By: Scott Rodilitz & Matt Rock

D2 PREVIEW | MEN'S D3 PREVIEW | WOMEN'S D3 PREVIEW

Men’s Team Preview

Last year Mt. Union disrupted the recent Wisconsin hegemony atop the podium, but this outdoor season it looks like the only question is which WIAC school will win. The Eagles from UW La Crosse, winners indoors in 2014, come in as the top seed and have an impressive history of success at the national meet. They have won a total of 28 indoor and outdoor titles, and since 2001 the Eagles have won more than half of the titles up for grabs (16 out of 29).

 

Standing in their way is conference rival UW Eau Claire, who won the indoor title this year by a scant two points over the Eagles. With star sprinter Thurgood Dennis back to full strength, the Blugolds are projected to score 65 points based on seeds, more than the 58 points the Eagles are projected to score. However, La Crosse has five more event entrants than Eau Claire, giving them much more room for error and the slight edge according to USTFCCCA. Expect the battle for first to be settled in the relays, as the teams are expected to get a combined 29 points from the 4x100 and 4x400. 

 

The battle for the remaining podium positions should be fierce, with seven teams in the mix for two spots. Leading the way in the rankings are UW Whitewater and St. Olaf. Though the Warhawks of Whitewater come in comfortably ranked in third place, they are far from a sure thing. Their ranking is based more on their depth (they have 14 entrants) than on their projected scorers (only 25 projected points) and in recent national meets the Warhawks have been unable to capitalize on their numerous entrants. Their hopes hinge on the long jump, where despite having four entrants, none are projected to make finals.

 

Meanwhile, St. Olaf showed indoors how to make the most of just a handful of entries, earning a shocking fourth place finish ahead of fellow distance powerhouse North Central. This time around, the Oles won’t surprise anyone, as they are bringing a loaded distance squad projected to score 29 points. Qualifying six individuals into the 1500 is a huge accomplishment, but the prelims are the first individual event on the track and will set the tone for the whole weekend. 

 

Outranked and outmanned in the distance events, rival North Central still has an opportunity to surprise as freshman Luke Winder is top seed in the pole vault. By the end of the day Thursday, we’ll know everything we need to know about the Cardinals’ chances as they need some big points in the vault as well as in the 10K in order to contend.

 

Monmouth, Augustana, and Salisbury all have similar rankings, and they will all be counting on one particular stud to carry them onto the podium. For Monmouth, Ethan Reschke is the key cog in their 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay as well as the third seed in both the 200 and 400. Not to be outdone, David Voland of Augustana will be hoping to bring home 20 points for his team, courtesy of the 400 hurdles and his anchor leg on the top seeded 4x400 relay. However, if Luke Campbell can pull off the upset in the 400 hurdles, he could propel Salisbury into the top four as he is also the third fastest performer in division history in the high hurdles.

 

Predictions: La Crosse (66), Eau Claire (65), St. Olaf (32), Augustana (27)

 

Men's 1500m Preview

Prelims: Thursday 4:00 PM

Finals: Saturday 1:40 PM

 

This is going to be the marquee mid-d/distance event. It features the 2015 indoor 3000m champion, the 2015 indoor mile champion, and the 7th fastest man in DIII history. Thirteen athletes qualified with times faster than 3:49.00, and only two seconds separate the ten men seeded fourth to thirteenth.
 

Charlie Marquardt of Haverford has consistently been among the best in DIII for the last two years. His mark of 3:43.84 at the Swarthmore Final Qualifier placed him comfortably ahead of sixth and seventh seeds, Michael Harnish (Lebanon Valley)and Matt Giannino (RIT). His time lands him among three other Haverford men on the DIII 1500m all-time list. Marquardt also ran the fastest indoor mile but chose to declare only in the 3000m. Don’t be fooled by this streak of division leading performances, though. At outdoor nationals last year he entered the 1500m as the second seed and failed to make it out of the prelims; this winter he qualified for indoor nationals with the fastest seed time in the 3000m and finished fifth. No doubt Marquardt is talented, has range (1:52 800m, 14:21 5000m), and can run fast in the right races, but he has yet to prove himself in a tactical championship-style race.

 

Perhaps this will be when Marquardt reaches his potential on a national stage, but until then, consider St. Olaf teammates Paul Escher and Jake Campbell bigger threats for the win. Escher is coming off a surprising fourteenth place finish in cross country and followed that up by winning the mile title indoors. He was the runner-up in the 1500m last year despite entering with the tenth fastest time and certainly has a knack for performing in championship races. Campbell, also an All-American in cross country and an indoor national champion (3K), beat Escher at the Phil Esten challenge, though a tactical 1500 might be a bit outside his wheelhouse.

 

The Oles have strength in numbers: Joe Coffey, Grant Wintheiser, Sean Bjork and Jacob Eggers are also going to be fighting to make finals. Wintheiser was the cross country champion and runner-up to Campbell in the 3K at indoor nationals but has had a tumultuous outdoor season due to injury. The other three guys are making their national championship debut, but still expect to see at least three St. Olaf men in the finals.

 

Qualifying within a half-second ofEscheris Josh Clark (Wash U) who will be looking to mix things up at the front as well. However, though he ran fast at NCC Dr. Keeler and beat Aron Sebhat (North Central)and Will Cross (Elmhurst), he was beat by nineteenth seed Grant Murphy (Emory) the week before at the EIU conference meet.

 

Though Harnish fell to Marquardt just this past week, he is by far the fastest half-miler in the field and should be considered the favorite if the races comes down to a kick. Evan Moulineux (CMS) has solid 800m speed as well, but his qualifying mark has aged and a recent loss to his fourteenth-seeded teammate Joshua Sealand suggests that he’ll have to focus on making it out of prelims.

 

Predictions: Escher, Harnish, Marquardt

 

Men's 3000m Steeplechase Preview

Prelims: Thursday 5:50 PM

Finals: Saturday 12:40 PM

 

This is not a particularly strong year for steeple, as a number of competitors are racing in their first national championship. That said, only 10 seconds separate the second through twentieth seeds and as a result, the preliminary heats will be chaotic and entertaining. Though the times may not be particularly quick, the races will certainly be compelling.

 

Eight of the twenty athletes raced head-to-head last week at the NCC Gregory Final Qualifier. Brock Taute of Nebraska Wesleyan led the Division III contingent and was followed closely by Andrew Benkovsky (Olivet), Zachary Geiger (Ohio Wesleyan), Dominick Reed (Adrian), and Steve Haagsma (Calvin). Brock is looking to snag an All-American spot to improve upon his 10th place finish at nationals last year while Haagsma is reappearing at a track championship for the first time since he was 18th two years ago. Benkovksy, Geiger, and Reed are all racing at their first national championship in any event and will be hungry for some hardware. Slightly farther back at NCC’s final qualifier were Ken Hoffman (North Central), Lukas Mees (Emory) and Ryan Root (North Central). Mees is also among the crowd of guys who are competing in their first ever track national championship while Cardinal teammates Hoffman and Root have more experience on the national stage. That said, neither is particularly likely to crack the top eight (Hoffman was 9th at indoor nationals in the 5K this winter and Root was 17th in the steeple last year).

 

Representing NYU, third seeded John Lake is making a comeback after an indoor season that was cut short by injury. Having already run steeple four times this year, Lake has some practice but he may not be ready for a large field of national-caliber runners, as he ran his qualifying time in the wake of an athlete from  Penn among a sparse field at the Princeton Open. 

 

Haverford has produced a number of talented steeplers in the last few years and David Roza will be looking to follow in the footsteps of his former teammates and capitalize on the inexperience of this year’s field. He missed All-American honors by a single place last year and he’ll surely want to avenge that loss. Paul Van Grinsven (Wis.-Stout) also returns from last year’s field looking like he’s in much better shape and ready to make the final this time around.

 

Though the steeplechase has generally been the Northeast’s best event, expect two seniors from the Midwest to lead the pack: St. Olaf’s Jake Brown and UW Whitewater’s Dawson Miller are talented and seasoned veterans. Brown qualified for nationals last year and opted not to race, but after spending this winter competing in nordic skiing, he came back strong and won the 3000m steeple - 5K double at the MIAC championships. Last week he soloed his qualifying mark with a commanding 36 second victory at the Wis.-La Crosse qualifier and appears to be peaking very well. However, Miller is going to be very tough to beat. He finished third at nationals in 2013 and was second last year. He’s also rolling off an indoor season where he finished sixth in the 3K at nationals. In other words, this is his race to lose.

 

Predictions: Miller, Brown, Van Grinsven

 

Men's 10,000m Preview

Finals: Thursday 7:00 PM

 

At nationals in 2014 the entire 10K field passed through the mile in a pedestrian 5:27 and it wasn’t until nearly halfway through the race when Colin Cotton of Williams made an aggressive move that things broke open. Like in the steeplechase, the front and back of the 10K field is not nearly as strong as it was last year, the race itself should certainly be more exciting.

 

Unlike last year, when sub-29 man John Crain of North Central was head and shoulders above the rest, this race is wide open. Top seeded Bijan Mazaheri of Williams finished thirteenth last year and is definitely capable of equaling his seed, but he ran his qualifier under near ideal conditions at the Larry Ellis Invitational and will be facing off against a slew of experienced competitors. Hailing from the WIAC, Ian Lamere (Platteville) and Patrick Jenkins (Stout) will be vying for the win, and both defeated Mazaheri in cross country and in the indoor 5K. Eau Claire athletes Ryan Mugan and Christian Leitner will likely work together in an attempt to land on the podium and score some valuable points for the Blugolds, though neither are particularly threatening to the top seeds.

 

If things get off to a slow start again, NCC’s Travis Morrison will be tough to beat as he has great speed and plenty of championship racing experience, highlighted by his victory in the indoor 5K. He hasn’t shown that same form yet outdoors, but if he is on his game, he should be considered the favorite.

 

Fourth seeded Phil Meyer (St. Olaf) has the shortest list of recent achievements among the top-10 qualifiers, but his performance at Drake Relays was gritty and he recently bested 14-seed Hart Hornor (Carleton) at the MIAC championships. George Degen (Carnegie Mellon) also has yet to break into the top echelon of DIII distance runners, but his qualifying time puts him in a tight pack along with Cole Decker (Central) and two other guys (Meyer and Morrison) separated by only 6 seconds.

 

Even if no one is willing to lead from the gun and the first few splits are slow, don’t be surprised if the field fractures and multiple packs form. There is only a handful of legitimate contenders, and with the last twelve qualifiers being separated by only 15 seconds, it’ll be a battle for the last few All-American spots.

 

Predictions: Morrison, LaMere, Mazaheri

 

Men's 800m Preview

Prelims: Friday 7:00 PM

Finals: Saturday 3:05 PM

 

Last year’s national champion, Andrew Carey of Johns Hopkins, missed qualification by one hundredth of a second, and freshman sensation McKena Ramos has transferred to UW Madison. Despite their absence, five of the athletes from last year’s final will be returning to the track this weekend. In addition, the field from the indoor final is making an appearance en masse, as 7 of the 8 all-americans from this winter are back.

 

Although Austin Becker (Buffalo St) has run slightly faster than Mitchell Black (Tufts), Black was this year’s 800m indoor champion and is a 4-time All-American at the 800m distance. His last loss to a DIII athlete was at outdoor nationals last year where he was bested by Carey. Third seed Thomas Vandenberg (Carnegie Mellon) went down to Becker last week at the Gator Invitational in a race that Vandenberg led at a brisk pace. However, Vandenberg was an All-American in both the 400 and 800 indoors and could surprise in a tactical race. He opted out of the 400 this time around, so he clearly has his eyes on top honors.

 

WIAC rivals Michael Evans (UW Stevens Point)and Sean Royer (UW La Crosse) have traded blows in head to head competition, and though Evans boasts a faster time and a more recent win, he may have caught lightning in a bottle. Previously, Evans was beaten by three teammates and twelfth seed Anthony Urbanksi (UW Whitewater) at the Augustana Meet of Champions. Royer took the 2014 indoor and outdoor seasons off, and despite his slow start to the 2015 indoor season, he has the experience to challenge for a top-five finish.

 

Sophomore Deko Ricketts (Wash U) has solid speed, and buoyed by confidence from his recent win at Dr. Keeler, should also be challenging for a top-three finish.

 

First year Andrew Sharp (Greenville) has been undefeated since early April but his lack of experience suggests that Jeremy Hernandez (Ramapo) the freshman most likely to win the title as he ran to All-American honors in the 800m this winter. Carleton’s Donson Cook-Gallardo has been relatively quiet since he ran his qualifying mark two months ago and was beaten at the MIAC championship by Thomas Feichtinger (St. John’s) who failed to qualify.

 

Between his experience and range, Black is the favorite. He has repeatedly proven that he can perform in championship races, and this year will be no exception.

 

Predictions: Black, Ricketts, Becker

 

Men's 5000m Preview

Finals: Saturday 4:30 PM

 

As the last distance event of the weekend the 5K is bound to be scrappy, with many guys doubling back from the 1500m and the 10K. However, the biggest contenders will not only be fresh from this weekend, they will be fresh from the whole season. Top seeds Eli Horton (Central) and Josh Thorson (UW Eau Claire) as well as fifth seeded Drew Padgett (Wash U) have raced in a combined twelve individual events since the indoor season.

 

One-seed Horton will be looking to improve upon his fourth place finish at 2014 outdoor nationals. However, he will need to fend off Thorson, a transfer from the U. of Minnesota, a man he has not beat in head-to-head competition this year. Both ran their qualifiers about a month ago, and it is tough to assess their current form based on limited results.

 

Both Jake Campbell (St. Olaf) and Matt Giannino (RIT) will be doubling back from the 1500m, but if indoor nationals is any indicator of how they’ll handle the workload, expect Campbell to challenge for a podium spot—he came back from a fourth place finish in the 5K to win the 3K—and Giannino to be close behind (he was an All-American in both the 5K and 3K as well).

 

Indoor 5K champion Travis Morrison (North Central) will be coming back from the 10K, and his runner-up finish to Padgettat NCC Dr. Keeler suggests he will be fighting for an All-American finish. Bijan Mazaheri (Williams), Ian LaMere (Wis.-Platteville) and Patrick Jenkins (Wis.-Stout) are also running the 10K and all were cross country and indoor All-Americans.

 

Along with Mazaheri, fellow Ephs Colin Cotton and Aldis Inde will be in contention for All-American finishes. Inde was a 3K All-American indoor and is the second fastest miler in the field behind Campbell. Cotton, the runner-up in cross country this fall, missed the indoor season and the early part of the outdoor season due to injury, will need to race well for a third consecutive week after narrowly qualifying with a mark at the ECAC championships.

 

Despite all these contenders, Andrew Padgett will be on the line with fresh legs and should be able to hang with the leaders to the bitter end. He has only raced twice all season, but at NCC Dr. Keeler he ran away from the field and won by 14 seconds. A performance like that suggests he is confident and has more in the tank, and he certainly has the focus and experience necessary to win this race.

 

Predictions: Padgett, Horton, Inde