Grace McLaughlin
Mar 7, 20235 min
Written by Grace McLaughlin
Edits and additional commentary by John Cusick & 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 leading up to the indoor national meets. Stay tuned!
The dynamic steeplechase star made a jump up in her fitness this winter and significantly improved her times on the oval. But while she is the top seed, Eleonora Curtabbi is not necessarily the title favorite. Even so, she can rely on her steeplechase strength and sneaky-good half-mile turnover to at least put her in contention for NCAA gold.
Stephanie Cotter has a history of dominating races and we expect her strength-based fitness and overall firepower to lead her to another national title. She has thrived at this distance on this stage for years and is a tactical nightmare for her opponents.
The Minnesota State ace excelled on the cross country course this past fall and has carried her momentum throughout this indoor track season. Cailee Peterson's consistency in the mile this winter, paired with her growing experience, indicates that she is more than capable of making it to the finals and securing a top-five finish.
Kaylee Beyer is a speed-based middle distance runner who has shown consistent improvement over the last few months. Yes, she's already had success at the national level, but the Winona State runner has seemingly gone through another breakthrough in her fitness this season. Beyer's ongoing progression and her well-balanced resume suggests that she is a strong contender for All-American honors regardless of how the rounds play out.
Klaudia O’Malley is the ultimate dark horse in this event due to her proven title-caliber firepower and consistent success. This Laker star is a legitimate threat for the mile national title given her perfect balance of speed and aerobic fitness (as well as her experience).
Kate Hedlund surprised us last year with her 6th place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships in this event, but we know better than to question her prowess this year. The UC-Colorado Springs ace showed massive improvement on the cross country course this past and has carried that success to the indoor oval. Her improved fitness level, growing experience and well-balanced resume tells us that she is ready to improve upon last year’s national meet finish.
Courtney McAlindon has steadily improved and her speed-based fitness will be beneficial in the usually-tactical rounds. The Griffin ace qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in this event last year, but failed to advance to the final. However, with her newfound fitness and a year of experience under her belt, it feels extremely likely that she will have a different outcome this year.
Maggie McCleskey is an up-and-coming runner to watch this weekend at the national meet. She was crowned the RMAC champion in this event in a thrilling upset at the line. Despite being a rookie, the Adams State talent has been surprisingly consistent, something that gives us some comfort as she heads into the prelims this weekend.
Ashley Corcoran is a consistently strong runner and sneaky-talented. Her progression this season has been promising and she has shown increased confidence as a veteran racer. Her steeplechase strength, extensive experience and understanding of how the top veterans in this field like to race will aid her in making it to the finals.
The Hillsdale ace has translated her steeplechase prowess to the indoor oval and snuck onto the national stage at the last minute with a massive PR in this event. Meg Scheske's progression and increased fitness are promising, but her lack of experience will a key aspect to monitor in the preliminary rounds.
Morgan Hykes is a strong runner who has shown consistent improvement with each passing season. While the 3000 meters is arguably her better event, the Grizzly ace earned bronze at the competitive RMAC Indoor Championships in the mile and may simply be talented enough to at least put herself in the final. Whether or not she can earn her first All-American honor depends on how much you think she has grown from last year's national meet appearances.
Anna Fauske has steadily progressed this year, evolving into an upper-tier runner at the Division Two level. She hasn't had a bad race this season, but it also feels like she's due for an even greater performance at this distance. While she lacks the same experience of her competitors, we can't forget about how much success the Mountain Lion women had in this event last year with a couple of younger runners.
Megan Roxby is a middle distance runner who has taken a leap in fitness this season. She would benefit from a tactical preliminary race in which she can use her raw 800 meter speed to out-kick her competitors. In fact, she may have some of the best half-mile turnover of any woman in this field.
Leah Taylor has made her way onto the national stage this winter after having a solid cross country season for the Mountaineers. While Taylor is still developing into Western Colorado's next middle distance star, this race will likely be about her gaining NCAA experience. That being said, she's been running incredibly well as of late and it feels like she has momentum on her side.
PJ English is a true veteran and has been consistently successful in the mile and the 1500 meters distances. However, she hasn't been quite as convincingly dominant as she's been in past seasons. The Viking ace has displayed enough talent to be an All-American in this event, but we are left with more questions than answers heading into Friday's preliminary rounds.
Gwynne Riley has experience at the national level, but she has yet to make the jump to the next level. Luckily, her consistent improvement tells us she is ready to make that leap as soon as this weekend. Her recent speed development also indicates that she has a shot at qualifying for the finals in a tactical preliminary race, especially if she also peaks like we think she could.
Allison Beasley is an athlete on the rise. She ran incredibly well on the cross country course and has been a reliably-dynamic runner this winter. While the mile is likely not her main event, her strength-based fitness can work in her favor.
Caroline Cunningham is a versatile veteran who has improved in every event this season. She has red-hot momentum and plenty of range, but her not-so-great conference meet showing and lack of experience on this stage will be barriers when it comes to qualifying for the final.
Flora Tissier was a relatively unknown athlete prior to this past fall, but she has shown massive improvement thus far and is just a sophomore. For this Charleston runner, this meet will likely be a chance to gain valuable long-term experience. That said, a handful of personal bests over the final few weeks of the season make Tissier a name to monitor this weekend.
Lauren Buckner has been a solid runner in the past, but she has shown a clear increase in her fitness this year. Her improvement has been promising, but it's hard to know what to expect from her given that her mile times have been a little all over the place this season.