USA Championships Preview -- Weekend

I'm going to be a bit busy this weekend, and I wanted to get my predictions out there now.

Saturday
Men's 20k Walk, 10 AM EDT
Defending champ: Kevin Eastler
T&FN pick: Patrick Stroupe
My pick: ditto
Analysis: This is like the Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress awards at the Oscars, in that no one cares who wins.

Men's Pole Vault, 5:55 PM
Defending champ: Derek Miles
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: Jeremy Scott
Analysis: Derek Miles and Brad Walker have been a bit too inconsistent for my tastes. Scott might not win, but he won't bomb either.

Men's Hammer Throw, 6:25 PM
Defending champ: AG Kruger
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: ditto
Analysis: Kruger has dominated this event in the US for several years.

Men's Long Jump, 7:20 PM
Defending champ: Trevell Quinley
T&FN pick: Dwight Phillips
My pick: ditto
Analysis: The best jumper almost always wins in this event, and Phillips is head and shoulders above the rest.

Women's Javelin Throw, 7:30 PM
Defending champ: Kara Patterson
T&FN pick: Kim Kreiner
My pick: ditto
Analysis: Even coming off injury, she's the USA's best.

Women's 400m Hurdles, 8:15 PM (live on ESPN)
Defending champ: Tiffany Williams
T&FN pick: Lashinda Demus
My pick: Sheena Tosta
Analysis: I see this as a toss-up between Tosta and Demus.

Men's Steeplechase, 8:40 PM (live on ESPN)
Defending champ: Anthony Famiglietti
T&FN pick: Josh McAdams
My pick: ditto
Analysis: This is a pretty weak event.

Women's 400 meters, 8:54 PM (live on ESPN)
Defending champ: Sanya Richards
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: ditto
Analysis: As long as her Behcet's disease doesn't act up, this will be an easy win for Richards.

Men's 400 meters, 9:02 PM (live on ESPN)
Defending champ: LaShawn Merritt
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: ditto
Analysis: No one can beat Merritt right now, not even Wariner.

Women's 1500 meters, 9:11 PM (live on ESPN)
Defending champ: Shannon Rowbury
T&FN pick: Christin Wurth-Thomas
My pick: Anna Willard
Analysis: The USA is four-deep in great milers, and one of them (Jenny Barringer) is only doing the steeple. The other three are listed above. You could make a case for any of them to win, but Willard's strong showings in both the steeple and 800 make me think she has more tools to work with than the others.

Men's 110m Hurdles, 9:23 PM (live on ESPN)
Defending champ: David Oliver
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: Terrence Trammell
Analysis: Trammell is having his best season in a few years and always seems to come up big at the national championships. It is most likely to be a tight race between him and Oliver.


SUNDAY

Women's 20k Walk, 11 AM EDT
Defending champ: Joanne Dow
T&FN pick: Theresa Vaill
My pick: ditto
Analysis: Who cares?

Women's Heptathlon
Defending champ: Hyleas Fountain
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: ditto
Analysis: It shouldn't be close.

Women's Pole Vault, 2:30 PM
Defending champ: Jenn Stuczynski
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: ditto
Analysis: Probably the strongest favorite in the whole meet.

Men's High Jump, 2:45 PM
Defending champ: Jesse Williams
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: ditto
Analysis: On paper, at least, this is a no-brainer.

Women's Hammer Throw, 3:10 PM
Defending champ: Jessica Cosby
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: ditto
Analysis: She's thrown further and more consistently than all the others.

Women's Long Jump, 3:30 PM
Defending champ: Brittney Reese
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: ditto
Analysis: She's by far the best women's long jumper in the USA.

Men's Shot Put, 3:35 PM
Defending champ: Reese Hoffa
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: ditto
Analysis: Hoffa had an average indoor season but has come on strong outdoors, while Cantwell has done the opposite.

Men's 400m Hurdles, 4:05 PM (live on NBC)
Defending champ: Bershawn Jackson
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: ditto
Analysis: With a Worlds bye, Kerron Clement is running the flat 400 instead. That makes this pick a whole lot easier, because Clement was the only one I thought had any chance at Jackson.

Women's Steeplechase, 4:14 PM (live on NBC)
Defending champ: Anna Willard
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: Jenny Barringer
Analysis: This should be a ding-dong battle between Willard and Barringer and both will break the American Record. Willard will have the 1500 on her legs, so I went with Barringer.

Women's 800 meters, 4:44 PM (live on NBC)
Defending champ: Hazel Clark
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: Maggie Vessey
Analysis: This is not a strong event for the USA, which complicates an already unpredictable event. Clark isn't as reliable as her sister was, and Vessey has run two good races in a row.

Men's 800 meters, 4:53 PM (live on NBC)
Defending champ: Nick Symmonds
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: ditto
Analysis: Symmonds has improved each year, and is racing on his home track. But the 800 is the least predictable of all running events, so anything can happen.

Women's 100m Hurdles, 5:22 PM (live on NBC)
Defending champ: Lolo Jones
T&FN pick: Dawn Harper
My pick: Michelle Perry
Analysis: Damu Cherry has had the strongest season so far, but Perry has been righting her ship since a severe injury last year. She beat Cherry at the Prefontaine Classic and I think things are coming together for her now and should win.

Men's 1500 meters, 5:31 PM (live on NBC)
Defending champ: Bernard Lagat
T&FN pick: Leonel Manzano
My pick: ditto
Analysis: Lagat has a bye to the World Championships and so is not racing the 1500. Manzano's recent form is better than all the others.

Men's 200 meters, 5:43 PM (live on NBC)
Defending champ: Walter Dix
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: Wallace Spearmon
Analysis: Dix hasn't raced well recently, and he'll have six rounds on his legs by the 200 final. Spearmon has had some good races this year and pretty much no one else in the field has.

Women's 200 meters, 5:52 PM (live on NBC)
Defending champ: Allyson Felix
T&FN pick: ditto
My pick: ditto
Analysis: This shouldn't be close.