John Cusick
Mar 6, 20234 min
Written by John Cusick, edits and additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin
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Editor's Note: Our TSR writers were asked to produce three sentences or less of analysis on every entrant in every distance event for every division. We will be slowly rolling out these previews throughout this week leading up to the indoor national meets. Stay tuned!
Adams State has endless options for their 1200 meter leg and two of the best talents in the country via David Cardenas and Miguel Coca on this relay. Even so, the success of this relay will come down to Miguel Coca and his ability to finish with some of the best milers in the country. His converted 3:56 mark looks nice on paper, but he has yet to break 4:00 in the mile and he’ll likely need to do that to hold off the rest of the field.
This is the best lineup that CSU-Pueblo can assemble and it was nearly good enough to win them the RMAC title. Matisse Virey has emerged as a high-level talent while Reece Sharman-Newell continues to get better. If the pace lags on the final leg, don’t be surprised to see the Thunderwolves' elite anchor bring another DMR national title to Pueblo.
It somehow feels like Wingate has gone under the radar this season despite their monster 9:40 (DMR) mark from earlier this year. Hamza Chahid was a big reason for them running so well and that will ring true again on Friday. Chahid opted out of the individual mile to have fresh legs for the DMR and that could be all the difference between winning and coming up just short.
The duo of Jagger Zlotoff and Evan Graff have been very good for UC-Colorado Springs this season. With both men taking a step forward this winter, it doesn’t feel all that unlikely that we could see the Mountain Lions place inside the top-three on a good day. However, against some of the best milers in D2 history, Graff will need to have one of the better performances of his career for the UCCS men to keep pace.
Getting the baton to Charlie Dannatt should be the mantra for Simon Fraser this weekend. If they can do that without too much of a gap forming, then the odds of them winning the national title in the event get that much better. With such an elite talent on the anchor, anything is possible, and that includes winning the national title...depending on who you ask.
We’re not sure what the ceiling is for this Missouri Southern relay, but their floor should have them leaving Virginia Beach as All-Americans. Ryan Riddle is having the best indoor track season of his career and could add to that with a strong anchor leg. The question at hand, however, is will the rest of the team deliver enough to keep this group close enough to the top of the field?
The success of the Northwest Missouri men will be driven by that of Reece Smith. The 2022 steeplechase national champion has now run 4:04 (mile) and 8:00 (3k) in just the past month, setting himself and this team up for success. However, both Riley Witt and Jake Norris will have to each have some of the better performances of their careers if the Bearcats are going to be legitimately competitive in the upper-portion of this field.
You could argue that Nebraska-Kearney has the most end-to-end firepower in this field with Luke Stuckey and Wes Ferguson on the 1200 meter and mile legs, respectively. Of course, the question of whether or not Ferguson actually anchors this team is still up in the air. Payton Davis has run 4:09 (mile) this season and would be their next viable 1200 meter option.
The trio of Christian Balcer, Cole Benoit and Hunter Kurz have made Mississippi College a legitimate All-American contender in the DMR. Each man has had the best indoor track seasons of their careers and together, they’ve put together the best DMR team in the Choctaws' history. But relative inexperience on this stage is something to monitor.
Grand Valley State doesn’t pose the same threat that they once did, but they still find themselves in a spot to finish as All-Americans. Caleb Futter is the best athlete in this lineup and he’ll be able to perform like it. He’s fresh off of a new 4:04 (mile) personal best and he’ll need another one of those performances to help place this team inside the top-eight.
Western Colorado never contested the DMR at sea level, so their “true” ceiling is still unknown. If they can compete like they did when they posted their converted 9:45 (DMR) mark, then they’ll have a good chance of finishing as All-Americans. Regardless, they feel a bit like a wild card team.
Western Washington qualified on the final possible weekend when they needed a huge performance for their team. They will need to perform in the same manner this weekend to be considered All-American threats in this field, but at least they know how to race at their best in the clutch.