2025 D3 Outdoor Track and Field Nationals: Distance Preview
With the deepest fields in D3 history, get ready for some amazing races in Geneva. This season we saw sub 4 miles, sub 14 5ks, sub 34min 10ks, and it took low 2:10 to make the women’s 800 but your local recruit would still rather go to mid-major D1 so they can type “D1 athlete” in their Instagram bio. Well, with D1 rosters cuts coming, get ready to learn D3 buddy.
All joking aside, read this preview to get ready for the distance races.
Men’s 800m
15 athletes under 1:50 in the men’s 800m this year? Giddy-up!
Though this event saw big scratches from No. 1 seed Tor Hotung-Davidsen, No. 4 seed Rabbit Barnes, and No. 8 seed Eric Anderson, all of whom are going all in on the 1500m, the men’s 800m will still be the most competitive it’s ever been, especially to make the final.
With Hotung-Davidsen out, the favorite is Dickinson’s Trevor Richwine, who comes in as the only athlete under 1:49 this season. Richwine’s consistency this year makes him a threat. He ran 1:49.83 in April and 1:48.31 just last week in May, which shows he’s ready for a hot race. A three-time 800m All-American, Richwine has gone from fifth to fourth to third in his past three national meets. Is second next in his sequence, or will he skip over and go straight for gold?
Representing the Lynchburg Hornets in this race is none other than 2024 1500m national champion Sam Llaneza. With 1:49 speed, 3:59 mile strength, and a team trophy on the line, Llaneza will be running with both talent and heart.
He’s not the only national champion in this field, however. UWL’s Cael Schoemann has been the undisputed 800m champ thrice in a row now (okay, maybe his first title was a little disputed after a reversed disqualification). Schoemann has proved that he doesn’t need to come in with the top seed to finish the season on top of D3. He’s a natural competitor and that fact alone has carried him to three consecutive titles. This may be the toughest title to win yet, but will he continue his streak?
Other athletes to watch are recent returning All-Americans Andrew Hutchinson of Dubuque, Joe Franke of Loras, and Will Neubauer of Wabash. MIT has four athletes entered, including No. 4 all-time indoor 800m athlete Ziyad Hassan. CMS’s Pierce Clark is the lone freshman in the field.
Women’s 800m
When it comes to the women’s 800m, 2:07 is the new 2:10. Just two short years ago, only six athletes had run under 2:10 during the season to qualify for the 2023 national meet. Last year, this number skyrocketed to 14. This year, only two marks over 2:10 were accepted, and an astonishing 11 athletes will come to Geneva having run under 2:08 this year.
For so many years, this event had a clear winner. Now, the battle for the next in line for women’s 800m royalty will make this the closest women’s 800m D3 has seen in a long time. Grab your popcorn.
The biggest matchup in this field is Goucher’s Tanise Thornton-Fillyaw versus Rochester’s Megan Bell. Both come in with 2:05 seeds (No. 6 and No. 7 in D3 history, respectively), separated by just 0.06 seconds from one another. Indoors, both fell short of the crown when Elizabethtown’s Kelty Oaster charged home hard toward victory, so first-time titles are on the line this Saturday.
This battle will determine which is more important in this year’s iteration of the D3 national 800m competition: speed or strength. Bell comes in hot off of a 400m PR of 54.66 set last weekend, while Thornton-Fillyaw comes off her best cross country season to date and a new sub-4:30 1500m PR. Bell’s 4:27 1500m PR shows she has great range, which is absolutely lethal in the 800m. Don’t count out Oaster in the final 100m after a big indoor victory.
Augustana’s Lina Maatouk is another athlete to watch in this field. She was runner-up in this event indoors, and comes in as the only 2:06 seed, the No. 13 fastest women’s 800m in D3 history, set just last week at home. This will be her first outdoor national meet.
The fight for the podium could go down in D3 history as one of the fastest women’s 800m finals ever. With the fourth through 11th seed separated by three quarters of a second and all under 2:08, the key to success this week will be treating Friday’s prelim like it’s the final.
Keep an eye on freshman talent Annika Paluska of Wiliams, the only first-year in the field.
Men’s 1500m
Boy oh boy does D3 have a show for you!
Earlier this month, Lynchburg duo Tor Hotung-Davidsen and Sam Llaneza became the second and third athletes in D3 history to run sub-4 in the outdoor mile and the first pair to do so in the same race. Now, the whole country will get to see them live in action in the D3 national men’s 1500m. Llaneza is the defending national champion, but his teammate Hotung-Davidsen comes in as the favorite with his converted 3:40.69. The pair has the benefit of getting to work together in this race, but the road to a 1-2 punch will not be so easy.
Pomona-Pitzer’s Quinn White has perhaps missed a bit of the spotlight in the wake of Lynchburg hype. His true-1500 3:40.78 trails Hotung-Davidsen by less than a tenth of a second and is the second fastest in-season 1500m in D3 history. No D3 athlete has broken 3:40 in season. Only legendary miler Karl Paranya has accomplished this feat late in the summer. If this race gets out honestly, we could see multiple athletes under 3:40 for the first time in D3 history. If there’s any event you tune into this weekend, let it be this one. Even a tactical race will be exhilarating to watch with all the loaded talent in this field.
Though most eyes will be on Hotung-Davidsen, White, and Llaneza, there are a few other returning champions in this race that should not be counted out. Most notably, Nick Lyndaker of St. Lawrence comes fresh off an indoor mile national title and a 3:42 personal best. If Lyndaker remains up front in the final lap, he will certainly be in contention to defend his indoor throne.
Eau Claire’s Sam Verkerke was the last D3 men’s 1500m champion at SPIRE in 2022, running away from the field, which included Llaneza, to win by two seconds. Though he does not come into this year’s competition with a high seed, his experience competing and succeeding at the national level goes a long way. He was also runner-up in the 800m indoors in 2024. Will he regain victory in Ohio?
Some other names to watch include UC Santa Cruz’s Eric Anderson, the Will Leer-deemed “tall drink of water” who consistently shows up at nationals. Twice national runner-up last year indoors and outdoors, the west coast standout will look to turn second place into first. Brockport State’s Jonathan Zavala also comes off of a thrilling indoor mile runner-up finish. Finally, keep an eye on Colorado College’s Rabbit Barnes, who scratched as the No. 4 seed in the 800 for a chance at 1500m glory.
Heat one of the prelim has the two freshmen in the field: UWL’s Nash Merklein and Pomona-Pitzer’s Jefferson Wright.
Women’s 1500m
Last year’s incredible 4:19 victory by freshman Haley Schoenegge shocked nearly all of D3. This year, the Vassar standout has shown exactly why she was deserving of that title with a national runner-up finish in cross country and another mile national title indoors. Schoenegge is the one to watch in this race.
She’s already run 4:19 this year at Penn Relays
, a national lead over this field by almost five seconds after a scratch from No. 2 seed Penelope Greene of SUNY Geneseo. Last year, Schoenegge set a five-second PB in the final. How much does she have held back this year, and can she come close to Emily Pomainville’s 4:13.69 D3 record? Pomainville ran this time in the national finals and set an 8-second PR from her previous PR in the prelims, so we know anything can happen in a D3 nationals women’s 1500m final.
Behind Schoenegge, a deep battle for the podium ensues. Conn College’s Grace McDonough, George Fox’s Ellie Rising, and UChicago’s Claudia Harnett all come in with 4:24 seeds. This past winter’s third place finish for McDonough was the junior’s first time on the national podium. Rising, on the other hand, has two 800m All-American honors and one 1500m All-American honor to her name, bringing a wealth of nationals experience. Harnett has never made an outdoor national meet. Heck, she’s never been able to finish a full outdoor season due to injury, so we look forward to seeing what she can do in her first ever individual national event after anchoring her team to a national title in the DMR indoors.
Deeper down the list, several familiar faces will vie for a spot on the women’s 1500m podium, like 2023 third place All-American Gillian Roeder of MIT, returning 2024 All-American Elisabeth Camic of UChicago, and indoor mile All-American Lydia Bennett of Grove City. Watch for some new faces in this event as well, such as Johns Hopkins 800m standout Annie Huang and NYU freshman Stella Kuttner, the only freshman in this field.
Men’s 5k
The marquee distance event lost a star in the field. Christian Patzka announced he fractured his fifth metatarsal in steeple practice. His teammates and competitors will miss the six-time national champion, but he leaves the division better than when he found it. A big salute to Patzka for everything he’s accomplished - we hate to see him go out this way and wish him the best.
Alright, now to the loaded field. There was a time when D3 royalty would break 14 minutes in the 5k. Now, we’re getting multiple guys a year doing it.
Chasen Hunt set the new standard for D3 distance running when he broke the 5k record by running 13:41 at Bryan Clay. He’ll have to fend off a deep field of All-Americans and three other athletes who have broken 14 minutes this year. Indoor 5k champion Grant Matthai of UW-La Crosse is seeded second in 13:56, followed by Simon Heys of Wilmington at 13:57, and, rounding out the sub 14 club, Cameron Hatler of Pomona-Pitzer running 13:59.76.
The 5k can be divided into two camps: Those who are fresh and those who will be doubling back. Here’s who’s fresh:
Dan Anderson - 16th seed
Avi Bissoondial - 13th seed
Reza Eshghi - 12th seed, 2nd in 3k indoors, 4:01 miler
Chasen Hunt - Top seed, 5k record holder, 4:00 miler
Emmanuel Leblond: 10th seed, 2nd in 5k indoors, 13:54 indoors
Matt Scardigno: 20th seed
Ryan Tobin: 5th seed
Kevin Turlington: 21st seed
If Braden Nicholson taught this field anything from his 3k title indoors, it's to make a move relatively early and run away from the tired field. With Chasen Hunt being fresh, expect interesting tactics to be at play. You may not run away from him with a 13:41 seedtime and you probably can’t outkick him with his 4:00 mile speed.
Reza Eshghi scratched the 1500m to focus on the 5k. He’s run 14:08 and added a 4:01 mile to his resume this outdoor season. Ryan Tobin and Emmanuel Leblond are two interesting characters to watch for. Tobin finished outside of first team All-American honors indoors and was 26th in cross country. We saw what Emmanuel did during indoors, and he virtually soloed his 14:07 seed time at his conference meet.
The rest of the field will be doubling back to add to the cinema that is the 5k.
Grant and Aidan Matthai took it to the field indoors by trading laps. At the WIAC conference meet, they fartleked their way to 29:37 by alternating 800s. We could see team tactics at play here with three Eagles in the field trying to get another title back to La Crosse.
Only Will Leer has accomplished the 15/5k double. Can fellow Sagehen, Quinn White, follow in the mustache’s legacy?
This field has it all: National Champions, record holders, All-Americans, and national newcomers. Last time at SPIRE, we saw a surprise win from Jamie Dailey of John Carroll. Can we see the same storyline play out this year?
Women’s 5k
With returning champ Faith Duncan of Wilmington out of contention due to an untimely injury, the field for the women’s 5,000 meters is wide open. Duncan has dominated the women’s distance events so far this school year and was going to attempt the clean sweep. We hate to see another star athlete go down and wish her the best.
Stepping into the No. 1 seed is Geneseo’s Penelope Greene. We spoke to her on the podcast and she feels ready to seize the moment. She’s had a great career of steady progression and gained so much confidence from running 4:22 in the 1500m a week before nationals.
Greene has been on a tear this season, running No. 11 All-Time in the 5k, just six tenths of a second behind Duncan’s No. 10 all-time mark, and No. 6 All-Time in the 10k. Add in her two indoor All-American honors (second in the 5k, fourth in the 3k) and her third-place finish in XC, and she is knocking at the door for a title.
She’ll have her hands full with a field that features 1500m national champion Haley Schoenegge and countless cross country All-Americans.
Schoenegge burst onto the scene with her 1500m win last year and followed it with a runner-up performance in cross country and indoor mile national title. She’s shown her ability to mix in speed and strength. However, if she makes the 1500m, she’ll have a short time to get ready for the 5k. For historical context, the last woman to win the 15/5k was Christy Cazzola in 2014.
Speaking of doubles, here’s who’s going to be fresh:
Jules Bleskoski: #2 seed, 2nd indoors in 3k, 4th in xc
Chloe Bonson: 20th seed
Carter Brotherton: 13th seed
Adriana Catalano: 12th seed
Kate Cochran: 16th seed
Janie Cooper: 8th seed
Gabriella Nye: 6th seed
Rujuta Sane:19th seed, 5th indoors
Hannah Stephenson: 7th seed, Freshman, massive improvements this year, 18:11 -> 16:54 ->16:34
Anna Watson: 5th seed
The name that sticks out here is RPI’s Jules Bleskoski. Similar to Schoenegge, she has shown off her strength and speed. She’s No. 5 all-time in the indoor 5k. Can her 4:32 1500m speed help her close out this race against those on tired legs?
Another name to shout out is Ainara Sainz De Rozas of Concordia. She was an indoor All-American but this time last year she ran 19:09 in the 5k - her seed time is 16:41! What an incredible improvement . Look for her to add another top-eight finish.
Special shoutout to Gabby Nye of Widener. As fellow LogaRun users, we see you out there on the best platform to track runs.
We got this far and haven't mentioned how deep this field is. It took 16:45 to make the meet. A 2023 version of Penelope Greene wouldn’t have made the meet, as she ran 16:47.
This is the deepest and fastest field in D3 history, beating the previous best from last year when it took 16:50 to get in.
The field still has the front runners, it has the depth, and it’ll have the tactics. With the majority of the field coming back on tired legs, get ready for one of the most exciting 5ks we’ve seen in some time.
Men’s 10k
The forecast in Ohio Thursday night calls for low 50’s with a 40-60% percent chance of rain and winds of 13 mph. Fans, pack a rain jacket, because the men’s 10k will be 25 laps you want to stand in the rain for.
While we may have cooler temps, the fields are sure to be HOT. The start list for this field is full of recognizable names, as it’s harder to figure out who doesn’t have an All-American honor to their name than who does. The men’s 10,000 meters features two national champions from this past indoor season: UW-La Crosse’s Grant Matthai in the 5,000 meters and North Central’s Braden Nicholson in the 3,000 meters. Reaching the top of the mountain this Thursday is going to be a battle for anyone who wants to add their first 10K title to their mantle.
Up front, the Matthai twins present a challenge for the rest of this talented field. This isn’t anything new for everyone but recent results this season have shown impressive results when Grant and Aidan are racing together. With the top two times in the country and great race after great race all season, Grant and Aidan have to be confident heading into this week. UW-Whitewater’s Gunner Schlender has had his fair share of experience racing the Matthai twins. The bronze medalist in the 2023 10k final has shown that he can step up to the challenge, especially when the pace is hot. He holds a 29:05 personal best from the 2023 race.
Braden Nicholson saw a bold push for home prove successful this indoor season. His competitors will know to keep their heads on a swivel for any big moves, but it should be interesting to see who will be able to hold on if he tightens the screws during the second half of this affair. Nicholson will have company as his fellow candy striped comrade BJ Sorg is also in this field.
Speaking of duos, keep an eye on the Wartburg duo of Tyler Schermerhorn and Jacob Green. Schermerhorn is the top returner from last year’s 10k final and, well, the only improvement from second place is first. Green was fifth last year and is coming off an impressive All-American finish in the indoor 5k. The Knight duo of Green and Schermerhorn could share the work and try to bring a title home to Waverly.
Rolling solo will be Cornell College’s Isaac vanWestrienen, Nathan Tassey, Simon Heys, and Cameron Hatler. These athletes have shown themselves to always be in the mix in high level races. vanWestrienen has a win over Nicholson earlier this season and comes in with the No. 2 seed. Tassey has raced sparingly this spring with only three races since his fourth place finish at cross country nationals. While Heys may be lower on the descending order list, he’s run sub 14 minutes this season and is someone who can contend for the win. Hatler has shown himself as a bit of a jack of all trades with a sub 14 5k, sub 9 steeple, and sub 30 10k. Watch for these athletes to make themselves known in the pack.
Colorado College’s Will Shuflit will look to shake things up as the lone freshman in the field.
Like we said at the top, we’re in for a battle.
Women’s 10k
Who will rise to the challenge this year? The absence of national leader Faith Duncan due to injury means that the women’s 10k title is wide open.
The 2024 edition of the women’s 10,000 meters featured their fair share of upperclassmen. With many of them now graduated, two returning All-Americans will try to improve on their position and write their names in the history books as champion.
SUNY Geneseo’s Penelope Greene has plenty of reason to be confident this championship season after an outdoor campaign for the record books. She recorded not one, not two, but three event top-20 performances this season. She’s No. 15 all-time in the 1500 with her 4:22.23, No. 11 in the 5k with her 16:12.88, and No. 6 in the 10k with her 33:42. She has shown pretty outstanding range this season and has plenty of past national meet experience to lean on. Her range gives her an advantage across multiple types of racing styles and this could prove to be valuable depending on how the race plays out.
Lewis and Clark’s Riley Buese is no stranger to mixing it up with the best of them. Buese is your top returner from last year’s championship, finishing third behind Fiona Smith and Grace Richardson. That’s not bad company if we say so ourselves. She’s added herself to the record books with her No. 22 all-time performance at the Stanford Invite in early April. Look for Buese to put herself in the battle with Greene.
Gordon’s Rachel Brennan and Aurora’s Deyanniera Colon Maldonado should be athletes to keep an eye on, especially should the pace dawdle a bit. Both were All-Americans in the mile indoors and have top-eight seed times in the 10k to back it up.
MIT’s Kate Sanderson may also be a not-so-sneaky pick to be in the mix for the win here. Sanderson has a great amount of range and has consistently been in the mix with some of the best in the division. A No. 11 time in the indoor 5k is no joke. Mix that with a little bit of mile speed, and there’s plenty of tools to use in this race.
Men’s Steeple
New champions will be crowned this weekend, but both will be in for a battle to get there. An event that’s already unpredictable could get tricky if the skies decide to open up during the prelims. With 4 auto qualifiers and the next four fastest times into the final we could see some All-American contenders miss out because of how close the fields are. How close is it? Less than 10 seconds separate the second seed and 22nd seed. The final seed into the final? 4.74 seconds separate seeds 12-22.
If you read the 5k update, you know that two-time steeple champion Christian Patzka will be out of the championships after fracturing his fifth metatarsal. Brady Goss of Concordia-Moorhead, who was this year’s national leader even before a scratch from Patzka, headlines an absolutely loaded field that took 8:59.06 just to make the meet.
Goss is coming off a MIAC championship where he won two titles in two new personal bests in the 1500m and steeple. He ran an 8:46/3:49 double where his steeple time moved him to No. 9 all-time.
Goss is on a redemption arc after being DQ’d in his debut national meet indoors in the mile. Making his second appearance at nationals, he’ll have momentum next to his No. 1 seed. Behind him is a talented and experienced field. He’ll go up against the likes of UWL trio Adam Loenser, Joey Sullivan, and Mason Brown, Wartburg’s Lance Sobaski, and Eau Claire’s Mason Shea, all of whom have been All-Americans in the past.
UW-La Crosse will boast five runners in the field, including three who were All-Americans last year. Chuck Vater, their freshman, is seeded 11th and has gained valuable experience working out with these veterans. If La Crosse can advance all five, look for team tactics to be at play.
Ignatius Fitzgerald of St. Olaf wins the best name award of this field as he makes his track national debut. He finished second to Goss at the MIAC Meet in a new personal best of 8:52, and can rely on his newly minted 1:54 800m speed to get a spot in the final.
Pierce Young of SUNY Geneseo ended last year running 9:13 and made this year’s steeple field running 8:50, the glow up that makes the saying ‘SUNY G Believe’ come to life. Look for him to make a splash (pun intended) as he comes in as the No. 3 seed.
With a tight field and potential rainy conditions, prepare for the unexpected. In the last couple of years, the winning times have been fast–Top 25 all-time level fast. Buckle up.
Women’s Steeple
In the women’s field, 11 seconds separates the sixth seed and 22nd seed, and just 4.79 seconds separates the 12th-22nd seed. With two All-Americans returning to the field, opportunities are endless for the 2025 women’s steeplers.
Audrey MacLean of Middlebury (unsure of any relation to Olympian Heather MacLean) leads the field with the top seed time of 10:21. Fellow 2024 All-American Sophie Bull of Calvin falls next in line, having run 10:24.
With five out of 12 finalists returning, any experience at the national meet steeple will help, especially when you consider that this is the fastest field in D3 history - by just 0.07s - we still count it!
MacLean was just a freshman last year but raced like a veteran. She has yet to miss out on an All-American performance at the national meets she’s qualified for, proving she is ready for the big stage. She’s run just two steeplechases this season, with her last being on April 26 at the NESCAC.
Bull of Calvin followed a similar racing style, as she only raced twice as well. She opened up her season in 10:24 and then went on to run personal bests in the 1500m and 5k.
While these two clashing up front, the stage is set for an intense battle to claim finalist positions.
Peyton Steffen saw her teammates go 1-2-7 last year in the steeple. Megan Johnson, Caroline McMartin, and Addy Parrott put on a clinic. Steffen was able to train and learn from them and will look to carry on the Central College steeple success.
Liv Girand was part of the MIT XC national team title and finished 18th in the indoor 5k. She’ll be making her outdoor nationals debut and is seeded 12th.
The lone freshman in the field is Keira Rogan of Hamilton. Rogan had a stellar first year so far. She was fifth in the indoor 3k and finished 15th in cross country. She is following in fellow NESCAC competitor MacLean’s early career progression of collecting All-American honors. She’s coming off a personal best at the NESCAC meet and appears to have the racing acumen to battle for a top spot.
In 2024, Ann Brennan of SUNY Geneseo finished her season running 11:27 in the steeple. At the Widener last chance meet, she lowered her personal best to 10:33.41, the No. 5 seed headed into this weekend. We love to see the SUNY G Believe magic working.
Get ready for a new champion and new All-Americans in this loaded womens’ field.