2022 D2 Indoor Scratch Reactions

Entries and scratches for the D2 NCAA Indoor Championships are out and my goodness is there a ton to talk about! While there were certainly some fairly predictable scratches made by some of the best distance talents in Division Two, there were also numerous surprises.

Below, our D2 crew responded to a handful of prompts and gave their thoughts on some of the entries (or lack of entries) that we'll see at the indoor national meet.

Let's begin...

Click here to see men's entries

Click here to see women's entries

Berenice Cleyet-Merle was the overwhelming favorite in the 800 meters, but shockingly scratched the event. Instead, she'll run the mile, the 3000 meters and likely the DMR as well. On a scale of 1 to 10, how surprised were you by her decision to scratch the 800 meters.

Eric: I’d say a five. While she was clearly favored to win the 800 meters, she was arguably just as much of a favorite in the mile and likely wanted to help her team do big things in the DMR. However, if her DMR hadn't qualified, then I could have seen her try the mile/800 double or focus on just one event like the 800 meters.

Running the mile makes coming back for the DMR a bit easier, and that's why I think there shouldn't be too much surprise since this does logically make sense.

John: I would give this an eight on a scale of 1 to 10. She already broke the indoor D2 record this winter and was ahead of the next-best half-miler on the national leaderboard by more than a second. In fact, she was nearly five (!) seconds ahead of the third-best athlete on the 800 meter national leaderboard.

I thought this was the event that Cleyet-Merle would choose if she opted for just one individual race, but that was clearly not the case.

Despite all of what I just said, it does start to make sense when you see that the mile is only the third event of the day on Friday, giving her more time to be recover and prepare for the DMR.

That being said, I was still convinced that she was a title favorite in every event that she could have entered – even if she contested four different distance races. That's why I'm surprised.

Grace: I would say a solid 9 out of 10. She had such a high chance of winning the 800 meters, so I am not sure why she would be giving up a nearly-guaranteed national title.

However, the logical reason behind that move is likely because the 800 meter prelims would have given her less rest before for the DMR (compared to the mile prelims) and that the 800 meter finals would have given her less rest before the 3000 meters on day two (compared to the mile finals).

It makes sense, but it still surprised me quite a bit.

Carson Bix has declared for the 5000 meters, making a potential appearance on Lee's DMR increasingly less likely. What were your thoughts on this decision?

Eric: The Flames DMR team is definitely better when Bix is on it. He’s a 4:01 miler and is meant for the 1200 meter leg of the DMR. So, I’d have to say this is a bad move by Lee, but they definitely have a plan since Bix likely isn't running on this relay.

Bix has been around the block, so for him to focus on his individual events means he is betting on himself. Let’s see if he can come away as a two-time All American.

John: I’m honestly a bit perplexed by this decision. I know that Bix was 3rd in this race at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last year when competing for Adams State, but we all thought he was the perfect fit inside this Flames’ DMR team.

I don’t know if they’ve changed how they view the DMR at the indoor national meet this year, but as a relay, the Flames will take a significant blow.

That said, I do think that this was the right decision for Bix, at least from an individual perspective. By running the 5000 meters, Bix won't have to run the mile prelims or the mile finals, leaving him with only the 3000 meters to focus on during day two of the national meet.

In theory, that should give Bix the best chance of national-level success from an individual perspective.

Grace: I think this is the right decision for Bix, but the wrong decision for the Flames' DMR squad. I think this was a decision that Coach Morgan and Bix made based on his individual goals.

Track is complex in that it is an individual sport and a team sport, so sometimes decisions like this have to be made. There's not necessarily a right or wrong answer to this scenario.

Five out of the top-10 women in the mile scratched the event. Who do you think made the right decision and who do you think made the wrong decision?

Eric: Celine Ritter of Lee (Tenn.) made the right decision. She had the NCAA #8 mile time this winter, but scratched that event to focus on the 5k/3k double -- two events that she is ranked in the top-three in, nationally. Ritter is the defending champion in the 3k and would have had to face Cleyet-Merle (amongst others) in the mile if she didn't opt for the 5k.

In terms of maximizing her potential for a gold medal, this was the right call.

In my opinion, Adams State’s Fiona Hawkins made the wrong decision. She had the fourth-fastest mile time in the nation this winter with a mark of 4:45, but instead chose to focus on only the 3000 meters (and maybe make a DMR appearance).

Hawkins was ranked at NCAA #14 in the 3000 meters this season, meaning that she has put herself in a worse position to contend for an All-American spot based on her seed time.

She might be making an appearance on Adams State's DMR, but it still would have made more sense to have Hawkins try the mile/DMR double and maximize the Grizzlies' point output that way by contesting two events.

John: I’ll start with the easiest answer and say that’s Western Colorado's Katie Doucette made the correct decision by scratching the mile. Obviously, she has made a leap upwards in fitness this year, specifically in the longer distances, and she’s one of the contenders to take home the NCAA title in either the 5000 meters or the 3000 meters.

This is not to say Doucette wouldn’t have been an All-American in the mile, but her chances of being an All-American, or even winning a title, are much, much higher in the longer events.

As for the wrong decision, I will actually go with the complete opposite of what Eric said.

This is me probably playing devil's advocate here, but Ritter placed 2nd in the 1500 meters at the outdoor national meet last year and I thought she had a good chance to at least repeat her performance in the mile this winter.

While Ritter was only ranked at NCAA #8 in the mile this winter, her mile personal best of 4:39 was better than any other woman in this field, except for Cleyet-Merle, and I'm not sold that the race will be won in 4:31 this year (which is Cleyet-Merle's personal best).

In theory, a tactical mile race would have given Ritter a legitimate shot at being able to take home two NCAA titles this year, although I can understand why some may disagree.

Grace: I agree with John regarding Katie Doucette making the right decision. She has a better shot at a national title in the 5k and the 3k, so there was no reason to waste energy in the mile with no guarantee of making it to the finals.

I also agree with Eric regarding Fiona Hawkins making the wrong decision. She was ranked at NCAA #4 in the mile and NCAA #14 in the 3000 meters, so it is perplexing as to why she would opt for only the 3k, even if a potential DMR appearance was in the cards.

I do not see any logical reason for her to scratch from the mile other than a DMR appearance. Even then, it feels like Hawkins still could have run on the DMR while racing in the mile prelims beforehand.

Of course, this is Adams State we're talking about, so maybe she will surprise us in the 3000 meters.

Despite building his reputation in the mile, Ryan Riddle opted for the 5k/3k double. Are you surprised by his decision to scratch the mile and go after the long distance double?

Eric: Last time I checked, Ryan Riddle was a miler. He has done incredibly well in both the 5k and the 3k this winter, but I didn’t think that he had it in him to fully convert. So yes, this was a bit of a surprise.

He did win the 3k and 5k title at the MIAA Indoor Championships, so I guess we can say that the writing was on the wall. However, I will say that Missouri Southern's DMR not qualifying for the national meet definitely impacted his decision.

If the option was there, the mile/DMR double would have suit him best.

John: In terms of things that surprised me when looking at the declared lists, this one didn’t shock me as much as some of the other ones.

This was, admittedly, a bit interesting given the fact that Riddle place 3rd in the mile at the indoor national meet last year and he is arguably better as an all-around athlete this year. While the top-four in the mile are all under the 4:00 barrier, it wouldn’t have come as a surprise if Riddle were to join them in the 3:59 range had he raced the mile more than once this indoor season.

Riddle’s best chance to win an NCAA title is in the 3000 meters where he can use that combined speed and strength to his advantage. But which event before the 3000 meters gives him the best chance to rebound?

Will his legs being taken out of him if the 5000 meter final on day one becomes as fast as we think it will be? Or would Bix have had a better chance at success in the 3000 meters if he was rebounding from the mile finals on day two of the national meet?

I don't know if there's a good answer to that.

Grace: I think it is pretty normal for people to move up in distance throughout their years in college, but this move by Riddle did shock me quite a bit.

I agree with John regarding the 3000 meters being Riddle's best event this winter due to his combination of speed and endurance. To me, the declaration in the 5000 meters is confusing due to the fact that he has to run the event prior to the 3000 meters, although the same could be said about the mile finals which takes place on day two.

He may be prepared for the double, but from an outsider’s view, I thought it would have made more sense for him to go all-in (completely fresh) for the 3000 meters. In my mind, that gives him the best chance at NCAA gold.

Not a single woman in the top-16 of the 5k or the 3k scratched from either event. Is there a name who you think should have scratched to focus on a single event?

Eric: Grand Valley State’s Klaudia O’Malley should’ve focused on the mile and the DMR...or just the mile instead of the DMR/mile/3k triple.

Last year, she ran the mile and the 3000 meters. I remember watching her in that 3k race and she just had nothing left. O'Malley finished 9th in that race which wasn't awful, but she did not score.

I'll be curious to see if the GVSU coaching staff is going to take a different approach with her game plan and racing strategy. Although, admittedly, with the 3000 meters being the last distance race of the national meet, there isn't necessarily a ton to lose by O'Malley opting for that event, even on a double.

John: This is a really tough question because the 3000 meters is the second-to-last event of the indoor national meet and the last distance event overall. Most athletes won’t scratch this race solely because there isn’t a future race that will be impacted.

When you go through the list, it’s hard to argue that anyone made the wrong decision in declaring for both the 5000 meters and the 3000 meters.

It may have been smarter for someone like Fiona Hawkins to choose the mile, or Allie Ludge to just focus on a DMR leg and the mile, but the reality is that the 3k will not impact their races while still allowing them to try and score necessary team points.

Grace: I think Eric brings up several great points regarding Klaudia O’Malley, but she is another year older and has put a few more grueling doubles and triples under her belt. I personally think that she will still be able to score in the 3000 meters after running the mile (and maybe the DMR), but I could see the decision to scratch the 3k going either way.

We already spoke about her earlier, but Fiona Hawkins should have scratched the 3000 meters if she was strictly deciding between either the mile and 3k. However, she made the opposite choice and while she could have kept the 3k on her racing schedule regardless of what she chose, it would have still made more sense for her not to scratch out of the mile.

Which athletes, male and female, surprised you most with their declarations?

Eric: I was confused by UC-Colorado Springs’ Layla Almasri’s desire to run the DMR/mile/3k triple (assuming she is on the relay). Historically speaking, she has not performed very well at the national meet, so for her to try and take on three events didn’t make a lot of sense in my mind.

In my opinion, she would’ve been better off doing what she did last year, running the mile/DMR double instead. Of course, as we have mentioned before, running a 3k at the end of the national meet doesn't necessarily hurt anything, but it is a heavy workload that can make NCAA Indoor Championships a bit overwhelming for some.

I was somewhat surprised by American International’s Callum Elson running the DMR/3k/mile triple (assuming he is on the relay). Yes, he is a rising star who most recently broke four minutes in the mile, but he will have to run the mile final (if he qualifies) on day day two of the national meet after he has already run a mile prelim and the mile leg of the DMR during day one.

Oh, and I didn’t even mention the 3k yet.

That may be too much for his first trip to the indoor national meet.

John: On the women’s side I was surprised to see Yasmine Hernandez scratch the mile. She ran 4:43 in Pittsburg, Kansas earlier this season and it looked like she had made the leap into the contender tier for that event.

I’m not sure if she knew that Cleyet-Merle was going to scratch the 800 meters, but if she did, then it does make more sense. It will be interesting to see how she handles a shorter turnaround time from the 800 meters to the DMR (assuming she is on the relay) but the strength she showed us in the mile suggests that she’ll be just fine.

On the men’s side, it’s not just one name, but it’s the entirety of Adam State’s milers. Entering Monday, the Grizzlies had four names inside the top-20 of the men's mile. However, only one of those four men declared, and that was Mikah Paiz who was originally at NCAA #22 on the national leaderboard.

He is now currently found at NCAA #13 on the declared list.

With Davonte Jett-Reynolds and James Dunne in the 3000 meters, it seems clear that the Grizzlies want them fresh for the DMR.

We expected David Cardenas to focus on the 800 meters, but it’s unclear what Andrew O’Keefe (NCAA #19) is going to do. He was the 1200 on their DMR team and opted for no individual events. I suppose he'll be completely fresh for this relay.

That leads me to believe that Adams State's DMR team may be comprised of Jett-Reynolds, Dunnes and O’Keefe (in some order) while Cardenas is free to score as many points as possible, individually.

Grace: On the women’s side my pick is Yasmine Hernandez in the mile. She ran 4:43 earlier this season and could certainly be an All-American in the event.

The 800 meter and mile double is challenging, but it is doable, although that doesn't make it any easier. Throw in the DMR, and it is nearly impossible to perform at a high level in all three events.

By scratching the mile, Hernandez can focus on winning the 800 meters now that Cleyet-Merle has scratched from the event, as well as help her team score in the DMR.

For the men, I agree with John regarding the Adams State milers. It is clear that they want to focus on winning the DMR while having individuals fresh for the 3000 meters, which makes the choice seem more logical.

It is still surprising to see that out of the four names who could have qualified in the mile, they only kept the fourth-fastest. We never know what Adams State is going to do when it comes to NCAA Championships and that seemed to be the case yet again this winter.