2023 D3 Outdoor Nationals Watch Guide
Get ready for the D3 Outdoor National Meet. We put together a watch guide so you know when each event is and who to watch for in each event. *Also, we won’t be on the live stream until the running events. We, unfortunately, don’t have any say on what we can commentate on and what they show. We only provide recommendations.
A theme of this year’s championships will be depth. It’s one of the deepest years collectively. You’ll see below the amount of events that this is the hardest year to make the event.
Below we’ll give a quick preview of each event. We listed out which athletes own a Top 25 mark on the USTFCCCA’s Top 25 All-Time List.
Here’s how the team battle shakes out based on entries:
Running Events
100M
Men - Prelims - 6:15pm EST Friday, Finals - 2:30pm EST Saturday
1. Sam Blaskowski - 10.16 (+1.9 m/s)
13. Cheick Traore - 10.39 (+0.7 m/s)
16. Jailen Hobbs - 10.42 (+1.3 m/s)
21. Ryder Smith - 10.45 (+0.8 m/s)
23. Carson Rantanen - 10.46 (+0.1 m/s)
25. Christian Campbell - 10.47 (+0.6 m/s) + 10th on the All Conditions List - 10.30 (+2.3 m/s)
In the premier event of track & field, all eyes will be on UW-La Crosse sophomore Sam Blaskowski who just last week broke the near 40-year-old D3 100m record, running a wind-legal 10.16 at the UWL Final Qualifier meet. Not only is he the D3 record holder, but Blaskowski is the defending 100m national champion from last year and the indoor 60m national champion from March. Though Blaskowski will be the only returner from last year’s 100m final, he will still have strong competition including the 2023 indoor 200m and 400m national champion Cheick Traore from Ramapo and Claremont-Mudd-Scripp’s Christian Campbell who has the 10th best all-conditions time in D3 history. Campbell has a quietly very strong season and the west coast sprinter could turn some heads in New York. While JP Vaught, the 2021 Champion, did qualify, he’s going all in on the 200m.
Women - Prelims - 6:00pm EST Friday, Finals - 2:40pm EST Saturday
4. Michelle Kwafo - 11.67 (-1.2 m/s)
9. Isabella Hogue - 11.74 (+1.9 m/s) + 5th on the All Conditions List - 11.57 (+2.6 m/s)
12. Jasmyn Crawford - 11.76 (+0.1 m/s)
12. Lauren Jarrett - 11.76 (+1.8 m/s)
14. Adalia Coleman - 11.78 (+0.8 m/s)
14. Ahnia Cherry - 11.78 (+1.8 m/s)
20. Tina Shelton - 11.80 (+1.9 m/s) + 3rd on the All Conditions List - 11.54 (+3/1 m/s)
20. Mercedes Jackson - 11.80 (+1.3 m/s)
25. Gabrielle Noland - 11.82 (+0.8) + 2nd on the All Conditions List - 11.48 (+2.4 m/s)
For the first time in D3 history, it took a sub-12 second performance to make the national meet, setting up for an incredible 100m women's race this weekend. Two top contenders for the 2023 national title are UW-Whitewater’s Tina Shelton, who comes into the national meet with the top seed time of 11.54 and Bridgewater’s Adalia Coleman, who is fresh off an indoor 60m national championship. Though not as high up on the qualifying list, Nebraska Wesleyan’s Bella Hogue and Loras’s Gabby Noland are both previous 100m national champions (Bella in 2022 and Noland in 2019), so don’t be surprised to see them be up with the top names in Saturday’s final.
200m
Men - Prelims - 7:05pm EST Thursday, Finals - 3:40pm EST Saturday
1. Cheick Traore - 20.49 (+1.8 m/s)
2. JP Vaught - 20.55 (+1.0 m/s)
3. Eric Gregory - 20.60 (+1.0 m/s)
4. Christian Campbell - 20.80 (+1.3 m/s)
4. Sam Blaskowski - 20.80 (+1.9 m/s)
16. Jah’mere Beasley - 20.91 (+1.9 m/s)
20. Elijah Jefferson - 21.05 (+1.1 m/s)
No event in D3 track and field has generated more excitement in the past two years as the men’s 200m. This year will be no different. Last year’s outdoor championship was an all-time race with three athletes breaking the existing D3 record of 20.62 (set earlier in the year) which includes Centre’s JP Vaught winning the title and running 20.55 to set the D3 outdoor national record. Now fast-forward to one of the first meets of this outdoor season when Ramapo’s Cheick Traore, fresh off an indoor national title in the 200m and 400m, ran a wind-legal 20.49 to break Vaught’s record and show D3 he is the 200m man to beat. He will be the headliner of this elite field that also includes previously mentioned JP Vaught, 100m D3 record holder Sam Blaskowski from La-Crosse, 2022 outdoor 400m national champion and former 200m D3 record-holder Eric Gregory from Gallaudet, and two-time top-3 finisher in the 200m Jah’Mere Beasley from Rowan. Throw in Christian Campbell who finished fourth indoors and this field is stacked.
Women - Prelims - 7:20pm EST Thursday, Finals - 3:50pm EST Saturday
2. Gabrielle Nolan - 23.44 (+1.4 m/s)
8. Jasmyn Crawford - 23.81 (+1.9 m/s)
24. Kenadee Wayt - 24.05 (+0.7 m/s)
Mount Union’s star sophomore Kenadee Wayt has been on a tear in 2023. Indoors, Wayt was a 4x top-5 finisher at the national meet including winning the open 200m title. Outdoors has been much of the same with Wayt entering the national meet seeded 1st in the 400m, 2nd in the 200m, and a part of Mount Union’s 4x1 and 4x4 squads. But to defend her 200m title from indoors, she will have to beat a familiar face to D3 track in Loras’s Gabby Noland, the 2019 indoor and outdoor 200m champion who has the 2nd fastest wind-legal 200m time in D3 history at 23.44. To pair with these two stars, Jasmyn Crawford from Whittier has the top seed at 23.81 and will be looking to be on top of the podium running in her first open national final.
400m
Men - Prelims - 5:30pm EST Friday, Finals - 2:10pm EST Saturday
8. Eric Gregory - 46.19
11. Matt McBride - 46.27
16. Tyrell Pierce - 46.48
21. DJ Anderson - 46.74
24. Jacob Parent - 46.76
The men’s 400m dash start list is loaded. Lower down on the 400m list is Gallaudet’s Eric Gregory, the defending outdoor 400m national champion and current 8th fastest in D3 history. Mount Union’s Matt McBride, the 7-time All-American and last year’s 4th place 400m finisher, has the current top seed time in 46.27. Coming back this year for his final season of eligibility is DJ Anderson. He was 2nd 2022 indoor and 5th outdoor 2022 and should be someone to watch.
Women - Prelims - 5:45pm EST Friday, Finals - 2:20pm EST Saturday
8. Kayla Armstrong - 53.75
12. Alyssa Pfadenhauer - 54.04
16. Kenadee Wayt - 54.18
22. Susan Bansbach - 54.48
Despite three of the top 5 women on the 400m TFRRS list scratching the event, there are a plethora of stars that will make the 400m an event to watch this weekend. The top seed coming into the weekend will be Mount Union’s Kenadee Wayt, who finished 3rd place at indoor nationals in the 400m. Loras’s Alyssa Pfadenhauer, the 2022 indoor 400m champion, will be another top name in the field to go along with three(!) 7x All-Americans in Susan Bansbach from Rochester, Madison Miles from Mount Union, and Marion Edwards from Loras as well as the 2023 Indoor 400m runner-up Lauren Phillips from John Hopkins, the 2022 Outdoor 400m National Champion Kayla Armstrong from Concordia-Chicago, and lastly the defending 2022 Outdoor 400mh National Champion Simone Wilson from Concordia-Chicago. What a field!
800m
Men - Prelims - 6:30pm EST Friday, Finals - 2:50pm EST Saturday
3. Mike Jasa - 1:47.81
4. Ryan Wilson - 1:47.93
7. Bennett Booth-Genthe - 1:48.31
14. Garrett Lenners - 1:48.69
16. Carter Oberfoell - 1:48.79
19. Tor Hotung-Davidsen - 1:49.04
24. Andrew Hutchinson - 1:49.37
One of the best match-ups of the weekend will be MIT’s Ryan Wilson vs Loras’s Mike Jasa in an epic 800m show-down. Wilson is the indoor 800m record holder, the winner of both the 2022 indoor and outdoor 800m national titles, and has the 4th fastest outdoor 800m time in D3 history at 1:47.93. Jasa is the reigning indoor 800m national champion, won the outdoor 800m national title in 2021, and has ran 1:48.7 or faster outdoors 4 times (no other D3 runner has ever done it twice). This race will also include 3 other athletes who have broken 1:49- Pomona-Pitzer’s Bennett Booth-Genthe, Nebraska Wesleyan’s Garrett Lenners, and Loras’s Carter Oberfoell.
Women - Prelims - 6:45pm EST Friday, Finals - 3:00pm EST Saturday
5. Emma Kelley - 2:04.41
If the women’s 800m was a stage, Emma Kelley would be the main character. With a personal best of 2:04.41, she’s No. 5 all-time and leads the field over Aoife Dunne by over four seconds. Look for this WashU duo to go for the 1-2 punch and score big-time points for the bears. Another duo to watch is that of Maddie Hannan and Greta Koehler from La Crosse, both of whom enter with sub- 2:10 seeds. WPI’s Sydney Packard also enters this field with lots of experience, a 2:09 seed, and a PR of 2:06. Baldwin Wallace’s Hope Murphy has scratched and will have her eyes instead on the 1500m.
1500m
Men - Prelims - 5:30pm EST Thursday, Finals - 1:25pm EST Saturday
1. Ryan Wilson - 3:40.06
9. Travis Martin - 3:44.16
10. Matthew Lecky - 3:44.23
21. Scott Sikorski - 3:45.07
22. Sam Llaneza - 3:45.18
Fresh off a historic indoor season where he set the indoor 800m and mile D3 records, MIT’s Ryan Wilson started the outdoor season with a bang by breaking the 27-year-old 1500m D3 record of 3:41.21 by running 3:40.06 at the Bryan Clay Invitational. He will be the heavy favorite in the 1500m at nationals with his time over 4 seconds faster than the next fastest entry. Still, Wilson will have to beat some strong competitors in the field including Trinity’s Travis Martin who finished 4th in this event in 2021 and 5th in the 2023 indoor mile, RPI’s Matt Lecky who has ran 3:44.2 twice this season (both top 12 marks all-time), and Pomona-Pitzer’s Bennett Booth-Genthe who finished 2nd in the 2023 indoor mile.
Women - Prelims - 5:45pm EST Thursday, Finals - 1:35pm EST Saturday
7. Annika Urban - 4:19.43
Just when the dreams of a national title glistened in front of the nation’s top milers like a shiny, new car, indoor mile champ Annika Urban of Emory shattered them like glass when she ran 4:19.43 at the Lee Last Chance meet last week, posting the seventh fastest time in D3 history and a six-second lead over the rest of the field. Of course, nothing is guaranteed at the national meet, but if Urban runs like she did indoors, another national title will surely be added to her repertoire. Urban’s main competition will be from WashU’s Emily Konkus, who is currently seeded second at 4:25. Watch out also for Baldwin Wallace’s Hope Murphy and WashU’s Aoife Dunne, who both have sub-2:10 800-meter speed. Murphy scratched the 800 to be all-in on the 1500 this week.
5k
Men - Finals - 4:00pm EST Saturday
1. Alex Phillip - 13:47.41
6. Christian Patzka - 13:55.36
10. Christopher Collet - 13:57.29
11. Ethan Gregg - 13:58.36
12. Elias Lindgren - 13:58.80
14. Max Svienty - 13:59.79
15. Gunner Schlender - 14:00.15
20. Logan Bocovich - 14:01.17
21. Henry Pick - 14:01.29
23. Jack Rosencrans - 14:01.73
24. Lucas Florsheim - 14:03.75
25. Spencer Moon - 14:04.83
The men’s 5k has the most all-time entries of any other event in the national meet this week. At 12 performances that land in the top 25 all-time, over half of this field is among some of the best male distance runners in D3 history, meaning at least four of these top athletes could go home without All-American honors. Imagine being one of the fastest athletes in D3 history but not making All-American at nationals.
The front of the race will feature a head-to-head rematch of three athletes in particular who have taken turns capturing national titles in the men’s distance events this year. John Carroll’s Alex Phillip is the favorite heading into Saturday. Though he enters with the fastest seed and the current 5k national record, Phillip hasn’t captured a national title since his XC national championship run in the fall. He saw steep competition indoors from Whitewater’s Christian Patzka, who won the 5k title, and La Crosse’s Ethan Gregg, who captured the 3k title. All three will step up to the start line on the last day of competition chasing one common goal: to come out on top in one of the most competitive 5k fields in D3 history. Watch out for Wartburg’s Christopher Collet, North Central’s Max Svienty, and Williams’s Elias Lindgren to spice the competition up, too, as all three enter with sub-14 seeds.
Women - Finals - 4:25pm EST Saturday
1. Kassie Parker - 15:37.00
4. Fiona Smith - 16:05.43
5. Annika Urban - 16:06.95
8. Ana Tucker - 16:10.91
21. Clara Mayfield - 16:28.16
In her send-off season, Loras’s Kassie Parker will take to the women’s 5k start line with loads of confidence as the national record holder in this event with her seed time of 15:37.00. She leads the field by a full 28 seconds and will look to restore her dominance in this event after last year’s runner-up finish to Wellesley standout Ari Marks. Her biggest challengers will be indoor national champions Fiona Smith (5k/3k) and Annika Urban (mile), who enter as the second and third seeds, respectively. Other all-time performers to watch in this event are Hope’s Ana Tucker (8th all-time) and Carleton’s Clara Mayfield (21st all-time).
10k
Men - Finals - 9:05pm EST Thursday
1. Alex Phillip - 28:31.60
3. Ethan Gregg - 28:40.35
8. Matthew Kearney - 29.13.69
9. Max Svienty - 29:14.28
15. Gunner Schlender - 29:20.58
19. Jacob Green - 29:26.61
21. Spencer Moon - 29:27.19
22. Enrique Salazar - 29:28.55
With eight all-time performers in the men’s 10k field, fans are in for an exciting 25 laps around the oval to kick off running finals on Thursday. John Carroll’s Alex Phillip enters as the defending national champ and current national record holder in this event with his time of 28:31.60, but will likely not go uncontested with La Crosse’s Ethan Gregg taking to the startline as well. Known for taking the race out honestly, look for much of this race to be a dual between Gregg and Phillip up front. MIT’s Matt Kearney (No. 8 all-time) and North Central’s Max Svienty (No. 9 all-time) also enter in a good position to steal a top performance should either of these two fall off pace. Rounding out potential All-American honors are Whitewater’s Gunner Schlender, Wartburg’s Jacob Green, Simpson’s Spencer Moon, and Wilmington’s Simon Heys. Be ready for a fast pace. When we asked Ethan Gregg what the race may be like, he smiled and simply said, “Fast.”
Women - Finals - 9:50pm EST Thursday
1. Kassie Parker - 32:36.22
3. Fiona Smith - 33:23.89
11. Clara Mayfield - 34:08.69
18. Ana Tucker - 34:24.97
With almost a minute lead on the rest of the field, the women’s 10k could also be named the Kassie Parker show. As the national record holder in this event with her blazing fast time of 32:36.22, the question is not if Parker will win, but when she will move. St. Benedict’s Fiona Smith enters this event with the third fastest time in D3 history and enough of a lead over third seed Clara Mayfield (No. 11 all-time) that she could make the race honest from the lead. Look for Hope’s Ana Tucker (No. 18 all-time) to stick her nose up front as well. On the team front, look for the team from U of Chicago to work together to score big points in this event with their squad of Katarina Birimac, Frances Schaeffler, and Anna Kenig-Ziesler, who are seeded fifth through seventh and all have the capability to leave Rochester as All-Americans.
110mH - Prelims - 5:00pm EST Friday, Finals - 1:50pm EST Saturday
18. Kenneth Wei - 14.05 (+2.0 m/s)
Of the nine finalists in last year’s national championship race, four return this year in what should be a tight field of athletes. Kenneth Wei from MIT has the 7th fastest qualifying time coming into this year’s national championships but was the 2022 outdoor national champion and will look to defend his title. Dubuque’s Blake Harrison has the fastest qualifying entry and will look to improve on his 4th-place finish in the indoor 60mH. Other notable names in the field include MIT’s Walter Truitt, UMass Dartmouth’s Cameron Rodgers, Wartburg’s Deyton Love, and Trinity’s Azariah Anderson.
100mH - Prelims - 5:15pm EST Friday, Finals - 2:00pm EST Saturday
5. Birgen Nelson - 13.71 (+0.4 m/s) + #1 on All Conditions List - 13.32 (+3.1 m/s)
6. Aniya Seward - 13.76 (+0.0 m/s)
9. Laura Mathews - 13.82 (+1.5 m/s)
13. Gwen Shepardson - 13.87 (+2.0 m/s)
13. Natalia Sawyer - 13.87 (+2.0 m/s)
20. Logan Bruce - 13.93 (+0.6 m/s)
20. Emma Lawrence - 13.93 (+0.8 m/s) + #2 on All Conditions List - 13.51 (+3.5 m/s)
22. Julia Babinec - 13.94 (+1.9 m/s) + #13 on All Conditions List 13.83 (+3.1 m/s)
22. Kelsie Sealock - 13.94 (+1.7 m/s) + #3 on All Conditions List - 13.54 (+3.4 m/s)
*Michelle Kwafo - #13 on All Conditions List 13.83 (+2.1 m/s)
It was a record-breaking indoor season for Gustavus Adolphus’s Birgen Nelson, as she set 5 of the top 7 times in D3 history in the 60m hurdles including the D3 record of 8.33. She has continued her dominance outdoors, running the fastest ever all-conditions 100mH time of 13.32 and will be the name to watch at the national championships as she looks to defend her 2022 national title. Bethel’s Kelsie Sealock and Stevens’s Laura Mathews will be two of the women attempting to de-throne Nelson from her current hurdle reign as will UWL’s Emma Lawrence, who currently has the 2nd fastest seed time of 13.51.
400mH
Men - Prelims - 6:05pm EST Thursday, Finals - 3:15pm EST Saturday
This year’s 400m hurdles race will be another tight field. Bethel’s Joel Smith returns after getting 4th last year at this event and 2nd in 2021 and has run 4 races under 53 seconds this outdoor season- the most in the field. SUNY Geneseo’s Lance Jensen and Occidental’s Jacob Torres both enter the meet tied with the top mark in the field this year at 51.90 and are hoping to record their first hurdle All-American medal here. 2021 Champion, Jake Gladieux finds himself as the 16th seed. He’ll use his national championship experience to try to get into the final.
Women - Prelims - 6:20pm EST Thursday, Finals - 3:25pm EST Saturday
3. Natalia Sawyer - 58.61
10. Birgen Nelson - 59.22
12. Gwen Shepardson - 59.29
23. Emma Lawrence - 59.62
After winning the outdoor 400mH title in 2021 and 2022, Concordia Chicago’s Simone Wilson will not be competing in the event this year, which opens the door for someone else to take the crown. Gustavus Adolphus’s Birgen Nelson, SUNY Geneseo’s Gwen Shepardson, and UW-La Crosse’s Emma Lawrence all return after finishing 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place in last year’s final and each have broken 60 seconds this year, but the current favorite might be Buffalo State freshman Natalia Sawyer who ran 58.61 in mid-April to claim the 3rd fastest time in D3 history. History might be in the making on Saturday in the 400mH final.
Steeplechase
Men - Prelims - 7:35pm EST Thursday, Finals - 12:30pm EST Saturday
1. Colin Kirkpatrick - 8:41.92
7. Christopher Collet - 8:47.57
8. Christian Patzka - 8:47.74
There might not be a more exciting event at this national meet than the men’s steeplechase. We start off with Pomona-Pitzer’s Colin Kirkpatrick who on May 6th broke the 15-year-old steeplechase D3 record by running 8:41.92. Next is Wartburg’s Chris Collet, the defending steeplechase national champion in 2022 and runner-up in 2021. Add in the indoor 5k champion, Christian Patzka and we have a barn burner. Patzka went to the line with Collet and has been thinking about this race all year. All 3 of these athletes have been running so hot outdoors and if the race is anything like last year’s final, we should be in for a treat.
Women - Prelims - 8:05pm EST Thursday, Finals - 12:45pm EST Saturday
11. Aubrie Fisher - 10:20.94
17. Rachel Hirschkind - 10:22.51
It took sub-10:50 to qualify for the national meet, the fastest last qualifying mark in D3 history, which shows the great depth this field brings to New York this weekend. Wartburg’s Aubrie Fisher was last year’s runner-up and comes in with the fastest seed time of 10:22.07 to be the favorite on paper. Other contenders will be SUNY Geneseo’s Rachael Hirschkind, last year’s 4th place finisher, and Central College teammates Caroline McMartin and Megan Johnson.
4x100
*For relays these are All-Time marks run by teams this year
Men - Prelims - 5:00pm EST Thursday, Finals - 12:55pm EST Saturday
3. UW-La Crosse - 40.07
10. Rowan - 40.37
24. Springfield - 40.62
On April 29th, 2023, UW-La Crosse became just the 3rd team in D3 history to break 40.1 in the 4x1, running 40.07, just .12 off the D3 record. Led by the fastest ever D3 100m runner Sam Blaskowski, they will undoubtedly be the team to beat. Rowan is the 2nd seed in the field, running 40.37 which is the 10th fastest mark in D3 history. UW-Oshkosh has the 3rd fastest entry and will be looking for redemption after DNF’ing in last year’s final.
Women - Prelims - 5:15pm EST Thursday, Finals - 1:15pm EST Saturday
2. Loras - 45.72
4. UW-La Crosse 45.95
13. North Central - 46.22
21. Chicago - 46.45
25. Elmhurst - 46.56
With one of the most competitive women’s 100m dash fields in D3 history, it makes sense that the women’s 4x100m relay would be competitive this year as well. Five teams have made the All-Time list this year, including Loras (No. 2), La Crosse (No. 4), North Central (No. 13), Chicago (No. 21), and Elmhurst (No. 25). Loras will look to repeat as double-relay champions this year in the 4x1 and 4x4 relays, but look for the team from La Crosse to make a big push for the win. In a race with a small margin for error, anything could happen.
4x400
Men - Prelims - 8:35pm EST Thursday, Finals - 4:50pm EST Saturday
10. Nebraska Wesleyan - 3:09.79
13. Bethel - 3:09.97
20. CMS - 3:10.56
After running 3:10.77 over a month ago, it felt like Rowan would come into the championship meet as the top-seeded 4x4 relay, but that changed on May 18th at the Augustana Twilight Last Chance Meet when UW-La Crosse, Nebraska Wesleyan, and Bethel all broke 3:10 to claim the top 3 spots in the nation. In addition to the new sub 3:10 relays, the 4x4 will feature SUNY Geneseo, the 2023 indoor national champions. Plus we’ll see the 2022 outdoor champs, Mount Union. A team to watch is Rowan. After dropping the baton indoors with the 4x4 record, they’ll look to rebound.
Women - Prelims - 8:50pm EST Thursday, Finals - 5:00pm EST Saturday
3. Loras - 3:40.61
14. Rochester - 3:44.43
17. Mount Union - 3:44.68
Defending champions Loras have a full four-second lead on a women’s 4x4 field that has two additional teams under 3:45. The squad of Marion Edwards, Gabrielle Noland, Stevie Lambe, and Alyssa Pfadenhauer posted a blistering fast 3:40.61 relay at their conference meet this year, taking the ARC crown by 11 seconds. They’ve been highly consistent as well, posting three more performances this year at 3:41 or faster, making them the heavy favorites this weekend. Their biggest challengers will be the teams from Rochester and Mount Union, both of whom have posted all-time performances this season with their times of 3:44. A good day for all four members of the squads from La Crosse, TCNJ, or WashU could mean trouble for the top three seeds. WashU’s team is anchored by 2:04 half-miler Emma Kelley, who could shake things up on this relay’s final lap.
Field Events
High Jump
Men - 10:00am EST Saturday
The final jump decided who would be the indoor champion between Sam Beatty and Samuel Hetrick. With Beatty not qualifying, a new champion will be crowned this weekend. Gerrit Twitero of Texas Lutheran heads to Rochester with the number one mark. However, the entire top eight is separated by 1.75 inches. The best name on TFFRs: King, James of George Fox will look to add another All-American performance to his freshman campaign. This can have an impact on the team battle as Loras, UW-Oshkosh and MIT all have a jumper.
Women - 6:00pm EST Thursday
9. Jaidyn Appel - 1.77m (5-9¾)
25. Grace Alley - 1.74m (5-8½)
Some familiar faces will match up in the women’s high jump this year with Tufts’s Jaidyn Appel (sixth last year) and Loras’s Grace Alley (runner-up last year), both of whom own top-25 all-time marks in this event. Some new faces will appear too, including freshmen Allie Wildsmith of Coast Guard and Ainsley Hansen of La Crosse, who both come in with top-8 marks. Watch out, too, for Bridgewater’s Abigael Peterson, whose last-minute clearance of 1.73 meters propelled her to a tie for second seed coming into the national final.
Pole Vault
Men - 10:00am EST Friday
After finishing 5th indoors, Cade Gray of Ripon comes in as the number one seed. He’s coming off an impressive MWC conference meet where he won the pole vault and long jump. Plus, he finished runner up in the high jump and triple. Could he be a potential mutli athlete in the making? He’ll take on the top three from indoors: Ben Drummery, Dominick Mikula, and Eli Tranel. All but one All-American from indoors is in the field for outdoors setting up for a competitive battle.
Women - 6:00pm EST Friday
11. Megan Matheny - 4.06m (13-3¾)
11. Peyton Proffitt - 4.06m (13-3¾)
15. Brooke Simon - 4.03m (13-2½)
17. Madeline O'Connell - 4.01m (13-1¾)
The top 3 from indoor are all back ready to compete for the outdoor title. Emma Rudolph, 2022 outdoor national champion, will look to regain the top spot after she finished 5th indoors. Megan Matheny and Peyton Proffitt are tied at the top of the leaderboard. Gracie Holland sits in fifth but as we know in the field events, anything can happen. With four athletes with top 25 all-time marks, the pole vault will be a fun competition to watch.
Long Jump
Men - 1:15pm EST Thursday
3. Kenneth Wei - 7.88m (25-10 ¼)
18. Cade Gray - 7.63m (25-½)
*Demeco Walker - 7.66 (25-1¾) #4 on All Conditions List (+2.2 m/s)
Last year’s thrilling long jump final ended with MIT’s Kenneth Wei jumping 7.88m on his final jump to clinch the national championship and set the 3rd farthest mark in D3 history. Wei continued to make history indoors, again winning the long jump title on his sixth and final jump. To repeat history again, Wei will have to outjump two outstanding Ripon teammates, Dameco Walker and Cade Gray, who have the top 2 marks this season at 7.66m and 7.63m. Other notable names in the field will be 3x long jump All-American Nana Agyemang from Rowan and UW-La Crosse’s Sam Blaskowski who finished 3rd in last year’s competition and set the D3 100m record earlier this month.
Women - 4:15pm EST Thursday
2. Victoria Kadiri - 6.33m (20-9¼)
One cannot discuss D3 jumping events without first bringing up John Hopkins’s Victoria Kadiri. Kadiri has won the past 3 national championships in the long jump (2022 indoors/2022 outdoors/2023 indoors) and earlier this month set the #2 farthest jump in D3 history at 6.33m. Some of the women attempting to prevent Kadiri from securing her 4th straight LJ national title will be Dubuque’s Emma Seipel, the only other athlete to jump over 6 meters, St. John Fisher teammates Veronica Duell and Michaela Kurbs, and the indoor runner-up Harmony Creasy from Loras.
Triple Jump
Men - 1:00pm EST Saturday
10. Jonathan Wilburn - 15.67m (51-5)
13. Shevaughn Allen - 15.66m (51-4½)
One jump left. You either win a national title or finish second. That’s what Jonathan Wilburn of UW-Oshkosh faced indoors. And what did Wilburn do? Walked away as the national champion. We’re hoping for more drama in the outdoor competition as the top four are all over 50 feet. Shevaugn Allen of Buffalo State comes into the competition jumping almost 6 inches further than Wilburn but with momentum on his side, we expect Wilburn to keep things close. Cole Goodman of Rochester will stay close to home as he looks to contend for the title. He was the runner-up indoors.
Women - 10:00am EST Saturday
4. Victoria Kadiri - 12.82m (42-¾)
22. Jasmine Claunch - 12.36M (40-6¾)
23. Lia Rotti - 12.35M (40-6¼)
Victoria Kadiri of Johns Hopkins broke the indoor triple jump record during the national meet. Can she repeat that this year? She’ll have the same workload as indoors: long jump, triple jump, and the heptathlon. Jasmine Claunch and Lia Rotti have had excellent seasons jumping their way into all-time marks. From a team perspective, UW-La Crosse has two athletes in the top eight. That could prove beneficial for the team battle.
Shot Put
Men - 1:00pm EST Friday
13. Joseph White - 18.69m (61-4)
23. Yakob Ekoue - 18.07 (59-3½)
The indoor champ is back for more. Joseph White is primed for a strong national meet after throwing himself into the Top 25 all-time. Yakob Ekoue has been on his heels all season and was the indoor runner-up. These two have been on another level as they’re the only ones in the 18m range. Sam Engebretson of MIT finished 9th during Indoors and can get some valuable off-the-track points for the Engineers. Watch out too for twice-All-American Keegan Digby from Ohio Northern, who comes in with the No. 3 seed.
Women - 4:00pm EST Friday
8. Skye Digman - 15.42m (50-7¼)
21. Kaitlyn Wilder - 15.09m (49-6¼)
After finishing ninth last year and fourth indoors, Skye Digman heads to Rochester as the No. 1 seed. She’ll look to add to her already impressive resume. However, don’t count out Kaitlyn Wilder. Wilder has plenty of national meet experience of her own with her own national title in the weight throw. Additionally, the indoor champ, Catie Fobbe is sitting silently in the background with the No. 4 seed. Experience at the national meet is key and this field is filled with veteran throwers.
Discus
Men - 10:30am EST Thursday
8. Steven Hermsen - 58.60m (192-3)
20. Yakob Ekoue - 55.63m (182-6)
If you look at the All-Time list, Steven Hermsen’s name comes up. A lot. The champ from 2021 and 2022 is looking to make it a three-peat. He heads to Rochester with the No. 1 mark by almost three meters. Hermsen is no stranger to stepping up at the national meet and will be challenging to take him down. Yakob Ekoue leads the chase pack to try and catch Hermsen. His mark of 55.63m put him at the No. 2 spot and has almost a 2-meter advantage over the field. Crazy things have happened at a national meet but don’t be surprised if Hermsen gets the three-peat.
Women - 1pm EST Thursday
10. Adria Retter - 51.06m (167-6)
Adria Retter of Swarthmore is throwing inspired. Last year, she finished third in the discus and looks to move up two spots. Her 16th place in shot put indoors seems to be a distant memory as she holds the top mark by over 7 inches. However, she’ll have to contend with last year’s champion, Skye Digman. Not only that but six All-Americans from last year return for a loaded field. Add in an improved Alexis Boykin from MIT and the discus will be bumpin’ out there.
Hammer
Men - 1:00pm EST Saturday
8. Alex Kristeller - 64.77m (212-6)
20. Justin Eichler - 62.58m (205-4)
Alex Kristeller, Justin Eichler, and Joseph White. Three big names in D3 throws face off this weekend in the hammer. Kristeller has the top mark of 64.77m this year. Of this big three, White finished the best in fifth last year followed by Eichler in sixth and Kristeller in seventh. If you head over to the hammer ring, you’re going to want to see this battle unfold.
Women - 10:00am EST Saturday
11. Skye Digman - 59.45m (195-1)
12. Alexis Boykin - 59.05 (193-9)
14. Kaitlyn Wilder - 58.98 (193-6)
20. Lily Beneke - 58.26 (191-2)
24. Rebecca Simpson - 57.95 (190-2)
Five athletes head into the weekend with all-time marks and they all are seeded 1-5. Skye Digman leads the pack of a deep hammer field. Rebecca Simpson enters the competition as the highest finisher from last year. She finished third in 2022 and 24th on the all-time list. Digman is a part of the UW-La Crosse team that has 31 entries. She’s currently in three of the throwing events which can be big for the Eagles.
Javelin
Men - 4:00pm EST Thursday
8. Greg Poloso - 70.39m (230-11)
13. Will Lawrence - 69.85m (229-2)
18. Brett Hague - 68.10m (223-5)
Three men have set themselves apart from the field this year in what is sure to be an exciting matchup between three all-timers. Will Lawrence leads the field this year as the top seed and will look to improve upon his runner-up finish from last year. With the reigning champion not returning this year, and six of last year's All-Americans in the field, expect fireworks. Rowan’s Greg Poloso will look to add a national title to his already impressive career while St. John’s Brett Hague will be looking to crash the party once again.
For those following the team competition, the javelin will be one to follow along. Rowan has four qualifiers in this event, but last year showed that this has the potential to be a bit unpredictable and prime for upsets.
Women - 1:30pm EST Thursday
8. Avery Decker - 48.43m (158-11)
17. Isabelle Deal - 47.24m (155-0)
23. Chrissy Strickland - 46.33m (152-0)
24. Ava Nelson - 46.27m (151-10)
The women’s javelin is another deep throwing event this year. The top four seeds are all in the top 25 all-time list. Avery Decker of Nebraska Wesleyan is having a monster season after finishing seventh last year. With the No. 8 all-time throw, confidence has to be high. However, the field is deep and features last year’s national champion, Ava Nelson of Pacific Lutheran. The runner-up Rebecca Simpson and third-place finisher Chrissy Stickland also return. Get excited for what should be an exciting battle.
Multi
Decathlon - 10am EST Thursday
Multi-U is back with Mitch Stegeman at the top of the descending order list. He’ll be joined by two other UW-Eau Claire teammates. If you remember last year, UW-Eau Claire went 1-3-4 in this event last year. Is it Stegeman’s turn for a shot at glory? He’ll be challenged by indoor heptathlon champ Jackson Anderson of Williams. The highest returner outside of Stegemen is Taylor Phillips of George Fox. Phillips finished seventh last year followed by Isaiah Clausen of Wheaton (Ill.) in ninth. With limited All-American returners from last year, a ripe opportunity for someone to step up.
Heptathlon - 11am EST Thursday
10. Grace Alley - 5163
19. Logan Bruce - 5035
22. Elizabeth Barre - 5017
The best athletes square off over seven events this weekend. With Kennady Gibbons not competing in the Hep, a new champion will emerge this weekend. In fact, the entire top four from last year will not be in the event, making room for a new era of heptathletes. The highest placing returner from last year is Logan Bruce of Ithaca. The field will be strong up top as indoor pentathlon champion Elizabeth Barre of Carnegie Mellon is seeded second. Leading the competition is Grace Alley of Loras. She finished sixth last year and was third indoors. She’ll also be in the triple jump and high jump to get as many points for Loras as she can. They have a tough task against UW-La Crosse and Alley looks poised to take on the challenge. Lexi LeFever has been a new addition to the multi. In her first Pent at Nationals, she finished as an Indoor All-American. She’s steadily improved throughout the season and should be someone to watch.