One Sentence Previews: 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships Women's 1500 Meters (D1)

Additional contributions by Garrett Zatlin

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NOTE: Athletes are listed in the order that they are shown on the official qualifiers list.

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1. Shannon Flockhart (Providence)

In just her first full year of NCAA competition, the UK standout has seemingly peaked at the right time, running a 4:10 mark at the regional meet, further extending her already impressive times that she posted on the indoor oval this past winter.

2. Ellie Leather (Cincinnati)

Leather’s high seed and bronze medal finish in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this year implies that she should be able to contend for the win, but the rest of the NCAA has made dramatic improvements this spring, forcing us to view her as more of an All-American lock than anything else.

3. Emily Mackay (Binghamton)

After finishing outside of All-American honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships despite boasting the nation’s top mile time this past winter, Mackay should be able to avenge that disappointment this weekend given her past national meet experience and All-American finish in the 5k from last year.

4. Sintayehu Vissa (Ole Miss)

Vissa could be viewed as the national title favorite in some circles as she boasts the fastest time in this 1500 meter field (4:08), has run impressive PRs in basically every distance event this season and has flexed strong tactical acumen since the winter months.

5. Eusila Chepkemei (Middle Tennessee State)

After emerging from obscurity as an All-American in the mile this past winter, Chepkemei has quickly become one of the most reliable distance runners in the NCAA, qualifying for the national meet in both the 1500 meters and the 5k and showing impressive poise despite her championship inexperience.

6. Flomena Asekol (Alabama)

Asekol seems to be peaking at the perfect time with PRs in her last three 1500 meter races and her experience in competitive fields should not be overlooked, but then again, she's also new to this elite level of competition and she has yet to record a top finish in her own, admittedly very strong, conference.

7. Megan Marvin (Furman)

Marvin is in a similar position to Asekol with a breakout season culminating in a trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, but her speed-based background in the 800 meters could set her apart from a handful of women in this field, especially in any tactical settings.

8. Nevada Mareno (NC State)

Often overshadowed by her illustrious teammates throughout her career, Mareno finally put it all together and snagged an individual berth to the NCAA Championships and while she has never been on this stage before (outside of cross country), she is probably one of the more experienced first-time national track qualifiers at this meet.

9. Maia Ramsden (Harvard)

Ramsden has experienced consistent success and ongoing improvement since beginning her NCAA career in the fall, although just like the preceding names, a lack of experience at this meet could be a challenge for her as she contends for a spot in the finals.

10. Caroline Timm (Princeton)

Timm is another comparative novice when it comes to the NCAA Championships, although she should have gained confidence after narrowly finishing runner-up to Ramsden in the Ivy League 1500 meters followed by a promising season-long build-up of momentum which she flexed at her regional meet.

11. Grace Jensen (Vanderbilt)

While this will be the senior’s first time racing at an NCAA Championship meet of any kind, it certainly bodes well that she set PRs in her last two SEC Championships, one in the mile and one in the 1500 meters, theoretically giving her a postseason peak that will allow her to stay competitive with a handful of top names.

12. Anna Vess (NC State)

Vess has fared ever-so-slightly better than her aforementioned NC State teammate Nevada Mareno thanks to her clear momentum and an obvious refinement of her tactics, all of which gives her school a chance of putting two Wolfpack runners in the final.

13. Julia Heymach (Stanford)

Heymach’s resume stands in stark contrast to the rest of the field with four All-American finishes and a 4:04 personal best from the Olympic Trials, theoretically putting her in contention for the title even if she doesn't appear to be in 4:04 shape this year.

14. Anna Gibson (Washington)

Gibson surely gained confidence from defeating seven women in this field at the Raleigh Relays in the 1500 meters back in March and she has since shown tremendous consistency, indicating that everything is stacking up for a run at her first All-American finish.

15. Olivia Howell (Illinois)

Howell hasn’t run within five seconds of her 4:09 PR this season which could imply a hangover from a top-five finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the mile, but she has little to worry about, having won the BIG 10 title a month ago and boasting a history as one of the most reliable veterans on the national stage each and every season.

16. Micaela DeGenero (Colorado)

DeGenero’s breakaway surge to win the indoor mile national title this past winter (as a considerable underdog) was one of the strongest and most impressive moves of the year, and while she isn't necessarily the overwhelming title favorite this weekend, she likely has the edge when it comes to predicting the winner of NCAA gold.

17. Krissy Gear (Arkansas)

Arguably the most accomplished miler in this field, Gear weathered a slightly underwhelming indoor campaign and disappointing finish at the SEC Outdoor Championships to get here, although her extensive experience, innate talent and past successes will still put her squarely in the mix of contenders.

18. Gracie Morris (TCU)

Morris has seen tremendous improvement since leaving Texas for TCU after her freshman year and she has as good of a chance, on paper, of making the final, although it’s tough to tell if she’ll be in over her head after faltering a bit at the BIG 12 Championships back in May.

19. Christina Aragon (Stanford)

Aragon’s history of NCAA contention spans longer than anyone else in this field as she has recorded All-American finishes in three of the last four NCAA Championship 1500 meter races dating back to 2017, and her recent string of impressive consistency suggests that her streak will continue later this week.

20. Rachel McArthur (Colorado)

After struggling with a history of underwhelming NCAA Championship performances, McArthur broke through in a major way this past winter to earn her first individual All-American honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the mile, and although a stacked top-half of this field may leave her on the outside looking in, she is still clearly trending upwards.

21. Abbe Goldstein (New Mexico)

Despite holding one of the slower seasonal bests in this field, Goldstein’s edge could be her laudable consistency as she ran 4:15 in three straight races this season which, combined with her unattached 4:10 PR from May of 2021, could allow her to thrive in a strength-based race.

22. Stefanie Parsons (New Mexico)

Another cog in the Lobo machine who has previously been more accomplished on the grass, Parsons managed to qualify for this NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 1500 meters despite not having broken 4:20 this season which speaks to her positioning skills, but it could also leave her vulnerable to a quick pace in the prelims or the finals.

23. Melissa Tanaka (Stanford)

Tactically, Tanaka is very underrated and she was a promising talent during her time at Penn, but she likely won’t crack the top-half of this field unless she cuts down on her respectable, but somewhat unspectacular, 4:17 PR.

24. Izzy Thornton-Bott (Oregon)

The Australian transplant barely slipped into this field and finished just 11th place at the PAC-12 Championships in the 1500 meters, but she could surprise a few people given that she holds a solid 4:13 PR, has the advantage of competing on her home track and has been tactically brilliant at certain times this spring.

Final Predictions:

1. Sintayehu Vissa (Ole Miss)

2. Micaela Degenero (Colorado)

3. Julia Heymach (Stanford)

4. Christina Aragon (Stanford)

5. Ellie Leather (Cincinnati)

6. Emily Mackay (Binghamton)

7. Olivia Howell (Illinois)

8. Rachel McArthur (Colorado)