By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Declarations, pending medical scratches, were finalized for the 48 athletes in each individual event and 24 schools in both the 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays for the May 23-25 regionals at North Florida. Here are 10 takeaways from the East entries as a clearer picture has developed for national title contenders for the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships held June 5-8 in Austin, Texas.

EAST ENTRIES

Holloway has company in the hurdles

Florida junior Grant Holloway is scheduled to compete in the 110-meter hurdles, long jump, 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays, but his main focus is rebounding following his first collegiate setback in the 110 hurdles since 2017, with Kentucky’s Daniel Roberts prevailing in the final at the Southeastern Conference Championships.

Holloway is attempting to become the only male athlete to win three national titles in the 110 hurdles since the event was switched from the 120-yard hurdles in 1976.

USC’s Jack Davis (1951-53) is the only three-time national champion in the 120-yard hurdles.

Holloway’s last setback in a collegiate 110 hurdles competition came against Alabama’s Ruebin Walters at the 2017 East Regional. He had won 15 straight 110 hurdles races against college opponents, before being edged by Roberts by a 13.07 to 13.12 margin in Fayetteville, Ark.

Syracuse’s Stoner going the distance

Syracuse standout Paige Stoner was the top seed in the 5,000 meters and No. 2 in the 3,000 steeplechase in Jacksonville, but the senior has decided to focus only on the 10,000 in the postseason.

With Boise State’s Allie Ostrander choosing to pursue the 3,000 steeplechase and 5,000 double in the West Regional, Stoner boasts the top remaining 10,000 time among collegiate competitors at 32:07.36.

Stoner has placed 15th and fourth in the 3,000 steeplechase the past two seasons at the NCAA Division 1 final. She has only raced the 10,000 three times in her career, each of the past three seasons at the Stanford Invitational.

Before arriving at Syracuse, Stoner doubled in the 3,000 steeplechase and 5,000 at the East Regional during her freshman season at Lipscomb, but didn’t advance to nationals in either event.

Florida State senior Militsa Mircheva is also placing all of her energy toward the 10,000, dropping the 1,500 and 5,000 in an effort to get another opportunity to compete in the 25-lap final at nationals after not finishing the race last year.

Comenentia to take on throwing triple

After winning the shot put and hammer throw at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships last year, Georgia senior Denzel Comenentia is also attempting to qualify for the national finals in the discus throw.

Comenentia attempted the triple at the 2017 East Regional, but finished 15th in the discus. He needs to qualify among the top 12 athletes in all three events to advance to Austin.

Comenentia has advanced to nationals in both the hammer throw and shot put in each of the past three seasons. Should he qualify in the discus, it would be his first opportunity to contend for a championship in the event.

Comenentia is the collegiate leader in the hammer throw at 252 feet (76.80m), along with ranking fifth in the shot put and 18th nationally in the discus.

Rivers returns to 800

Penn State junior Danae Rivers has advanced to the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships in both the 800 and 1,500 meters, but after capturing the indoor 800 title in March, she has decided to focus again on the two-lap event in Jacksonville.

Rivers prevailed by a 4:17.69 to 4:17.71 in the 1,500-meter final at the Big Ten Championships over NCAA indoor mile champion Julia Rizk of Ohio State. Rivers also captured the 800 crown in 2:04.71.

Rivers is seeded third in the 800 in Jacksonville, needing to qualify among the top 12 athletes to advance to Austin. Penn junior Nia Akins and Monmouth senior Allie Wilson also decided to drop the 1,500 to focus on the 800.

Akins placed second and Wilson was fourth behind Rivers in the indoor 800 championship. Virginia Tech senior Rachel Pocratsky, third in the indoor 800, has decided to compete in the 1,500 in Jacksonville.

Hall, Richard and Stewart narrow focus

A 400-meter showdown involving NCAA Division 1 indoor champion Tyrell Richard of South Carolina State, along with North Carolina A&T junior Trevor Stewart and South Carolina junior Quincy Hall would have been one of the marquee events in Austin.

But despite winning the Southeastern Conference title in the 400 and running 44.53 seconds this season, Hall has decided to only focus his individual postseason aspirations on the 400-meter hurdles.

He ranks second in the East Region in the 400 hurdles, clocking 50.23 seconds to win the 125th Penn Relays in April.

Richard decided to drop the 100 and 200 to only focus on the 400 in pursuit of another championship. Stewart chose the 400 over the 200.

Hall and Stewart could still potentially square off in the 4x400 relay, with both North Carolina A&T and South Carolina among the 24 schools scheduled to compete in Jacksonville.

Norris seeks another shot in 5,000

Georgetown fifth-year senior Josette Norris captured the Big East title in the 1,500 meters, but she has unfinished business in the 5,000, her sole focus in Jacksonville.

Norris, a North Carolina transfer, finished 14th in the 5,000 representing the Tar Heels at the East Regional in 2016. Only the top 12 qualifiers advance to the national finals.

Norris is seeded third among the 5,000 entries in Jacksonville with her personal-best 15:46.75 from the Stanford Invitational in March. She was second in the 1,500, with a season-best 4:13.77.

Norris advanced to the 2014 NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships when she was at North Carolina, but she is still seeking her first career trip to a national final in track.

Kigen has designs on dynamic double

Alabama senior Gilbert Kigen, who won the 10,000 and placed second in the 5,000 at the Southeastern Conference Championships, will tackle both distance events again in Jacksonville after advancing to both national finals last year.

Kigen, the top seed in both races, placed sixth in the 5,000 and ninth in the 10,000 at last year’s regional. He earned All-America honors with a seventh-place finish in the 10,000 at the Division 1 outdoor championship meet, along with taking 13th in the 5,000.

Furman senior Aaron Templeton and Campbell senior Lawrence Kipkoech, who are ranked second and third in the regional behind Kigen, are also doubling in both events. Templeton is third and Kipkoech is fourth in the 10,000.

Harvard junior Kieran Tuntivate, Boston College junior Sean Burke, UMass Lowell senior Paul Hogan and Virginia senior Brent Demarest are also scheduled to compete in both races.

Davis ready for relays

Stephanie Davis, one of the stars of the fastest collegiate 4x400-meter relay in the country at South Carolina, will only run the 200 meters and not the 400, in order to contribute to both relays for the Gamecocks.

Davis had a season-best 52.24 seconds in the 400, which ranked seventh among regional qualifiers, but she will instead compete in the 200, boasting a season-best 23.01. Davis ranks No. 12 among 200 entries in Jacksonville and will need to place among the top dozen athletes in order to advance to Austin.

In addition to being the top seed in the 4x400 at 3:27.53, South Carolina is ranked No. 8 in the 4x100 relay at 43.86.

Without Davis in the 400, South Carolina still boasts talented juniors Wadeline Jonathas and Aliyah Abrams, who have both run under 52 seconds.

Notable no-shows

Mississippi State boasts three of the top four 800-meter runners in the regional, but only two of them will be competing in Jacksonville.

Junior Daniel Nixon, who finished sixth in the 800 at the Southeastern Conference Championships, won’t be joining teammates Marco Arop and Dejon Devroe in regional competition.

Ohio State sophomore Eric Harrison, who placed eighth in the 200 at Big Ten Championships but didn’t finish in the 100, has been scratched from both events.

Harrison might still be able to contribute to the 4x100-meter relay for the Buckeyes, who are seeded fifth in the regional at 39.16 seconds. Senior Nick Gray will have to shoulder more weight in order for Ohio State to advance.

Harrison earned bronze medals in both the 100 and 200 representing the U.S. in July at the IAAF World U-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.

More big names bow out before postseason

Three potential women’s All-Americans had their respective seasons cut short before the regionals even began.

Virginia Tech sophomore Rachel Baxter, who placed sixth at indoor nationals in March, has scratched from the pole vault. She equaled the top qualifying mark among East Regional entries at 14-9 (4.50m).

Indiana senior Katherine Receveur, who placed third in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the Big Ten Championships, is not competing in the 1,500, 5,000 or 10,000 in the postseason.

Receveur, an All-American on the Hoosiers’ distance medley relay at the national indoor final, advanced to the outdoor 5,000 championship last year.

Penn State freshman Alexis Holmes, who captured the 400 title and placed fifth in the 200 at the Big Ten Championships, has also dropped both events and is not scheduled to compete in Jacksonville. Holmes placed fourth in the 400 at indoor nationals.