2025 D3 Indoor Track and Field National Preview
The 2025 D3 Indoor Track and Field National meet is here. We break down each event for you and how to watch.
Here are some helpful links:
Live Stream - Noah Droddy and Will Leer from D3 Glory Days will be in the booth calling the meet.
If you’re in Rochester, be sure to come out tomorrow’s run at Fleet Feet - Armory location. We’re teaming up with Nike running for free coffee, limited shirts, 100 posters and refreshments! Starting at 8:30am!
Here’s what it took to make the meet
60m
Men
We’re about to witness the fastest 60m field in D3 history. Headlined by D3 Record Holder and two-time reigning champ, Sam Blaskowski. We got a mini National preview at the WIAC meet, where Blaskowski and Davian Willems went 6.62 and 6.63. If that was just the warm up, then we’re in for quite a show.
Blaskowski and Willems aren’t the only ones turning heads this year. Laden Liu of Bethel comes in as the third seed. That 6.67 is good enough for No. 3 on the D3 All-Time. Rounding out the top four seeds is Caleb Beighthol of UW-Whitewater. He burst onto the scene running 6.71 which moved him to No. 7 All-Time.
The only other athlete in the field that made last year’s final is Danny Vinson of UW-Oshkosh. Experience will be a key factor in this field where six freshmen have qualified. The new generation of D3 athletes looks promising with Tristan Wright of Lynchburg leading this new class. His 6.76 lands him seventh on the entry list.
This will be an important event for the team battle. UW-Oshkosh has four men in the field and had three move on to the final last year.
If Sam Blaskowski wants to three-peat, he’ll have to do it against the best field in D3 History. He hasn’t lost to a D3 runner in the 60m since Indoor Nationals in 2022.
Women
Lauren. Jarrett.
Lauren Jarrett is the women’s 60. She has rewritten the record book three times this season. After kicking off her season with a D3 Record of 7.37, she only got faster. Her record now sits at 7.29 which she ran at the USATF Indoor Championships where she finished sixth. She now owns 4 of the fastest performances in D3 History. She surpassed Olympian and D3 great, Wadeline Jonathas and never looked back. On the podcast, Jarrett described how much joy she has for running, and how that guides her to her success.
She won’t be unchallenged. D3 newcomer Alyssa Busker of Elmhurst ran 7.45 earlier this season. The NAIA transfer made her presence known by moving to No. 3 All-Time. Despite not having experience at the D3 National meet, she is built for the big meets and has 8x NAIA All-American awards to prove it.
Victoria Brewster of Houghton entered the All-Time Top 10 list this past weekend running 7.51. At No. 8 All-Time, Brewster adds depth to this historic field coming in as the three seed. This will be her first national meet and she’lll want to make a statement in her debut.
Jasmine Wright of WashU joins Lauren Jarrett as the only other returner from last year’s final.
Others to keep an eye out for are Michaina Loriston of Wheaton (Mass), Rachel Arthur of Williams, and Madjo Doumbia of Centre. The three of them each positioned themselves inside the Top 20 All-Time at 11th, 12th, and 17th respectively.
Get ready for the fireworks.
200
Men
Can Blaskowski repeat? Well this field is going to have to throw everything at him to make sure he doesn’t.
Will 400m specialist Alex Rhodes ruin the party? Can WIAC rival, Londyn Little improve upon his third place finish from last year? Or will freshman sensations Maxim Rychkov of TCNJ and Rajahn Dixon of Rowan upset the champion?
Blaskowki is coming into the meet as the No. 1 seed running 21.34 in his only 200m performance this season. Blaskowksi is a gamer so don’t hold the lack of 200m races against him. An ankle injury hindered him a little bit last but on the D3 Glory Days podcast he confirmed he’s fully healthy.
Keep an eye out for the New Jersey Athletic Conference freshman. Maxim Rychkov ran the fastest time of the season at 21.29 but that was converted back to 21.68. His NJAC freshman counterpart, Rajahn Dixon, took him down at their conference meet. These two freshmen could turn some heads at their first national meet.
The fun part of the 200m will be waiting to see how Blaskowski and Little perform. Both have only raced the 200m once this season. This leaves the fans guessing where their fitness is and how quick they can take the one lap race.
Look for Jacob Parent of Bethel to be in the mix. He anchored Bethel to an outdoor 4x4 win and was third outdoors in the 200m.
Women
The 200m is going to be electric. Lauren Jarrett is coming off an outdoor title and will look to overcome her 6th place finish indoors.
She’ll be challenged by the new kid on the block Alyssa Busker. Busker comes from the NAIA where she was a multi time All-American in the 200m. On the podcast, Busker stated she feels more like a 200m runner than a 60m runner.
Kamiyah Wooten of North Carolina Wesleyan enters as the highest returner. She was third in her debut championship. Earlier this year she broke the D3 300m record which should give her confidence heading into this weekend.
The other All-American return is is Megan Geraets from Gustavus Adolphus. Geraets finished seventh last year and just won the MIAC 200m title.
A first-year to keep an eye out for is De'Andranay Chism of Millikin. She ran 24.29 on a banked track which is seventh All-Time.
The race features four women with All-Time Top 10 Marks:
Wooten - 4th
Jarrett - 6th
Chism - 7th
Busker - 8th
400
Men
Can anyone stop Alex Rhodes? The Puget Sound star has been knocking on the door of the 400m record running just 0.02s shy of it at the USATF Indoor Championships. Rhodes has run under 47 seconds indoors more than anyone in D3 history. He’s broken the barrier five times compared to Andrew Rock’s three.
Without Eric Gregory in the field (graduation), Rhodes seems poised to win his first D3 title. In a short amount of time, Rhodes has accumulated quite the resume. He broke the 300m record earlier this year and was runner-up to Eric Gregory outdoors last year.
Beware of the break, we’ve seen some tumbles in years past the cut in makes for an exciting first 200 meters. Getting into the pole position with a lap to go might be the key to victory on the flat track.
So who could give Alex Rhodes the toughest test? Maybe Basheer Alramahi of John Carroll. He holds the 500m D3 Record and was third last year in Virginia Beach. Alramahi’s experience will be key to trying to take down Rhodes but he’s not the only experienced athlete in the field..
Grant Nelson of Bethel is poised for a big weekend in Rochester as he was fifth last year and a member of Bethel’s outdoor 4x400 champion team. He knows what it takes to win a title and could give this field a challenge.
Others from last year’s final to look for are Josh Jeffes of SUNY Cortland. He transferred from SUNY Delhi where he finished seventh indoors and fifth outdoors. Look for Jeffes to rock his new red colors with pride and stick his nose in it.
Samuel Knowles of Widener and Evan Lowder rounded out the field last year at eighth and ninth. Lowder had a tough go as he was knocked down in the prelims AND the finals. If there’s anyone you want to cheer for a redemption story, it’s Lowder.
Record watch: 46.42 is the time to beat for Alex Rhodes to take down the long standing record.
Women
Picture this: you’re a sophomore that finished seventh last year and everyone in front of you has graduated. That is the situation Sara Schermerhorn finds herself in heading into Rochester. Her 54.58 on a 300m track puts her fourth All-Time and in the pole position. It looks like she worked on her speed this season; she ran a new 60m PB of 7.73.
She’ll have a challenge as she is joined by Natalia Sawyer and Ren Brown. Sawyer looks to claim a new indoor title as she chose to not defend her 60mH title going all in on the open 400m. She was runner-up last year by just 0.14s and will look to add to her resume. The 2x 400mH had an interesting indoor season. She tried the high jump, shot put, and 800m! Potentially hinting at a future as a multi athlete but for now her focus is all on the 400m. A fresh Sawyer could be a force to reckon with.
Ren Brown is another name to watch for this year. After a devastating DQ in last year’s final, Brown went on to set the 400mH record and had an epic battle with Sawyer in the 400mH at nationals. She’ll have a busy weekend as she’ll be in the 60mH and is listed on Chicago’s DMR.
Six athletes broke 56 on a banked track this season and have the ability to mix it up at the front. Brynn Mooney of SUNY Geneseo leads the converted time as she ran 55.32 at BU. She’ll look to improve upon her 18th place finish Outdoors.
McKenzie Reser of Augustana’s only national meet experience came last year when she ran the 100m and 200m. She didn’t make either final and now she finds herself as the #9 seed in the 60m, #3 seed in the 200m, and #2 seed in the 400. The upwards potential here makes this a storyline to keep an eye on.
Colby College is having a moment this season. The Mules broke the 4x200m record, moved to eighth All-Time in the 4x400 and had a few athletes move into the All-Time Top 10 in the 500m. Look for Fiona Mejico and Kaitlyn Ewald to keep the momentum going for Colby.
800
Men
With big scratches from No. 1 and No. 3 seeds Ziyad Hassan of MIT and Julian Aske of NYU, the men’s 800m title is wide open. Emory’s Dawitt Dean comes in as the top seed after conversions, but will have to fend off Lynchburg’s Tor Hotung-Davidsen and Dickinson’s Trevor Richwine, who both ran faster times before conversions.
Hotung-Davidsen returns to his first indoor national meet since 2023 when he finished runner-up to Loras’ Mike Jasa. Looking to be back in great form, he is not one to count out. Richwine finished fifth last year indoors, but has clearly been working on his speed, posting a 1:04.58 500-meter and 49.48 400-meter this season to prepare him for a mean kick on lap four.
Never count out a defending champion. Cael Schoemann of La-Crosse, who swept last year’s pair of 800m national titles and will look to defend this weekend. Last year, he narrowly edged out WIAC rival Sam Verkerke when the pair dove across the line together. Schoemann learned he was disqualified for swinging out too wide on the final turn, a call that was later reversed to reinstate his title. Schoemann is likely hoping for less drama this year, but anything can happen over 800 meters.
Women
Neither have won an individual title. Both have run under 2:09. Rochester’s Megan Bell and Goucher’s Tanise Thornton-Fillyaw will face off as the only two sub-2:10 entries in the women’s 800m this weekend. Long dominated by some of the top names in women’s middle distance running, including Emma Kelley, who set the indoor 800m national record last year, the women’s 800 is ready to crown a new champion.
Thornton-Fillyaw came out ahead both times she raced Bell at nationals last year, finishing just one place ahead both times and is entering as the top seed this weekend after the conversion. Earlier this year, however, Bell ran 2:07.95, the 8th fastest time in D3 history, at BU’s Valentine meet. Watch out for her lethal kick as she is the anchor for Rochester’s defending-champion 4x400m team. She ran a new lifetime 400m PB of 55.68 this season, the second fastest women’s 400m time this year.
Other notable contenders include Johns Hopkins’s Annie Huang, Elizabethtown’s Kelty Oaster, and George Fox’s Ellie Rising, who have all dipped under the 2:10 barrier this year and bring their experience back to the national meet. Augustana’s Lina Maatouk lurks just outside 2:10 and will race in her first national meet. With impressive depth in this women’s 800m field, it could take under 2:10 to become an All-American.
Mile
Men
If you’re not excited for the men’s mile, check your pulse. MIT’s Ziyad Hassan is one of the fastest men in D3 history and will race this weekend for his first national title. With a scratch from Lynchburg’s Chasen Hunt, who will focus on the 3k and DMR, the prospects look good for the MIT star, who will be joined on the start line by MIT teammates Sam Coutts and Pablo Arroyo.
Somewhat new to the D3 spotlight, Hassan splashed onto the scene this year and has quickly become one of the top D3 milers in history. His 4:01.13 from BU is No. 7 all-time. He shares a fifth-place All-American DMR honor, but has never made a national final. The highest he has ever placed in an individual event at nationals is 15th. With a scratch in the 800, however, Hassan is all-in, and hungry for gold.
His biggest challenge should come from St. Lawrence’s Nicholas Lyndaker, who has also been quietly making history in the D3 men’s mile. His 4:03.36 is No. 11 all-time. This weekend marks Lyndaker’s first track and field national meet, but he is no stranger to the national stage. A three-time XC nationals qualifier and one-time XC All-American, Lyndaker has shown that he has the strength to hang in a loaded national mile field.
Other contenders to watch include Coutts, whose 4:04.51 is top-20 in D3 history and Santa Cruz’s Eric Anderson, who took runner-up last year. With sixteen scratches in this event, the opportunity for All-American opens up to several athletes who have run under 4:09, but were not otherwise into the meet because of sizable banked conversions. Ross Tejeda of Bates, Tim Barry of Suffolk, and Vince Giumenti of Mount Union will all be running knowing that they are capable of some fast mile times.
Women
Last spring, then freshman Haley Schoenegge shocked the nation when she ran away with the women’s 1500-meter title in an astonishing 4:19. This weekend, she will look to do the same in the women’s mile, an event she missed First-Team All-American in by just a single place last year. She ran 4:58 in the final, but is a whopping 10 seconds faster this year and comes off a runner-up finish in cross country last fall. Her 4:48.18 is No. 16 all-time and, if she runs like she did outdoors last year, she’ll move up further.
Schoenegge’s biggest competition comes from MIT standout Gillian Roeder, who ran 4:50.16 at BU and is a two-time track All-American, including a third place finish in last year’s 1500. Roeder comes in ranked third behind Williams freshman standout KateTuttle, the highest placing freshman at XC nationals in the fall. Her eighth place finish shows she can perform under pressure despite her lack of college championship experience. Another top-performing freshman in this field is RPI’s Erin vanHousen, who comes in as the sixth seed. Look for this event to be controlled by young talent, but watch out for veterans like Aurora’s Deyanneira Colon Maldonado, Wartburg’s Ellie Meyer, and Suffolk’s Amalia Dorion to mix it up and snag top finishes.
3000
Men
Lynchburg’s Chasen Hunt is a 4:02 miler. Johns Hopkins’s Emmanuel Leblond is a 13:54 5ker. They’ll meet in the middle this weekend to rumble over 3,000m. Only five athletes have dipped under seven minutes, two are in this field. No. 3 all-time Hunt anchored the DMR to a title last year, we know he’ll have a lethal kick in the event’s final laps, but No. 4 Leblond has the strength of a sixth-place XC All-American. With both running on Friday (Hunt in the DMR and Leblond in the 5k), their off-track recovery may make the difference.
Though this duo comes in with the most impressive seed times, they will have to fend off strong challengers including XC national champion and last year’s 3k runner up Christian Patzka, his teammate and second-fastest returner to the field Gunner Schlender, No. 8 in D3 history Reza Eshghi of Haverford, and third place XC All-American Grant Matthai.
Eshghi, North Central’s Braden Nicholson, and steeplechase All-American La Crosse’s Adam Loenser all come into this event completely fresh and will hope that plays to their advantage in the final individual event of the weekend.
Women
Wilmington’s Faith Duncan has dominated D3 women’s distance running for almost a full year. She won her first national title in the outdoor 5k last year and, this past fall, won the XC national title handily after gapping the rest of the field early. She will contend both the 5k and 3k this weekend seeking her first indoor national title. The last distance event of the meet, this one could be a wildcard, who has the best legs? Which event specialists will thrive in the middle ground?
Duncan ran 9:28 in early February, and leads the field by almost a full second after conversion. She clearly has the strength to run away with the title, but can she hold off the speed of challenger and No. 2 seed Jules Bleskoski of RPI? Bleskoski has 4:52 mile speed and will have 17 fewer laps on her legs when they line up together Saturday. This could be a kicker’s race
If that’s the case, watch out for Johns Hopkins’s Adriana Catalano, who ran 9:32 to set a 23-second personal best at BU earlier this year. Catalano is all-in on the 3k and will likely use her freshness to her advantage.
Other notable contenders include last year’s third place All-American UChicago’s Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel, two-time XC All-American Lewis & Clark’s Riley Buese, 1500-meter national champion and XC runner-up Haley Schoenegge of Vassar, Aurora’s Deyainnera Colon Maldanado, and the national champion squad from MIT, four of whom are entered in this event.
5000
Men
This is the deepest year this field has ever seen. Six of the top 20 times in D3 history were set this season with several athletes on this list from previous years returning to the start line to throw their hats into the ring, too. Perhaps most notably is two-time defending champion Christian Patzka who comes in somewhat under the radar as the No. 4 seed.
While we can never count out the six-time national champion, perhaps the attention headed into this weekend should turn to his Whitewater teammate and No. 1 seed Gunner Schlender. Schlender is the only seed under 14 minutes and one of only two competitors who have dipped under the barrier this season. Johns Hopkins’s Emmanuel Leblond is the second following his early-December No. 5 all-time 13:54.45 from BU. Neither have won a national title, but both are having the best seasons of their career, will it end with a title?
In the battle for All-American positions, this race could look a lot like the Midwest Elite Meet at Whitewater from mid-February in which five athletes ran 14:01 or faster. These same athletes lead the field heading into this weekend, including La Crosse’s Aidan and Grant Matthai and Cornell College’s Isaac vanWestrienen. In a race where first and fifth place were separated by just two seconds, any of these three athletes could easily snag the title on the right day. Watch out as well for RPI’s Vince Simonetti, XC national runner up Mo Bati of Augsburg, NYU’s Ryan Tobin, and Carnegie Mellon’s Matthew Coyle.
Women
Wilmington’s Faith Duncan has crossed a national title off of every season so far except indoor. The quest for her first indoor national title begins Friday in the women’s 5k, arguably her best event on the track. Duncan enters as the top seed by 18 seconds, which should give her plenty of confidence when she steps onto the start line. We’ve typically seen Faith take control early, and race from the front. With a 3k on the line the next day, however, it will be interesting to see what strategy Duncan chooses to employ (and if she feels any extra weight from her brand new engagement rock).
Expect familiar faces from the XC season in the chase pack of this race, including 2024 All-Americans Penelope Greene of Geneseo (third), UChicago’s Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel (fifth), Middlebury’s Audrey MacLean (sixth), and Carleton’s Hannah Preisser (seventh). In a field with impressive depth, sub-16:45 speed might be necessary to snag First-Team All-American assuming it’s an honest race.
Keep an eye out for team tactics - with MIT’s Rujuta Sane and Liv Girand as well as La Crosse’s Madelyn McIntyre, Lucy Duchac, and Brooklyn Luebke trying to score as many points as possible to help their team to a national trophy.
60mH
Men
Rowan University needs to file the paperwork for an official name change. Hurdle U. enters this weekend with seeds 1, 2, 3, and 6th. Read that again.Incredible. Not only that, but they have a historic crew. Freshman sensation, Jamir Brown, broke the D3 National record in his very first college meet. 7.72. The record stood since 2014 and just like that it was his. Last weekend, Jason Agyemang ran 7.80 to move to No. 3 All-Time and Kwaku Nkrumah’s 7.87 sits at No. 9 All-Time. Add in Marquise Young who was fifth in the 110mH Outdoors and Rowan is cooking.
This squad went 1-2-5 outdoors and now adds the 60mH record holder. There is a very strong chance they can sweep or even go 1-4. Good luck picking the order. Looking through results, they have all beaten each other at least once this year.
Outside of the Rowan squad, this field is stacked. It features seven athletes under 8.0s. Dontre Sinegal of McMurry has the best chance at breaking up a Rowan sweep. His 7.88 puts him No. 11 All-Time and is the highest returner after his third place finish last year. Sinegal will have quite the weekend as he is also doing Long Jump and Triple Jump. If he has the legs for the final, he’s the one to watch.
Another All-Time performer to look for is Jayson Ekiyor of Bethel. His 7.93 is 13th All-Time. After having the second best time in prelims, Ekiyor faded to eighth last year. Look for him to bounce back and break up the Rowan Squad.
Add in Marquise Young’s 7.95 that puts him 16th All-Time and this is one of the better fields of the weekend, and possibly in D3 history.
Women
So what happens when the defending champ scratches to focus on another event? Well, we’ll be crowning a new 60mH champion this weekend. Only two finalists return, Chloe Yoder of Susquehanna and Hannah Zastrow of UW-Stout, leaving a lot of room for new All-Americans.
We saw what Ren Brown is capable of over the hurdles outdoors. She set the 400mH record, finished seventh in the 100mH and narrowly lost to Natalia Sawyer in the 400mH. She seems to be peaking at the right time as she set a new PB at UAAs on March 2nd. Her championship experience will be vital here as the field doesn’t have much experience on the Saturday of Nationals. Ren’s edge comes from holding the 400mH record as well as being a part of the DMR national best.
Aryianna Garceau held the national lead for the majority of the season, until Brown snuck past her by 0.01s. It’s clear Garceau has the ability to hurdle as she was sixth in the 100mH outdoors, but she gets an edge by having the second fastest 60m PB (7.74) of the top 8. At 7.65 only Josephine Jett has run faster.
If Jett can handle the jet lag well, look for her to bring some hardware home back to sunny California. Jett’s breakthrough season ends at her debut national meet. Her TFRRS is lit yellow in the 60, 60mH and the 200m. She was able to get in a few outdoor meets as well.
Hannah Zastrow brings experience to the field.She was runner-up to Sawyer last year and in 2022. Add in her No. 8 All-Time performance from last year at the national meet and Zastrow seems equipped to get it done this year. Is this the year she can stand atop the podium?
The hurdles won’t disappoint as the top five seeds are at 7.60 or faster.
4x400
Men
Well, Mount Union won’t be repeating as the 4x400 indoor champs. For the first time in a while, Mount Union will not have a 4x400m relay at the National meet. UW-La Crosse enter as the 1 Seed and were runner-ups last year. They hold almost a two second lead over Colby on the entries list.
Look for Bethel to carry their momentum from their first 4x400m title at Outdoors last season. Their coach, Olympic gold medalist, Andrew Rock will have the Bethel team ready to fight for the top step.
From a team battle standpoint, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, Cortland St, and Rowan all have a 4x400. It makes fighting for a team trophy a lot easier when that team is running in the final. You may see a little bit of a harder effort from these schools to ensure they’re running on Saturday.
Women
Less than three seconds separate the entire field. Colby ran 3:46 earlier this season to be No. 8 All-Time. They went on to set the 4x200m record and are carrying a lot of momentum.
The defending champs won’t be on their home track, but they’ll be about as close as you can get. Rochester University will be without Madelne O’Connell but retains Nora Chen and Megan Bell from last year’s team.
UW-La Crosse has a half point advantage based on entries over MIT. They have a 4x400 and MIT doesn’t. 10 points of their projection comes from this 4x400m. The Eagles need to be in the final.
DMR
Men
Chasen Hunt, arms stretched outwards as he crosses the finish line, will be an image many fans will remember from last year’s DMR. The Hornets will do their best to repeat that memory for the program.
They’ll have to take on a strong field that was made up entirely by last chance efforts. Only UW-La Crosse, Lynchburg, Wartburg and MIT didn’t need to race a squad last chance to solidify their spot. That could play into their advantage as 8 teams have to try to replicate the magic they experienced last week.
As we’ve seen before, the DMR will come down to the mile leg and on paper, Lynchburg has the best miler. Hunt will look to repeat as champion but may have to hold off either 4:01 miler, Ziyad Hassan or 4:04 miler, Sam Coutts from MIT. The decision has yet to be made of who will anchor the Engineers.
Women
This is going to be a showdown. UChicago is going on all in to defend their NCAA All-Time best. Claudia Harnett scratched the open mile to anchor this relay. She’ll have to hold off Kate Sanderson of MIT, Jules Bleskoski of RPI and Kate Tuttle of Williams.
Harnett was sixth on descending order before scratching. Love to see a team bring their stars in to go for it. If the sticks are even at the mile leg we’re in for a treat. Based on entries, here are the schools that have an anchor that ran 4:55 or faster this season: UChicago, MIT, RPI, Conn College, Williams, Wartburg and Smith. The fans need to see this battle play out!
High Jump
Men
Get ready for a battle between Jackson Bliey of MIT and Cole Oleson of North Central. These two have jumped the highest since Kyle Rollins back in 2022. They both went over 7 feet several times this season.
Bliey is the outdoor champion and Oleson finished sixth. Oleson has been on a meteoric rise this season. He jumped 2.16m back in early February but hasn’t hit that height since. If he wants to take down the outdoor champ, he’ll need some consistent jumps in Rochester.
Bliey hopes for fresh legs, as he’s only jumped three times this season. 2.15m, 2.10m and 2.18m
Look for Freshman Imran Serifovic of UChicago to make a splash in his national debut.
However, experience pays at the National meet. Returning indoor champion, Christian Pfeiffer of Baldwin Wallace looks to stake his claim at the top of the podium. Since finishing third outdoors, Christian has not lost to D3 competition this season. He’s jumped between 2.00m and 2.10m with his best jump securing the OAC title. He looks poised to give Bliey a challenge but may need to find a few more centimeters to do so.
Women
Can Sara Hoskins defend her national title? The reigning high jump outdoor champion and indoor runner up comes in seeded third. She sits behind Cetre’s Serena McNeilly and Coast Guard’s Allie Wildsmith. Both Hoskins and McNeilly have a personal best of 1.74m -- but Wildsmith has jumped 1.80, the third best mark in indoor DIII history. If Hoskins wants to claim back-to-back championships, she’ll likely need a special jump.
McNeilly will have a busy weekend, as she is entered in the triple jump and the long jump -- both of which she’ll compete in before high jump begins. After potentially twelve jumps between the two horizontal events, will she have enough left in her legs to clear the later bars?
Illinois Tech junior Olivia Jameson and UW-La Crosse senior Macie Todd join Hoskins as tied third seeds, also having cleared 1.72m this season. Todd is a three-time All-American and looking to add to her tally this weekend. Jameson hasn’t been on the podium yet. Could this be her first time?
Only four centimeters separate the third seed from twentieth seed. We could have a lot of surprises in this event.
Pole Vault
Men
The men's pole vault competition promises high drama and a wide-open field, with the absence of a key contender shaking up the projections.
One of the most notable omissions from the entries list for any event is Catholic's Christian Di Nicolantonio, the reigning 2024 outdoor champion and current top seed heading into the weekend. Di Nicolantonio vaulted an impressive 5.25m in early February but will not be able to compete on Friday due to injury. His absence guarantees a new champion will be crowned, and several accomplished athletes are ready to seize the opportunity created by his vacancy.
One of the seasoned competitors vying for the title is Ben Drummey from Southern Maine. Despite being seeded 11th, Drummey possesses extensive experience having secured five top-five national finishes since 2021 including the indoor titles in 2022 and 2023. After missing the national meet last outdoors, he will be on a mission to take back the indoor crown once again.
However, both Drummey and Di Nicolantonio have been bested before, as Millikin's Kyle Hensley soared to victory a year ago. Hensley's win was a surprise, as the then freshman entered the meet seeded 13th, before claiming the gold medal. Hensley proved his performance last indoors was no fluke by securing a strong 2nd place finish at outdoor nationals.
While Drummey and Hensley carry the mantle of favorites, Centre’s Logan Isaacs holds the top seed, having vaulted 5.21m in February. Isaacs has been a consistent performer on the national stage, finishing between 4th and 6th in his last four appearances, and will be aiming for a podium breakthrough this weekend.
Adding to the unpredictability of the event, it's worth noting that the past two indoor national champions were seeded outside the top 10, dark horses rejoice.
Keep an eye on other strong competitors such as Peter Lictenberger of Wash U. Lictenberger holds the 5th best height this season at 5.05m and has a history of strong finishes, including placing 5th indoors last year and 3rd outdoors.
Also in the mix for All-American honors are veterans James Zeolla of RPI and Alden McDonald of Berry, both making their 4th appearance at the national meet. The final two we will highlight are newcomers to the national stage who have posted impressive marks this season, St. Norbert’s Aiden Anderson and Eau-Claire’s Johnny Botsch. Anderson and Botsch enter the meet with the 3rd and 4th best vaults of the season, respectively.
Women
The women's pole vault competition promises to be a thrilling contest, potentially featuring a dramatic rematch and several other strong contenders ready to challenge for the podium.
Last May in Myrtle Beach, spectators witnessed an epic showdown between WashU's Yasmin Ruff and UW-Whitewater's Gracie Holland, with Ruff ultimately prevailing with a vault of 4.06m to secure her first national championship. Then just last month, Ruff and Holland faced off again at the Midwest Elite Invite, where Ruff once again took the win with a vault of 4.10m, in a preview of what could unfold this weekend.
Yasmin Ruff has become a fixture at national meets, with this being her 7th consecutive appearance. She boasts an impressive record of steadily improving finishes. After her victory last year, Ruff will be aiming to replicate that success and is in top form. Her vault of 4.16m on March 1st ranks her 6th best in D3 indoor history and is the highest vault in D3 since 2018. Ruff has been undefeated in pole vault competition since her national title in May, winning all 9 of her indoor meets leading up to this weekend.
While Ruff has been a dominant force, Gracie Holland brings her own impressive credentials to the competition. A seasoned veteran, Holland has competed at every national meet since the 2021 outdoor season with significant success. Her accomplishments include winning the 2023 indoor title and finishing as runner-up in 2022 and 2024 outdoors. Holland is also hitting her stride, setting a new lifetime best of 4.09m a few weeks ago, placing her 12th on the D3 all-time indoor list.
While Ruff and Holland appear to be the top contenders, the field is deep, and past national meets have shown that breakout performances are always a possibility.
Gwen Berenyi of North Central holds the 3rd best vault this season, having cleared 4.01m in late February. Berenyi is also an All-American, having finished 8th outdoors last year with a vault of 3.81m. UW-La Crosse’s Araceli De Leo Lopez is another athlete to watch. This will be her 4th national meet, and she has earned All-American honors in the 2023 indoor and outdoor seasons. Hailey Surace of MIT and Claire Schweller of Ohio Northern both finished strong at last year's outdoor championships, taking 3rd and 5th place respectively. Tufts’s Sarah Firth, seeded 8th, brings a wealth of experience to the competition, as this will be her 7th national meet competing in the pole vault.
Long Jump
Women
The focus will be on Emma Seipel in this one. The reigning indoor LJ champion, she heads to Rochester ranked 5th all time, and the only D3 athlete to have jumped over twenty feet since 2018. With a 19cm lead over her closest competitor Megan Hunt, Seipel will hope to start her busy championships off with a title in the field. We’ll see her plenty - she’s currently entered in the 60, 200, and on Loras’ 4 x 400 team. Hunt will be busy as well, she’s entered in the pentathlon.
With Seipel leading the way in the entry list at 6.11m, the rest of the field is wide open. Just 14 centimeters separate the 2nd seed from the 14th. That’s essentially the length of the take off board. Anything can happen here.
Returning All-Americans to keep an eye on are Chloe Hein of Centre. She was third last year with a jump of 5.78m. She’s entering the competition with a 5.86 PB.
The outdoor champion, Rainah Dunham, of Ursinus finds herself in a similar situation from otudoors as the eighth seed. She has a national title to her name so she knows what it takes to win these big meets.
Lastly, watch for Aurielle Brunner of Chatham. She’s a multi time All-American in the jump and was eighth last year. She has a big weekend with the long jump, triple jump, and pentathlon.
The fans saw a tie last year between Seipel and Victoria Kadiri. Expect a close competition again this year.
Men
Joshua Rivers is the only D3 man ever over 26 feet and he’s done it twice -- once setting the record at his opener in December, and again en route to a 5th place finish at US Champs. His shortest jump of the season is 7.50 which is still farther than any other man in D3 has jumped this year. On the podcast he said he would like to extend his national record.
Look for Dontre Sinegal to make a jump into the top five. He was sixth last year, fifth outdoors and comes in as the fourth seed. Sinegal knows how to compete at these national championships. He’ll be tripling this year in the hurdles and triple jump.
Cole Goodman could make his way back to All-American position. The triple jump specialist was fifth last year but sits 10th heading into the weekend. While out of the All-American position in terms of seeds, Goodman always brings his big jumps to nationals. With the hometown crowd cheering him, look for Goodman to make a statement in the long jump.
Gavin Dunn, a freshman from Hiram has an inspiring story. They don't have access to a pit at Hiram so they’ve had to get creative when it comes to his training. According to his Coach Dan Graber, “we made a little runway out of old gym flooring. He practices his run on that and lands on some high jump pits then some treadmill workouts and lifting.” Whatever it takes to get it done. If you’re looking for an underdog to cheer for, Gavin is your guy.
Women
Can Sara Hoskins defend her national title? The reigning high jump outdoor champion and indoor runner up comes in seeded third. She sits behind Cetre’s Serena McNeilly and Coast Guard’s Allie Wildsmith. Both Hoskins and McNeilly have a personal best of 1.74m -- but Wildsmith has jumped 1.80, the third best mark in indoor DIII history. If Hoskins wants to claim back-to-back championships, she’ll likely need a special jump.
McNeilly will have a busy weekend, as she is entered in the triple jump and the long jump -- both of which she’ll compete in before high jump begins. After potentially twelve jumps between the two horizontal events, will she have enough left in her legs to clear the later bars?
Illinois Tech junior Olivia Jameson and UW-La Crosse senior Macie Todd join Hoskins as tied third seeds, also having cleared 1.72m this season. Todd is a three-time All-American and looking to add to her tally this weekend. Jameson hasn’t been on the podium yet. Could this be her first time?
Only four centimeters separate the third seed from twentieth seed. We could have a lot of surprises in this event.
Triple Jump
Men
Rochester’s own Goodman enters the competition as a strong favorite, and his familiarity with the Golisano Training Center could provide an additional edge. In December, Goodman demonstrated his potential on these very grounds with a 15.57m jump, his first non-fouled jump of the season. This mark not only set his indoor personal best but also positioned him as the 6th best indoor D3 jumper in history.
While Goodman's talent is undeniable, he is particularly dominant outdoors. He captured the outdoor national championship last year with a personal-best leap of 15.76m on his final attempt. However, an indoor national championship has so far eluded him, having finished as the runner-up at the past two indoor national meets. This weekend presents an opportunity for Goodman to complete his collection of titles.
Challenging Goodman will be McMurry’s Dontre Sinegal, who will also be competing in the long jump and 60m hurdles this weekend. Sinegal’s demanding schedule is not new to him, as he competed in the same three events at last year's indoor championships, earning All-American honors in all three, including a personal-best 15.26m triple jump. He replicated this feat outdoors, achieving All-American status in all three events once again (110mH instead of the 60mH). Sinegal is seeded 3rd in the triple jump with a mark of 15.19m from January, despite having only competed in the event twice this season. With top 9 finishes in his last four national meets, Sinegal aims to ascend to the top of the podium this weekend.
Similar to Goodman, Cortland St's Amarian Hughes, the #2 seed, will have a relatively short trip to Rochester. Hughes brings significant experience, including a 6th place finish at the outdoor championships and 7th place indoors. He recently jumped 15.34m at the SUNYAC Indoor Championships and had another jump of 15.30m, solidifying his status as a legitimate title contender.
The competition will also feature the return of two more top finishers from last May’s outdoor championships. Widener’s Matayo McGraw, who finished 3rd with a jump of 15.36m, is seeded 4th with a jump of 15.12m this indoor season. La-Crosse’s William Cady, who placed 7th in May, is set to make his 4th national meet appearance. Cady will be joined by two teammates who are aiming to contribute to the Eagles' team score also.
Rounding out the highlighted field are two newcomers to the national stage, Manuel Sepulveda of St. John Fisher and Joshua Justin of Rowan. Sepulveda and Justin are seeded 5th and 6th, respectively, with jumps of 14.97m and 14.88m this indoor season.
Women
The women's triple jump competition at the D3 National Championships is poised for a shift in the landscape, with the departure of a dominant force opening the door for new stars to emerge.
For years, Ebunoluwa Opata of WashU has been a top contender, consistently placing in the top 5 at national meets. However, she has often found herself in the shadow of Victoria Kadiri, who has claimed the past 5 triple jump national titles. With Kadiri now out of D3 competition, Opata has a significant opportunity to step into the spotlight and capture her first national title. Opata finished as runner-up to Kadiri at both the indoor and outdoor national meets in 2023 and was 3rd in last year’s indoor competition.
The absence of Kadiri isn't the only change in the field. Other consistent national contenders such as Alvernia’s Shinelle Felix, Loras’ Grace Alley, and Centre’s Jasmine Claunch have also moved on, creating opportunities for other athletes to rise in the ranks. Despite some changes among the leading athletes, there is substantial national experience within this group, as 15 out of the 20 qualifiers have previously competed at national championships.
Among those with national experience is Aurielle Brunner. Chatham’s pride of track and field made a splash on the national scene at the 2023 outdoor national meet, earning a 4th place finish in the triple jump and a 5th place finish in the long jump. She followed that performance with another 4th place finish in the triple jump at the outdoor championships. This weekend, she comes into Saturday with the 4th best jump of the season and will be aiming to add to her collection of All-American awards.
Another contender is Ursinus’ Rainah Dunham, the top returner from last year's outdoor national championships. Dunham secured 2nd place with a final jump of 12.75m, a mark that ranks her 6th all-time in D3 outdoor history. Dunham also won the long jump at the outdoor championships. She enters nationals with the #2 best jump of the field, having recorded a mark of 12.50m in January.
At that January meet, Dunham just edged out Kayla Robinson of Widener who jumped a personal-best jump of 12.45m- the 3rd best jump this indoor season. A former athlete for Haverford, Robinson has competed at two previous national meets and is seeking her first All-American award.
Two other podium contenders include Imani Ogunribido of Illinois Wesleyan and UW-La Crosse’s Samantha Barrett. Ogunribido finished 6th at the outdoor championships last season and is seeded 5th this indoors with a season-best jump of 12.28m. Barrett is seeded 9th coming into the meet but has earned 3 All-American medals in the event dating back to 2022 indoors, demonstrating her ability to be at her best when it matters most.
Shot Put
Men
Last year, Yakob Ekoue was in second place on his sixth throw. He proceeded to launch it 18.70m passing the great Joseph White to claim his title. Will we see that type of heroics this year?
Adam Strouf will look to continue the winning ways of Eau Claire as he comes in as the highest returner in the field. He finished fourth behind an elite group of Ekoue, White and Keegan Digby of Ohio Norther. Coached by 2025 USATF Indoor Runner-Up Roger Steen, Strouf has what it takes to stand atop the podium. He’s coming off a new personal best and will need to carry that momentum into Rochester.
Trent Beseth of St. Scholastica is heading into the meet as the top seed. He finished 10th last year and just threw a new personal best of 18.29m in February.
Other returners include Dre Jackson of Loras, Karter Rashke of UW-Stout, Cooper Folkstead of Concordia-Moorehead and Jacob Edwards-Palmerio of Dubuque.
Only Strouf was an All-American last year so these throwers will be entering new territory as they fight for those coveted top eight positions.
Women
Who will step up and challenge the defending national champion, Alexis Boykin? Last year, her winning toss was 14.79m. Jenae Bothe of WashU is the second seed at 14.80.
Boykin has been dominating the throwing events the past 3 seasons. Since the 2023 outdoor season, she’s won five national titles and was runner-up twice. She is looking to win her third consecutive shot put title dating back to last year’s championships.
On the podcast she mentioned how much fun she is having, and discussed the process of redefining her own limitations. She’s looking for records this weekend.
While Alexis seems to be the clear favorite, she will have to go up against a few All-Americans from last year: Vanessa Uitenbroek of Carroll was third, Jenae Bothe of WashU was seventh and Brenna Noon of UW-Platteville was eighth.
Weight Throw
Men
Last year, Wilmington’s JJ Durr snagged the final First-Team All-American spot in the men’s weight throw. This year, he is in contention to win the national title. After losing national record holder and two-time national champion Joseph White of Carthage to graduation, a new generation of weight throwers will take the ring.
Only Durr and Monmouth’s Shane Anderson have hit the 20-meter mark, and the pair are seeded just four centimeters apart from one another. With competition this tight, the pair could throw their way into D3 history, as No. 10 all-time is 20.55 meters.
Both Wilmington and Carthage dominate this event and have multiple athletes competing in it this weekend. Wilmington’s Nathen Borgan (seventh last year) and Justin Shuga come in as the No. 5 and No. 18 seeds, respectively, and Carthage’s Lucas Leal and Tyler Rose are the No. 10 and No. 16 seeds. Borgan and Durr are the only returners from last year’s First-Team All-American finishers, which makes way for new contenders like Oshkosh’s Gavin Fritsch, Denison’s Chris Slater, Anderson’s Michael Sweigart, Coe’s Chris Baker, Aurora’s Steven Tinsley, and Cortland State’s Isaiah Brunache.
Women
20.98 meters is the distance to remember. It’s the women’s weight throw national record set by Oshkosh’s Robyn Jarocki in 2006 and it could be in danger of falling this weekend if MIT’s Alexis Boykin has anything to say about it. No. 2 all-time and the defending national champion, Boykin threw a massive 20.66 meters, the farthest women’s weight throw in D3 in 14 years. She’s been highly consistent this year as well, throwing over her 2024 PB of 19.98 meters on three separate occasions. This title is Boykin’s to win. If she can focus on getting on the board in the prelim, watch for a potential national record attempt in her final throws.
Other top returners to look out for in this event include Wartburg’s Emma True, who placed third last year, and Loras’s Caitlyn Cox, who was fourth. Both have thrown over 19 meters this year and come in seeded significantly ahead of the rest of the field behind Boykin. Watch also for returning All-Americans Eau Claire duo Kayla Behnke and Teagan Jones (sixth and eighth), and Oshkosh’s Brenna Masloroff (seventh).
Heptathlon
The Heptathlon will crown a new champion in a field that features 9 guys over 5000 points. Aden Sears of UW-Oshkosh comes in with the highest point total of the season but was just taken down at WIAC by River Falls’ Jacob Balcome.
Sears has the experience to get himself atop the podium as he finished third in 2023. Balcome finds himself in his first indoor national after he finished 14th in the Decathlon in the spring.
Ezra Schermacher of St. Norbert will be the highest returning after finishing sixth last year. He’ll enter the competition as the sixth seed but they may be deceiving. He hasn’t done a full hep since December and is coming off a PB in the 60H and HJ at his conference meet. Schermacher seems to be peaking at the right time and could find himself bettering his sixth seed.
UW-Eau Claire has dubbed themselves Multi U after recent strong performances. Max Foland is their hope for points this year as he enters as the seventh seed - which is where he finished last year. He was third at WIAC behind Blacome and Sears so will have some work to do this weekend to overtake his conference rivals.
Pentathlon
Nikki Boon of Emory has had consecutive runner-up performances last year. Grace Alley stood in her way. Can she stand atop the podium this year? She enters the competition as the second seed because her score was converted back due to the 800m being on a banked track. Her unconverted score is just four points over Thea Ring of North Park.
Boon’s score comes from back in December and she seemed to be focusing on hurdles as she competed in them in the majority of her meets this year. She just ran a new PB in the hurdles and looks to carry that into this weekend.
Ring has improved over 200 points from last season. Unlike Boon, she has competed in a pent more than once this year. She won the CCIW conference title by scoring her new personal best of 3711. Two weeks removed from the competition should give her plenty of time to recover and give it a go once more.
Olivia Bohlen of Cortland St was sixth last year and Janelle Eckl was ninth. Both are back in the field. Eckl sits third right now with her teammate Lanna Wandy in ninth.
It would be big for SUNY Geneseo’s team trophy hopes to get points from both athletes in the pent.
Katie Moore of DePauw is in her first multi event at the national championship. She ran the 400mH outdoors where she finished 16th.