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Three Sentences Or Less: 2023 D2 NCAA Outdoor Championship Women's 800 Meters Preview
- Marissa Kuik
- May 21, 2023
- 7 min read
Updated: May 23, 2023
Written by John Cusick, edits and additional commentary via 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 leading up to the outdoor national meets. Stay tuned!
Predictions coming soon
The below list is ordered by seeding.
1. Ukeyvia Beckwith (Embry-Riddle)
When looking back at last year’s outdoor national meet over 800 meters, Ukyevia Beckwith is the top returner. The Embry-Riddle star has only gotten faster since then with each passing race and she has some of the best momentum of anyone coming into next weekend. She has been incredibly consistent all season long and we view her as the clear-cut national title favorite for 800 meters.
2. Helen Braybrook (CSU-Pueblo)
Helen Braybrook might be the only competitor who can play spoiler to Beckwith’s 800-meter national title bid. After running impressive converted marks of 4:21 (1500) and 2:05 (800) this spring, Braybrook is in the best shape of her life. She finished runner-up during the indoor national meet and now has a home-track advantage which could give her a defining edge in her matchup with Beckwith.
3. Josii Johnson (Westminster (UT))
Right on the tails of Braybrook at the RMAC Outdoor Championships was Josii Johnson where she ran a converted 800 meter time of 2:07 and finished 2nd in the race. Johnson may not have the championship experience that the other ladies in this field have, but she has already proven that she can rise to the challenge in high-stakes situations. All signs point to this Westminster ace potentially leaving Pueblo, Colorado with an All-American finish thanks to her very solid understanding of positioning and race tactics.
4. Alaysia Brooks (Ursuline (OH))
Alaysia Brooks surprised us when she snuck into the 2023 indoor national meet where inexperience got the best of her, ultimately failing to make it out of the 800-meter preliminary rounds. But Brooks has once again run a qualifying time in the half-mile right at the end of the season, making her somewhat of a wild-card next weekend. She has consistently run 2:09 (800) through these spring months, so we will see if she can learn from her experience on the indoor oval and recalibrate her prelims approach.
5. Taryn Chapko (Grand Valley State)
Taryn Chapko comes in as a veteran of this field, having run multiple 800-meter preliminaries and finals at the indoor and outdoor national meets despite still having plenty of eligibility remaining. The Grand Valley State star is consistent, has always come away with an All-American finish on the national stage and her times remain nationally competitive. However, she has yet to win a coveted national title, a trophy which seems like an ambitious (but somewhat realistic) goal for her yet again in 2023.
6. Aryelle Wright (Colorado Mines)
The only other name in the field who we would say has just as much national meet experience as Chapko over 800 meters is Aryelle Wright. After finishing in the top-eight in this event at the 2023 indoor national meet, she should be able to enter next weekend with some confidence. That newfound momentum and the altitude advantage could propel her to finish even higher on the podium than she ever has before.
7. Jesse Jacobusse (Michigan Tech)
A new name to this list of top 800 meter women in Division Two is Jesse Jacobusse who ran an incredible two-second PR of 2:08 to emerge as the seventh seed in this field. Jacobusse has consistently run 2:10 or 2:11, but has clawed her way near the top of the national leaderboard. That said, her recent (and unexpected) rise makes her a major wild card in this 800 meter field due to her lack of experience on the national stage and at this level of racing in general.
8. Jessica Simon (Adams State)
Jessica Simon is highly experienced and usually runs her best times near/around the postseason. She just ran 2:08 (800) at altitude to a) solidify herself as name as an All-American contender, and b) earn the overall win over a rising talent in Zanzie Demco. A lot of things are going well for her at a really good time of the season.
9. Lieke Hoogsteen (Adams State)
The Grizzlies of Adams State are slowly creating a solid half-miler group to accompany their always-competitive long distance squad -- and Lieke Hoogsteen is a key pioneer in that effort. Her last few outings on the outdoor oval have been below her standard since her early mark of 2:08 from back in April, making us unsure as to where her fitness is at and how she will fare in a close race.
10. Mackenzie Duck (Colorado Mines)
After countless seasons of missing out on the national meet (or “just” being a part of the Orediggers’ DMR team), this collegiate veteran has finally earned her spot to this stage in an individual event. Mackenzie Duck will be relying on limited experience and pure fitness when compared to the other women in this field. Still, the altitude should at least give her an edge over more seasoned middle distance talents who are scattered throughout the latter-half of these entries.
11. Lainy Williams (Southwest Baptist)
This 2023 outdoor track season did not go as planned for Lainy Williams as she struggled to reach her full potential after competing at the indoor national meet back in March. She strung together multiple marks of 2:12 to 2:15 (800) which were nowhere near what she needed for advancing to this stage. However, Williams has peaked at the right time, running 2:08 for 800 meters at a “last chance” meet, leaving us to wonder if she is back to the top fitness level that we’ve seen from her in the past.
12. Porshe Eismann (Concordia University, Irvine)
Porshe Eismann is another name in this field who has run a fast time right at the end of the national qualifying window. Her 2:08 (800) mark puts her right in the middle of this group, but with all of her other half-mile times sitting right around 2:12, it's hard to say where Eismann is truly at in her fitness. She did run 4:31 in the 1500 meters at a “last chance” meet which is promising, but her top-end speed will be truly put to the test in a field that looks very deep.
13. Isabel Marsh (Adelphi)
After running a national qualifying time over 800 meters in mid-April, Isabel Marsh decided to focus on her speed, running in 4x400 meter relays instead of racing the half-mile every week. Marsh choosing to contest more 400 meter races theoretically benefits her if she needs a fast finish which could happen at altitude in the preliminary rounds.
14. Marian Ledesma (Western Washington)
Since her strong showing of 2:08 (800) at the Bryan Clay Invite, things have been up and down for Marian Ledesma. The Western Washington ace was a two-time national meet qualifier while competing for Azusa Pacific, but never made the finals which is something that she will try and change next weekend. On paper, she's at least experienced and fast enough to buck that trend.
15. Bailey Blake (Northwest Missouri)
Though the name may not sound familiar, Bailey Blake has raced at both the indoor and the outdoor national meets before in the women’s 800 meters. She may have missed out on qualifying for this event this past winter, but Blake seems ready to make a run for the podium after running a PR earlier this season. With the majority of these seed times within one second of each other, a good number of podium spots are wide-open for Blake who has been sneaky-good this spring.
16. Megan Roxby (Simon Fraser)
After racing the mile at the indoor national meet, Megan Roxby has opted to add the 800 meters to her outdoor track campaign for the national meet. She has been consistently posting marks of 2:09 (800) this season and also has a time of 4:24 in the metric mile, effectively validating her top-tier fitness. If she races the right way, Roxby could find herself getting out of the prelims, but her decision to contest the 800/1500 meter double will not make things any easier, especially with her racing at altitude.
17. Kaylee Harp (Northwest Missouri)
Last year, at the 2022 outdoor national meet, Harp was able to get out of the preliminary rounds, but finished just outside of the podium spots in 9th place for 800 meters. Harp also raced at the indoor national meet this past winter, giving her a lot of experience on the national stage that most backend seeds don’t have. She may not have one of the faster seed times, but her understanding of her competition and this stage should help her.
18. Briseida Garcia Meza (Azusa Pacific)
Another semi-new name to the national stage is Briseida Garcia Meza who will be racing at her first national meet. Her season has been somewhat inconsistent given that she has run marks between 2:09 and 2:18 for the two-lap event. With her inexperience and inconsistency, she may have a difficult time getting out of the preliminary round, but it also suggests that she has some untapped upside that we may not have seen yet.
19. Luz Mercado (San Marcos)
Luz Mercado finds herself qualified for her first national meet, running her 800-meter PR of 2:09 to secure her bid. Mercado also owns times of 4:34 for 1500 meters and 4:58 for the mile (indoors) which are solid results, but not quite comparable with the other women in this field. Even so, that mile strength is nice to have as she ventures to altitude, but we don't exactly know what we should expect from her next weekend.
20. Maggie Williams (Biola)
This true freshman will have the chance to race with some of the best women in Division Two, but will her rookie status may make it hard for her to get out of the first round. Maggie Williams has been fairly consistent this spring, mostly running between 2:10 and 2:11 for 800 meters with her one mark of 2:09 standing out on her resume. She seems to have a high floor (which is a good thing), but inexperience may make it hard for her to reach her ceiling next weekend.
