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Three Sentences Or Less: 2024 D1 NCAA Outdoor Championship Men's 3000-Meter Steeplechase Preview
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Jun 1, 2024
- 7 min read
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.
The below athletes are ordered to match the start list
Predictions coming soon!
1. Yasin Sado (Virginia)
While he may not be part of the national title conversation, Yasin Sado isn't too far off from that tier, either. The Virginia veteran has made tons of overall improvements in his fitness throughout this year and he has since posted steeplechase times of 8:34, 8:30 and 8:27 (in that order) this spring. In terms of All-American locks with a high floor, Sado is one of the best names to pick your predictions.
2. Nathan Mountain (Virginia)
There are arguably three steeplechase national title favorites this year and if you had to choose the heaviest favorite, then Nathan Mountain would likely be your top choice. The UVA veteran is plenty experienced, has found prior national meet success before, owns the fastest time of any steeplechaser this season with an 8:20 mark and took home the ACC title over a loaded field. Mountain isn't necessarily a lock to win NCAA gold, but he is arguably the most complete steeplechaser that this field has to offer.
3. Abdelhakim Abouzouhir (Eastern Kentucky)
The analysis for Abdelhakim Abouzouhir is quite simple: He's just really, really good at the steeplechase. The Eastern Kentucky star has been consistently competitive at the top of highly talented steeplechase fields this spring. He's been able to run from the front as well as post an 8:25 PR, giving him a strong enough resume to be viewed as a very legitimate threat for the NCAA title.
4. Alexander Korczynski (Northeastern)
A handful of steeplechase races haven't gone the way that Alexander Korczynski has likely wanted them to go this season. And yet, at the East Regional Championships, the Northeastern star dropped an 8:35 PR to advance to the national stage. We're not entirely sure which version of this Husky steeplechaser we'll get in Eugene, Oregon, but his recent personal best on a postseason stage can only be viewed as a good thing heading into his NCAA season finale.
5. Jackson Shorten (Princeton)
The progression that we've seen from sophomore Jackson Shorten this spring has been brilliant. The Princeton underclassman started his spring campaign with an 8:57 steeplechase mark and recently ran an 8:35 PR at the East Regional Championships in his fifth effort at that distance this season. His relative youth and inexperience is something to keep in mind, but this Ivy League champion is on a hot streak that very few men in this field can match.
6. CJ Singleton (Notre Dame)
He may still be a year away from being considered an All-American favorite, but sophomore CJ Singleton has run with tremendous poise this spring. He's been willing to be the late-race aggressor against competitive fields, although that didn't totally work to his benefit at the ACC Championships. If he has his best race of the season, then he can be an All-American, but simply making it to the finals would be considered a successful national meet showing for the Fighting Irish talent.
7. Victor Shitsama (Oklahoma State)
This multi-time All-American has often delivered strong top-eight results on the national stage and he has a ton of raw fitness as shown by his 8:29 (steeple) PR from earlier this spring. It's hard to find argument against Shitsama who seems like a clear favorite for All-American honors, especially if the finals are fairly quick like we think they will be.
8. Estanis Ruiz (Portland)
After a highly uneventful 2023 outdoor track season, Estanis Ruiz is seemingly nearing the form that made him a standout name in 2022. He hasn't matched his 8:29 steeplechase PR yet this season, but a 1:47 (800) personal best is shockingly good turnover for someone who specializes on the barriers and water pits. If the last few spots to make the finals come down to a kick, then Ruiz could be the guy who uses his speed to his advantage.
9. James Corrigan (BYU)
After being overlooked throughout this year despite his great successes, James Corrigan has demanded our attention after securing a huge steeplechase BIG 12 title victory in a time of 8:29. This guy hasn't done anything to make us doubt him this season and he is seemingly peaking perfectly for the postseason. Given BYU's history of success with steeplechasers, it's hard to ignore someone as consistently strong as Corrigan.
10. Parker Stokes (Georgetown)
When Parker Stokes dropped a monster steeplechase PR of 8:18 at the 2022 outdoor national meet, he looked like someone who would eventually be winning an NCAA title in this event. Unfortunately, the Georgetown ace hasn't quite returned to that level of fitness since then, but this spring is the best that he has looked in a while, especially after seeing him run 8:26 back in mid-April.
11. Kristian Imroth (Eastern Kentucky)
An 8:35 steeplechase win at the Penn Relays over a fairly deep field is the main highlight of Kristian Imroth's spring resume. Overall, he's been fairly consistent, but he'll need to elevate his fitness another tier if he's going to be a legitimate contender for All-American honors. Instead, simply making the finals would make his weekend in Eugene, Oregon a successful showing.
12. Brett Gardner (NC State)
While he hasn't necessarily been flawless this season, Brett Gardner is showing far greater poise and control in his fitness than he has in the past. He's a fairly reliable name who has a good shot at making it to the finals, but he'll need to have a near perfect race if he's going to end up as an All-American next weekend.
13. Gable Sieperda (Iowa State)
With an 8:26 steeplechase PR, Gable Sieperda is likely fit enough to be an All-American this season. However, the highly aggressive front-running approach that we've seen from the Iowa State talent this season hasn't always worked out for him placement-wise. We'll be interested to see how he alters his approach on the national stage, if at all.
14. Tom Seitzer (Notre Dame)
It's admittedly been a tough season for Tom Seitzer who hasn't looked quite as strong as he did in 2023. Even so, qualifying for this year's national meet was incredibly clutch as the Notre Dame veteran can enter Eugene, Oregon with clear progression to point to.
15. Rob McManus (Montana State)
Rob McManus sits on the awkward line of being more than an All-American lock, but not quite a national title favorite. Regardless, the Montana State men have two other athletes in this field and McManus has looked great this season, posting an 8:29 PR over the barriers and water pits. With prior national meet experience to lean on, it's hard to find any legitimate flaw on McManus' resume this spring.
16. Hayden Harward (Southern Utah)
While he may not always produce the flashiest results, Hayden Harward has been incredibly consistent this spring, running between 8:39 and 8:40 in the steeplechase on three separate occasions. In an event as volatile as the steeplechase, Harward is one of the more reliable names who could surprise some people by making it to the finals.
17. Caleb Jarema (Michigan)
It's been an overall great year for Caleb Jarema who has made tremendous progress in a variety of events. He's proven that he can be a nationally competitive steeplechaser this year, but he'll still be a clear underdog when it comes to those who are trying to make it to the finals.
18. Carlos Santos (Stony Brook)
For the most part, Carlos Santos has been steady and solid this spring in the steeplechase. However, with a personal best of "only" 8:40, he'll need to hope that the prelims of this year's national meet are slow enough to give him a shot at making the finals.
19. Luke Labatte (North Dakota)
It's been a fairly solid season for Luke Labatte who improved his steeplechase PR to 8:38 this spring and made it out of the West region after being unable to do so last year. Even so, this North Dakota talent will likely need to run a PR if he wants to advance to the steeplechase finals of this year's national meet.
20. Levi Taylor (Montana State)
Despite his spot on the qualifiers' list, Levi Taylor is absolutely someone who could be an All-American in this event. The Montana State veteran has run 8:30 in the steeplechase this spring and has been consistently competitive in highly talented fields this year. However, with an actual PR of 8:27 from June of 2022 and tons of experience under his belt, there are a lot of good reasons to place Taylor among your top-eight All-American picks in this event.
21. Kole Mathison (Colorado)
Despite his true freshman status, Kole Mathison was able to sneak into the national meet this year after running an 8:47 PR at the West Regional Championships. When it comes to pedigree, Mathison is likely going to be a future All-American star. But for now, he'll simply be using this opportunity as a way to gain national meet experience before he's truly ready to compete with the best of the best.
22. Wyatt Haughton (BYU)
Wyatt Haughton has been a good steeplechaser this season, but his times don't necessarily stand out in any dramatic way. That said, an 8:42 PR over the barriers and water pits to place 4th at the BIG 12 Championships was an encouraging result that leads us to believe that Haughton can be more competitive than most backend seeds on the national stage.
23. Victor Kibiego (Texas A&M)
Yes, he may be near the very bottom of this list, but Victor Kibiego is absolutely one of the three steeplechase national title favorites this year. After an underwhelming indoor track season, Kibiego rebounded with a strong effort at the Bryan Clay Invite with a monster last lap kick en route to an 8:25 steeplechase PR. He has simply been refining his fitness since then, but last year's bronze medalist is simply too good to not be in the conversation for NCAA gold in 2024.
24. Owen Smith (Montana State)
Owen Smith was a very clear underdog at the West Regional Championships in the steeplechase. Even so, he pulled through and is now one of three Montana State runners who will be toeing the line on the national stage for this event. Luckily for him, Smith will also have his two teammates, Rob McManus and Levi Taylor, to lean on in his prelim heat for this year's national meet.
