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One Sentence Previews: 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships Women's 3k Steeple (D2)

  • Grace McLaughlin
  • May 25, 2022
  • 4 min read

Additional contributions by Garrett Zatlin



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

1. Eleonora Curtabbi (West Texas A&M)

Curtabbi is a dynamic runner who has shown vast improvement in the steeplechase this spring -- opening her season with a time of 10:09 in the event and becoming the undeniable title favorite -- but that was the only the second steeple race that she has completed this year, leaving us to wonder how the national meet will go during her next attempt.


2. Alexa Leppelmeier (Walsh)

Leppelmeier, who placed 4th in the mile and 8th in the 3000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, is an all-around star who has set a new PR in every event that she has run this season, meaning that her momentum, consistency and experience could very realistically win her the national title.


3. Hannah Becker (Grand Valley State)

Becker is a talented runner with a cross country national title to her name, and although she fell off the national title scene after a disappointing indoor season, her consistent steeplechase performances this spring has shown us plenty of promise heading into the national meet.


4. Ashley Corcoran (Southern New Hampshire)

Corcoran found her stride in the steeplechase and has made a name for herself nationally as her general improvements and speed-based talent make her a name with a lot of upside and limited downside.


5. Stevie Lawrence (Queens (NC))

Lawrence placed 6th in the steeplechase at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships and based on her improved personal bests and increased experience, she feels like one of the more reliable names in this field.


6. Sarah Wills (Adams State)

Willis has only finished two steeplechase races this season, but that latter race came at the Mt. SAC Relays which gave her plenty of exposure to a highly competitive field, something that will theoretically help her quite a bit when she toes the line for the prelims and (presumably) the finals.


7. Caroline Cunningham (NW Missouri)

Cunningham is having a breakthrough year and while she is inexperienced on the national stage, races at the Mt. SAC Relays, Bryan Clay and the Drake Relays should leave her plenty prepared to face this very top-heavy field.


8. Toni Moore (Lee (Tenn.))

Toni Moore -- a highly underrated runner due to her versatility, range and experience -- has earned a PR in nearly every distance since last spring, leaving her with very few race scenarios where she's not an All-American.


9. Marissa D'Atri (Chico State)

D’Atri has shown gradual progression in the steeplechase and has improved immensely in the event since transferring from San Diego State, and while her national meet experience is limited, her 5k strength could allow her to hang with an aggressive pace this weekend.


10. Ila Davis (Western Washington)

Despite her rookie status, Davis has shown some major firepower this season, winning both the 5k and the steeplechase at the GNAC Championships en route to a pair of personal bests, ultimately giving her some of the best momentum in this field.


11. Shannon King (Colorado Christian)

King is a fairly unknown name heading into this race and she is relatively inexperienced at the top level, but her noticeable improvements across the spectrum of distance events validate her talent in a way that strictly steeplechase times couldn't.


12. Meg Scheske (Hillsdale)

Scheske is a consistent steeplechase performer who she placed 10th at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships, and while that may be her only championship experience, it will still be highly valuable heading into a field where plenty of these women are young or have not competed at the national level before.


13. Kayce Rypma (Grand Valley State)

Rypma is a strength-based runner with consistent steeple performances, and while this is her first appearance at a national meet in this event, we know that the Lakers are always ready to compete at the highest level, especially on their home track.


14. Amanda Montplaisir (Minnesota State)

Montplaiser has strong momentum heading into the national meet after running several PRs throughout this season and while her inexperience may be a weakness, she has competed in some of the most competitive meets that the country has to offer, all while never having a poor race.


15. Rachel Sweeney (Cedarville)

Sweeney placed 13th in this event at last year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships, but she had to have a valiant effort (and a PR) at a last chance meet to even qualify for this meet, but could her ability to perform in high-pressure situations end up being her greatest asset in this race?


16. Olivia Willett (Simon Fraser)

Willett has versatility and some solid, but she also has some promising experience (although not necessarily at the NCAA level), giving us good reason to believe that she will outperform her seed.


17. Rebekah Rairdon (Augustana (SD))

This will be Rairdon’s first outdoor national meet, but she holds a plethora of national meet experience in cross country which will be valuable, as will her strength-based talent, allowing to her theoretically benefit from an aggressive pace.


18. Ruby Lindquist (Black Hills State)

A rookie when it comes to the steeplechase, Lindquist has shown plenty of promise in the event so far, and while she may not be as consistent as some of the others in the field, her nationally competitive marks in the mile/1500 meters add a unique racing element to her resume.


19. Arianna Amill-Ramos (Lewis)

Ramos is capping off her collegiate career on a high note at the national meet, and while she's not in the conversation to be a top performer, her overall improvement and emergence as a dynamic runner is worth noting.


20. Natalie Graber (Grand Valley State)

Graber has had a condensed, but promising, season so far, setting a new PR of 10:40 in the steeplechase, and while she lacks the consistency of others in the field, her strength-based talent should be valuable in this event.


Final Predictions:

  1. Alexa Leppelmeier (Walsh)

  2. Elenora Curtabbi (West Texas A&M)

  3. Hannah Becker (Grand Valley State)

  4. Stevie Lawerence (Queens (NC))

  5. Ashley Corcoran (Southern New Hampshire)

  6. Sarah Wills (Adams State)

  7. Toni Moore (Lee (Tenn.))

  8. Ila Davis (Western Washington)

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