Matchups To Watch: 2016 Collegians At U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field

NEW ORLEANS — The Road to Rio begins in Eugene, Oregon.

That’s where U.S. Olympic Team hopefuls will converge on Hayward Field for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field from July 1 through July 10 (There is a rest day on July 5).

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Hundreds of collegians are scheduled to compete for the right to represent the United States of America at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Many of them will go head to head in an attempt to not only land one of the top-3 spots but to capture the Olympic standard.

Here are several events/matchups to watch as the action gets underway in The Beaver State.

You can click here if you’re looking for a complete list of 2016 collegians slated for action.

Men’s 800

There was a time, before declarations were made for the postseason, where fans salivated at the thought of the NCAA Division I 800-Meter Final. Names like Donavan Brazier, Brannon Kidder, Brandon McBride, Clayton Murphy and Shaquille Walker highlighted the conversation.

When Kidder and Murphy opted for the 1500 instead, it dimished the 800 to a degree. But the half-mile race still had Brazier, McBride, Walker and a host of other talented athletes ready to shine.

And boy, did they ever.

Once the dust settled in Eugene, Brazier broke Jim Ryun’s 50-year-old collegiate record as he crossed the finish line in 1:43.55 and McBride ran the third fastest time in collegiate history (1:44.50).

We wondered if Brazier could have gone faster if Kidder and Murphy were in the race — or if Murphy could have beat Brazier. Murphy ended up winning the 1500-meter title, mind you.

Well, we’re going to find out starting Friday when Brazier and Murphy are both in the fourth prelim heat. Kidder is with DII runner-up Abraham Alvarado in Heat 1, while Walker is joined by three other collegians in Heat 3 (Craig Engels, Isaiah Harris, Christian Sanders).

The top three finishers in each heat move to Saturday’s semifinals, as do the next three fastest times.

It’s survive and advance at this stage, so we won’t see them go all out tomorrow or Saturday, but if they move their way through the landmines and into Monday’s final, watch out!

Men’s High Jump

Throughout the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons, we saw the collegiate lead in the high jump traded between a handful of men — Bradley Adkins, Trey Culver, Avion Jones, Trey McRae and DII’s Jeron Robinson. We wondered what it would be like if they all squared off against each other and saw a preview of that at the Texas Relays, won by Robinson.

Starting next Friday, all of them will be in contention for three spots on the U.S. Olympic Team. Don’t forget about NCAA DI champ Randall Cunningham II either.

Adkins, Jones and Robinson all competed last year at the 2015 USATF Outdoor Championships and the last laugh was had by Robinson. The DII athlete finished fourth, one place from making it to Beijing.

Based off the seeded marks, Jones and Robinson are the favorites to end up in Rio as they’re tied for second at 2.31 meters. Adkins is two centimeters behind at 2.29m, followed by Culver and Cunningham at 2.26m and McRae further behind at 2.25m.

Don’t be surprised if one or more collegians from 2016 make the team.

Women’s Javelin

Less than three weeks ago, we saw the greatest javelin throw competition in collegiate history.

Hannah Carson and Maggie Malone pushed each other to new lengths as they combined for six throws of more than 60 meters. Malone ended up with four by herself, including the collegiate record of 62.19m (204-0) and walked out of Hayward Field as the NCAA champion.

Now what do Carson and Malone have up their sleeves as an encore with Olympic bids on the line?

Carson must hope Malone brings the best out of her again as the Texas Tech product doesn’t have the Olympic standard of 62.00m yet. If Carson finishes in the top-3 and doesn’t hit the standard, she doesn’t go.

Competition in the javelin throw begins Thursday, July 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET and concludes on Saturday, July 9 at 7 p.m. ET with the final.

Other Matchups To Watch

Women’s Discus Throw — NCAA DI champ Kelsey Card versus two-time NCAA champ Shelbi Vaughan versus the underrated Hannah Carson? Yes, please. Card’s series at NCAAs was incredible (60.11m, 62.12m, 63.41m, 63.52m, 63.42m) and Vaughan has something to prove after finishing sixth.

Men’s Shot Put — Flight 2 of Friday’s qualifying rounds pits co-indoor collegiate record holders against each other as Ryan Crouser faces Ryan Whiting, with the most dominant thrower in DII history (Garrett Appier) mixed in for good measure. If they all make the final later in the afternoon, it could be special.

Women’s 200 — The final spot on Team USA could come down to 2015 Bowerman Award winner Jenna Prandini, the Oregon duo of Ariana Washington and Deajah Stevens or Tennessee’s Felicia Brown. All are in the 22.20-22.26 range, so anything can happen between Friday, July 8 and Sunday, July 10.

Men’s Discus Throw — Can Sam Mattis find his early-season magic? Or could a guy like Brian Williams of Iowa Central CC sneak up into the top-3? We’ll find out between Thursday, July 7 and Friday, July 8.