D2 National Meet Scouting Report: Mile (Women)
Updated: Mar 12
Our TSR staff is previewing each athlete in each distance event for the Indoor National Championships. Below, we offer analysis and evaluate how each of these athletes will fare at the National Championships. Names are ordered by seed time.
Stephanie Cotter (Adams State)
Other Events: DMR
Analysis: Cotter is a multiple time national champion and the favorite heading into this race. On one hand, she has not raced much this season, so she’ll have fresh legs. On the other hand, she only raced enough to qualify for Nationals and her other competitors have had some great performances and more racing experience this season. Still, her overwhelming talent should make her the clear title favorite.
Allie Ludge (Grand Valley State)
Other Events: DMR, 3k
Analysis: Ludge is an experienced veteran and versatile runner with guts and talent. Ludge could upset Cotter in this race, but it would take great tactical positioning and an unruly kick to pull off the upset. Ludge has some deadly speed, so if it comes down to Cotter and Ludge, the end result could be closer than most people think.
Berenice Cleyet-Merle (U-Indy)
Other Events: 800
Analysis: Cleyet-Merle is an exceptional middle distance runner and she is the dark horse heading into this race. She has put together an impressive season and has can seemingly do no wrong. This will be the toughest competition that she races this season, but she is more than capable of handling the field based on past performances. However, her ability to handle the 800 meter double will be interesting to watch.
Elysia Burgos (Southwest Baptist)
Other Events: DMR
Burgos will likely be the leader of the chase pack. She is a talented runner and has built a very solid resume for being just a sophomore. Despite her youth, Burgos has become increasingly more familiar with her competition which could greatly benefit her on the national stage.
Natalia Novak (Academy of Art)
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Novak is a surprise entry into the field. She is the Academy of Art’s hidden talent. She shocked us by running 4:48 and qualifying for the national meet at the tail-end of the regular season. Will she be able to replicate that magical performance at Nationals? If she does, we have a top five contender on our hands.
Stefanie Parsons (Edinboro)
Other Events: 3k
Analysis: Parsons is a jack of all trades. She won four events at the PSAC Indoor Championships and has been pretty consistent from the 800 meters to the 5k. Her sweet spot seems to be the mile and 3k, making this weekend's mile/3k attempt an ideal double for her. Hopefully, her quadruple from conference weekend didn't leave her too fatigued heading into the national meet.
Katie Olding (American International)
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Olding is young and inexperienced compared to a majority of the field, but she has some sneaky speed and could surprise some people. Qualifying for the final in a high-stakes race will be the hardest part of her weekend.
Hailey Streff (CSU-Pueblo)
Other Events: DMR
Analysis: Streff’s performances this season have been a bit inconsistent and this will be her first time competing in an individual event at the Indoor National Championships. That said, she still set three personal bests this season and was 8th in the 1500 meters at NCAA’s last spring. Streff's progression is clearly encouraging and her sometimes overlooked range should prove to be valuable as well.
Kayla Wooten (UCCS)
Other Events: DMR
Analysis: Wooten leads the pack of UCCS Mountain Lions in this race. She’s coming off of a win in the mile at the RMAC Championships and has a plethora of national meet experience. She struggled with an injury last spring before coming back this past fall. Wooten has slowly regained momentum since then and a win at the RMAC Championships should be what she needed to put herself back in the All-American conversation.
Maia Austin (UCCS)
Other Events: DMR
Analysis: This is Austin’s first time in an individual event at a national meet on the track. She hasn’t been the most consistent runner this season, but her 800 meter speed (2:14 PR) could prove to be valuable in a tactical race.
Anna Rogahn (Winona State)
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: This is Rogahn’s second time at the National Championships and she has shown a big jump in fitness this season. Her ability to fight for multiple wins and stay competitive in a variety of races should make her a strong candidate to get out of the prelims.
Abbie Fredrick (Black Hills State)
Other Events: N/A
Analysis: Similar to Austin, this is her first time at Nationals as she has improved quite a bit this season. There isn't a single meet this season where Fredrick has only competed in one race. Her constant doubling over the past few months could make her an underrated sleeper pick if she's able to get to the finals.
Taryn Ceglowski (Sioux Falls)
Other Events: 800
Analysis: Ceglowski has had a pretty consistent season and had a very busy conference meet. She’s a talented and vital piece of Sioux Falls’ track team. With personal bests of 4:52 and 2:10, she certainly has the capability to make the final, especially if the prelims turn tactical.
Nancy Jeptoo (Alaska Anchorage)
Other Events: DMR
Jeptoo was 10th at Cross Country National Championships this past fall, but chose to run the mile during the indoor season. She barely made the cut into NCAA's, but we've seen that she can peak in the postseason before. Don't count out an accomplished veteran.
Layla Almasri (UCCS)
Other Events: DMR
Analysis: Almasri is the last of the UCCS trio to qualify for Nationals in this event. The Mountain Lion miler has quietly developed into a respectable talent, always finding a way to put herself near the top portion of the results. She could surprise some people if her competition isn't careful.
Kelly-Ann Beckford (Lincoln (Mo.))
Other Events: DMR, 800
Analysis: Beckford is an 800 meter specialist who moved up in distance. Her main focus will definitely be more on the 800 meters this weekend, but she has some killer speed and nothing to lose...that's a dangerous combo for any ambitious athlete to have.