2024 D3 Indoor Track and Field Nationals Preview
Thank you to Tracksmith for supporting D3 Glory Days. They’re offering new D3 Glory Days readers $15 off on orders over $75. Use code D3NEW at checkout
A big thank you to the entire D3 Glory Days Team for their efforts! Emily Richards, Cirrus Robisnon, Cris Gutierrez, Scotty Wolter, and Evan Hatton all contributed to this preview.
As we get ready for the national meet again, we want to share what Emily wrote in last year’s preview as it still reigns true:
While you can point your finger at the super spikes, the BU and oversized tracks, or COVID eligibility, track and field at all levels is in a period of elevation, and the athletes of D3 are responding. It’s been fun to follow all of the impressive all-time additions to the sport this season, but this is the weekend we look forward to the most. The names you’ve been reading on your screens all season long will finally gather together in one place for a single purpose: pure competition. The NCAA national meet is so much fun to watch because anything can happen, regardless of who holds what national record.
With the element of uncertainty at the forefront of any national stage, here are a few pointers to guide you through the weekend, especially for those athletes making it to the national level for the very first time (editor’s note, this is from 9x D3 Champion Emily Richards. So yeah, pay attention.):
Treat every round of competition like a final. Advancing is never guaranteed, and a good night’s rest is plenty of time to recover for the next round or event.
Focus on the journey you took to get to this point and no one else’s. It’s easy to get swept up in the performances of those around you (especially with so many national record holders walking around the complex), but your journey and your performance are your own. Step up to the competition with trust in the path that led you here.
Beware of lane lines! Lane line violations are poorly monitored throughout the regular season and then strictly monitored at the championships. Combine a steep slope in lane six with some ultra-bouncy super spikes, and staying to the right of your lane line is harder than you think. No one wants to leave Virginia with a devastating DQ next to their name.
Soak in the magic of what you are a part of. You made it to one of the highest stages in D3 competition in one of the most competitive years of D3 history to date. No matter what the weekend's outcome is or what sort of marks people are hitting five years in the future, you will always get to tell people you participated in the 2024 NCAA D3 national meet. You are some of the best of our current time.
Don’t forget to have fun. It’s what D3 does best.
Stu and Noah will be on the mic once again to bring D3 coverage to everyone watching from home. We’ll also have a small crew getting photos and videos. So if you see someone in a D3GD shirt, you’re on camera! Thanks for letting D3GD be a part of your nationals journey.
Women’s 60m
With Bridgewater’s Adalia Coleman out of the picture this year, the women’s 60-meter dash makes way for a new victor. The favorite heading into the weekend is UWL’s Lauren Jarrett, who took sixth in this event last year and, just a few weeks ago, ran a D3 No. 3 all-time time of 7.49, making her just the fourth woman in D3 history to dip under the 7.5 barrier in this event. Jarrett comes off of somewhat of a breakout season last year in which she took runner-up in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes outdoors. This year, she carries this momentum to the indoor track where she hopes to take control of the spotlight and potentially win her first national title.
To do so, however, she will have to fend off Mount Union’s Kenadee Wayt, No. 7 all-time and last year’s outdoor 200-meter national champion. Wayt has run 7.52 so far this season and comes off of a productive season in which she set national records in both the 300 and 500-meter dashes. Seeded third in both the 200 and 400, Wayt is in for a busy weekend. However, when she raced in four events last year, she came away with one national title and three additional All-American honors. There’s not much she can’t do. The battle between her and Jarrett is sure to be a good one.
Other returners to watch out for in this event are Bowdoin’s Kianne Benjamin, who comes off of an exciting 7.55 PR and D3 No. 12 all-time performance at New England Champs last weekend, and Whitewater’s Tina Shelton, who ties Benjamin at D3. No. 12 all-time. Nebraska Wesleyan’s Bella Hogue, who took runner-up in this event last year, is a scratch.
Contrastingly, if you’d prefer to cheer for the rookie, look no further than Rutger-Newark’s Zrreyah Moore and North Carolina Wesleyan’s Kamiyah Wooten. Before this year, Moore had only run under 8 in the 60-meter dash twice. Now, she’s become one of the best in D3 history with her 7.58, which comes in at No. 22 all-time. Wooten, on the other hand, comes in as a true freshman, ready to line up with some of the best current veterans in D3. She has also posted a time of 7.58, landing her in good position for All-American honors in her first year running collegiately should she be able to deliver on the big stage. She is joined by fellow freshman teammate Ti’asia Bryant as well as teammate Mariah Brooks, an impressive showing for North Carolina Wesleyan.
All-Time Performances:
3. Lauren Jarrett (La Crosse)
7. Kenadee Wayt (Mount Union)
12. Kianne Benjamin (Bowdoin)
12. Tina Shelton (Whitewater)*
22. Zrreyah Moore (Rutgers-Newark)
22. Kamiyah Wooten (North Carolina Wesleyan)
*Indicates mark from previous year
Men’s 60m
UW-La Crosse’s Sam Blaskowski has etched his name into the D3 all-time list 17 times. Last year, he won the national title with a time of 6.71 in the final. This year, he has not run over 6.69. Traveling to Virginia Beach to defend his national title, Blaskowski is the one to watch. He comes off of a 60-meter WIAC victory and tenth place finish at the U.S. Championships in Albuquerque in which he ran next to U.S. champion and 2024 world silver medalist Noah Lyles.
The odds of Blaskowski bringing home another championship trophy in the 60-meter dash are high, and the best question to be asked of this race is how fast will he go? He has already whittled his national record down from 6.68 last year to 6.64 this year, indicating that he will be bringing a whole new level of heat to the start line in Norfolk. You will want to make sure you’re watching any time Blaskowski steps on the track.
Blaskowski’s biggest challengers are No. 12 all-time Bethel’s Landen Liu, who ran 6.73 beside Blaskowski at the Mark Guthrie Legacy Meet in early February, No. 7. All-time Oshkosh’s Davian Willems, who took runner-up at WIACs, and No. 22 all-time Rose-Hulman’s Jailen Hobbs, who took 4th in the 100-meter final last year outdoors. Whitworth’s Solo Hines will also be in the mix entering with a seed time of 6.81. The West region sprints standout is No. 5 in D3 history with his time of 6.71 from last season, so don’t count him out when it comes to considering the nation’s top talent.
Most impressive in the men’s 60-meter field this year is the depth of the WIAC. Nine out of the 20 athletes competing all hail from WIAC schools, including Blaskowski, his UWL teammate Ryder Smith, Willems, his Oshkosh teammates Danny Vinson, Joey Kean, and Ray Talbert, Whitewater’s Myles Anderson, Platteville’s Cade VanHout, and Eau Claire’s Stefan Klechefski. The national 60-meter prelim might as well be the WIAC 60-meter prelim from two weeks ago. And I know we aren’t talking about outdoors just yet, but man, is that WIAC 4x100-meter relay going to be hype.
All-Time Performances:
1. Sam Blaskowski (La Crosse)
5. Solo Hines (Whitworth)*
7. Davian Willems (Oshkosh)*
12. Landen Liu (Bethel)
22. Jailen Hobbs (Rose-Hulman)
*Indicates mark from previous year
Women’s 200m
The battle between defending champion Kenadee Wayt of Mount Union, North Carolina Wesleyan freshman Kamiyah Wooten, and Bowdoin’s Kianne Benjamin is going to be a tight one, making it an event you don’t want to miss. Wooten has the current national lead at 24.13, which she ran at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in early February. This time puts her at No. 3 all-time, just ahead of Wayt’s No. 4 time of 24.31 from last winter.
There are two highly impressive factors to Wooten’s journey to the Virginia Beach start line:
Wooten is a true freshman at North Carolina Wesleyan. In high school, she only ran under 26 in the 200-meter dash one time.
Wooten ran cross country this past fall. I don’t know about y’all, but my fast-twitch muscles go into hibernation after a cross season. Very impressive.
Although a rookie in an experienced field, Wooten has been posting the times to be competitive and even as successful as a national champion all season long.
Wayt also comes in with good odds. She won the title in this event last year, followed it up with the title outdoors, and will look to add a third this coming weekend. Though she could have a heavy load with rounds of the 60 and 400, it’s no doubt that the 200-meter is where Wayt shines the brightest.
Benjamin just dropped a speedy time of 24.35 at New England Champs, making her the 8th fastest woman in D3 history. She took fourth last year, third outdoors last year, and this year has the potential to break into the top spot.
After Wayt on the descending order list, there are six times packed into the 24.5’s for qualifying times, making the final in this event a tough one to make. Other top names to watch out for include Rutgers-Newark’s Zrreyah Moore (No. 17 all-time), RIT’s Sadie Schreiner (No. 18 all-time), Hartford’s Marlina Voker, Hope’s Sara Schermerhorn, Whitewater’s Tina Shelton, and Stevens’s Laura Mathews. Nebraska Wesleyan’s Bella Hogue (No. 14 all-time) scratched to focus on the 400 and 4x4.
All-Time Performances:
3. Kamiyah Wooten (North Carolina Wesleyan)
4. Kenadee Wayt (Mount Union)*
8. Kianne Benjamin (Bowdoin)
17. Zrreyah Moore (Rutgers-Newark)
18. Sadie Schreiner (RIT)
*Indicates mark from previous year
Men’s 200m
Last year, the men’s 200-meter dash was the most competitive it has ever been in D3 history. Ramapo’s Cheickna Traore, UWL’s Blaskowski, and Gallaudet’s Eric Gregory all shattered Eau Claire’s Thurgood Dennis’s 2014 national record when they lined up and raced one another in the national final. Traore became the first man in D3 history to run under 21 seconds indoors, Blaskowski narrowly missed his own No. 2 all-time mark of 21.13 when he ran 21.16, and Gregory narrowly missed a runner-up finish when he crossed the finish line neck and neck with Blaskowski, thousandths of a second from silver. Without Traore in the field, the rematch between Blaskowski and Gregory could be the highlight of the whole meet.
Gregory has already run 21.17 this year, just off of his No. 3 all-time mark of 21.16, and Blaskowski has been making significant gains in the 60. His focus on the shorter event leaves us guessing a little bit about his 200-meter fitness, but we’ve seen again and again what the UWL stud is capable of, giving us no reason to count him out.
A new player enters the chat this year in Blaskowski’s teammate, Luke Schroeder, whose flat-track converted time of 21.16 is the current national lead. Schroeder has had an impressive season so far, dropping national leads in both the 200-meter dash as well as the 60-meter hurdles. Last year, he missed the final in the 200 and suffered an unfortunate DQ in the hurdles, so consider this his revenge tour. Being in the way of a man on a revenge mission is a scary position to be in. Schroeder will be a big name to watch this weekend.
The middle of this field looks to be particularly deep. Other names to watch for are that of Luke Botsford from Tufts (No. 26 all-time), Tyler McGrath from Buffalo State (No. 27 all-time), Olivet’s Jordon Brown, and Oshkosh’s Londyn Little.
All-Time Performances:
2. Sam Blaskowski (La Crosse)*
3. Eric Gregory (Gallaudet)*
26. Luke Botsford (Tufts)
27. Tyler McGrath (Buffalo State)
*Indicates mark from previous year
Women’s 400m
Bella Hogue of Nebraska Wesleyan is looking to add another championship, but this time in a new event: the 400. The top seed will be competing at the national meet for the first time in an individual event over 200m. She has some range competing at the national meet in the 60, 100, and 200 in previous years, which included a 100/200 sweep in 2022 outdoors. There are four All-Americans returning from last year’s field. Mount Union’s Madison Miles (7th), Buffalo State’s Natalia Sawyer (5th), Mount Union’s Kenadee Wayt (3rd), and John Hopkins’s Lauren Phillips (2nd). Similar to the men’s fields these returners are scattered throughout the list from 2nd to 17th and are joined by other people of note. Sawyer, who was 5th last year, won the 400m hurdles outdoors. She is joined by other 400m hurdle All-Americans U of Chicago’s Ren Brown, and Colby’s Fiona Mejico.
Wayt won the 400 outdoors last year, and MIT’s Marina Miller finished 6th. This field might have some of the most hardware collectively. Bella King-Harvey of Williams is the lone freshman in the field. She is coming in with the 5th fastest seed time. Some people harp on experience being important on the national stage. However, sometimes ignorance is bliss.
Rutgers-Newark’s Zrreyah Moore is having a strong senior year setting personal bets in every event. She enters the all-time list at 19th and is sitting 4th based on seed time. Like the men’s race, there are a lot of women who can make this final. The 400 is an event that can’t be skipped on your watchlist this year.
All-Time Performances:
11. Lauren Phllips (Johns Hopkins)* 2023
18. Kenadee Wayt (Mount Union)* 2023
19. Zrreyah Moore (Rutgers-Newark)
Men’s 400m
Josh Jeffes of SUNY Delhi took advantage of the BU track magic and is the top seed coming into Friday. The indoor 400 is an interesting event similar to the 200. Both events contest their finals in two sections. Someone to keep your eye on is Lance Jensen of SUNY Geneseo who was last year's 400m hurdle national champion in outdoor. Jensen has been having a good indoor season and is coming in ranked 5th. Jeffes and Jensen however are not returning All-Americans. These individuals include Mount Union’s Matt McBride (8th), Jared Storm (6th), Widener’s Samuel Knowles (4th), John Carroll’s Basheer Alramahi (3rd), and Rowan’s Amara Conte (2nd).
The youngest competitor in the field is Puget Sound’s Alexander Rhodes. The freshmen will be competing in his first national meet. A fun note about Rhodes is he will be competing at the national meet after competing in an outdoor meet this past weekend. The key to this race will be qualifying for the final. Previous years all-americans are scattered through the seed times from 2nd all the way to 19th. When you factor this in, a freshmen, a couple of sophomores, and a 400m hurdler looking to spoil the party, the men’s 400 is going to be a fun contest this weekend.
All-Time Performances
3. Josh Jeffes (SUNY Delhi)
7. Basheer Alramahi (John Carroll)
8. Amara Conte (Rowan)* 2023
9. Matt McBride (Mount Union)
10. Alexander Rhodes (Puget Sound)
15. Lance Jensen (SUNY Geneseo)
20. Jacob Parent (Bethel)
23. Jordon Brown (Olivet)
Women’s 800m
The 800m event on the women’s side has been very top dominated with 11 of the last 12 individual titles being won by either Emily Richards, Esther Seeland, or Emma Kelley (Phoebe Aguiar’s indoor 2019 win is the other one) and that trend looks to continue another season with Kelley seeded over 4 seconds faster than the next entry in the field. After finishing 2nd indoors and outdoors in 2022, Kelley dominated the event last year winning both 800m championship races by over 2 seconds and that success continued in 2024 by running 2:07 or faster 4 times since January including the 4th and 5th fastest times in history. Seeland’s 2022 record of 2:05.39 is undoubtedly attainable for the Wash U star and the fact that the 800m is her only individual event sets it up for a fast and possibly record-breaking watch.
The task to upset Kelley will be difficult, but two of the biggest challengers are Ellie Rising from George Fox and Hope Murphy from Baldwin Wallace. Rising and Murphy were 3rd and 6th in last year’s indoor 800m with Rising being the only other athlete who has broken 2:10 in the field this season. Another contender is Maddie Hannan from UW-La Crosse who finished 2nd last year in the outdoor 800m and was also an All-American indoors in the mile.
Last indoors, Wash U set history to have teammates Kelley and Aoife Dunne finish 1-2. They will try to do the same this year with Ali Sarussi taking Dunne’s place (who is now running at Boston College). Sarussi was a part of Wash U’s winning DMR team last year and has also won 2 other All-American awards in the open 800 for indoors 2022 and outdoors last year.
All Time Performances:
4. Emma Kelley (Wash U)
18. Ellie Rising (George Fox)*
21. Hope Murphy (Baldwin Wallace)
Men’s 800m
The 2023 indoor 800m final was electric as Loras’s Mike Jasa set a hot pace early and never looked back en route to a new championship record of 1:49.30. Neither Jasa nor the next 3 finishers last year will be competing this weekend, which gives someone new the opportunity to step up and be crowned a national champion. Plymouth State’s Michael Olson has ran the fastest time this season when he clocked 1:49.51 on a fast track in Boston, which slots him as 7th all-time. Olson followed that performance up with an impressive 1:51.57 last weekend on a flat 200m track showing he is legit and the guy to beat in Virginia.
Besides Olson, we got a little preview of the national meet on February 23 in Whitewater, WI when Cael Schoemann of UW-La Crosse dove across the line to edge out Sam Verkerke of UW-Eau Claire and Braedon Gilles of UWSP in the WIAC Indoor Championships where each broke 1:52 on a flat track to enter this weekend with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th fastest times in D3 this season. This will be Gilles’s first national meet, but Schoemann finished 5th outdoors last year, and Verkerke was the 2022 outdoors 1500m champion. Other contenders include Jake Shumaker of Milikin and Andrew McGovern from Carnegie Mellon who finished 5th and 6th indoors last year, as well as Lynchburg’s Sam Llaneza who finished 6th last year outdoors and has finished top 5 in the last 3 outdoor 1500m finals. Plenty of competitions this week have a clear favorite with high odds to win, but this 800m is pretty open, and it will be exciting to see who can get it done when the lights turn on.
All Time Performances:
8. Michael Olson (Plymouth State)
19. Andrew McGovern (Carnegie Mellon)
20. Jake Shumaker (Millikin)*
21. Sam Llaneza (Lynchburg)
Women’s Mile
The final for this field will be full of new faces as only one athlete who made the final in either the mile or 1500 returns this year.
The women’s field is headlined by WPI’s Grace Hadley who has been on a tear this season. Coming off a 4th place finish in cross country, she followed it up with national qualifying marks in the 800, Mile, 3K, 5K, and DMR. She’s obviously not running all those events this weekend but she will have a busy weekend on her hands as she’s entered in the Mile, DMR, and 3K. With their DMR currently #2 in the country, Hadley has the opportunity to potentially take home two titles this weekend. She’s doubled at a high level three times in the last four races so this weekend won’t be too much of a shock for Hadley. With Grace Richardson opting for the 3K/5K double, Hadley is in the driver's seat.
There’s plenty of women that will look to take pole position this weekend. Allison Sibold and Caroline McMartin come off All-American seasons in cross country and have resumes that make them strong contenders for the title. Sibold is ranked No. 2 in the Mile and No. 4 in the 3K this weekend. McMartin is ranked No. 3 in this field and boasts a national caliber 800 mark as well. The Mile is McMartin’s only event this weekend and Sibold won’t have to pull double duty on Friday like Hadley has to. Game on.
Keep an eye on Wartburg’s Aubrie Fisher. The 2023 Steeplechase Champion will look to add another trophy to her collection this weekend. She’ll be on a strong Wartburg DMR squad on Friday but her experience running rounds on tired legs will benefit her. Last year she was All-American in both the DMR and 3K.
While this field may be full of new faces, we did mention one athlete returns from last year’s finals. Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Amelia Lehman comes off a strong 2023 season where she was an All-American in both the Mile and 1500.
Unlike the men’s field we look to have only a couple women in this field doing the DMR/Mile double. Hadley, Fisher, the MIT duo of Lexi Fernandez and Rujuta Sane, Wash U’s Helena Teixeira-Dasilva, and Conn College’s Abby Fernard are the only ones doing at least the double here. We should have a lot of relatively fresh athletes in the final which could lead to a lot of fun come Saturday.
All Time Performances
7. Grace Hadley (WPI)
Men’s Mile
While the men's field may not have basically rewritten the record books like last year; there are plenty of storylines to follow.
Up front we have the lone returning All-American from 2023 looking to upgrade his silver to gold. Bennett Booth-Genthe made a statement the first week of December with his 4:00.33 at Boston. That has held up as the top time in the country. He now holds two top 10 all-time marks. He’s shown that he can mix it up with some historically great competitors. Will this be his weekend to add a title to his resume?
There are plenty of men looking to play spoiler in this field. Booth-Genthe will see a familiar face from last year’s 800 outdoor final in Noah Jorgenson. Jorgenson showed his range last cross country season finishing 24th at the National Championships then turning it around weeks later to run a 4:05:18, locking down the No. 2 spot on the descending order list and cracking the all-time performance list. Not to be left on his own, his teammate Adam Sylvia is slotted just under him at No. 3. Having two of the top 3 seeds is a nice place to be in, what could be better?
How about four teammates in the field?
Wisconsin La-Crosse brought a squad to this meet and will look to try and fill the final with as many Eagles as they can. La-Crosse is represented by Jayden Zywicki, Parker Heintz, Joey Sullivan, and Aidan Manning. They have a young crop of men in this field but having some familiar faces should ease the nerves a bit. While they may only have two currently ranked in the top 8, 10-20 is separated by less than 2 seconds. Look for at least some team title implications to be affected by who qualifies into this final.
A couple of returners from last year's field will also look to make splashes. Ryan Harvey, Henry Hardart, Pablo Arroyo, and Mason Shea have all been at the big stage before. Will their experience prove to be key to a successful weekend?
We may be eating our words on experience as Will Salony will be making his first track championship. He was just on the cusp of making the outdoor meet and he’s shown this season that he’ll be someone to keep an eye on.
Give a quick glance to the DMR starting list and you’ll notice a lot of familiar names in that field. Four of our top 8 seeds will be playing double duty this weekend with Jorgenson, Sylvia, Harvey, and Heintz all on the start list for the DMR. While it may not play a role in who makes it to the final, the extra race on the legs could prove to make dreams of a championship a bit tougher to make a reality.
A lot of this field won’t have to worry about adding a DMR to their legs. We’ll see if that plays into any race strategy come Saturday.
All Time Performances
4. Bennett Booth-Genthe (Pomona-Pitzer)
21. Noah Jorgenson (Central)
Women’s 3000m
Last year, Saint Benedict’s Fiona Smith stole the show in women’s distance running when she captured dual titles in the indoor 3k and 5k. This year, she will attempt to do the same with the added bonus that if she successfully pulls off both wins, she will be undefeated in national championships this year. In the fall, Smith won her first XC national title by an impressive margin. All year she has been running on a level completely different from her competitors and even from her previous self, smashing personal records left and right. Her 9:23.4 national lead is No. 4 all-time in D3 history and currently leads the field by four seconds. This race is Smith’s to win.
However, there are a few notable contenders who also come off of extremely strong falls who will also take the starting line this weekend. One is CMS’s Natalie Bitetti, who took runner-up to Smith in the fall. She opted for the DMR/3k double as opposed to the 3k/5k double of some of her competitors, which could play in her favor leading into Saturday’s final. Bitetti dropped an impressive 9:29.76 in mid-February, making her No. 10 all-time in D3 history and just the tenth woman to dip under 9:30 in this event. She will certainly be one to watch in this penultimate event Saturday evening.
Another big name in this race is NYU’s Grace Richardson, who is having a hot year, including her top-10 finish in cross in the fall. Richardson followed up XC nationals with an early season PR of 16:44 in the 5k, the sixth fastest qualifying time on the descending order list. She then went on to dip under 4:50 in the mile with her 4:49.24, the No. 16 fastest time in D3 history, and put the icing on the cake at BU Valentine a few weeks ago, when she ran 9:27.12 for 3k, No. 7 in D3 history. Richardson has been on a tear and has the potential to post her highest national finish ever this weekend (the highest being her 9th place XC finish from this past fall). b
Other names to watch are that of Saint Lawrence’s Alison Sibold and Central’s Megan Johnson. Both are in the midst of breakout years–for Sibold, success followed after a 20th place XC finish in the fall, and for Johnson, this season has carried momentum from a 7th place All-American finish in the steeple. Both are strong contenders for top finishes in this event, having run the No. 12 and No. 16 all-time times in it, respectively.
All-Time Performances:
4. Fiona Smith (Saint Benedict)
7. Grace Richardson (NYU)
10. Natalie Bitetti (CMS)
12. Alison Sibold (St. Lawrence)
16. Megan Johnson (Central)
21. Aubrie Fisher (Wartburg)*
*Indicates mark from previous year
Men’s 3000m
Last year’s men’s 3,000 was one of the highlights of the national meet. UWL’s Ethan Gregg employed his signature tactic in which he hammered straight from the gun and never looked back. The lead he created early on in the 15-lap race proved too large for his challengers, Alex Phillip, who holds the national record in this event, Ryan Wilson, and Christian Patzka, to overcome. Gregg led the field to four top-10 marks in D3 history, including his own, which came in at No. 4 all-time.
This year, an exciting battle will certainly ensue up front with Gregg returning to the start line against Patzka and other notable players like No. 7 all-time RPI’s Cory Kennedy, Simpson’s Spencer Moon (sometimes known to employ hammering tactic of his own), and Cornell College’s Isaac vanWestrienen, who currently holds the national lead with his converted 8:03.97.
While the hype will certainly be taking place up front, there are a few factors surrounding this year’s men’s 3k that I find to be even more impressive than its potential winner:
La Crosse will race what is basically an entire scoring cross country line-up of five athletes. To make matters more impressive, they have two additional athletes ranked in the top 36 in this event. This statement is reminiscent of the 2022 XC national champion team from MIT, who placed all seven athletes in the top 57 of the national race. Though the cross country Eagles fell just short of the national title this past fall, this distance event could be a major tide-changer in the team battle, maybe even one that solidifies the win.
This event boasts extreme depth. Twelve of the 20 qualifiers are on the D3 all-time list. Carnegie Mellon’s Colin McLaughlin is No. 25 in D3 history and No. 16 on the qualifying list. Athletes who were major players during the cross country season aren’t even granted a trip to nationals because of how competitive this event is. The battle for All-American could be the toughest in D3 history.
All-Time Performances:
4. Sam Acquaviva (MIT)*
5. Ethan Gregg (La Crosse)*
7. Cory Kennedy (RPI)
8. Spencer Moon (Simpson)
10. Christian Patzka (Whitewater)*
11. Nate Lentz (Williams)
12. Frank Csorba (Lynchburg)
13. Chasen Hunt (Lynchburg)
15. Colin Kirkpatrick (Pomona-Pitzer)
17. Enrique Salazar (Manchester)
22. Isaac vanWestrienen (Cornell College)
25. Colin McLaughlin (Carnegie Mellon)
*Indicates mark from previous year
Women’s 5000m
The Fiona Smith show goes on the road with the next stop being Virginia Beach. Smith set the D3 record this winter becoming the second woman to break 16 minutes indoors and the fourth overall to do so.
Smith heads to Virginia Beach as the defending 5k/3k champion and looks to repeat the same feat this indoor season. She’s won three titles overall and is fresh off her cross country national title. She became the first woman in championship history to dip under 20 minutes in the 6k, which begs the question, will she go for history in Virginia Beach?
The championship record is 16:15, which was set in 2022 by Kassie Parker. Parker was pushed by Wellesey’s Ari Marks to get her to that time. Who will push Smith this year?
Just like the men’s field, the women’s field is just as stacked. 14/20 athletes were XC All-Americans featuring 1-3-6-9-13-16-17.
Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel of UChicago comes in as the second seed running 16:27 at Grand Valley State earlier this year. She has national meet experience finishing 13th in XC this fall and 6th in the 1500, along with her 10th place finish in the 5k outdoors. Last indoor nationals she got tripped up in the mile and will look to get redemption for that fall this year. There’s a chance Battleson-Gunkel decides to go with Smith and if she does, there may be some company.
Grace Richardson of NYU will be one to look for if the pack decides to chase Smith. Richardson has had an amazing indoor season running 4:49/9:27/16:44. Her 16:44 came back in December, before she put up her mile and 3k time. There’s some deceptiveness to her seed time as she hasn’t shown her full cards in the 5k yet. She put herself in contention in cross country in the lead pack, so expect her to do the same in this 5k. If she’s chasing or being chased in the last 400, watch her mile speed take over.
There’s going to be an interesting mix of veterans and newcomers to the event. The veterans of Sara Stephenson, Rachel Hirschkind, Genna Girard and Shaelyn Hostager will know what to expect in these national 5k fields. Then you have XC All-American, Riley Buese of Lewis & Clark in her first track national meet. As a senior, Lara Kellem of Simpson makes her first national meet as well.
This can make for an interesting style of racing. Will the newcomers get impatient and want to go? Will the vets know when the right time to make their moves?
Paige Phillips of Coast Guard and Allison Dell of Lynchburg both made it into nationals at the last chance meet. Will they be playing with house money and go for it?
Last year, Deyanneira Colon-Maldonado finished 17th in the mile. Since then, she’s gone on to become an XC All-American and set new PBs from the mile to the 5k. She’s the sixth seed but may not have the same resume as others in the field to be recognized. Don’t be surprised to see her mixing it up in the top pack.
Others to keep an eye on to be an All-American include Shaelyn Hostager. She ran a controlled, smart 10k during outdoors to finish sixth. She has the experience necessary to match the moves when they’re needed. Down at the 11th seed is Genna Girard. She didn’t race a whole lot indoors–just four completed races. If Girard is clicking on all cylinders, she will make this an honest race.
All Time Performance
Fiona Smith - D3 Record Holder - St. Benedict
8. Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel - UChicago
17. Natalie Bitetti - CMS
Men’s 5000m
Well we know how the 5k is going to start. Ethan Gregg is going to make it an honest race from the gun. But who’s going to be with him?
As we’ve said time and time again, we’re witnessing a distance renaissance in D3. Chalk it up to the shoes, extra eligibility, or the extra chocolate milk at practice, but whatever it is, it is fun to watch. A simple yet effective way to describe this field: stacked. 13/20 men in the field were All-Americans in XC but those that didn’t qualify still have a strong resume to be included in this field.
One of the first things you’ll notice as the field is introduced are the four UW-La Crosse runners. As you’ve read, the Eagles will be everywhere this meet and that doesn’t change in the 5k. Ethan Gregg, last year’s 3k champion and 2023 XC Champion, will be flanked by three of his teammates: Adam Loenser and the Matthai Twins: Aidan and Grant. IF Ethan doesn’t take things out, look for a little tactics to come into play. Throughout the season, UW-La Crosse has run in a pack at their meets to carry each other to quick times. The same could be said for this race as the four will be back on Saturday for the 3k.
One of the best indoor duos in D3 history will line up together once again. Christian Patzka, 2023 Indoor 5k Champion, will have his training partner Gunner Schlender next to him. These two have put some ridiculous times as a duo coming in with 13:51/14:04. They sit second and 16th all-time. Patzka will look to create the magic he had last indoor season as he was able to pull away from Gregg and Alex Phillip to capture his first title. The duo has run the majority of their races together and are dreaming of a one-two finish.
Moving outside of Wisconsin and down into Iowa sits Spencer Moon: the seventh man in D3 history to go under 14 minutes in the 5k. One look at his TFFRs and you’d think he’d be littered with All-American honors. Despite his strong resume, Moon has one All-American honor to his name. He’ll look to change that this year as he looks to be running with confidence this indoor season. He’s fresh off a 5k/3k double win at the ARC Championships and added a new 3k PR to his sub 14 performance.
Cory Kennedy, Derek Fearon, and Enrique Salazar all have historic runs this Indoor as well. The slowest time of the trio was from Salazar running 14:01.63. This field is so deep that a 14:01 guy was the fifth fastest unconverted time this season. Even John Lucey who ran 14:09 is on the outside looking in at a top eight seed.
A few dark horses to keep an eye on:
Ivan Appleton of Tufts. Appleton was 13th in XC and has had a massive upward trajectory. This is his first track national meet but don’t expect them to run like it.
Will Kelly of St. Olaf. Kelly has only raced five total times this indoor season and his seed time isn’t from BU. He’s coming off another All-American performance in XC but may still have a bitter taste from finishing 10th in the steeple - just outside of being an All-American.
Braden Nicholson will be the loan NCC distance runner. He’s making his indoor national debut. 17th in XC and third at Outdoors last year.
Alright we’re stopping there before we name the entire field. Regardless of who’s mentioned or noted, this is going to be an amazing race.
2. Christian Patzka - UW-Whitewater
3. Ethan Gregg - UW-La Crosse
7. Spencer Moon - Simpson
9. Cory Kennedy - RPI
12. Derek Fearon - Pomona-Pitzer
13. Enrique Salazar - Manchester
16. Gunner Schlender - UW-Whitewater
23. John Lucey - Williams
24. Isaac vanWestrienen - Cornell College
Women’s 60mH
The top 4 finishers in last year’s 60mH final won’t be competing this weekend, but that doesn’t mean this year won’t be any less exciting. After running 8.50 this past weekend, UW-Stout’s Hannah Zastrow is the top seed and now ranks 6th on the D3 all-time list. After a one-year stint at UW-Eau Claire in 2023, Zastrow returns to Stout where she had much success including two All-American awards in the outdoor 100mH and a runner-up finish in the 60mH in 2022. Finishing 3rd in that 2022 60mH race was Bethel’s Kelsie Sealock who is the No. 2 seed this weekend after running 8.51 in February, a time which put her 7th fastest in D3 history.
Sealock has had a remarkably consistent career which includes top 5 finishes in each of the last five 60mH and 100mH finals and three additional All-American medals in the 4x4. Both Zastrow and Sealock have been so close to gold their entire careers and just 8 seconds with 5 hurdles are all that stand in the way to make their dream a reality.
Zastrow vs. Sealock will be the battle to watch, but Stevens’s Laura Mathews and Buffalo State’s Natalia Sawyer also have each broken 8.60 this year and will be vying for the top podium finish. Mathews has gotten 5th and 6th the past two national 60mH finals and Sawyer is fresh off winning the 400mH title last outdoor season. Both of these women are more than capable of winning a national title on Saturday.
All-Time Performances:
5. Hannah Zastrow (UW-Stout)
7. Kelsie Sealock (Bethel)
7. Laura Mathews (Stevens )*
14. Natalia Sawyer (Buffalo State)
23. Chloe Yoder (Susquehanna)
25. Eliza Cardwell (Amherst)
25. Aniya Seward (Lynchburg)
Men’s 60mH
On this weekend 10 years ago, Salisbury’s Luke Campbell won the 60mH national championship in a still-standing record time of 7.75 and would go on in his career to win another eight individual national titles. No one since has come close to matching Campbell’s hurdling brilliance until this year where Luke Schroeder exploded on the scene. The UW-La Crosse sophomore has ran 7.93 or faster in all of his seven races this season, a time Campbell only ran 6 times in his entire collegiate career. Schroeder was DQ’ed in last year’s 60mH final and no doubt has redemption on his mind as he chases his first individual All-American trophy, a national title, and even a D3 national record.
Though Schroeder is the clear favorite this weekend, he will have to be on his A-game to hold off a loaded field of more experienced and accomplished athletes. The top three from last year all return- 2023 champion Eli Etherton from Nebraska Wesleyan, runner-up Jayson Ekiyor from Bethel, and 3rd place finisher Jake Gladieux from Trine all have broken 8.0 this season and return in hopes of capturing glory once again. A bit further down the entry list are 7-time All-American Kenneth Wei from MIT and 5-time All-American Deyton Love from Wartburg who both have finished top 6 in the past two 60mH national championships.
All of these major contenders and we haven’t even mentioned two of the fastest hurdlers in history also competing this weekend. Kwaku Nkrumah from Rowan and Max Cleveland from Simpson are seeded 2nd and 3rd and their times of 7.93 and 7.95 are both top 12 times in D3 history. Though this is Nkrumah’s first indoor national meet, he definitely won’t be lonely as he is one of four Rowan hurdlers competing in the event.
All-Time Performances:
2. Luke Schroeder (UW- La Crosse)
9. Kwaku Nkrumah (Rowan)
10. Kenneth Wei (MIT)*
12. Max Cleveland (Simpson)
14. Eli Etherton (Nebraska Wesleyan)
14. Jayson Ekiyor (Bethel)
14. Marquise Young (Rowan)
22. Blake Hardison (Dubuque)
22. Jake Gladieux (Trine)
22. Deyton Love (Wartburg)*
Women’s 4x400
The national record holders and reigning champions are ready to go with a semi-new squad. Last year, the look of joy crossed over the entire Rochester relay as they won their national championship while setting the D3 record. One look at the heat sheet and you’ll see them at the top of the list with a two second cushion having run 3:45.78 at BU last month. The team of Madeline O’Connell, Kate Isaac, Nora Chen, and Megan Bell are looking to continue what the squad did last year. They’ll be doing this relatively fresh too. O’Connell is in the open 400m and Bell is in the 800m. Chen and Isaac will be fresh for the relay.
On the last chance meet, a familiar face to the 4x400 made their presence known. Nebraska Wesleyan put together yet another strong performance in the relay and immediately deserves to be considered a threat at the national title. The historic 4x400 program continues to get things done and is headlined by Bella Hogue. The 2022 Indoor 200m Champion has shifted her focus to the 400 now as she comes into nationals as the No. 1 seed and member of the relay.
Familiar programs are back as well with Loras, WashU, Colby, and Bethel. Can Alyssa Pfadenhauer find some more magic for the Loras Duhawks?
Just a second and a half separates the second and 12th seed. Sometimes teams will rest their stars in prelims feeling comfortable they’ll get to the Saturday final, but we’re not sure you can risk that this year. Expect some fireworks Friday evening in the prelims. You don’t want to be in team trophy contention without a 4x400 in the final.
Men’s 4x400
Rowan set the track on fire last year when they set the D3 record. Unfortunately, a botched handoff ended their dream of adding a national title to the record. As the second seed, they’re coming back for that title.
On paper, they’ll have to get through the No. 2 team in D3 history, John Carroll. Headlined by Basheer Alramahi, the Blue Streaks relay went to BU to make a statement. The second team in D3 History to run in the 3:10s, they’re looking to take care of business in Virginia Beach.
However, Rowan and John Carroll certainly do not have an easy road ahead of them, especially when they have last year’s champions, SUNY Geneseo in the field. And, no one is safe when a Mount Union 4x4 is in the mix. Anchored by Matt McBride, the Purple Raiders want to regain an indoor title after their outdoor title in 2023.
Records and titles are nice. But you can’t count out a team that has a gold medalist writing their training. Bethel comes in as the third seed and has the superpowers of Andrew Rock on their side. Last season they finished fourth indoors and sixth outdoors. While they get to that All-American position, this team, anchored by Jacob Parent, is ready to take that next step into the top three.
We’ll say it again: You don’t want to be in team trophy contention without a 4x400 in the final.
Rowan
Women’s DMR
Returning from last year’s field are Wash U (1st) Chicago (2nd), Wartburg (4th), Central College (5th), UW-La Crosse (7th), and MIT (10th). Similar to the men’s field, 9 of 12 qualifying squads did so on a 200-meter flat track. Some of these teams ran their first DMR of the year on a banked track and then ran a second DMR on a flat track that was their qualifying mark. Chicago is the top seed this year and of their qualifying squad, Ren Brown is the only one entered in the 60m hurdles and 400, and is probably not going to be racing the DMR.
Wash U has 3 of their legs entered in other events earlier in the day, so it will be interesting to see what the reigning champions have in mind with who they will send to the line at the end of day one. Amherst, CMS, and Emory will have fresh squads with none of their qualifying legs entered in other events on day one. The top seed and last seed are 13 seconds apart. Even the top and third seeds are 7 seconds apart. It will be interesting to see how this race unfolds as it has the potential to be strung out, but we won’t know until Friday. That is why we run the race.
All-Time Performances:
10. Chicago / Wash U
13. WPI
15. MIT
17. Central
18. Emory
22. CMS & Amherst
23. Johns Hopkins
24. Wartburg
Men’s DMR
The DMR is potentially the event with the highest variability at the national meet. It comes down to how each team sets their lineup. Does your squad have any runners who have a prelim or two on their legs already? Are you running a lineup that included people who did not race on the qualifying team? Does a baton go flying out of your hand and put you in a hole? It’s for these reasons that the DMR is a difficult event to predict.
The flat track looked like the move this year with 10 of the 12 teams qualifying times coming from the old reliable 200m flat track. Teams returning from last year’s field include Loras (3rd), Lychburg (4th), UW-La Crosse (10th), MIT (11th), and Wartburg (DQ). However, these teams rarely include the same exact lineup from year to year, so it’s hard to make any basis from previous years’ results. UW-Eau Claire surprisingly chose to not declare their DMR, which allowed Mount Union, who was sitting thirteenth, into the national meet. MIT has the top seed. They are likely to run their qualifying squad with 1200, 400, and 800 legs not entered in any other events and Sam Acquaviva running the 3k.
Wartburg looks like they would be doing the same with Christopher Collet being the only one declared in another event (the 3k). St. Scholastica, Bates, Emory, and Mount Union are going to have fresh teams with none of their runners being in other events. UW-Whitewater will probably not have Christian Patzka due to the timing of the 5k, but Justin Krause is a prior All-American in the mile and will likely be anchoring. UW-La Crosse and Loras have three of their legs entered in other events that will be contested earlier in the day, and Central has two athletes in the mile. It will be interesting to see what these squads do. Will they be running on fresh legs with alternates or will they be having their runners coming back after a prelim on their legs?
All-Time Performances:
5. Lynchburg
7. Mount Union
14. MIT
17. Central College
18. UW - La Crosse
19. Wartburg
21. UW - Whitewater & Loras
23. St. Scholastica & Bates
Women’s Pole Vault
Peaking at the right time. That is what Rochester’s Madeline O’Connell has done, having had her two best career vaults in her last two meets, including her 4.10-meter clearance to win the Liberty League Conference Meet on February 24th. This will be O’Connell’s first indoor nationals at the pole vault pits, but she is no stranger to national meets as she has qualified the last three years in pole vault outdoors and has a national championship to her name as a part of Rochester’s indoor 4x400m win. She will also be competing in the open 400m this weekend where she is seeded 3rd.
O’Connell’s biggest competition is a name anyone who has followed women’s pole vaulting recently has heard before: UW-Whitewater’s Gracie Holland. Holland has shown dominance in this event since 2022 where she has finished top 5 in the last four national meets including winning last year indoors. As the defending champion, Holland has the confidence to know what it takes to be the last woman standing, but her 4th place finish at WIACs two weeks ago may be a cause for concern. Besides that meet, Holland’s indoor season has been very strong and she has a prime chance to defend her title.
Last year, just one woman jumped over 14 meters heading into championship weekend, but that jumped to 5 women this year, which shows what a competitive field it is. One of those women is Emma Rudolph from Westminster who has had a strong indoor season coming off a 2nd place finish last year outdoors. The final name to mention here is Otterbein’s Peyton Proffitt who finished 3rd last year indoors and 5th outdoors- she has peaked well historically, so don’t be surprised to see her among the final women remaining. Anything can happen in the pole vault and we won’t have to wait long to see what excitement is in store this year as it will kick off as one of the first events to go on Friday morning.
All-time performances:
9. Madeline O’Connell (Rochester)
12. Gracie Holland (Whitewater)
13. Emma Rudolph (Westminster)
13. Yasmin Ruff (WashU)
17. Leah Zastrow (Stout)
Men’s Pole Vault
Returning national champion Ben Drummey of Southern Maine might have some stiff competition to defend his title in the men’s pole vault this year. Though Drummey has had his best season yet, clearing a new personal best of 5.21 meters (17’1”), his first time back over 17 feet since 2021 and the No. 17 highest bar cleared in D3 history, there is another athlete who has been keeping up with him from a distance, jump by jump.
Catholic’s Christian Di Nicolantonio no-heighted at the outdoor meet last spring. Before that, he had never placed higher or lower than tenth at nationals. This year, however, Di Nicolantonio is hitting his stride, having cleared 5.20 meters (17’0.75”), the eighteenth highest bar in D3 history. Not only that, but Di Nicolantonio has been highly consistent, having cleared over five meters three out of the five times he’s jumped this season. The remaining two times, he was no worse than 4.86, which still crowned him as the meet victor.
This duo will be the one to watch in the men’s vault this year. They are the only athletes in the field to have cleared over 17 feet. While Drummey has experience excelling on the big stage, Di Nicolantonio has the advantage of coming in with no expectations. Their matchup could mean literally vaulting to new heights.
Other names to watch in this event are Wooster’s Dylan Garretson, who took fourth last year, and Centre’s Logan Isaacs, who was fifth. RPI’s James Zeolla, Coast Guard’s Joshua Banks, and Ithaca’s Brendan Sheehan all enter having cleared five meters this season, making the battle for All-American a tall one.
All-time performances:
17. Ben Drummey (Southern Maine)
18. Christian Di Nicolantonio (Catholic)
Women’s Long Jump - Friday, March 8th at 11am
The long jump competition is sure to kick off one of the most elevated weekends of women's jumps in D3 history. Victoria Kadiri, returning back-to-back indoor and outdoor long jump champion, leads the field in national experience. “I'm very excited for the long jump,” Kadiri said in a D3GD interview earlier this week. “So many girls have been jumping super well. It is exciting to not necessarily have one person on top with others trailing behind. I am excited for that level of competition.”
Champs Chats Podcast featuring Kadiri
Arriving with the season's highest mark of 19 '11, 5th best all-time, is Emma Seipiel of Loras, followed closely by her teammates Harmony Creasy and Grace Alley. The team ranking implications for Loras rest heavily on Friday’s outcome, but they have proved themselves up to the task with a combined force of big marks and stamina throughout the season. Seipel has jumped in the 19’s five times this indoor season and leads the other women in pit consistency.
Both Kadiri and Alley will be simultaneously competing in the pentathlon, alongside Megan Hunt of Oshkosh, who currently sits third in the rankings. They leave the pit open for others to aim for big marks, such as Nikki Boon of Emory or freshman Chloe Hein of Centre. However, Alley and Kadiri’s event load has never proved a barrier in the past, and both are more than likely to solidify their place as All-Americans. With the top seven athletes entering with marks over 19 feet, we are likely to see all-time slots shift next weekend. Regardless, we are definitely going to get a competitive series in the sand.
All-Time Performances:
5. Emma Seipel (Loras)
13. Harmony Creasy (Loras)
14. Victoria Kadiri (Johns Hopkins)
19. Megan Hunt (UW-Oshkosh)
Men’s Long Jump - Friday, March 8th at 2:30pm
Without four of last year’s All-Americans returning, the men’s long jump stage is set for an underclassmen to claim the top of the podium. Sophomore Joshua Rivers of Wis-Oshkosh leads the entering marks with a 24 '9.25 after having not even competed in the indoor national meet last year, looking to cap off an incredible comeback. Sophomore Henry Brandstadter from Emory recently jumped a personal best of 24 '6.5 that places him right in the hunt for a championship.
They are trailed by freshmen Jeju Nkosi of Wooster and Christopher Hergott of Hartford, sitting 5th and 7th, respectively, for their first national appearances. However, returners Derik Bunten of Loras and Dameco Walker of Ripon bring their pit experience with them in an effort to climb the podium again. We look forward to a rebuilding year for men’s long jump and the potential for the future of the event.
Women’s High Jump - Saturday, March 9th at 12:00pm
With a four-way tie on the podium last year, this field of women is not new to the idea of a jump-off. While Grace Alley of Loras established herself early in February with a 5 '8.75 clearance, there is still room for movement on the podium around her. Alley, Ainsley Hansen from La Crosse and Coast Guard’s Allie Wildsmith are the only entrants with experience over 5 '8. However, this doesn’t mean the power of a nationals crowd around on the pit won’t get a few others into all-time territory. Julissa Williams of Wittenberg and Ashley Sheldon of Union both clinched 5 '7 as personal bests just last weekend, securing some good momentum headed into the competition.
With such a close field of five athletes entering at the same mark, we are likely to see All-American success from the women with clean attempt sheets and higher opening heights. This gives advantage to national vets such as Elizabeth Barre of Carnegie Mellon and La Crosse’s Macie Todd. The competition demands that those with first-time appearances, like Gabriella Grattan of Trinity and Hannah Wetzel of Gallaudet, are able to keep their attempt numbers low in order to stay in the mix. We anticipate a tight first hour of jumping that quickly turns into a three or four women sequence afterward, and we look forward to seeing who rises to the occasion.
All-Time Performances
18. Grace Alley (Loras)
19. Ainsley Hansen (UW-La Crosse)
Men’s High Jump - Saturday, March 9th at 3:00
Returning bronze finisher Caleb Cornelius has written the story of his indoor season with a plan to finish on top. He opened January with a back-to-back personal best in high jump and long jump, and has since repeated his first-ranking mark of 6’10.75. Cornelius is comfortable with passing on middle bars and conserving energy once he is in the rhythm, and this will likely make for an explosive end to his series this weekend. Challenging him for time at the top is junior Christian Pfeiffer of Baldwin Wallace, who made his nationals debut with a 15th place finish last year. He has since soared to a personal best of 6’10.75, matching the top seed entering the competition.
However, we won’t write this off as a two-man standoff. Without six of the eight indoor All-Americans returning to compete, we are likely to see the rise of many returners and newcomers into trophy territory. Nebraska Wesleyan’s Eli Mackowski and Nathan Andringa of La Crosse have both elevated their personal bests by over an inch this indoor season in order to put themselves in the running. There is a close fight to be had between those currently sitting 4th-9th at 6’9.5”. Those podium spots will likely come down to second and third attempts, asking many jumpers to take every leap as if it were their last. We are sure to close this year’s field competition with several first-time All-Americans in the men’s high jump.
Women’s Triple Jump
After exclusively jumping long jump during the outdoor 2021 and indoor 2022 seasons, Victoria Kadiri of Johns Hopkins tried the triple jump in her outdoor 2022 season and the rest is history. Kadiri has won 3 national titles since then and owns the top 3 indoor marks in D3 history including her two jumps from last year’s indoor competition that were the first ever D3 jumps over 13 meters. As one of D3 track & field’s biggest stars, Kadiri looks to continue her dominance this weekend and cement herself even further as the best triple jumper in D3 history.
While Kadiri comes in on top of the entry list, her competition looks like it could be a little tighter than years past. Alvernia’s Felix Shinelle and Wash U’s Ebunoluwa Opata are the next two on the entry list and have the experience and skill to make a title run. Shinelle finished 6th last year indoors, 3rd outdoors, and jumped 12.67m in her season opener this season, which is tied for the 5th farther jump in D3 history. Opata has finished top 5 in each of the last four triple jump national competitions including as runner-up finisher last year in both indoors and outdoors. While Shinelle has taken the ‘less is more’ strategy by only triple jumping twice this indoor season, Opata took the opposite approach and has jumped in 9 meets this indoor season. Either way, both competitors have their work cut out for them to slow down Kadiri on Saturday. Other contenders include Jasmine Claunch from Centre who finished runner-up in the 2022 indoor competition and 4th last year, Grace Alley from Loras who finished 3rd last year, and Ally Alvira from SUNY Geneseo who won the SUNYAC Indoor Championships with three jumps over 12m.
All Time Performances
Victoria Kadiri - 1st - Johns Hopkins
Shinelle Felix - 5th - Alvernia
Ebun Opata - 12th - WashU*
Grace Alley - 22nd - Loras
Men’s Triple Jump
Last year’s triple jump competition was an all-timer with UW-Oshkosh’s Jonathan Wilburn clinching the win on his final jump. Wilburn, also the 2022 indoor triple jump champion, has now graduated, which opens the door for a different athlete to jump into history. On top of the performance list is UW-Whitewater’s Shelvin Garrett, who will be competing in a nationals triple jump competition for the 6th time, He has finished top 5 each of the last 4, including a runner-up finish last year outdoors. His farthest jump this season was back in January, jumping 15.41m, which ranks 11th all-time on the D3 list. His other two triple jump competitions this year included a jump of 15.31m (which would rank 2nd on this year’s entry list) and 15.10m in a win at WIACs. Garrett is a veteran at these national meets and after winning his first ever WIAC title 2 weeks ago, is hoping to add a national title to his resume as well.
Only two others have jumped over 15m this season- Cole Goodman of Rochester and Dameco Walker of Ripon. Goodman is also no stranger to national meets as he finished 2nd in this event last year indoors and 5th outdoors along with a 3rd place finish in the long jump. His runner-up finish last year was not only a personal record, but it occurred on his 6th and final jump of the competition, pushing him into the lead at the time. Similar to Goodman, Walker also has big meet experience but usually on the long jump side, where he finished 6th indoors and 4th outdoors last year. Even this season, Walker didn’t have a triple jump mark until February 23rd when he won the Midwest conference and then qualified for nationals last weekend, obtaining a personal best of 15.00m on his final jump.
All-Time Performance
11. Shelvin Garrett - UW-Whitewater
Women’s Shot Put
There’s a clear top three in the women’s shot put and this trio happens to also consist of some of the best shot put athletes in D3 history. MIT’s Alexis Boykin (No. 17 all-time), U Chicago’s Molly Laumakis (No. 22 all-time), and Carroll’s Vanessa Uitenbroek (No. 25 all-time) will face off for gold in the women’s shot put event this weekend.
Boykin comes in as the top seed and currently holds the only mark over 15 meters. Boykin put her name on the map in bold letters when she won the hammer throw outdoors last spring. She left Rochester with three pieces of individual hardware, including a runner-up finish in the discus throw and a fourth place finish in the shot put, and helped MIT to a team finish of fourth place. This year, she comes into the indoor championship meet off of strong momentum, not only from her spring achievements but from big new PRs in both indoor throwing events. Her season’s best tosses in the shot put and weight throw this year are a full half-meter farther than she’s ever thrown before, meaning she is on a hot streak at the right time.
Laumakis is also having a shining season, having thrown an entire meter over where she was throwing last year in this event. Her best mark of 14.99 is painfully close to the 15-meter barrier and trails Boykin’s best throw by just 12 centimeters. On the right day for Laumakis, she could capture her first national title. In fact, Laumakis has never placed higher than tenth at a national meet despite having qualified for five prior. For Laumakis, the phrase “shoot for the moon–even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars” has a close-to-home meaning.
Uitenbroek is the third contender to watch. She took eighth in this event last year but, like her competitors, has been throwing significantly better this year. Her 14.90-meter season PR is 37 centimeters farther than her best toss from last year. Uitenbroek is a two-time All-American in the shot put, but has never placed higher than eighth, a statistic that she likely hopes to rewrite this weekend. With all three athletes within 21 centimeters of each other, the crown could go to anyone.
Other notable names to watch include Utica’s Jane Fahy, Dubuque’s Kaitlyn Wilder, who took fifth in this event last year, Manchester’s Carley Camp, who has never won All-American but comes in ranked fourth, and Carthage’s Aubrey Schoeneman, who just missed All-American status last indoor season.
All-Time Performances:
17. Alexis Boykin (MIT)
22. Molly Laumakis (U Chicago)
25. Vanessa Uitenbroek (Carroll)
Men’s Shot Put
While TFRRS abbreviates the shot put competition with “SP,” we think we might abbreviate it with “JWRT” for Joseph White Redemption Tour. Last year at the indoor national meet, White won the national title in the men’s shot put by a comfortable margin over Eau Claire’s Yakob Ekoue. Outdoors, however, he fouled out in the prelim and did not advance to the final, despite being the favorite to win, leaving the door open for Ekoue to secure the crown. This year, the two throwing sensations will face off again in the indoor men’s shot put and the crown could go to either contender.
Ekoue has the confidence from being the most recent national champion in this event and also from setting PRs in both throwing events this season. His 18.79-meter toss is the eighth farthest in D3 history. If he is able to manage just three centimeters farther, he will pass Eau Claire alum and recent indoor shot put World Championship qualifier Roger Steen, who currently sits seventh on the D3 all-time list.
White, on the other hand, has two national titles in this event under his belt and the current national lead. His 18.94 is a fresh personal best and the fifth farthest heave in D3 history. In an event where composure is equally important to explosion, whoever can balance these two elements best will walk away the 2024 indoor D3 national champion.
Another notable contender in this field is that of Adam Strouf, Ekoue’s Eau Claire teammate, who is the third of only three athletes to have tossed over 18 meters this season. Strouf’s toss of 18.30 meters is the 15th farthest mark in D3 history. While still trailing White and Ekoue by a sizable margin, Strouf has certainly proven his ability to hang with the nation’s best, as he leads over MIT's Sam Engebretson, currently ranked fourth, by almost a full meter. If either White or Ekoue have an off day, Strouf could easily sneak into the top 2.
Engebretson will be another to watch after his breakout third-place finish in the outdoor shot put last year. Should he finish top eight this weekend, it will be his first indoor All-American honor. Ohio Northern’s Keegan Digby comes in as the fifth-seed and took fourth in this event last year, so should look to add another trophy to his repertoire. Trinity’s Ethan Wilkie is in good position to improve upon his highest indoor finish of seventh place, and Eau Claire’s Gage Stankiewicz could help Eau Claire bring home three trophies in this event, giving the multi event a serious run for the school’s best event this year.
All-Time Performances:
5. Joseph White (Carthage)
8. Yakob Ekuoe (Eau Claire)
15. Adam Strouff (Eau Claire)
Women’s Weight Throw
Caitlyn Cox, the Sophomore from Loras, was fourth last year and leads a crew of four other returning All-Americans. This includes MIT’s Alexis Boykin (eighth), UW-Oshkosh’s Brenna Masloroff (sixth), Wartburg’s Emma True (fifth), and UW-Eau Claire’s Kaitlyn Wilder (third). Other returners include Raina Stecher, Kiara Felston, and Lea Richard.
Unlike in the men’s field, there doesn’t seem to be a clear favorite, leaving the crown wide open. Notable contenders to keep an eye out for are Caitlyn Cox, who is the top seed and threw her furthest mark in her last regular season meet, Boykin, who has an all-time top 10 mark, Wilder, who was the national champion in 2022, and Masloroff, who also threw a top 25 all-time mark. Emma True, while not on the all-time list yet, threw her lifetime best just this past weekend.
All-Time Performances:
8. Caitlyn Cox (Loras)
10. Alexis Boykin (MIT)
14. Kaitlyn Wilder (Dubuque)* 2022 Mark
25. Brenna Masloroff (UW - Oshkosh)
Men’s Weight Throw
Three All-Americans return in this year's field including the national champion. These names include UW-Platteville’s Justin Eichler (eighth), Bridgewater’s Michael Smith (fourth), and Carthage’s Joseph White (first). Aside from them, there are eight returners who are looking to improve with previous national meet experience under their belt. With no surprise, Joseph White is the clear favorite here with a mark of 21.86m, which is almost a meter further than the next competitor. Not only that, White competed at the USATF Indoor Championship posting an 8th place finish.
Other competitors to keep an eye on are Justin Eichler, Nathan Williams, Connor Walechka, Yakob Ekoue, and Holden Murphy. These are the other throwers who have tossed over the 20-meter mark this season. The seventh seed sits at 19.39m. Fun fact to note: of this year's field, 50% of the top 10 attend school in Wisconsin.
All-Time Performances:
1. Joseph White (Carthage)
5. Justin Eichler (UW - Platteville)
10. Nathan Williams (Stevenson)
15. Connor Walechka (UW - Stout)
19. Yakob Ekoue (UW - Eau Claire)
21. Holden Murphy (Loras)
Women’s Pentathlon
Though the 2024 season did not see nearly as many event national records fall as last season, the pentathlon national record was an exception. Loras’s Grace Alley opened her season early in December with a massive score of 3,986 in the pentathlon, setting a new national record over Carleton’s Amelia Campbell by 72 points. Since then, she’s been dropping time and adding distance to all of her pentathlon events, which only builds anticipation for what Alley can pull off this weekend.
In December, Alley dropped a bomb in the pentathlon long jump, leaping 5.87 meters (19’3.25”) to contribute to her new national record score. Then, in early February, she set a PR in the high jump, clearing 1.75 meters (5’8.75”) to take the national lead (which she still holds headed into this weekend). A week later, she set a new PR in the shot put (12.41 meters/40’8.75”), and just last weekend, she dropped a 9.09 personal best in the high hurdles.
The only pentathlon event Alley hasn’t set a personal record in this season is the 800, but she’s been running plenty of 4x4 relays, and set a new 400m PR of 58.34 at conference, a time many national-level 800-meter runners might share as their own PRs. Needless to say, Alley is ready to show up in the multi this weekend and is well on track to shatter her own national record in this event. In doing so, she could become the first woman in D3 history to score over 4,000 points in this event, a goal she shared with her coach at the beginning of last summer.
In addition to the pentathlon, Alley will compete in the high jump, long jump, triple jump, and 4x4, but don’t worry about the heavy load because Alley competed 12 times at the ARC championship a few weeks ago, including the five events of the multi and two rounds of high hurdles. Alley has been working toward this weekend all season and you won’t want to miss seeing her hard work pay off.
Alley is not the only national-record-caliber athlete in this field, either. Three additional athletes in this field are currently ranked on the all-time list, including Carnegie Mellon’s Elizabeth Barre, whose score of 3837 from nationals last year made her both a national champion and the fourth best pentathlete in D3 history. She returns as the defending national champion and should not be counted out for the 2024 title.
Another notable contender who comes in as a D1 transfer from Coastal Carolina is Emory’s Nikki Boon. Boon currently has the No. 2 seed in this field, her mark of 3673 from early February already splashing onto the all-time list at No. 15. She comes off of some strong momentum from the UAA championship as well, having just set new personal bests in both the long jump (5.86 meters/19’2.75”) and the shot put (12.86 meters/42’2.25”). It is clear she will be entering this weekend ready to put up a fight for gold.
Coming in at No. 25 all-time in this event is horizontal jumps sensation Victoria Kadiri from Johns Hopkins. Though her highest finish in the pentathlon is fifth, it’s no question that Kadiri is capable of big performances to match the big stage, as we saw her set a new personal best in last year’s outdoor heptathlon amidst shattering the national triple jump record with her leap of 13.21 meters.
Other names to watch are returning All-American Eliza Bruncaj of TCNJ, North Park’s Thea Ring, and Oshkosh’s Megan Hunt.
All-Time Performances:
1. Grace Alley (Loras)
4. Elizabeth Barre (Carnegie Mellon)
15. Nikki Boon (Emory)
25. Victoria Kadiri (Hopkins)
Men’s Heptathlon
On the Champs Chats episode, Jackson Anderson declared this to be the greatest Heptathlon field in D3 history. When last year’s heptathlon champ is sitting fifth, he may have a point. The top five seeds all sit within the Top 16 all-time and feature two national champions.
Mitch Stegeman continues to show why UW-Eau Claire dubbed themselves as Multi U. The 2023 decathlon champion heads to Virginia Beach as the No. 1 seed and looks to add an indoor title to his resume. He did not compete indoors last year but was eighth in 2022. He knocked out his qualifying mark at the end of January and appears to have been focusing on pole vault for the rest of the season.
Anderson knocked his qualifying mark out in December and has spent the rest of the season refining his skillset. He spent time in North Carolina working on his pole vaulting and hurdling and is hungry to take back his title. He has immense respect for his competitors and can’t wait to be in the field.
Oshkosh is sending five athletes into the heptathlon. That’s 35 events for this squad, which is the deepest in the country this year. Led by Charlie Nolan, the Titans will be in the thick of the team battle and could use some big points out of their multis.
With 10 athletes eclipsing 5000 points this season, Aden Sears of Oshkosh, Isaiah Cluasen of Wheaton (IL), and RJ Bosshart of Oshkosh join Jackson Anderson as returning All-Americans from last year's event.Max Foland finished 10th last year and is looking to get into the top eight.
If you recall Loucas Xenakis’s story about being DQ’d in the 1500 of the decathlon during outdoors, then know that he’s channeled that DQ into positivity and will be competing this year.
With the field so deep and skillsets high, this could come down to the last 1000m, which everyone but the athletes will be looking forward to.
All-Time Performances:
9. Mitch Stegeman (Eau Claire)
10. Charlie Nolan (Oshkosh)
11. Jackson Anderson (Williams)
14. Aden Sears (Oshkosh)
16. Isaiah Clausen (Wheaton)
If you made it this far, thanks for reading. We’re excited for this weekend. We do have a venmo: @D3GloryDays.
A big thanks to Tracksmith for their support. They’re offering new D3 Glory Days readers $15 off on orders over $75. Use code D3NEW at checkout