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Three Sentences Or Less: 2023 D3 NCAA Indoor Championship Men's DMR Preview
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Mar 6, 2023
- 4 min read
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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 throughout this week leading up to the indoor national meets. Stay tuned!
Predictions coming soon
The below list is ordered by seeding.
1. Loras Duhawks
On paper, the Loras men have the most firepower and the most complete lineup in this field. But Wyatt Kelly is entered in the mile/800 double while Ryan Harvey and Mike Jasa are also entered in individual prelims earlier that day. The idea that the Duhawks will field the same group that ran the D3 record in this event seems unlikely.
2. RPI Engineers
Matthew Lecky is the star of this relay and he can easily carry this group to an All-American finish. And while Davis Piercy is a respectable lead-off leg, the Engineers will need this entire lineup to replicate their magical performance from last week if they want to secure gold.
3. Lynchburg Hornets
The Lynchburg men may have the most complete DMR lineup in this entire field. They have virtually zero weak points and they only have one man doubling coming into this race. Depending on how Tor Hotung-Davidsen rebounds from the 800 meter prelims, there is a very realistic chance that the Hornets could win NCAA gold.
4. SUNY Geneseo Knights
Having Nick Andrews and Ezra Ruggles at each end of this DMR lineup is a huge advantage. In fact, that duo may give the Knights the most firepower of any team in this field at each of those two spots (combined). However, it will be the middle portion of SUNY Geneseo's lineup (which has been running well this winter) that will determine whether or not this group can come within striking distance of a national title.
5. MIT Engineers
Ryan Wilson and Henry Hardart are entered in the mile while Sam Acquaviva is set to attempt the 5k/3k double. While it's plenty realistic to think that Wilson and Hardart will double back, trying to figure out who Acquaviva's replacement is going to be is quite a challenge. Charlie Glass, Tim Neumann and Pablo Arroyo are all possible replacements, but the former is entered in the 800 meter prelims while the latter two are entered in the mile prelims.
6. John Carroll Blue Streaks
Alex Phillip is the heart and soul of the Blue Streaks' DMR lineup. But with him being entered in the 5000 meters on day one, it's unlikely that he'll toe the line for this relay. Yes, John Carroll has talent outside of just Phillip, but their chances of earning All-American honors becomes a bit more difficult if he's not on this relay.
7. Wartburg Knights
Seeing two critical legs in Wyatt Schmidt and Christopher Collet doubling back from their prelim races isn't ideal. But Carter Cruise (a 1:52 man over 800 meters) could easily step in for Schmidt, giving Wartburg a pretty stable and somewhat fresh lineup compared to a few others.
8. Johns Hopkins Blue Jays
Admittedly, there isn't a ton of firepower within this lineup, especially with Matthew Kleiman having a slightly quieter season on the indoor oval. And yet, at the same time, the entirety of this relay is flat-out solid. This group is also going to be 100% fresh, making the Blue Jays somewhat decent candidates to earn All-American honors.
9. UW-La Crosse Eagles
With Ethan Gregg running in the 5000 meters, the UW-La Crosse men will have a bit of a hard time contending for All-American honors. Even so, Aidan Matthai or Christopher Wolfe could be respectable filler options. It also feels like the Eagles could rearrange the order of their relay and even add a few replacements to cut down on a second here or there.
10. Case Western Spartans
Despite coming in as the 10th seed, the Case Western men may have a realistic argument for emerging as All-Americans. Their entire lineup is going to be fresh for Friday night and Joseph Jaster can be a much stronger anchor leg than some people realize.
11. UW-Oshkosh Titans
Steven Potter is entered in the 800 meter prelims, meaning that he would have to double back in pretty difficult fashion for an anchor leg. He certainly could, but general risk/reward analysis suggests that it would be better for Potter not to double back. The Titans have a solid relay, but even if Potter comes back for the anchor leg, there's no guarantee that this team will earn All-American honors.
12. Washington U. Bears
Despite being the final seed in this field, the Bears have a much better lineup than some people may realize. They don't necessarily have any true stars, but they've got a bunch of solid pieces, all of which will be fresh for Friday night.
