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Three Sentences Or Less: 2023 D2 NCAA Indoor Championship Women's 3k Preview
- Marissa Kuik
- Mar 10, 2023
- 7 min read
Written by Marissa Kuik, edits and additional commentary by John Cusick & Garrett Zatlin
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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 in the week leading up to the indoor national meets. Stay tuned!
The below list is ordered by seeding.
1. Eleonora Curtabbi (West Texas A&M)
Eleonora Curtabbi just recently broke the Division Two record in this event, so she definitely comes in as the clear, although maybe not overwhelming, title favorite. She will have to face the likes of Lindsay Cunningham and Brianna Robles, as well as Stephanie Cotter who is most likely in way better shape than her seed time suggests. Expect this race to come down to the last few laps as we see if Curtabbi's half-mile speed can counter the kicks of her competition.
2. Lindsay Cunningham (Winona State)
Lindsay Cunningham may choose to push the pace from the start as she usually performs at her best when she dictates the front of these fields. However, there are multiple women in this field are capable of hanging with this Winona State star. And after what will be an insanely competitive 5k, how Cunningham responds to the inevitable move from the rest of this 3k field in the latter-half of this race will determine if she's a national champion or not.
3. Brianna Robles (Adams State)
Brianna Robles may be looking for some revenge heading into this race as she barely got out-leaned for 2nd place in this event at last year's NCAA Indoor Championships. Theoretically, Robles could be carrying a lot of fatigue after the 5k and would potentially benefit from a more tactical race as she has some of the best turnover in the field. That said, the Adams State star is just as talented as any other woman in this field, meaning that her chances of a national title will likely come down to how effectively she recovers from the 5k.
4. Florance Uwajeneza (West Texas A&M)
One thing that people may have missed (because of her teammate setting the Division Two record in the 3k) is that Florance Uwajeneza just ran a massive PR of 9:14 in this event. With the aggressive pacing that will most likely happen in this race, Uwajeneza is set up perfectly to compete for the national title as she often thrives in time trial-esque environments.
5. Ava O'Connor (Adams State)
With a 9:18 (3k) PR and incredible speed (as highlighted by her mile and 800 meter personal bests), Ava O’Connor has a very good chance at finishing in the top-three of this race. She has the capability of hanging with the top runners if the pace goes out hard and can cover any moves if the race were to become more of a positional battle. The only concern is the fact that O’Connor has not raced since the second weekend of February, so there is a little uncertainty as to where her fitness is at.
6. Natalie Graber (Grand Valley State)
Natalie Graber has made huge improvements this year and has become one of the more exciting runners to watch in Division Two. She has found a perfect blend of speed and strength that has truly unlocked her potential. She'll be a force to reckon with over 3000 meters and on fairly fresh pair of legs, she could finish as high as inside the top-three.
7. Precious Robinson (Adams State)
Precious Robinson will take another stab at running the 5k/3k double at the indoor national meet after finishing 16th/14th, respectively, in those same events at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships. Expect her to work together with an army of teammates as Robinson aims to shake off a handful of struggles that she has had in championship races (on the track) over the last few seasons.
8. Madison Brown (Dallas Baptist)
Madison Brown has some of the best momentum of any woman going into this national meet after she dropped an absurd 16:33 (5k) and 9:24 (3k) double two weeks ago -- in the same day! Brown has shown us that she can recover insanely fast which should absolutely help her chances of doubling back from the 5k this weekend. The Dallas Baptist veteran has a sneaky-strong personal best of 4:29 over 1500 meters and if the pace lags, she could end her national meet with the best performance of her career.
9. Stephanie Cotter (Adams State)
There are a lot of unknowns with Stephanie Cotter and this event given she has only contested this distance just once in her entire running career. But do not let her seed time fool you as it could be argued that she's the national title favorite for this event. Cotter is the best equipped athlete in this field for any race situation and will be looking for what could be her third national title of the meet.
10. Katie Doucette (Western Colorado)
Katie Doucette came storming to the finish line in this event at last year's indoor national meet, finishing as the runner-up. However, the difference this year is that she will only be contesting the DMR prior to the 3k, theoretically giving her (slightly) fresher legs. There's no questioning that this Mountaineer star is going to be an All-American (despite her seed), but whether or not she replicate her magical weekend from a year ago is the main question.
11. Morgan Hykes (Adams State)
After finishing 3rd at the RMAC Indoor Championships in the mile and posting a time of 9:26 for 3000 meters before that (not a PR), Morgan Hykes seems to have some subtle momentum heading into this weekend. The Adams State talent owns a fast personal best and has thrived in the longer distances, but those marks haven't translated to the national stage (yet). That will eventually happen, we just don't know if it will be this weekend or not.
12. Reina Paredes (Adams State)
Reina Paredes capitalized on a strong fall season and posted a national qualifying mark in the 3k at a meet back in December. Unfortunately, Paredes has yet to back up that 3k time with any other notable results. She has had moments of excellence over the last year, but she will likely struggle to keep up with the upper portion of this field if her recent results are any indication.
13. Emily Schoellkopf (Adams State)
Much like her teammate Reina Paredes, it has been a while since we’ve seen Emily Schoellkopf compete in a 3k. However, her recent results have been a bit more promising, posting mile and 5k personal bests this winter as well as finishing 3rd at the RMAC Indoor Championships (5k). If this 3k race does start aggressively, the next question will be, how will Schoellkopf's legs respond after a 5k race the night before?
14. Amanda Montplaisir (Minnesota State)
Amanda Montplaisir has a legitimate shot at finishing on the podium in this event and we know that she is capable of doing so after her monster 9th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships this past fall. She has only gotten better each time that she has stepped on the track this season. The Minnesota State ace would probably benefit from an honest race, but she has shown the ability to at least be competitive in a sit-and-kick affair if necessary.
15. Klaudia O'Malley (Grand Valley State)
Klaudia O’Malley has a busy indoor national meet schedule ahead of her yet again. She'll contest the DMR, the mile and the 3k which means that will be her fourth race in 48 hours (assuming she makes the mile finals). With all of those races in her legs, she might struggle in this loaded field, but she's just as much of an elite talent as most of the top seeds.
16. Zoe Baker (Colorado Mines)
Someone who could emerge as an All-American in this event is Zoe Baker. She has worked considerably on her racing tactics while improving her turnover in the process. Her speed development may not put her over the top for a national title, but it could be enough to earn her an All-American honor, something that has eluded for the last few seasons on the oval.
17. Najwa Chouati (Stanislaus State)
With Stanislaus State adding indoor track to their schedule, Najwa Chouati was able to capitalize on her ever-growing fitness. Chouati is dramatically better than she was the last time that we saw her on the indoor oval (while at Lindenwood) and has become a capable All-American threat. Despite the vast improvements, this will be her first national meet as an individual and her inexperience could play a factor.
18. Kylie Anicic (Edinboro)
Kylie Anicic will attempt to play spoiler this weekend in what we would consider to be her secondary event. The Edinboro ace could be a dark horse for sneaking into the top-eight come Saturday given the clear refinement in talent that we've seen from her this winter. Of course, a strong showing at the PSAC Indoor Championships does not necessarily translate to effectively navigating around the country's best runners, something we saw throughout last year.
19. Lauren Kiley (Grand Valley State)
As a true freshman, competing at the indoor national meet can be daunting. Of course, opting for the 5k/3k double at your first-ever NCAA Indoor Championship is even more daunting. That lack of experience would be a problem for most rookies, but she has already demonstrated an ability to race at a high level on the biggest stage.
20. Molly Maksin (Colorado Mines)
Molly Maksin's strength lies in the longer races and she simply doesn't have the same kind of wheels the rest of these women have. That seems pretty apparent when you look at her 2023 indoor track resume. Despite being the final seed, expect this Colorado Mines runner to at least put herself in the mix early-on.
