NCAA D1 Indoor ChampionshipsMar 8, 2015 by Meg Bellino
NCAA Preview: Men's/Women's 3000m
NCAA Preview: Men's/Women's 3000m
Dominique Scott, Arkansas
Last year’s runner-up and this year’s top seed is on a mission to give the Razorbacks some hardware. She’s been resilient all season, only losing one race (the former teammate and Nike athlete Stephanie Brown) and running marks of 2:07.53, 2:42.60 for 1000m, 4:32.48, and her 3k seed time, 8:52.57. With NCAAs on her home turf, Scott will have infinite teammates, fans and family rallying behind her, giving her that extra edge over the competition.
Eric Jenkins, Oregon
He’s been in Edward Cheserek’s shadow for a year now, and this will be Jenkins’ meet. His 7:44.91 at Millrose Games was scary good. When he split sub-4:00 on their DMR at MPSF, that solidified that this guy is fast. Winning this title will avenge his 2013 disqualification (when he finished runner-up) when he ran 7:46 (In Fayetteville, we might add).
Last year’s runner-up and this year’s top seed is on a mission to give the Razorbacks some hardware. She’s been resilient all season, only losing one race (the former teammate and Nike athlete Stephanie Brown) and running marks of 2:07.53, 2:42.60 for 1000m, 4:32.48, and her 3k seed time, 8:52.57. With NCAAs on her home turf, Scott will have infinite teammates, fans and family rallying behind her, giving her that extra edge over the competition.
Eric Jenkins, Oregon
He’s been in Edward Cheserek’s shadow for a year now, and this will be Jenkins’ meet. His 7:44.91 at Millrose Games was scary good. When he split sub-4:00 on their DMR at MPSF, that solidified that this guy is fast. Winning this title will avenge his 2013 disqualification (when he finished runner-up) when he ran 7:46 (In Fayetteville, we might add).
Emily Sisson, Providence
The new NCAA collegiate record-holder for 5000m comes in with a mark oh-so-similar to Scott’s. The Providence Friar fifth-year finished fourth in the Millrose Games 3k in 8:52.60, beating NCAA XC champ Kate Avery in the process. She set the 5k record without any help at the Big East Championships and should be stride for stride with Scott. Sisson had an impressive fall, finishing runner-up in the USATF 12k Championships, 19 seconds ahead of third-place Kim Conley, and she’s looking to end her NCAA career on a high note.
Rachele Schulist, Michigan State
The Michigan State redshirt-sophomore is having her breakout year, especially when she won the Big Ten Championships in 9:01.25, 15 seconds ahead of runner-up Sarah Disanza. That kind of overwhelming win should scare the competition, especially since she is the top seed who is not running in another event at NCAAs. With fresh legs and a gutsy race attitude (She said she wanted to run “an honest, fast race” after her Big Ten win) Schulist could end up on top.
The Oregon Men: Will Geoghegan, Jeremy Elkaim, Edward Cheserek, Parker Stinson
Instead of listing them out individually, this collective group, including No. 1 Jenkins, is dangerous to anyone in the field. Five Ducks in the pond. With the No. 1, No. 2, No. 4, No. 6, and No. 13 seeds, anything is possible. These entries tie the 2003 Arkansas men’s 5k entries, but the kicker will be making these entries count.
Kemoy Campbell, Arkansas
Campbell took down the loaded field at the Husky Classic, running 7:48.13 with a lethal kick. We know he’s got speed, because he anchored their 9:28.37 DMR. On his home track he could be the one to break up the Oregon contingent.
The new NCAA collegiate record-holder for 5000m comes in with a mark oh-so-similar to Scott’s. The Providence Friar fifth-year finished fourth in the Millrose Games 3k in 8:52.60, beating NCAA XC champ Kate Avery in the process. She set the 5k record without any help at the Big East Championships and should be stride for stride with Scott. Sisson had an impressive fall, finishing runner-up in the USATF 12k Championships, 19 seconds ahead of third-place Kim Conley, and she’s looking to end her NCAA career on a high note.
Rachele Schulist, Michigan State
The Michigan State redshirt-sophomore is having her breakout year, especially when she won the Big Ten Championships in 9:01.25, 15 seconds ahead of runner-up Sarah Disanza. That kind of overwhelming win should scare the competition, especially since she is the top seed who is not running in another event at NCAAs. With fresh legs and a gutsy race attitude (She said she wanted to run “an honest, fast race” after her Big Ten win) Schulist could end up on top.
The Oregon Men: Will Geoghegan, Jeremy Elkaim, Edward Cheserek, Parker Stinson
Instead of listing them out individually, this collective group, including No. 1 Jenkins, is dangerous to anyone in the field. Five Ducks in the pond. With the No. 1, No. 2, No. 4, No. 6, and No. 13 seeds, anything is possible. These entries tie the 2003 Arkansas men’s 5k entries, but the kicker will be making these entries count.
Kemoy Campbell, Arkansas
Campbell took down the loaded field at the Husky Classic, running 7:48.13 with a lethal kick. We know he’s got speed, because he anchored their 9:28.37 DMR. On his home track he could be the one to break up the Oregon contingent.
Jessica Tonn, Stanford
The Stanford senior is really following the last-one-best-one mantra in her final track season as a Cardinal. The 2014 Pac-12 10k Champion is speeding things up in 2015, running 4:38.00 in the mile (winning the MPSF Championships in 4:40), and leading off on Stanford’s 11:02.98 DMR. Her 15:47.65 Husky Classic 5k victory is something special, too. For all the track seasons where Tonn has finished outside of the top eight in the NCAA, we think her recent successes indicate she’s ready for something big.
Colby Gilbert, Washington
The fastest freshman in the field, Gilbert ran fearless at Husky with the upperclassmen and professional athletes. His 7:49.25 lists him at No. 5 in the NCAA. At the 2014 World Junior Championships in Eugene, he placed ninth in the 5k, matching the best finish ever by an American at the race.
The Stanford senior is really following the last-one-best-one mantra in her final track season as a Cardinal. The 2014 Pac-12 10k Champion is speeding things up in 2015, running 4:38.00 in the mile (winning the MPSF Championships in 4:40), and leading off on Stanford’s 11:02.98 DMR. Her 15:47.65 Husky Classic 5k victory is something special, too. For all the track seasons where Tonn has finished outside of the top eight in the NCAA, we think her recent successes indicate she’s ready for something big.
Colby Gilbert, Washington
The fastest freshman in the field, Gilbert ran fearless at Husky with the upperclassmen and professional athletes. His 7:49.25 lists him at No. 5 in the NCAA. At the 2014 World Junior Championships in Eugene, he placed ninth in the 5k, matching the best finish ever by an American at the race.