Five Events To Watch At The 2019 Stanford Invitational
Five Events To Watch At The 2019 Stanford Invitational
NCAA distance stars debut, Molly Huddle & Emily Sisson will tune-up for London & appearances from gold medalists Brianna Rollins-McNeal & Dalilah Muhammad.
The 2019 outdoor season will officially get underway this weekend as several of the brightest NCAA distance stars will debut at the Stanford Invitational this Friday and Saturday Live on FloTrack. Olympic hurdle champions Brianna Rollins-McNeal and Dalilah Muhammad will also compete in Palo Alto, making for a star-studded two-day event that is sure to pack plenty of surprises.
Watch the 2019 Stanford Invitational on Friday and Saturday
Below, I’ve highlighted the top five events to watch at the 2019 Stanford Invitational:
Women’s 10,000m
Who: Molly Huddle, Emily Sisson, Ednah Kurgat, Kim Conley, Caroline Kurgat, Alicia Monson
When: 9:07pm PT Friday
10,000m American record holder Molly Huddle (30:13) and her training partner Emily Sisson will use the Stanford 10k to tune-up for the 2019 London Marathon on April 28. Both women have shown excellent fitness of late, with the 34-year-old Huddle taking second at the U.S. Cross Country Championships on Feb. 2 and the 27-year-old Sisson running 67:30 at the Houston Half to miss Huddle’s American record by only five seconds on Jan. 20.
Huddle should win with Sisson not far behind, but as is always the case in the Stanford 10k, there will be interesting sub-plots:
- Olympian Kim Conley will race her first 10,000m in nearly two years.
- A Kurgat vs. Kurgat showdown spanning two NCAA divisions will go down as New Mexico All-American Ednah Kurgat (32:31 PB) battles DII star Caroline Kurgat of Alaska-Anchorage (32:33 PB). No matter what comes of that match up, Caroline is likely to break the 32:28.57 DII mark that has stood since 1988.
- Wisconsin's NCAA champ Alicia Monson will make her 10k debut. Monson isn't expected to go all out, choosing instead to simply secure a NCAA prelim qualifier, but it will still be interesting to see how she fares over 25 laps.
Men’s 10,000m
Who: Tyler Day, Gilbert Kigen, Alfred Chelanga, Clayton Young, Conner Mantz
When: 9:45pm PT Friday
28:04 man Tyler Day of Northern Arizona has the fastest PB in this race, but he'll face plenty of heat from guys like BYU’s Clayton Young (13:34 5k PB), Gilbert Kigen of Alabama (28:27) and a bevy of Japanese athletes including 62-minute half marathoner Jun Nobuto. With so many guys seemingly on the precipice of 28 minutes, this race looks capable of dipping under the barrier.
Kigen’s teammate Alfred Chelanga (28:04 PB) is another contender on paper, although he has not raced since last November’s NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Women’s 5,000m
Who: Jessica Hull, Allie Ostrander, Yuna Wada, Erica Birk, Clare O'Brien
When: 8:32pm PT Friday
NCAA 1,500m/3k champion Jessica Hull of Oregon will run her first "real" 5,000m race since evolving into a collegiate star, and she's likely to chop off more than a minute from her 16:29 PB. Hull's excellent kick is well-established at this point, and her finishing speed makes her the favorite this weekend despite her inexperience at the distance. Victory won't be easy, however; Boise State's Allie Ostrander owns a 15:16 indoor PB from last December in Boston, while 19-year-old Yuna Wada from Japan-- fourth at last summer's World U20 Championships in the 3k-- lurks as a wildcard.
Like Hull, BYU's Erica Birk is likely to cut more than a minute off her PB. The All-American has only run one 5k in her career, a 17:05 from back in 2016.
Men’s 5,000m
Who: Connor McMillan, Kyle Mau, Zach Long, Brodey Hasty (B Heat)
When: 8:51pm PT Friday
BYU’s 13:38 man Connor McMillan, defending champion Zach Long of Tennessee and Indiana’s 3:57 miler Kyle Mau are the top NCAA entrants in the always-entertaining Stanford men’s 5k.
Another storyline to follow will be the outdoor debut for high school phenom and current NAU freshman Brodey Hasty, who will run in the 'B' section. The 4:00 miler's progression has been a little slower than anticipated this season, but I’m still very curious what the 19-year-old can come up with in Palo Alto.
Women’s 200m
Who: Brianna Rollins-McNeal, Dalilah Muhammad, Kristi Castlin
When: 3:17pm PT Saturday
2016 Olympic gold medalists Brianna Rollins-McNeal (100m hurdles) and Dalilah Muhammad (400m hurdles) will begin the long drive to the World Championships by making their 2019 debuts at Stanford. Rollins-McNeal will double in the 100m and 200m, while Muhammad will compete in the 200m and 400m.
Another 100m hurdles Olympic medalist, Kristi Castlin, will join Rollins-McNeal in the 100m and 200m.
Rollins-McNeal has the advantage in the 200m as the only one of the three with a sub-23 200m PB (22.94).