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Three Sentences Or Less: 2023 D1 NCAA Indoor Championships Women's 5k Preview

  • Writer: Maura Beattie
    Maura Beattie
  • Mar 4, 2023
  • 4 min read

Written by Maura Beattie, edits and additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin

Do you have an interest in writing for The Stride Report? We're looking for high school writers and potentially NAIA writers. Want to know more? Read this and send us an email at contact@thestridereport.com to let us know!

Our TSR writers were asked to produce three sentences or less of analysis on every entrant in every distance event for every division. We will be slowly rolling out these previews over the next week leading up to the indoor national meets. Stay tuned!


Predictions coming next week

The below list is ordered by seeding.

1. Katelyn Tuohy (NC State)

Last season, Katelyn Tuohy came oh-so-close to a pair of national titles in the 3k and the 5k, a combined seven-tenths of a second. An indoor title is the only thing missing on the Wolfpack ace’s resume and the 5k will be her first chance at securing that accolade. And truthfully, she should be able to secure this win with relative ease.


2. Hilda Olemomoi (Alabama)

Hilda Olemomoi has a 15:17 (5k) PR from December and she might be the one who at least tries to take the kick out of Tuohy. The Alabama sophomore doesn’t appear to be daunted by a lack of Division One national-caliber experience nor the resumes of her competitors. Even so, we're still curious as to how she'll fare if this race turns tactical.


3. Mercy Chelangat (Alabama)

Alabama’s Mercy Chelangat is wildly consistent when it comes to this distance. In theory, she has what it takes to win via her 15:17 (5k) PR, extensive national meet experience and a teammate in the field. But with Katelyn Tuohy dominating the NCAA right now, Chelangat will likely be in the race for silver.


4. Amelia Mazza-Downie (New Mexico)

Coming into this meet with the home track advantage and a shiny 15:18 (5k) personal best is New Mexico’s Amelia Mazza-Downie. She didn’t have her greatest race back in December, but since then, the Lobo star has caught fire and could put herself in contention for a top-three finish.


5. Emily Venters (Utah)

Utah’s Emily Venters is no stranger to this caliber of competition, competing at numerous NCAA Championships on the grass and the outdoor oval. However, missing from her resume is an All-American honor at the indoor national meet. Can Venters stand atop the podium in her first showing at Albuquerque?


6. Natalie Cook (Oklahoma State)

Natalie Cook lived up to the hype during the 2022 cross country season and immediately followed up her fall campaign with a monumental 15:24 (5k) PR in December...but we are still scratching our heads. Where has Cook been? Will her hiatus from racing and general collegiate inexperience work against the true freshman?


7. Kelsey Chmiel (NC State)

Few women are more reliable All-American picks than Kelsey Chmiel. The NC State veteran might not have the fastest 5k PR in the field with her 15:27 mark, but her endless amount experience at the indoor national meet gives her a one-up on her competition.


8. Aubrey Frentheway (BYU)

Aubrey Frentheway will be making her NCAA Indoor Championship debut, but the senior is no stranger to racing against the best women in the nation. An honest race would theoretically suit the BYU runner’s strength-based racing style quite well.


9. Ella Baran (Colorado)

Colorado ace Ella Baran seamlessly adjusted to the Division One scene after competing for Division Three powerhouse, John Hopkins. Baran has taken down a large handful of heavy-hitters in the NCAA this season, many of whom will be in this 5k field. Will we see that again from her next Friday?


10. Elise Stearns (Northern Arizona)

If history has taught us anything, it's that standout Northern Arizona athletes don’t race much, and that’s been the case for Elise Stearns. The breakout star from this past fall only contested the 3k and the DMR since dropping a huge 15:33 (5k) PR in December. But with those little tune-up races, Stearns is seemingly ready to make a statement at her first indoor national meet.


11. Sydney Seymour (NC State)

NC State’s Sydney Seymour hasn't reached her full potential on the national stage yet, be that on the grass or the oval. But with two other teammates in the 5k field, including the national title favorite who will dictate how this race plays out, will this be Seymour’s best bet to finish as an All-American?


12. Gracelyn Larkin (New Mexico)

Gracelyn Larkin will have experience on her side when she takes to her home track for the women's 5k. The Lobo star will be in the hunt to improve upon her 8th place 5k finish from last year's indoor national meet. And historically, the New Mexico women always have multiple women emerge as All-Americans.


13. Ruby Smee (San Francisco)

San Francisco’s Ruby Smee notched her national qualifying time at the right moment (during the last week of February at the UW Ken Shannon Invitational). The Don veteran will need another gutsy (and overall stronger) performance to threaten for All-American honors, but she is a quietly reliable distance talent whose skillset should suit how this race plays out.


14. Zofia Dudek (Stanford)

Zofia Dudek's last race wasn’t her greatest showing ever as the Cardinal redshirt freshman was only able to manage a 16:20 (5k) mark, well off from her 15:40 PR. Between then and now, Dudek has hopefully found her mojo again. It will also be interesting to see how her front-running racing style translates to this field.


15. Sarah Carter (Colorado State)

Sarah Carter is on the cusp of her first All-American honor and has an altitude conversion to thank for getting her into the NCAA Indoor Championships. The Ram ace will benefit next weekend from the fact that she will be racing at altitude, something she experiences daily. Not only is her ceiling plenty high after taking down the New Mexico women twice last weekend, but her journey to get to this point is awe-inspiring.


16. Amanda Vestri (Syracuse)

Gosh, it was a long layoff from racing for Syracuse’s Amanda Vestri, nearly 14 months, but that didn’t seem to faze the veteran this winter who opened her season with a 15:42 (5k) PR in December. Will her extensive veteran experience pay off? Or will her lack of racing prior to this season come back to bite her in a tactical race?

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