matthewholcomb0412
Jun 3, 20197 min
Was not ranked the week before
First number indicates the change in a runner's ranking from week prior
Second number indicates where the runner was ranked last week
Shindruk had a very up and down season, but it ended on a good note with two All-American trophies. She started off the meet with a 7th place finish in the 10k running 38:04.69. She ended the meet, and her collegiate career, with another 7th place finish, this time in the 5k, clocking a 17:27.70. Those are her first and only All-American finishes for a track season.
In her first outdoor championship meet, Gockley surprised quite a few people (myself included) with a 4th place finish in the 10k, running a 37:40.52. After only running four races this season, it will be interesting to see if she tries to discover more range over the next couple of years.
The surprise of the meet was probably Kate Lilly. She attempted the 1500/5k double, barely even making the field in the 5k. She did not make the finals in the 1500, but bounced back in extreme fashion, finishing 5th in the 5k with a time of 17:23.33. It is her first All-American spot in an individual event.
Ludge came in as the #5 seed in the 1500 and she finished one spot behind her in 6th, running 4:37.80. She started the 1500 in an attempt to get two All-American finishes, but had to drop out near the end of the race. Ludge is now a seven-time All-American, and will come in as a contender next year, no matter what event she chooses to do.
Bloch came in with a sort of surprising 800/1500 double. She did not make it out of the 800 prelims, but she did manage to make it to the finals of the 1500, where she clocked a 4:37.75, finishing 5th. That 5th place finish is Bloch’s first All-American trophy which is what a great way to end your senior season.
Unfortunately, we barely got to see Koch-Johnson at Nationals as she had to pull up not even midway through her prelim. To that point, the senior had been having a great season, building off what she had done during indoors. It is a very unfortunate end to a very decorated career.
In her first season running the 10k, Patterson did not disappoint. Coming in with the #4 seed in the event, she finished 3rd with a 37:33.19 behind the two perennial favorites in Caroline Kurgat and Leah Hanle. She just missed out on another All-American spot later in the meet as she finished 9th in the 5k. Patterson is now a 10-time All-American.
Groeber kept going from unranked to ranked, back and forth all season, but after what she did at Nationals, it is undeniable that she belongs on this list. She led the steeplechase for most of the way before finishing 5th with a 10:38.08. She came back and grabbed another All-American trophy in the 5k, finishing 6th with a time of 17:24.53. Groeber has now doubled her All-American trophy count to four.
Hunter-Galvan kept the momentum of her breakout season going at Nationals. She started it off right with a 4th place finish in the steeplechase with a PR of 10:33.49. She returned to grab another All-American spot, finishing 8th in the 5k with a time of 17:32.86. With two All-American trophies in her first ever individual events at a national meet, Hunter-Galvan has a lot to look forward to next year.
McCormick was facing sort of an uphill battle in the 800 as two of the best of this generation were seeded ahead of her in the form of Skylyn Webb and Rachael Walters. She managed to finish 4th in the race, running a 2:09.71 and later helped the Alaska Anchorage 4x4 to an 8th place finish. McCormick finishes her collegiate career as a seven-time All-American and a former indoor 800-meter champion.
Coming in with the top time in Division II in the 1500, it was a little bit of a letdown of sorts for Flanagan, as she ran a 4:37.68 to finish 4th. The tactical nature of the race may have come back to bite her, but Flanagan does go into next year as one of the favorites and an 11-time All-American.
Metcalfe was one of the few athletes to grab a season best at this outdoor championship meet. She ran a 2:07.96 in prelims of the 800, her fastest of the season, to then return in the finals and clock a 2:09.04 and grab a 3rd place finish. She also grabbed a bronze medal in the 1500 running 4:37.37. Metcalfe has now finished 3rd in the 800 and 1500 in back-to-back outdoor seasons.
Howley added two All-American trophies to her collection after she secured a 3rd place finish in the steeplechase, running a 10:27.05, and returned to finish 4th in the 5k with a time of 17:22.23. The steeplechase finish for Howley is her first individual top-three finish at an NCAA Championship. Howley finishes her collegiate career as a five-time All-American.
We had not seen Hanle in a while (since her last race was a 10k in early April) but there was never in question as to what kind of form she would be in as she was once again in contention in both the 5k and 10k. She picked up a runner-up finish in the 10k, running a 37:20.46 and a 3rd place finish in the 5k, running a 17:21.86. Hanle has now finished in the top three at all six of her races for the past three NCAA Track Championships. With athletes graduating, the now 12-time All-American should be the favorite in the 5k and 10k come next year.
It was a familiar result for Walters, as she finished second in the 800, running a 2:08.18. That 2nd place finish marks the fifth straight NCAA 800-meter race in which Walters has finished as the runner-up. She did grab another All-American trophy, as she returned to help the Grand Valley State 4x4 to a 7th place finish. The now 14-time All-American will go down as one of the best Division II runners to never win an individual NCAA title.
Flanagan lived up to the her #2 seed times in both the steeplechase and 5k as she took runner-up finishes in both events, running a 10:26.41 in the steeplechase and a 17:18.66 in the 5k. The now eight-time All-American will go into next year as the favorite to win both events, and grab her first NCAA title.
What a freshman year for Cotter! After finishing 11th in cross country, and winning the DMR and mile during indoors, Cotter picked up another NCAA title after unleashing a great kick to run down Alicja Konieczek and take the 1500 in a 4:36.91. With about as good of a freshman year as any athlete could have, we may be seeing a legend in the making in the form of Stephanie Cotter.
New year, same result as Webb once again takes the 800 meter title, hammering it from the gun and winning comfortably with a time of 2:06.96. Webb proves time and time again that in the biggest moments, she shines the brightest. We may look back on her career as one of the most dominant female 800 meter runs of all time, one that for some reason is currently not as appreciated as it should be.
I tried to go outside the box and pick against her in our predictions, but Konieczek proved that that was indeed a stupid decision, as she handily took home her third-straight steeplechase crown, pulling away from the field over the last 400 meters and running a 10:23.89. She then came back and just missed out on another title, getting nipped at the line in the 1500, taking 2nd with a 4:37.26. Konieczek ends her collegiate career as a nine-time national champion.
Two races, two more NCAA titles for Kurgat as she cruised to easy wins in both the 5k and 10k last weekend. She took home the win in the 10k with a time of 36:34.31 and earned another gold medal in the 5k with a time of 17:10.10. As expected, she was the best runner in the field. The now seven-time national champion ends her collegiate career with a résumé that makes her arguably the greatest female Division II runner of all-time.
1. Skylyn Webb (UC Colorado Springs)
2. Rachael Walters (Grand Valley State)
3. Kristen Metcalfe (Embry-Riddle)
4. Danielle McCormick (Alaska Anchorage)
5. Carsyn Koch-Johnson (Cedarville)
1. Stephanie Cotter (Adams State)
2. Alijca Konieczek (Western Colorado)
3. Kristen Metcalfe (Embry-Riddle)
4. Roisin Flanagan (Adams State)
5. Liz Bloch (Michigan Tech)
1. Alijca Konieczek (Western Colorado)
2. Eilish Flanagan (Adams State)
3. Julia Howley (Simon Fraser)
4. HaLeigh Hunter-Galvan (Adams State)
5. Hanna Groeber (Grand Valley State)
1. Caroline Kurgat (Alaska Anchorage)
2. Eilish Flanagan (Adams State)
3. Leah Hanle (Mount Olive)
4. Julia Howley (Simon Fraser)
5. Kate Lilly (Seattle Pacific)
1. Caroline Kurgat (Alaska Anchorage)
2. Leah Hanle (Mount Olive)
3. Gina Patterson (Grand Valley State)
4. Jessica Gockley (Grand Valley State)
5. Kaylee Bogina (Adams State)