Colorado University Athletics
Photo by: Dan Madden
Colorado Sends Seven to NCAA Indoor National Championships
March 03, 2020 | Track and Field
BOULDER – The University of Colorado track and field program has declared three individuals and a distance medley relay for the 2020 NCAA Indoor National Championships March 13-14 in Albuquerque, N.M., the NCAA announced this afternoon.
Colorado will have seven individuals in seven different events. Redshirt seniors Dani Jones, Makena Morley and Joe Klecker all will double in individual events while CU will run a women's distance medley relay as well. Jones will attempt the rare double of the 800 and mile, while Klecker and Morley will both double in the 3,000 and 5,000-meter runs.
Jones is the heavy favorite in the women's mile with the top time of 4:27.88 at the Millrose games. The next two fastest times in the NCAA have both scratched from the event, leaving Danae Rivers of Penn State with the second-best time of 4:32.95. Stanford's Ella Donaghu has scratched as well as a woman from Oregon, leaving the eighth-best time entering the championships at 4:35.33.
The schedule will be a difficult one with Jones running prelims in the mile at 5:35 p.m. on Friday, March 13, then the 800 prelims at 7:10 p.m. She only needs to get in the top-12 in prelims in the mile and top-eight in the 800, though she will aim for an automatic qualifying mark and not leave things to chance. Saturday the first final is at 4:20 p.m. in the mile, followed by the 800 just 80 minutes later.
In the women's 800, Nia Akins of Penn has the top time at 2:00.71. Jones is ranked fifth in the event at 2:03.58, a converted mark from her time run in Boulder this season when she broke the school record at altitude.
For the men, Klecker will forgo his top time in the nation in the mile to go after the 3,000/5,000 double that he did last year where he scored 14 points by himself, the most by a CU male athlete at the NCAA Championship. He is ranked sixth in the 3,000 at 7:47.57 and will be chasing a trio of Northern Arizona athletes that own the top-three times with the top time four seconds faster than his 7:47. In the 5,000, Tyler Day of NAU has the top time at 13:16.95 while Klecker is ranked sixth at 13:34.10.
Morley will attempt the same double that she did last season, this time entering the championships 10th in the 3,000 and fifth in the 5,000. BYU's Whittni Orton has the top time in the 3,000 and has scratched the mile and 5,000, while Katie Izzo of Arkansas has the top time in the 5,000 and will battle Weini Kelati, both under 15:15.
The final event has not completely been set in stone. Colorado will run a women's distance medley relay with Rachel McArthur, Valerie Welch and Karina Mann, but a fourth teammate that will replace Jones from the qualifying time has not been named.
Colorado will have seven individuals in seven different events. Redshirt seniors Dani Jones, Makena Morley and Joe Klecker all will double in individual events while CU will run a women's distance medley relay as well. Jones will attempt the rare double of the 800 and mile, while Klecker and Morley will both double in the 3,000 and 5,000-meter runs.
Jones is the heavy favorite in the women's mile with the top time of 4:27.88 at the Millrose games. The next two fastest times in the NCAA have both scratched from the event, leaving Danae Rivers of Penn State with the second-best time of 4:32.95. Stanford's Ella Donaghu has scratched as well as a woman from Oregon, leaving the eighth-best time entering the championships at 4:35.33.
The schedule will be a difficult one with Jones running prelims in the mile at 5:35 p.m. on Friday, March 13, then the 800 prelims at 7:10 p.m. She only needs to get in the top-12 in prelims in the mile and top-eight in the 800, though she will aim for an automatic qualifying mark and not leave things to chance. Saturday the first final is at 4:20 p.m. in the mile, followed by the 800 just 80 minutes later.
In the women's 800, Nia Akins of Penn has the top time at 2:00.71. Jones is ranked fifth in the event at 2:03.58, a converted mark from her time run in Boulder this season when she broke the school record at altitude.
For the men, Klecker will forgo his top time in the nation in the mile to go after the 3,000/5,000 double that he did last year where he scored 14 points by himself, the most by a CU male athlete at the NCAA Championship. He is ranked sixth in the 3,000 at 7:47.57 and will be chasing a trio of Northern Arizona athletes that own the top-three times with the top time four seconds faster than his 7:47. In the 5,000, Tyler Day of NAU has the top time at 13:16.95 while Klecker is ranked sixth at 13:34.10.
Morley will attempt the same double that she did last season, this time entering the championships 10th in the 3,000 and fifth in the 5,000. BYU's Whittni Orton has the top time in the 3,000 and has scratched the mile and 5,000, while Katie Izzo of Arkansas has the top time in the 5,000 and will battle Weini Kelati, both under 15:15.
The final event has not completely been set in stone. Colorado will run a women's distance medley relay with Rachel McArthur, Valerie Welch and Karina Mann, but a fourth teammate that will replace Jones from the qualifying time has not been named.
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