2023 RMAC Indoor Championship Preview

John Cusick
Feb 22, 2023
14 min read

Updated: Feb 22, 2023

Written by John Cusick

Additional comments & edits by Garrett Zatlin

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Kira MacGill vs Zoe Baker vs Molly Maksin in Women’s 5k

This is going to be one of the best races of this upcoming weekend. I fully believe that.

Kira MacGill has been on a tear since she upset Katie Doucette at the Mountaineer Open in September. Meanwhile, Zoe Baker and Molly Maksin have already put together strong performances throughout this indoor track season.

These three women have the top-three seed times entering the weekend, making them the clear-cut top picks to walk away with an RMAC title. Baker holds the NCAA #3 mark in the event, MacGill has earned the NCAA #5 mark and Maksin owns the NCAA #7 spot, respectively, on the D2 national leaderboard.

You rarely get three top-10 marks in the same conference race squaring-off against each other -- and that’s not even including Brianna Robles who opted for just the DMR during this championship weekend.

So who’s got the edge?

Right now, we have to lean toward Baker of Colorado Mines. Her personal best is 16:16 (5k) and she’s run only a second off of that this winter. This, of course, is assuming that the race will be honest from the gun. In our eyes, Baker has the necessary experience to navigate a championship field and will be looking for the third RMAC title of her career.

However, if this does turn towards a tactical race, then MacGill likely has the best chance to hold off the field in a sit-and-kick race. Yes, Baker does hold a better mile personal best of 4:56 to MacGill’s 5:04 in the mile, but I feel like MacGill is in better shape now than what that previous mile time indicates.

If she gets a chance to finish with a hard kick, then I think she can hold off this field.

Of course, it’s not just these two who will be looking for that RMAC title. Maksin has set personal bests in every race she has contested this season, making her someone to watch out for this weekend. She may not have the same foot-speed as her teammate (Baker), but Maksin’s chances of winning only increase if the race is kept honest.

Add in the likes of Jenna Ramsey, Emily Schoellkopf and Amalia Dorion and you have six women seeded under the 17:00 barrier over 5000 meters. Given that this race is in Alamosa at nearly 8000 feet of altitude, we should expect the times to reflect athletes racing at high elevation -- and later receive big-time conversions.

I'm predicting a race that finishes in the 17:30 (5k) range and a grueling battle over the last kilometer of racing. I'll give the slight edge to Baker, but it could be anyone’s race if things start slowly.

Reece Sharman-Newell Headlines Men’s 800 Meters

This was one of the more interesting races to find on the entry list for this weekend.

Reece Sharman-Newell is the lone participant in the men's 800 meters who has a seed time faster than 1:50. In fact, he nearly has a full second and a half between him and the next competitor in the field.

And that’s his teammate, Kaleb Tipton!

Not having David Cardenas in this field (he is entered in the DMR) makes this an easy race to break down. Sharman-Newell is the obvious favorite and it will be tough to knock him off, especially if the half-mile specialist can get into the lead early-on.

You could argue that Tipton or Nick Nowlen have a shot at taking down Sharman-Newell, but that would require one of their best races at 800 meters to do so and a potential "off" day from the Thunderwolf ace. His increased strength makes him tougher to knock off, especially at altitude. He'll give this field plenty of trouble.

Yes, it's true, both Sharman-Newell and Tipton are slated to be part of a DMR lineup the night before. And while that theoretically increases the chance for an upset, that still feels unlikely.

If the field can make Sharman-Newell and Tipton work hard early-on, then we could see a huge upset in the 800 meters. But that's a more headline-inducing scenario. More realistically, this is still Sharman-Newell’s race to lose. His improved fitness will only make him a more dangerous competitor in championship settings such as this.

Top Names Set For 3k Showdowns

If you were looking for the top names in the RMAC, then look no further than the men's and women's 3000 meter races set for this weekend.

On the men’s side, we have seven men seeded faster than 8:10 for 3000 meters! Awet Beraki (7:56), Cameron Allan (8:02), Yonas Haile (8:06), Evan Graff (8:07), Marcus Graham (8:08), Tyler Nord (8:08) and Matthew Storer (8:09) are all entered in this race which is set up for an incredible showdown.

And that’s not even with Isaac Russo and Afewerki Zeru who are seeded at 8:11 (3k)!

In total, that makes nine of the top-30 athletes on the 3k national leaderboard who are slated to run this race on Saturday.

The immediate favorites here are Beraki from Adams State and Zeru from UC-Colorado Springs. We have seen how good these athletes have been over the last calendar year and that (mostly) hasn’t changed leading up to this weekend.

The biggest question is how both will fare over 3000 meters in a championship-style race that could turn tactical if they let it.

If things become strategic and conservative, then the likes of Allan, Haile and Graff have increased chances of being able to out-kick those two if it comes down to it. That said, it would be a drastic change in racing tactics from Beraki and Zeru to let the pace be dictated by anyone else.

We’re expecting an honest pace from the gun for two reasons. The first is that this strategy plays into the hands of the favorites in the race more than it does the rest of the field. The second reason is that Zeru is still looking for a national qualifying time in the 3000 meters. This is likely his last chance to get that after an extended hiatus from the Houston Half Marathon where he produced a DNF result.

On the women’s side of things, it’s shaping up to be just as good of a race as the men’s side.

There are six women who are seeded under the 9:40 barrier for 3000 meters. And if you expand that range out to sub-10:00, then there are nine women who have accomplished that feat in this race.

Leading the way are Precious Robinson, Katie Doucette and Zoe Baker. All three women have seed times under 9:30 (3k) and are your early favorites for the title on Saturday afternoon.

At the moment, I would give the edge to Doucette right now as she is the only one who has actually run under 9:30 (3k) in her career. Baker’s seed time is a converted mark from running a 3k on her home track while Robinson’s time came back in December.

The Mountaineer ace has also seemingly built some momentum over the last few weeks.

Doucette also has the fact that she finished 2nd at last year’s NCAA Indoor Championships in the 3k and that should play to her advantage. She’ll be coming off of anchoring Western Colorado’s DMR team, but she won’t be the only one doubling back. Baker will have run the 5k the night before as well, leaving Robinson as the only fresh athlete with a realistic chance of taking home the victory.

It’s worth noting that Robinson is coming off of running 16:23 (5k) at Boston University fro, two weekends ago and that makes her incredibly dangerous in this field. She will have the freshest legs out of all the top competitors, giving her the option of racing hard from the front or sitting around and waiting to out-kick her opponents.

Other names such as Molly Maksin (9:32), Allison Beasley (9:34), Leah Taylor (9:39), Anna Fauske (9:43) and Margot Thomas (9:44) are all names to keep an eye on...but there isn’t anyone that we would take over the three mentioned earlier.

Jenna Ramsey (9:58) is also entered in this race and could be considered a "dark horse" pick if her fitness is back to what we saw during the 2022 indoor track season.

Regardless of the pace, this should be a thrilling rbattle at the front featuring some of Division Two’s best distance runners.

Miguel Coca to Lead Four Adams State Men in Mile

There is nothing quite like home-field advantage.

Or in this case, home-bubble advantage?

We’ll keep workshopping, but regardless of where this race was set to be run, Adams State star Miguel Coca would be the favorite for the conference mile title.

He’s the only athlete with a seed time that is under 4:00 in the mile and he’s five seconds clear of the second-fastest seed time of 4:01 held by Hudson Majeski of Colorado Christian. Along with Coca and Majeski are the likes of Ryan Outler, Clement Duigou, Mitchell Dervin, Jagger Zlotoff and Davonte Jett-Reynolds who all have seed times of 4:06 or faster.

Are any of them favorites to knock-off Coca?

No, probably not.

But that's not just because Coca has run a handful of super fast conversions. Remember, the dynamic distance ace posted a blistering-fast 7:52 (3k) mark at Boston two weekends ago. It’s hard to believe that there will be anyone in this field who can hang with him through eight laps on his home track.

Majeski and Outler appear to be the early picks to beat Coca.

Majeski just ran an outright personal best of 4:05 (mile) in Boston. Outler doesn’t have the same kind of personal best in the mile at this point, but he has already beaten everyone in this field at the Wes Lavong Open.

His familiarity with this competition could spell trouble for his opponents, tactically.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Adams State milers will try to make this a team effort to bring the RMAC title back to Alamosa while racking up as many team points as possible.

Jett-Reynolds has run 4:01 for the mile before and he provides the biggest threat to Coca out of the Adams State quartet. Dugiou and Dervin have proven to be strong distance talents as well, but most of their success has come at 3000 meters and up. We’re just not quite ready to say that they will be good enough to hold off their teammate for a conference title.

There is no Luke Julian or Tony Torres to make a run at this conference title, making things that much easier for Coca. As long as he stays out of trouble, he should be walking away with his first RMAC title while building an even stronger case for being the national title favorite at this mile distance.

National Meet Preview of Women’s 800 Meters Will Determine RMAC Champion

How does six of the top-11 athletes on the D2 national leaderboard over 800 meters sound for a conference meet final?

We’d argue this is the most top-heavy event across any conference in the country, but we might go down a rabbit hole that we don’t have time for.

Aryelle Wright (2:09), Ava O’Connor (2:09), Kate Hedlund (2:09), Lieke Hoogesteen (2:09) Helen Braybrook (2:09) and Mackenzie Duck (2:10) are all separated by less than a second entering this weekend’s conference championship.

Simply put, giving an edge to one of these athletes is basically flipping a coin at this point.

But since this is a preview and we’re supposed to give some insight, I feel like it’d be hard to pick against O’Connor from Adams State. Despite doubling back from the DMR on Friday, she boasts the most range of any of these athletes. She has the ability to succeed in a fast race or a tactically-based affair.

Regardless of the scenario, our confidence level doesn’t wane one way or the other for her.

Wright would be our next option as she’s got the most experience out of anyone in this field when it comes to championship racing. Her four national meet appearances give her a slight advantage in terms of navigating a single-race championship. She’s also fresh off of a personal best over 800 meters and this could be the year where she breaks through at the RMAC Indoor Championships.

In other words, there are a lot of signs suggesting that Wright is due for a big performance.

And then we come to Helen Braybrook who was 10th at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 800 meters and holds a personal best of 2:08. She’ll be doubling back from the DMR just like O’Connor and could be impacted by some tired legs.

But much like her teammate on the men's side, Sharman-Newell, Braybrook has been working on her strength. That improved strength could dramatically help her in the second race of her weekend and any kind of success here could lead to ongoing accolades at the national meet.

As for Hedlund, she is known more for her mile efforts than her half-mile efforts, but that doesn’t mean she’s not someone to watch this weekend. She will be anchoring UCCS’ DMR team on Friday, contesting the mile early in the day on Saturday and then finally attacking the 800 meters Saturday afternoon.

The biggest question is how her legs will hold up in her third event and whether she will have enough to hold off her opponents. Luckily for her, she has proven to be a star when it comes to navigating championship rounds.

The last two names in this section of the women's are Hoogsteen and Duck.

Hoogsteen is just a freshman, but she has run 1:36 for 600 meters and now 2:09 for 800 meters. There’s always someone in the 800 meters who surprises us -- and that feels like Hoogsteen in 2023.

Meanwhile, Duck is fresh off of setting a new personal best of 2:10 for the half-mile distance. Her newfound confidence could play a strong role in a potential upset, but her lack of experience could partially counter her seemingly endless talent ceiling.

While we mentioned that six of the top-11 athletes in the country were in this section, we’d be wrong not to mention Jessica Simon and Rachel O’Brien, both of Adams State.

Those two women are slated to run in section two instead of section three (the fast section). These two both currently sit at NCAA #13 and NCAA #14 on the national leaderboard with marks of 2:10 (800). They could realistically finish inside the top-six of this event.

This is the hardest event to pick a concrete winner for given the amount of talent in the race. Multiple women could walk away with the 800 meter RMAC title and we wouldn’t be surprised. No matter who you choose for gold, there isn't a wrong answer.

Top DMR Lineups Projected For Thrilling Battle

This is probably the most exciting event at the RMAC Indoor Championships and that’s because of the lineups that are currently entered.

On the women’s side, we have a team from Western Colorado that features Allison Beasley and Katie Doucette. Elsewhere, Anna Fauske and Kate Hedlund are expected to run for UC-Colorado Springs while Helen Braybrook and Courtney McAlindon will be anchoring CSU-Pueblo and Westminster, respectively.

But the biggest news of this race will be the Adams State women. They’ve decided to let Stephanie Cotter run the 1200 meter leg and Brianna Robles anchor their team. While this isn’t the best lineup that they could have put together, it’s hard to argue that they’re not the best team in this field right now.

Western Colorado has the fastest seed time of 11:31, but Adams State, Colorado Mines, Westminster and UC-Colorado Springs have all posted marks of 11:35. Strictly on paper, this race should be close.

But do I actually think that it’s going to be that close?

No, I don’t.

Looking at the lineups, it’s hard to believe that there is anyone who can keep pace with Cotter. And barring any disasters, we’re not sure that the 400 meter and 800 meter legs from opposing teams can make up enough ground before the anchors get the baton.

This means that Robles, who should get the baton in the lead, just needs to play it safe to close-out the victory. Well, that’s at least the theory that I have right now. I've been wrong before and the DMR is one of the hardest events to predict.

That being said, we’re fully expecting a dominant run from Adams State. They’ve got the two best athletes in the field on their roster and that will be apparent after the results have been published.

We are getting the same kind of treatment on the men’s side of things as well. However, there is a small wrinkle that could make the men’s DMR the most thrilling event of the weekend.

Western Colorado, UC-Colorado Springs and CSU-Pueblo have the three fastest seed times coming into Friday.

The Mountaineers have chosen Ryan Outler and Tyler Nord as their 1200 meter and anchor legs, respectively. The Mountain Lions will be going with Jagger Zlotoff and Evan Graff as their opener and closer. And finally, the Thunderwolves will tag Matisse Virey and Reece Sharman-Newell as their two primary legs.

This is the best possible lineup that these teams could put together and it tells us one thing.

Winning the DMR matters.

And that notion is doubled when you see that Adams State is also entered in this race. But this is where that wrinkle we mentioned earlier comes into play -- they’re running out of the "slow" heat because they don’t have a seed time.

Like the rest of the conference, the Grizzlies have put together their best lineup and they’ll be gunning for a national qualifying time while trying to win the RMAC title in the process. Cameron Allan is expected to lead-off with David Cardenas serving as the 800 meter leg. Miguel Coca will be tasked with anchoring this team.

They should run away with their heat and all eyes will be on the final time.

How fast the Grizzlies run will affect how the rest of these teams race in their heat. If they produce a time that the rest of the field thinks they can beat, then expect the top section to set a hot pace and work together to try and finish faster than that of Adams State.

No matter which way it turns out, you can expect Friday evening to end with fireworks in Alamosa as the DMR races unfold.

Top Names Face-Off in Women’s Mile

The final event that we want to highlight is the women’s mile and that’s because four of the top-14 names on the national leaderboard will be going to battle.

Kate Hedlund (4:45), Courtney McAlindon (4:46), Maggie McCleskey (4:48) and Morgan Hykes (4:48) will all be toeing the line for the mile on Saturday. And while this race will decide the conference champion, it’s also a good primer for the national meet in just a couple of weeks.

Hedlund and McAlindon will both be doubling back from anchoring their respective DMR teams the night before, but both women should prove to be capable of taking home the RMAC title. Both distance talents have run extremely well at altitude and should be able to do so again in Alamosa.

As for McCleskey and Hykes, neither woman will have contested an event prior to stepping on the start line for the mile. That alone makes me think that they’ll have a better chance of winning the RMAC title.

Hedlund has had success at the national level in this event and that would make her the early favorite in my book this weekend. McAlindon has always raced well at altitude, but we haven’t seen her live up to expectations in a championship setting that would give her the edge.

McCleskey is just a freshman and despite a 4:49 (mile) PR, her lack of experience could play a factor in a tactical race. And lastly, Hykes is probably the best talent in the field. She has the most range and has proven to be a dynamic racer.

Of course, while we’re just highlighting these four women, both Leah Taylor (4:48) and Clare Peters (4:49) have run under 4:50 for the mile (via conversions) and should be part of the group up front. Taylor will be fresh while Peters will be coming off of being Colorado Mines’ anchor in the DMR on Friday night.

It’s probably a safer bet to expect one of the Adams State athletes to take home this victory as they’ll be fresher than Hedlund and McAlindon. It’s also on their home track where they train on a regular basis, meaning that their familiarity with the venue could play into their strategy.