Live results——Live broadcast on Thursday
In the northeast corner of Ohio, just 30 miles from the Pennsylvania border, you won't find much. The cornfields, the neighborhood, and the Wendy's and McDonald's across the street are some of the must-see sights on your trip to Geneva, OH. Until you enter the SPIRE Institute Outdoor Athletic Stadium, host to one of the most competitive NCAA National Championships in D3 history. A total of 17 events (11 men and six women) achieved their fastest qualifiers of the year, making the journey to SPIRE one of the most challenging feats a D3 athlete has ever faced.
At one of those events, the national record was broken twice this year. Another awarded a national record to an athlete and then took it away. If the dramatic lead-up to the NCAA meet is any indication of what's to come, you might want to bring your own popcorn (or fruit snacks).
Season overview
Four national records were broken this season, two of which were relay records not for the championship, one of which was broken twice by two individuals. In the relays, the women's team from St. Norberta won the national record in the 4x200m for women in 1:40.05. The team of Maddie Lebrun, Audrey Makope, Daijah Brown and Sydney Zima each averaged 25 seconds. The Loras team of Carter Oberfoell, Ryan Harvey, Wyatt Kelly and Mike Jasa set a four-second national record of 7:28.23 in the men's 4x800m relay, with an average split time of 1:52.
Loras had a big national record season as distance sports star Kassie Parker also set a national record in the women's 10km. This effort followed her state record in the 5km and a near miss in the indoor 3km. Parker ran 33:03.61 in Stanford's season opener to break Mary Proulx's previous record of 33:21.8 set in 2003. Parker will compete in two competitive lineups this weekend at 5 and 10 kilometers. You don't want to miss these events. Parker will look to continue his long streak of state titles, including cross country in the fall and indoor 3- and 5-kilometer races.
The men's sprints are another series of must-see events this weekend. The men's 200-meter sprint will be a head-to-head battle between Gallaudet's Eric Gregory and Center's JP Vaught, who set the D3 national record in the 200 meters this year. The nation opened its mouth when avideo disseminationvan Vaught en route to a fourth-place finish behind NIKE pro Christian Coleman and two Kentucky athletes with a blistering time of 20.66, a national D3 record by 0.14 seconds. The shock was even greater when news broke that two weeks later Gregory had dropped a time of 20.62 in an impressive solo effort at the Gallaudet Conference Championships in New York.
Along with national records, several athletes helped rewrite the all-time list this season. With the opportunity to compete against the best talent from around the country this weekend, we expect a few more entries to appear. More than 40 athletes this season have a score that ranks among the top 20 of all time!
Here's everything you need to know to get in on the action, including start times and who to watch. All times are EST.
Thursday: Multis/Field
Men's Discus (10:30 a.m.)
Carroll's Steven Hermsen leads the field by three full yards with a score of 58.60 yards. Hermsen is the heavy favorite heading into this week's opener, but Bethel's Gabe Irons and Stout's Kevin Ruechel are also competing in the shot put with Carnegie Mellon's Bram Miller. Friday 11:30 am. We spoke with Miller atForeign candidates part 1episode.
Multiple disciplines (men at 11:30 a.m. Thursday/10:00 a.m. Friday; women at 12:30 p.m. Thursday/11:00 a.m. Friday)
The battle for the top spot in the two-day event will be between Linfield's Keaton Wood and Eau Claire's Marcus Weaver, the only two athletes to earn more than 7,000 decathlon points so far this season. Wood is the current No. 1 seed with his score of 7,254 points, No. 9 all-time in D3. However, he will face stiff competition from Weaver, the state indoor heptathlon record holder and the No. 3 decathlete of all time with his 7,510 points from last year's championships.
DePauw's Erin Pasch currently leads the women's field with a total of 5,041 points, which is 15th all-time. Next up is state indoor pentathlon champion Hannah Zenkovič of La Crosse and runner-upLogan Bruce from Ithaca. Zenkovic and Bruce also come in with over 5000 points.
women's pole vault (12:30 p.m.)
North Central's Kathy Myrda currently leads the women's jump as the only woman over four feet this season. Her mark of 4.00 meters is number 16 of all time. She adds to NCC's history of successful athletes in this event. Last up was Luke Winder, who cleared a season-best 5.70m at the USATF Throws Fest. If Myrda wins, she will become the 8th national pole vault champion in the history of the men's and women's NCC programs.
Myrda faces stiff competition from Augustana's Kat Krebasch and Ithaca's Meghan Matheny. Matheny is the defending two-time indoor and outdoor champion last season. She also jumped four meters in her career and enters the series with a season best of 3.91 meters.
Women, discus throw (13:00)
As an outdoor-only event, the women's discus welcomes some new faces to the NCAAs compared to the indoor events of the weight throw and shot put. Gabby Hicks of Eau Claire is the favorite in the women's discus competition. Her throw of 49.21 is 23rd all-time and leads the field by 28 inches ahead of Carroll's No. 2 seed Vanessa Uitenbroek. Hicks is one of three Eau Claire athletes in the event, with teammate Kayla Behnke seeded third. The duo, plus No. 16 Evelyn Walker, could add valuable points to Team Eau Claire's tally. Also keep an eye on national champion Kaitlyn Wilder of Dubuque, who is in the top five with three of four throws.
Men's long jump (14:30)
The long jump will be an exciting event, as the top seven athletes are within six inches of each other. Some of the favorites include Central College's Brock Lewis, Carnegie Mellon's Justin Keifel, La Crosse's Sam Blaskowski, Rowan's Nana Agyemang and MIT's national indoor champion Kenneth Wei. Agyemang will look to score big points in the event as his team competes for the trophy in the meet.
Listen to Blaskowski in ourNational Outdoor Competitors, Part 2episode.
Women, javelin throw (15:30)
Pacific Lutheran's Ava Nelson topped the event with her throw of 45.79 meters. Last year's national champion and eighth all-time javelin thrower Sophia Slovenski of Southern Maine has been absent sincehad shoulder surgery last fall. Nelson placed seventh in the event last year behind George Fox's Chrissy Strickland and Saint Mary's Anna Swanson, who sit as the No. 2 and No. 9 seeds. Other familiar faces from last year include Isabelle Deal of Ursinus, Rebecca Simpson of Buena Vista and Kamryn Elgersma of Calvin.
Women, long jump (17:50)
The fight for the women's long jump title will be very tense. The current top seed is tied at 6.06 meters (No. 12 all-time) between WPI's Katy Nippert and the national indoor championVictoria Kadiri s Johns Hopkins. Stevens' Gina Del Russo also comes up with a score of over 6 yards.
Two-time national champion and two-time national runner-up Isabel Maletich of U Chicago competes as the sixth seed. Kadiri defeated Maletich indoors in the middle of the multi event, an event she will not compete in this week. However, Maletich has more experience at the NCAA meets and will certainly bring some heat to this battle for the top spot.
Men, javelin throw (17:45)
Rowan's Greg Poloso is the athlete to watch in the men's javelin. His season best of 70.39 is No. 7 all-time and he dominates the rest of the field by more than three yards. Tim Vanlieuw's national record of 75.55 meters could be in jeopardy this week. Four of Rowan's teammates join Polos in the event, with three placing in the top seven. On paper, Rowan could score 24 points in this event, which has big implications for the team fight.
Thursday: running
The men's and women's 10km are the only race finals on Thursday. Everything else will be a qualifying match.
Women's relay 4x100 m (preliminary 5:15 p.m./final Saturday 12:05 p.m.)
The WashU Bears hold the No. 1 seed at 46.07, 6th all-time in D3 history. Redlands is five thousandths of a second behind WashU's team, with a No. 9 all-time 46.12. Another team in negotiations is Loras.
WashU has incredible depth as three of the four athletes in the 4x100 relay finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the UAA 100m finals. However, Redlands has a national qualifier in the 100m, Alexandra Ackerman, and a national qualifier in the 200m and 400m, Andrea Lyon.
Men's 4x100m relay (preliminary 17:25/final Saturday 12:15)
Benedictine's team currently holds the No. 1 seed at 40.17, which is No. 3 all-time in D3 history. Just two thousandths of a second behind them is the Oshkosh team, whose 40.19 is number 5 all-time. Benedictine has strong legs in DJ Anderson (national leader in the 400m) and Koren Leonard (leader in the 110 hurdles), but Oshkosh has team depth in the 100m. Six athletes qualified for the WIAC finals in the event, including last year's 100m runner-up , Jaylen Grant.
women's 1500 m (preliminary 17:35/final Saturday 12:25)
Messiah's Esther Seeland will compete in her first pair of outdoor national meets and looks to remain unchallenged with her 4:18.28 seed time, the sixth fastest time in D3 history. She is the only woman in the field to run under 4:20 this season after a scratch from Hopkins' Ella Baran, whose season best of 4:19.97 is No. 7 all-time. Baldwin Wallace's Hope Murphy and Middlebury's Cassie Kearney will likely be close. Keep an eye out for Zanzie Demco of Oshkosh and Margaret Trautner of Caltech.
men 1500 m (preliminary round 17:50/final Saturday 12:35)
The final men's 1500m time was 3:48.24, two seconds faster than before. The top four from the event made the D3 all-time top 25 list, with SUNY Genesee's Ezra Ruggles leading the way with his time of 3:44.90 (No. 15 all-time). Another name on this list is Williams' Aidan Ryan, who won the event in 2019. Ryan also won the indoor mile in 2021 and his indoor mile time of 3:56.88 is the fastest mile in D3 history by nearly 3 seconds. The other two are from Pomona-PitzerBennett Boothe-Genthe, who has the fastest 800m PR of the season in the field, and Jack Rosencrans.
Other names to keep an eye on include Eau Claire's Sam Verkerke, who is fresh off a huge 800m PR of 1:50.0, and WashU's Jacob Ridderhoff, who is coming off a big 3:46 performance at the St. Francis Last Chance Meet in a few weeks. ago.
Women's 400 m hurdles (preliminary round 18.10/final Saturday 14.15)
The 400-meter hurdles is usually a veteran race at the NCAA Tournament, and this year is no exception. Five All-Americans from last year's NCAA Outdoor Championships return to compete for the top spot. La Crosse's Emma Lawrence enters the preliminaries as the only athlete to break the minute mark - she currently leads the field with a time of 59.98. He will return to the 400m hurdles after finishing third in 2021.
Behind Lawrence are three sub-61 returners: SUNY Genesee's Gwen Shepardson (60.19); defending champion, Simone Wilson, of Concordia Univ. Chicago (60.41); and Gustav Adolf's Birgen Nelson (60,64). Nelson will compete in both hurdle events at the national championships, as she currently holds the top seed in the 100m hurdles. Also not to be forgotten in this race is four-time All-American Jayci Andrews, the 2019 60m hurdles and 100m hurdles champion, who finished 4th in 2019.
men's 400 m hurdles (preliminary round 18:25/final Saturday 14:25)
Twenty athletes qualified for the preliminary races of the 400m hurdles, but only eight will make it to the finals. Compared to other events at the 2022 Nationals, the qualifying times for this year's meet far exceeded those of 2021. Last year, only six athletes competed with times under 53 seconds; this year, 14 athletes ran up to the age of 53.
Wartburg's Dallas Wright, fourth in the event among the 2021 Outlanders, leads the field by nearly a second and a half with a starting time of 50.88. There are 13 athletes behind him, all with less than 53 seconds. Other top contenders in the event include defending champion Jake Gladieux (52.37); runner-up 2021 Joel Smith of Bethel (52.32); All-American Cameron Rodgers of UMass Dartmouth (52.95); All-Americans Tyler Sealock of Bethel (52.95); and All-American Eli Odell of Wheaton (53.23). No. He is separated by just 0.08 seconds between the No. 2 seed, Joel Smith, and the No. 5 seed, Wartburg's Deyton Love. Newcomers to watch include Dubuque's JoJo Frost (52.37), Middlebury's Peter Hansen (52.76) and Rowan's John Owens (52.86). The depth of this preliminaries makes qualifying for the finals a fierce battle.
women's 200 m (preliminary 18:40/final Sat. 14:40)
Gina Dello Russo of Stevens is the only athlete in this event with a start time of less than 24 seconds, but she is followed immediately by Alison Beeman of Dubuque, who ran 24.09 this year. Beeman was second in the event in 2019 with a time of 23.75. She's also coming off a dominant conference weekend in which she won the short sprint events and scored points in both relays and the high jump. And Beeman andAlyssa Pathenhauer van Loraswill be fully loaded for the 200m this weekend, so Connecticut College's Malissa Lindsay, Carnegie Mellon's Samantha Giordani and indoor 200m champion Bella Hogue could all make the top three in the event.
men's 200 m (preliminary 18:55/final Sat 14:50)
With the national record broken twice in the event this season, the men's 200m final is sure to have a nerve-wracking finish. Gallaudet's Eric Gregory will try to defend or break his national record of 20.62. CenterJP Vaughthe will be on a mission to bring back the record he broke in mid-April.
Vaught is the two-time defending champion in this event, indoor and outdoor. Rowan's Jah'mere Beasley, last year's outdoor runner-up, and La Crosse's Sam Blaskowski and Ramapo's Cheick Traore will also shake things up at the event. As the last open sprint event of the meet, the men's 200m race will crown whoever has the most fuel in the tank.
Women's Steeplechase 3K (preliminary race 19:10/final Saturday 11:30)
The women's tower could be renamed toEvi Millershow, since the senior from Trina has a 15-second lead over the rest of the field. Her time of 10:06.26 is second in D3 history. Only Center's Annie Rodenfels has broken 10 minutes in the event and her D3 record of 9:58.83 could be in jeopardy this week. If Miller wins, it will be her first national title. Behind Miller, the 8-9-10 seeds are all at 10:51, so it could be anyone's chance to become an All-American.
Men's Steeplechase 3 km (preliminary round 19:35/final Saturday 11:45)
The men's steeplechase currently has three men under 9 minutes, and we could see even more break this barrier at the championships. Pomona Pitzer'sColin Kirkpatrickleads the field with 8:46.96, No. 6 all-time in D3 history. Kirkpatrick leads Whitewater's No. 2 seed Christian Patzka by 10 seconds. John Carroll's Ethan Domitrovich is seeded third with a time of 8:59.66 last week. This event could be a big scoring event for current powerhouses Pomona-Pitzer and John Carroll, who each have three athletes entered in the event.
Women's 4x400 m relay (preliminary 20:00/final Saturday 15:50)
The women's 4x400m relay will provide fireworks at the end of the competition with solid lineups of several teams that will compete for team trophies. SUNY Geneseo, Loras, Wash U and La Crosse will likely be in a close battle for the team podium.
Geneseo leads the event with its 3:42.19 seed time, the fifth fastest single team time in this relay in D3 history. She will rely heavily on her anchor, Madison Mulder, who is competing strongly for the outdoor 400m title and has already broken away in the under-54 relay this season. Geneseo has entered two outdoor athletes in the 400m, two in the 400m hurdles and a strong leg in Jenna Strickland, who competes on both relays.
Likewise, the La Crosse team has three athletes in the 400-meter hurdles. Teams from Rochester and TCNJ qualified two athletes in the open 400m, rounding out the lineup in this event. Inside, Loras' team won this event to solidify their team fight victory, so watch for them to try and beat Geneseo.
Men's 4x400m relay (preliminary 20.15/final Saturday 16.00)
A simulation of the NCAA finals in the event took place a week ago at Augustana's last meet, where six teams ran under 3:14 and Dubuque lost to D3 no. 22 best time of 3:10.85 to reach no. 1 holder on the qualification list. Behind them, Loras ran 3:11.65 and teams from Oshkosh, Wartburg and Bethel ran 3:12, making this year's 4x400 relay qualifier the fastest in D3 history.
Add key players Mount Union, CMS and Rowan's indoor championship team to this NCAA Championship race, and we could see a tight finish from first to eighth place. Based on the entries, seven of the top 10 teams entered the 4x400m, meaning we could see another dramatic finish to the NCAA meet this year (but hopefully not as dramatic as the last one).
runs 10 km (20:30)
The women's 10km was one of the most competitive events to qualify for, and Thursday night will be just as competitive. National record holder Kassie Parker leads the field by more than a minute, but is joined by Wellesley's Ari Marks, who battled wire-to-wire with Parker in the 5K and 3K. Look out for Fiona Smith from St. Benedicta, who comes as number 3 with her time of 34:33. A total of seven women compete in the event with times under 35 minutes, including CMS' Meredith Bloss, Carleton's Clara Mayfield, Hopkins' Alex Ross and Amherst's Sophia Wolmer.
men 10 km (21:15)
John Carroll-duo Alex Phillip enJamie Dailydominated the men's 10 km race, coming in as the 1st and 2nd seeds with their times of 28:48 and 29:28. Phillip will look to continue his winning streak that began with cross country in the fall and continued with the indoor 3k and 5k. This year it took less than 30 minutes to qualify for this event, so expect a tight final window for All-American status as many of these athletes have short times. Look out for Graham Tuohy-Gaydos of Williams, Tyler Morris of Colby, Ethan Gregg of La Crosse and Simon Heys of Wilmington.
Friday: Field
women's high jump (11:30 a.m.)
Eight inches between the first and last competitor in this event, making the high jump an event with little room for error. National indoor champion and last year's outdoor runner-up Jaidyn Appel van Tufts currently leads with her 1.75 meters. Loras' Grace Alley and Wartburg's Breya Christopher follow closely behind with their marks of 5'7" and 5'73" respectively. Also keep an eye out for Colby's Sharde Johnson who even won this last year.
Loras's Alley will look to contribute points to the team score, just as she did indoors with her third-place finish in the triple jump and sixth-place finish in the pentathlon, finishing positions that helped Loras secure the winning team trophy. Although she is competing in the all-around for the first time, Alley will again compete in the all-around and triple jump.
men's shot put (11:30 a.m.)
The men's shot put will be very competitive up front with the no. 20 all-time by Stout's Kevin Ruechel at 18.29 meters and Carthage's Joseph White at no. 25 all-time from 18.01 meters ahead. Right behind himBram Miller van Carnegie Mellon,who is tied with White for 25th all-time with his lifetime PR in this event last year. Ruechel is a repeat champion and Miller is a repeat runner-up, so this trio will surely push each other to new heights. Behind them will be a fierce battle for All-American honors as the fourth through ninth seeds are within two feet of each other.
Men's high jump (14:00)
Kyle Rollins of St. John Fisher hasn't lost the high jump in the NCAA since the 2019 indoor season. Even then, he still managed to reach the winning height and narrowly lost with a failed tiebreaker attempt. The five-time All-American in the high jump will look to continue his winning streak this weekend and perhaps even add another national title to his belt as he is also registered as the top seed in the men's triple jump. His top competition in the vertical jump is Central College's Sam Beatty, who comes in at No. 2 with his 2.09m leap, PSU Behrend duo Brady Smith and Samuel Hetrick, who cleared 3-5, and Mount Union's Tanner Slack, who placed second both indoors and outdoors.
women's shot put (14:00)
Throwing against two other top shot putters in the country at your conference meet will ensure you are ready for the big stage. WIAC schools dominate the women's shot put with the powerful trio of Platteville's Brianne Leahy (15.34m), Eau Claire's Catie Fobbe (15.33m) and La Crosse's Skye Digman (14.66m). Although Leahy, Fobbe, Digman was the bottom order at the WIAC Championships, Digman is the reigning indoor champion in the event and has a lifetime PR just two inches behind Fobbe. The disappointment of finishing third in the conference could be enough to put Digman back in contention for the NCAA Tournament crown.
Friday: running
women's 100 m hurdles (preliminary round 14:10/final Saturday 12:50)
Gustavus Adolphus Birgen Nelson currently leads the high hurdles by 0.11 seconds with his time of 13.71, which is No. 5 all-time in D3 history. Besides Nelson, there were four other additions to the all-time list in the event this year, including Stevens' Laura Mathews at 13.82 (No. 8), La Crosse's Emma Lawrence at 13.94 (0.01 off her performance at 17th place from 2021), Julije Babinec 13.94 (No. 18) and Stout's Hannah Zastrow 14.04 (No. 24). A total of five returning All-Americans from last year will compete again this year, including Bethel's Kelsie Sealock, who is tied for #18 all-time with Babinec.
men's 110 m hurdles (preliminary round 14:30/final Saturday 13:00)
The transition to college Koren Leonard had a tear this year. His 14.08 is No. 20 all-time and leads the nation by a tenth of a second. This is Leonard's second NCAA meet at Benedictine after finishing 7th in the indoor 60m hurdles. He will be challenged by La Verne's Zachary Reid, the only other seed under 14.20, as well as WPI's Oliver Thomas, Wartburg's Deyton Love, Trina's Jake Gladieux and MIT's Kenneth Wei, who all earned All-American honors in the race at 60 meters hurdles. WashU key player Andrew Whitaker, who was a national indoor champion, will not compete as he joined the Green Bay Packers camp as he is currently called up to play in the NFL. I think we can let it slide.
Women's 400 meters (preliminary round 15:00/final Saturday 13:10)
The battle for the 400-meter title will be an exciting battle between Geneseo's Madison Mulder and Wesleyan's Grace Devanny, whose starting times differ by just one-hundredth of a second. Mulder's 54.57 and Devany's 54.58 are No. 19 and No. 20 all-time. Loras' Pfadenhauer and Concordia's Kayla Armstrong are also on the all-time list with their times from last year's championships of 54.33 (No. 16) and 54.61 (No. 22). Pfadenhauer was second in the event last year and Armstrong was third behind Stevens' Gina Dello Russo, who won't be in the 400 this year. Another name to watch is Rochester's Susan Bansbach, who broke away in the sub-54 at the end of Rochester's No. 3 seeded 4x400m relay. Bansbach was joined by teammate Madeline O'Connell, who was even entered right behind Bansbach at No. 5, making the women's 400m the main scoring event for Rochester.
men's 400 m (preliminary round 15:15/final Saturday 13:20)
The men's 400 is the "deepest field in D3 history." With a final placing of 47.86, the one-lap racer sets the stage for another electric sprint race. Four men have gone under 47 seconds this season, led by Benedictine's DJ Anderson, who ran 46.75, which is 18th all-time. Last year's runner-up Dallas Wright will once again have his plate full. Wright appears in the 400, 400mH, 4x1 and 4x4. Don't count out Cheick Traore and Eric Gregory as they have climbed to the top of D3. They are the only two athletes to break 47 and 21 in the 400/200. A trio of Texas athletes will join the mix. East Texas Baptists Rangel Miller, Jayden Sloan and Malik Pratt, McMurry and Hardin Simmons are setting fast times in the South as they try to bring the heat from Texas to Ohio.
Women's 100 meters (preliminary 15.30/final Saturday 13.30)
This year's women's 100m sprint took 12:00 to qualify after the last woman, Maddie Moran, who clocked in at 11:99, scratched the race. 12:00 is the fastest qualifying time for this event in D3 history, making it a very competitive field. The current leader is Connecticut College's Malissa Lindsey, who burst onto the scene this season with impressive times of 11.79 in the 100m (No. 13 all-time) and 24.14 in the 200m. She is now one of the fastest seeds in the competition and the fastest seed in the women's 100 meters. Her biggest competition will be Bella Hogue of Nebraska Wesleyan, who won the 200m indoor sprint and comes in with a start time of 11.80, and Lauren Gay of Wash U and Gwen Orr of Platteville, who both ran under 11.90. Don't count out Bridgewater's Adalia Coleman, who won the indoor 60m and has a lifetime PR of 11.79 in the 100m.
Several key players are missing from this field, including North Central's Marcedes Jackson, whose 11.80 is No. 15 all-time, and Moran, who was fourth in the 60-meter dash but will not compete under any circumstances this season. Jackson is entered in the NCC 4x100m relay.
men's 100 m (preliminary round 15:45/final Saturday 13:40)
A lot can happen in 10 seconds, and in this case 10.49 seconds, which was needed to qualify for this year's men's 100m sprint. This time is the fastest NCAA meet qualifying time to date, beating the previous qualifying time of 10.63 seconds from the previous two championships by 0.14 seconds, a huge difference over the 100 yards. La Crosse's Sam Blaskowski leads the way in this event with his start time of 10.14 seconds, the second fastest time in D3 history in all conditions. Defending champion JP Vaught of Center is coming off the third fastest downwind performance in D3 history with his time of 10.21 and will look to repeat his winning streak from last year's short sprints.
Other characters appearing in the event include Platteville's Cade VanHout, who placed second in the fastest WIAC final in conference history, Oshkosh's Jaylen Grant, who was third in the WIAC final and finished second in the event last year, and SUNY Delhi's Naquille Harris and Hardin -Simmons' Parnelle Shands, coming in with start times of 10.35 and 10.37, respectively.
It would be remiss not to mention Knox College's Derrick Jackson, who was fifth in the event last year and whose 10.17 performance earlier in the season was recognized as the national D3 record, which the USTFCCCA subsequently labeled "questionable" for the unknown reasons. A man who was awarded a D3 national record and then stripped of that record due to circumstances likely beyond his control is a man everyone should fear standing against in the 100m final.
Women's 800 m (preliminary round 16:00/final Saturday 13:50)
The women's 800m will not be an event you want to miss. Messiah's Esther Seeland will complete her first pair at the outdoor state meet and looks to go unchallenged with her 2:03.66 seed time. The three-time national 800m champion is the only woman to run under 2:05 outdoors this season, and her recent performance of 2:03.08 in NYC last weekend is her second-fastest time ever in the 800m. Right behind Seeland is another five women who ran under 2:10. Based on the setting times, it appears to be a close battle for second place between Middlebury's Cassie Kearney, WashU's Emma Kelley and Caltech's Margaret Trautner, who all ran 2:08.05, 2:08.06 and 2:08.43, respectively.
We're sure to see an incredibly exciting race as Seeland, Kearney, Kelley and Trautner are followed by 2 women who have broken 2:10: Calvin's Delaney Sall and Middlebury's Nicky Johnson. With a field this deep, it might take a sub-2:10 performance to be an All-American. Also keep an eye on WPI's Sydney Packard, who comes in at 2:12.01 but is a five-time All-American in the event. The Women's 800 is sure to be fireworks.
800m hurdles (Prelim 16:15/Final for. 14:00)
Another event you don't want to miss is the men's 800m race. This season was a thriller as seven men broke 1:50. Among those poised to take home the crown are the only two men to dip under 1:49 this season: Mike Jasa of Loras and Tucker Cargile of Redlands. Jasa currently leads the category with a 1:48.70, which is No. 12 all-time in D3 history, and finished 4th in the indoor nationals in the 800m with a 1:52.78. Cargile enters the event seeded second in 1:48.89, but the Redlands middle track star has hinted that he wants to break Nick Symmonds' outdoor record of 1:47.34 set in 2006.
We're sure to see an incredibly exciting race as Jase and Cargile are followed by 5 other men who have broken 1:50: Lynchburg's Tor Hotung-Davidsen, Millikin's Ben Kuxmann, WashU's Will Houser (who split his time of 1:49.39) . ), Steven Potter of Wis.-Oshkosh and Carter Oberfoell of Loras. All of these men are within reach of an individual national title or All-American honors.
Saturday: Field
Women's Hammer (11 o'clock)
The women's hammer will be the party tent this weekend. With three women throwing the top 20 throws of all time, those who venture into the hammer ring are in for a treat. Kendra Noneman currently ranks 7th all-time with her throw of 60.15m, but faces stiff competition from Valerie Obear and Kaitlyn Wilder. Obear and Wilder are 10th and 17th, respectively. All three women are less than six feet apart, which may seem like a lot, but anything can happen at nationals. Noneman is using the remainder of her eligibility this outdoor season following her transfer from Boise State. Obear will look to improve on her third-place finish in 2021. As for Wilder, this will be her third throwing event this weekend and she will be looking to add another trophy to her indoor national title in the weight throw.
men's triple jump (11:00)
Although Kyle Rollins from St. John Fisher won three national titles in the high jump, never won a title in the triple jump. He was seventh in this indoor event, third last year, and this year he comes as the first seed with a jump of 15.11 meters. Not far behind is Utica's Ka'Sean Watlington, at 50 feet, who might be Rollins' closest competitor. However, the list also includes indoor national champion Jonathan Wilburn of Oshkosh, who is No. 10 all-time on the outdoor leaderboard with his jump of 15.67 meters from last year, and Rowan's Ahmir Johnson, who won the national meet last year outdoors. the champion was . year. Johnson will be chasing team points, but he'll have to beat some pretty talented athletes in this field to score big.
men's pole vault (12:00)
The men's pole vault welcomes some new indoor faces this season with the absence of indoor national champion Ben Drummey of Southern Maine and indoor national leader Kyel Wolff of Mount Union, neither of whom qualified for the outdoor competition. Five men enter this week's contest with carries of five yards or more, including indoor All-Americans Garrett Silva of Whittier, Joe O'Connor of Washington and Lee and Dominic Mikula of Ithaca. Luka Sršić from MIT currently leads with a height of 5.06 meters. MIT has two athletes competing for All-American honors in the event, while Eau Claire, which had three athletes in the indoor event, will send Abraham Schroedl as its sole outdoor representative.
Hammer gentlemen (13:45)
Alex Kristeller and Jude Misko lead the Gentlemen's Hammer, as Kristeller is 16th all-time and Misko is 22nd. When two all-time talents go head-to-head, the performance is elevated to a higher level. With their all-time marks over the last two seasons, they are currently only 7 inches apart. Carthage teammates Matt Ausse and Joseph White will try to get the points back for Kenosha as White competes in the three throws. Not only does Kristeller have the best mark of the season, but he also has a shot put title to bring his confidence into this weekend's match. But Miško brings the experience of winning the hammer throw from last season outdoors. Get ready for two champions to win.
Women's triple jump (13:45)
The big story here is will Isabel Maletich bounce back from her hall error? She tied the national record in this event during the indoor season and left the indoor championships as the runner-up in the long jump. She fell short of her personal best this outdoor season, but will try to add another national championship to her resume. Victoria Kadiri started this outdoor season with the triple jump and is already doing well. The national indoor champion used her long jump skills to quickly win the new event. Despite not qualifying for the heptathlon, Kadiri sees the bright side that she will be fresh for both the long jump and triple jump. Look out for national indoor champion Liu Rotti. She is ranked No. 5, but will try to make a similar rise in rank as she did during indoor.
Saturday: running
All running finals except the 10km race will take place today.
Women 5 km (15:00)
The women's 5km race has the potential to be one of the most exciting distance events this weekend. Hopkins' Ella Baran is going all in in this event, making it to the 1,500 to enter Saturday's final with fresh legs. She currently holds the fastest seed with her time of 15:49.09, the second fastest 5K time in D3 history. Her biggest race is Loras's Kassie Parker, who ran 15:58 indoors to break the indoor 5K record and enters this weekend with a 16:09 start time. You can't count on Wellesley's Ari Marks, either, whose gritty championship-racing style will eventually pay off this year.
Fiona Smith from St. Benedicta will also be a strong opponent, after a valiant midseason effort against Parker at Drake. Smith finished just behind Parker in 16:16. Trine's Miller doubles up after her steeplechase final this morning. Miller is coming off a big conference weekend in which she competed in the 800m prelims and finals, the 1500m final, the 10k final and the 4x4, placing no less than third in each event, an effort that should set her up well for NCAA doubles.
Men's 5 km (15:25)
History could be made in this race as Alex Phillip crosses the finish line with the 10k title in his pocket. He will be the first D3 athlete to win the XC, Indoor 5k/3k and Open 10k/5k. However, he must face the deepest field in D3 history. 14:17.87 was this year's limit. This is the time that usually puts you in good contention to become an All-American. 12 players in this field will be fresh, including indoor runner-up Michael Obroin. Now that most of the field is fresh, it will be interesting to see what tactics the athletes will use on the field to try and dethrone Alex Phillip. Although Williams' Ryan will have 1500 meters on his feet, his start time of 14:01 is currently Phillip's closest competitor. Williams' trio of Ryan, Tuohy-Gaydos and Lindgren will have a chance to try to beat the JCU duo of Phillip and Dailey, who have the highest seeds of any team at No. 1 and No. 3, respectively.
Team fight
While the double upset in the 4x400m relay to determine the winner of the event was a thrilling finish to this year's indoor event, coaches, officials and D3GD commentators are hoping for a more emphatic finish to this season's championships. Below are the top ten teams from each side based on entries only, but remember that neither Eau Claire nor Wash U are ranked based on hall entries. Anything can happen at an NCAA meet.