.png)
Three Sentences Or Less: 2023 D3 NCAA Indoor Championship Women's 800 Meters Preview
- Kevin Fischer
- Mar 9, 2023
- 6 min read
Written by Kevin Fischer, edits and additional commentary by 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 meets. Stay tuned!
The below list is ordered by seeding
1. Emma Kelley (Washington U.)
No longer having to constantly battle Esther Seeland for NCAA gold, Emma Kelley entered this season as the consensus national title favorite over 800 meters and so far, she has matched every expectation. She’s one small step away from being crowned a national champion for the first time in her career and everything on paper indicates that she will do it.
2. Hope Murphy (Baldwin Wallace)
Primarily thought of as a miler before this season, Hope Murphy has proven to be a highly competitive 800 meter runner at the national scale. If she can hold on through 600 meters in a fast-paced race, then her mile strength could give her an edge late.
3. Aoife Dunne (Washington U.)
Aoife Dunne has scratched the mile and is not listed within Washington U.’s DMR lineup, suggesting that she is going all-in on this event. This is looking like a three-horse race for the national title and as far as recent momentum is concerned, this Bear middle distance runner isn't all that far off from the likes of Murphy or even Kelley.
4. Brooke Wellhausen (UW-Stevens Point)
Brooke Wellhausen may not have any national meet experience on the track, but the senior has plenty of racing experience in general. Her recent 2nd place finish in a loaded WIAC Indoor Championship 800 meter field a couple of weeks ago shows us her ability to perform well in a postseason setting against big names. But does Wellhausen also have the necessary firepower to contend with the women seeded above her?
5. Lily Campbell (Wartburg)
Just like last year, Lily Campbell’s best race of the indoor track season came the week before the indoor national meet. But unlike last year, she is now one of the top-five seeds and she is in a great position to improve upon her 13th place half-mile finish from the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships. Yes, the first two 800 meter races of her season were a little slower, but Campbell won those first two efforts and just ran a PR.
6. Windsor Ardner (SUNY Geneseo)
Windsor Ardner has a long distance background, but has enjoyed newfound success over 800 meters. Her scratches from the mile and the 3000 meter fields suggest that she is confident about her ability to record a high 800 meter finish. The aerobic strength of this SUNY Geneseo runner could benefit her in a fast race, but it will also be interesting to see how she handles a distinctly different distance at this level.
7. Ellie Rising (George Fox)
Ellie Rising’s only 800 meter effort this season was enough to give her the seventh seed at the indoor national meet. That was almost a whole month ago, so it’s possible that her fitness is in an even better place at this point of the season. Expect Rising to mix it up at the front of her races and see if she can peak like we think she can.
8. Hannah Neilon (Tufts)
This is Hannah Neilon’s fourth appearance in the 800 meters at a national meet, but she has yet to make a final. Going into this weekend with a top-eight seed, the Tufts veteran has a great opportunity change that narrative and secure her first all-American honor thanks to her extensive experience. And luckily, her consistency this winter has been encouraging as well.
9. Cyna Madigan (UW-Oshkosh)
Cyna Madigan has been one of the more consistent and reliable runners in the country, running between 2:12 and 2:14 in all five of her 800 meter races this season. Her floor is arguably higher than most of the athletes in this field and that will help her contend for All-American honors. Now the question is, how high is her ceiling?
10. Libby Ranocha (Emory)
Libby Ranocha has had a breakthrough season and has earned a spot in her first-ever national meet. There should be no doubts about her ability to hold her own against high-level competition given her impressive 2nd place finish at the UAA Indoor Championships over an 800 meter field that was littered with national qualifiers. If she can race well at conference, then we believe that she can translate that success to the national stage.
11. Anessa Ihde (Bethel (MN))
Anessa Ihde improved each time that she toed the line this year and is running her best once again after a tough 2022 campaign. She is peaking just right for this weekend and is more than capable of being competitive on the national stage.
12. Elisabeth Camic (U. of Chicago)
Elisabeth Camic was a solid 800 meter runner prior to this year, but she took a step forward this winter to a new level. She will need a big effort to make the final, but she has been impressively consistent this last month, so it’s likely that she at least holds her own.
13. Julia Howarth (MIT)
Last year, Julia Howarth was primarily a 400 meter runner, but she has been very successful in moving up to the 800 meters. After a 2:16 debut in the event, she ran 2:14 or faster in all of her next three half-mile races. Her inexperience in a championship setting at this distance is something to watch out for, but with a perfect race, we could see her finishing inside the top-five.
14. Maya Ordonez (U. of Chicago)
Maya Ordonez hasn’t quite reached the level of fitness that she displayed last spring, but she has done enough to earn a third-consecutive national meet big on the track. We know that she can compete with some of the best women when she is "on" and she looks to be almost there. Ordonez will, however, need to regain the sharpness that she had last spring in order to navigate around this strong field of women.
15. Anna Schueth (UW-Eau Claire)
After finishing 5th in the 800 meters at last year’s indoor national meet, Anna Schueth was in danger of missing out on this year’s NCAA Indoor Championships before putting together a clutch performance at the Wartburg Final Qualifier. Now that she is here, the Bluegold distance talent will be looking to outperform her seed time and get into the finals. And frankly, knowing that she is experienced and has had All-American success on this stage before makes it impossible to ignore her in this field.
16. Rose Teszler (Swarthmore)
This isn’t Rose Teszler’s first rodeo, but her previous national meet appearances in the 800 meters haven’t gone exactly as planned. On paper, she is seeded at the back of this field, but after finishing 15th last year at the indoor national meet and 18th at the outdoor national meet, she will be hungry to improve, potentially taking a (necessary) tactical risk or two.
17. Alexandra Maddux (Hamline)
If Teszler’s national meet appearances haven’t gone as planned, then Alexandra Maddux’s certainly haven’t, either. In three appearances in the 800 meters at the indoor and outdoor national meets, her best finish is 18th place. That said, few women in D3 have been as consistent across a variety of middle distance events as Maddux has this winter.
18. Libby Geisness (UW-Oshkosh)
Libby Geisness is steadily progressing at just the right time, improving from 2:17 (800) in her first race of the season and to now 2:14 (800) just before the national meet. Getting out of the preliminary will be a difficult undertaking, but with the way that she is putting everything together, it's very possible that Geisness, despite her seed, finds herself in the finals on Saturday.
19. Hailey Smith (Lynchburg)
Hailey Smith, a true freshman, has burst onto the D3 middle distance scene this winter, laying down some really impressive marks. This weekend will provide some valuable national meet for her in the coming years. And while we would already classify her season as successful, there's nothing more dangerous than a young, high-ceiling rookie who has nothing to lose.
20. Tanise Thornton-Fillyaw (Goucher)
Tanise Thornton-Fillyaw’s first collegiate indoor track campaign has gone incredibly well. This first trip to the national stage will likely just be an experience builder for her, but we will surely see her name a lot in future seasons.
