2023 D3 Outdoor Track End of Season Awards

Written by Kevin Fischer, Hannah Thorn, Brett Haffner, Conor Daly & Andrew Muskevitsch Votes via TSR D3 staff, additional edits and commentary by John Cusick & Garrett Zatlin

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, all for Division Three. These awards are a way to highlight the accomplishments of certain individuals from the entirety of this outdoor 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). D1 awards are in the works! You can also read our D2 End of Season Awards here.

Let's begin...

Best Freshman Award (Men)

*Athletes who hold freshman status stemming from any type of eligibility extension (not including missions) are not considered for this award. International freshmen are included amongst these nominees unless we have reason to believe that they do not meet our criteria. Performances past 6/10 are not considered.

Nominees: Cael Schoemann (UW-La Crosse), TJ Carleo (Brandeis), Lance Sobaski (Wartburg), Hayden Diemer-McKinney (Wabash), Nikhil DeNatale (Williams), Trevor Richwine (Dickinson), Jaden Zywicki (UW-La Crosse)

Cael Schoemann (UW-La Crosse)

After gaining valuable experience on UW-La Crosse’s DMR squad at the indoor national meet, this 800 meter specialist continued to add to his successful freshman campaign on the outdoor oval. Schoemann was a fantastic racer this spring, running under 1:52 (800) on five different occasions. At the outdoor national meet, Schoemann ran a PR of 1:49.40 (800) in the prelims. After a performance like that, many athletes struggle to run well in the finals, but that was not the case for this rookie. As the only freshman to make the 800 meter finals, Schoemann came back the next day to grab 5th place in a loaded field with a 1:50.97 performance. His impressive ability to navigate the rounds at the national level is rare to see from young talents like himself and it will serve as an advantage for him in the coming years.

TJ Carleo (Brandeis)

Throughout the outdoor track season, TJ Carleo got into a habit of breaking the tape. Carleo won five races this spring, most notably taking the gold at the UAA Championships over the half-mile distance against a field that featured two All-Americans in the 800 meters. After that victory, Carleo later won the New England Outdoor Championships in a personal best time of 1:50.21 (800). That performance ultimately punched him a ticket to the national meet where he ended up placing 18th overall. Knocking on the door of the 1:50 (800) barrier, Carleo is poised to be a dominant figure on the national scene in years to come. Not only over 800 meters, but in the other middle distance events as well. In this past year alone, he lowered his mile PR from 4:36 to 4:14, a jump that deserves recognition.

Lance Sobaski (Wartburg)

The Wartburg freshman did not waste any time taking on the challenge of learning a new event in the steeplechase. That, however, is hardly surprising considering that Wartburg has an impressive track record of developing top-tier talents over the barriers and water pits, producing a national champion in this event in each of the last three years between Christopher Collet and Aubrie Fisher. In his first season ever competing in this event, Lance Sobaski held the NCAA #16 time entering the national meet. That regular season performance, however, was only the tip of the iceberg as Sobaski shined at the national meet. He proceeded to cut 10 seconds off of his personal best to run 8:51 in both the prelims and the finals. In the end, his last effort was good enough for NCAA bronze only behind some of the finest steeplechasers in Division Three history. Sobaski's 3rd place finish made him the highest-placing freshman across all distance events at the national meet.

Hayden Diemer-McKinney (Wabash)

With a 3rd place finish at the indoor national meet over 800 meters, Hayden Diemer-McKinney had a plenty to live up to this spring. After winning his half-mile conference title, the Wabash freshman went to a "last chance" meet the week before the outdoor national meet where he broke 1:50 (800) for the first time, running 1:49.54 (800). Admittedly, that effort may have taken too much out of his legs as he was unable to make the finals at the national meet, placing 13th overall. Even so, as the only freshman on this list to make both the indoor and outdoor national meets, individually, Diemer-McKinney has a lot to look forward to in future track seasons.

Nikhil DeNatale (Williams)

Nikhil DeNatale came into his freshman year as one of the top recruits in all of Division Three. Not only did DeNatale have an impressive 9:02 two-mile PR to his name, but he was already an experienced steeplechaser out of New York. In his high school track season last year, DeNatale was not only a national meet runner-up in the 2k steeplechase, but he also ran 9:01 for the full 3k steeplechase. That latter high school performance would have punched him a ticket to the outdoor national meet in 2022! Sure enough, DeNatale matched high expectations, performing very well in all three seasons this year. This spring, DeNatale ran 8:56.86 for the steeple at the national meet, leaving him a heartbreaking 0.06 seconds out of the finals. Even so, with such a strong freshman campaign, we expect to see DeNatale being very competitive on the national scene throughout his career.

Trevor Richwine (Dickinson)

Trevor Richwine peaked at just the right time this spring. Just two weeks before the national meet, Richwine did not even seem to be in the hunt for a qualifying spot. But although Richwine had not yet broken 1:52 (800), he was winning when it mattered the most (i.e. late in the season). At the Widener Final Qualifier, the Dickinson freshman had a last opportunity to get a mark for the national meet -- something he took full advantage of by running 1:50.15 (800) to once again secure a win (in his heat). The rising Dickinson star had momentum on his side, winning three of his last four 800 meter races. And going into the rounds of the national meet where placement is paramount, winning was a good habit to have on his side. Richwine had a strong showing in his season finale with another 1:50 (800) performance at the national meet. Unfortunately, that was not good enough to make the finals. Regardless, you likely won't find a rookie who was more underrated than Richwine.

Jayden Zywicki (UW-La Crosse)

Out of high school, Jayden Zywicki's resume suggested that he would be best at the 800 meters by a significant margin. In fact, he had not even contested any track event longer than 1600 meters! Yet, when he got to UW-La Crosse, that all changed. The Eagles' distance coaches introduced Zywicki to the steeplechase for the first time ever this spring. This, in retrospect, was a great call, as Zywicki ended up qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in that event. At the national meet, Zywicki finished in 15th place overall, a very respectable performance for someone who had never contested the event before the spring months. With such sudden success over the barriers and water pits, we are left wondering what potential Zywicki has in the longer distance events...

Best Freshman Award (Women)

*Athletes who hold freshman status stemming from any type of eligibility extension (not including missions) are not considered for this award. International freshmen are included amongst these nominees unless we have reason to believe that they do not meet our criteria. Performances past 6/10 are not considered.

Nominees: Sierra Doody (SUNY Geneseo), Hannah Preisser (Carleton), Ella Whinney (Wellesley), Adriana Crabtree (Illinois Wesleyan), Kate Sanderson (MIT), Vivian Kane (NYU), Kayla Kass (Stockton)

Sierra Doody (SUNY Geneseo)

Sierra Doody was one of four freshmen who qualified for the national meet over 800 meters. However, what separates her from the rest of these rookies is that she was the highest-placing out of all of them on the national stage. The SUNY Geneseo talent finished in 13th place in the 800 meter prelims, just missing out on the finals. Her 2:11.84 mark from that race is the fastest that she had run all year, although dropping time isn’t new for her. This year in the two-lap affair, Doody went from 2:19 to 2:14 to 2:12 before finishing with a 2:11 PR. SUNY Geneseo usually specializes in the longer distances, but they have a young, rising star at the half-mile distance.

Hannah Preisser (Carleton)

We are all familiar with Hannah Preisser here at The Stride Report. In fact, we have been writing about her since the start of her freshman year back in the fall -- and her outdoor track campaign was just as good as her other seasonal efforts. The Carleton rookie ran 17:21 and 17:17 over 5000 meters while also running 4:45 and 4:42 for 1500 meters. She even tried her hand in the 10k! Preisser was able to qualify for the national meet in her first-ever 10k with a 35:52.33 mark at the Phil Esten Challenge. She was the only freshman on the national stage in that 10k field and she proved her consistency by running 35:52.02 in her last race of the season. That was good enough for 17th place which wrapped up a great first year for Preisser.

Ella Whinney (Wellesley)

Ella Whinney ended her outdoor track season running five-straight steeplechases -- and that’s a simple, but great way to gain experience in an event that is new to you! It should also be noted that the Wellesley rookie got faster each time she ran the event, never going backwards. At the national meet, she ran 10:41 over the barriers and water pits to be seeded 6th going into the final. That race got out hot and Whinney was pulled to a new PR of 10:37. That was good enough for 8th place and Whinney’s first (and probably not last) All-American honor.

Adriana Crabtree (Illinois Wesleyan)

Adriana Crabtree has clearly found her niche in the steeplechase. In fact, her steeple PR is almost as fast as her flat track 3000 meter PR! Crabtree ran 10:27 for the 3k on the indoor oval and ran 10:43 in the steeplechase at the Augustana Last Chance meet. It was that 10:43 mark that got her into the national meet where she admittedly struggled in a fast race. Even so, she still ran a very respectable time of 10:58 to finish in 16th place overall, only eight seconds away from qualifying for finals. In such a technical race like the steeplechase, the more experience that she gains, the better she will become. This freshman has a very bright future ahead of her.

Kate Sanderson (MIT)

We’ve been aware of Kate Sanderson's talent ever since she finished 48th at the cross country national meet this past fall and qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships over 5000 meters. On the outdoor oval, she gravitated towards the longer distances, running mostly 5k and 10k races. She barely missed qualifying for the national meet in the 10k after she ran a 36:25 at the NEICAAA Outdoor Championships. Luckily, her 5k time of 16:56 from a "last chance" meet was enough to squeak into the outdoor national meet. There, she didn’t have her best day as she ran 17:29 to finish 20th overall, but she was the only freshman in the entire field. That wrapped up a very solid season and solidified her as someone who MIT will be able to rely on for years to come.

Vivian Kane (NYU)

After being out for the entire winter, Vivian Kane came back to racing this spring and took advantage of every opportunity that she could get. The NYU rookie raced in three "last chance" meets alone -- that's a lot, but they seemed to have paid off. Kane came away from this past season with solid PRs of 4:29.43 over 1500 meters and 16:56 for 5000 meters. She decided to not contest that double at the national meet and put all of her focus on the metric mile. We found that to be a wise decision from Kane for her first outdoor national meet. In the prelims of the 1500 meters, she ran 4:29.79, just off of her PR, to qualify for the finals where she finished 11th overall in 4:36.01. In a race that was upperclassmen-heavy, Kane can walk away knowing that she was the only freshman in the field and will hopefully have more chances to get a top-eight finish.

Kayla Kass (Stockton)

Kayla Kass made a big jump from the indoor track season to the outdoor track season this year over 800 meters. The Stockton rookie ran 2:18 (800) once during the winter months, but was consistently running 2:20 and 2:21 during that time. However, on the outdoor circuit, Kass started improving her times. Her big breakthrough came at the Widener Invite where she ran 2:12.07 (800) out of nowhere. But from there on out, she was a consistent 2:12 and 2:13 half-miler. At the national meet, she ran 2:13.51 in the prelims to finish 19th. And while she didn’t make the finals, that is a big step forward for Kass who is someone to look out for in the coming years.

Most Improved Award (Men)

*Evaluates nationally competitive distance talents who were not expected to make the leaps in fitness that they did this spring. Prior seasons are used as a comparison tool when attempting to list nominees. Nominees for this award do not include freshmen or athletes who were in their first season (not necessarily of outdoor track) of NCAA competition. Performances past 6/10 are not considered.

Nominees: Kyle Miller (Buena Vista), Dawit Dean (Emory), Ian Kelly (Luther), Gavin Grass (George Fox), James Settles (Colorado College)

Kyle Miller (Buena Vista)

Kyle Miller entered the outdoor track season having never run faster than 1:56 over 800 meters. His season debut in the event was a nice PR of 1:54 (800), but he was far from done with his improvements. In the next six weeks, the Buena Vista talent would lay down half-mile marks of 1:52, then 1:51, then 1:50, then 1:49 and then 1:49 again to notch PRs in all six of his 800 meter races this spring. To go from being a guy who couldn’t crack the top-200 of the national leaderboard to 5th place in the best middle distance conference in the nation, and then 9th place at the Division Three national meet, is ridiculously impressive trajectory. He undoubtedly deserves all of the plaudits that come his way for what he has been able to accomplish of late.

Dawit Dean (Emory)

Another guy who has made incredible strides over 800 meters this spring is Dawit Dean. Emory has a really solid half-mile group which includes indoor national meet qualifiers Spencer Watry and Marcus Cheema -- and Dean took advantage of training with those great talents to become a formidable middle distance name himself. His 800 meter PR prior to this season was 1:54, but he has taken that time all the way down to 1:50 which allowed him to qualify for the outdoor national meet. Based on his 48-second quarter-mile speed, there were subtle signs that Dean would be able to make a breakthrough over 800 meters if he developed a little bit more strength. But in the grand scheme of things, his 2023 spring season went above and beyond those expectations.

Ian Kelly (Luther)

Ian Kelly dropped his lifetime best over 1500 meters from 3:55 to 3:47 this season, ultimately sneaking into an All-American spot with an 8th place finish at the outdoor national meet. We already knew that he had some speed going into the season as he ran 1:52.91 over 800 meters back in 2021, but this spring, he really seemed to be focused on improving his prowess as a metric miler -- and it paid off to a great degree. Among the top-eight national meet finishers over 1500 meters, Kelly was by far the biggest surprise and he was the highest finisher among guys who were making their national meet debut on the outdoor oval.

Gavin Grass (George Fox)

Prior to this season, Gavin Grass was a 9:38 steeplechaser and 4:05 runner for 1500 meters whose only national meet appearance came via a 147th place finish at the cross country national meet this past fall. Admittedly, Grass was not on anybody’s radar as a guy who could contend for national qualification on the oval. But after a lukewarm first couple of races in March, the George Fox runner really started to click all on cylinders. His momentum started to turn upwards with a nice PR effort of 9:24 (steeple) and he continued on an upward strend which culminated in a 9:02 result at the Portland Distance Carnival. That result got him into the outdoor national meet where he finished 16th overall.

James Settles (Colorado College)

James Settles executed his 5k race at the outdoor national meet to near perfection, taking advantage of his fresh legs to finish 4th place overall despite only coming in seeded 16th. But before completing that race, he had to complete a separate journey at long odds to even get to the starting line. Just like all of the other nominees on this list, Settles did not have nationally competitive PRs coming into this season. His lifetime best over 5000 meters (which he set last spring) was 14:46. And even though his 60th place cross country national meet finish indicated that his fitness had improved since then, running under 14:10 (5k) and ultimately earning All-American status didn’t seem like a very strong possibility. At least, until he did it.

Most Improved Award (Women)

*Evaluates nationally competitive distance talents who were not expected to make the leaps in fitness that they did this spring. Prior seasons are used as a comparison tool when attempting to list nominees. Nominees for this award do not include freshmen or athletes who were in their first season (not necessarily of outdoor track) of NCAA competition. Performances past 6/10 are not considered.

Nominees: Sydney Khosla (Wittenberg), Erin Eivers (SUNY Geneseo), Haylei Coolican (St. Lawrence), Allison Bode (St. Olaf), Greta Koehler (UW-La Crosse)

Sydney Khosla (Wittenberg)

Sydney Khosla was having a really solid 2023 outdoor track season. She qualified for the national meet in the steeplechase (her first national meet appearance) and it was looking like she had a great shot to earn All-American honors as well. However, seeing her nearly swipe the national title away from Aubrie Fisher in the final straightaway of the steeple finals was probably the biggest surprise of the national meet as Khosla ran 10:15 over the barriers to finish as the runner-up in the event. Her fastest steeplechase time in 2022? A mark of 11:19. This Wittenberg ace took more than a minute off of her steeple PR in just one year. Even if Khosla hadn’t earned All-American honors, she would have likely been on this list anyways, but she truly showed out on the biggest stage possible.

Erin Eivers (SUNY Geneseo)

On an incredibly deep SUNY Geneseo team, Erin Eivers has established herself as one of the Knights’ next stars, qualifying for this year’s outdoor national meet in the 1500 meters. While she didn’t advance out of the prelims, her year-to-year improvement has been staggering. In 2022, her PR in the metric mile was 4:41. Since then, she managed to improve by 13 seconds in 2023, running 4:28 (1500) which was good for NCAA #8 during the regular season. It’s safe to say that Eivers has gained some extremely valuable experience heading into her next few years as a Knight to aid their team in even greater success on the grass and on the track.

Haylei Coolican (St. Lawrence)

Haylei Coolican has made one of the most impressive year-to-year jumps in Division Three, completely transforming her abilities as a runner from 2022 to 2023. Qualifying for her first national meet in the steeplechase was a huge accomplishment as she ended up placing 10th in the finals. Her PR of 10:42 over the barriers was listed at NCAA #9 during the regular season. Coolican also threw down a time of 4:43 for 1500 meters along with a 17:37 (5k) mark as well. When you consider that she was a hair over 5:00 (1500) and barely under 12:00 (steeple) just a year ago, Coolican's recent improvements should speak volumes as to how much she has grown and developed as an athlete.

Allison Bode (St. Olaf)

During the 2022 indoor track season, Allison Bode ran 17:31 (5k) which stood as her PR for the remainder of the 2022 indoor and outdoor track campaigns. To finish out her 2023 outdoor track season, Bode earned All-American honors in the 10k, placing 8th overall and running a PR of 35:03. Just one year later, Bode was able to run her former 5k PR twice in a row over the 10k distance, averaging exactly 17:31 at each halfway split at the national meet. Even if that’s just one anecdote to her improvement this year, Bode also sharpened her racing abilities over 1500 meters (4:43) and 5000 meters (17:07), all while becoming a solid competitor on the national stage.

Greta Koehler (UW-La Crosse)

Greta Koehler’s final few weeks of the outdoor track season were pretty eventful, highlighted by how she dropped her PR over 800 meters from 2:15 down to a staggering mark of 2:09! Seeing UW-La Crosse have two girls under 2:10 at the half-mile distance was an impressive feat and Koelher’s breakout performance earned her a place to the outdoor national meet. Sure, she didn’t make it out of the prelims, but considering that she broke 2:20 just ONCE in 2022 and made the jumps that she did in 2023, it’s looking like Koelher’s potential in the middle distance events in years to come is through the roof.

Best Performance Award (Men)

*Must have run attached at least once this spring. 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. Performances past 6/10 are not considered.

Nominees: Christian Patzka’s Convincing Steeplechase Win Over a Loaded Field at the Outdoor National Meet, Ryan Wilson Wins National Title In Dominant 800 Meter Run, Alex Phillip’s Gutsy Performance To Win The 10k National Title, Alex Phillip Runs 28:31 (10k) For The D3 Record At Payton Jordan Invitational, Christopher Collet Runs 8:38 (steeplechase) D3 Record

Christian Patzka’s Convincing Steeplechase National Title Win Over A Loaded Field

Coming into the steeplechase finals, most of the excitement was around defending champion Christopher Collet. Even so, Christian Patzka was not going to go down without a fight. As Collet took a tumble on a barrier around the midway point, Patzka took advantage of that opportunity to pull away from the pack. His sudden 67-second lap was a decisive move that immediately resulted in separation from the rest of the field. In the latter stages of the race, Patzka continued to extend his lead to win by eight seconds and claim his second national title. This fearless racing resulted in a PR of 8:42 for Patzka, a performance good enough for a NCAA #2 all-time in Division Three (at the time of this race).

Ryan Wilson Wins 800 meter National Title With Dominant Run

Coming into the national meet, we knew Ryan Wilson was fast (shocker). After all, he was the D3 record holder for the indoor 800 meters, the indoor mile and the outdoor 1500 meters. But with four races over three days, pulling off the half-mile and the metric mile double would be a test of his tactical abilities and his durability. Of course, in his final race of the weekend, Ryan Wilson faced arguably his toughest competition in two-time 800 meter national champion, Mike Jasa. In this final task, Wilson displayed masterful tactics, allowing Jasa to lead the first 700 meters before blowing by him in the final straight to win in convincing fashion.

Alex Phillip’s Gutsy Performance to Win the 10k National Title

In the 10k, Alex Phillip was dragged out at a quick pace by Ethan Gregg out of UW-La Crosse, coming through 5000 meters in 14:22. Phillip, a very experienced racer in championship settings, waited for his time to make a move. As the pace slowed in the latter parts of the race, Phillip made a hard move on Gregg with six laps to go. The John Carroll stud was able to put Gregg away with this move and take the win in an impressive mark of 28:37, only six seconds off of his personal best. This incredible performance would epitomize what made Alex Phillip one of the greatest D3 distance runners ever.

Alex Phillip Runs D3 10k Record of 28:31 at Payton Jordan Invitational

Alex Phillip was already the D3 record holder for the indoor 5k and the outdoor 5k, so naturally, he had one more record that he needed to add to his already-legendary resume: the D3 10k record. Phillip traveled across the country to take a shot at the record at Stanford’s Payton Jordan Invitational. The multi-time national champion competed with some of the better athletes that D1 had to offer, placing 3rd in a loaded race. The field dragged Phillip to a remarkable PR and D3 record of 28:31 to cut seven seconds off of the previous record.

Christopher Collet Runs 8:38 (steeplechase) D3 Record

After failing to defend his steeplechase national title, Christopher Collet must have been feeling a bit dissatisfied with how his NCAA season ended. But the Wartburg ace did not waste any time avenging this non-title-winning performance, contesting another steeplechase race only a week after. At the Portland Track Festival, Collet won the steeple in a dominant time of 8:38, cutting an incredible nine seconds off of his lifetime best and comfortably securing a new D3 record.

Best Performance Award (Women)

*Must have run attached at least once this spring. 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. Performances past 6/10 are not considered.

Nominees: Kassie Parker Dominates To Win The 10k National Title, Kassie Parker Smashes D3 10k Record Running 32:36, Emma Kelley Comfortably Earns Second National Title In The 800 Meters, Annika Urban Wins Tight 1500 Meter National Title, Aubrie Fisher Outlasts Sydney Khosla In The Steeplechase

Kassie Parker Dominates to Win the 10k National Title

Seeking revenge after finishing runner-up in last year’s 10k national meet final, Kassie Parker fired on all cylinders at this year’s national meet to bring home a national title over Fiona Smith. Parker diligently bided her time in making a move, waiting until very late in the race to ultimately secure a three-second victory over Smith. Running 33:02 in the championship final was undoubtedly impressive as Parker ran her second-fastest 10k time ever which also happens to be the NCAA #2 all-time mark in Division Three behind her own record.

Kassie Parker Smashes D3 10k Record Running 32:36

After not having eligibility for the indoor track season, Kassie Parker managed to obliterate her own D3 record in the 10k by running 32:36 in her season opener at the Stanford Invitational. We knew that she was going to run something quick, but to run a mark that fast would be extremely competitive across all divisions of the NCAA. That result was a truly eye-opening indicator of Parker’s distance prowess in 2023.

Emma Kelley Comfortably Earns Second 800 Meter National Title

From the gun, it was fairly obvious: Emma Kelley was going to run the 800 meter finals at the national meet HARD. Sure enough, this Washington U. veteran gapped the field, going wire-to-wire and never looking back as she finished a comfortable three seconds ahead of Maddie Hannan to earn her second national title over the half-mile distance. But just because her win was by a fairly significant margin and largely expected, that doesn't make Kelley's performance any less impressive.

Annika Urban Wins Tight 1500 Meter National Title

With a deep field behind her, Annika Urban cemented herself as the 1500 meter and mile Queen of D3 in 2023, securing herself a second national title in this calendar year. The 1500 meter finals proved to be a quick one with six women running under 4:24 (1500) after only Urban had done so during the regular season. Maddie Kelly and Gillian Roeder gave Urban a serious challenge in the final stretches of this race, but even then, Urban proved to be far too strong to hold off.

Aubrie Fisher Outlasts Sydney Khosla In The Steeplechase

In a championship final that proved to be much more dramatic than we expected, Aubrie Fisher barely held off a hard-charging Sydney Khosla over the final straightaway to claim her second national title in the steeplechase. While the outcome of Fisher winning was not surprising, fending off a highly aggressive challenge from an unexpected runner en route to a 10:15 mark over the barriers (and a national title) is far more impressive than some may realize.

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

*Considers performances throughout the entirety of the 2023 outdoor track season. Success relative to seasonal expectations or success relative to historical accolades of the program are factored into account when listing nominees. Performances past 6/10 are not considered.

Nominees: Bob Schultz (Loras), Riley Macon (MIT), Ryan Chapman + Staff (Wartburg), Kyle Flores (Pomona-Pitzer) and Matt Sinnott (North Central)

Bob Schultz (Loras)

Loras’ Bob Shultz has continued his notoriety into 2023 as his Duhawks' distance squad was responsible for all of the points that they scored at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The brunt of the scoring was done by two athletes: Mike Jasa and Carter Oberfoell, the former potentially being one of Schultz’s most impressive coaching feats ever. Not only that, but Ryan Harvey and Wyatt Kelly also ran top-10 times over 1500 meters, nationally, during the regular season. And even if they didn't run too well on the national stage, they still added to the great middle distance depth of Schultz's program.

Riley Macon (MIT)

MIT’s outdoor national meet margin-of-victory is at least partially thanks to the distance crew headed by Coach Riley Macon. Scoring 21 points -- we understand 95% of these points are from one particular athlete -- the Engineers' 800 meters-and-up crew made a difference across the board as they saw eight separate performances in the distance events. Whether it was Ryan Wilson’s double or Andrew Mah mixing it up for much of the 5000 meter finals, the team showed range throughout the championships. Even up to the 10,000 meters, Matthew Kearney secured a point and an All-American performance as he ran 29:20.76 to lead his two other teammates in the event (no other program had three athletes in the event). Ryan Wilson aside, this group made their presence known at the outdoor national meet this season. This was not just a one-man show.

Ryan Chapman + Staff (Wartburg)

Ryan Chapman and his staff (Hannah Weiss and Abby Fliehler) secured qualifiers for every distance event (absent the 1500 meters) at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Knights also managed to control the 3000 meter steeplechase as they secured 14 points from their 2-3 finish in the event. Chapman and Co. sprinkled the results list with athletes showcasing the range of their talent. Though their national meet points came exclusively from the steeplechase, they made pushes for points over 5000 meters and the 10,000 meters. Yes, points are the ultimate goal of a national meet, but representation across the board is a very important factor as well. Chapman did as great of a job as anyone in getting a jersey in nearly every men’s distance event at the national meet this past spring.

Kyle Flores (Pomona-Pitzer)

Chances are, if you watched any distance event at the outdoor national meet, then you caught one of Kyle Flores’ athletes competing. Aside from having one of the best jersey-mascot combinations in Division Three athletics, the Sagehens also qualified nine athletes for the national meet. At least one of Flores’ athletes competed in every single men's distance event. They scored double-digit points on the national stage and were able to make their presence felt in most events. The depth and talent of Pomona-Pitzer has been no secret for some time now. Though they do not compete (much) during the winter months, Flores’ crew looms large in the minds of everyone at the NCAA Outdoor Championships each and every season.

Matt Sinnott (North Central)

North Central under Coach Matt Sinnott has continued their proud tradition of distance depth. Sinnott’s crew has produced six top-20 performances in Division Three this spring. Those results included Max Svienty being NCAA #6 (5k) and NCAA #4 (10k), Braden Nicholson being NCAA #13 (5k) and NCAA #17 (10k), Connor Riss being NCAA #20 (5k) and Andrew Guimond being NCAA #12 (10k). We are convinced that no program loves running in circles more than Sinnott’s distance crew. North Central stacked the 5000 meter podium on the national stage, scoring 11 points with 3rd place, 5th place and 8th place finishes. Few teams have seen this level of scoring potency in any other event at the outdoor national meet. This group is deep and may have had one of the longest total distances traveled across all athletes at the national meet this year as their men’s distance crew covered 35,000 meters between the 5k and the 10k alone.

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

*Considers performances throughout the entirety of the 2023 outdoor track season. Success relative to seasonal expectations or success relative to historical accolades of the program are factored into account when listing nominees. Performances past 6/10 are not considered.

Nominees: Chris Hall (U. of Chicago), Jeff Stiles (Washington U)., Ryan Chapman + Staff (Wartburg), Dan Moore (SUNY Geneseo), Derek Stanley (UW-La Crosse)

Chris Hall (U. of Chicago)

Coming into the outdoor national meet, Coach Chris Hall had at least one runner qualified in every single distance event. In the 1500 meters, the 5000 meters and the 10,000 meters, he entered at least three runners. Overall, the Maroons had 13 entries in the distance events on the national stage. His team was led by a strong senior class of Katarina Birimac, Frances Schaeffler and Anna Kenig-Ziesler who finished in 5th place, 9th place and 12th place, respectively, in the 10k finals. Kenig-Ziesler and Birimac later added 7th place and 9th place finishes in the 5k as well. Then there was sophomore Sophie Tedesco who got her first national meet experience in the 10k. And we can’t forget about Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel or the great Maddie Kelly. Battleson-Gunkel finished right outside of All-American position in the 5k with a 10th place finish and that was after running a great 1500 meter final to finish in 6th place. Maddie Kelly has been a star all year and was just short of winning the 1500 meter national title, finishing with NCAA silver. And that’s not even all of the national meet entries that Hall had this year!

Jeff Stiles (Washington U.)

Washington U. placed 3rd as a team at this year's outdoor national meet and they should be thanking their distance team for plenty of the scoring help. It’s hard to start anywhere else besides Emma Kelley who ran away with the 800 meter national title for the second-straight national meet. Her 2:06.47 mark was over three seconds faster than the rest of the field. She also had teammates Aoife Dunne and Alessia Sarussi in the field finishing in 4th place and 8th place, respectively. In the 1500 meter finals, Emily Konkus finished 4th overall in a very close battle. She finished right ahead of Dunne (5th) who was doubling back. Of course, it’s not just a middle distance-focused program as we saw seniors Kiera Olson finish 7th and Ella Behrens finish 14th in the 10,000 meter finals. In the steeplechase, they also had Julia Patterson make her national meet debut. Overall, the distance squad scored 27 points of their team's overall 51 points.

Ryan Chapman + Staff (Wartburg)

Let’s start with the biggest reason why Coach Ryan Chapman and his staff are listed among these nominees: Aubrie Fisher, the national champion in the steeplechase. The Wartburg star secured her second national title in that event and she avenged her runner-up national meet finish from last year. The Knights also had Ellie Meyer finish in 4th place in that event after coming into the steeple finals seeded 10th. In the 800 meters, sophomore Lily Campbell finished in 7th place after also helping their 4x400 meter relay. Over 1500 meters, Lexi Brown finished in 16th place, but did redeem herself in the 5k by grabbing the last All-American spot in 8th place. And to end with the longest race, the Knights had Shaelyn Hostager representing Wartburg in the 10k. She finished in 6th place with a new 10k PR of 35:02. Overall, the distance team scored 21 of the team's 29 points. The good news is that this roster will return a majority of their squad next year and will look to challenge for a team trophy on the backs of their distance runners.

Dan Moore (SUNY Geneseo)

If we had to guess, we would say that Coach Dan Moore is probably not satisfied with how his team finished at the national meet as they only had one distance runner place inside the top-eight. But there is still plenty of good to take away from the national meet and the outdoor track season as a whole. The Knights had seven different runners qualify for the national meet with many doing so for the first time. Freshman Sierra Doody finished in 13th place over 800 meters in her first national meet experience. SUNY Geneseo also had three runners entered in the 1500 meters at the national meet with Windsor Ardner, Erin Eivers and Marcie Hogan finishing in 12th place, 15th place and 21st place, respectively. When it came to the 5000 meter finals, Penelope Greene held it down for the Knights, finishing in 14th place. Over 10,000 meters, Kathleen McCarey did have a little bit of a rough day, finishing in 18th place, but Rachel Hirschkind made up for that with a strong finish in the steeplechase finals, finishing in 5th place overall. Sure, it wasn't a perfect national meet showing, but their overall distance depth is hard to ignore.

Derek Stanley (UW-La Crosse)

Derek Stanley is the man who led his team to a national team title -- and his distance runners definitely helped with that. Among the non-scorers, Greta Koehler had her first individual national meet experience finishing in 15th place over 800 meters. Maddie Hannan finished the 5000 meter finals in 19th place, but to be fair, she had a stellar first event (more on that later). When it comes to the steeplechase, sophomore Katelyn Chadwick qualified for her first national meet and held her own by finishing in 17th place. Then there is junior Maddy Vantassel who qualified for the steeplechase finals, but ultimately finished in 12th place. The Eagles also had senior Emma Malooly who played this process amazingly. She came into the steeplechase finals seeded ninth after running a new PR in the prelims and then ran an even better race in the finals to finish in 6th place. As we come back to Maddie Hannan, she held off a hard-charging conference rival in Cyna Madigan, as well as Aoife Dunne, to secure an NCAA silver medal in the 800 meter finals. Sure, they may not have scored as many distance points as a few others, but this group as a whole was flat-out excellent.

Most Valuable Runner Award (Men)

*Must have run attached this season. Performances past 6/10 are not considered. Voters can choose to vote for the best distance runner or the most valuable distance runner this season.

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

Ryan Wilson (MIT)

After Ryan Wilson’s historic indoor track season, he carried his momentum into the spring with seasonal bests of 3:40 over 1500 meters (a D3 record) and 1:47 over 800 meters, both of which occurred at the Bryan Clay Invite. At the outdoor national meet, he went for the double and won both events, looking smooth the entire way. He did only what was necessary to win the metric mile and never had to go to that next gear. As a result, he was able to leave 1:47 (800) man Mike Jasa behind in the final straightaway of the 800 meter finals. In the end, his 20 points were instrumental to MIT’s team title.

Alex Phillip (John Carroll)

Alex Phillip has been among D3 royalty for years now and he was sure to make his final season in this division a memorable one. He set D3 records of 28:31 for 10,000 meters and 13:47 for 5000 meters in April, holding his own in fields loaded with D1 talent. When the outdoor national meet rolled around, he won the 10,000 meter national title by going with Ethan Gregg’s hot early pace and dropping the hammer. He then doubled back with a 5000 meter victory, holding off Elias Lindgren in the final 200 meters. His two national titles bring his total to seven across all three seasons and cements his legacy at the D3 level as one of the greatest to ever do it.

Christian Patzka (UW-Whitewater)

There were times this season where it seemed Christian Patzka didn’t have quite the same edge as he did during the winter months. Obviously, he was still highly impressive, but after running 13:49 over 5000 meters on a flat indoor track, you might have expected that he would go faster than 13:55 for that distance this spring. His 8:47 steeplechase best prior to the outdoor national meet was great, but once again, there was some level of expectation that his improvement in the flat races would translate to a bigger jump there. He wasn’t underperforming by any means, but he hadn’t done anything that made us drop our jaws...until the national meet, that is. In a star-studded steeplechase field off of a fairly honest pace, Patzka made a highly-convincing move that nobody had a response to and ultimately pulled away to win by eight seconds. That was the Christian Patzka we were looking for and when it mattered the most, he showed up in a massive way.

Mike Jasa (Loras)

Mike Jasa had a phenomenal season, once again showcasing his ability as an elite middle distance talent. He posted the fastest 800 meter mark in the country (D3) with a time of 1:47.81 which that was good for the NCAA #3 all-time mark in Division Three. The week after running 1:47 (800), he won the American Rivers Conference title in the event with a negative split 1:48.01 (800) in a field that consisted of seven men who would ultimately qualify for the outdoor national meet, six of whom finished in the top-10. While he would not claim his third national title over 800 meters at the national meet, he still performed well, running another 1:48 (800) mark for NCAA silver and leading for 700 meters before being overtaken by arguably the greatest middle distance runner in D3 history, Ryan Wilson.

Christopher Collet (Wartburg)

Christopher Collet posted some really nice results during this past outdoor track season, breaking 14 minutes for 5000 meters for the first time in his career with a 13:57 mark at the UW-Platteville Invitational. He also ran a PR of 8:47 in the steeplechase at Drake Relays. While he was unable to defend his steeple title at the outdoor national meet, Collet still had a really solid 2nd place finish over the barriers which you can hardly complain about when you’re facing off against talents like Christian Patzka and Colin Kirkpatrick. But his best performance of the year came after the national meet. A blazing 8:38 steeplechase mark in Portland unexpectedly (and impressively) shattered the D3 record.

Ethan Gregg (UW-La Crosse)

Ethan Gregg came into the season hot, opening with a 28:40 (10k) performance that is now NCAA #3 all-time in Division Three. He would race sparingly for the rest of the season leading up to the national meet, but he did manage to run 13:58 for 5000 meters at UW-Platteville and win the WIAC 10k title, comfortably. We have come to know Gregg as a bold racer who makes things honest and he stayed true to that at the outdoor national meet, taking the 10k through the halfway point in 14:23 and holding on for 2nd place behind Alex Phillip in 28:55. We may have seen a similar race in the 5000 meter finals if he had not been controversially disqualified for a false start, but regardless of any speculation, Gregg can hold his head high after yet another campaign as one of the top distance runners in the country.

Most Valuable Runner Award (Women)

*Must have run attached this season. Performances past 6/10 are not considered. Voters can choose to vote for the best distance runner or the most valuable distance runner this season.

Nominees: Kassie Parker (Loras), Emma Kelley (Washington U.), Aubrie Fisher (Wartburg), Fiona Smith (St. Benedict), Annika Urban (Emory)

Kassie Parker (Loras)

Naturally, this list should be led by Kassie Parker. The Duhawk superstar led roughly 14,800 meters throughout the outdoor national meet during 10k/5k double. Parker would win the 10k title in a time of 33:02 with 70.60-second final lap. It would be a similar story in the 5000 meter finals as she ran 16:18 to secure the overall win thanks to a 69.53-second final lap. These are Parker’s sixth and seventh NCAA titles and her performance resulted in 20 key points for Loras. Not only that, but she also ran the 10k and the 5k D3 records this year! Overall, her resume is hard to pick against.

Emma Kelley (Washington U.)

The women’s 800 meter finals at the national meet saw about as fast of a decisive move as any other race at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The race involved Emma Kelley jumping out to an aggressive lead within 100 meters and growing a two-second gap by the time she reached 200 meters. From here, Kelley maintained the lead through the tape despite a formidable chase pack (led by Maddie Hannan and Cyna Madigan) solidifying with 300 meters remaining. After a two-hour break, Kelley ran a 54.18-second split on her team's 4x400 meter relay, moving her squad into 5th place and gaining the Bears two points. That was the fastest anchor leg in the 4x400 meter finals and it capped an impressive double in a weekend full of racing for Kelley. Fun fact: Washington U. finished 14 points ahead of MIT at the national meet which happens to be the individual points haul for Kelley.

Aubrie Fisher (Wartburg)

Aubrie Fisher knows a thing or two about running and jumping. She put those skills to use as she convincingly won the 3000 meter steeplechase national title in Rochester. The event opened with Fisher and Rachel Hirschkind running side-by-side (Fisher officially led each lap of this event) through five laps as their group of five slowly dwindled to a one-second lead for Fisher with 600 meters of running left. Thanks to extremely efficient mechanics over the barriers and a 73.77-second final lap, Fisher held off Sydney Khosla to take home the national title in 10:15.34. Of course, throughout the season, Fisher proved to hold tremendous value. She was the NCAA leader in this event going into the national meet, she won two conference titles and she also qualified for the national meet over 5000 meters with a 16:56 mark.

Fiona Smith (St. Benedict)

If there were an award for the cleanest super-shoes in Division Three, Fiona Smith would be our front-runner (man, those shoes pop on a TV). Sadly, that award does not exist. Thankfully, Smith is also up for the "Most Valuable Runner" award. Smith achieved a Tobias-Harris-esque performance of hauling in 16 points via 2nd place finishes over 5000 meters and 10,000 meters at the national meet. Smith fought valiantly with Kassie Parker in each of her events and raced extremely well, tactically. Across the board this season, Smith was incredible. She ran 4:25 (1500), 16:05 (5k) and 33:02 (10k), all at intermittent points throughout the season. Sure, this St. Benedict ace may not have won a national title, but she was insanely consistent.

Annika Urban (Emory)

In the 1500 meter finals of the national meet, Annika Urban took over the lead with 400 meters to go and dispatched her final pursuant with 40 meters to go. After taking care of her second career NCAA title, Urban shifted her focus to the 5000 meters and appeared to be extremely locked in once again. In a show of aerobic strength from the miler, Urban was able to hang on for 5th securing a key four points for Emory in the team battle. There is a very real argument for Urban to win this award during most years as her incredible versatility was reflected via her 2:10 (800), 4:19 (1500) and 16:06 (5k) personal bests from earlier this season.

FINAL VOTES

Best Freshman Award

Men

Hannah: Lance Sobaski (Wartburg) Brett: Lance Sobaski (Wartburg)

Kevin: Lance Sobaski (Wartburg) Andrew: Lance Sobaski (Wartburg)

Conor: Lance Sobaski (Wartburg)

Overall Winner: Lance Sobaski (Wartburg)

Women

Hannah: Ella Whiney (Wellesley) Brett: Vivian Kane (NYU)

Kevin: Vivian Kane (NYU) Andrew: Ella Whiney (Wellesley)

Conor: Vivian Kane (NYU)

Overall Winner: Vivian Kane (NYU)

Most Improved Award

Men

Hannah: Sydney Khosla (Wittenberg) Brett: Sydney Khosla (Wittenberg)

Kevin: Sydney Khosla (Wittenberg) Andrew: Sydney Khosla (Wittenberg)

Conor: Sydney Khosla (Wittenberg)

Overall Winner: Sydney Khosla (Wittenberg)

Women

Hannah: James Settles (Colorado College) Brett: James Settles (Colorado College)

Kevin: Kyle Miller (Buena Vista) Andrew: Kyle Miller (Buena Vista)

Conor: James Settles (Colorado College)

Overall Winner: James Settles (Colorado College)

Best Performance Award

Men

Hannah: Ryan Wilson Wins 800 meter National Title With Dominant Run Brett: Christian Patzka’s Convincing Steeplechase National Title Win Over a Loaded Field

Kevin: Christian Patzka’s Convincing Steeplechase National Title Win Over a Loaded Field Andrew: Christian Patzka’s Convincing Steeplechase National Title Win Over a Loaded Field

Conor: Christian Patzka’s Convincing Steeplechase National Title Win Over a Loaded Field

Overall Winner: Christian Patzka’s Convincing Steeplechase National Title Win Over a Loaded Field

Women

Hannah: Aubrie Fisher Outlasts Sydney Khosla En Route to Steeple National Title Brett: Kassie Parker Smashes D3 10k Record By Running 32:36

Kevin: Kassie Parker Smashes D3 10k Record By Running 32:36 Andrew: Kassie Parker Smashes D3 10k Record By Running 32:36

Conor: Annika Urban Wins Tight 1500 Meter National Title

Overall Winner: Kassie Parker Smashes D3 10k Record Running 32:36

Best Distance Coach / Team Award

Men

Hannah: Ryan Chapman + Staff (Wartburg) Brett: Kyle Flores (Pomona-Pitzer)

Kevin: Kyle Flores (Pomona-Pitzer) Andrew: Kyle Flores (Pomona-Pitzer)

Conor: Matt Sinnott (North Central)

Overall Winner: Kyle Flores (Pomona-Pitzer)

Women

Hannah: Jeff Stiles (Washington U.) Brett: Jeff Stiles (Washington U.)

Kevin: Chris Hall (U. of Chicago) Andrew: Jeff Stiles (Washington U.)

Conor: Jeff Stiles (Washington U.)

Overall Winner: Jeff Stiles (Washington U.)

Most Valuable Runner Award

Men

Hannah: Ryan Wilson (MIT) Brett: Ryan Wilson (MIT)

Kevin: Ryan Wilson (MIT) Andrew: Ryan Wilson (MIT)

Conor: Alex Phillip (John Carroll)

Overall Winner: Ryan Wilson (MIT)

Women

Hannah: Kassie Parker (Loras) Brett: Kassie Parker (Loras)

Kevin: Kassie Parker (Loras) Andrew: Kassie Parker (Loras)

Conor: Kassie Parker (Loras)

Overall Winner: Kassie Parker (Loras)