Yesterday, Lincoln previewed the men’s track races for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Today, I’ll look at the women’s side. 

Women’s 60m

Top seed: Julien Alfred, Texas (7.12)

Top returner: Twanisha Terry, USC

Big question: Can Terry defend her title and ignite a USC team championship?

Alfred is undefeated against collegians in the 60m this year, including a win over Terry in Albuquerque earlier in the season. But Terry is a big meet performer. She’s the defending champion and has plenty of experience in these settings. 

Cambrea Sturgis of North Carolina A&T ran a 7.15 season opener, which stood as her fastest time of the year. She lost to Kiara Grant at the MEAC Championships. Both women should make the finals this weekend and can run right with Alfred and Terry. And in a race with no clear favorite, Florida State’s Ka-Tia Seymour and SMU’s Chelsea Francis shouldn’t be discounted.  

Women’s 200m

Top seed: Abby Steiner, Kentucky (22.57)

Top returner: Tamara Clark, Alabama 

Big question: Is this a three-woman race between Steiner, Clark and Battle?

With USC’s Angie Annelus redshirting, this event was left wide open. Steiner won the SEC Championships and has the fastest time on the year--two things that should make her the favorite. Alabama’s Clark beat her earlier this year before Steiner returned the favor in College Station two weeks ago. 

Then there’s Ohio State’s Anavia Battle. She won against a good field at the Tiger Paw Invitational and swept the sprints at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. LSU’s Thelma Davies is having a terrific freshman year, and, along with her teammate Symone Mason, will make sure the Tigers are well represented in this event.  

Women’s 400m

Top seed: Bailey Lear, USC (51.60)

Top returner: Kaelin Roberts, USC

Big question: Will USC repeat their 2019 performance and score big points?

USC needs this event to buoy its team hopes. Last year, they went 1-3 with Kaelin Roberts and Kyre Constantine. Those two women are back again this year, but neither is the top seed. That distinction belongs to Lear, who ran that NCAA-leading mark at the MPSF Championships. This has been a weird year in the 400m with many of the top names not qualifying for the meet. Alexis Holmes of Kentucky has the capability of winning and proved as much when she won SECs. Ditto for Big 12 champion, Kennedy Simon of Texas. 

Florida’s Doneisha Anderson wasn’t able to beat Holmes at SECs, but she did beat Constantine, Simon and Lear at the Tiger Paw Invitational in February. 

Women’s 800m

Top seed: Nia Akins, Penn (2:00.71)

Top returner: Nia Akins

Big question: Can Dani Jones upset Nia Akins and win an improbable title?

There are really two questions in this event: Can Jones’ range extend all the way down to 800m? And, can Akins win her first NCAA title? 

After finishing second last year indoors and outdoors, Akins is the favorite. When the NCAA season concluded, she made the final at USAs. This winter, she ran 2:00.71, the second-fastest time in NCAA history. Everything is pointing in the direction of an Akins win. 

But since Dani Jones is Dani Jones, you have to at least give her a kicker’s chance. Jones qualified for the meet in four events. That’s a great way to quantify her range. But it hasn’t been confined to this season. If Jones wins the mile, where she is the heavy favorite, she will start this race on Saturday with NCAA titles in the mile, 3000m, 5000m, cross country and the distance medley relay.  It won’t be easy, of course. She’s entered with a 2:04.38, well back of Akins. In any year this double is a challenge, it’s made particularly difficult by Akins. 

It’s not just a two-woman race. Washington freshman Carley Thomas is fast and has big race experience from her time competing for Australia at last year’s World Championships. Thomas ran 2:02.75 at the BU Last Chance meet two weeks ago. Earlier in the season, Thomas beat Akins at the Dr. Sander Invitational. 

Women’s Mile

Top seed: Dani Jones, Colorado (4:27.88)

Top returner: Carina Viljoen, Arkansas

Big question: Will anyone be able to challenge Dani Jones?

This should be a runaway for Jones. Her 4:27.88 is five seconds better than anyone else on the start list and she’s shown the ability to adapt to any kind of race. Danae Rivers of Penn State, last year’s 800m champion, is the next closest and looks like the best chance for an upset. Viljoen is the eighth seed, but her experience could put her to the front of the pack that is chasing Jones. Stanford’s Julia Heymach has a strong indoor season and comes in with a seed time of 4:33.37.

Also of note, this event will only feature 14 athletes after Harvard withdrew Abbe Goldstein and Anna Juul on Wednesday. 

Women’s 3000m

Top seed: Whittni Orton, BYU (8:49.63)

Top returner: Weini Kelati, New Mexico

Big question: Which member of the big five prevails? 

Like the men’s 3000m, this race will be deep with big names. Orton’s 8:49.63 might have been her best performance in a season that has been filled with fast times. The 3000m is always hard to predict with athletes finishing off a grueling couple of days, but she’s run well enough to put herself at the top of the list. Alicia Monson, last year’s 5000m champion from Wisconsin, will be running this race fresh. She hasn’t a wow performance this year, but she’s been solid and has always been able to close races well. 

Weini Kelati could enter this race attempting to close out a distance double. She will benefit from the Albuquerque altitude (as will Orton) and needs a quick pace to thin out the field. Ella Donaghu of Stanford had a great end to her cross country season and has been clicking off fast times this winter. Donaghu, Kelati and Arkansas’ Katie Izzo might find common cause in a fast pace. 

Women’s 5000m

Top seed: Katie Izzo, Arkansas (15:13.09)

Top returner: Weini Kelati, New Mexico

Big question: Can Kelati defend her home track and win her third individual title?

Kelati doesn’t have the fastest time, but the home altitude advantage makes her the favorite. She was over a second behind Katie Izzo when the two ran their qualifying times at BU in December. Izzo was spectacular on that day--moving to second on the NCAA all-time list and beating everyone in the loaded field except her redshirting teammate Taylor Werner. 

Dani Jones and Whittni Orton both scratched this race, meaning that nobody has run within 10 seconds of Kelati and Izzo. So even though their BU meeting feels like a different season ago, it might be the model for what we see on Friday. The next group features Bethany Hasz of Minnesota, Carmela Cardama Baez of Oregon and Colorado’s Makena Morely, who all have entry times of 15:25 and 15:26.

Women’s 60m Hurdles

Top seed: Tonea Marshall, LSU (7.88)

Top returner: Naomi Taylor, Houston

Big question: Can Tonea Marshall cap off her great season with a win?

Marshall moved into the role of favorite toward the beginning and never relinquished that spot. She’s been solid all season, and with the absence of USC’s Chanel Brissett, her chances at the title have increased. 

Three other women went under eight seconds this year and will be there if Marshall slips up-- Grace Stark of Florida, Alia Armstrong of LSU and Tiara McMinn of Miami. USC still managed to qualify two women in Anna Cockrell and Mecca McGlaston. Cockrell, the 400m hurdle champion outdoors, is incredibly experienced in these championships and always finds a way to make an impact. 

Women’s 4x400m Relay

Top seed: Alabama (3:29.36)

Top returner: South Carolina

Big question: Will it come down to the 4x4 for USC again? 

Here’s a recent history of USC’s women’s 4x400m:

-2018 outdoor, Kendall Ellis’ miraculous come from behind win clinches the meet for the Trojans.

-2019 outdoor, a dropped baton on the third leg puts USC out of the race and ruins their chances at a team title. 

In short, as the 4x400m goes, so go the Trojans. They should be strong in this event again. There are no weak legs on a team with Lear, Roberts, Constantine and Cockrell. But there are four other teams with season bests of 3:29 or 3:30 (Alabama, Kentucky, UCLA and Texas A&M). Texas A&M is especially important because they are projected to be the closest rival to USC in the team score. If the team race is going to be decided in the final event, it’s going to involve Texas A&M and USC. A Kentucky team with Alexis Holmes and Chloe Abbott has the potential of running under 3:29 as well.  

Women’s Distance Medley Relay

Top seed: BYU (10:53.95)

Top returner: Oregon

Big question: Can BYU get over the hump?

So much of the DMR hinges on who runs. And who runs which leg. If Dani Jones decides she wants to do a triple, then Colorado is certainly a factor. If she doesn’t, I think we are looking at a big four of BYU, Stanford, Arkansas and Washington. 

Based on the strength of the milers, you could probably narrow that down a bit further to just BYU and Stanford. Both have the potent anchor (Orton/Donaghu) and the mid-distance depth to outlast the other teams. However, there’s also strategy to consider and if the race bunches up before the mile, it becomes much harder to sort out.