Official NCAA Prediction Thread!

I updated the TFN Men's competition prediction charts based on Day 1 actuals.

TFN original top 10 team predictions:
1. Arkansas 45
2. Alabama 40
3. Texas A&M 36
4. Auburn 33
=5. Houston 32
=5. Texas Tech 32
7. Florida 31
8. Georgia 27
=9. LSU 25
=9. USC 25

Revised top 10 based on Day 1 actuals:

=1. Alabama 41 (picked up +1 in 10k final)
=1. Auburn 41 (picked up potential scorers in 100m, better in 4x1 than predicted, helped by other teams not advancing qualifiers)
3. Florida 39 (helped by other teams not advancing qualifiers)
4. USC 35 (picked up +6 in LJ, helped by other teams not advancing qualifiers in sprints, relays)
5. Arkansas 33 (-6 in LJ, lost -1 in 10k, no scorers in 400 or 110H)
6. Houston 32.5
7. Texas A&M 29
8. Washington 27.2 (picked up +4.2 points in PV, javelin)
9. Texas Tech 27
10. Georgia 24

Looks to be about 80F tonight when the 10,000 starts. Advantage Valby/Hilda vs the rest of the field I would think.

Yeah, I know what you mean about the stutter-stepping. I’ll never forget Dwight Stones tirelessly hammering home this same point throughout the 2023 steeple Final last year. I’ve watched both of Markezich’s 3000SC races this season and would say that her hurdling technique, while still not great, has improved. Also, note that 1) she dropped a sub-9:20 last summer when her stutter-stepping was more pronounced than it is now 2) Markezich has often delivered her sharpest, most competitive and most tenacious performances in championship races.

As for the FL women, Thorner running 9:1X would surprise me and I don’t see Asekol placing top five in Sat’s 5k, but I’ve failed to anticipate many championship results before (DeLay’s 9:25 in 2022, for instance). It’s always thrilling to witness an athlete bring it large when it counts the most.

For starting out as just a walk-on at ND, Markezich has had a great progression.

As an aside, partially due to the recent injuries to Coburn and Frerichs, I was closely analyzing the technique of the top African women steeple-jumpers on the Pre Classic broadcast, before Kara mentioned it. It is an interesting study in contrast to the Americans, particularly going over the water-jump, with some slight differences between the top two finishers at Pre. I wonder if some future top Americans in the event will pursue their technique, primarily for injury prevention, but maybe there actually can be some slight energy conservation gains, as well.

With Jepkirui's DNS in the heats and Flockhart closing in 61, I'm going with

W 1500
1. Ramsden
2. Flockhart
3. Kazimierska/Asekol

Care to revise yr 800 pics w/ Chepngetich out?

tough call between Whitaker and Willis, and right now hard for me to picture both of them and Rose and Galvydate all not being top 3! But I will sub in Willis for 2nd.

I still think Ramsden takes this. But, could Bush podium? She came in like a freight train in the prelims.

Bush is running well. I liked the way she raced the semi, putting herself and keeping herself in top 5 the whole way. But I think Ramsden, May, Flockhart, Asekol and maybe Kazmierska will beat her to the line. Of course, some of them may try to go with Ramsden and maybe fade on last lap.

thought I had the 3000s perfect until Greta got passed at the very end.......

well 3 were in the top 3, but not one names Rose