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Three Sentences Or Less: 2023 D3 NCAA Indoor Championship Men's 3k Preview
- Brett Haffner
- Mar 10, 2023
- 6 min read
Written by Brett Haffner, edits and additional commentary via John Cusick & Garrett Zatlin
Do you have an interest in writing for The Stride Report? We're looking for high school coverage writers and potentially NAIA coverage writers. Want to know more? Read this and send us an email at contact@thestridereport.com to let us know!
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 indoor national meet. Stay tuned!
The below list is ordered by seeding
1. Alex Phillip (John Carroll)
As the reigning national champion in this event, Alex Phillip’s ability to double back at national meets (and win) is already well-established. Although he’s still the favorite while not being fresh, this terrific field chasing him should impose a strong challenge to Phillip’s dominance, maybe his greatest challenge yet.
2. Sam Acquaviva (MIT)
We’ll learn more about Sam Acquaviva’s championship racing prowess in the 5k on day one, but this will be his first real test in navigating a second day of championship racing in his collegiate career. Admittedly, it's a bit odd having a limited understanding on the racing tendencies of a national title threat. Still, with how successful he’s been at cross country national meets thus far, the sky’s the limit for this MIT ace.
3. Christian Patzka (UW-Whitewater)
This will be Christian Patzka’s first double at an indoor national meet and his credentials point towards great things happening in his second event of the weekend. He’s been great at closing hard this season and in a field where then pace could turn aggressive, that strong finishing tendency could ultimately be what wins him gold.
4. Ethan Gregg (UW-La Crosse)
Ethan Gregg’s massive improvements in the mile and the 3k this season have paid off tremendously, showcasing his ability to close hard in practically any scenario. With two other Eagle teammates in tow, this 3k field should set up very well to be Gregg’s second All-American honor of the weekend (after the 5k). He feels like one of the men who is going to unafraid to run from the front if necessary.
5. Matthew Kearney (MIT)
We’ve known how good Matthew Kearney has been this season in races that are hot from the gun, but how will he fare in a championship setting? What happens if this race becomes more positional and surge-based? His cross country accolades speak volumes, but this race will serve as a strong test to his ability to close hard if it comes to that.
6. Matthew Lecky (RPI)
Opting for the DMR/3k double, Matthew Lecky’s decisive choice to pursue this somewhat unique double may prove to be a great decision in the end. Watch out for his sneaky mile speed if he’s with the lead pack in the final 400 meters. With a handful of other top seeds doubling back from the 5k, it's the RPI ace who could end up being the most dangerous.
7. Elias Lindgren (Williams)
We saw great things from Elias Lindgren’s double at the outdoor national meet in 2022, but will we see similar results in 2023? His improvement in fitness, tactics and speed all point towards yes, although we'll be curious to see if he employs another all-out effort in order to overtake the field.
8. Christopher Collet (Wartburg)
Christopher Collet may have a very busy weekend as he likely navigates prelims and finals in the mile, the DMR and this 3000 meter race. This could be his fourth race of the weekend, but his combination of strength and speed could prove to be lethal in the late stages of this battle. Of course, much like his entire indoor track season, we don't entirely know what kind of 3k result we're going to get out of this Wartburg star.
9. Connor Riss (North Central)
Connor Riss, along with Adam Loenser, may be one of the only fresh runners in this 3k field – everybody else is doubling or tripling. Riss has been very strong this year in races that get out hard from the gun, a racing tendency that should favor him against this kind of competition. Employing that sort of strategy may pay off very well with a field of guys who will be on tired legs.
10. Andrew Mah (MIT)
Team title aspirations are plenty realistic the MIT men, meaning that Andrew Mah will play a crucial role in securing some last-minute points for the Engineers (along with Acquaviva, Kearney and Wilson). It wouldn’t be terribly surprising to see Mah opt for some team tactics to help things go the Engineers’ way.
11. Isaac Wegner (UW-La Crosse)
Isaac Wegner’s vastly improved abilities in the 3k have come a long way in 2023 as his season opener, running 8:15 on a 200 meter flat track, was more than enough to earn him a place at the indoor national meet. It’ll be interesting to see his first experience doubling back from the 5k at a national meet as he’s had relatively good success doubling back at the WIAC Championship meets in the past.
12. Spencer Moon (Simpson (IA))
Despite never doubling on the national stage before, Spencer Moon’s doubling abilities are probably some of the best in this field as shown from his repetitive success at the ARC Championships. If there’s anyone in this field who can majorly outperform their seed, Moon is one of the best guys to bet on.
13. Max Svienty (North Central)
Max Svienty has been incredibly good at running fast times to win this season and with a fresh teammate in Connor Riss in the field, those two men could possibly make this race a fast one to zap the field’s already0tired legs. Of course, Svienty will have already run the 5k the night before, so it may be in his best interest to let the race play out and play things by ear.
14. Adam Loenser (UW-La Crosse)
Coming up clutch in a really big way at the Wartburg Final Qualifier, Adam Loenser ran a 3k PR by 11 seconds to become the third man from UW-La Crosse to be entered in this event. A national qualifier in the steeplechase in 2022 and only a sophomore, this weekend will give Loenser some more quality experience on the national scene while potentially helping UW-La Crosse’s team trophy hopes.
15. Nick Andrews (SUNY Geneseo)
A gutsy racer, Nick Andrews’ bold strategy in last year’s 3k at the national meet to lead the race through the halfway point paid off big time, resulting in an All-American honor. After likely running on the DMR the night before, might we see him take the race by the horns once again? Doing so in this kind of field full of pace pushers would be an even more ambitious move than last year.
16. Jeffrey Love (Connecticut College)
Jeffrey Love has always been pretty strong in the longer distance events, but he has worked on his abilities in the 3000 meters this year, taking down his personal best from 8:33 all the way down to 8:11 this winter. If that progression follows him into this weekend, then how realistic is it to say that Love could be an All-American?
17. Simon Heys (Wilmington (OH))
Throughout his career, Simon Heys has been a very apt doubler/triple in his conference meets (OAC). That should, in theory, translate well to his first opportunity to double at a national meet on the track. And as someone who a true aerobic-based distance talent, he matches up fairly well with most of this field.
18. Gavin McElhennon (Johns Hopkins)
After running the 5k on day one, doubling back from the 3k on day two will be a new endeavor for Gavin McElhennon on the national scene. But when you look at his resume, it's hard to find a single bad race from this Johns Hopkins runner during his 2023 winter campaign. Maybe that reliableness will come in handy in the always-volatile 3k...
19. Frank Csorba (Lynchburg)
With a late start to his indoor track season, Frank Csorba has run just about every distance event in the month of February, ultimately putting together a clutch pair of performances at the Tufts National Qualifying meet in both the 3000 meters and the DMR, earning spots to the national meet in both. Considering that he’s rounding into form this quickly, he may be priming his fitness at just the right time compared to the rest of the field.
20. Ryan Wilson (MIT)
Nearly squeaking into this event may have been Ryan Wilson’s best blessing thanks to a scratch from Ryan Kredell. It's true, this MIT star will certainly be feeling the mile prelims, the mile finals and a potential DMR leg by the time the 3k rolls around. Even so, his upside is simply tremendous and truthfully, nobody wants a 1:46 (800) guy around with a few laps to go.
