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One Sentence Previews: 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships Men's 800 Meters (D3)

  • Writer: Kevin Fischer
    Kevin Fischer
  • Mar 10, 2022
  • 3 min read

Additional contributions by Garrett Zatlin


1. Mike Jasa (Loras)

There shouldn't be a lot of debate about Jasa who is the overwhelmingly heavy favorite to win yet another national title.


2. Kai Dettman (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps)

Say what you will about his inexperience at championship level meets, but Dettman has proven on more than one occasion that he can produce VERY fast times and it also doesn't hurt that those marks have come in his last two meets.


3. Ryan Wilson (MIT)

Wilson is a cross country All-American who also qualified for (and scratched) the mile, meaning that his versatility could help him in a championship setting regardless of how the prelims and final unfold.


4. Scott Sikorski (Rochester)

He ran his seed time the day after an all-out mile effort, suggesting that he'll be in a good position to run well on back-to-back days if he makes the final.


5. Steven Potter (UW-Oshkosh)

The only concern is that his best race came early in the season, but Potter is an experienced veteran who has been here before and it's hard to imagine him not being competitive.


6. Travis Martin (Trinity)

Travis Martin has shown that he can be a national-caliber talent in the 800 meters, and he is certainly capable of being an All-American in this event, but he has only one race in the half-mile this season, making it challenging to accurately gauge his ceiling for this weekend.


7. Carter Oberfoell (Loras)

Similar to Potter, his best 800 meter time of this season was back in December, so it will be interesting to see how he stacks up against some of the guys who have run nationally competitive marks more recently.


8. Ben Steeves (WPI)

This WPI senior has been so good for so long, and after taking another jump up in fitness this winter, Steeves' career-long consistency could be rewarded with his first All-American honor.


9. Ben Kuxmann (Millikin)

We know what he can do based on his 3rd place finish at the outdoor national meet last spring and given his recent return to top form, one has to think that Kuxmann is a favorite for a top-eight finish.


10. Jesse Middendorf (Concordia-Moorhead)

As unpredictable as the 800 meters is, Middendorf has been incredibly consistent as of late and while his ceiling doesn't necessarily make him a title contender, his floor is higher than almost everyone in this field (which is a good thing).


11. Tor Hotung-Davidsen (Lynchburg)

Hotung-Davidsen is a phenomenal mid-range talent with freshman eligibility and while he may be new to the upper ranks, his 1:52 mark from last winter validates the success that we've seen from him this year.


12. Noah Jorgenson (Central College)

Relay splits are obviously different than open times, but when you consider that Jorgenson ran 1:51 in a DMR on a flat-track, then we shouldn't be surprised if he ends up outperforming his seed.


13. Wyatt Schmidt (Wartburg)

This Wartburg star has been a recognizable name in D3 for quite some time and it is certainly possible that he vaults himself into a new tier by challenging for a top-eight finish this weekend.


14. Garrett Lenners (Nebraska Wesleyan)

Lenners’ resume looks fairly unassuming compared to some of the other guys in this field, and he doesn’t have any individual national meet experience, but his multiple top-four finishes in the 800 meters in a VERY competitive American Rivers Conference suggests that he can hang with just about anybody.


15. Rece Gobel (Springfield)

Gobel has had a really solid season, and although nothing in particular stands out about him compared to other athletes in the field, he also doesn't have too many poor races, making him a somewhat reliable name for this weekend if you're looking for a deeper sleeper pick.


16. Timothy Boyce (Saint Lawrence)

Qualifying for this meet as a true freshman is wildly impressive, and the experience that he will gain from this weekend is ultimately going to be the biggest takeaway for Boyce as he looks towards future championships.


17. Pau Illerbaig-Bajona (MIT)

Just like Boyce, MIT's Illerbaig-Bajona is a true freshman who will gain invaluable championship experience in what promises to be an illustrious career.


18. Jake Kolodziej (Rowan)

This is his first national meet and while he certainly belongs in the field, Kolodziej will need a massive showing to get out of the prelims and make the finals.


19. Mahari Nayte (Rhode Island College)

Nayte is another true freshman who was great at the tail-end of February, but he also has a lot of fluctuation in this event this winter.


20. Andrew Konieczny (Neumann)

He was added to the field after a late scratch from Emory's Spencer Watry, but Konieczny's improvement throughout the season suggests that he is in a great place to beat some of the guys seeded ahead of him.


Final Predictions:

  1. Mike Jasa (Loras)

  2. Ryan Wilson (MIT)

  3. Scott Sikorski (Rochester)

  4. Kai Dettman (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps)

  5. Steven Potter (UW-Oshkosh)

  6. Ben Kuxmann (MIllikin)

  7. Jesse Middendorf (Concordia-Moorhead)

  8. Travis Martin (Trinity (CT))

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