Men’s 5,000m (Friday, 6:30pm)

Oregon’s Edward Cheserek and Eric Jenkins stand head and shoulders above the rest of the competition, and their tendency to work together throughout the race should make this one a fight till the bitter end. Jenkins kicked his way to his first NCAA title this past March in the indoor 5K, but that was without Cheserek in the race. However, Jenkins legitimized that victory by taking down his teammate a day later in the 3K, even if King Ches apparently let him win. The pair each have 13:18 PBs which are best in the field. 

 

The one glimmer of hope for contenders like Oklahoma State’s Kirubel Erassa and Arkansas’ Kemoy Campbell is that Jenkins and Cheserek will be coming off the 10K on Wednesday night. Lets not kid ourselves, though, that’s plenty of rest for the Duck duo, especially in a race that will probably be very tactical. Campbell and Erassa will be the toughest challengers, however, as the Razorback was the runner-up to Jenkins indoors and owns the top time in the NCAA of 2015 (13:20.39). Erassa has been impressive over a range of distances in 2015, running a 3:39 1500 at Payton Jordan, and sweeping 5K/10K at Big 12’s. These two can certainly stick with a fast early pace should it come to that, but the real question is can they hang over the last lap in a tactical race?

 

With no Lawi Lalang to push the pace, this race is going to come down to the final 400 meters, and that’s exactly what the doctor ordered for Cheserek and Jenkins. Big points are coming for Oregon in this race, and they may not be concerned as much with who’s name comes first on the results page. Cheserek then Jenkins or Jenkins then Cheserek is not as important for these two as securing a second straight NCAA team title. 

Emily Sisson is just too strong to be beat in the women's 5,000m

Women’s 5,000m (Saturday, 4:00pm) 

NCAA indoor 5K champion Emily Sisson should have a much tougher challenge than she faced back in March when she easily pulled away from a weak field to win by more than eight seconds. Even with the addition of studs Dominique Scott, Kate Avery, and Jessica Tonn, however, the Providence senior’s 15:12 indoor collegiate record from February shows that Sisson can overpower the field if she wants to make it an honest race from the gun. 

 

Arkansas’ Scott is the lone athlete among this small group of favorites that will run the 10K on Thursday night, which will take a big bite out of her speed. Scott did win the indoor 3K and anchored the Razorbacks to the DMR title, so even with the added fatigue, she will still be a threat to Sisson. 

Iona's Avery was the NCAA XC champ back in November, and ran the second fastest 5K in the NCAA in 2015 with her 15:25 from the Stanford Invite. Working against her, however, is the knowledge that Sisson has already beat her this season in the Payton Jordan 10K. 

 

The fastest woman in the NCAA in 2015 is Stanford’s Jessica Tonn, who somewhat quietly ran a 14-second PB of 15:18 in the Payton Jordan 5K. Tonn enters uncharted territory as an NCAA favorite, having never finished higher than 5th in an individual championship race. 

 

Sisson will have to work a lot harder for her second NCAA title than she did for her first, but the result will be the same. Her 31:38 10K proves that her strength is right on point to wear down anyone willing to go with the fast pace she’s sure to set.