2023 D3 Indoor Track End of Season Awards

Written by Kevin Fischer, Hannah Thorn & Brett Haffner, votes via TSR D3 staff

Welcome back to a trimestrial classic, our End of Season Awards!

Below, we listed our five seasonal awards for the men and five seasonal awards for the women. These awards are a way to highlight the accomplishments of certain individuals from the entirety of this indoor track season. You'll also find our criteria for each of these awards as we list our nominees.

In the second-half of this article, you'll find the votes from our TSR contributors (click that link if you want to skip all of the summary parts). You can also read our D1 End of Season Awards here as well as our D2 End of Season Awards here.

Let's begin...

Best Freshman Award (Men)

*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. Athletes who began their NCAA eligibility last spring and are competing in their first season of indoor track are considered true freshmen.

Nominees: Emmanuel LeBlond (Johns Hopkins), Haiden Diemer-McKinney (Wabash), Charlie Glass (MIT), Gabe Nichols (Carleton), Tim Neumann (MIT), Aidan Matthai (UW-La Crosse)

Emmanuel LeBlond (Johns Hopkins)

Emmanuel LeBlond followed up a sensational freshman cross country season with some more success on the track. He managed to sneak into the national meet (with a converted 14:17 mark) and once he got in, he had a strong showing. It may not have been a perfect day for him, but finishing 11th in a 5k field full of seasoned veterans with a 65-second final 400 meter split is a super promising sign. We thought of him as one of the best freshmen in the country going into the winter months and he is holding up those expectations.

Haiden Diemer-McKinney (Wabash)

After getting into the national meet by a small margin, Haiden Diemer-McKinley could have been excused for finishing towards the back -- but that’s not at all what happened. He lived to fight another day by running just 0.06 seconds off of his then-800 meter PR in the prelims to get the last qualifier into the finals. From there, Diemer-McKinley really shocked us with a monumental 3rd place finish, running an outstanding time of 1:50.16 for the half-mile distance. The last true freshman to finish in the top-four of the 800 meters at a D3 national meet was Samuel Voelz in 2018. He would ultimately become an All-American at the D1 level. That’s pretty good company for Diemer-McKinney to be in at this stage of his career.

Charlie Glass (MIT)

With high school personal bests of 1:56 (800) and 4:31 (mile), it was hard to anticipate that Charlie Glass would be competing at the level that he currently is this early in collegiate career. But the MIT rookie has gotten off to a flying start and has put himself among not only the nation’s best freshmen, but the nation's best middle distance runners as a whole. His decision to scratch the mile (where he holds a 4:06 PR) and go all-in on the 800 meters (where he holds a 1:51 PR) ultimately allowed him to advance to the finals. And despite finishing in last place, the achievement of becoming an All-American as a rookie should not be understated. His mile prowess was hard to ignore as well.

Gabe Nichols (Carleton)

Gabe Nichols improved steadily throughout his first indoor track season, ultimately reaching D3’s biggest stage in the mile. Once he got there, he ran a brave race, front-running the first prelim heat early-on and making the pace honest. While he did end up fading back and getting swallowed by the chase pack, it was admirable that Nichols came in as an underdog and made everyone work for their spot to the finals. His fearlessness combined with clear talent will be highly dangerous for years to come.

Tim Neumann (MIT)

Yet another MIT rookie, Tim Neumann had a very solid indoor track season of his own. The Illinois native ended up running 4:10 (mile) and 8:22 (3k) this winter, the former mark being converted to 4:07 which would put this MIT freshman on the national stage. Neumann had proven to be a top high school mile talent prior to joining the Engineers, but he quickly acclimated to the NCAA scene and refined his fitness even further.

Aidan Matthai (UW-La Crosse)

Sure, Aidan Matthai didn't flex the same firepower as some of the other nominees for this award, but he was fairly consistent this winter and held great value across numerous events. His times of 4:09 (mile), 8:14 (3k) and 14:26 (5k), all of which were converted, kept this true freshman in the top-40, nationally, in all three distance events. Over the long-term, that is an exciting development for the Eagles.

Best Freshman Award (Women)

*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. Athletes who began their NCAA eligibility last spring and are competing in their first season of indoor track are considered true freshmen.

Nominees: Hannah Preisser (Carleton), Hailey Smith (Lynchburg), Kate Sanderson (MIT), Tanise Thornton-Fillyaw (Goucher), Sierra Doody (SUNY Geneseo)

Hannah Preisser (Carleton)

After an exceptional 2022 cross country season, Hannah Preisser continued to compete amongst the best in the nation to start her collegiate track career. Despite her true freshman status, we knew going into the winter months that based on the fall that she had, Preisser had tons of potential to be nationally competitive -- and she has delivered on that potential. With a 5000 meter personal best of 17:05 and an ultimate indoor national meet finish of 15th place in the event, the future looks incredibly bright for her.

Hailey Smith (Lynchburg)

Hailey Smith ran consistently all season long and never shied away from any field -- and that didn’t change at the indoor national meet. When her 800 meter prelim heat went out in a 62-second split (courtesy of Emma Kelley), Smith was up to the challenge and stuck with that pace through the 400 meters. And even though she faded towards the end, she still managed to come away with an 800 meter PR of 2:13.07 and a 14th place finish. In a way, her courage did pay off. This is somebody who will be fun to watch in the middle distances for years to come, especially if she continues her recent progress.

Kate Sanderson (MIT)

Kate Sanderson had a great first track campaign after almost finishing as a cross country All-American in the fall. Her 17:09 mark in the 5000 meters towards the end of the season was more than enough to get her into the indoor national meet field. And even though she finished last in that event, we know from her cross country national meet performance that she is more than capable of coming up clutch when the lights are bright. We should see more evidence of that in the coming months (and years).

Tanise Thornton-Fillyaw (Goucher)

Sure, Tanise Thornton-Fillyaw didn’t have the day that she wanted in the 800 meters at the indoor national meet, but to even get to that stage as a freshman is a major accomplishment which merits a nomination here. She did, after all, run a converted 2:13 (800) mark earlier this year. The Goucher rookie certainly has the ability to get back to big meets like that and will be able to use last week as a learning experience. At the end of the day, she is still one of the best true freshmen in the nation.

Sierra Doody (SUNY Geneseo)

There is a very good argument for Sierra Doody to win this award. The SUNY Geneseo rookie ran a 2:12.95 (800) conversion this winter, a time that put her at NCAA #17 in the event. Not only that, but Doody also posted a 4:58 mile conversion, adding some diversity to her middle distance resume. Sure, the Knight freshman didn't run an individual event on the national stage (even though she could have), but that was because she was helping SUNY Geneseo finish 3rd place overall in the DMR.

Most Improved Award (Men)

*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 true freshmen or athletes who were in their first season (not necessarily of indoor track) of NCAA competition.

Nominees: Aidan Cantine (Swarthmore), Max Svienty (North Central), Ethan Gregg (UW-La Crosse), Connor Riss (North Central), Ziyad Hassan (MIT)

Aidan Cantine (Swarthmore)

Aidan Cantine went from never having competed at a national meet on the track to finishing 4th in the mile at the indoor national meet last week. He accomplished this through a mile PR of 4:05 in the finals which included a final 800 meter split that went under two minutes! That is a completely different level of fitness (and in-race execution) than we have ever seen from him -- and certainly a far cry from where he was at last year.

Max Svienty (North Central)

In a similar vein to Cantine, Max Svienty also went from never qualifying for a national meet on the track to finishing 4th in the country over 5000 meters. The North Central star also managed to take his 3000 meter and 5000 meter personal bests from 8:35 and 14:37 to 8:16 and 14:08 by the end of the season, jumps of 19 and 29 seconds, respectively. Svienty showed some signs during cross country of being better than he was in the spring, so he was expected to make some strides this winter. However, what he has been able to do over the last few months is well beyond those expectations.

Ethan Gregg (UW-La Crosse)

Ethan Gregg is a lot different than the other nominees here because he was already an established star at the D3 level before this season. However, this Eagle ace took himself to a completely new level this year, not only earning his first national title over 3000 meters, but also becoming the third-fastest 5000 meter runner and fourth-fastest 3000 meter runner in Division Three history. When you’ve already been an All-American, it takes a pretty special season to become one of the most improved runners in the country...but Gregg has seemingly made that happen.

Connor Riss (North Central)

Connor Riss was solid over 1500 meters last spring, running 3:49 for the distance, and he was coming off of a cross country All-American finish as well. That's why it wasn’t shocking to see him perform well this winter. However, the extent of the success that he had was greater than what we imagined. He got better and better throughout the winter months and really found his groove at the indoor national meet, running a six-second 3k PR of 8:08 to finish 6th overall in that event. It may have helped that he was fresh and some guys weren’t, but that doesn’t take anything away from the magnitude of what he was able to accomplish without being highly heralded coming into this year.

Ziyad Hassan (MIT)

Last spring, Ziyad Hassan’s personal best in the 800 meters was 1:56, a mark that he had put down on three separate occasions. This year, he was a completely different animal. He didn’t run an 800 meter race until the Valentine Invitational, but when he did, he posted a huge 1:50 mark, a six-second personal best. Taking that much time off of an 800 meter PR at the collegiate level in one race is pretty rare. That, in turn, allowed Hassan to go from a guy who could maybe threaten to score at conference meets to one of the top middle distance talents in the country.

Most Improved Award (Women)

*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 true freshmen or athletes who were in their first season (not necessarily of indoor track) of NCAA competition.

Nominees: Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel (U. of Chicago), Alyssa Rafuse (Elmhurst), Katarina Birimac (U. of Chicago), Libby Ranocha (Emory), Amelia Lehman (UW-Oshkosh), Ella Ball (Williams)

Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel (U. of Chicago)

Before this season, Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel had only run two indoor track races in college and both of those effort were over 800 meters. Her first two marks? 2:32 and 2:30. So to say this season was a surprise would be an understatement. The Maroon's breakout star dropped her 800 meter PR down to 2:18, but that wasn’t even her best race this year. Along with a 9:46 (3k) personal best, Battleson-Gunkel was exceptional in the mile this year. At the indoor national meet, she ran a personal best time of 4:54.31 in the prelims. And although she DNF’ed in the mile final due to a fall, this season was a massive step forward for the now-dynamic Maroon ace.

Alyssa Rafuse (Elmhurt)

Another miler on this list, Alyssa Rafuse was able to drop 21 seconds in that event this season. With a previous best of 5:16 coming into the winter months, we don’t think anyone saw Rafuse making it to the NCAA Indoor Championships this year. But sure enough, the Elmhurt star extended her season and ran a 4:55.03 mile time in the prelims to barely miss making the finals. Her 11th place finish was just 0.30 seconds shy of making it to the finals. That’s a very impressive showing for someone with no national meet experience before.

Katarina Birimac (U. of Chicago)

Another Maroon on this list, Katarina Birimac has had a great indoor track season in the longer distances. This year alone, she went from holding personal bests of 10:35 over 3000 meters and 18:15 over 5000 meters to 9:53 and 16:52, respectively. Those are big jumps, especially from a veteran. Birimac even got a taste of some individual national success after she qualified for the indoor national meet in the 5k. She ended up finishing in a 5th place All-American spot on the national stage in a new personal best of 16:52. This season looks like it is a big stepping stone to a great outdoor track season.

Libby Ranocha (Emory)

Libby Ranocha was a solid 2:20 (800) runner last year, but took her fitness up a notch this winter. She opened up her season with a 2:18 over the half-mile distance and continued to drop time from there. Eventually, she ran a fantastic 2:12.47 mark at Boston University. That time was fast enough to qualify Ranocha for the NCAA Indoor Championships, her first-ever appearance. On that stage, she finished 11th place overall in 2:12.65, just missing out on the finals. Not bad for a national meet rookie...

Amelia Lehman (UW-Oshkosh)

Last year, we saw Amelia Lehman run a mile PR of 5:03. And while that was a respectable time, no one could have seen this UW-Oshkosh standout running as well as she did this winter. Lehman peaked perfectly in the postseason, eventually running a huge 4:53 mile PR in the mile prelims at the NCAA Indoor Championships and later finishing 8th overall in the mile finals to earn All-American honors. It's safe to say that this midwest talent is a completely different runner than she was a year ago.

Ella Ball (Williams)

It is undeniable that Ella Ball was one of the most improved D3 distance runners of the 2023 indoor track season. The Ephs ace took her mile PR down from 5:28 to 5:10, took her 3k PR down from 10:07 to 9:36 and took her 5k PR down from 17:00 to 16:55. Of course, Ball did more than just improve all of her times. She also earned All-American honors in both the 5k and the 3k at the indoor national meet.

Best Performance Award (Men)

*Must have run attached at least once this winter. Multiple races over the span of a certain timeframe do not count as a lone "performance". However, performances that are amplified by the results of other meets/individuals with appropriate context are included. TSR writers can vote for the performance that they believe is either the most impressive, the most entertaining or the most surprising.

Nominees: Ryan Wilson’s runs 1:46 (800) to smash former D3 record, Ryan Wilson throws down 3:55 mile PR to set new D3 record, Alex Phillip runs 13:44 (5k) en route to new D3 record, Christian Patzka's converted 13:40 (5k) holds off Ethan Gregg's converted 13:43 (5k) mark, Ethan Gregg’s aggressive front-running gives him 3k national title

Ryan Wilson’s runs 1:46 (800) to smash former D3 record

Ryan Wilson has always been known as an incredible 800 meter runner for years. And while we may have lost focus of that after he nabbed the D3 mile record, he was here to remind us that he is just as good over that half-mile distance. At the Boston University Last Chance meet, Wilson ran 1:46.61 to break the D3 record over 800 meters. That record had been held by Ben Scheetz since 2012 when he ran 1:47.43. And although Wilson chose not to run the 800 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, we shouldn’t forget who the best in D3 was at that distance.

Ryan Wilson throws down 3:55 mile PR to set new D3 record

When Aidan Ryan ran 3:56 in the mile last year, we all thought he would hold the record for a few years, much like Jeremy Hernandez did before him. But we were wrong. Ryan Wilson didn’t let that mile record stand for too long. At the Boston University Valentine invite, the MIT star ran 3:55.29 in the mile to reset the record books once again. The only mile he had run in college before produced a 4:06 mark, so to say that this time was unexpected would be a slight understatement. Maybe this time, his mile record will hold for more than one year...

Alex Phillip runs 13:44 (5k) en route to new D3 record

This year was full of records across multiple races in D3. Some were even set on the same day, such as the 5k record. Now, to be clear, the men's D3 indoor 5k record wasn’t a soft record. Dan Mayer from North Central had held it since 1994. And after Christian Patzka and Ethan Gregg reset the 5k record earlier in the day, Phillip gave it his own shot. At the Boston University Valentine Invitational, Phillip ran 13:44.98 (5k) to best Patzka’s time by three seconds. His previous indoor best was 14:10, so this was a big step forward for Phillip, but it wasn’t a surprise as he was the reigning indoor 5k national champion, the outdoor 10k national champion and cross country national champion.

Christian Patzka's converted 13:40 (5k) holds off Ethan Gregg's converted 13:43 (5k) mark

In mid-February, all eyes were on Alex Phillip as he ventured to Boston University to take down the men's indoor D3 record over 5000 meters. However, his goal would be adjusted on race day as Christian Patzka put together a nearly-unbelievable performance a few hours earlier, running an unconverted time of 13:49 for 5000 meters on a flat-track which converted to a time of 13:40, roughly four seconds better than what Phillip would go on to run in Boston. That performance not only took down the indoor 5k national record (briefly), but it also allowed Patzka to hand a loss to an eventual national title winner (Ethan Gregg).

Ethan Gregg’s aggressive front-running gives him 3k national title

Going into the 3k at the NCAA Indoor Championships, everyone was looking at Alex Phillip and Christian Patzka to battle for the win. But Ethan Gregg wasn’t going to let that happen without a fight. We knew he wasn’t afraid of taking races out hard after seeing him at the NCAA XC Championships where he tried to run away from the field. Gregg made his move around 600 meters in when he stepped the pace up and no one went with him. He gapped the field and was able to hold on as a hard-charging Alex Phillip tried to close down the gap. But Gregg would ultimately take home the 3k national title in a time of 8:01. And those 10 points that he scored? Well, they helped UW-La Crosse barely win the national team title.

Best Performance Award (Women)

*Must have run attached at least once this winter. Multiple races over the span of a certain timeframe do not count as a lone "performance". However, performances that are amplified by the results of other meets/individuals with appropriate context are included. TSR writers can vote for the performance that they believe is either the most impressive, the most entertaining or the most surprising.

Nominees: Fiona Smith dominates 5k field en route to national title, Fiona Smith dominates 3k field en route to national title, Annika Urban’s 4:43 mile PR earns her NCAA gold, Emma Kelley easily dominates 800 meter field en route to national title

Fiona Smith dominates 5k field en route to national title

Fiona Smith was coming into the national meet as a national title favorite in both the 3k and the 5k. And sure enough, she was able to deliver in both events by simply running away from both fields. In the 5k, she opened up her lead pretty early-on and was able to hold off Genna Girard for the win in a time of 16:33. Although truthfully, no one was ever that close to Smith who may have taken home the most convincing distance-based national title victory of the weekend depending on how you feel about Emma Kelley in the 800 meters.

Fiona Smith dominates 3k field en route to national title

At the NCAA Indoor Championships, just like in the 5k, Fiona Smith once again made her move before the halfway point and gapped the field. This time, she had to hold off Maddie Kelly for the win, although that was done fairly easily. Smith finished in a time of 9:25 (3k) which was a new championship record and it was her second national title of the weekend.

Annika Urban’s 4:43 mile PR earns her NCAA gold

Annika Urban was not the initial national title favorite in the mile, but that did not stop her from crushing this event. After getting through the mile prelims with ease, she came into the mile finals determined to upset Clara Mayfield, the national title favorite. The Emory star let the race play out in front of her for the first 900 meters, but then she made her move, establishing a huge gap that was about four seconds wide within 400 meters. Urban won the national title in a new championship record of 4:43.17, a seven-second PR and four seconds faster than 2nd place.

Emma Kelley easily dominates 800 meter field en route to national title

Emma Kelley went to the very front of this race from the gun and started running away from the field. It was clearly that the overwhelming national title favorite wanted to stay out of the pack and out of trouble, understandably so. She did that by running a 62-second first 400 meter split. Despite a phenomenal later effort from teammate Aoife Dunne, it was Kelley who went to wire-to-wire to win gold rather easily in a mark of 2:06.62 (800).

Best Team / Distance Coach Award (Men's Teams)

*Considers performances throughout the entirety of the 2023 indoor track season. Success relative to seasonal expectations or success relative to historical accolades of the program are factored into account when listing nominees.

Nominees: Riley Macon (MIT), Dan Moore (SUNY Geneseo), Nathan Petesch (UW-La Crosse), Bob Schultz (Loras)

Riley Macon (MIT)

It’s incredibly difficult to summarize how great Coach Riley Macon’s distance runners have been this winter. Having the newly-minted Division Three national record holder in the 800 meters and the mile is certainly a good start for the group, but the Engineers’ incredible depth goes far beyond just Ryan Wilson. To sum up their national qualifiers, the MIT men had two runners in the 800 meters, four in the mile, four in the 3k, three in the 5k and a DMR. That list doesn’t even include guys like Wilson who scratched the 800 meters or Charlie Glass who scratched the mile. It’s been an incredible year for Macon’s squad thus far with outdoor track only giving the Engineers more opportunities to dominate.

Dan Moore (SUNY Geneseo)

If there’s one thing SUNY Geneseo is getting really good at, it's peaking at exactly the right time. After their surprise podium finish at the NCAA XC Championships, the Knights once again performed at the highest level at the indoor national meet. Their exploits included a brilliantly won national title in the DMR, Ezra Ruggles finishing 3rd in the mile and Nick Andrews finishing 5th overall in the 3k. Every Knight fired on all cylinders in Birmingham, Alabama which bodes very well in their eventual quest for a team title in the spring after finishing a close 3rd place at the indoor national meet.

Nathan Petesch (UW-La Crosse)

There seems to always be men from UW-La Crosse performing quite well on the national scene every year...but this season really took the cake. The exploits of Ethan Gregg’s meteoric rise have been well documented with his 3rd place finish in the 5k and his national title victory in the 3k. Isaac Wegner also had a vastly improved winter campaign, but he ultimately did not start any races at the indoor national meet after qualifying in both the 3k and the 5k. One underrated talent was Adam Loenser who ran a heroic 8:16 (3k) mark at the Wartburg Qualifier to secure himself a spot to the indoor national meet. Oh, and they sent a DMR to the national stage as well, placing 10th overall. The Eagles also have a lot of young and promising talent behind Gregg and Wegner which looks great for their future.

Bob Schultz (Loras)

When your team runs the D3 record in the men's DMR, you'll probably be listed among our nominees for "Best Distance Coach". Yes, the Loras men were less than half of a second out from winning the DMR national title, but they had depth all over the middle distance events. The Duhawks had two men qualify for the indoor national meet over 800 meters, one of them being Mike Jasa who won the national title in that event. Loras also had Wyatt Kelly and Ryan Harvey qualify for the national meet in the mile and both men made the finals. Yes, Harvey did miss All-American honors by one spot (placing 9th), but Kelly earned a strong 6th place finish of own. As far as the middle distances go, Bob Schultz was probably the best men's coach in Division Three this winter.

Best Team / Distance Coach Award (Women's Teams)

*Considers performances throughout the entirety of the 2023 indoor track season. Success relative to seasonal expectations or success relative to historical accolades of the program are factored into account when listing nominees.

Nominees: Jeff Stiles (Washington U.), Chris Hall (U. of Chicago), Dusty Lopez (Williams), Dan Moore (SUNY Geneseo), Ryan Chapman + Staff (Wartburg)

Jeff Stiles (Washington U.)

Jeff Stiles had his runners firing on all cylinders at the NCAA Indoor Championships and came within six points of winning a team title thanks in large part to his distance crew. Emma Kelley and Aiofe Dunne went 1-2 in the 800 meters, Emily Konkus placed 5th in the 3k, Ella Behrens was the 4th place finisher in the 5k and the lineup of Emily Konkus, Kathryn Leighty, Alessia Sarussi and Aoife Dunne squeaked out a national title win in the DMR. The only distance event where they didn't earn any points in was the mile, but that’s only because they had Dunne and Konkus scratch that distance to focus on other events. Across the board, the Bears were everywhere you looked.

Chris Hall (U. of Chicago)

The Maroons had an insane number of runners entered into this year's national meet. They had some bad luck with falls and some rough performances, but they did have their highlights. The biggest one was a 2nd place finish in the DMR. Maddie Kelly had a jaw-dropping anchor leg to bring her team within a second of winning the national title. Other than that, they had the first woman out of the 800 meter finals with Maya Ordonez placing 9th in prelims while Elisabeth Camic finished 16th overall in that event as well. In the mile finals, Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel recorded a DNF result after a hard fall. Separately, Cat Wimmer was half a second away from making the mile finals herself, finishing 12th overall. As for the 3k, it was Kelly who finished 2nd overall while Anna Kenig-Ziesler was 11th, Caitlin Jorgensen placed 12th and Frances Schaeffler settled for 15th. Over 5000 meters, the Maroons had Kenig-Ziesler, Katarina Birimac and Schaeffler all finish as All-Americans, going 3-5-8. That is a massive team to bring to a national meet even if some of them struggled.

Dusty Lopez (Williams)

The Williams women relied on veterans like Molly Fitzgibbons and Genna Girard this season while also having some newcomers like Ella Ball and Blakeley Buckingham find some significant success. Fitzgibbons took on a heavy work load this winter, running everything from the mile up to the 5k. We saw that backfire a bit at the national meet when she ran the mile (9th), the 3k (18th) and the DMR (11th). That might have been a little too much for the junior. Luckily, she had plenty of other teammates with her on the national stage. In the mile, Williams had Blakeley Buckingham (15th) and Lucy Gagnon (18th). In the 3k, the Ephs also had Ella Ball who finished 8th place overall. The 5k, however, was a big highlight for the Williams women as Genna Girard had a great day by finishing 2nd and Ella Ball finished strong for 6th.

Ryan Chapman + Staff (Wartburg)

There have been prior seasons where the Wartburg women have been better than they were this winter, but it's hard to deny that they weren't one of the better teams in D3 over the last. few months. Lily Campbell, for instance, sat at NCAA #6 on the national leaderboard over 800 meters with a converted 2:11 mark. Meanwhile, Lexi Brown evolved into a multi-faceted, upper-tier distance talent, further extending her success from the grass. Aubrie Fisher, of course, continued to be competitive with a top-10 ranking, nationally, over 3000 meters. And with Shaelyn Hostager qualifying for the indoor national meet in the 5k, as well as a Wartburg DMR lineup placing 4th on the national stage, it's easy to see why Coach Ryan Chapman and his staff of middle distance developers have returned to our nominee list.

Dan Moore (SUNY Geneseo)

Coach Dan Moore was able to add a ton of promising depth behind his top talents at SUNY Geneseo. Windsor Ardner and Kathleen McCarey continued to be nationally competitive standouts and the same could be said about Rachel Hirschkind. But then there was Sierra Doody who became a national qualifier over 800 meters while Marcie Hogan and Erin Eivers qualified for the mile (although all three of those women scratched for the DMR). Tack on a total of SIX women who ran 9:53 (3k) or faster this winter (most converted), as well as a DMR lineup that was less than one second out from a national title, and it's easy to see why Coach Dan Moore is being nominated.

Most Valuable Runner Award (Men)

*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: Ryan Wilson (MIT), Alex Phillip (John Carroll), Christian Patzka (UW-Whitewater), Mike Jasa (Loras), Ethan Gregg (UW-La Crosse)

Alex Phillip (John Carroll)

Two D3 national records, one in the 5k (13:44) and one in the 3k (7:53), were two very high points for the Blue Streaks’ ace this season. Sure, two silver medals on the national stage were a bit underwhelming considering that he was a national title favorite, but Phillip remained among the best of the best. The future North Carolina Tar Heel still had an incredible season overall and still holds reign with those national records. However, he now has an incredibly talented group of guys to compete against (ie. the guys on this list) in Division Three who don’t make things easy for him this spring.

Christian Patzka (UW-Whitewater)

A pair of national meet runner-up performances over the last year have been nail-biters for Christian Patzka. However, he took matters into his own hands at the indoor national meet, making a vindictive move to bury the field in the 5k and win his first national title in a championship record-time of 13:47. Considering that this was his first race not on a 200 meter flat track all season, that was a vindicating result that Patzka is a true competitor no matter what scenario he’s in. Coming back the next day to place 4th overall in the 3000 meters, running 8:05, was a reality check of how challenging it is to double at the indoor national meet. Even so, Patzka still secured a quality 3k PR.

Mike Jasa (Loras)

With Ryan Wilson opting to not contest the 800 meters at the indoor national meet, this was Mike Jasa’s biggest opportunity to earn his first indoor national title. And sure enough, he stepped up to the occasion, taking over the lead 200 meters into the national meet final and never looking back. The Loras veteran ran a championship record 1:49.30 over 800 meters to convincingly earn the national title. Jasa’s overall tactics in 2023 have been much better than in years past, along with being incredibly consistent and reliable when it mattered the most.

Ethan Gregg (UW-La Crosse)

Up until his final race of the indoor track season, Ethan Gregg’s patented strategy of hammering the pace up front seemed to result in a lot of 2nd and 3rd place finishes throughout the year, including the 5k at the indoor national meet where he ran 13:53 for 3rd place overall. Then, when it was time for the 3k, he sat back for 600 meters before taking off, clipping off 31-second splits for the rest of the race. Gregg ultimately established enough of a gap that nobody could catch him, giving him his first national ctitle and pushing the Eagles just high enough to win the team title, too.

Ryan Wilson (MIT)

Running 1:46 over 800 meters and 3:55 in the mile are times that most Division One and Division Two runners strive to achieve in their careers...and Ryan Wilson’s out here hitting those marks in Division Three. This legendary season by Wilson, which is easily now the greatest by a middle distance runner in Division Three history, seemed to blow all expectations out of the water every time he raced. He even snuck into the final spot of the 3k at the indoor national meet, coming back after winning the mile to then place 3rd overall and run 8:05, continuing to add to his unbelievable resume.

Most Valuable Runner Award (Women)

*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: Annika Urban (Emory), Emma Kelley (Washington U.), Fiona Smith (St. Benedict), Clara Mayfield (Carleton), Ana Tucker (Hope)

Annika Urban (Emory)

With a great season under her belt heading into the indoor national meet, it was a tossup as to what events Annika Urban would choose to run between the mile, the 3k and the 5k. Her choices of the mile and the 3k ended up playing into her favor as she won her first national title, running a near eight-second mile PR of 4:43, a championship record. We’ve known that the 1500/mile has been a strong suit for Urban for a while now, but her tactics in the mile final were unmatched, running a strong negative split after the pace was very hot in the first-half.

Emma Kelley (Washington U.)

There was little doubt in our minds that Emma Kelley wouldn’t win the 800 meter title at the indoor national meet, and she eased those doubts…with ease, completing her undefeated season in that event. Her exploits in the 400 meters also led to an NCAA #4 mark in that event (which she did not contest at the indoor national meet). As more of a “true” middle distance athlete, Kelley’s prowess in these two events is only going to get better as the outdoor track season approaches soon.

Fiona Smith (St. Benedict)

“Dominant” is the buzzword we’d use to describe Fiona Smith’s indoor track season as she dominated the Division Three leaderboard all season long and dominated the indoor national meet with ease. She established huge gaps in both the 5k and the 3k last weekend and never looked back, earning her first two national title in Birmingham, Alabama. Smith certainly had the most “complete” season of any Division Three runner, man or woman.

Clara Mayfield (Carleton)

Facing off in many battles against Fiona Smith throughout the season, Clara Mayfield started to really find her own niche in the mile, racing some with some aggressive tactics at the national meet to string things out. Her ability to control races by her own accord has been vastly improved in 2023 and still has room to grow, too. Nevertheless, she was rewarded with tying her best placement at a national meet, finishing 3rd in the mile with a gutsy effort.

Ana Tucker (Hope)

In seasons past, Ana Tucker’s strengths have primarily been in the long distance events, excelling in cross country and in the 10k as well as the 5k. This year, however, Tucker’s mile speed has been vastly improved, bringing her PR down from 4:57 back in 2021 all the way to 4:47 in 2023, eventually earning runner-up honors at the indoor national meet. That turnover could pay off immensely in the longer races later this spring, along with her overall fitness as a whole.

FINAL VOTES

Best Freshman Award

Men

Brett: Haiden Diemer-McKinney (Wabash)

Hannah: Haiden Diemer-McKinney (Wabash)

Kevin: Haiden Diemer-McKinney (Wabash)

Garrett: Haiden Diemer-McKinney (Wabash)

Overall Winner: Haiden Diemer-McKinney (Wabash)

Women

Brett: Sierra Doody (SUNY Geneseo)

Hannah: Sierra Doody (SUNY Geneseo)

Kevin: Hannah Preisser (Carleton)

Garrett: Sierra Doody (SUNY Geneseo)

Overall Winner: Sierra Doody (SUNY Geneseo)

Most Improved Award

Men

Brett: Connor Riss (North Central)

Hannah: Aidan Cantine (Swarthmore)

Kevin: Ziyad Hassan (MIT)

Garrett: Aidan Cantine (Swarthmore)

Overall Winner: Aidan Cantine (Swarthmore)

Women

Brett: Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel (U. of Chicago)

Hannah: Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel (U. of Chicago)

Kevin: Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel (U. of Chicago)

Garrett: Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel (U. of Chicago)

Overall Winner: Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel (U. of Chicago)

Best Performance Award

Men

Brett: Ethan Gregg’s aggressive front-running gives him 3k national title

Hannah: Ryan Wilson throws down 3:55 mile PR to set new D3 record

Kevin: Ryan Wilson throws down 3:55 mile PR to set new D3 record

Garrett: Ryan Wilson’s runs 1:46 (800) to smash former D3 record

Overall Winner: Ryan Wilson throws down 3:55 mile PR to set new D3 record

Women

Brett: Annika Urban’s 4:43 mile PR earns her NCAA gold

Hannah: Annika Urban’s 4:43 mile PR earns her NCAA gold

Kevin: Annika Urban’s 4:43 mile PR earns her NCAA gold

Garrett: Annika Urban’s 4:43 mile PR earns her NCAA gold

Overall Winner: Annika Urban’s 4:43 mile PR earns her NCAA gold

Best Distance Coach / Team Award

Men

Brett: Riley Macon (MIT)

Hannah: Riley Macon (MIT)

Kevin: Riley Macon (MIT)

Garrett: Riley Macon (MIT)

Overall Winner: Riley Macon (MIT)

Women

Brett: Jeff Stiles (Washington U.)

Hannah: Jeff Stiles (Washington U.)

Kevin: Jeff Stiles (Washington U.)

Garrett: Jeff Stiles (Washington U.)

Overall Winner: Jeff Stiles (Washington U.)

Most Valuable Runner Award

Men

Brett: Ryan Wilson (MIT)

Hannah: Ryan Wilson (MIT)

Kevin: Ryan Wilson (MIT)

Garrett: Ryan Wilson (MIT)

Overall Winner: Ryan Wilson (MIT)

Women

Brett: Fiona Smith (St. Benedict)

Hannah: Fiona Smith (St. Benedict)

Kevin: Fiona Smith (St. Benedict)

Garrett: Fiona Smith (St. Benedict)

Overall Winner: Fiona Smith (St. Benedict)