2025 D3 Outdoor Track and Field Nationals Sprint Preview

The 2025 D3 Outdoor Track and Field National meet is finally here. The months of preparation come to a head this weekend in one of the most highly anticipated D3 Championships ever.. From record-breaking performances to new names emerging as contenders, this weekend’s meet is filled with great storylines that should have every D3 fan excited.

Sprints

This new generation of sprinters is changing the talent narrative around D3. The tone of the random comments on Instagram have gone from “who cares about D3” to “wait, what is D3 running right now?” It helps breaking both 100m records, rewriting the top 10 all-time performance lists, and rolling into Geneva with historically deep fields. Let me rephrase that: This was the hardest year to make six out of the eight sprints and hurdles events in D3 history.

Men’s 100m

Sam Blaskowski from UW-La Crosse has become the de facto face of D3 sprinting. The senior will end his legendary D3 career where it began: at SPIRE.

Blaskowski looks to become just the sixth man in D3 history to win the same event all four years. He could become just the second man to win the 100m dash all four years, after Chaz Clemons of Lincoln did it back in ‘00-’03.

This season he tied his D3 Record at 10.09, then broke it twice, running 10.08 then 10.05 at UWL’s Last Chance meet. He has four career legal marks under 10.10. He’s been flirting with a sub 10 clocking, and we know it’s a major goal of his - could it happen at the national meet? With the USA Championships later this summer, it may be a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’.

Challenging him will be four returning All-Americans, including the second fastest man in D3 history, Davian Willems of UW-Oshkosh. The depth in the sprints will make this such a fun event to watch. Kevin Arthur of St. John’s comes into the meet as the second seed after running 10.19 (+2.4 m/s) at his conference meet. He’s no stranger to the 100m final after finishing fifth and seventh in consecutive years.

On paper, Willems gives Blaskowski the biggest challenge as he finished runner up to him in the 100m last year and twice in the 60m indoors. Willems was on the UW-Oshkosh 4x1 that became the third program in D3 history to dip under 40 seconds.

Don’t let his 10th seed fool you; Bethel’s Landen Liu has raced just twice so far this outdoor season but did enough to earn himself a spot on the national meet starting line. The third place finisher from last year’s event told us on an earlier podcast he doesn’t need a lot of racing to get ready for big meets. He’s third All-Time in the 60m indoors and will look to put on a show in Ohio.

There are four freshmen making their outdoor debut: Jahmal Jones of Ferrum, Tristan Wright of Lynchburg, Amari Carter of Roanoke, and Max Reis of St. John’s. Wright was an indoor All-American in the 60m, finishing fifth. Can he improve that finish in the 100m?

Women’s 100m

The fastest 100m field in D3 history is ready. Are you?

The women’s field follows a familiar story arc, this time UW-La Crosse’s Lauren Jarrett headlines the group. The reigning 100m champion and current D3 record holder looks to add to her five national titles.

Jarrett has been a force for two years now and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. She owns the top two times in D3 history and has four performances under 11.60 to her name. She’ll toe the line in Geneva with a 0.34-second advantage over the second seed.

Jarrett has plenty of big meet experience. She just knows how to win, even navigating a tricky weather delay en route to her championship last year. However, this is the fastest field in D3 history, so we won’t hand Jarrett the trophy just yet.

Centre’s Madjo Doumbia’s 11.58 was the second fastest wind-legal time this season, and puts her fourth All-Time. She did that in the midst of the 200m, 400m, 4x100m, and long jump at her conference meet. She hasn’t run a 100m race since, but looks to be freshening up for the big race in Ohio.

Elmhurst’s Alyssa Busker comes in right behind with the No. 5 All-Time performance at 11.61. The NAIA transfer was an indoor All-American and has had a stellar outdoor season running the No. 4 All-Time 200m as well. She views herself as more of a 200m runner, but clearly has the speed to be a threat in the 100m as well.

Five freshmen grace the field with their presence, including 60m All-American Dakota Houston of John Carroll.

WashU’s Jasmine Wright is the only returning All-American from last year, where she was third. Don’t let her 15th seed fool you.

Men’s 200

We’ll see some familiar faces in the 200, and with the top eight coming in with seed times under 21.00, the podium battle will be intense.

Sam Blaskowski enters as the No. 1 seed after he dropped a No. 2 All-Time 20.33 on his trip to Florida. He’s now just 0.08 seconds off of Cheick Traore’s 200m record.

As we’ve seen so often in Blaskowski’s career, he peaks at the National meet. Coming off the 4x100m and 100m, we could see more fireworks in the 200m.

The challenging field features only four additional returners: Kevin Arthur of St. John’s, Brady Fowler of Roanoke, Jacinto Jones II of Mary Washington, and Jackson Price of Emory, and no returning All-Americans. Managing nerves will be key here.

Six men in the top eight ran their seed times in May. Arthur had a fantastic MIAC Meet where he ran 10.19(+2.4) and 20.81. He sits on the All-Time list at No. 5. He poses the biggest threat to Blaskowski. With four prior outings at championship meets, he checks the experience box. He’s been a 100m All-American, but the 200m All-American honor has escaped him. If Arthur can get himself into the final, he’ll put on a show. Illinois College’s Dylan Doss comes in with the No. 2 seed with his 20.80 wind-legal performance from Midwest Conference last weekend.

Look for indoor All-American Jereme Ombogo of North Park to put himself in a position to be a threat. He ran an excellent indoor meet where he had a big PR and will look to channel that energy here in Ohio.

Six freshmen enter the field to begin their championship bids, one being TCNJ’s Maxim Rychkov, who was an indoor All-American finishing seventh.

Women’s 200

The women’s field is the fastest and deepest in D3 history. The last time in was 0.32 seconds faster than the previous fastest field back in 2022.

Leading the field is UW-La Crosse’s Lauren Jarrett who ran the third fastest time in D3 history this season. Jarrett brings an impressive resume to SPIRE, winning last year’s outdoor 200m title and following it up with an indoor title. Jarrett has established herself as an All-Time D3 great and can continue to add to her legacy.

Busker sits just a few ticks behind Jarrett after running the fourth fastest time in D3 history. We saw these two go head to head indoors but they have yet to face off outdoors. She’s been a star for Elmhurst after transferring in from the NAIA. On a previous podcast, she sees herself as more of a 200m runner and a serious threat to Jarrett.

Kamiyah Wooten of North Carolina Wesleyan comes in as the only returning All-American after her sixth place finish last year. The indoor 300m record holder brings experience to the meet that should serve her well.

Eight women have run under 24 seconds so far this season. Just two women broke the barrier last season. Megan Geraets of Gustavus Adolphus is the only athlete apart from Jarrett to have gone under 24 seconds in back-to-back seasons. She’s currently leading the nation in the 400m and should be considered a threat to make the podium.

The future looks bright - the field features five freshmen, led by De'Andranay Chism of Millikin. She gave Busker a challenge at the CCIW Meet and should do the same at the National meet.

Men’s 400m

When a team has the number one 4x400-meter relay in the country and is coached by the men’s 400-meter D3 record holder (and an Olympic gold medalist), it makes sense that they’d also be leading the country in the open 400. Bethel duo Grant Nelson and Jacob Parent threw down at the MIAC Championships last week when they finished 1-2 in PR times of 46.2 and 46.33, respectively, the No. 11 and No. 16 fastest men’s 400-meter times in D3 history. These times currently lead the nation, meaning this duo could have the chance of repeating their MIAC 1-2 punch at the national meet.

Nelson, a two-time indoor 400-meter All-American, has never qualified for an individual event outdoors. Now, he leads the country in this event and is perhaps the favorite to win on Saturday. His teammate, Parent, has the experience of eight national meets under his belt and boasts sub-21 200-meter speed, which certainly makes him a threat for the crown.

Also running his PR last weekend was No. 3 seed Chase Doornink of UW-La Crosse, whose 46.39 puts him at No. 17 in D3 history. A staple on four All-American UWL 4x400-meter relay teams, Doornink has never advanced to a final in the open 400. Now coming in as the three seed, he will look to make that final group of eight, and make a run at the national title.

The other big name to watch in this field is Puget Sound’s Alexander Rhodes. Though he seems to have some holes in his outdoor season, maybe caused by injury, he comes in as the No. 4 seed. Rhodes has proven on multiple occasions that he has what it takes to perform under pressure. The 2025 400-meter indoor national champion and twice 400m national runner-up was also a bronze medalist at the 2024 USATF Under-20 National Championships.

Returning outdoor All-Americans Evan Lowder of Illinois Wesleyan, Josh Jeffes of Cortland State, Jordan Dean of Ohio Northern, and Basheer Alramahi of John Carroll make this a deep field, and four freshman qualifiers, including Oshkosh’s Tyran Bender, bring new talent to the starting line.

Women’s 400m

Something was in the air during the 400 meter dash at MIAC Championships last week. The Minnesota conference produced the top two times in the nation for both the men’s race and the women’s race, which saw an exhilarating sub-54 finish. Gustavus Adolphus’s Megan Geraets leads the field with a stunning 53.87, the tenth fastest time in D3 history. Not far behind is Macalester freshman Ariella Rogahn-Press, who took runner-up to Geraets at MIACs in 53.89, No. 11 in D3 history.

In her first national meet indoors, Rogahn-Press placed sixth overall and will have her sights set on another All-American trophy, if not the national title. She faces steep competition from MIAC rival Geraets, who has sub-24 200m speed. Joining this pair in the sub-54 club is North Central Cardinal Lindsey Novak, who ran a new PR of 53.99 at Augustana last week.

Novak is another strong contender for the crown. She has had the best season of her life, breaking major barriers in all sprinting events this season, including sub 12 in the 100m, sub 24 in the 200m, and now sub 54 in the 400m. Arguably her best event, look for Novak to shake things up in what could be one of the closest and most exciting events of the day.

Another name not to be counted out is that of SUNY G indoor national champion Brynn Mooney, who comes in as the No. 6 seed at 54.45, a PR from indoors by almost a second. In case you didn’t pick up on this, the women’s 400-meter is fast this year–the fastest it’s been in D3 history by over half a second! Three athletes are seeded under 54, and 13 are seeded under 55, meaning it will definitely take faster than 55 to become an All-American.

Other returning outdoor All-Americans to watch include Mount Union’s Madison Miles and Kenadee Wayt, Johns Hopkins’s Lauren Phillips, MIT’s Marina Miller, and Hope’s Sara Schermerhorn, as well as 2025 indoor All-Americans McKenzie Reser of Augustana and Kamiyah Wooten of North Carolina Wesleyan. With freshmen talents Rogahn-Press and Peterly Leroy of Brandeis coming in with top seeds, look for some potentially new faces on the podium this season.

Men’s 110m Hurdles

How will Rowan aka HurdleU follow up its 1-2-5 finish at last year’s national meet? Well if their 1-2-4-5 spread at the indoor meet is any indication, they should do just fine. Currently seeded 1-2-5 and led by freshman sensation Jamir Brown, the Profs will look to take home a third straight hurdle title. Kwaku Nkrumah won the outdoor meet last year, Jason Agyemang just won indoors, who takes it this time?

Brown set the national record this year running 13.60, Jason Agyemang followed closely behind, running 13.74 to move to third all-time. Add in Kwaku Nkrumah at fourth All-Time and this historic program is ready to build a dynasty at SPIRE.

But there’s a reason you run the race. Jayson Ekiyor of Bethel and Dontre Sinegal of McMurry pose the biggest threat to a potential sweep.

Ekiyor and Sinegal both went under 14 seconds this season and were All-Americans last year in Myrtle Beach, Ekiyor finished fourth, and Sinegal was eighth. Ekiyor also broke up the 1-2-3-4 sweep indoors, finishing third.

A dark horse to keep an eye on based on seeding is Deyton Love of Wartburg. Love was third last outdoor season and has been no stranger to the podium. The experience alone should help Love deal with the rounds and get back to the final.

Calder Diakite of Susquehanna and Kamil Kokot of North Central are the other two freshmen in the field in addition to Brown.

This was the hardest short hurdle field to make in D3 history, you won’t want to miss this one.

Women’s 100m Hurdles

Four All-Americans return from last year’s intense 100mH race. Aryianna Garceau heads to SPIRE as the top seed having run 13.53, and looks to defend her indoor 60mH title.

Kelsie Sealock will make things difficult for Garceau. The Bethel runner has found herself on the podium four years in a row, finishing no worse than fourth. She has finished third twice and runner-up once, leaving just the top spot on the podium left in her quest to collect all hurdle infinity stones.

Garceau’s seed time comes from when she won the 2025 NEICAAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship. That meet features colleges of all divisions across New England. A win was a huge confidence boost for the indoor champ as she looks to take home an outdoor title.

Ren Brown will head to SPIRE as the second seed. While known for her ability in the 400mH (she holds the 400mH D3 record), Brown has emerged a legit contender in the short hurdles. Coming off a fifth place performance indoors, she added a new personal best in the 100mH. Mixing in her strength from the 400m/400mH, Brown has the toolkit to do damage at SPIRE.

Another athlete to look for is Allyson Hammond of Pacific. She burst onto the scene indoors after a massive PB in the prelims and finals to finish runner-up. She secured her spot outdoors at a last chance meet, so she is currently eighth. She found some nationals magic indoors and signs point to her having similar success outdoors. Finally, look out for Ithaca duo Laura Suppa and Rachel Larson, who both come in with top-8 seeds and will look to score points for Ithaca.

Katherine Dortmund of Ohio Wesleyan, TyKiaza Jones of Greenville, and Regan Scott of UW-La Crosse are the three freshmen in the field.

Men’s 400m Hurdles

Depth is once again the storyline here in the men’s 400m hurdles. While we may not have an all-time mark heading into this year’s championships, this is a historically deep field. How deep? Well, this year's final qualifying mark is over a quarter second faster than the previous last in. That previous best? 2004. Yeah, we’ve hit another level here. With many of the past greats now graduated, the field looks primed for a new champion. Plenty of this year’s field has nationals experience but with many of the top contenders juggling multiple events or having minimal finals experience, this one could be a toss up. With the field this close, expect the prelims to be cut throat.

Susquehanna’s Ben Bulger heads into Geneva with the top time in this field at 51.47. The senior has national championship experience and while the final may have eluded him, he has reason to be excited for this year’s meet. He’s had a multi-athlete type of schedule this year and even set his personal best during a big conference weekend. He’s also one of the few athletes in this field that is not doubling. Bulger is undefeated against D3 competition this year.

Colby’s Levi Biery is the top returner in this field with his 6th place finish at last year’s championship. He’s coming off a recent personal best of 51.79 at Williams earlier this month. Will finals experience prove to be the difference? He’ll be pulling double duty with the 400mH/4x400 prelim on Thursday. He’ll have a well earned break on Friday should the relay qualify.

Bethel’s Jayson Ekiyor, CMS’s Colin Scanlon, Wartburg’s Deyton Love, and Eau Claire’s Blake Postler are also entered in multiple events this weekend. Ekiyor and Love are both entered in the 110mH with Love also juggling the long jump as well. Scanlon and Postler will be pulling 4x400 duty on Thursday, and with seed times fairly close, they’ll for sure be putting in honest work.

Keep an eye on Middlebury's Alexander Swann and UW-La Crosse’s Finn Patenaude as they’ll be heading into this meet with just one job to do. With so many doubling, and even tripling, as well as newcomers to this field, this could be prime for upsets. Who will step up to the challenge to be the next king of the long hurdles?

Women’s 400m Hurdles

Last year’s 400mH final was one for the record books as the D3 record holder Ren Brown faced off against the reigning champion, Natalia Sawyer. In a race that was separated by fractions of a second, it was Sawyer who would leave Myrtle Beach with the crown. Don’t let the results fool you, though. The real winner? You guessed it, the fans.

With Sawyer not qualified this year, Brown is the one to watch. She has continued to show her prowess over the hurdles as she has added two more marks to the all-time list to add to an impressive indoor campaign. The current 400mH record holder has six of the top marks in division history and just came off a personal best of 54.90 in the open 400m. She’ll have her eyes set on the 110mH/400mH double this weekend and will hope to add a second national championship on top of her DMR team title indoors.

Colby’s Fiona Mejico will look to capitalize on an impressive 2025 regular season as well. She comes in as the only other athlete under 60 seconds this year. The returning All-American also found gold indoors with Colby winning the 4x400m title. She’s currently three for three in individual personal bests in her last three races, securing PR’s in the 200m, 400mH, and, most recently, the open 400m. She’ll have a busy schedule with relays this weekend as she’s entered in both the 4x100m and 4x400m.

Keep an eye on some familiar faces from last year's final to try to improve. Bethel’s Kelsie Sealock, Wartburg’s Jojo Tyynismaa, and Rowan’s Molly Lodge all return from the 2025 and have experience running with some of the best the division has to offer. Tyynismaa set a huge personal best to break 60 and place third in 2024.

The field also includes some underclassmen that will look to shake things up. Rochester’s Nora Chen finished just out of the final last year as a freshman. She’s back as one of the top seeds and will look to capitalize on that experience from last year. Two freshmen with high seeds head into this meet with Rowan’s Nyla Jones and Tufts’s Arielle Chechile. This event has shown in the past that the underclassmen can make waves. Will the trend continue?

This year’s field will be one for the history books as it took 61.93 to make the 2025 meet, beating the previous best of 62.34 from 2017. This has shown to be an event where the strength of the field can lead to some breakout performances. Who will it be this year?

Men’s 4x100m Relay

Get ready for some 4x100m action as the deepest field ever will assemble in Geneva, Ohio! For the first time in D3 history, two programs will enter the national meet with sub-40 clockings. UW-Oshkosh ran a blazing 39.81 to move to No. 2 All-Time. This past weekend, UW-La Crosse raised the bar by beating their own D3 record running 39.53.

Add in Rowan’s 40.03, which is fifth All-Time, UW-Whitewater’s 40.07 (sixth All-Time) and Emory’s 40.18 (eighth All-Time), and this is setting up to be one of the most exciting relays in D3 history.

UW-La Crosse comes in as the reigning champs and will have to hold off a hard-charging field to bring the title back.

Don’t be shocked if the 4x100m relay record is broken again. La Crosse ran their record virtually unchallenged. Add Oshkosh in and both schools will be pushed to their limits.

Women’s 4x100m Relay

The relay madness is going to continue into the women’s 4x100m. This field is also the deepest it’s ever been and features five schools with Top 10 All-Time performances.

Elmhurst enters as the No. 2 All-Time program, having run 45.61 in California earlier this season. Anchored by Busker, the Blue Jays seem ready to bring home a title.

However, the best field in D3 history will travel to Geneva, Ohio to try and take them down. Elmhurst will have to fend off No. 4 All-Time UW-Whitewater, No. 6 All-Time UW-La Crosse, No. 8 All-Time Emory, and No. 9 All-Time SUNY Delhi.

The field is loaded. Plus, La Crosse will have Lauren Jarrett on the anchor. With a field this close, the obvious remains: get the stick around clean to give yourself the best shot to win.

Men 4x400m Relay

The men’s 4x4 relay is yet another event that features the deepest and best field in D3 history. The event that steals the show looks to be a marquee event this championship. Headlined by Bethel vs. UW-La Crosse, these programs are ready to battle it out. At the Drake relays this year, Bethel ran No. 3 All-Time and finished just 0.24 seconds ahead of UW-La Crosse who is now No. 4 All-Time. That La Crosse team broke the school record that gold medalist Andrew Rock was on.

But not so fast. Cortland State returns the relay that won indoors. They’re seeded sixth but have the firepower to return atop the podium. Anchored by Josh Jeffes and including individual 400m qualifier Evan Jensen, the Red Dragons have all the firepower they need to defend their title from indoors.

SUNY Geneseo comes in as the third seed running 3:09.30 which is No. 9 All-Time. Add in Loras and CMS as the other programs to break 3:10 and we have ourselves an amazing relay battle.

After a surprising absence indoors, Mount Union returns to the 4x4 field with three freshmen and a senior.

Team battles come down to the 4x4s! Get your squad into the final to help the team out!

Women’s 4x400m Relay

16 teams are separated by 3.37s. Excuse me? While none of these current programs moved into the top 10 All-Time, this will still be an all-time battle.

WashU won last year’s outdoor title thanks to a great anchor leg from Emma Kelley. They’re back this year as the 11th seed.

Colby won it indoors and looks poised to keep the title. They enter the championship as the fifth seed just 0.9 seconds off the lead mark.

Mount Union comes in as the top seed thanks to Kenadee Wayt coming back for her final season. Will she be on the anchor leg to bring another title home for the Raiders? MIT, UWL, and Rochester will all have something to say about that as they join Mount Union with seeds under 3:44.

Expect some fast times in the prelims as schools will need to be at their best in order to make the final.