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Three Sentences Or Less: 2024 D2 NCAA Indoor Championship Men's Mile Preview
- Marissa Kuik
- Mar 3, 2024
- 5 min read
Written by Marissa Kuik, edits and additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin & Gavin Struve
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 by seeding (via qualifiers list)
Predictions coming next week!
1. Miguel Coca (Adams State)
After running one more race at the University of Washington to cap off his regular season, Miguel Coca proved that his converted mile time of 3:55 was legitimate. The Adams State star ran 3:56 during his time in Seattle, cementing his status as the national title favorite in at least one event. Coca had already proven in prior races that he is a brilliant tactician, but seeing an unconverted mark like that after he began his season at the end of January was a significant development, nonetheless.
2. James Dunne (Adams State)
One of the only men in this field who could challenge Miguel Coca for the national title is his teammate, James Dunne. He has been right behind Coca throughout this season and has shown considerable improvement from years past when he was already a top talent. But to truly push his teammate, Dunne will have to navigate the mile preliminaries, something that he has not consistently done before.
3. Caleb Futter (Grand Valley State)
Caleb Futter has quietly put together an elite season, running the second-fastest unconverted mile time (3:58) at the D2 level this winter. Not only that, but Futter is coming off of an impressive mile win at the GLIAC Indoor Championships, further proving that he can come out on top in a last-lap sprint. This versatile distance veteran knows the mile title may very well come down to exactly that at the indoor national meet -- and he'll be ready for it.
4. Alberto Campa (Colorado Mines)
Alberto Campa has emerged as one of Division Two's more complete milers this winter. He has run a converted 4:00 mark in late January, an unconverted 4:05 result two weeks later, and then most recently, earning bronze in that same event at the RMAC Indoor Championships. This will be his first time competing at the indoor national meet, so a lack of experience could get to him, but few men have as much momentum in the mile this winter as Campa currently does.
5. Jagger Zlotoff (UC-Colorado Springs)
As someone who earned All-American finishes in his first indoor national meet appearance (in the mile) and first outdoor national meet appearance (in the metric mile) last year, Jagger Zlotoff is a major sleeper candidate in this field. He hasn't necessarily been the flashiest miler this season, but he comfortably qualified for the indoor national meet with over a month to spare and has a closing ability that gives him a high baseline for success -- and perhaps a sneaky-high ceiling as well.
6. Dillan Haviland (Northwood)
After a somewhat surprising 4th place finish in this event at last year’s indoor national meet, Dillan Haviland has only improved this winter. He hasn't necessarily been the most consistent, however, which gives us some reason for pause. Even so, Haviland has raced a number of times in recent months (including running 4:01 for the mile on multiple occasions) and has the kind of experience and range that should put him squarely in the mix of top names if he reaches the final.
7. Brock Drengenberg (Colorado Mines)
Brock Drengenberg holds a very similar seasonal résumé to his Oredigger teammate, Alberto Campa, racing solely in the mile this winter and finishing just one spot behind Campa at the RMAC Indoor Championships. Dregenberg has been competitive at both altitude and sea level and should be helped by having a training partner racing alongside him. However, simple inexperience could hinder this underclassman.
8. George Couttie (Charleston (WV))
A 4:13 (mile) effort at Boston U.'s Valentine Invite was a tough result for George Couttie to end his regular season on. However, that is the only blemish on his record amid a fantastic debut NCAA season with PRs of 1:50 (800) and 4:01 (mile) as well as contributing to a 9:41 DMR mark. Couttie might not quite match the momentum or experience of his competitors, but few men appear to have as much raw talent as him, something that could lead to his first All-American finish after narrowly missing out in the fall.
9. Mason Strader (Pittsburg State)
One athlete who I feel very confident will not only reach the mile finals, but finish among the top-five, is Mason Strader. The soon-to-be 25-year-old has performed well at the past couple of national meets, and although he's been overshadowed by some historic performances, Strader ran 4:01 (mile) this season and helped his team to Division Two's second-fastest DMR mark. He'll be significantly challenged as the expected anchor leg in that relay against men like Dunne, Futter and/or Couttie, but let's just call it a dress rehearsal for the mile finals.
10. Dominic Suliman (Saginaw Valley State)
Dominic Suliman has competed often this winter. However, considering his sophomore status, a heavy racing schedule could bode well for him going into his first indoor national meet as he tries to combat inexperience with fine-tuned fitness. Competing over multiple weekends can provide experience in different race scenarios, and it has helped Suliman to PRs in every distance event, including 1:50 (800) and 4:02 (mile) efforts.
11. Jonathan Volpe (Southern Connecticut State)
Jonathan Volpe boasts some of the best turnover in this field, as can be attested to by a 1:50 (800) PR from last winter. He lowered his mile PR to 4:03 this season to get here and, while he is inexperienced on the national stage, Volpe has the kind of skillset conducive to holding his own in both the mile prelims and finals.
12. Jordan Foster (Findlay)
One major positive for Jordan Foster's chances of advancing to the national meet is the fact that he will only be contesting the mile at these NCAA Indoor Championships. He also ran the mile at last year's indoor national meet, so he has some experience on his side. It may still be a tall order for Foster to emerge as a first-time All-American, but a slew of personal bests this season indicates that he's due for an improvement.
13. Titouan Le Grix (Wingate)
This will be the first time that Titouan Le Grix has lined up at the indoor national meet. However, Le Grix fared quite well at his first cross country national meet this past fall, finishing as an All-American and helping his team to a national title, so don't count this Bulldog runner out. He holds one of the slower qualifying times in the field, but is on a hot streak with PRs from the mile up to the 5k this winter.
14. Patrick Lyell (Grand Valley State)
A runner-up mile finish at the GLIAC Indoor Championships (behind GVSU teammate, Caleb Futter) furthered Patrick Lyell's momentum as he just barely broke 4:04 en route to a PR. If he makes it out of the preliminary rounds, then Lyell could benefit from potentially knowing what Futter, someone who may dictate how this race unfolds, could be trying to do.
15. Kidus Begashaw (Adams State)
To be honest, seeing Kidus Begashaw race the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships is a surprise because he is typically at his best in the longer events. He has raced the mile just once this season and his seed time earned a very generous altitude conversion (albeit, in a win). However, perhaps he'll race in the same preliminary heat as one of two Adams State teammates and key off of them.
16. Jacob Hatcher (Lee (Tenn.))
Jacob Hatcher has taken one of the biggest leaps among athletes in this field, producing huge PRs in the mile and the half-mile distances. Admittedly, this is his first-time racing in a national meet on the track and his 1:54 (800) PR signifies that he might not have as much turnover as some of the other men in this field. Even so, Hatcher has been fairly consistent throughout this season too, running 4:04 and 4:06 over this distance while racing against Division One-laden fields.
