By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The 57th edition of the NCAA Division 1 men’s indoor track and field championships are scheduled for March 11-12 at the CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala.

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Here are 10 male storylines to follow at the event, as the meet is held for the third time at the venue, following 2016 and 2019.

Nuguse, Notre Dame ready to run it back

One of the biggest highlights of the 2019 NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships at the CrossPlex was the thrilling men’s distance medley relay showdown involving Notre Dame and Stanford, with Yared Nuguse holding off Grant Fisher on the anchor leg to help the Irish prevail by a 9:31.55 to 9:31.70 margin.

Three years later, Nuguse and Samuel Voelz still remain part of Notre Dame’s DMR lineup and there will again be no shortage of challengers for the Irish in one of the historically deepest years in the event.

Washington enters as the top seed at 9:21.10, seeking its first title and looking to make it two in a row for the Pacific-12 Conference after Oregon followed its collegiate record with a DMR championship last year at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark.

Notre Dame clocked 9:21.73 at its own Alex Wilson Invitational to lead seven NCAA qualifiers from the same race, with Ole Miss looking to secure a second DMR championship after winning in 2017, boasting an entry mark of 9:21.94.

Nuguse and Voelz are looking to become the first collegiate athletes to win multiple DMR titles since Edward Cheserek anchored back-to-back Oregon championship performances in 2015-16. It would also be the third DMR title for Notre Dame, which also prevailed in 2012 in Idaho.

Nuguse also has the potential to add a 3,000-meter crown as well, following his collegiate record 7:38.13 effort Feb. 12 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University.

Oregon’s Cole Hocker achieved the 3,000 and DMR double last year in Arkansas, helping the Ducks capture the men’s team title.

Williams eyes rare sprint repeat

Oregon sophomore Micah Williams contributed to a sweep of the 60-meter dash national titles last year for the Ducks, along with Kemba Nelson securing the women’s championship.

Williams has an opportunity to join an elite list of competitors to capture back-to-back titles, in addition to challenging the collegiate indoor record.

Williams, who prevailed last year in Arkansas in 6.49 seconds, has run 6.48 multiple times this year.

But his path to a repeat faces a potential obstacle in Texas Tech’s Terrence Jones, who equaled the collegiate all-time mark Jan. 15 at the Corky Classic by clocking 6.45.

Jones, representing the Bahamas, matched the achievements of Tennessee star Christian Coleman in 2017 and Brigham Young graduate Leonard Myles-Mills from 1999.

Williams is attempting to join Texas Christian’s Ronnie Baker (2015-16), Florida’s Jeff Demps (2010-12) and Oklahoma’s DaBryan Blanton (2004-05) as only the fourth male athlete to win consecutive Division 1 60-meter championships.

Jones has not raced the 60 since his record-tying performance and did not compete at all two weeks ago at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. He is looking to become the first Texas Tech men’s sprinter to win the indoor 60-meter title.

Williams won the Pac-12 Invitational title Feb. 26 in 6.55, following a 6.53 effort in the prelims at the Dempsey Indoor facility in Seattle.

Ross wants more than just relay crown

North Carolina A&T junior Randolph Ross contributed to a memorable 4x400-meter relay title last year at Arkansas, helping the Aggies become the first Historically Black College or University since Morgan State in 1965-66 to secure the indoor national championship in the event.

But Ross, who was indoor 400-meter runner-up last year before capturing the Division 1 outdoor crown in June, not only wants to secure the two-lap title, but challenge the fastest indoor performance in history.

Michael Norman ran 44.52 to win the Division 1 indoor championship in 2018 at Texas A&M, but his all-time collegiate mark has not been ratified as the world record as a result of insufficient testing at the event.

Kerron Clement clocked 44.57 in 2005 in Arkansas, with Ross continuing to close in on both performances following his 44.83 effort Feb. 12 at the Tiger Paw Invitational at Clemson that helped him ascend to the No. 7 all-time indoor competitor.

Ross, who ran 43.85 to secure the NCAA outdoor title at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., was edged by LSU’s Noah Williams by a 44.71 to 44.99 margin in last year’s final in Arkansas.

Florida’s Champion Allison ran 45.04 to triumph at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships, but Ross is a significant favorite to become the third male athlete from an HBCU to win the indoor 400 title, joining Theron Lewis of Southern in 1965 and Tyrell Richard of South Carolina State in 2019 at the CrossPlex.

Ross is also looking to lift North Carolina A&T to a 4x400 repeat, looking to become the first men’s program since Arkansas in 2012-13 to win back-to-back championships, but the Aggies will face strong contenders from Florida, Iowa, Georgia and the Razorbacks.

Heptathlon heroics

Ayden Owens of Arkansas and Kyle Garland of Georgia, both born on the same day in 2000 in Pennsylvania, produced one of the top head-to-head showdowns in collegiate indoor heptathlon history Jan. 28-29 at the Razorback Invitational and enter the meet as two of the top five NCAA all-time competitors.

It will be no easy task for either athlete to challenge Ashton Eaton’s 2010 collegiate record of 6,499 points, but Owens is the No. 2 performer in indoor history with 6,272 points and Garland ranks No. 5 at 6,205 following his third consecutive SEC title Feb. 25-26 at Texas A&M.

Garland is trying to capture back-to-back titles for Georgia, following Karel Tilga last year, and the third overall in program history, including Devon Williams in 2017. Tilga and Garland became the first teammates in Division 1 indoor history to take the top two spots in the NCAA heptathlon final last season.

Owens is seeking the first heptathlon crown for Arkansas since Kevin Lazas in 2013.

Only 19 athletes in history have surpassed 6,300 points in the indoor heptathlon, with former Georgia standout Garrett Scantling the current world leader this year at 6,382 points following his victory Feb. 26-27 at the USATF Indoor Championships at The Podium in Spokane, Wash.

Owens and Garland rank third and fifth globally this year, with Andrei Iosivas of Princeton and Leo Neugebauer of Texas the only other competitors in the Division 1 championship field to have surpassed the 6,000-point barrier this season.

Cunningham aims for hurdling history

Trey Cunningham knows first hand what the collegiate 60-meter hurdles record looks like.

The Florida State standout took third in the 2019 Division 1 indoor championship race at the CrossPlex in 7.64 seconds, trailing collegiate record holder Grant Holloway of Florida at 7.35, along with Daniel Roberts of Kentucky clocking 7.41.

Cunningham produced the No. 2 time in collegiate indoor history Feb. 25 at the Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Championships by running 7.40 in the prelims, before securing the title the following day in 7.42.

He has not been challenged by any collegiate athlete this season, with his only setback coming Feb. 6 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island, when Holloway held off Cunningham by a 7.37 to 7.47 margin.

They are also the top two hurdlers in the world this year, with Holloway clocking 7.35 on Feb. 17 in France.

Cunningham is not only looking to eclipse Holloway’s record and secure the first 60-meter hurdles title for Florida State since Drew Brunson prevailed in 2008, but he is also looking to erase the memory of a much more disappointing third-place finish last year in 7.53 in the final in Arkansas.

Leonard Mustari of North Carolina A&T, Devon Brooks of Clemson and LSU’s Eric Edwards, Jr., are the only other athletes in the field to run 7.60 or faster.

Cunningham is also trying to match Holloway’s success of most collegiate performances under 7.45 in a career with five, which would require him to produce of pair of marks under the barrier in Birmingham. He is also trying to surpass Holloway’s record for most sub-7.50 efforts in one season, which he can also achieve with multiple strong results in the semifinals and championship race at the CrossPlex.

Heavyweight clash

Grand Canyon has never crowned an NCAA Division 1 champion in any sport.

Alabama has never won an indoor championship in the men’s weight throw.

But two of the top competitors in collegiate indoor history in the event will finally square off for the first time this season in Friday’s weight throw final, with Grand Canyon star Israel Oloyede matching up against Alabama standout Bobby Colantonio.

Oloyede is the No. 5 all-time NCAA athlete at 80-2.75 (24.45m), along with being No. 9 in U.S. indoor history and the No. 12 global competitor.

Colantonio is the No. 8 performer in collegiate indoor history at 79-2.75 (24.15m), in addition to ranking No. 16 all-time among American throwers and 21st in the world.

Oloyede, representing Arizona, placed second last year with a 78-0.75 (23.79m) effort at Arkansas. Colantonio, despite battling vertigo, finished fifth at 73-0.75 (22.27m).

Eastern Michigan teammates Newlyn Stephenson and Taige Bryant, along with Jake Wickey of Kent State, are the only other competitors in the field to have surpassed the 23-meter mark this season.

Kent State last captured a weight throw championship in 1974 and Eastern Michigan has never won a title in the event.

Oloyede finished sixth Feb. 27 at the USATF Indoor Championships at The Podium in Spokane, Wash., with a throw of 76-1 (23.19m), two days after Colantonio won the SEC Indoor title with a mark of 75-9.25 (23.09m).

Miller hopes for middle-distance magic

Despite boasting two of the top four competitors in collegiate indoor history, Texas A&M has yet to win a Division 1 indoor title in the men’s 800 meters.

Brandon Miller, who didn’t qualify for the NCAA meet last year, is looking to complete his impressive turnaround by securing the first championship for the Aggies.

Miller elevated to the No. 3 all-time NCAA indoor performer Feb. 26 by running 1:45.24 at the SEC Championships in the final event held at the Gilliam Indoor facility in College Station, Texas.

Only Virginia star Paul Ereng (1:44.84) and former UTEP standout Michael Saruni (1:45.15) have run faster indoors than Miller. Ereng coached Saruni, the 2018 indoor champion, at UTEP.

Miller is also the fastest American competitor this year and ranks No. 2 in the world, trailing only Spanish record holder Mariano Garcia, who clocked 1:45.12 on Feb. 6 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island.

Moad Zahafi of Texas Tech, a Moroccan standout, is the only other collegiate competitor to have run under 1:46.50 this season. Zahafi clocked 1:46.29 on Feb. 12 at the Texas Tech Shootout, a mark that adjusted to 1:45.99 with the altitude conversion.

Texas Tech is also seeking its first men’s 800 crown, with Texas standout Jonathan Jones, representing Barbados, also a potential contender having run 1:46.93 on Feb. 12 at the Tiger Paw Invitational at Clemson.

The Longhorns last won a Division 1 indoor 800 title in 2009, with Jacob Hernandez securing the championship.

Washington looks to rule ring in Alabama

For a reigning NCAA Division 1 indoor and outdoor shot put champion who hasn’t lost a competition in the event since 2020, Arizona State junior Turner Washington has managed to throw under the radar this season and enters Saturday’s competition with only the No. 3 qualifying mark at 69-11.75 (21.33m).

In order for Washington to join Ryan Whiting (2008-09) and Jordan Clarke (2012-13) as Arizona State athletes with back-to-back indoor shot put titles, along with becoming the first competitor from any school to repeat since Colorado State’s Mostafa Hassan in 2017-18, he will have to prevail against an exceptional field that includes two other contenders to surpass the 21-meter mark.

North Carolina’s Daniel McArthur, fourth place last year at 65-1.25 (19.84m), leads all qualifiers at 70-7 (21.51m). Texas standout Adrian Piperi looks to rebound from placing 14th last season at 61-9.75 (18.84m), entering the competition with a 70-4.50m (21.45m) effort.

Alabama’s Isaac Odugbesan finished 11th last season with a 62-10.75 (19.17m) performance and Arizona’s Jordan Geist was 13th last year at 61-11.75 (18.89m). Both athletes have surpassed the 20-meter mark this year, along with Northern Iowa’s Darius King, Burger Lambrechts, Jr. of Nebraska and Tennessee’s Jordan West.

Washington set the collegiate indoor record with a mark of 71-8.25 (21.85m) last year, eclipsing the 2019 effort of 71-6.75 (21.81m) produced by North Dakota State’s Payton Otterdahl, who won the title that season at the CrossPlex.

Boling bidding for big double

One of the most active athletes during the two-day event at the CrossPlex will be Georgia star Matthew Boling, who is scheduled to compete in four events for the Bulldogs.

Boling is the top qualifier in both the 200 meters, an event he won the title in last year in 20.19 to elevate him to the No. 5 competitor in collegiate indoor history, and the long jump. He is also expected to race in the 60-meter dash and contribute to Georgia’s 4x400 relay.

Boling, who long jumped 27-0.75 (8.25m) on Jan. 15 at the Clemson Invitational, could become the first male athlete in collegiate indoor history to win the 200 and long jump championships in the same year.

Carl Lewis was the last competitor to secure both sprinting and jumping titles in the same year, when he captured the 55-meter dash and long jump crowns for Houston in 1981.

Boling is looking to become the first male athlete since Tennessee’s Christian Coleman in 2016-17 and the eighth in Division 1 indoor history to repeat in the 200. Kentucky’s Lance Lang is equal to the No. 14 all-time collegiate indoor performer at 20.32, with North Carolina A&T’s Javonte Harding matching the No. 17 athlete in NCAA history at 20.33.

Boling would also become the first Georgia men’s long jump champion, looking to rebound from finishing second Feb. 25 at the SEC Championships at Texas A&M with a leap of 25-11 (7.90m), with Tennessee’s Carey McLeod capturing the crown with a 26-5.75 (8.07m) performance. 

The Bulldogs, who won the SEC title Feb. 26 in the 4x400 by edging Florida by a 3:02.59 to 3:02.61 margin, could also contend for a national championship in the relay as well.

Boling is seeded ninth in the 60-meter dash at 6.59.

Pole position

Brigham Young’s Zach McWhorter and Princeton’s Sondre Guttormsen produced the top collegiate indoor pole vault competition this season Feb. 4 at the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge at The Armory in New York, after another strong showdown Jan. 14 at the UCS Spirit National Pole Vault Summit in Reno.

McWhorter equaled the No. 5 all-time collegiate indoor clearance in New York with a 19-2.25 (5.85m) performance. Guttormsen, runner-up at Dr. Sander at 18-10.25 (5.75m), elevated the following week to match the No. 9 performer in collegiate indoor history with his 19-1 (5.82m) effort at the Tyson Invitational in Arkansas.

McWhorter, who placed second behind collegiate indoor record holder KC Lightfoot of Baylor at last year’s championship meet in Arkansas, is looking to become the first BYU men’s pole vaulter since Jeff Hansen in 2002 to win the title.

Guttormsen, the Norwegian outdoor record holder and No. 2 all-time indoors behind Pal Haugen Lillefosse at 19-1.50 (5.83m), will be making his Division 1 indoor championship debut after beginning his career at UCLA.

Sondre transferred to Princeton to team up with younger brother Simen Guttormsen, who has cleared 18-5 (5.61m) this season.

Zach Bradford of Kansas, third last year at 18-8.25 (5.70m), has cleared 18-10.50 (5.75m) this season and is looking to produce the Jayhawks’ first indoor title since Hussain Al-Hizam triumphed in 2018.

Clayton Fritsch of Sam Houston State, seventh last season at 18-0.50 (5.50m), has elevated to 18-9.75 (5.73m) this year.