One Sentence Previews: 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships Men's 5k (D2)

Additional contributions by Garrett Zatlin

Click here to see performance list

NOTE: Athletes are listed in order of their seed position. Final predictions are at the bottom.

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1. Isaac Harding (Grand Valley State)

Harding is your defending champion from last year who edged out the field over the last 100 meters and since then, all he has done is improve upon his fitness while also improving upon his racing tactics, making him a clear title favorite.

2. Tanner Chada (Grand Valley State)

We’ve spoken about Chada’s immense experience in the 10k, but the same can be said for the 5k and in a field that isn’t nearly as strong as it was at the NCAA Indoor Championships, the odds of Chada cracking the top-three once again look favorable, although a title will require the best race of his career.

3. Awet Beraki (Adams State)

Beraki’s best race is the 10k, but he has proven to be a truly elite 5k talent as well, so much so that if he pushes the pace and avoids something tactical, then he can absolutely win NCAA gold.

4. Afewerki Zeru (UC-Colorado Springs)

Zeru has proven himself as a reliable championship competitor who can pair his strong racing tactics with her aerobic strength and much like the rest of this field, he will likely benefit from a faster overall pace as he leans on his endurance to carry him to a top finish.

5. Callum Elson (American International)

Elson comes into this race almost as a wild card given that he never stepped foot on the track for a 5000 meter race during the indoor season, but his latest bit of racing and his constant improvements across all events make him a real threat to the rest of the field, especially in a tactical setting where he thrives the most.

6. Clement Duigou (Adams State)

It’s hard to gauge the level of 5k fitness that Duigou boasts as he has only raced the event once this season, but he has showcased a level of fitness that should increase his stock heading into the weekend, although our biggest question will be how his legs will recover from two rounds of steeple races.

7. Cole Nash (Alaska Anchorage)

If there’s ever a time where experience would be overvalued, it very well could be in this 5000 meter field, and although Nash falls into that category of lacking experience, he has still emerged as someone who is super consistent, has good-enough turnover and has performed well in the fall against most of the top guys in this field.

8. Ryan Riddle (Missouri Southern)

It doesn’t feel like Riddle has done a whole lot this spring, but when you look at his seasonal resume, you'll realize that he has set two new personal bests and has raced extremely well, leaving us to question whether or not his race plan will translate to the national meet.

9. James Dunne (Adams State)

Dunne is a much better 1500 meter runner than he is a 5000 meter runner which could spell doom for the rest of the field if the pace lags, effectively leaving this Adams State standout around long enough to use that underrated kick of his.

10. Loic Scomparin (Colorado Mines)

This Colorado Mines athlete only raced twice during the outdoor season, so there isn't a whole lot of data for us to analyze, but we do know that as a freshman, Scomparin raced extremely well and he’ll need to channel that youth-based upside if he wants to be in the mix this weekend.

11. Dillon Powell (Colorado Mines)

Powell is likely the best Colorado Mines athlete in the field despite coming into the race with the 11th best seed, but he is also the indoor record holder in this event and we all know that he’s not afraid to push the pace which will be necessary if he wants to have a chance at the title on Saturday.

12. Reece Smith (NW Missouri)

Oddly enough, a breakout race in the 5000 meters is what further solidified Smith as a true contender in the steeplechase, but now that he will be toeing the line for both the steeple and the 5k at the national meet, the biggest question will be what race scenario suits him the best given that he'll likely be contesting his third race in 24 hours.

13. Titus Winders (Southern Indiana)

Winders has proven that he’s an elite tactician when it comes to racing on the biggest stage and as we saw on the indoor oval, Winders peaks for the postseason better than almost anyone, although this spring season has been a little quieter than expected.

14. Dylan Ko (Colorado Mines)

Ko doesn’t have a ton of wear-and-tear on his legs this outdoor season and that’s likely the biggest positive he has heading into the NCAA Championships where he'll race a field that, in theory, favors his strengths as a longer distance runner.

15. Miguel Coca (Adams State)

Much like his teammate James Dunne, Coca is a much better middle distance athlete and while he’ll surely be looking to stick around long enough to utilize his speed in the final few laps, Coca has also proven that he can deliver a fast sub-14 mark on more than one occasion.

16. Ryan Hartman (Augustana (SD))

It will be interesting to see Hartman double back from the steeplechase for a race that he’s slowly been getting better in, but if the pace isn’t extremely fast, he could prove to be a problem over the course of the last few laps and make a surprise jump into All-American territory.

17. Jan-Lukas Becker (Queens (NC))

There should be no one questioning Becker’s all-around ability and aerobic talent, but after finishing 9th place at the NCAA Indoor Championships in a single race, there are serious questions about how he will bounce back for a potential third race this weekend.

18. Noah Metzger (Dallas Baptist)

Multiple personal bests from Metzger this season is a really nice trend to see, but the fact that he hasn’t run under the 14:00 barrier is going to put him at a disadvantage if it’s fast from the gun, meaning that Metzger will need the race of his life to finish on the podium.

19. CarLee Stimpfel (Saginaw Valley State)

Experience is a valuable thing, especially when that experience is against some of the best men in this field, and that’s exactly what Stimpfel has, making him a very real threat to finish as an All-American despite his position / seed.

20. Steven Goldy (Colorado Mines)

The MIT transfer is getting his first taste of the NCAA D2 Championships and while it certainly would have been nice to have some kind of experience heading into this weekend, Goldy has made tons of encouraging improvements, leading us to believe that an even greater performance could be on the horizon for him.

21. Duncan Fuehne (Colorado Mines)

Much like his Colorado Mines teammates, Fuehne will rely on his overall fitness rather than his foot speed to potentially emerge as an All-American, although the high ceiling that comes with younger runners in these longer races is arguably the best aspect of his resume.

22. Robbie Schmidt (Fort Hays State)

Since February, all Schmidt has done is race and set personal bests, which means that he’s currently trending in the right direction, but that progression will need to continue into the national meet in order for him to significantly outperform him his seed.

23. Cade Michael (Western Colorado)

A quietly experienced veteran, Michael is a better steeplechaser than anything else and much like the other 23 athletes in this field, he is usually better off when the pace is fast.

24. Isaac Prather (Concord)

Prather is a unique, all-around runner who has actually won five out of his last six races, a surprisingly strong stat considering that he contested three different events at four different meets since the start of April.

Final Predictions:

1. Isaac Harding (Grand Valley State)

2. Awet Beraki (Adams State)

3. Dillon Powell (Colorado Mines)

4. Tanner Chada (Grand Valley State)

5. Callum Elson (American International)

6. Clement Duigou (Adams State)

7. Ryan Hartman (Augustana (SD))

8. Afewerki Zeru (UC-Colorado Springs)