2023 D3 Indoor Track and Field Nationals Preview
Top 10 Team based on Entries
Just when we thought we couldn’t be more impressed by the D3 track and field performances, the 2023 indoor season saw 16 total national records/bests fall:
Men’s 60m dash – Sam Blaskowski (UW-La Crosse) – 6.65
Women’s 60m hurdles – Birgen Nelson (Gustavus Adolphus) – 8.33
Men’s 200m dash - Sam Blaskowski (UW-La Crosse) – 21.13
Men’s 300m dash – Cheick Traore (Ramapo) – 33.64
Men’s 500m dash – Matt McBride (Mount Union) – 1:03.52
Women’s 500m dash – Grace Devanny (Wesleyan) – 1:14.17
Men’s 600m dash – Matt McBride (Mount Union) – 1:17.93
Men’s 800m run- Ryan Wilson (MIT) – 1:46.61
Men’s mile run- Ryan Wilson (MIT) – 3:55.29
Men’s 3k run- Alex Phillip (John Carroll) – 7:53.24
Men’s 5k run- Alex Phillip (John Carroll) – 13:44.98
Women’s 4x200m relay – Mount Union – 1:40.25
Men’s 4x200m relay – Rowan – 1:25.86
Men’s 4x400m relay – Rowan – 3:10.09
Men’s DMR relay – Loras – 9:39.80
Men’s Weight Throw – Joseph White (Carthage) – 21.92m
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 at least 28 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 Birmingham 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 2023 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.
60-meter dash
Men’s - Prelims at 2:00pm cst Friday
The shortest race in track and field will certainly bring the hype to Birmingham this week. Headlined by Sam Blaskowski, the field is deeper and brings more firepower than last year’s event. Blaskowski knocked down the old record of 6.68 to 6.65. It’s not a clear path to the championship, as he’ll have to take down the 2022 champion Jalen Leonard-Osbourne from Ithaca. Leonard-Osbourne has been running solid all year and will look to make up for his False Start at the AARTFC. Watch for freshman Landen Liu of Bethel. He’s been on a tear his rookie season and is one of four true freshman sprinters at the meet. Another name to watch for is Solo Hines from Whitworth. He’s posted the No. 5 All-Time performance with his 6.71 and will look to rebound from finishing 20th last year.
All-Time Performances:
1. Sam Blaskowski (UW-La Crosse)
5. Solo Hines (Whitworth)
7. Jalen Leonard-Osbourne (Ithaca)
7. Jaylen Grant (Uw-Oshkosh)
14. Carson Rantanen (Greenville)
18. Landen Liu (Bethel)
18. CJ Anderson (Greenville)
Women’s - Prelims at 2:15pm cst Friday
The reigning champ, Adalia Coleman, is the No. 1 seed looking to defend her title. She holds the 6th All-Time performance with her 7.54. As she mentioned on the podcast, anything can happen in the 60! She’ll have close competition as Tina Shelton of Whitewater is coming in at .01s behind her. The stars are coming out for the 60m, as 100m outdoor champ Bella Hogue is also entered this year. She focused on the 200m and 4x4 last year.
Additionally, three other women who qualified this year were in last year’s final: Marion Edwards, Kenadee Wayt, and Katelyn Gamble. Add in Coleman, and half of last year’s final is back. Ahnia Cherry and Lauren Jarrett are the only true freshmen in the field and represent the new wave of D3 sprinters. They’ll look to get their careers off on the right foot by making it to the final. From a team perspective, Jarrett is the lone representative from UW-Lacrosse and, coming in at 11th, will try to pick up free points.
All-Time Performances:
6. Adalia Coleman (Bridgewater)
10. Tina Shelton (UW-Whitewater)
18. Bella Hogue (Nebraska Wesleyan)
18. Michelle Kwafo (Coast Guard)
200-meter dash
Men’s - Prelims at 4:15pm cst Friday
The men’s 200-meter dash was arguably one of the most competitive D3 track and field events last year. Three athletes cruised under the previous outdoor national record at the 2022 outdoor championships. All three players return to the indoor lineup this weekend: reigning indoor and outdoor champion JP Vaught of Centre, No. 2 all-time indoors Cheick Traore of Ramapo, No. 8 all-time indoors Gallaudet’s Eric Gregory, and now new indoor national record holder Sam Blaskowski of UW-La Crosse. Blaskowski ran a blazing 21.13 at the Aurora Grand Prix in late January to break Eau Claire’s Thurgood Dennis’s previous national record of 21.27 from 2014. He then broke the 60-meter national record at the USA Indoor Championships and again at the WIAC Championships, making him the favorite in both events this weekend. In an event with a small margin of error, do not count out Ramapo’s Traore, who tied Dennis’s previous record at Boston, Gallaudet’s Gregory, who enters his first indoor championship meet, or Vaught, who sneaks in with the No. 7 seed but is known to be a gamer on championship day. Other big names to watch include Bethel’s Landen Liu, John Carroll’s Garrett Clark, North Park’s Jereme Ombogo, Geneseo’s Lance Jensen, and Bowdoin’s Ajay Olson. Rhode Island College’s Steven Doss holds the No. 12 all-time has scratched and will be focusing on the 400-meter instead.
All-Time Performances:
Sam Blaskowski (UW-La Crosse)
Cheick Traore (Ramapo)
6. Ajay Olson (Bowdoin)
8. Eric Gregory (Gallaudet)
10. JP Vaught (Centre)
11. Jereme Ombogo (North Park)
19. Lance Jensen (SUNY Geneseo)
20. Elijah Jefferson (Texas Lutheran)
20. Christian Campbell (CMS)
26. Jah’mere Beasley (Rowan)
26. Landen Liu (Bethel)
Women’s - Prelims at 4:30pm cst Friday
The women’s 200-meter race should also be highly competitive up front with names like Kenadee Wayt. The Mount Union standout ranges from 7.64 in the 60-meter dash to 2:14 in the 800-meter run. Her best event on paper is the 200, as she enters the meet with the No. 1 seed at a converted 24.40. Don’t count out Wesleyan’s Grace Devanny, who took down the 500-meter national record this season and enters the meet ranked No. 1 in the 400-meter dash. Her seed time of 24.42 trails Wayt by only a few hundredths and is No. 8 all-time. Nebraska Wesleyan’s Bella Hogue returns as the defending champion with her No. 3 seed time of 24.49. With veteran experience as a national champion, watch for Hogue to make a push for the win. Other names in the mix to watch include UW-La Crosse’s trio of Emma Lawrence, Lauren Jarrett, and Emily Dawidowich, Carnegie Mellon’s Samantha Giordani, and Stevens’s Laura Mathews.
All-Time Performances:
8. Grace Devanny (Wesleyan)
17. Bella Hogue (Nebraska Wesleyan)
23. Laura Mathews (Stevens)
24. Kianne Benjamin (Bowdoin)
24. Kenadee Wayt (Mount Union)
400-meter dash
Men’s - Prelims at 3:05pm cst Friday
Ramapo’s Cheick Traore does not yet hold a national title, despite having No. 2 all-time marks in both the indoor and outdoor 200-meter, the No. 6 all-time mark in the indoor 400-meter, and a national record in the indoor 300-meter. 2023 could be Traore’s year, as he enters this weekend with the No. 1 seed at 47.45. He is the only one in the top three without a 4x400 relay team entered as well. No. 2 seed Jacob Parent of Bethel and No. 3 seed and freshman Matt Kruse of Loras will anchor their team’s 4x400 in addition to running the open 400. No. 4 seed and defending indoor national champion Kieran Sheridan will be running in Geneseo’s DMR and is not entered in their No. 10 seed 4x400 relay. Look for Sheridan to go after another national title. Other notable names to watch out for include Knox’s Tyrell Pierce and Widener’s Samuel Knowles. Gallaudet’s Eric Gregory, who won the outdoor 400m, just missed qualifying and will instead focus on the 200-meter dash.
All-Time Performances:
6. Cheick Traore (Ramapo)
23. Samuel Knowles (Widener)
Women’s - Prelims at 3:25pm cst Friday
Four athletes enter the women’s 400-meter dash with seeds under 56 seconds this year. No. 1 seed Grace Devanny’s time of 55.26 is No. 8 in D3 history, and No. 2 seed Johns Hopkins’s Lauren Phillips’s time of 55.35 is No. 11 all-time. Both will take the start line this weekend alongside defending champion Alyssa Pfadenhauer, who enters as the No. 3 seed at 55.37, and Rochester’s Madeline O’Connell, whose time of 55.68 is the No. 4 seed. Returning All Americans Kenadee Wayt of Mount Union and Susan Bansbach of Rochester will also take the start line and should not be counted out. However, Elmhurst’s Ava David, North Central's Lindsey Novak, or Mount Union’s Madison Miles could also shake up the results with the right race.
All-Time Performances:
8. Grace Devanny (Wesleyan)
11. Lauren Phillips (Johns Hopkins)
16. Alyssa Pfadenhauer (Loras)
22. Susan Bansbach (Rochester)
800-meter run
Men’s - Prelims at 3:45pm cst Friday
National record holder Ryan Wilson’s scratch from the 800-meter was perhaps one of the most surprising scratches of this year’s championship. Having decided two national titles in the 800 was enough, the MIT standout with an indoor PR of 1:46.61 will look instead at earning national titles in the mile and 3k. That leaves the door for the men’s 800 title wide open. Loras’s Mike Jasa has not yet won an indoor national title but enters the weekend with the No. 1 seed by almost half a second. He’ll look to add to his 2021 outdoor title. A fruitful weekend for Jasa could mean two national titles: one in the DMR and one in the 800. However, Lynchburg’s Tor Hotung-Davidsen, Carnegie Mellon duo Alex Ivanov and Andrew McGovern, and Jasa’s teammate Carter Oberfoell are all in good scoring or even winning positions based on their seeds coming in. It’s too bad the 4x800 relay isn’t a national event! Oshkosh’s Steven Potter returns as the defending runner-up in this event and is joined by fellow returning All-American Garrett Lenners of Nebraska Wesleyan on the starting line. Each competitor is given a gift with Wilson out of the lineup, making this an exciting race to watch this weekend.
All-Time Performances:
5. Tor Hotung-Davidsen (Lynchburg)
6. Mike Jasa (Loras)
20. Ziyad Hassan (MIT)
23. Andrew McGovern (Carnegie Mellon)
Women’s - Prelims at 4:00pm cst Friday
After setting a PR of 2:06.69 at last year’s outdoor championships, WashU’s Emma Kelley has had a highly consistent indoor campaign. She opened her season with a 2:10 and has run at or under this time in every 800 since. At a meet where replication is key in prelims and finals, consistency could be her secret weapon and the key to her first 800-meter national title. Her biggest challengers will be Baldwin Wallace’s Hope Murphy, who has run 2:10.74 this year, and teammate Aoife Dunne, who just ran 2:10.97 last weekend (again, can we get a national-caliber 4x800 to go down somewhere?) Aside from Kelley, Eau Claire’s Anna Schueth is the only other returning All-American from last year’s indoor lineup. She enters with the No. 15 seed this weekend. Look for Stevens Point’s Brooke Wellhausen, Wartburg’s Lily Campbell, and Geneseo’s Windsor Ardner to try to break into All-American status in this event.
All-Time Performances:
15. Emma Kelley (WashU)
28. Hope Murphy (Baldwin Wallace)
Mile run
Men’s - Prelims at 2:35pm cst Friday
Let’s put this year’s performance elevation in perspective. The last time nationals were held at the Birmingham Crossplex in 2018, the 20th time on the qualifying list in the mile was 4:10.85, held by Carleton’s Donson Cook-Gallardo. Cook-Gallardo placed third that year behind Ramapo’s Jeremy Hernandez, the first athlete in D3 to break four minutes in the mile, and just ahead of now-professional runner Jack Pinho formerly of Springfield. This year’s 20th time was 4:06.89, making this year the fastest in D3 history. The field is headlined by MIT’s Ryan Wilson, who enters with a national record-setting time of 3:55.29. He leads the field ahead of No. 2 seed Bennett Booth-Genthe of Pomona-Pitzer by six seconds. Behind Booth-Genthe, four additional athletes enter the meet with seed times under 4:04, including Trinity’s Travis Martin, Wartburg’s Christopher Collet, Haverford’s Jamie Moreland, and Loras’s Wyatt Kelly. (Matt Lecky of RPI also ran under 4:04 this year but has scratched to run the 3k). Returning All-Americans Ezra Ruggles of Geneseo and Ryan Harvey of Loras will also toe the start line, making this year’s men’s mile an event you don’t want to miss. In total, there were eight additions to the all-time list in this event this year. The ones who will line up this weekend to compete are:
All-Time Performances:
1. Ryan Wilson (MIT)
7. Bennett Booth-Genthe (Pomona-Pitzer)
10. Travis Martin (Trinity)
11. Jamie Moreland (Haverford)
17. Scott Sikorski (Rochester)
25. Ezra Ruggles (Geneseo)
Women’s - Prelims at 2:50pm cst Friday
Carleton’s Clara Mayfield is all-in on the women’s mile this year, having scratched the 5k to focus on a fresh mile and 3k on Day 2. She enters the meet as the No. 1 seed with a time of 4:47.36, three seconds ahead of distance rivals Ana Tucker of Hope and Annika Urban of Emory. All three of these athletes will battle each other in the mile/3k double and not the 5k this weekend, despite all being ranked in the top four, leaving the victory wide open for St. Benedict’s Fiona Smith. With this trio taking the charge, the women’s mile and 3k matchups could be some of the most exciting of the weekend. This year's mile will also feature the talents of first-time national qualifier Blakeley Buckingham of Williams, first-time indoor qualifier Gillian Roeder of MIT, and first-time indoor individual qualifier Lucy Gagnon of Williams. Each of these novices will look to shake results up in the front, following the lead of some of the more seasoned veterans. Williams has three athletes competing in this event, including returning indoor mile All-American Molly Fitzgibbons.
All-Time Performances:
18. Clara Mayfield (Carleton)
23. Annika Urban (Emory)
3k run
Men’s - Finals at 4:40pm cst Saturday
With 12 entries to the all-time list this season, the men’s 3k is an event you won’t want to miss this weekend. Loaded up with familiar faces from the fall, 12 out of the 20 entries were also in the top 20 of the nation in cross country. The field is led by defending 3k champion and 3k national record holder Alex Phillip of John Carroll. Phillip is the only entry under 8 minutes with his record of 7:53.24, but third place cross country All-American Sam Acquaviva lurks close behind at 8:00.41. Phillip will be challenged from all angles by the men from MIT, as the cross country national champions boast four entries in this event. The sneakiest entry is that of Ryan Wilson, whose fourth-place cross country finish combined with his national record-setting times of 3:55 and 1:46 in the mile and 800, are a dangerous combination against Phillip. Wilson, in arguably the boldest move of the weekend, scratched from the 800 and came into the 3k as the last seed in this event after Haverford’s Ryan Kredell scratched. His seed time of 8:11.65 is surely not indicative of what the 800-meter national champion is capable of.
Add to the mix Wisconsin duo Christian Patzka of Whitewater and Ethan Gregg of La Crosse, who lead the nation in the 5k, returning 3k Al-Americans Matt Lecky of RPI and Nicky Andrews of Geneseo, and 2021 cross country runner-up Elias Lindgren of Williams, and the positions from 1-8 could truly go in any direction. As the last distance event of the weekend, the crown will go to whoever has the most left in their tank.
All-Time Performances:
1. Alex Phillip (John Carroll)
4. Sam Acquaviva (MIT)
5. Matthew Kearney (MIT)
7. Matthew Lecky (RPI)
8. Elias Lindgren (Williams)
9. Nicky Andrews (SUNY Geneseo)
10. Andrew Mah (MIT)
13. Christian Patzka (UW-Whitewater)
14. Ethan Gregg (UW-La Crosse)
18. Jeffrey Love (Connecticut College)
23. Gavin McElhennon (Johns Hopkins)
25. Ryan Wilson (MIT)
Women’s - Finals at 4:55pm cst Saturday
Showcasing the most impressive depth of the weekend is the squad from U of Chicago in the women’s 3k. Chicago has five total entries in this event, and Katarina Birimac was the first athlete out with her converted time of 9:47.15. They are led by Maddie Kelly, who enters as the No. 4 seed with a time of 9:30.34. Ahead of Kelly (who will anchor her team’s No. 1 seed DMR), distance standouts Fiona Smith of St. Benedict, Annika Urban of Emory, and Clara Mayfield of Carleton will toe the start line in their second individual event of the weekend. Smith and Urban headline this event, having run the exact same time of 9:28.14 on the same weekend in two different locations. Smith’s flat-track performance converts to 9:23, making her the No. 1 seed in this event this weekend. Other big names to watch include WashU’s Emily Konkus, Hope’s Ana Tucker, and Wartburg’s Aubrie Fisher.
All-Time Performances:
7. Fiona Smith (St. Benedict)
7. Annika Urban (Emory)
14. Maddie Kelly (U Chicago)
22. Clara Mayfield (Carleton)
24. Emily Konkus (WashU)
25. Ana Tucker (Hope)
5k run
Men’s - Finals at 4:45pm cst Friday
The men’s 5k is tied with the men’s 3k for the event with the most declared competitors on the all-time list of any other events this weekend. 12 of the 20 racers have run some of the fastest times in D3 history (that’s 60%), making this event another one you’ll want to tune in Friday night. The most exciting matchup will be between defending national champion and current national record holder Alex Phillip and WIAC studs Christian Patzka of UW-Whitewater and Ethan Gregg of UW-La Crosse. Patzka broke the 29-year-old men’s 5k record previously held by North Central’s Dan Mayer at his home facility when he ran a blazing 13:49.04. Behind him, Gregg ran 13:52.59, the No. 2 fastest time in D3 history. Patzka held the national record for eight hours before Phillip dropped a time of 13:44.98 at Boston to take the No. 1 spot and bump Patzka and Gregg down to 2-3, respectively. The trio will line up again for the first time since cross country nationals for an exciting matchup. The third-place cross country All-American, MIT’s Sam Acquaviva, enters with a seed time of 13:57.43, making him just the sixth athlete in D3 history to break 14 minutes in the indoor 5k.
After Acquaviva, a blanket of 14-minute athletes follow, including Williams’s Elias Lindgren, MIT’s Matthew Kearney, and Haverford’s Ryan Kredell. If the race goes out at an honest pace, the nation could just see more athletes break the coveted 14-minute barrier this weekend. Look for Simpson’s Spencer Moon, RPI’s Cory Kennedy, and Wilmington’s Simon Heys to be among the handful of athletes who look to make a push toward All-American status in this loaded-up field.
All-Time Performances:
1. Alex Phillip (John Carroll)
2. Christian Patzka (UW-Whitewater)
3. Ethan Gregg (UW-La Crosse)
6. Sam Acquaviva (MIT)
8. Elias Lindgren (Williams)
10. Matthew Kearney (MIT)
11. Ryan Kredell (Haverford)
14. Spencer Moon (Simpson)
15. Simon Heys (Wilmington)
17. Andrew Mah (MIT)
25. Brandan Knepper (Calvin)
27. Cory Kennedy (RPI)
Women’s - Finals at 5:05pm cst Friday
With big scratches from Emory’s Annika Urban, Hope’s Ana Tucker, and Carleton’s Clara Mayfield in this event, the crown is meant for St. Benedict’s Fiona Smith alone. Her seed time of 16:28 leads the field by almost 20 seconds. As her first event of the weekend, Smith should be fresh with her eyes on the prize. She took runner-up to Loras’s Kassie Parker in cross country, and with Parker out of eligibility, Smith is ready to step into the spotlight. Other notable contenders include Geneseo’s Kathleen McCarey, who beat Smith last year in this event indoors to place third overall, Williams’s Genna Girard and WashU’s Ella Behrens, who enter as the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, and U of Chicago pair Katarina Birimac and Anna Kenig-Ziesler. With 11 entries under 17 minutes, it is likely it will take breaking this notable barrier to snag All-American status. The squads from U of Chicago and Geneseo will see somewhat of a cross country rematch, as both programs have three entries in this event. In addition to Kenig-Ziessler and Birimac, U of Chicago will have returning qualifier Frances Schaeffler on the start line, and McCarey will have teammates Rachel Hirschkind and Penelope Greene joining her. Sometimes, on the national stage, a little comfort from teammates is all the extra push that is needed to make a great performance.
All-Time Performances:
15. Fiona Smith (St. Benedict)
18. Kathleen McCarey (SUNY Geneseo)
60mH
Men’s - Prelims at 1:30pm cst Friday
With last year’s champion and runner-up graduating, a new 60mH champion will be crowned this year. Many eyes will turn to Kenneth Wei of MIT after his break 110mH title at Outdoors but it’s Eli Etherton of Nebraska Wesleyan heading to Birmingham with the top seed. In fact this is Etherton’s first time competing at a National meet. Not only has he taken 0.20s off his time this season but has progressed down from 8.68 on his debut 60mH. He’ll face off against some savvy veterans who competed in last year’s final. Deyton Love of Wartburg, Jake Gladeioux of Trine, and Giovanni Alfred are all back ready to improve upon their All-American finishes from last year. A dark horse in this race is Brett Morse of SUNY Cortland. The senior has won two SUNYAC hurdle titles but has yet to make an NCAA Final. He comes into National just running a personal best of 8.08 and is currently seeded 4th. From a team perspective, MIT has three in the event but only projected eight points from Wei. It’ll help their team's chances if they can come away with more than eight points. Finally, Marquis Young of Rowan mentioned on the podcast that practicing against his All-American teammates will prepare him for this weekend.
All-Time Performances:
9. Kenneth Wei (MIT)
17. Eli Etherton (Nebraska Wesleyan)
Women’s - Prelims at 1:45pm cst Friday
It was the Birgen Nelson show for most of the season with Emma Lawrence clipping at her heels. At one point, Birgen held the five fastest 60mH times in D3 history including lowering the record down to 8.33 at USATF Indoor Championships. That changed when Emma Lawrence ran 8.40 at the Wartburg Last Chance meet setting up an epic battle of the D3 record holder and the No. 2 All-Time. Collectively they own eight of the top ten All-Time performances. These two are quite familiar with each other as they faced off in the 100mH and 400mH last outdoor season and in the 60mH indoor final. Emma took the head-to-head win at Indoors, but Birgen got her back in both events outdoors. But as Birgen said on the podcast, anything can happen in the 60mH. Six of last year’s finalists are entered in the event and that includes last year’s national champion, Julia Babinec. Additionally, last year’s runner-up Hannah Zastrow and third-place finisher Keslie Sealock will look to take down their North Region rivals. Overall, four of the top 11 performances of all time will go at it this weekend.
All-Time Performances:
1. Birgen Nelson (Gustavus Adolphus)
2. Emma Lawrence (UW-La Crosse)
6. Kelsie Sealock (Bethel)
11. Laura Mathews (Stevens)
17. Hannah Zastrow (UW-Eau Claire)
17. Julia Babinec (North Central)
25. Aniya Seward (Lynchburg)
4x400m Relay
Men’s - Prelims at 5:35pm cst Friday
If we can leave this weekend without a 4x4 team being DQ’d or a 90-minute protest period, this will be a successful weekend. Of the teams impacted in last year’s fruit-snack-gate, only Rowan returns to defend their title. They’re fresh off of running a D3 record of 3:10.09 and know they need to run it when it counts. They’ll face off against a SUNY Geneseo team that quietly ran the No. 3 All-Time performance at BU Valentine. If we learned anything about SUNY Geneseo over the past few seasons, it’s to never count them out. Speaking of a team to never count out, Mount Union flew under the radar this season, quietly putting up solid times while Matt McBride was setting All-Time bests in the 500 and 600. Coach Lucas always gets his 4x4 ready and they’ll need to be ready to defend their outdoor title. With the last few national championships coming down to the 4x4 title, the key for these teams to focus on getting to that final - as if that wasn’t obvious.
All-Time Performances (current teams):
1. Rowan
3. SUNY Geneseo
8. Williams
13. John Carroll
16. Nebraska Wesleyan
Women’s - Prelims at 5:45pm cst Friday
UW-La Crosse may be coming in with the fastest seed, but TCNJ ran the fastest time this season as theirs came on a banked track. We don’t want to start a flat track/banked track debate but want to reference that so you’re not surprised when you see TCNJ mixing it up with the leaders. The team of Maria Grill, Eliza Bruncaj, Allison Uhl, and Megan Gasnick ran the No. 9 All-Time performance this season at the Last Chance Meet at BU. This team is getting hot at the right time. Another team that has been running strong all year has been the quartet from Mount Union. They set the All-Time best in the 4x200 and their individual legs have been running well in their own events. It’ll be interesting to see Kenadee Wayt and Kennady Gibbins run the prelim. Together they compete in the 60m, 200m, 400, High Jump, and Pentathlon. A massive weekend for the duo. Loras called upon their 4x400 at Outdoors to seal their Team title and will hope they will be in the position to do the same. They’ve swept the 2022 4x400 Titles and have a runner-up performance in 2021 to give them the confidence to get the stick around safely. Lastly, don’t count out Rochester. This team won the 4x400 at the Armory and has Madeline O’Connell and Susan Bansbach qualifying individually in the 400 as well.
All-Time Performances (current teams):
9. TCNJ
11. Rochester
17. Mount Union
21. Johns Hopkins
24. Rowan
DMR
Men’s - Finals at 6:10pm cst Friday
We learned last year that just because you have a Sub-4-minute miler anchoring your DMR, it doesn’t guarantee you the win (even if he splits a 4:02 anchor leg). MIT will look to change with Ryan Wilson scratching the 800 to seemingly give him fresher legs in the DMR after only one prelim instead of two. While MIT may have the sub-4-minute miler, Loras has the D3 record. They let John Carroll hold that record for just a year after breaking it at BU this season but will face a tough team from SUNY Geneseo that finished behind them and moved into No. 4 All-Time. This is the deepest DMR field that D3 has ever seen. 10/12 teams ran a Top 22 All-Time Performance this season and that doesn’t include Pomona-Pitzer, Emory or Carnegie Mellon. The three teams are No. 8, No. 14, and No. 16 All-Time but did so on a banked track and unfortunately didn’t get the right end of the conversion. Based on Season PRs and relay splits, each of these teams has a 4:0x miler. Get the baton as fast as you can to your milers and watch the fireworks. To note, RPI has run the fastest time on a flat track, clocking in at 9:49.
All-Time Performances (current teams):
1. Loras
4. SUNY Geneseo
5. MIT
10. RPI
12. Lynchburg
15. Wartburg
18. Johns Hopkins
20. UW-La Crosse
21. Case Western Reserve
22. UW-Oshkosh
Women’s - Finals at 6:25pm cst Friday
Last year, Aubrie Fisher laid down a massive kick to bring home the title for Wartburg. The top four were separated by three seconds and we expect to see the same theatrics this year. WashU ran 11:40 and 11:41 with two different squads showing off their depth. One with current 800/Mile No. 3/No. 6 Aiofe Dunne and one without. With WashU projected Second based on entries, it’ll be interesting to see how they Utilize Dunne as she’s only in the 800m. One can assume they’ll be lining her up in the leadoff leg. Chicago heads into the meet with the No. 1 seed and brings back their 800/1600 legs from last year’s third-place team. Claudia Harnett is back in action after missing all of Cross Country and seems to not have missed a beat as she set a new PB in the mile. She’ll look to give anchor Maddie Kelly a lead with her fresh legs. Despite being No. 10 in the mile, Kelly opted to do the DMR/3k double. If MIT can get Gillian Roederr the stick in contention, things could get intense. Roederr has the fastest mile time this season of the anchor legs and could do some damage. Other teams to look for if they can get their mile legs in contention are Williams and Hope. Ana Tucker of Hope sits third on the Mile list and Lucy Gagnon of Williams is eighth.
All-Time Performances (current teams):
9. UChicago
14. WashU
High Jump
Men’s - Finals at 3:45pm cst Saturday
With only three inches separating the 20th seed from the 2nd seed, the Men’s High Jump competition, as always, is going to be intense. The reigning national champion, Kyle Rollins, has graduated leaving the stage set for there to be a new men’s high jump champ for the first time since the 2019 indoor season. There is one man above the rest and this is the No. 1 seed, Samuel Hetrick. Samuel is the only man to go over seven feet and holds a 1.75-inch advantage. Or for those that prefer the metric system, five centimeters. Hetrick was fifth last year indoors and eighth outdoors so he will bring national meet experience to defend his top spot. His biggest competition will come from third-place finisher at the Outdoor championships, Sam Beatty of Central College. An interesting name to watch for is a freshman from George Fox, James King. He only competed in two meets this year but was enough to get him a qualification for nationals. The best part of James King is that on TFFRS he is listed as King, James (Although, we’re told he thinks Michael Jordan is the GOAT). A dark horse in this competition will be Harry Rienecker-Found of Tufts. Currently seed 12th but finished fifth last year indoors.
All-Time Performances:
14. Samuel Hetrick (PSU-Behrend)
Women’s - Finals at 12:30pm cst Saturday
If we learned anything from Jaidyn Appel’s appearance on the podcast is that momentum is key in the high jump. Appel was in this position before having the top seed for most of the season and that pressure got to her at Outdoors. She’s learned from that experience and is handling the top seed better. She enters the competition as the reigning indoor champion after finishing sixth outdoors. The duo from the American Rivers Conference, Breya Christopher of Wartburg and Grace Alley of Loras, stand as Appel’s biggest threats. Christopher was runner-up indoors and third outdoors last year and Alley was runner-up outdoors. The high jump is a part of a massive weekend for Alley as she will have completed a pentathlon and still be competing in Triple Jump prior to her first jump. For the team title implications, UW-La Crosse has three women in this event and projected 15 points from their trio. Ainsley Hansen, Olivia Owens, and Macie Todd are currently seeded third, fourth, and fifth. With the competition being completed before the running events on Saturday, La Crosse will have a good understanding of where they’ll need points from.
All-Time Performances:
11. Jaidyn Appel (Tufts)
19. Breya Christopher (Wartburg)
24. Ainsley Hansen (UW-La Crosse)
Pole Vault
Men’s - Finals at 3:30pm cst Saturday
If momentum is currency then Dominic Mikula is rich. He comes into nationals as the top seed after winning the AARTFC meet with a four-inch personal best. Oh, the meet was last weekend. With Mikula vaulting his best late in the season, the question becomes who will stand in his way? The first name that comes to mind is Ben Drummey of Southern Maine. The 2022 Indoor champ is currently seeded 11th right now in a perfect position to surprise people. The key for Drummery is to be consistent. He failed to qualify for Outdoors last year and if he finds his form from Indoors, he can pose a threat. Eli Tranel of UW-Oshkosh edged out Mikula Outdoors finishing fourth to Mikula’s fifth. He comes in as the high finisher from that Outdoor Championship. With Oshkosh in the trophy hunt, a win from Tranel would be huge. In terms of matching firepower, Kyel Wolff has the same personal best as Mikula but scratched last year’s competition. He hasn’t been over 16 feet since December but maybe he’s saving his best for last.
All-Time Performances:
20. Dominic Mikula (Ithaca)
20. Kyel Wolff (Mount Union)
22. Ben Drummey (Southern Maine)
Women’s - Finals at 11:00am cst Friday
To say the pole vault is wide open may be an understatement. The past two national champions, Megan Matheny (‘21O, ‘22I) and Emma Rudolph (‘22O), come into the competition as the eighth and third seeds! Hey, as long as you make the meet who cares where you’re seeded! Gracie Holland enters the meet as the only competitor to reach 4.00m aka go over 13 feet. She finished 5th indoors and runner-up outdoors last year and seems poised to take on the defending champions. In her last two meets before nationals, Holland set a new personal best of 4.00 and won the WIAC title. The top newcomer to look for is Peyton Profitt from Otterbein. Profitt has improved over a foot and a half from the start of the season and enters the meet as the second seed. While Profitt may not have national meet experience, she’s coming off winning the OAC title. From a team perspective, Ithaca once again has three vaulters in the competition. Right now, they’re projected just one point but could easily outperform that as their athletes have either won a PV national title or finished All-American in past competitions.
All-Time Performances:
13. Gracie Holland (UW-Whitewater)
13. Megan Matheny (Ithaca)
17. Peyton Profitt (Otterbein)
Long Jump
Men’s Prelims / Finals at 2:30pm cst Friday
Can Kenneth Wei surprise the field again? After an impressive outdoor performance of taking home two titles in the LJ and 110mH, Wei is set to do the indoor version of the double. However, he’ll have his hands full with a deep long jump field. Derik Bunten from Loras holds the top seed by almost five inches and would give the Loras men a big lift if he can come away with the victory. We’ve been talking about momentum in the field events and Bunten is no different. He jumped his personal best and ran himself into the 60m field at the Wartburg Last Chance Meet. A big day for someone who has never competed at a national meet and had just finished runner-up in the long jump at ARC Championships. A few names to look for outside of the top eight are Nana Agyemang, Geni Roberts, and Sam Blaskowski. Agyemang has been an All-American in the last two National championships and was a part of the Rowan 4x4 D3 Record Team. Geni Roberts was last year’s indoor long jump runner-up and triple jump runner-up outdoors. He has the resume to compete with the best and will look to improve upon two runner-up performances. When you set the 60m and 200m D3 Record and have the second-best PR in the field, Blaskowski should put his name up there as a contender. Currently seeded 17th, Blaskowski was third Outdoors and any place in the top eight will help UW-La Crosse in their title chase.
All-Time Performances:
11. Derik Bunten (Loras)
19. Sam Blaskowski (UW-La Crosse)
21. Kenneth Wei (MIT)
Women’s - Prelims / Finals at 11:00am cst Friday
Last season, Lia Rotti surprised the field and herself by jumping to a personal best of over a foot to claim the triple jump national title. She’s carried that momentum over into the long jump and is entering nationals as the top seed by just a quarter of an inch. She appears to be figuring out the long jump very quickly as her yearly progression has gone from 16' 10.5" in January to 19' 4.25" last weekend! However, she has to take down the reigning champ in Victoria Kadiri. Kadiri was undefeated in the jumps at nationals last year claiming three titles indoors and outdoors. Add in Alyssa Roach of Christopher Newport and Harmony Creasy of Loras and the competition now has four athletes separated by two inches. The only other All-American from 2022 in the field is Jordan Andrew of Tufts. Andrew finished eighth outdoors and is currently seeded 19th. An All-American performance from Andrew will benefit Tufts in the team battle.
All-Time Performances:
18. Victoria Kadiri (Johns Hopkins)
22. Lia Rotti (Tufts)
Triple Jump
Men’s - Prelims / Finals at 2:00pm cst Saturday
On paper, the fans will get an awesome battle between the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, Shevaughn Allen of Buffalo State and Jonathan Wilburn of UW-Oshkosh. Both sit inside the top 10 for all-time performances. Wilburn actually owns 10 marks that sit inside the top 25 whereas Allen just has his one from the SUNYAC Championship. Allen is a D1 transfer from Buffalo where his personal best was 52' 9.5". He enters the meet at 50' 9.5". Wilburn will look to make Allen’s transition to D3 difficult as he’s the reigning indoor champion and was eighth outdoors. Along with motivation to repeat as champion, Wilburn is a part of the UW-Oshkosh looking to get back on the podium after finishing off of it for all of 2022. Geni Roberts of Virginia Wesleyan will look to continue his All-American ways and contend for a title. He had two runner-up performances across indoors and outdoors last season in both the long and triple jump. He poses the biggest threat to the top two seeds.
All-Time Performances:
8. Jonathan Wilburn (UW-Oshkosh)
9. Shevaughn Allen (Buffalo State)
Women’s - Prelims / Finals at 11:00am cst Saturday
Another Rotti vs. Kadiri matchup is what the people want! These two will be battling all weekend but the kicker is Kadiri will be competing in the Pentathlon on Friday. Add in Ebun Opata from WashU, Shinelle Felix of Alvernia, and Grace Alley of Loras and this triple jump field is loaded. With a few of these athletes competing in the Long Jump on Friday plus Kaidri and Alley in the Pentathlon, this could potentially open doors for fresher athletes to pull off an upset. Miah Keller of UW-Lacrosse could cause an upset as she’s just outside the top eight but finished fourth at Outdoors. With UW-La Crosse currently projected to win on entries, Keller earning them some surprise points can help solidify their chances at a team title. Opata is coming off a UAA championship and finished fifth indoors and third outdoors. Could this be the year she breaks into the top two? With WashU being a trophy contender, improving upon her fourth seed will be huge.
All-Time Performances:
12. Lia Rotti (Tufts)
13. Victoria Kadiri (Johns Hopkins)
Shot Put
Men’s - Prelims / Finals at 11:00am cst Saturday
Throws standout Joseph White of Carthage will double back from the weight throw and compete as the No. 1 seed in the men’s shot put on Saturday. His toss of 18.31 meters is the only seed over 18 meters and the No. 14 farthest throw in D3 history. He won the outdoor shot put last year and was tenth indoors. His largest competition is Eau Claire’s Yakob Ekoue, the highest-placing returner from last year’s indoor competition with his fourth-place All-American finish. His throw of 17.92 meters from this season is No. 22 on the all-time list. Ekoue has been highly consistent so far this season as all of his farthest throws except one has been over 17 meters. Consistency will be key in the throwing events in order to win the national title. U of Chicago’s Simon Dixon and Ohio Northern’s Keegan Digby also enter with marks over 17 meters and could be in a good position for a title. Other notable names include Dubuque’s Cade Collier, who just missed out on All-American status last year, and Carroll’s Steven Hermsen, who fouled out of last year’s competition.
All-Time Performances:
14. Joseph White (Carthage)
22. Yakob Ekoue (UW-Eau Claire)
Women’s - Prelims / Finals at 2:00pm cst Saturday
Defending national champion and UW-La Crosse throws standout Skye Digman will take to the throws ring this weekend in a matchup between WIAC rival Catie Fobbe of Eau Claire, who enters the competition with the No. 1 seed by just two centimeters. They set these marks at the WIAC Championship meet, where Fobbe emerged victorious. However, Digman beat Fobbe at the Wartburg qualifier last weekend, meaning the outcome of the competition this weekend could be exciting. Digman’s toss of 15.31 meters from last year is No. 10 all-time, while Fobbe’s 14.95 meters from this year is No. 21. Gustavus Adolphus’s Annika Poe is the only other returning All-American from last year’s competition, but don’t count out Dubuque’s Kaitlyn Wilder, Carroll’s Vanessa Uitenbroek, or Buena Vista’s Rebecca Simpson, either, as all athletes hold throws in the upper 14-meter marks.
All-Time Performances:
10. Skye Digman (UW-La Crosse)
21. Catie Fobbe (UW-Eau Claire)
Weight Throw
Men’s - Prelims / Finals at 10:00am cst Friday
One visit to the D3 all-time list will show you the one name you need to know in this event: Carthage’s Joseph White. White set a national record in this event in early February, tossing 21.92 meters to shatter the previous weight throw record of 21.75 meters held by now-professional thrower Sean Donelly of Mount Union. White’s name appears on the all-time list a whopping 29 times this year, meaning even some of his shortest throws surpass some of the best in D3 history. All who gather to watch the men’s weight throw on Friday could be in store to witness history. Widener’s Alex Kristeller is another name that appears on the all-time list. His national title throw of 20.39 meters from last year’s championship is No. 11 all-time. Kristeller will be White’s biggest competition this weekend. Other notable names to watch are No. 3 seed Justin Eichler of UW-Platteville and returning All-Americans Jacob Rigoli of Plymouth State, Carson Eipers of Augustana, Steven Hermsen of Carroll, and Cody Breidenbach of Carnegie Mellon.
All-Time Performances:
1. Joseph White (Carthage)
11. Alex Kristeller (Widener)
Women’s - Prelims / Finals at 3:00pm cst Friday
Last year, Dubuque’s Kaitlyn Wilder was the first national champion of the weekend. Though women’s weight throw will follow the men’s competition this year, it is possible Wilder could replicate her title. She enters as the eighth seed with a talented field ahead of her. La Crosse’s Skye Digman comes in with the No. 1 seed with her toss of 19.44 meters, the eighth farthest throw in D3 history. Digman is the only athlete to have thrown farther than 19 meters, a mark she has exceeded four times already this season. With the right throw this weekend, she might just move up the all-time list and win a national title along the way. Other notable performers this weekend include Loras freshman Caitlyn Cox, who owns the 22nd farthest throw in D3 history, and Oberlin’s Iyanna Lewis, who was fourth in this event last year and is currently No. 23 on the all-time list.
All-Time Performances:
8. Skye Digman (UW-La Crosse)
12. Kaitlyn Wilder (Dubuque)
22. Caitlyn Cox (Loras)
23. Iyanna Lewis (Oberlin)
Heptathlon
Competition begins at 10:00am cst Friday
Eau Claire’s Mitch Stegeman, Williams’s Jackson Anderson, Stout’s Mason Barth, and Isaiah Clausen return to the heptathlon this year after earning All-American honors last year. Anderson enters with the No. 1 seed by a considerable amount of 114 points ahead of Stegeman. The pair placed fifth and fourth, respectively last year, and with last year’s top three all having graduated, will both go for the top podium position. Barth and Clausen were seventh and eighth, and, as expected, join Anderson and Stegeman in the top four on the entry list. As if seven events are not enough, Anderson is also lined up to compete in the 60-meter hurdles. Rounding out the top eight seeds in this event are George Fox’s Tayler Phillips, Oshkosh’s RJ Bosshart and Aden Sears, and La Crosse’s Nolan Seaberg. Eau Claire continues their reputation as “Multi-U” with three entries in this event.
All-Time Performances:
21. Jackson Anderson (Williams)
Pentathlon
Competition begins at 10:20am cst Friday
Three women sit atop the history books in the indoor pentathlon and will look to compete for national title honors this weekend. Logan Bruce is the returning favorite. She took runner-up to La Crosse’s Hannah Zenkovich last year and enters this year’s competition with a 40-point lead on the entry list. Her point total of 3701 from this season is No. 9 all-time. She is joined in competition by Loras’s Grace Alley, who took sixth last year and is No. 13 all-time, and Mount Union’s Kennady Gibbins, who placed fourth and is No. 19 all-time. Rising star Victoria Kadiri, who showed her athleticism when she swept both horizontal jumps events outdoors last year comes in as the fourth seed and is certainly someone to watch for in this event. Other names to note include returning All-Americans Skylar White of La Crosse and Elizabeth Barre of Carnegie Mellon and River Falls’s Lexi LeFever, who competed in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes and long jump last year indoors (she was third in long jump) and has since then made a shift into the multi-events. This weekend will be her nationals pentathlon debut.
All-Time Performances:
9. Logan Bruce (Ithaca)
13. Grace Alley (Loras)
19. Kennady Gibbins (Mount Union)
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