Texas A&M freshman Donavan Brazier is reportedly turning pro after winning the NCAA Outdoor title in 1:43.55, a new American junior record.
Distance
800m
Who: Donavan Brazier, Carlton Orange, Brian Bell
When: Friday, 6:20 p.m. PT [First Round]; Saturday, 8:10 p.m. PT [Final]
Why: One of the biggest shocks of the 2015 USATF Jr. Nationals was the Junior Men's 800m, as No. 1 ranked Brazier was disqualified and Orange broke 1:50 for the first time in his career with a big effort of 1:47.67 to become the fifth-fastest prep ever. Both runners are back -- this time, with much bigger accolades behind their names. NCAA champion Brazier is reportedly turning pro and after his 1:43.55 NCAA record, is considered a lock to make the Olympic team at the Trials in two weeks. Orange has lowered his PR to 1:46.96 and earned All-American honors at the NCAA Indoor Championship. Houston's Bell is another runner to watch, with a PR of 1:47.94. He won the 2015 New Balance Nationals Indoor 800m.
Watch Donavan Brazier run 1:43.55 to break the NCAA record:
1500m
Who: Austin Tamagno, Alex Rogers, Diego Zarate
When: Friday, 7:10 p.m. [First Round]; Sunday, 7:54 p.m. PT [Final]
Why: 4:01 miler Tamagno will test himself once more in a 1500m before closing his prep career and joining the Oregon Ducks. His best 1500m is 3:44.14, though his mile time is worth about 3:43.25. Longhorns frosh Rogers advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 1500m with his PR of 3:43.77; he was third at the Big 12 Conference Championships. Zarate's best is 3:44.5 and he took third in the event at the ACC Conference Championships for Virginia Tech.
3K Steeplechase
Who: Eion Nohilly, Dylan Hodgson, Kai Benedict, Alex Rogers
When: Friday, 8:45 p.m. PT [Final]
Why: New Balance Nationals Outdoor and New York state champion Nohilly will test himself against two proven freshman steeplers in Hodgson, third at the Big 12 Conference Championships for Kansas and Benedict, eighth at the Pac-12 Championships. A wildcard is Rogers, who won his only steeple race ever in 9:09.98 and has 3:43 1500m speed.
5K
Who: Olin Hacker, Eli Moskowitz, Peter Seufer, Zachary Snider, Alex Ostberg
When: Saturday, 9:15 p.m. PT [Final]
Why: This race looks to be a close one. Seufer, Snider and Ostberg all have seed times between 14:04 and 14:08. Ostberg is a bit of a wildcard as the 8:48 prep two miler redshirted his freshman year at Stanford, as did Hacker, a standout cross country runner who took runner-up honors at both NXN and Foot Locker Nationals in 2014.
10K
Who: Levi Thomet, Thomas Schultz, Miler Haller
When: Friday, 9:25 p.m. PT [Final]
Why: After spending the past year studying abroad in Germany, Thomet returns to the U.S. in a bid to represent Team USA one more time before heading to the University of Oregon. The 8:48 high school two miler's biggest competition includes Schultz and Haller, who are the top entrants with seed times of 30:12.41 and 30:19.12 for 10K.