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Three Sentences Or Less: 2023 D1 NCAA Outdoor Championship Women's 3k Steeplechase Preview
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Jun 4, 2023
- 7 min read
Updated: Jun 5, 2023
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Editor's Note: 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 leading up to the outdoor national meet. Stay tuned!
The below names are ordered by seeding (via qualifiers list)
1. Greta Karinauskaite (California Baptist)
After running 9:26 in the steeplechase at the West Regional Championships, Greta Karinauskaite has established herself as the one to beat for the national title. Her overall season, not just in the steeplechase, has been fantastic and the CBU ace is still improving as she enters the national meet. However, multiple women in this field are capable of running MUCH faster than they already have and they are also far more experienced.
2. Grace Fetherstonhaugh (Oregon State)
A 9:38 steeplechase mark at the West Regional Championships made Grace Fetherstonhaugh the fastest steeplechaser in the nation this spring not named Greta Karinauskaite. When you pair that result with a 9:39 steeple mark at the PAC-12 Championships (en route to gold), a 4:11 PR over 1500 meters and a key 15:30 (5k) finish earlier this season, this Beaver star feels like the most complete steeplechaser in this field.
3. Kaylee Mitchell (Oregon State)
Kaylee Mitchell has been good this season, maybe even really good. But she hasn't looked quite as imposing as she was expected to be, especially after running 9:34 in the steeplechase last spring. That said, she peaked perfectly for the 2022 outdoor national meet and by that logic, she may actually be ahead of schedule this year in terms of her fitness.
4. Elise Thorner (New Mexico)
After running 9:32 in the steeplechase at the 2022 Payton Jordan Invite in what was a breakout season, Elise Thorner went to the national stage where she placed 5th overall in a steeple time of 9:33.99. So far this season, the Lobo ace has been solid, running as fast as 9:39 over the barriers at the Bryan Clay Invite. If she flexes her full potential and talent next weekend, then she can realistically win a national title.
5. Pauline Meyer (Arkansas State)
Coming into the West Regional Championships, Pauline Meyer was a respectable distance talent, but she was not at all favored to advance to the national meet. But in a stunning development, Meyer destroyed her 10:08 steeplechase PR and posted a monster time of 9:44 to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Admittedly, this Arkansas State ace only has one standout performance on her resume, but she could also be peaking at the absolute perfect time.
6. Kayley DeLay (Washington)
Coming into the outdoor track season, Kayley DeLay was viewed as the national title favorite in the steeplechase after she ran a 9:25 PR (NCAA #3 all-time) en route to silver at last year's national meet. But so far this spring, DeLay has left us wanting more, running no faster than 9:45 in this event. On paper, she can win a national title, but the Yale-turned-Washington star will need to take a significant step up from her regular season results.
7. Lexy Halladay-Lowry (BYU)
Quietly one of the most consistent distance runners in the entire NCAA, Lexy Halladay-Lowry has super reliable throughout the entirety of this academic year. The BYU ace has slowly made solid improvements in her fitness and she even ran as fast as 9:42 in the steeplechase earlier this season (which does not show on TFRRS since it was contested at the Sound Running Track Fest). On paper, it's hard to find many reasons why Halladay-Lowry couldn't be an All-American.
8. Maisie Grice (New Mexico)
A recent international addition to New Mexico's roster, Maisie Grice has had a fairly solid season, posting a new steeplechase PR of 9:48 at the West Regional Championships. The newest Lobo runner clearly has some untapped upside remaining, but trying to balance that with her inexperience and limited resume makes it hard to properly gauge Grice.
9. Lona Latema (Kansas)
This Kansas distance talent finished 16th at the 2022 West Regional Championships in this event, but was able to reach a new tier this spring. After running 9:57 in the steeplechase earlier this season, Lona Latema ran a 9:51 PR over the barriers to advance to the national stage. The Jayhawk ace has made improvements in nearly every event this season, but she'll need to take another leap in fitness if she wants to contend for an All-American honor.
10. Olivia Markezich (Notre Dame)
Sure, Olivia Markezich may have "only" run 9:40 in the steeplechase this season, but she holds a 9:35 PR from last year's national meet (where she placed 9th). Since then, the Notre Dame star has made a tremendous leap in her fitness, showing us that she is likely capable of running faster than 9:35 in this event. The only question, however, is if she can run a fast-enough PR to contend with whatever Greta Karinauskaite throws down.
11. Emma Tavella (UCLA)
This long-time UCLA veteran had only run 10:08 over the barriers this season before dropping a substantial PR of 9:52 at the West Regional Championships. Emma Tavella has been a respectable steeple talent for the Bruins over the last couple of years, but it's clear that she delivered on her true potential the other weekend with a significant PR. Much like Lona Latema, she'll likely need another big-time result to stay in contention for the finals, but she is obviously trending in the right direction.
12. Katelyn Mitchem (Wyoming)
It's hard to dislike Katelyn Mitchem who been sneaky-good this spring, running significant steeplechase personal bests as well as an excellent 1500 meter PR of 4:13. Simply put, this 2022 cross country national meet qualifier has great mile speed to complement her endurance. That, in theory, makes her a far greater threat in this event than her regional meet performance would suggest.
13. Ceili McCabe (West Virginia)
You could make the argument that Ceili McCabe is the most naturally talented woman in this field. The West Virginia ace has demonstrated fitness that puts her in the highest tier of women's collegiate distance running and she holds a steeplechase PR of 9:31 from last year's national meet (where she placed 3rd). So far this spring, McCabe has been fairly quiet, maybe intentionally so, but that leads us to believe that she is aiming to peak for the postseason more effectively than she did in the fall and winter months.
14. Victoria Patterson (Columbia)
Maybe one of the most underrated distance talents in this field, Victoria Patterson has displayed excellent consistency this season, running sub-10:00 in the steeplechase three times this spring. With a 9:51 PR over the barriers, competitive personal bests in other events, great tactical awareness and plenty of untapped upside, Patterson should be your dark horse pick for an All-American honor.
15. Katie Thronson (Notre Dame)
There is simply nothing to dislike about Katie Thronson who has been a massive transfer win for the Notre Dame women. She's run 9:44 in the steeplechase this spring, but her other personal bests have also dropped by significant margins. Sure, Thronson may not be viewed as a national title contender, but she's likely the top name in the next-best tier.
16. Olivia Morganti (Penn)
Make no mistake, Olivia Morganti has been a very solid distance talent throughout most of this spring season. However, after a stunning 10-second PR in the steeplechase the other weekend (running 9:59), this Penn junior will need to not only replicate that result, but also build upon it on the national stage.
17. Lydia Olivere (Villanova)
She may not be a top seed or an All-American favorite, but Lydia Olivere is one of the most experienced steeplechasers in this field. In fact, she may be the MOST experienced steeplechaser out of anyone else toeing the line in Austin, Texas. She hasn't matched her 9:49 steeple PR from the summer of 2021 (out of season), but the Villanova talent has shown subtle signs over the last four months that she is returning to top form.
18. Angelina Ellis (Butler)
After a fantastic end to her indoor track season, we were high on Angelina Ellis who seemingly had all of the momentum in the world. And sure enough, the Butler ace took down Emily Cole to earn a win at the Raleigh Relays, ran 9:44 in the steeplechase at the Bryan Clay Invite to finish runner-up and defeated Lydia Olivere over the barriers for the BIG East title. Ellis has been incredibly consistent this season and with her improved understanding of racing nuances, she has a legitimate shot at earning All-American honors.
19. Carmen Riano (Miami (OH))
Up until the East Regional Championships, Carmen Riano was having a fairly quiet outdoor track season. Luckily for her, she ran 9:59 over the barriers to advance to the national stage, making a return trip after qualifying in 2022. With a steeplechase personal best of 9:46 from last spring, Riano clearly has greater upside within her, but her 2023 campaign has left us unsure if we'll see that in Austin, Texas.
20. Aziza Chigatayeva (Binghamton)
After a handful of promising seasons, Aziza Chigatayeva finally qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships and ran a steeplechase PR of 9:58 earlier this season. The Binghamton veteran has made improvements all throughout her resume, but she'll need to utilize her best racing aspects to get out of the prelims.
21. Janette Schraft (Iowa State)
This Iowa State veteran has been fairly solid this season, typically putting together competitive steeplechase efforts and running a 9:57 PR in the event at the Bryan Clay Invite. Janette Schraft clearly has a knack for the barriers and the water pits, but she may be a year away from getting into the national meet finals.
22. Calli Doan (Liberty)
After running personal bests of 15:51 (5k) and 4:15 (1500) earlier this season, as well as putting together a solid cross country season, Calli Doan feels like someone who can probably run faster than 9:57 in the steeplechase (which is her PR). It's not a matter of whether or not Doan will be competitive on Thursday night, but rather, will she be competitive enough to advance to the finals?
23. Emily Cole (Duke)
After running 9:48 in the steeplechase last spring and qualifying for the 2022 outdoor national meet, many of us at TSR had high expectations for Emily Cole in 2023. So far this season, the Duke ace has been solid, taking down a handful of respectable names and running 9:53 at the Raleigh Relays. Even so, we're still waiting for her to take that next step up into All-American contention.
24. Kristel van den Berg (Ole Miss)
Despite being the last seed in this field, Kristel van den Berg is better than some people realize. She won the SEC title in the steeplechase this year with a 9:56 PR and ran 15:54 for 5000 meters earlier this spring at the Stanford Invite. The Ole Miss distance talent may not stand out in this field like a few others, but she's better than her seeding would suggest.
