Preview: Women's T&F Has Eyes on C-USA Indoor Title

HOUSTON - "The entire team is involved in this one."

So says Rice women's track & field head coach Jim Bevan, a veteran of plenty of conference championship battles, who knows that it'll take nearly every athlete excelling over this weekend to earn a C-USA Indoor title in Birmingham. And he said just as much when discussing the Owls' chances at bringing home the crown.

"Conference championship meets are exciting in that it can boil down to the little things and a point here or there," Bevan said.

And this year's women's team has that opportunity, with a deep squad that could score in 16 of the 17 events at this weekend's meet held at the Crossplex in Birmingham, Alabama.

For those wishing to follow the minute-by-minute action online, Saturday kicks off with the first day of the pentathlon at 9 a.m. and concludes with the distance medley relay, scheduled for 8:20 p.m. The action returns on Sunday with the high jump starting at 11 a.m., while the 4x400 relay is the final event on the track – set to go off at 3:40 p.m.

"This is one of our better teams, from a historical standpoint, and we have been pointing to this meet since the start of the season," said Bevan. "We have three young ladies that have been champions: Michelle Fokam, Hannah Jackson and Erna Gunnarsdottir. We also have two freshmen that have great season seeds in their events in Tara Simpson-Sullivan and Grace Forbes. We have a well-rounded team, with entries in all but one event."

Here's an event-by-event look at the 2020 C-USA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships.

SPRINTS/HURDLES
60 meters
Prelims: Saturday – 4:35 p.m.
Finals: Sunday – 1:30 p.m.
C-USA leader: Tracey Manigault (Charlotte), 7.47
Rice preview: With a seasonal best of 7.58, senior Hannah Jackson will toe the line in Saturday's prelims as the sixth seed. But her lifetime best of 7.43 tells everyone else on the track that she'll be a force to be reckoned with. Freshman Justice Coutee-McCullum has one 60 under her belt as a collegian, a 7.92 mark back in January. She'll need to slice a few tenths from her all-time best of 7.81, set during her prep career, to make the finals.

200 meters
Prelims: Saturday – 7:00 p.m.
Finals: Sunday – 2:40 p.m.
C-USA leader: Aneesa Scott (UNT), 23.64
Rice preview: Jackson is the lone entrant for the Owls in the 200, and while they might lack in quantity, they counter with one of the conference's top sprinters. The 2018 C-USA indoor champ in this event followed that up with wins over 100 and 200 meters outdoors in 2019. She definitely knows what it will take to break the tape and expect a strong showing here.

400 meters
Prelims: Saturday – 5:15 p.m.
Finals: Sunday – 1:45 p.m.
C-USA leader: Aneesa Scott (UNT), 53.97
Rice preview: In the one discipline where the Owls have no one entered, they will hope that their major rivals don't rack up big points in an event that they are not challenging.

60 Hurdles
Prelims: Saturday – 4:35 p.m.
Finals: Sunday – 1:30 p.m.
C-USA leader: Maribel Caicedo (UTEP), 8.34
Rice preview: As Coach Bevan noted, championships sometimes come down to a point here or there. Coutee-McCallum's 8.75 clocking from the Howie Ryan Invitational last week seeds her ninth and out of the points. But she's only one-tenth of a second out of third so opportunity is there to get a much-needed boost.

MIDDLE-DISTANCE
800 meters
Prelims: Saturday – 6:30 p.m.
Finals: Sunday – 2:20 p.m.
C-USA leader: Carolyne Chepkosgei (UTEP), 2:07.16
Rice preview: The trio of freshman Taigen Hunter-Galvan along with seniors Nicole Mitchell and Hannah Bablak all have run in the 2:16-2:17 range in the last couple of weeks. Slicing a few more seconds off those times this weekend should put them in point-scoring positions.

MILE
Prelims: Saturday – 4:00 p.m.
Finals: Sunday – 1:00 p.m.
C-USA leader: Grace Forbes (Rice), 4:40.69
Rice preview: Undefeated in three individual races undercover this spring, Forbes enters the conference meet as a solid favorite for gold, not just in the mile but also in the 3000. Her best time this season is nearly five seconds clear of the No. 2 runner (whom she defeated when running that time). Sophomore's Alyssa Balandran and Ashley Messineo will arrive in Birmingham with lifetime bests just over 5:00, so their goal will be to earn a spot in the finals to pick up additional points.

DISTANCE
3000 meters
Prelims: none
Finals: Sunday – 2:50 p.m.
C-USA leader: Grace Forbes (Rice), 9:13.64
Rice preview: Based on the form chart, Forbes appears to be an even bigger favorite in this event, having left the rest of the competitors by 15 seconds. But the final distance race of the weekend often tends to lend drama to the action, as the top runners are often doubling (and sometimes tripling) back from other events. Forbes' chances here are dramatically improved if she can handle the rest of her weekend workload successfully. Junior Khayla Patel, seeded eighth – but only 10 seconds removed from third – will try to add to the Owls' tally in this event.

5000 meters
Prelims: none
Finals: Saturday – 7:30 p.m.
C-USA leader: Khayla Patel (Rice), 17:05.87
Rice preview: Noticing a pattern yet? Another distance race where the Owls could put up a large number, having the conference leader plus 1-2 other potential point scorers in the race. Plotting points prior to an indoor 5000 can be a bit tricky as most entrants will probably only have run one 5K during the indoor season, so their finish times at the championships can drop dramatically from their seed time, which changes the point scorers. But Patel looks to be, on paper, as solid a frontrunner as one can find in this meet – expect her to be dueling for a medal position. Sophomore twins Loren Goddard and Natalie Goddard, in addition to freshman Rachel Shoemaker, could also finish in the top eight for another double-digit tally for Bevan's squad.

RELAYS
4x400
Prelims: none
Finals: Sunday – 3:40 p.m.
C-USA leader: Charlotte, 3:42:05
Rice preview: The final event of the meet is one where the Owls' top time from this season has them pegged outside the point-scoring places. But as noted previously, sometimes athletes find an extra gear when a championship is on the line. The Rice quartet may need to finish in the top eight to secure the team title, which may very well be decided by the finish of this event.

DISTANCE MEDLEY
Prelims: none
Finals: Saturday – 8:20 p.m.
C-USA leader: Southern Miss., 11:56.46
Rice preview: Rice's depth could be on display in this event, depending on how Bevan spreads out the workload across the mid-distance and distance athletes. The team comes in seeded second and, while a victory in the DMR requires outstanding baton carries from all four runners, having a top-notch miler in hand can sometimes be the trump card. The Owls have a number of options from which to choose here as Bevan will look to play a winning hand.

JUMPS
HIGH JUMP
Finals: Sunday – 11:00 a.m.
C-USA leader: Esther Isa (MTSU), 1.78M (5-10)
Rice preview: With no fewer than 10 entrants seeded between 5-7 and 5-4½, this event could offer wide swings in the point totals for some of the top teams – either in a positive or negative manner. Junior Kenechukwu Nwadei sits equal third on the form chart at 5-7 along with senior Zinedine Russell, so the potential for big points is certainly there. But with so many athletes within range of them, they'll want to keep clean sheets for as long as possible. Also keep an eye out for senior Giulia Sportoletti who, while she hasn't competed in the high jump this season, does have a career best of 5-7 which could put her right in the mix if she equals or betters that mark.

POLE VAULT
Finals: Sunday – 2:00 p.m.
C-USA leader: Anna Massa (UAB), 3.95m (12-11½)
Rice preview: Senior Kylie Swiekatowski (12-7½) leads a quartet of vaulters that will start the conference meet in top form, all of them having jumped at or near their all-time best in the last few weeks. And with the top seven vaulters separated by just four inches – and only five inches between the eight through 11 seeds – this is yet another event where the Owls could put some daylight between themselves and the rest of the conference in the team chase. Sophomore Ali Goodson (12-1½), junior Emily Harrison (12-1½) and freshman Audrey Ho (11-7¾) all rank in the top 12 and will have the chance to add to the Owls' point total if they can continue to jump well.

LONG JUMP
Finals: Saturday – 4:00 p.m.
C-USA leader: Michelle Fokam (Rice) and Amaya Scott (UTSA), 6.17 (20-3)
Rice preview: One has to like Fokam's experience here, as the seven-time conference champion and three-time NCAA All-American certainly has the edge there over the Roadrunner's stellar frosh, Amaya Scott. But it will certainly be a battle between the two, and a couple of other challengers, as well. Junior Teesa Mpagi, fresh off a lifetime best of 18-6½ last weekend, will look to improve upon that and could end up in the top eight as well.

TRIPLE JUMP
Finals: Sunday – 2:00 p.m.
C-USA leader: Chantoba Bright (UTEP), 13.28m (43-7)
Rice preview: Fokam, a two-time C-USA female field athlete of the year, won this event two years ago and then finished second in 2019. She'll look to avenge that loss – her only conference loss in the LJ or TJ indoors or outdoors in the last two years. Kenechukwu's 40-5½ leap on January 31 also slots her in the top eight seeds.

THROWS
SHOT PUT
Finals: Sunday – 2:00 p.m.
C-USA leader: Erna Gunnarsdottir (Rice), 16.19m (53-1½)
Rice preview: Gunnarsdottir's heave of 53-1½ puts her a full meter clear of the rest of the shot field, based on 2020 bests. She'll need to hold off UTSA senior Maia Campbell if she wants to improve on her runner-up finish from last year and add another gold medal to the one she earned at the outdoor conference meet last spring.

WEIGHT THROW
Finals: Saturday – 4:00 p.m.
C-USA leader: Tara Simpson-Sullivan (Rice), 18.85m (61-10¼)
Rice preview: And a child shall lead them. Freshman Simpson-Sullivan, like Gunnarsdottir in the SP, will try to fend off Campbell in this event to keep the Roadrunner from sweeping the two throws. Sophomore Julie Perez (56-9½) also ranks in the conference's top-10.

MULTI-EVENTS
PENTATHLON
Finals: Saturday – 9:15 a.m.
C-USA leader: Brittany Floyd (UAB), 3648
Rice preview: All-arounders Russell and Sportoletti, both seniors, bring a wealth of championship experience into the meet. Russell scored her PR of 3601 in finishing second in last year's meet – and a similar total this year should place her among the medalists again. Sportoletti finished eighth indoors a year ago. Her best total of 3507, from the Houston Invite in 2019, would improve upon that placing and challenge for the podium.

-RiceOwls.com-

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