OCC Cardinal and Central Preview

As we head into the OCC Championships, the distance events across the Cardinal and Central divisions are shaping up to be highly competitive with a mix of clear front-runners and wide-open battles for all-conference honors. From dominant individual performances to deep team showdowns, here's a breakdown of what to expect in the 1600m, 800m, and 3200m races for each division.

OCC Cardinal

1600: The first distance event of the day is the 1600, with a clear favorite at the front and plenty of uncertainty behind. Given that his personal best is 15 seconds faster than the next fastest seed, it will be no surprise when Charlie Guerrera wins this race with ease. After that, six runners have broken 4:30 and will be battling for all-conference honors: Braydon Nix, Vansh Sethi, Cayden McClure, Mack Weithman, Kole Hyer, and Aidan Fisher. It’s anyone’s guess how the rest of the race will shake out, but if I had to make a call, I’d pick Braydon Nix for second and Cayden McClure for third.

800: This race is shaping up to be much more contested. While only four runners are seeded under 2:00, three of them have personal bests below 1:56. With only the top three finishers earning all-conference honors, it’s very likely that Ty Munroe, Ethan Ishida, and Brendan Steele will take those spots. The only question is the order. I think Steele takes third, which leaves Munroe and Ishida to battle for the win. It’ll be close, but coming off a 4:14 at the Bizzarri Mile, I’ll give the edge to Ishida.

3200: This should be another win for Charlie Guerrera. Coming off the 1600, he’ll likely run a conservative race and stick with the front pack, which should include Logan Behm, Lincoln Kelly, and Graham Tyler. Vansh Sethi has a personal best in the same range, but after racing the mile, fatigue could be a factor. Behm and Kelly both have PRs just under 9:30, while Tyler’s is in the high 9:30s—largely because he hasn’t had the chance to run a fast 3200 yet this season. My prediction? A 1-2-3 sweep by the Celtics. And if Behm isn’t in top form, don’t be surprised if Guerrera lets a teammate take the win.

OCC Central

1600: Like in the Cardinal division, the 1600 should be a lock at the top—this time thanks to Matthew Schroff. With a personal best of 4:10 from last season, he should cruise to the win. After that, things get a little less clear. If Zee Rabi is mostly recovered from his bout with pneumonia, he should take second. If not, he’ll be in a tight battle with Justin Rona, Sid Sivakumar, and Sam Brockbank for a spot on the podium. Assuming Rabi is back to form, I’ll go with Rona to edge out the others for third.

800: This one shouldn’t be close. Schroff should take the win again, with an 800m personal best nearly four seconds faster than the next fastest seed. Aadi Joshi is the clear pick for second, holding a 1:56 PR that puts him well ahead of the rest of the field. The final all-conference spot will likely come down to Jacob Ogilbee or Dylan Willis—though Sam Brockbank has a sub-2:00 PR as well, he’ll be coming off the 1600. I’ll take Ogilbee to narrowly edge out Willis.

3200: This should be a great race. I’m confident the top three finishers will be some combination of Jacob Bolton, Gordon Kimberly, and Bradyn Allender. Bolton has a 9:17 PR from just last weekend and is my pick to win. Kimberly and Allender both have strong postseason résumés, but given Allender’s cross country strength, I’ll go with him for second and Kimberly for third.

With some of the state’s top talent toeing the line, the Friday’s OCC Championships are sure to deliver fast times and thrilling finishes in the distance events. Whether it's a runaway victory or a tightly contested race for the podium, every second will count as athletes fight for conference titles and postseason momentum.