TSR Collaboration
Mar 21, 202226 min
At this point, you all know the drill, but we'll give you a brief summary of what we're doing here just for fun.
The purpose of our End of Season Awards is to highlight a handful of the best athletes, the best performances and the best distance coaches in a few select categories. Our TSR writers offer a brief breakdown of each nominee for each award.
Then, in the second-half of this article, you'll find our votes from our TSR contributors in order to decide who the winners are.
Click here to read our D1 End of Season Awards
Let's begin...
*Redshirt freshmen are not considered for this award. Athletes who have freshman eligibility stemming from the pandemic extension are not included in this award. International freshmen are included amongst these candidates unless we have a reason to believe that they do not meet our above criteria.
Nominees: Reece Sharman-Newell (CSU-Pueblo), Josh Jones (Northwood (MI)), Henry Ruckman-Utting (Simon Fraser), Gidion Siegei (Lincoln Memorial)
Reece Sharman-Newell (CSU-Pueblo): Reece Sharman-Newell was an immediate contributor for the Thunderwolves this indoor season. The CSU-Pueblo ace didn’t back down from anyone, even in his first postseason experience. He placed 3rd at the RMAC Championships, eventually earning a converted time of 1:50.53 in the 800 meters which was good enough for the NCAA #20 spot on the D2 national leaderboard.
While that performance didn’t qualify him for the national meet as an individual, the frosh did get to go to Pittsburg State as part of CSU-Pueblo’s DMR squad.
Josh Jones (Northwood (MI)): Josh Jones established himself as a key part of multiple Northwood relays. He also emerged as a strong individual contributor. His reliableness allowed him to standout amongst his fellow freshman counterparts.
Jones notched an impressive mark of 1:50.83 in the 800 meters this winter. He took 5th place at the GLIAC Championships over the same distance and added more GLIAC hardware to his collection in the forms of a runner-up DMR finish and a 4x400 gold medal.
That DMR squad also took Jones to the national meet.
Henry Ruckman-Utting (Simon Fraser): Henry Ruckman-Utting has emerged as a key part of Simon Fraser’s future. The rookie placed 8th in the GNAC mile to start his scoring career at SFU. He also notched a personal best mark of 4:09 in the event, good for NCAA #55 on the D2 leaderboard over that distance. He showed off some consistency with a 4:10 mile time and his 8:25 (3k) mark suggests that he has potential in the longer distances if he develops over time.
Gidion Siegei (Lincoln Memorial): Siegei didn't gain a ton of national attention this winter, but he was very impressive in first collegiate indoor track season. The Lincoln Memorial runner was the top true freshman in the D2 ranks for 5000 meters. His flat-track converted time of 14:14 also put him at NCAA #30 on the national leaderboard. That mark helped him placed 3rd at the South Atlantic Conference Championships in a field that was loaded with talented men from Queens (NC).
*Redshirt freshmen are not considered for this award. Athletes who have freshman eligibility stemming from the pandemic extension are not included in this award. International freshmen are included amongst these candidates unless we have a reason to believe that they do not meet our above criteria.
Nominees: Ava O’Connor (Adams State), Fiona Hawkins (Adams State), Gemma Rebollo (Wingate), Alex Bauer (Walsh), Carlin McFadden (Queens (NC))
Ava O’Connor (Adams State): O’Connor had an immediate impact on the Division Two scene with her impressive performances throughout this winter season. While she displayed impressive range from the 800 meters up to the 3000 meters, her combination of speed and endurance primed her for success in the mile. She ran a 4:48 mile at the Husky Classic and then went on to win the same event at the competitive RMAC Championships. Her season ended at the NCAA Indoor Championships where she won her mile prelim and then went on to place 3rd overall in the finals with a time (and a PR) of 4:46.
Fiona Hawkins (Adams State): The young Grizzly ace started off her season relatively strong at altitude and then made her way down to sea-level for phenomenal performances in the mile (4:45) and the 3000 meters (9:31), both at the Husky Classic. She opted to run the 3k at the NCAA Indoor Championships and ended up placing 6th overall for All-American honors while also earning a new PR of 9:26. Hawkins could have arguably had more national meet success in the mile, but she still ended her season with an All-American performance and plenty of impressive times.
Gemma Rebollo (Wingate): Rebello was the only true freshman to race in the 5000 meters at the indoor national meet. The Wingate ace opened her season by running 17:00 in the event, an impressive time for her first collegiate track race. She lowered her time down to 16:42 at the GVSU "Big Meet" to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. She ended her season by placing 15th overall on the national stage. Rebello has a high ceiling for success in the longer races based on her first indoor season and she will likely become a familiar name in the Division Two scene over the next year or two.
Alex Bauer (Walsh): One of the more underrated rookies in D2 this year was Alex Bauer. The true freshman ran a very strong time of 4:53 in the mile this winter, putting herself in the mix amongst some talented top-tier D2 distance talents. With a respectable 2:15 (800) personal best to her name, as well as two runner-up finishes the G-MAC Indoor Championships, Bauer showed a lot of promise in her first collegiate indoor season.
Carlin McFadden (Queens (NC)): The Pennsylvania native was a very underrated 800 meter runner this season. The Royals youngster ran 2:11 for 800 meters and sat at NCAA #23 in the event on the D2 leaderboard. However, after scratches, that was enough to get McFadden into the national meet where she ran a new personal best of 2:10. There is clearly a lot of exciting potential that McFadden has yet to truly tap into.
*Evaluates nationally competitive distance talents who were not expected to make the leaps in fitness that they did this winter. Prior seasons are used as a very loose comparison tool when attempting to list nominees. Does not include freshmen or athletes who were in their first season of NCAA competition.
Nominees: Terrell Patterson (Southern Connecticut State), Titus Winders (Southern Indiana), Macauley Franks (Western Washington), Ryan Hartman (Augustana (SD)), Nick Nowlen (MSU-Denver), Cole Willis (Nebraska-Kearney), Clement Duigou (Adams State), Duncan Fuehne (Colorado Mines)
Macauley Franks (Western Washington): Prior to this winter, Franks had never run faster than 1:52 for 800 meters regardless of the season. He had also never run faster than 3:49 for 1500 meters on the outdoor oval. However, nowadays, Franks boasts personal bests of 1:50 (800) and 4:02 (mile). He's clearly a major threat at the national level and his All-American status from this past winter confirms that.
Cole Willis (Nebraska-Kearney): Potentially overshadowed by teammate Wes Ferguson, Willis had never run faster than 1:52 for 800 meters before this winter. However, this season, he ran a converted 1:49 to sit at NCAA #5 on the D2 leaderboard. He consistently ran top-end half-mile marks, ran 2:26 for 1000 meters and helped his DMR earn All-American honors. Willis was sneaky-good this year.
Clement Duigou (Adams State): After barely sneaking into the national meet with a big-time 3k personal best, Duigou was able to a 5th place All-American finish. His postseason peak was phenomenal and despite his past steeplechase success, seeing him having this kind of success on the national stage, especially in such an elite field, was impressive.
Duncan Fuehne (Colorado Mines): Running a converted 8:06 (3k) and a converted 13:59 (5k) is awfully impressive, especially when you consider where Fuehne once was. Last spring, the Colorado Mines youngster didn't run under 30:00 for the 10k last year, even with a conversion, and his 5k time, also with a conversion, didn't put him on the national leaderboard. Nowadays, he's qualifying for the national meet.
Nick Nowlen (MSU-Denver): Nowlen had never run faster than 1:53.00 in any race prior to this season. However, this winter, he flipped a switch and now owns a PR of 1:51 for the half-mile event. When you factor in track and altitude conversions, that time improves all the way to 1:49 for NCAA #6 on the D2 national leaderboard.
Ryan Hartman (Augustana (SD)): Augustana’s Ryan Hartman made tremendous strides this season, securing new personal bests in four different events.
Hartman improved his 1000 meter PR by seven seconds. He also debuted in the indoor 800 meters and the 3000 meters, with the latter event producing a very strong time of 8:04. However, the most notable jump for Hartman though came in the mile.
The Augustana Viking improved his mile time by a whopping 12 seconds this season en route to a PR of 4:04. Not only that, but he also claimed his first conference crown for that distance after finishing 5th in last year’s NSIC mile final.
Titus Winders (Southern Indiana): Titus Winders’ inclusion on this list probably has the simplest explanation, but it carries a lot of weight. Winders has had a reputation of being a consistent national contender and one of the better distance runners in D2.
But last winter was an extremely underwhelming season for Winders and this past fall wasn't that great for him, either. However, this year, Titus Winders is the national champion in both the 3k and the 5k.
Add in the fact that he broke the championship meet record en route to his 3k win and he shattered his 5k personal best by almost 20 seconds on the biggest stage, and one should realize that Winders was really moving differently this season.
Terrell Patterson (Southern Connecticut State): Terrell Patterson is a good example of the saying, "making the most of an opportunity". Finally making his debut in the indoor 800 meters, Patterson took his chance and ran with it all the way to the national meet.
Primarily a miler in the past, Patterson dropped down in distance this year at certain times. However, he improved his mile time before moving down to the 800 meters, breaking the 4:10 barrier that had eluded him for most of his career. His current mile PR now sits at an astounding 4:04.
Then Patterson showed off his turnover and combined it with his mile strength to run 1:50 for 800 meters. And when the dust settled, Patterson stood as an All-American in the 800 meters.
*Evaluates nationally competitive distance talents who were not expected to make the leaps in fitness that they did this winter. Prior seasons are used as a very loose comparison tool when attempting to list nominees. Does not include freshmen or athletes who were in their first season of NCAA competition.
Nominees: Katie Doucette (Western Colorado), Lindsay Cunningham (Winona State), Kelly-Ann Beckford (Lincoln (MO)), Cami Streff (Augustana (SD)), Carolin Bothe (Wisconsin-Parkside), Stevie Lawrence (Queens (NC)), Emily Schoellkopf (Adams State)
Katie Doucette (Western Colorado): While this was Doucette’s first indoor national meet, but she still competed like a veteran. The Western Colorado star placed 2nd overall in the 3000 meters as well as 4th place in the 5000 meters, earning personal bests of 9:20 and 16:08, respectively. Doucette went from not even qualifying for the indoor national meet to placing in the top-five in two events, all within a year. That is ridiculously impressive.
Lindsay Cunningham (Winona State): Lindsay Cunningham was the 7th place finisher at the NCAA XC Championships this past fall. However, on the track, this was someone who had limited success in the 1500 meters and the mile, had never run faster 17:24 for 5000 meters and had never contested a 3k on the collegiate stage.
Cunningham’s breakout race came at the NSIC Indoor Championships when she ran 16:33 (5k) and qualified for the national meet. Once she was there, Cunningham hung onto the chase pack and managed to place 5th overall with a new personal best of 16:14, nearly 70 seconds faster than her best time from last year.
Kelly-Ann Beckford (Lincoln (MO)): Last year, Kelly-Ann Beckford placed 8th in the 800 meters at the national meet and had a PR of 2:09 for the half-mile event. This year, she placed 2nd overall at the national meet and scored a massive PR of 2:04. While five seconds does not seem like that much, that is actually a VERY impressive jump in the 800 meters at this high of a level. Going from last in the finals to runner-up in the same event shows how much experience, and speed, Beckford has gained in the past year.
Cami Streff (Augustana (SD): Cami Streff proved that middle distance success can certainly run in the family. The sister of Hailey Streff was outstanding this winter in the 800 meters. Her personal best in the event prior to this season was 2:13. Her indoor best was 2:15. But now? Well, now Cami Streff owns a mark of 2:09 for 800 meters. That is a very fast time which qualified her for the national meet and made her a key name on a quietly loaded Augustana roster.
Carolin Bothe (Wis.-Parkside): Similar to Streff, what we saw out of Bothe this season was incredible. The Wisconsin-Parkside ace from Germany ran no faster than 2:14 while overseas. Now, she owns a personal best of 2:09 and was viewed as one of the best D2 800 meter runners in the country this winter. When you tack on her 5:09 mile PR, which was unconverted on a flat-track, then you begin to realize that there was a lot of sneaky-good firepower within Bothe this winter.
Stevie Lawrence (Queens (NC)): Lawrence had been a fairly competitive talent before this season, but she's never been quite this good before. Her mile PR improved dramatically, running an unconverted 4:56 mile on a flat-track. She also improved her 3k PR to a time of 9:37 (unconverted, also on a flat-track) which qualified her for the national meet. Then, in the 5000 meters, Lawrence had run no time faster than 17:30, a time which she had run on the outdoor oval. That PR, however, was immediately erased when she ran 17:18 for 5000 meters on a 300 meter indoor track. Lawrence was all-around great this season. She constantly made improvements in nearly every distance and emerged as a true national-caliber threat.
Emily Schoellkopf (Adams State): Schoellkopf, admittedly, didn't produce many fireworks in her first few seasons with the Grizzlies. However, she has since made a massive leap upwards in fitness. She has dropped a substantial amount of time in the 3k, earning an altitude and flat-track converted mark of 9:28 to sit at NCAA #10 in the event this winter. Schoellkopf didn't run anything other than the 3k this season, but we only needed one event to see how much better she has become.
*Must have run attached. We are looking at singular races for this award. Two or three races over the span of one day or a weekend do not count as one singular performance. However, a singular performance within a double is context that we do take into consideration.
Nominees: Christian Noble breaks 36-year old D2 mile record via 3:56 mark, Titus Winders shocks the NCAA by winning the 5k national title, Dillon Powell breaks the D2 indoor 5k record by running 13:33 at Boston University, American International breaks the official D2 DMR record by running 9:36, Noble's monster anchor leg gives Lee the DMR national title and an All-Conditions best time of 9:34, Noble runs D2 indoor 3k record of 7:50 just 90 minutes after setting a D2 record in the mile.
Christian Noble breaks 36-year old D2 mile record via 3:56 mark: Noble came into the season trying to break records and that’s what he’s did in 2022. After watching his 5000 meter record be broken by Dillon Powell, Noble opted for the Boston University Last Chance meet to take aim at both the mile and the 3k records. Sure enough, he ran a 3:56.10 mile time to break Kip Cheryiyout’s 36-year old record. There is now more than a 1.5 seconds between him and the next-fastest miler in D2 history.
Titus Winders shocks the NCAA by winning the men's 5k national title: There are some things that we can try and predict, but this we certainly did not expect. We’re not sure anyone thought Winders (outside of him) would come close to winning this race. He put on a tactical masterclass en route to setting a personal best, a facility record and the meet record. He also took down the top-four runners in the history of the event in the process. Quite the time to have the greatest race of your life if you ask us.
Dillon Powell breaks the D2 indoor 5k record by running 13:33 at Boston University: The 5k record that Powell set was not nearly as old as the mile record, but it’s a record nonetheless. After a myriad of questions as to how fast Powell could really run following heavy altitude conversions, he gave the NCAA an answer. Powell ran 13:33 for 5000 meters and took four seconds off of the D2 record while doing so. He’s now securely at the top of the D2 record books and it'll be fascinating to see if anyone can come close anytime soon.
American International runs 9:36 to break the official D2 DMR record: There were lots of records broken this year, and this was the first one of the season. We knew the DMR record was going to be in jeopardy, but we thought that would happen at the indoor national meet. American International, however, had a different idea when they ran 9:36 at Boston University. Callum Elson anchored the Yellow Jackets to a victory, but Gavin Smith and Clement Paillon played an important role in getting the baton to Elson in a great position.
Noble's heroic anchor leg gives Lee the DMR national title as well as an All-Conditions best time of 9:34: The Lee men gambled a bit by not having Carson Bix on their DMR for the national meet, but when you have Christian Noble on your anchor, it's hard to be pessimistic. Despite being far back from the leaders, Noble threw down a rumored (but unconfirmed) 3:53 to 3:54 split on his final leg. He caught a sub-four miler in Aaron Ahl and helped the Flames win the DMR national title in an All Conditions best mark of 9:34.
Noble runs D2 indoor 3k record of 7:50 just 90 minutes after setting a D2 record in the mile: Our criteria for this award states that we only ever look at one singular race when talking a "performance". We don't necessarily lump multiple races into one "performance". However, the context needed for Noble's D2 3k record of 7:50 is that he ran a 3:56 mile 90 minutes earlier. That is beyond impressive and it makes his 3k record that much stronger.
*Must have run attached. We are looking at singular races for this award. Two or three races over the span of one day or a weekend do not count as one singular performance. However, a singular performance within a double is context that we do take into consideration.
Nominees: Robles runs D2 indoor All-Conditions NCAA #2 5k best mark of 16:00 en route to national title, Cleyet-Merle destroys D2 mile record in time of 4:31.99, Celine Ritter runs 9:18 to win 3k national title, CSU-Pueblo women women dominate en route to DMR national title, Allison Andrews-Paul runs 2:04 to win 800 meter national title.
Brianna Robles runs D2 All-Conditions NCAA #2 indoor 5k time of 16:00 en route to title: Brianna Robles didn’t approach the starting line of the 5000 meters at the indoor national meet just wanting to win the race. She wanted to break the meet record, too.
Robles ran a blistering time of 16:00 to run one of the fastest all-conditions records for the D2 indoor 5000 meters. What’s impressive about this mark is that Robles ran the last few laps of this race completely alone and faced the mental challenge of racing the clock. She let runner-up finisher Fatima Alanis lead a good portion of the race before she took over and starting cranking down the pace.
With three laps to go, Robles had shaken off the chase pack and was in a long drawn-out sprint to the finish line. Robles beat her competitors by over six seconds in the fastest 5000 meter championship race to date.
This performance and record displays how dominant Brianna Robles was in the longer distance races throughout this winter.
Berenice Cleyet-Merle runs 4:31.99 to destroy former D2 mile record: Cleyet-Merle demolished the Division Two mile record by five and a half seconds at the Boston University Valentine’s Day Invitational. She ran 4:31.99 and placed 9th overall in a competitive field consisting of the best of Division One and professional runners in the nation.
The U. Indy star entered the race with a PR of 4:40, leaving us scratching our heads at why she was seeded at a time of 4:30. Of course, she proved us wrong and managed to shave off nine seconds from her PR.
To put some perspective on this performance, the next-fastest mile time in Division Two this season was a 4:43 mark. Cleyet-Merle rewrote the record book in a ridiculously dominant fashion and her record will likely stand for years to come.
Celine Ritter runs 9:18 (3k) to win national title: The Lee ace is an experienced veteran who excels at endurance-based events. Naturally, the 5k/3k double at the indoor national meet just made sense. Ritter managed to repeat as the national champion in the 3000 meters following an impressive 3rd place finish in the 5000 meters the night prior. This double is not for the faint of heart, and Ritter made it look like a breeze in her last race of the weekend despite the stiff competition she was facing.
CSU-Pueblo women dominate en route to DMR national title: I don’t think anyone had CSU-Pueblo on their mind when thinking about the DMR prior to the indoor national meet. After all, they had the NCAA #9 time heading into the meet. But CSU-Pueblo somehow got it done and won the national title with the lineup of Hailey Streff, Taylor Holland, Helen Braybrook and Yasmine Hernandez.
Streff went out hard in the first leg and managed to create a 10 meter gap. Holland and Braybook maintained that gap while Yasmine Hernandez was able to create more distance and hold off some of the fastest milers in the country.
Hernandez scratched from her best individual event (the mile) so she could be fresh for the anchor leg of the DMR. This sacrifice paid off big time and now four dark-horses from CSU-Pueblo can call themselves national champions.
Allison Andrews-Paul runs 2:04 to win 800 meter national title: The Simon Fraser standout was so clearly the best runner in the women's 800 meter field at the national meet. She ran with tremendous poise, made convincing moves and was simply so much better than her competition. A time of 2:04 gave her a national title and she made it look almost easy.
*Considers performances throughout the entirety of the season. Evaluates events 800 meters up to the 5000 meters, plus the DMR.
Nominees: Damon Martin (Adams State), Chris Siemers (Colorado Mines), Jerry Baltes (Grand Valley State), Brit Townsend (Simon Fraser), Nick Aguila (American International), Caleb Morgan (Lee (Tenn.))
Jerry Baltes (Grand Valley State): There may not have been any individual champions from Jerry Baltes’ crew this season, but the efforts from his distance runners resulted in multiple All-American honors, as well as a national team title.
Baltes’ distance runners earned just a little under half of the Lakers' 66 total team points, snagging 29 points in the longer events. Add in their consistent relevancy in the national picture over the season’s entirety, and you can’t help but tip your hat to the Lakers’ head coach.
Damon Martin (Adams State): There was not a single distance event at the indoor national meet in which the Grizzlies did not score at least one point.
The DMR? The Grizzlies’ squad took home a top-three finish.
The 5000 meters? Awet Beraki snuck into the All-American picture.
The mile? Ditto for Mikah Paiz.
What about the 800 meters? David Cardenas took 4th place in a well-executed race.
And the 3k? Clement Duigou closed out the Grizzlies’ weekend with a 5th place finish.
The phrase "having your bases covered" seems to fit the roster that Damon Martin assembled for this indoor track season. And heck, we didn't even mention that the Grizzlies had four men in the top-20 of the mile on the D2 national leaderboard, including three men in the top-10.
Chris Siemers (Colorado Mines): The expectations for Colorado Mines this season were high and that’s because of the standard that the Orediggers' head coach Chris Siemers has set for the program.
The Orediggers had seven individuals in the distance events at this year’s indoor national meet: Luke Julian, Dylan Ko, Jake Mitchem, Dillon Powell, Loic Scomparin, Kyle Moran and Duncan Fuehne. Three of them earned All-American honors.
However, maybe more importantly, the Orediggers validated their fitness at Boston University. Powell ran the 5k collegiate record while Moran, Mitchem, Ko and Scomparin now sit at NCAA #2, NCAA #6, NCAA #13, NCAA #18 all-time in the same event (although it's unclear why results from the national meet are included on the all-time list given that the 300 meter track that was used for the meet).
Brit Townsend (Simon Fraser): In their return from a gap in NCAA competition, Simon Fraser and coach Brit Townsend demonstrated that they were doing anything but taking it easy in their time away. Fueled by the 1-2 punch of the Aaron Ahl and Charlie Dannatt duo, the Simon Fraser men put on a show this season.
Their national runner-up in the DMR joined the winner (Lee (Tenn.)) in going under the previous D2 collegiate record (which won't officially count due to being on a 300 meter track).
We also saw Aaron Ahl shatter the four-minute mile barrier with a 3:57 PR and also run 7:54 for 3000 meters, an event he earned All-American honors in. Charlie Dannatt also took home All-American honors, although his result came in the mile finals.
Caleb Morgan (Lee (Tenn.)): When someone mentions the Lee Flames, it’s hard not to think of Christian Noble. Really, Noble put on a show every time he touched a track this season. Each time he did, it was such an exciting production.
However, Coach Morgan is running an entire program, not a lone star, and that is clearly working as the Flames won a DMR national title in an All Conditions best mark. And they did that without Carson Bix!
We have already mentioned Christian Noble, but we also have to mention Carson Bix and Titus Lagat. While both Bix and Lagat may not have had the national meet ending that they wanted, their work over the course of the season is definitely still worthy of praise. They were amongst the best in their respective events and the times they recorded gave the Lee men tons of firepower.
Nick Aguila (American International): American International’s program seemed to make an impressive jump this year. Coach Nick Aguila joined the program before the season really got rolling and while some of the Yellow Jackets were already established veterans, their results were still spectacular.
Ezra Mutai and Clement Paillon are no strangers to the national stage and the emergence of Callum Elson rounded out a "Big Three" for the Yellow Jackets.
Mutai seemed to run out of steam at the national meet, but it’s important to note that the veteran runner had a heavyweight status going into the meet as the result of his earlier performances. This season, we saw Mutai break the eight-minute 3k barrier and smash the 14-minute 5k barrier.
Meanwhile, Clement Paillon firmly established himself as a sub-1:50 runner for 800 meters, dropping a time of 1:48 twice on the season before closing things out with a runner-up finish in the national title race.
Then there was Callum Elson who joined the D2 scene in dramatic fashion, breaking the four-minute barrier before winning a national title in his indoor national meet debut. He was one of the most dynamic stars in the nation.
Lost in all of this is that the Yellow Jackets also had Silas Choge run 1:52 for 800 meters and Gavin Smith run 4:06 in the mile. That is a scary number of weapons for American International...
*Considers performances throughout the entirety of the season
Nominees: Damon Martin (Adams State), Jerry Baltes (Grand Valley State), Scott Fangman (Indianapolis), Caleb Morgan (Lee Tenn.)), Matt Morris (CSU-Pueblo), Corey Kubatzky (UC-Colorado Springs)
Damon Martin (Adams State): Adams State had the most points scored by a distance contingent at the indoor national meet with 31 points. That is due to the quality and the depth of their program. Eight distance runners qualified for the meet individually. Yes, eight.
The Grizzlies had two women run in the mile (Ava O’Connor and Nicole Lawrence), three women in the 3k (Brianna Robles, Fransiska Althaus and Precious Robinson), a 3rd place finish in the DMR and six women in the 3k (Brianna Robles, Fiona Hawkins, Morgan Hykes, Emily Schoellkopf, Fransiska Althaus and Precious Robinson).
Coach Martin and his team ultimately flew back to Alamosa with five runners as individual All-Americans and one of the fastest indoor 5k marks in D2 history. Wow.
Jerry Baltes (Grand Valley State): Coach Baltes delivered once again at the indoor national meet with a 2nd place team finish. No, they didn’t earn as many points as Adams State did on the distance side, but they didn’t have as many women qualify, either. They had a nice balance of runners qualifying individually in the 800 meters all the way to the 5000 meters, with everything in between.
Jessica Gockley broke out as a contender to watch for in her second-to-last season competing for Grand Valley State. Meanwhile, Klaudia O’Malley continued her climb to the top ranks by finishing in runner-up in the mile. Then we had Taryn Chapko who showed that she belonged in the conversation as one of the best half-milers in all of D2.
Scott Fangman (Indianapolis): You likely think that this nomination has everything to do with Bernice Cleyet-Merle, right? Well not so fast, that's not necessarily true.
The Greyhounds also had Claire Eaton qualify individually for the indoor national meet in the 5k. Meanwhile, Indianapolis' DMR team, which consisted of Eline Pinter, Ellie Lengerich and Emily Sonderman, accompanied Cleyet-Merle on the podium with a 2nd place finish.
Ok, now let's talk about Cleyet-Merle.
She anchored her DMR team and made up a lot of ground to take home the silver medal. Cleyet-Merle also ran away from the competition in the final lap of the mile to win her second national title (first in the mile) and still finished 7th in the 3000 meters to go three-for-three as an All-American.
Matt Morris (CSU-Pueblo): The middle distance duo of Yasmine Hernandez and Hailey Streff earning 3rd and 6th place finishes in the 800 meters, ultimately earning two All-American honors was super impressive. Not only that, the Thunderwolves were DMR champions! Things are going well in Pueblo right now...
Corey Kubatzky (UC-Colorado Springs): Coach Kubatzky continues to produce star middle distance talents. This year, it was the mile and the DMR that the Mountain Lions decided to load up. The UC-Colorado Springs women put three runners into the mile finals (Riley McGrath, Kate Hedlund, and Layla Almasri) and all three women left with finishes in the top-eight (All-American). Their DMR also took home a 7th place finish to give those three, along with Amber Davis, an additional All-American certificate to add to their resume.
*Must have run attached this season. Voters can choose to vote for the best distance runner this season or the most valuable distance runner this season.
Nominees: Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.)), Callum Elson (American International), Titus Winders (Southern Indiana), Wes Ferguson (Nebraska-Kearney), Aaron Ahl (Simon Fraser), Dillon Powell (Colorado Mines)
Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.)): Noble led the Flames to a DMR victory with his stunning anchor leg (rumored to be a split around 3:54). He won the mile title before being disqualified and finished 6th in the 3000 meters the next day. Between his jaw-dropping mile time of 3:56 (a D2 record) and his incredible 3k time of 7:50 (a D2 record), which were run 90 minutes apart, this Lee veteran has clearly reached an all-time great status. Noble is going to go down as the best runner in D2 history and to be honest, it’s not really close.
Callum Elson (American International): Elson is a new name for the AIC men this year, but he made his mark on the Yellow Jackets' program instantly. After an impressive 33rd place All-American finish on the grass, Elson didn’t miss a beat on the track. He ran 8:02 for 3000 meters and then followed that up with a 3:59 mile to become one of four D2 men to do so this winter. Ultimately, Elson’s DMR team finished 4th at the national meet despite having the record in the event. He did, however, get the last laugh as he left Pittsburg, Kansas with the national title in the mile.
Titus Winders (Southern Indiana): It’s crazy how fast things can change for an athlete. Prior to the national meet, Winders was having the best season of his career and was in All-American contention. But even then, he quickly shattered those expectations. Winders ran 13:38.92 for 5000 meters to win the national title in the event. He then came back less than 24 hours later to run 7:57.01 for the 3000 meter title as well. Those marks are both personal bests and both were brilliant examples of how to race in a championship setting.
Wes Ferguson (Nebraska-Kearney): The rise of Ferguson began when he broke the D2 1000 meter record, running 2:23 way back in early January and beating a D1 star in Adam Fogg in the process. Since that point, we’ve seen the Loper ace set three personal bests in the 800 meters, a personal best in the mile and help his Nebraska-Kearney distance medley relay team qualify for the indoor national meet.
Ferguson also happens to be the 800 meter national champion now after a master class of tactics in the 800 meter finals. He lowered his personal best to a time of 1:49.47 during that title effort and he solidified himself as one of the most versatile middle distance runners in the country.
Oh and for good measure, he helped the Lopers’ 4x400 team finish 6th at the indoor national meet, adding on to his successful 2022 season.
Aaron Ahl (Simon Fraser): Ahl set the track on fire in January when he ran 7:53 for 3000 meters and then 3:57 for the mile. It felt like he was the consensus title favorite in both events and it didn’t matter who he’d race.
As it turns out, we were a bit wrong on that front, but Ahl still deserves some credit. After a disappointing mile preliminary which saw him bumped out of the final, he bounced back to lead Simon Fraser to a 2nd place finish in the DMR. He then earned a 4th place finish in the 3000 meters the next day.
While we expected more from him at the national meet, we can’t discredit what he did this winter, including in the postseason. Ahl was able to sweep the GNAC as he won titles in the mile and in the 3k. He helped his DMR team to a victory as well.
Dillon Powell (Colorado Mines): Powell is the key focal piece for the Colorado Mines distance team. It was that way during cross country season and it was certainly that way this indoor season. After a long hiatus, he opened up at his home track, running 8:20 (3k) which obviously gave him a friendly conversion and a top-10 time in the country. The following weekend, Powell ran 13:33 (5k) to break the D2 record.
*Must have run attached this season. Voters can choose to vote for the best distance runner this season or the most valuable distance runner this season.
Nominees: Berenice Cleyet-Merle (Indianapolis), Brianna Robles (Adams State), Celine Ritter (Lee), Alison Andrews-Paul (Simon Frasier), Yasmine Hernandez (CSU-Pueblo), Fatima Alanis (Queens (NC)), Katie Doucette (Western Colorado)
Berenice Cleyet-Merle (Indianapolis): Earlier in the season at Boston University, Cleyet-Merle set the collegiate record in the mile with a time of 4:31.99 and crushed the old record by over five seconds. She proceeded to follow-up that performance with a sweep of the 800 meters, the mile and the 3k at the GLVC Championships.
And if that still wasn’t enough for you, she won the mile national title and propelled the U. Indy DMR to a 2nd place finish. She passed the eye test with flying colors and showed the D2 world that she is going to be a name who will be remembered for a long time.
Brianna Robles (Adams State): Debatably the best distance runner of the national meet, Robles won the 5k in a new All Conditions bets mark and took 3rd place in a new personal best in the 3k. This Adams State star has made quite the jump and now she can call herself a national champion. She has now proven that she is the runner to beat in the 10k/5k double on the outdoor track this spring.
Celine Ritter (Lee (Tenn.)): Celine Ritter had probably the best weekend at the NCAA Indoor Championship aside from Brianna Robles on the distance side. She defended her title in the 3k and placed 3rd in a very fast 5k. Ritter also proved throughout the season that she is still one of the nation's premiere D2 milers and her value in the DMR left us unsure which events she would contest at the indoor national meet. From a value standpoint, she can do a little bit of everything.
Alison Andrews-Paul (Simon Fraser): Andrews-Paul brings a lot of value to the table. She helped out in the DMR and the 4x400 and was able to run the open 800 meters. Specifically, in the 800 meters, Andrews-Paul ran three times in the top-six in Division Two history in just this season alone. And no, she wasn’t just someone who could ONLY run fast because she performed very well in a tactical environment like the 800 meter prelims at the national meet.
In the end, she provided a huge spark for Simon Fraser as they earned two team All-American honors in the DMR and the 4x400. Andrews-Paul also brought home the national title in the 800 meters.
Yasmine Hernandez (CSU-Pueblo): Hernandez got it done for the team. Yes, she probably would’ve loved for the 800m title to be hers, but she anchored her DMR to the win. In a season of growth, especially in the mile, Hernandez chose the team. Not only that, but she was still rewarded with a bronze medal in the 800 meters en route to a 2:05 personal best! It also does't hurt that she had the second-best time in the nation for the mile via a mark of 4:43.
Fatima Alanis (Queens (NC)): With the aerobic engine that Alanis has, her 5k time of 16:06 shouldn’t come as a surprise. Yes, it is way faster than anything that she has run in her life, but Alanis is a competitor and a very good one at that. It made sense that she would thrive in an aggressively-paced 5k setting that suited her strengths as a runner. And to come away as an All-American in both the 3k and the 5k should only strengthen her case as one of the best distance talents in D2.
Katie Doucette (Western Colorado): Not a lot of people thought Katie Doucette would emerge as a top distance contender, ourselves included. Running at altitude leaves a lot to be desired as everything is a converted time to qualify for the national meet.
With that being said, nobody will look at Doucette the same again. A 4th place finish in a wicked fast 5k and a runner-up result to Celine Ritter in the 3k was flat-out incredible. Doucette emerged as a legitimate title threat post-nationals and that should lead to a promising outdoor campaign.
Men
Garrett: Reece Sharman-Newell (CSU-Pueblo)
John: Josh Jones (Northwood (MI))
Grace: Josh Jones (Northwood (MI))
Eric: Reece Sharman-Newell (CSU-Pueblo)
Nate: Reece Sharman-Newell (CSU-Pueblo)
Women
Garrett: Ava O’Connor (Adams State)
John: Ava O’Connor (Adams State)
Grace: Ava O’Connor (Adams State)
Eric: Ava O’Connor (Adams State)
Nate: Ava O’Connor (Adams State)
Men
Garrett: Duncan Fuehne (Colorado Mines)
John: Terrell Patterson (Southern Connecticut State)
Grace: Titus Winders (Southern Indiana)
Eric: Titus Winders (Southern Indiana)
Nate: Ryan Hartmann (Augustana (SD))
Women
Garrett: Cami Streff (Augustana (SD))
John: Katie Doucette (Western Colorado)
Grace: Katie Doucette (Western Colorado)
Eric: Katie Doucette (Western Colorado)
Nate: Kelly-Ann Beckford (Lincoln (MO))
Men
Garrett: Noble's 7:50 (3k) D2 collegiate record 90 minutes after running a 3:56 mile
John: Noble's 7:50 (3k) D2 collegiate record 90 minutes after running a 3:56 mile
Grace: Noble's 7:50 (3k) D2 collegiate record 90 minutes after running a 3:56 mile
Eric: Noble's 7:50 (3k) D2 collegiate record 90 minutes after running a 3:56 mile
Nate: Titus Winders’ 5k national title win
Women
Garrett: Berenice Cleyet-Merle’s record shattering 4:31.99 mile
John: Berenice Cleyet-Merle’s record-shattering 4:31.99 mile
Grace: Brianna Robles’ D2 All-Conditions best time of 16:00 en route to a 5k national title
Eric: Berenice Cleyet-Merle’s record shattering 4:31.99 mile
Nate: Brianna Robles’ D2 All-Conditions best time of 16:00 en route to a 5k national title
Men
Garrett: Nick Aguila (American International)
John: Chris Siemers (Colorado Mines)
Grace: Chris Siemers (Colorado Mines)
Eric: Chris Siemers (Colorado Mines)
Nate: Damon Martin (Adams State)
Women
Garrett: Damon Martin (Adams State)
John: Damon Martin (Adams State)
Grace: Damon Martin (Adams State)
Eric: Damon Martin (Adams State)
Nate: Damon Martin (Adams State)
Men
Garrett: Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.))
John: Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.))
Grace: Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.))
Eric: Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.))
Nate: Christian Noble (Lee (Tenn.))
Women
Garrett: Berenice Cleyet-Merle (Indianapolis)
John: Berenice Cleyet-Merle (Indianapolis)
Grace: Brianna Robles (Adams State)
Eric: Berenice Cleyet-Merle (Indianapolis)
Nate: Brianna Robles (Adams State)