Aaliyah Butler projects as one of 4 Georgia winners although in the 4×4 it’s Arkansas that is tabbed to pick up its sixth straight crown indoors and out. (ERROL ANDERSON/THE SPORTING IMAGE)
GIVEN THE DIFFERENCE in events contested, it’s not terribly surprising that sometimes the NCAA Indoor isn’t much of a predictor of what’s going to happen outdoors. This is one of those years.
Our crystal ball says that undercover winner Oregon will end up just =9th, while runner-up Georgia will blow the competition away with a winning score 25 points better than Arkansas.
Caryl Smith Gilbert’s powerhouse Bulldogs are predicted to have 10 scorers — including 4 winners — in 9 events.
Overall, 5 of last year’s No. 1s are currently favored to repeat: Juliette Whittaker (Stanford) 800, Doris Lemngole (Alabama) steeple, Arkansas 4×4, Elena Kulichenko (Georgia) HJ, Elísabet Rut Rúnarsdóttir (Texas State) hammer.
The 10-deep predictions for each event (‘ = athlete not eligible for U.S. international teams):
TOP 10 TEAMS
projected
indoor place
1. Georgia
76
2
2. Arkansas
51
=4
3. Florida
43
7
4. South Carolina
37
=18
5. USC
34
3
6. Stanford
31
13
7. Oklahoma
30
=4
8. LSU
29
=20
=9. Oregon
27
1
=9. Texas Tech
27
10
(complete team scores below event picks .)
100 METERS
1. Indya Mayberry
TCU
Fr
2. Brianna Lyston’
LSU
Jr
3. Kaila Jackson
Georgia
Jr
4. Dajaz Defrand
USC
Jr
5. Tima Godbless’
LSU
So
6. Leah Bertrand’
Ohio State
Sr
7. Samirah Moody
USC
Sr
8. Alexis Brown
Baylor
Sr
9. Joella Lloyd’
Florida State
Sr
10. Shenese Walker’
Florida State
Jr
200 METERS
1. JaMeesia Ford
South Carolina
So
2. Indya Mayberry
TCU
Fr
3. Madison Whyte
USC
So
4. Jayla Jamison
South Carolina
Sr
5. Jassani Carter
USC
Jr
6. Kaila Jackson
Georgia
Jr
7. Camryn Dickson
Texas A&M
Jr
8. Dajaz Defrand
USC
Jr
9. Tima Godbless’
LSU
So
10. Iyana Gray
TCU
Sr
400 METERS
1. Aaliyah Butler
Georgia
Jr
2. Kaylyn Brown
Arkansas
So
3. Rosey Effiong
Arkansas
Sr
4. Ella Onojuvwevwo’
LSU
Jr
5. Zaya Akins
South Carolina
So
6. Dejanea Oakley’
Georgia
Jr
7. Jermaisha Arnold
Texas A&M
Sr
8. Esther Joseph’
Tennessee
Fr
9. Vimbayi Maisvorewa’
Auburn
Sr
10. Yemi John’
USC
Jr
800 METERS
1. Juliette Whittaker
Stanford
Jr
2. Roisin Willis
Stanford
Jr
3. Michaela Rose
LSU
Sr
4. Makayla Paige
North Carolina
Jr
5. Victoria Bossong
Harvard
Sr
6. Sanu Jallow-Lockhart’
Arkansas
Jr
7. Hayley Kitching’
Penn State
Jr
8. Sophia Gorriaran
Harvard
So
9. Gladys Chepngetich’
Clemson
So
10. Lauren Tolbert
Duke
Jr
1500 METERS
1. Kimberley May’
Providence
Sr
2. Klaudia Kazimierska’
Oregon
Jr
3. Melissa Riggins
Georgetown
Sr
4. Wilma Nielsen’
Oregon
Sr
5. Shannon Flockhart’
Providence
Sr
6. Mena Scatchard’
Princeton
Sr
7. Şilan Ayyıldız’
Oregon
Jr
8. Maggi Congdon
Northern Arizona
Sr
9. Salma Elbadra’
South Carolina
So
10. Amina Maatoug’
Washington
Sr
STEEPLE
1. Doris Lemngole’
Alabama
So
2. Ceili McCabe’
West Virginia
Sr
3. Pamela Kosgei’
New Mexico
Fr
4. Leah Jeruto’
Oklahoma
Fr
5. Angelina Napoleon
NC State
So
6. Katelyn Stewart-Barnett
Michigan State
Sr
7. Karrie Baloga
Northern Arizona
So
8. Taylor Lovell
BYU
So
9. Zoie Dundon
Minnesota
So
10. Katie Clute
Oregon
So
5000 METERS
1. Lexy Halladay-Lowry
BYU
Sr
2. Hilda Olemomoi’
Florida
Sr
3. Margot Appleton
Virginia
Sr
4. Elise Stearns
Northern Arizona
Sr
5. Juliet Cherubet’
Oregon
So
6. Sophia Kennedy
Stanford
So
7. Amy Bunnage’
Stanford
So
8. Alex Millard’
Providence
Jr
9. Chloe Thomas’
UConn
Sr
10. Maddy Elmore
Oregon
Sr
10,000 METERS
1. Grace Hartman
NC State
Jr
2. Hilda Olemomoi’
Florida
Sr
3. Joy Naukot’
West Virginia
Fr
4. Patyn Noe
Arkansas
So
5. Chloe Scrimgeour
Georgetown
Sr
6. Jenna Hutchins
BYU
Jr
7. Monica Wanjiku’
Missouri
Fr
8. Edna Chelulei’
Eastern Kentucky
Fr
9. Sydney Thorvaldson
Arkansas
Sr
10. Florence Caron’
Penn State
Jr
100 HURDLES
1. Jaiya Covington
Texas A&M
Jr
2. Aaliyah McCormick
Oregon
Jr
3. Oneka Wilson’
Clemson
Jr
4. Micaela de Mello’
Washington State
Sr
5. Marissa Simpson’
UTEP
Sr
6. Habiba Harris’
Florida
Fr
7. Akala Garrett
Texas
So
8. Marcia Sey
Howard
Jr
9. Myreanna Bebe’
Tennessee
Sr
10. Layla Anderson
Tennessee
Sr
400 HURDLES
1. Savannah Sutherland’
Michigan
Sr
2. Rachel Glenn
Arkansas
Sr
3. Akala Garrett
Texas
So
4. Gabrielle Matthews’
Florida
Jr
5. Michelle Smith’
Georgia
Fr
6. Antonia Sánchez Núñez’
Arizona
Jr
7. Amelliah Birdow
TCU
So
8. Saira Prince
Arkansas
So
9. Ally Gomm
Duke
Sr
10. Chloe Fair
Harvard
Jr
4 x 100
1. South Carolina
South Carolina
2. Georgia
Georgia
3. USC
USC
4. LSU
LSU
5. TCU
TCU
6. Tennessee
Tennessee
7. Clemson
Clemson
8. Arkansas
Arkansas
9. Baylor
Baylor
10. Oregon
Oregon
4 x 400
1. Arkansas
Arkansas
2. Georgia
Georgia
3. South Carolina
South Carolina
4. USC
USC
5. Tennessee
Tennessee
6. Texas
Texas
7. Texas A&M
Texas A&M
8. Kentucky
Kentucky
9. UCLA
UCLA
10. Oregon
Oregon
HIGH JUMP
1. Elena Kulichenko’
Georgia
Sr
2. Temitope Adeshina’
Texas Tech
So
3. Rachel Glenn
Arkansas
Sr
4. Rose Yeboah’
Illinois
Sr
5. Jenna Rogers
Nebraska
Sr
6. Emma Gates
Arizona
Jr
7. Cheyla Scott
South Carolina
Jr
8. Kristi Perez-Snyman’
Missouri
Sr
9. Shari Enoe’
Kansas State
So
10. Alice Taylor’
Rice
So
POLE VAULT
1. Amanda Moll
Washington
So
2. Hana Moll
Washington
So
3. Chloe Timberg
Rutgers
Sr
4. Olivia Lueking
Oklahoma
Sr
5. Mason Meinershagen
Kansas
So
6. Julia Fixsen
Virginia Tech
Sr
7. Molly Haywood
Baylor
So
8. Tori Thomas
Illinois
Sr
9. Sydney Horn
High Point
Sr
10. Sarah Schmitt
Tennessee
Sr
LONG JUMP
1. Alexis Brown
Baylor
Sr
2. Alyssa Jones
Stanford
Jr
3. Anthaya Charlton’
Florida
Jr
4. Tacoria Humphrey
Illinois
Sr
5. Prestina Ochonogor’
Tarleton State
Fr
6. Funminiyi Olajide’
Arkansas
Sr
7. Ida Breigan’
UT San Antonio
So
8. Sophia Beckmon
Illinois
So
9. Emilia Sjöstrand’
San José State
Sr
10. Aaliyah Foster’
Texas
So
TRIPLE JUMP
1. Agur Dwol
Oklahoma
Jr
2. Tamiah Washington
Texas Tech
So
3. Shantae Foreman’
Clemson
Jr
4. Temitope Ojora’
USC
Sr
5. Emilia Sjöstrand’
San José State
Sr
6. Winny Bii’
Texas A&M
Jr
7. Darja Sopova’
Illinois
Sr
8. Eunice Ilunga Mbuyi’
Oklahoma
Sr
9. Asia Phillips’
Florida
Fr
10. Skylynn Townsend
Georgia
Fr
SHOT
1. KeAyla Dove
Houston
Sr
2. Mya Lesnar
Colorado State
Sr
3. Jayden Ulrich
Louisville
Sr
4. Alida van Daalen’
Florida
Jr
5. Nina Ndubuisi’
Texas
So
6. Gabby Morris
Colorado State
Sr
7. Abria Smith
Illinois
Sr
8. Kalynn Meyer
Nebraska
Sr
9. Akaoma Odeluga
Mississippi
So
10. Elizabeth Tapper
Michigan
So
DISCUS
1. Jayden Ulrich
Louisville
Sr
2. Alida van Daalen’
Florida
Jr
3. Shelby Frank
Texas Tech
Sr
4. Cierra Jackson
Fresno State
Sr
5. Caisa-Marie Lindfors’
Cal
Sr
6. Amanda Ngandu-Ntumba’
Cincinnati
Sr
7. Julia Tunks’
Arizona State
Fr
8. Milina Wepiwe’
Harvard
So
9. Abigail Martin’
Texas A&M
So
10. Siniru Iheoma
Princeton
Sr
HAMMER
1. Elísabet Rut Rúnarsdóttir’
Texas State
Jr
2. Stephanie Ratcliffe’
Georgia
Sr
3. Guðrún Hallgrímsdóttir’
Virginia Commonwealth
Sr
4. Shelby Frank
Texas Tech
Sr
5. Kate Powers
Kentucky
So
6. Emily Fink
Army
Sr
7. Paola Bueno’
Liberty
Jr
8. Michaelle Valentin’
Florida International
Sr
9. Emma Robbins
Oklahoma State
Sr
10. Marie Rougetet’
Mississippi State
Fr
JAVELIN
1. Lianna Davidson’
Georgia
Sr
2. Maddie Harris
Nebraska
Sr
3. Manuela Rotundo’
Georgia
Fr
4. McKyla Van Der Westhuizen’
Rice
Jr
5. Elizabeth Korczak’
Iowa
Jr
6. Jana van Schalkwyk’
UCLA
Sr
7. Irene Jepkemboi’
TCU
So
8. Trinity Spooner
LSU
So
9. Deisiane Teixeira’
Miami
Sr
10. Enikő Sára
Nebraska
Sr
HEPTATHLON
1. Jadin O’Brien
Notre Dame
Sr
2. Pippi Lotta Enok’
Oklahoma
Jr
3. Sofia Yakushina’
Texas A&M
Fr
4. Kristīne Blaževiča’
Illinois
Sr
5. Pauline Bikembo’
Iowa
Fr
6. Lucie Kienast’
Illinois
Fr
7. Katelyn Adel’
Alabama
Fr
8. Angel Richmore’
Oklahoma
Sr
9. Annika Williams
Oregon
Sr
10. Sofia Cosculluela’
Washington
Fr
COMPLETE TEAM SCORES
1. Georgia
76
2. Arkansas
51
3. Florida
43
4. South Carolina
37
5. USC
34
6. Stanford
31
7. Oklahoma
30
8. LSU
29
=9. Oregon
27
=9. Texas Tech
27
11. TCU
26
12. Texas A&M
25
13. Illinois
24
14. Washington
18
15. Louisville
16
=16. Providence
15
=16. Texas
15
=18. BYU
14
=18. Clemson
14
=18. NC State
14
=18. West Virginia
14
=22. Baylor
13
=22. Nebraska
13
24. Alabama
12
25. Colorado State
11
=26. Georgetown
10
=26. Houston
10
=26. Michigan
10
=26. Notre Dame
10
=26. Texas State
10
=31. Iowa
8
=31. Northern Arizona
8
=31. Tennessee
8
=34. Arizona
6
=34. Harvard
6
=34. New Mexico
6
=34. Rutgers
6
=34. Virginia
6
=34. Virginia Commonwealth
6
=40. Fresno State
5
=40. Kentucky
5
=40. North Carolina
5
=40. Rice
5
=40. Washington State
5
=45. Cal
4
=45. Kansas
4
=45. San José State
4
=45. Tarleton State
4
=45. UTEP
4
=50. Army
3
=50. Cincinnati
3
=50. Michigan State
3
=50. Missouri
3
=50. Ohio State
3
=50. Princeton
3
=50. UCLA
3
=50. Virginia Tech
3
=58. Arizona State
2
=58. Liberty
2
=58. Penn State
2
=58. UT San Antonio
2
=62. Eastern Kentucky
1
=62. Florida International
1
=62. Howard
1
About the author: we’re never quite sure where reclusive Special Projects Editor Roy Conrad will show up next, although he is halfway to retirement at this point.