By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The 37th NCAA Division 1 Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships are scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala.

WOMEN'S START LISTS

Here are 10 storylines to follow as the meet returns to Birmingham for the first time since 2016:

Nelson looks to produce hometown heroics

Samford fifth-year senior Karisa Nelson has the potential to be the feel-good story of the finals if she can win another national title in the mile.

Nelson became the first national champion in Samford history by winning the 2017 mile crown in 4:31.24, but wasn’t able to defend her title last year because of a metatarsal fracture in her right foot that also sidelined her for all of outdoor season.

Nelson boasts a season-best 4:34.81, but will be the emotional favorite of the crowd at the Birmingham CrossPlex, looking to lift her to a second crown.

A victory would help Nelson join a unique group of mile champions who had at least a year gap in between their titles.

Wisconsin’s Suzy Favor-Hamilton won in 1987, then again in 1989 and 1990, Villanova’s Carmen Douma secured championships in 1998 and 2000, with Northern Arizona’s Johanna Nilsson capturing her first title in 2003 and then prevailing again in 2006.

A benefit for Nelson is that the three athletes with the fastest times in the country this season – Penn State’s Danae Rivers, Oregon’s Jessica Hull and New Mexico’s Weini Kelati – all decided to scratch the mile to focus on other events.

In addition, the only returning All-Americans from last year’s final are Providence’s Millie Paladino and Brigham Young’s Whittni Orton, who placed sixth and seventh, respectively. Paladino also placed seventh in 2017.

Trojans trying for rare relay trifecta

Perhaps lost in the shuffle of four Southeastern Conference teams – Texas A&M, South Carolina, Florida and Arkansas – running under 3 minutes, 30 seconds at their championship meet Feb. 23 is the fact that USC is attempting to become the first women’s program in NCAA Division 1 indoor history to win three consecutive 4x400-meter relay titles.

Texas, Oregon, South Carolina and Tennessee have all previously won back-to-back titles, but couldn’t secure a third in a row.

USC set the collegiate indoor record by clocking 3:27.03 in 2017, then followed by running 3:27.45 last year. Anna Cockrell and Kaelin Roberts return from that lineup for the Trojans, who enter with a season-best 3:30.43 as they look to challenge Arkansas for the overall team title.

Kyra Constantine, a member of USC’s memorable outdoor 4x400 championship lineup along with Cockrell that rallied to beat Purdue, is also scheduled to run, along with freshman Bailey Lear.

Texas A&M relied on Julia Madubuike, Tierra Robinson-Jones, Jaevin Reed and Syaira Richardson to win the SEC title in a collegiate-leading 3:29.15.

USC prevailed against the Aggies, who have won 4x400 indoor titles in 2009 and 2011, in their lone regular-season matchup Jan. 26 by a 3:31.25 to 3:31.57 margin at Texas Tech.

South Carolina last won an indoor 4x400 in 2007, Florida captured its lone relay title in 1992 and Arkansas is seeking its first 4x400 crown in pursuit of a second indoor team championship.

Pursuing a daunting throwing double

Ohio State senior Sade Olatoye has an opportunity to become the first female athlete in NCAA Division 1 indoor history to sweep both shot put and weight throw titles at the same championship.

Olatoye elevated to the No. 6 performer in collegiate history in the weight throw at the Big Ten Championships with a mark of 78 feet, 11.75 inches (24.07m), moving just ahead of Tennessee senior Stamatia Scarvelis, who captured the Southeastern Conference crown with an effort of 78-11.25 (24.06m).

Olatoye, a two-time All-American in the weight throw, has three additional marks beyond 77 feet this season.

Although no collegiate shot putter has surpassed 60 feet this year, Olatoye enters the championship meet as the top qualifier with her 58-8 (17.88m) effort from the Big Ten finals.

A victory by Olatoye with either implement would be the first women’s indoor national title for Ohio State in both events.

Arizona State sophomore Samantha Noennig, who boasts a mark of 58-5.25 (17.81m), looks to join last year’s winner Maggie Ewen and 2007 champion Sarah Stevens among the Sun Devils to capture shot put titles.

Iowa junior Laulauga Tausaga, who ranks third among the qualifiers in both events, could play spoiler in Olatoye’s bid for history.

Jacobus looks to reach rarefied air

Arkansas senior Lexi Jacobus is one of six athletes to win a pair of NCAA Division 1 women’s indoor pole vaulting titles, but none of the previous five individuals have ever captured three crowns, a historical target the reigning champion is striving for Saturday as the Razorbacks seek their first team title since 2015.

Jacobus and twin sister Tori Hoggard took the top two spots at last year’s final and hope to duplicate that achievement again to become only the third women’s teammates in any indoor event to produce 1-2 finishes in consecutive years.

Jacobus, who also won the 2016 outdoor national title to become the first freshman in NCAA history to sweep both crowns, is looking to match Indiana State’s Kylie Hutson (2009-10) with a fourth overall championship, the most by any Division 1 women’s pole vaulter in history.

Jacobus elevated to the No. 2 all-time indoor collegiate performer Feb. 23 by clearing 15-4.25 (4.68m) at the Southeastern Conference Championships.

A victory by Jacobus or Hoggard would give Arkansas a sixth indoor women’s pole vaulting title in the past nine years under assistant coach Bryan Compton.

Since the event was added to the championship schedule in 1998, no other school has secured more than two women’s pole vaulting national titles.

More memorable distance efforts for New Mexico

Courtney Frerichs became the first with her 3,000-meter steeplechase national title in 2016.

Ednah Kurgat followed with a cross country national championship in 2017.

Now, New Mexico seeks more history by seeking its first NCAA Division 1 women’s indoor crown in either the 3,000 or 5,000 meters.

Kurgat, Weini Kelati and Charlotte Prouse are all ranked among the top six qualifiers entering the 5,000 final Friday. Kurgat elevated to the No. 3 all-time collegiate indoor performer Dec. 1 by clocking 15:14.78 at Boston University, with Kelati ascending to No. 5 at 15:15.24.

Kansas senior Sharon Lokedi (15:15.47) and Boise State junior Allie Ostrander (15:16.38) improved to the Nos. 6 and 7 collegiate indoor performers from the same race.

Kurgat placed second, Lokedi took third and Kelati finished fifth last year behind two-time champion Karissa Schweizer of Missouri.

Kelati, Kurgat and Prouse also qualified for the 3,000 final Saturday.

Wisconsin junior Alicia Monson won the 3,000 on Feb. 9 at the NYRR Millrose Games by clocking 8:45.97 to elevate to the No. 3 all-time collegiate indoor performer. Kelati placed sixth in 8:53.98 to set an Eritrean national record and ascend to the No. 10 performer in history.

Oregon senior Jessica Hull ran 8:53.91 on Feb. 8 at the Husky Classic on a flat oversized track at the Dempsey Indoor facility at the University of Washington.

French connection front and center in horizontal jumps

After Georgia swept the women’s long jump and triple jump indoor national titles last year with Americans Kate Hall and Keturah Orji, both now the reigning USATF Indoor champions, it could be a dynamic double for French athletes this weekend.

Florida senior Yanis David has the potential to become the first individual since Kansas’ Andrea Geubelle in 2013 to sweep both championships, but she will be challenged by fellow French athletes Rougui Sow of Florida State in the long jump and Kentucky’s Marie-Josee Ebwea-Excel in the triple jump.

Kennesaw State’s Jordan Gray and Central Michigan’s Nadia Williams have the opportunity to steal the spotlight in the long jump, with Oregon’s Chaquinn Cook and Kansas State’s Shardia Lawrence possessing the same opportunity in the triple jump.

David placed second last year in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump. Ebwea-Excel finished sixth in the triple jump and Sow took eighth in the long jump.

David is attempting to become Florida’s first indoor women’s long jump champion and the Gators’ first triple jump winner since Ciarra Brewer in 2015. Florida State has never won a women’s indoor long jump crown and Kentucky is still seeking its first women’s indoor triple jump title.

Same school, new sprinting star

LSU senior Kortnei Johnson is looking to continue the Tigers’ impressive sprinting legacy by capturing the indoor national title in the 60-meter dash, following last year’s champion Aleia Hobbs, who equaled the collegiate indoor record by clocking 7.07 seconds.

If Johnson prevails Saturday, it would mark the first time in NCAA Division 1 indoor history that one program would produce different women’s 60-meter champions in consecutive years.

The only time a school had different sprinting champions in back-to-back years was in the 55-meter dash, when Nebraska’s Janet Burke and Merlene Ottey secured national titles in 1983 and 1984.

LSU has previously won 60-meter titles in consecutive seasons when Muna Lee won two straight titles in 2003 and 2004. Kelly-Ann Baptiste also captured the 60 championship for the Tigers in 2008.

In addition to Arkansas senior Kiara Parker, UNLV senior Destiny Smith-Barnett, Colorado State sixth-year senior MaryBeth Sant and USC sophomore Twanisha Terry, Johnson could also face a challenge from Texas senior Teahna Daniels.

The last time the championship meet was held at the Birmingham CrossPlex in 2016, Daniels captured the national title as a freshman by clocking 7.11.

Johnson, who enters with the fastest qualifying mark at 7.14, or any challenger would need to run 7.12 or faster to elevate into the top 10 indoor performers in collegiate history.

An emerging pentathlon power

With the success of Kendell Williams and Taliyah Brooks, Georgia and Arkansas have combined to win the past five national indoor pentathlon titles and the programs have an opportunity to extend that streak to six in a row with junior Kelsey Herman competing for the Razorbacks and sophomore Aliyah Whisby a contender for the Bulldogs.

But they will both be challenged by national leader Michelle Atherley of Miami (Florida), who elevated to the No. 8 all-time collegiate indoor performer by accumulating 4,498 points Feb. 21 at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships.

Atherley, making her fourth appearance at the Division 1 indoor final, placed 11th as a freshman at Auburn with 4,153 points. She took fourth for Miami in 2017 with 4,319 points and then placed sixth last year with 4,257 points.

A victory for Atherley would be the first pentathlon title, not only for Miami, but by an ACC athlete. The Southeastern Conference has won six in a row, with Mississippi State’s Erica Bougard prevailing in 2013.

If Whisby prevails, it would mark the sixth national crown in 16 years for Georgia. A championship for Herman would help Arkansas become the first program to have different athletes capture consecutive titles.

Potential meaningful moments for the MEAC

Not since Francena McCorory won back-to-back 400-meter championships for Hampton in 2009 and 2010 has the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference captured an NCAA Division 1 women’s indoor national title.

Although Hampton, which also produced 2006 national indoor triple jump champion Yvette Lewis, left the conference last year to join the Big South, a pair of MEAC athletes have opportunities to add to that history Saturday.

North Carolina A&T senior Kayla White is entered in the 200 meters and 60-meter hurdles, with Norfolk State junior Martha Bissah competing in the 800.

Bissah is the top qualifier in the 800 with a mark of 2:02.58, with White boasting the No. 2 mark in the 200 at 22.82 and equal to the No. 5 entry time in the 60 hurdles at 8.04.

Bissah will face a strong challenge from Penn State junior Danae Rivers, along with Monmouth senior Allie Wilson, Texas A&M senior Jazmine Fray, LSU senior Ersula Farrow and Virginia Tech senior Rachel Pocratsky.

White will square off in the 200 against top qualifier Anavia Battle of Ohio State (22.80), along with reigning NCAA Division 1 outdoor champion Angie Annelus of USC, rising Texas freshman talent Kynnedy Flannel and Alabama sophomore Tamara Clark.

USC has four potential challengers in the 60 hurdles, led by sophomore and top qualifier Chanel Brissett (7.90) along with last year’s runner-up Anna Cockrell, with Arkansas boasting two strong contenders in reigning champion Payton Chadwick (7.98) and sophomore Janeek Brown (7.95). Miami (Florida) sophomore Tiara McMinn has also clocked 7.95.

Seeking new heights in high jump

Seniors Loretta Blaut of Cincinnati and Andrea Stapleton-Johnson of Brigham Young both have plenty of incentive entering Saturday’s high jump final, but for different reasons.

Blaut placed second at last year’s championship meet, suffering an agonizing setback after North Carolina’s Nicole Greene prevailed in an exhausting seven-round jumpoff after both athletes cleared 6-1.50 (1.87m).

Stapleton-Johnson tied for 15th place by clearing 5-9.25 (1.76m) on her third attempt, marking the second straight year that she only cleared the opening height after a 13th-place finish in 2017.

Blaut and Stapleton-Johnson lead all qualifiers with 6-1.50 clearances during the regular season, but will need to elevate their performances in order to become the first national indoor high jump champion for their respective programs.

Cincinnati boasts only one women’s national indoor title in its history, with Annette Echikunwoke capturing the weight throw championship in 2017.

BYU has never secured a women’s national indoor crown in any individual field event, with Amy Menlove winning the pentathlon title in 2009 and the remainder of the Cougars’ six championships coming on the track.

Texas Tech senior Zarriea Willis finished fourth last season and Florida International senior Clarissa Cutliff placed fifth. Texas Arlington senior Alexus Henry, the reigning NCAA Division 1 outdoor high jump champion, also returns after placing 10th in last year’s indoor final.