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Three Sentences Or Less: 2024 D1 NCAA Outdoor Championship Women's 10k Preview
- Maura Beattie
- May 30, 2024
- 8 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. Parker Valby (Florida)
How fast can Parker Valby go in her third attempt at the 10k distance? The Florida Gator is already the NCAA 10k record holder with her 30:50 PR from earlier this spring and if there’s anything that we’ve learned about Valby, it's that she is more than willing to attack an aggressive pace from the gun. A win feels 95% likely for the multi-time national champion phenom who hasn’t lost a race since May 2023 (Valby did win her 5k heat at the East regional meet, but placed 2nd overall).
2. Hilda Olemomoi (Alabama)
If I were a betting woman, I would say that Alabama’s Hilda Olemomoi is a shoo-in for a top-two finish in the 10k at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Crimson Tide talent has the second-fastest 10k PR in the field with her 32:05 mark set in 2023 and after recording a 15:06 (5k) PR earlier this year, it’s hard to find someone who could truly match her outside of Valby and maybe Taylor Roe. Sitting on Parker Valby as long as possible will be the goal for Olemomoi if she wants to challenge for her first NCAA title and a shiny PR.
3. Chloe Scrimgeour (Georgetown)
It’s been a breakout year (since the fall) for Georgetown’s Chloe Scrimgeour and the ball is surely to keep rolling at the outdoor national meet. Scrimgeour made her 10k debut at the BIG East Championships in early May and easily won the title with a time of 32:36. With a mark like that and plenty of 10k upside likely remaining within her, the always reliable Hoya is heavily favored to earn a fourth All-American finish.
4. Grace Hartman (NC State)
Grace Hartman’s 10k win at the Raleigh Relays was a mild surprise depending on who you ask, especially considering that she's only a sophomore, had never contested the 10k before and wasn’t even slated to contest that event two days beforehand. However, a fantastic 32:28 (10k) PR paired with impeccable range will play a key factor in how she fares at the outdoor national meet. In theory, she has the abulity to sit-and-kick or grind out a fast pace from the get-go.
5. Amaris Tyynismaa (NC State)
Prior to this season, Amaris Tyynismaa had never contested the 10k, but now she’s got the potential to notch an All-American finish over that distance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Wolfpack ace has plenty of experience competing on the national stage and often thrives in the postseason, recording numerous All-American finishes. With tons of recent momentum being displayed in recent weeks, it feels fairly likely that the longer racing distance will give Tyynismaa another chance to shine.
6. Andrea Markezich (Notre Dame)
Since transferring to Notre Dame from Washington as a graduate student, Andrea Markezich has seemingly improved her race savviness as well as how high her ceiling can go. The senior attempted to qualify for the outdoor national meet in the 10k three times prior to this year and came up in each instance. But as a strength-based runner who will likely be racing in an aggressively-paced 10k battle, Markezich has a very realistic shot at earning her second All-American honor since joining the Fighting Irish.
7. Florence Caron (Penn State)
In what appears to be only her first year as a Nittany Lion, Florence Caron will be toeing the line in Eugene for the 10k as a slight underdog for All-American honors (depending on who you ask). The sophomore talent out of Canada has had a successful outdoor track season in 2024, one highlighted by a 5k victory and a 10k victory at the BIG 10 Championships. Caron is still riding that wave of momentum as we head into the outdoor national meet and if she races with the same confidence that she has demonstrated this spring, then she could eschew her inexperience for a top result.
8. Lily Murphy (Penn)
Penn sophomore Lily Murphy appears to have found her primary event. Murphy’s 32:40 (10k) PR from the Raleigh Relays puts her in the conversation to earn a top-eight finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships if she runs like she did at the Ivy League Championships. In the grand scheme of things, gaining experience will be the key goal for the Quaker runner who also has the potential to surprise with an All-American result next week.
9. Sadie Sigfstead (Villanova)
Villanova’s Sadie Sigfstead is someone you may have to watch out for. She might not be a leader of the 10k field, but she’s someone who could take down some big names on the right day. Sigfstead’s impressive 68-second improvement in the 10k this season and respectable consistency gives her a fairly high floor going into the national meet.
10. Maggie Donahue (Georgetown)
Maggie Donahue excels on the cross country course, but is still working on translating that success to the outdoor oval. With a handful of All-American honors on the grass already headlining her resume, the Georgetown Hoya has the potential to add one more to the tally over 10,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships if she matches or improves upon her 33:05 PR, a time that she has come close to this season on two occasions.
11. Purity Sanga (Middle Tennessee State)
If you go back into the archives, Purity Sanga has been competing in the NCAA since 2017, having a career with Tennessee Tech and Louisville prior to arriving at Middle Tennessee State. The highly experienced Sanga has a 10k PR of 32:49 back from the 2021 outdoor track season and after three attempts to qualify for the outdoor national meet, the redshirt senior finally did it, albeit as an underdog. At her best, we know that this MTSU can be an All-American, but that would also require an all-time career performance from Sanga.
12. Savannah Roark (Syracuse)
This Syracuse Orange veteran squeaked her way into the 10k at the outdoor national meet following a 12th place finish at the East Regional Championships. Savannah Roark is a solid middle-of-the-pack runner who you can bank on to produce a respectable result at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She's a deep sleeper to earn All-American honors, but that outcome isn't unrealistic, either.
13. Taylor Roe (Oklahoma State)
Taylor Roe will be doubling up in the 5k and the 10k at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and if you’re looking for the event where the Oklahoma State veteran has the best chance at major success, then the 10k is likely the best choice. Despite her seed position, Roe is undoubtedly closer to the tier that Parker Valby and Hilda Olemomoi reside in rather than the next-best tier. Defeating Valby is a very tall task, but Roe's 4:13 (1500) speed and 15:12 (5k) strength could give the Cowgirl a finish as high as 2nd place come next Thursday.
14. Paityn Noe (Arkansas)
True freshman Paityn Noe certainly has inexperience going against her, but that hasn’t seemed to matter much as she has run 33:11 (10k) this spring, posted a 15:34 (5k) PR and has finished runner-up over 10k at the SEC Outdoor Championships. The NCAA Championships can often be an overwhelming stage for most rookies, but having teammate Sydney Thorvaldson in this race may make things easier for Noe.
15. Rosina Machu (Gonzaga)
Keep a close eye on Gonzaga’s Rosina Machu in the 10k at the outdoor national meet as her proven raw fitness qualifies her as an All-American contender. Machu jumped onto our radar following her impressive 2023 cross country season, one that resulted in a 16th place finish at the NCAA XC Championships. And after a 32:45 (10k) debut, Machu seemingly has enough aerobic prowess to hang with a pace that will likely be fairly quick on the national stage.
16. Jenna Hutchins (BYU)
Jenna Hutchins may come into the NCAA Outdoor Championships as the 16th seed, but her 34:10 (10k) seed time that she produced to qualify for the national meet is well off from what we know she can do. When Hutchins ran 15:30 (5k) during the indoor track season, we expected the sophomore to excel in the 10k, a theory that she validated with a 32:52 (10k) PR at the Bryan Clay Invite. She's still fairly young, but Hutchins does have postseason experience that most sophomores don't have, as well as a pedigree which suggests that she can at least contend for All-American honors on a good day.
17. Sydney Thorvaldson (Arkansas)
With a 32:36 (10k) PR to her name, Arkansas' Sydney Thorvaldson is on a new level than where she ended her 2023 outdoor track season. Yes, we'll admit, her showing(s) at the SEC Championships left us wanting more, but the junior has enough raw fitness to race alongside the top women in this field, something that she showed us at the NCAA XC Championships in the fall when she placed 11th.
18. Dani Barrett (UC Davis)
If you’re looking for a (very deep) dark horse, look no further than UC Davis’ Dani Barrett. The sophomore talent ran her way to a 33:26 (10k) mark earlier this season and won her first BIG West Conference title shortly thereafter. We don’t know how she’ll fare in her first national meet of any kind, but things have been going Barrett’s way throughout this postseason.
19. Gabby Hentemann (Oklahoma State)
Oklahoma State’s Gabby Hentemann has contested the 10k three times during this outdoor track season, leaving us to wonder, how will she handle a fourth (and far more rigorous) 10k effort in her season finale? The Cowgirl veteran placed 6th in this event back at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships and has built some decent momentum as of late. Can the Cowgirl veteran replicate her 2022 level of fitness and return to a top-eight podium spot?
20. Molly Born (Oklahoma State)
Last year at the outdoor national meet, Molly Born placed a respectable 13th in the 10k, but this time around, the Oklahoma State redshirt senior is primed for an All-American finish. Born has already earned two All-American honors during this academic year and after running 15:20 (5k) at the NCAA Indoor Championships, it's hard to think that there are eight women in this field who are more fit than Born.
21. Ali Upshaw (Northern Arizona)
Transferring to Northern Arizona from New Mexico was the right move for Ali Upshaw who has thrived since joining the Lumberjacks. Admittedly, Upshaw has never raced in a final at the outdoor national meet and it would take a huge day for her to earn a top-eight finish. That said, she has often been at her best in time trial-esque settings throughout this year, a type of race that we could potentially see unfold next Thursday.
22. Sarah Carter (Colorado State)
Colorado State’s Sarah Carter has experience on her side entering the NCAA Outdoor Championships, yet this will be the first time that she’s toeing the line at the national meet for the 10k. The Ram ace hasn’t been as consistent as season’s past, so it’s tough to predict how she'll fare in this field. Even so, Carter is talented enough where could surprise us in this race.
23. Lucy Ndungu (Wichita State)
Lucy Ndungu had a 37:29 (10k) PR which dated back to 2022 when she first arrived at Wichita State. However, fast forward two years and the Shocker junior can now boast a 33:41 PR over that distance. A successful showing for Ndungu at the outdoor national meet would be placing higher than her current 23rd seed, specifically within the top-20.
24. Sandra Maiyo (UTEP)
Freshman Sandra Maiyo has only been competing in the NCAA since January, but she’s already making an impact after qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 10k. The UTEP talent doesn’t need to run out of her mind next Thursday and should instead aim to gain valuable experience in her first go at the "Big Dance." Simply qualifying for this meet is a massive win for the Miner rookie.
