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Three Sentences Or Less: 2023 D3 NCAA Outdoor Championship Women's 5k Preview
- Hannah Thorn
- May 25, 2023
- 7 min read
Written by Hannah Thorn, 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 leading up to the outdoor national meet. Stay tuned!
The below list is ordered by seeding
1. Kassie Parker (Loras)
The Division Three 5000 meter record holder, Kassie Parker, is going for her sixth individual national title, but her first outdoor national title at this distance. After finishing a surprise runner-up last year in this event despite being heavily favored to win, Parker is going to be out for revenge. With a 28-second lead based on seed times, this Loras ace could attempt to break the field early if she still has some pop left in her legs after the 10k.
2. Fiona Smith (Saint Benedict)
Fiona Smith will be looking to defend her indoor 5k national title from this past winter, but that is no easy task. Her 16:05 PR over 5000 meters is the NCAA #4 all-time mark for Division Three, but she still sits behind Parker by a large margin. Smith been working on her speed with new personal bests of 2:19 (800) and 4:25 (1500) this spring, so she might be hoping that this race becomes a tactical affair which, admittedly, doesn't feel super likely.
3. Annika Urban (Emory)
The person with the best speed in this field is Annika Urban with her 1500 PR of 4:19. She will most likely be doubling back from the 1500 meter finals the same day, so this effort will largely be a test of how well she can rebound with tired. In theory, Urban would also probably prefer a race that is a bit more tactical.
4. Ana Tucker (Hope)
With four of the eight fastest times in D3 history at this distance, Ana Tucker’s 16:10 (5k) mark doesn’t stand out as much as it should. But it's her reliability and brilliant race IQ that makes her so insanely dangerous. Earning a silver medal in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships and later placing 4th in the 3000 meters during that same meet, Tucker is another runner who has a lethal kick that she can use if this goes out slowly.
5. Clara Mayfield (Carleton)
So much of this women's 5k field has turned over since last year, but Clara Mayfield is one of seven women returning from the 2022 outdoor national meet at this distance. Pair that fact with all of her previous experience in championship racing and she could be dangerous. Mayfield hasn't always been amazing in the back-half of her national meet doubles, but in terms of raw talent, she's closer to the top-tier than not.
6. Anna Kenig-Ziesler (U. of Chicago)
Anna Kenig-Ziesler is looking to round-out her breakout season with a bang in this 5k race. She was 3rd in the 5k at the indoor national meet and I think she can repeat that performance on Saturday as we saw her outperform her seeding at the indoor national meet. She is one of several women doing the 10k/5k double, but the Maroon ace has been very consistent this spring, a development that could potentially counter her racing on tired legs.
7. Lexi Brown (Wartburg)
Lexi Brown hasn’t had many 5000 meter personal bests this season as she got her national qualifying time early in the season at the UW-Platteville Invite. Lately, she has been focusing on the 800 meters and the 1500 meters, likely working to refine her turnover for this championship race. The good news is that Brown is fit right now, setting a new 1500 meter PR of 4:29 last week to prove it, but she's also entered in the 1500 meters, meaning that she'll be on the same double that Annika Urban is.
8. Maddie Kelly (U. of Chicago)
Maddie Kelly will have plenty of teammates in this race to help her along as she doubles back from the 1500 meter prelims and finals. We saw this work for the Maroons in the 3k at the indoor national meet where Kelly was able to walk away with a 2nd place finish. Look for the Maroons to employ the same type of strategy here.
9. Maddie Hannan (UW-La Crosse)
Maddie Hannan faces the unique position this weekend of doing the unconventional 800/5k double. That could play into her favor as the 800 meters is (theoretically) the easiest to double back from. However, this 5k race will also leave Hannan with the least amount of recovery time, making her a bit of a wild card.
10. Penelope Greene (SUNY Geneseo)
Penelope Greene dropped a massive 5k PR of 16:47 at the Widener Last Chance meet to get herself into this field. That was a drop of 24 seconds and definitely proves that she is trending in the right direction in terms of her fitness. After finishing 11th in this race at the indoor national meet, there are a handful of subtle signs which suggest that Greene (who will be completely fresh) could contend for an All-American spot against a field of top women who are doubling.
11. Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel (U. of Chicago)
Usually more of a miler, Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel is going to be trying her hand at the 5k this weekend. Her 16:48 national qualifying time was only her second 5k in college and it came at the Washington U. Distance Carnival early in the season. She has only contested one 5k race since then, so her limited experience in this event makes us a little unsure about what she could do this weekend.
12. Caroline McMartin (Central College)
Caroline McMartin is going to face a tough test doubling back in this event from the steeplechase if she makes it to the finals which is only a few hours before the 5k. Luckily, the Central College star does have some experience handling a heavy racing workload, earning three silver medals at the American Rivers Championships in the 1500 meters, the steeplechase and the 5k. When she's clicking on all cylinders, McMartin is an All-American threat, but this will be a highly challenging double.
13. Emily Konkus (Washington U.)
After getting her national qualifying 5k time early in the season, Emily Konkus has focused on other events, but she is probably one of the more dangerous backend seeds in this race. Her 16:51 (5k) PR is well off from the main contenders in this field, but she could be dangerous in the back-half of the All-American honors. With 4:25 (1500) speed, watch out for Konkus on the home stretch.
14. Jillian Richardson (Bates)
Jillian Richardson is likely thanking her lucky stars for "last chance" meets. It was at the MIT "last chance" meet where the Bates star got her 5k national qualifying time of 16:52 which was a 15-second PR for the senior. She barely missed All-American honors over 3000 meters at the indoor national meet, placing 9th overall, so despite her seeding, Richardson could contend for a top-eight honor against a group of women who won't be fresh.
15. Grace Hadley (WPI)
Moving up in distance proved to be a good decision for Grace Hadley as she has finally made her first national meet. The WPI runner has been relatively consistent in the 5k this year running 16:53, 16:56 and 17:02. If she can find that little extra gear this weekend, then she could be knocking on the door of All-American honors.
16. Morgan Lee (RPI)
Morgan Lee took almost two whole months off after the indoor track season and has raced sparingly since then. She ran a 16:55 in the 5k at the Penn Relays and later ran 17:30 for the 5k win at the Liberty League Championships. Lee could go either way this weekend and it's hard to know exactly what we should expect from her.
17. Aubrie Fisher (Wartburg)
Aubrie Fisher is another runner who is going to be very tired after doubling back from the steeplechase. Admittedly, the Wartburg star tends to not perform as well in the second-half of her national meet doubles. That being said, Fisher is highly experienced and supremely talented, something that could override racing on tired legs.
18. Kirsi Rajagopal (MIT)
In only her second season of collegiate track and field, Kirsi Rajagopal is a newcomer to this level of competition. The MIT runner had been chasing that national qualifying time all year long, racing five 5k races this spring. She clearly has plenty experience in the event this season, but contesting a sixth 5k race over the last few months is a heavy workload for someone who is new to this level.
19. Kate Sanderson (MIT)
One of the few women not doubling in this meet, Kate Sanderson will come into this event completely fresh. She also has some national meet experience after toeing the line for the 2023 indoor national meet. Pairing her prior championship exposure with her fresh legs makes this MIT talent a very good candidate to outperform her seed.
20. Sara Stephenson (Johns Hopkins)
It is shocking to say that Sara Stephenson is one of the very few Johns Hopkins women in the distance events at this meet. She only has one great 5k this year and that was her 16:57 mark at the Bison Outdoor Classic which is her personal best. And while she is seeded at the back of this field, her experience and talent could make her a surprise contender.
21. Abigail Loiselle (Pomona-Pitzer)
This breakout season for Abigail Loiselle has gotten her to her first national meet. Before this year, she had never gone sub-18:30 at this distance, but she now holds a 5k PR of 16:58 from the Oxy Invitational. It is the only time that she has gone sub-17:30, so it's hard to have a good gauge of what Loiselle will be able to do this weekend.
22. Katarina Birimac (U. of Chicago)
While Katarina Birimac has better odds of a high finish in the 10k, she is still better than her 5k seeding suggests. Look for her to team up with the other Maroons in this race to start picking people off in the last-half of this contest. Her strength lies in her endurance and that could carry her over the last few laps.
