Kevin Fischer
Mar 76 min
Written by Kevin Fischer, edits and additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin & Gavin Struve
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.
Despite having been a national qualifier last spring, it was Michael Olson's 1:49 (800) mark at the Boston U. Valentine Invitational that puts him in the national title conversation. He still holds the fastest time in the country which is something that can't be overlooked even if he is relatively new to the truly elite tier of Division Three. Tactics, however, will be the more interesting aspect of his to monitor.
2. Cael Schoemann (UW-La Crosse)
After winning the 800-meter title at the loaded WIAC Indoor Championships, Cael Schoemann is full of momentum entering this weekend. The highest finishing returner in this field from last spring and someone who holds a 1:49 PR, this UW-La Crosse star has met every expectation so far and has displayed phenomenal consistency along the way. A national title would be the icing on the cake of a fantastic season and we have every reason to believe that he is capable of it.
3. Sam Verkerke (UW-Eau Claire)
The 2022 national champion over 1500 meters has scratched the mile and the Blugolds have opted to scratch their DMR. Everything is pointing to a version of Sam Verkerke who is fully confident in going all-in for the 800-meter national title. And given his recent form in the event and past success, he probably should be.
4. Braedon Gilles (UW-Stevens Point)
It's not often that a mark from a 3rd place conference meet finish is enough to sit at NCAA #4 on the national leaderboard, but that is the case here. Braedon Gilles has perhaps been overshadowed due to the success of his WIAC counterparts, but he is one of the most dangerous men in this field in his own right. The momentum that he has built this winter suggests that he is peaking perfectly for the national meet.
5. Chase Upmann (Carthage)
While this will be Chase Upmann's first national meet in any season, he has delivered in such a way this season that has quelled any concerns we have. In particular, his head-to-head win over All-American Jake Shumaker in a championship setting should inspire a lot of confidence as long as he can replicate the fitness shown in his 1:51 (800) PR.
6. Andrew McGovern (Carnegie Mellon)
Primarily a 400-meter hurdler on the outdoor oval, Andrew McGovern has made a habit of shining over 800 meters on the indoor oval over the last two years. He improved throughout the season, culminating in a UAA title which indicates the potential to make the finals and hold his own once he gets there. And don't forget, this is someone who was a half-mile All-American last winter, meaning that he should be plenty comfortable with a field that is arguably not as top-heavy by comparison.
7. Sam Llaneza (Lynchburg)
The 1:49 (800) and 3:45 (1500) man couldn't have gone wrong whether he opted to run the mile or the 800 meters this weekend. Of course, it's the latter that most certainly gives him the best shot at NCAA gold. Llaneza is ahead of most of the field in terms of both aerobic strength and experience which will go a long way in his effort to outperform his seed. Make no mistake, this Lynchburg runner is very much a national title contender.
8. Joe Franke (Loras)
The departures of Mike Jasa and Carter Oberfoell have left a hole in the Duhawks’ middle distance program, but Joe Franke is already filling it. His converted 1:50 (800) mark to win the American Rivers Conference title over two established names in Kyle Miller and Andrew Hutchinson will be huge for his confidence when going up a slew of D3 men who are mostly on the same tier as those two guys.
9. Elijah Meder (Hope)
Elijah Meder didn’t make his season debut until the first weekend of February, but he made the wait worth it with a 1:50 (800) mark which held in the top-10, nationally, for the remainder of the season. His 4:09 mile mark from the following week suggests that he has some really solid aerobic strength that we haven’t seen from him in previous seasons -- and that could help him in a championship setting.
10. Kyle Miller (Buena Vista)
The American Rivers Conference runner-up finisher over 800 meters will be hungry to avenge his loss and outperform his seeding. After missing the finals by one spot at last year’s outdoor national meet, Miller has put himself in a great position to reverse his national meet fortunes. He has, after all, dropped four personal bests in four different this season and ran 1:49 (800) twice last spring
11. Jake Shumaker (Millikin)
Accounting for conversions, Jake Shumaker has run either 1:50 or 1:51 in all four of his 800-meter efforts this winter. His consistency is a microcosm of the last couple years as this is the fourth consecutive season in which he has qualified for the national meet in the event. His best national meet finish is 5th, which will be tough to replicate, but few men in this field are as reliable as this Millikin runner is.
12. T.J. Carleo (Brandeis)
After qualifying for the outdoor national meet as a true freshman last spring, we knew that the future was bright for TJ Carleo -- and everything that he has done this winter has matched our expectations for him. Improving upon his 18th place finish from the 2023 outdoor national meet seems highly likely, and with a great day, he could potentially contend for a spot in Saturday’s final. With prior national meet experience and still some youth-based upside remaining, the Brandeis runner could be sneaky-dangerous.
13. Trevor Richwine (Dickinson)
After failing to run faster than 1:58 in any of his first three 800-meter races, Trevor Richwine figured it out at the right time with a 1:50 mark at the Penn State Tune-Up followed by a win at the Centennial Conference Championships. The up-and-down nature of his season could potentially be a concern, but it appears that he has gotten to where he needs to be. When the Dickinson talent is "on," you could argue that he's an All-American talent.
14. Andrew Hutchinson (Dubuque)
The now three-time national qualifier wasn’t immediately clicking on all cylinders this winter, but he has improved with every race. Based on his national meet experience and his upwards trajectory this season, Avery Hutchinson will be one to watch out for in terms of outperforming seeding. In theory, he has one of the higher floors of any backend seed in this field.
15. Simon Opsahl (MIT)
He left it late, but Simon Opsahl has managed to get into his first national meet with a great result at the Tufts National Qualifier. In addition to his 800-meter prowess, he ran 3:51 (1500) this past spring. He will be hoping his versatility and metric mile strength can give him an advantage of sorts as he needs a big day to get into the final.
16. Zachary Liu-Walter (Williams)
Just like Opsahl, it was the Tufts National Qualifying that Zachary Liu-Walter used to earn his way to a spot to the national meet. Prior to this season, his collegiate best over 800 meters was 1:55, so he wasn’t on the radar at all, nationally. But this winter, he has been fairly consistent, something that (mostly) validates his recent last-second national qualifying time.
17. Dwight Hosni (UW-Oshkosh)
A big splash in December was enough to keep Dwight Hosni in this national meet field even though he hasn’t been able to replicate that performance. There’s no denying his talent, but he will need to rekindle that magic in order to be against a fairly crowded group of 800-meter runners.
18. Sean Hendricks (Rochester)
Sean Hendricks led wire-to-wire in his 800-meter victory at the AARTFC Championships, putting down a mark that was enough to sneak his way into the national meet. After never running faster than 1:58 (800) before this winter, it is incredible to see the way that he has progressed over last few months. Regardless of what happens this weekend, he will have a ton of positives to take from this campaign.
19. Caleb Correia (John Carroll)
Having achieved All-American honors in both the 4x400-meter relay on the outdoor oval and the DMR on the indoor oval, Caleb Correia will be looking to add individual accolades to his resume. When you consider that he won the OAC 800-meter title as the third event of a weekend, there is plenty to indicate that he can be dangerous coming back in the final. Of course, he just has to get there first, which is the tricky part.
20. Julian Aske (NYU)
The only freshman in the field, Julian Aske will have his work cut out for him this weekend. Regardless of where he places though, he will gain valuable experience which will serve him well in future seasons. There’s no reason to think that he won’t be back at this stage multiple times and with nothing lose, we can't help but wonder how ambitious this NYU rookie will be in his preliminary race come Friday.