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One Sentence Previews: 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships Men's 5000 Meters (D2)

  • Writer: John Cusick
    John Cusick
  • Mar 9, 2022
  • 3 min read

Additional contributions by Garrett Zatlin


1. Dillon Powell (Colorado Mines)

Powell seemingly lacks the kick that others in this field have, something that will likely cause him to run from the front and challenge the field to see who can keep pace.


2. Kyle Moran (Colorado Mines)

Those who have the ability to keep pace with Powell are his teammates, such as Moran, who is similarly equipped aerobically, forcing us to believe that team tactics will come into play given the Orediggers' possible front-running strategy.


3. Awet Beraki (Adams State)

A surprise display of 5k prowess from Beraki at the tail-end of the season has him in immediate title contention and he just happens to be someone who excels when a race doesn’t come to a kick, so expect to see the Adams State athlete in the front mixing things up.


4. Jake Mitchem (Colorado Mines)

Mitchem doesn’t necessarily fit the same mold as his teammates when you consider that he does, indeed, have a kick that is worth worrying about, something that should pair well with his recent display of increased strength over 5000 meters.


5. Ezra Mutai (American International)

Speed proved to be a clear weakness for Mutai at the outdoor national meet, but his middle distance efforts this winter should pay off when he finds himself towards the front with just a few laps to go in this final.


6. Isaac Harding (Grand Valley State)

Harding has thrived on the national stage every time he has toed the line, so there’s no reason to expect anything different this time around, especially when you consider that tactics, both fast as slow, have never been a weakness of his.


7. Tanner Chada (Grand Valley State)

A proven miler before fully committing to the long-distance side of things, Chada has all things necessary racing tools to be a 5k champion, although in a race such as this, his ceiling may be limited.


8. Dylan Ko (Colorado Mines)

Ko fits right in the middle of the speed vs strength scale and despite having some fast-twitch muscles, he is at his best in races where the field gets out hard and stays that way, meaning that the 5k race this weekend may be super beneficial for him.


9. Jan Lukas Becker (Queens (NC))

Becker, who has quietly been part of the last two national meets (this will be his third), has proven to be tactically savvy and seems to rise to the occasion when called upon, something that we expect yet again this weekend.


10. Afewerki Zeru (UC-Colorado Springs)

Zeru has a deep level of experience and plenty of familiarity with nearly half of this field, potentially giving him the upper-hand over a few competitors and making him an underrated talent who could emerge as an All-American.


11. Carson Bix (Lee (Tenn.))

Bix is very dynamic, incredibly accomplished and has plenty of experience on the national stage, but his last few races, specifically at the Gulf South Championships and Boston University Last Chance meet, have left us wanting more.


12. Titus Winders (Southern Indiana)

Winders really impressed us when he ran a fast 3000 meter time and despite being the NCAA #13 runner in this event (before scratches), there’s serious consideration for Winders as a title contender if he can hang around for long enough and utilize some of that mile speed that he has shown us in the past.


13. Dayton Brown (Saginaw Valley State)

Qualifying with a time all the back from December is always a tricky thing to dissect and it makes it even tougher when you see that Brown has only raced the 3000 meters since.


14. CarLee Stimpfel (Saginaw Valley State)

Although Stimpfel is near the end of this seeding list, he has shown us that his improved strength and speed over the last month, when paired with his 3rd place finish at the cross country national meet, could produce All-American honors for him this weekend.


15. Duncan Fuehne (Colorado Mines)

Fuehne finds himself in this spot by the virtue of an altitude conversion, but a big aerobic base should have him in the mix of things up until the end, especially if he knows how his teammates will want to control this race.


16. Ryan Riddle (Missouri Southern)

If Riddle has the aerobic strength to stick around long enough and eventually use his mile speed at the end, then you’re looking at the last seed upsetting this entire field and creating a different kind of March Madness.


Final Predictions:

  1. Dillon Powell (Colorado Mines)

  2. Isaac Harding (Grand Valley State)

  3. Carson Bix (Lee (Tenn.))

  4. Ezra Mutai (American International)

  5. Ryan Riddle (Missouri Southern)

  6. Titus Winders (Southern Indiana)

  7. Tanner Chada (Grand Valley State)

  8. Kyle Moran (Colorado Mines)

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