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One Sentence Previews: 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships Women's 3000 Meters (D3)

  • Hannah Thorn
  • Mar 10, 2022
  • 4 min read

Additional contributions by Garrett Zatlin


1. Kassie Parker (Loras)

In what might be the best race of the weekend, Parker will likely aim to make this race fast in order to take away some of Baran’s kick (and maybe take her D3 record back).


2. Ella Baran (Johns Hopkins)

This should be a two-person race for the win, but Baran might be content with a slower pace as she easily has the best mile speed of anyone in the field, something that could give her a major edge in this race.


3. Fiona Smith (Saint Benedict)

Doubling back from the 5k, Fiona Smith has a good chance to earn two top-five finishes this weekend based on her season-long consistency and her underrated range which should prepare Smith for most race scenarios.


4. Clara Mayfield (Carleton)

With a 4:52 mile PR, Mayfield has the best potential for a quick close (outside of Baran) and if this race goes out slow, other runners better watch out as Mayfield already has a key win over Fiona Smith this winter.


5. Evie Miller (Trine)

Another miler doubling back for the 3k, Evie Miller has only lost to one D3 runner all year (and it was in an 800), so it’s hard to call her an underdog, but I think she is underappreciated and will show-out this weekend.


6. Ari Marks (Wellesly)

Ari Marks, despite doubling back from the 5k, is so consistent and so strong that she could nab two All-American honors this weekend, especially if this 3k pace is honest, something that Kassie Parker will likely want.


7. Sadie Heeringa (Calvin)

Heeringa hasn’t run a 3k in over a month, so while it is hard to know where she is fitness-wise for this distance, her improvements in the mile and the 800 this season still give us a reason to be encouraged.


8. Windsor Ardner (SUNY Geneseo)

Ardner has been improving every week, but will this breakout season be enough to separate her from this field and earn All-American honors in what is arguably the toughest distance race of the weekend?


9. Alex Ross (Johns Hopkins)

Ross is dropping down a bit from her typical 10k/5k speciality to the 3k this weekend, but her aerobic strength should benefit her in this race if Parker (and maybe Marks) want to push the pace.


10. Sara Stephenson (Johns Hopkins)

One of six women from Johns Hopkins in the field, Stephenson ran her qualifying time at the Boston University Valentine Invite, but has not run within 15 seconds of that mark since, making it a challenge to properly gauge her ceiling coming into this weekend.


11. Kathleen McCarey (SUNY Geneseo)

Doubling back from the 5k, McCarey might be a bit wiped by the time the 3k rolls around, but having two marks under 9:55 this season offers consistency that makes us feel a little better about her first national meet appearance on the track.


12. Emily Clarke (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps)

Clarke ran 9:46 at the Boston University Last Chance meet to qualify for this event which is leaving things down to the last minute, but on the bright side, it also means that she is in the best shape of her life right now, improving upon her personal best in this event every time she has run it this season.


13. Diana Vizza (Johns Hopkins)

Another woman from Johns Hopkins, Vizza has raced very sparingly this indoor season, so she will either be fresh for this race and ready to unleash a big performance or she is (possibly) coming back from a setback, none of which we actually know.


14. Morgan Lee (RPI)

Very few women scratched from this race which is tough for women like Morgan Lee, but in her favor is the fact that this is her only race of the weekend unlike a lot of the women who are in this field.


15. Aubrie Fisher (Wartburg)

This event might not be Aubrie Fisher’s first priority as she will be racing for a national title in the DMR, but that doesn’t mean that her 9:52 mark can’t be replicated in this very fast field, something that she is very capable of doing despite her lower seed.


16. Sydney Fridel (Johns Hopkins)

Fridel didn’t even make Johns Hopkins' cross country national team -- which is a testament to the Blue Jays depth -- but she can use this very first national meet appearance to gain championship experience.


17. Lina Spjut (Johns Hopkins)

Spjut has taken the last few weeks off after a heavy load of racing at the Centennial Conference meet, so she should be fairly fresh coming into this weekend, although we will see her in the mile the day before.


18. Esther Seeland (Messiah)

This was a head-scratcher since the 800/3k double is rarely ever contested, but maybe Esther Seeland didn’t want to deal with two events that had prelims, so she may be betting on this race being a more controlled effort with a sprint finish.


19. Izzi Gengaro (MIT)

Gengaro practiced the 3k/5k double at the New England Championships against top talents, so this field should feel semi-comfortable for her as she is a dark horse to earn double All-American honors this weekend.


20. Sidnie Kulik (Amherst)

As a freshman and the last national qualifier, Kulik has nothing to lose and should go out swinging, potentially mixing it up at the front of the pack for as long as she can.


Final Predictions:

  1. Kassie Parker (Loras)

  2. Ella Baran (Johns Hopkins)

  3. Evie Miller (Trine)

  4. Clara Mayfield (Carleton)

  5. Fiona Smith (Saint Benedicts)

  6. Ari Marks (Wellesly)

  7. Esther Seeland (Messiah)

  8. Aubrie Fisher (Wartburg)

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