These NCAA DI Contenders Need To Solidify Their Spot

NEW ORLEANS — With three weeks to go until the 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships, many tickets are already punched.

But what about those athletes right on the cusp? Especially those who finished highly last year and expected to make another impact this year?

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One of those athletes is 2016 men’s mile champ Henry Wynne. If NCAAs started today, the Virginia standout would be on the outside looking in.

Wynne is currently 31st on the NCAA DI Descending Order List when it comes to the mile with his time of 4:00.80. Oregon’s Tim Gorman sits 16th overall at 3:58.78. A few weeks ago Wynne had a great shot at moving up the leaderboard when he competed at the NYRR Millrose Games, but only managed a time of 4:11.95 in the Wanamaker Mile. We’ve seen some incredible performances in the past at the ACC Championships in the mile, so it would be foolish to rule Wynne – or any other top contender from the ACC – out.

Sean Collins and Nathan Strother are two other men in a precarious position.

Collins finished 2nd in the pole vault at NCAAs last year. This year could be a different story for the sophomore from South Alabama. Collins is currently ranked in a tie for 41st on the NCAA DI Descending Order List with a clearance of 5.20m (17-0¾). To make it to NCAAs this year, Collins must work his way up to 5.42m (17-9¼). Collins has an indoor PR of 5.45m, so he’s tapped that well before – but he must do so again to avoid missing his second NCAA final in a row.

Strother, like Collins, was 2nd in his signature event, which happens to be the 400. This year Strother is right on the cusp of a trip to NCAAs as he’s 16th on the Descending Order List with his time of 46.46. Strother might not want to look behind him as two 400-meter heavyweights are on his tail – LSU’s Lamar Bruton (t-24th, 46.69) and Baylor’s Wil London (26th, 46.74). Strother’s best shot at solidifying his qualifying mark comes next week at the SEC Championships, where he’ll compete against seven of the top-16 quarter milers this season.

Three women will need to have strong finishes at their respective conference championships in order for them to secure a return trip to NCAAs.

Notre Dame’s Molly Seidel took home the 3000 and 5000 titles with ease last year – as she cruised solo to first in both events – but is off the board in both so far. Seidel was entered to run in the 3000 at the NYRR Millrose Games, but she didn’t compete. We have seen Seidel on the track this season – in the mile at the Notre Dame Invitational – and she won by nearly four seconds.

With the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships at Notre Dame for the first time in program history, look for Seidel to treat the home fans to a show in both events.

Without question, Michigan’s Erin Finn is going to be competing at NCAAs. The question is: How many events?

The runner-up to Seidel in both the 3000 and 5000 a year ago currently holds the top mark in DI in the 5000 at 15:34.36, is 15th in the 3000 (9:07.24) and 16th in the mile (4:37.02). If NCAAs started tomorrow, she’d have a chance to pull off an incredible triple. If history shows us anything, look for Finn to concentrate on that 3000-5000 double at NCAAs. Finn will most likely do the 3000-5000 double at the Big Ten Championships, like she did in 2014 and 2016, in order to bolster her seeds in both events come March 10-11.

Lastly, most would have definitely penciled in Winthrop’s Marthaline Cooper for a trip to the podium in the weight throw this year after finishing 6th behind four seniors and top returner Dolly Nyemah of Louisville a season ago. However, the landscape in the weight throw has shifted dramatically.

While Nyemah sits fifth in the Descending Order lists after stellar seasons from Cincinnati’s Anette Echikunwoke, Georgia State’s LaPorscha Wells, Ole Miss’ Janeah Stewart and Georgia’s Shelby Ashe, Cooper is literally on the cusp of even qualifying for NCAAs, as the senior from Providence, Rhode Island, owns a top-mark of 20.34m (66-8¾) on the season that puts her at 16th nationally. Her mark is a good 1.59m short of her personal best set last season. With Purdue sophomore Sarah Loesch right on her heels at 20.27m (66-6), Cooper’s season could come to a surprising end at the Big South Conference Championship next weekend.