Buzzer beater: D3 athletes capitalize on last chance magic
Anyone traveling to Cleveland for the 2025 NCAA D3 National Championships next week might hear talk of it being the birthplace of the term “rock ‘n’ roll” or about how the lake effect lends itself to milder seasons, but there is one point of pride that Clevelanders will never forget: in 2016, the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead.
The historic Cleveland Cavaliers victory in the NBA Finals, their first since 1964 and the first in NBA history to come after a 3-1 deficit, perfectly captures the spirit of what it means to perform under pressure. Sometimes, the biggest gains come when there is almost nothing more to lose.
With the qualification window for D3 nationals just having closed, D3 athletes nationwide have been using the past week to travel to “last chance meets” and channel their inner game-seven LeBron James. Because many schools are done with classes, this time is purely devoted to practices and road trips to races with teammates.
As the clock runs out, the pressure rises, but just like in the 2016 NBA Finals, maybe pressure is the key to a successful performance.
“I've learned from falling short of qualifying in previous seasons that the only way to handle pressure is to apply it,” said Jon Diaz, a mid-distance runner for NYU.
Diaz piled into a van on Monday afternoon with his NYU teammates and made the trip to Widener’s Final Qualifier, where he ran almost a full second PB of 1:49.94 in the 800 to jump to No. 13 on the descending order list.
Photo by Jennifer Oakes
From the Widener Final Qualifier in the east to the Azusa Pacific Franson Last Chance out west, this past week saw lots of movement on the qualifying lists in almost all events. George Fox’s Ellie Rising moved to No. 4 in the women’s 1500m from Portland. North Central’s Lindsey Novak moved to No. 3 in the women’s 400m at Augustana. MIT women’s 4x400m relay jumped to No. 2 at home in Boston, and St. Thomas’s Matthew Hicks jumped to No. 8 in the men’s high jump at Trinity.
“Tensions are always high heading into the last qualifying week window,” Diaz explained. “PR's set aside, at this point of the season, it's really about who wants it more, which is a mindset that's helped me be ambitious against the talented athletes I've been lining up with.”
This year, Diaz is one of 15 athletes seeded under 1:50 in the men’s 800m, a trend that seemed to start in 2022 and intensify in 2023.
This trend is not unique to the men’s 800m, either. 14 out of 21 events on the men’s side and 16 out of 21 events on the women’s side have faster “last times in” than last year. Gabby Nye, a distance runner for Widener, has noticed this increase in depth in her own event, the women’s 5k.
“At this time a year ago, my season was over,” she said. “This year though, it’s not just that we have to push ourselves to be better than our PRs from the previous year, we have to push ourselves to be even better than last year’s national-level athletes because qualifying times from last year won’t all get in this year.”
Last year, the 22nd time on the descending order list was the fastest it’s been in a decade (and probably ever), and this year’s time is a full six seconds faster. Nye ran 16:48.07 at Bucknell a month ago, an 11-second PB and a time that would have been a safe qualifier any other year but this year.
With her school conveniently hosting one of the most competitive last chance qualifiers in the northeast, Nye knew she had to give it another shot. The familiarity on a track where she’s used to hard efforts, a hometown crowd, and a solid spring training block helped give her confidence.
Photo by Mickey Nye
“Going into this meet, I was on the cusp of qualifying for nationals, and that time was from my first [5k] race of the outdoor season,” she said. “My main mental preparation was reflecting on that fact and how my training since then had prepared me to run a fast time.”
Nye’s instincts were correct. She ran 16:34.06, a 14-second PB and a safe No. 7 on the descending order list.
“To be able to compete at nationals this year and be among some of the best athletes in Division 3, especially when it’s faster than ever, is such a blessing,” she said.
Photo by Mickey Nye
With some of the most competitive qualifying lists for the outdoor championships in D3 history, many athletes have found themselves in similar positions to Nye this past week. Last chance week isn’t just a last effort to hit a mark. In some cases, it’s a defensive move to hold your spot on a deepening qualifying list.
The events with the most marks in the top 22 from this past week–the majority of which were from last chance meets but also included a few late championship meets–were mostly middle distance and long sprints races, with the men’s 800 having the biggest shift of any other event. 16 athletes landed on the top 22 in the men’s 800 over this past week, including Diaz, who was one of four athletes to hit a mark in the top 22 at Widener.
“Anyone familiar with Widener knows there is magic on their track,” Diaz said. “Bringing peak-form athletes together in a race, especially with the urgency of chasing a national/regional qualifier or the few fast opportunities remaining, creates controlled chaos that consistently produces personal bests across the board.”
Several more last chance meets across the country saw big performances, like Augustana’s Midwest Twilight Final Qualifier, which had over 100 D3 top-50 marks across all events.
Other events on the track that saw big shifts this past week were the 1500m, which had 15 women’s marks and 13 men’s marks in the top 22, the 400m hurdles, which saw 14 women’s marks and 15 men’s marks, and the men’s 4x400m relay, which saw 14 of 16 qualifying marks all set in the past week.
In the field events, the men’s discus throw and the men’s triple jump saw the most movement, both at 11 marks each.
Perhaps understanding better than anyone the pressure of a final chance are throws and horizontal jumps athletes–just ask them what it’s like to step into the ring or onto the runway on a third attempt. Brandy Varner, a thrower for King’s College, found herself in this very position on Monday at Widener.
In the women’s discus throw finals, she fouled her first attempt and threw only 42.74 meters on her second–a solid throw, but not quite good enough to better her 43.54-meter season best, which sat well outside the top 22 qualifiers.
On her final throw, she tossed a remarkable 46.09 meters, a PB by a full 1.27 meters and a mark that is tied for No. 10 on the qualifying list.
Varner also placed 5th in the shot put at Widener (Photos by Anna Bellucci).
“I was filled with utter excitement after that personal best,” Varner said. “I knew I had it in me, and finally seeing it all come together in competition was such a rewarding moment.”
It was even more rewarding for Varner after she missed qualifying for last year’s national meet by a mere three spots.
“That feeling stayed with me ever since,” she said. “It was heartbreaking, but it also fueled my motivation and work ethic throughout this entire season. Now to be in a position where making it is within reach is incredibly emotional and rewarding.”
2025 will be the first outdoor track and field national meet for the entire trio of Varner, Diaz, and Nye. Nye has qualified for two indoor national meets and three cross country meets, Diaz has qualified to one national cross country meet, and Varner will head to her first national meet ever.
All will get to carry the momentum they created in the postseason qualifying window with them and enjoy the pure opportunity to compete that comes without expectation from previous national accomplishments.
No matter what happens, they’ll remember the last-chance magic that motivated them to push beyond what they knew their limits to be.
“The pressure and energy is very different at last chance meets, everything is on the line,” Varner said. “Athletes bring their best because they know it’s their last shot to prove themselves which creates such a competitive and inspiring atmosphere. It’s not just another meet, it’s a defining moment.”
For senior Diaz, the moment helped solidify a career-long journey.
“I was already in love with the journey to get to that moment, but just seeing it materialize like that as my collegiate career winds down was simply the cherry on top,” he said.
“My teammates stormed the field afterwards, and it was incredible to live that moment with all the people who helped me show up excited to get better at what I love doing every day. I owe it all to them, and of course, my coaches for believing in me.”
After all, a little belief, passion, and just a pinch of pressure is what often leads to some of the greatest accomplishments in our lifetimes. This combination helps overcome 3-1 deficits, run faster than we’ve ever run, throw farther than we’ve ever thrown, and maybe even overcome all odds when we finally get to the big stage.
Anything can happen at the national meet, and sometimes all that is needed is a place on the start list.
