 200m champion Kim Duncan, this field is about to be fast.

Men’s Invite 800m, 4:56pm CT
Who’s Who: Joe Abbott, Brandon Johnson, Edward Kemboi, Collins Kibet, Brandon McBride, Clayton Murphy, Patrick Rono, Eliud Rutto
The Verdict: Brandon McBride. McBride fell short of winning his third-consecutive NCAA 800m title in March, but don’t rule him out quite yet. Yes Edward Kemboi is coming off of an impressive indoor season, but McBride is in a position to make the Canadian squad at the World Championships this August, so perhaps his training wasn’t suited to run as fast in indoor. Outdoor is a different animal. He ran 46.61 in the 400m at the Florida Relays, a stark contrast to Kemboi’s 47.94 in Tempe last weekend. Plus, it was McBride over Kemboi in this race last season. So why not again? Look out for Middle Tennessee State’s Eliud Rutto making his return to the NCAA scene. He won Payton Jordan last year in 1:45.37. 

Women’s Invite 800m, 5:04pm CT
Who’s Who: Savannah Camacho, Kaela Edwards, Geena Lara, Molly Ludlow, Brenda Martinez, Laura Roesler, Maggie Vessey
The Verdict: Maggie Vessey. She opened up with a 2:01.58 and looked good while doing it. Based on the fact that she’s got that 800m feeling in her legs already, she’s our pick. This race will be one of the highlights of the weekend, however. Laura Roesler was “unhappy” with her 2:03 from a few weeks ago, but weeks of training have surely made her prepared for this race. Brenda Martinez was sick at the Carlsbad 5000m, but we know her training is intense and she’s fit. Kaela Edwards was the NCAA runner-up indoors and has a dangerous closing kick. Heck, Geena (Gall) Lara made the Olympic team in 2012. This will be one race you do not want to miss.