John Cusick
Mar 6, 20233 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!
There’s simply too much firepower from Adams State to not tab them as the favorites heading into the national meet. They have the ability to swap runners in without losing any real level of potency. Add in that Stephanie Cotter should be anchoring this team and we’re not sure how anyone topples the Grizzlies.
Grand Valley State is the only team in this field that can rival Adams State. The breakout of Natalie Graber has given the Lakers some flexibility in assembling their lineup. They’ll still need their best performances or an “off” day from one of the Grizzlies' legs to have a chance at the national title, though.
Saginaw Valley State has to be the biggest surprise of the season after they posted their 11:29 (DMR) mark at the GLIAC Indoor Championships. The resurgence of Alexa Keiser and the emergence of Lauren Buckner have turned the Cardinals into legitimate All-American contenders.
Katie Doucette, the Mountaineers’ ace, has opted to contest the DMR along with her teammates, a move that vastly improves this team’s All-American chances. Allison Beasley and Doucette have been the main staples of Western Colorado all season and that won’t likely change at the national meet.
Josii Johnson broke out at the end of the regular season and when paired with Courtney McAlindon’s recent success, a top-five finish doesn’t feel out of the realm of possibility. However, there are some questions about how Westminster’s lineup will look when the gun goes off on Friday. They feel a bit like a wild card relay.
You could argue that UC-Colorado Springs has the greatest chance of disturbing the rest of the field on Friday evening. Anna Fauske and Kate Hedlund are both sub-4:55 milers, making them viable picks for either the 1200 meter or the anchor leg. If everything goes right, it wouldn’t come as a huge shock to see this group finish runner-up in a relay event that perfectly matches the identity of this roster.
Northwest Missouri’s All-American chances can be summed up pretty simply. Can the three legs before Caroline Cunningham do enough to keep them within striking distance? If they can hold their own, then Cunningham is talented enough to do the rest and nab a top-eight spot. If not, then the other anchors may be the slightest bit too far out of reach.
The Colorado Mines women have quietly put together a really strong DMR team. Both Alex Raichart and Clare Peters will be fresh heading into the relay and that should give the Orediggers an advantage over most of these teams. A top-eight finish is likely the best outcome, but if Peters continues to extend the momentum of her breakout season, then we could see this team sneak inside the top-three.
PJ English is an experienced miler who has been in multiple high-leverage situations. The biggest uncertainty, however, will be if she’ll have too much to overcome. We’ll need to see strong performances from Mia Salas and Caroline Sudbeck for the Vikings to be competitive, but their skillsets should work well on the lead-off and 800 meter legs.
Gwynne Riley and Meg Scheske will both be doubling back from the mile prelims earlier in the day -- and Hillsdale’s DMR success is largely reliant on both of them effectively rebounding on the double. If that doesn’t happen, then we’re not sure how high the Chargers' ceiling is for this event.
The Lee women don't necessarily have the same household names that some of these other teams have, but that won’t stop them from potentially playing spoiler. With Liza Kellerman performing up to her abilities, and the continued breakout of Aria Hawkins, we could see the Flames put together an All-American finish with the potential for more in the future.
Much like their NSIC counterparts in Augustana, the biggest question here will be how much work Amanda Montplaisir will need to do at the end of this race. MaKenna Thurston has quietly become a very reliable runner over the last few weeks, but we’re not sure that her alone is enough to help this Minnesota State team get over the hump.