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Three Sentences Or Less: 2024 D2 NCAA Indoor Championship Women's DMR Preview

  • Gavin Struve
  • Feb 29, 2024
  • 4 min read

Written by Gavin Struve, edits and additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin

Editor's Note #1: Our TSR writers were asked to produce three sentences or less of analysis on every entrant in every distance event for every division.


Editor's Note #2: At the D2 indoor national meet, the NCAA allows each relay only one "alternate." An alternate is considered someone who will run in the DMR on the national stage, but is not qualified for the national meet in any other event. The NCAA also allows a lineup to replace someone on their relay with a "substitute." A substitute is considered to be someone who will run in the DMR on the national stage and is also qualified for the national meet in another event. In short, each DMR on the national stage will have at least two members of the original relay that helped their team qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships.


The below teams are ordered by seeding (via qualifiers list)

Predictions coming next week!

1. Adams State Grizzlies

It's going to take a monstrous effort to unseat the national record holders who have run 15 seconds faster than any other team this season. This Grizzlies' group features a megastar favored in two different individual events (Gracie Hyde) as well as two half-mile All-American candidates (Lieke Hoogsteen and Jessica Simon). However, with all three of those women having other events to worry about, it will be interesting to see if Coach Damon Martin opts to alter his lineup with fresher legs, potentially changing the national title picture in the process.


2. Grand Valley State Lakers

Maria Mitchell has been having a nice season and is a solid option to have on the lead-off leg of this DMR. However, she'll need to be among the top group and Taryn Chapko will need to build a lead over 800 meters to give their anchor leg, which may be Klaudia O'Malley (Natalie Graber is entered in the 5k), enough of a cushion to hold off some lethal last-leg distance talents.


3. West Texas A&M Buffaloes

Eleonora Curtabbi, racing just one individual event, figures to put West Texas A&M in or near the lead after the first handoff. However, the Buffaloes may lose ground from there given that the rest of their top distance talents, specifically Florance Uwajeneza, are also set to race the 5000 meters 45 minutes before that.


4. Colorado Mines Orediggers

Colorado Mines has a relay team that should only grow stronger as the race progresses. Part of that is because the Orediggers have a freshman leading things off and their two focal stars are positioned on the latter two legs. It would take a near-perfect race, but Aryelle Wright and Riley McGrath could give the Lakers a battle for a runner-up honor.



5. Western Washington Vikings

Western Washington has an underrated middle distance contingent which features Sophie Wright, Emmy Kroontje and Ila Davis making up the three longer legs of this relay. As such, the Vikings have one of the higher floors in the field, although their ceiling probably does not live up to their seeding. That's not to say that it would be a surprise if they finished as high as 5th place, but they're probably not a top-five team in this field if everyone else is firing on all cylinders.


6. Western Colorado Mountaineers

The bronze medalists in the DMR at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships, Western Colorado has a lethal unit once again given that they just won the RMAC title over Colorado Mines by a considerable margin. Emma Kjellsen, Peyton Weiss and Leah Taylor are an excellent troika, each holding legitimately great value, but only the former is a holdover from last year's relay team. Regardless, this is one of the few relays in this field that doesn't have to worry about unrealistic doubles or replacing star-caliber names.


7. Lee (Tenn.) Flames

Mckenna Cavanaugh should be a dangerous anchor leg after transferring down from the Division One level and she should keep (or put) the Flames in this race. Lily Hare is also an underrated middle distance talent, so the first and last legs of this relay look formidable. The question is whether the two shorter legs can keep pace in a race where they won't be leading upon receiving the baton.


8. UC-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions

The final top-five team returning from last year's indoor national meet, the UC-Colorado Springs women have the most important half of their lineup running it back in 2024: Anna Fauske and Kate Hedlund. Those women alone should make this relay a competitive unit. However, in order to truly break into the title contention tier, freshman Trinity Dixon will need to overcome her inexperience and split a significant seasonal best on the penultimate leg.


9. CUI Golden Eagles

CUI was one of the biggest D2 breakout teams of the fall months, momentum that the Golden Eagles have since carried over to the new year. This lineup has raced together multiple times in recent weeks and is bookended by steady upperclassmen such as Porshe Eismann and Jori Paradis. A strong start from the former may be key to giving Paradis a chance of keeping the Golden Eagles competitive with the top-half of the field.



10. NW Missouri Bearcats

This is a sneaky dangerous group with a 2:10 half-miler, Lydia McGlocklin, leading them off, 4:50 miler, Alyna Thibault, closing things out and Luisarys Toledo's serving as the headliner given her 2:07 (800) PR. With just one race all together this season, these Bearcats seem to hold some untapped upside. If you're looking for a sleeper relay in this field, the NW Missouri women are mostly certainly that.


11. Mississippi College Choctaws

This is a more understated group, but it's a relay that includes three women who are comfortable sub-5:00 milers (Lauren Wallace, Jazmin Hernandez, Taylor Benoit). The Choctaws won't find themselves in the mix for a top-half All-American honor, but we do think that the GSC runner-up finishers certainly belong in this national meet setting.


12. Adelphi Panthers

Adelphi would like to throw their hat in the ring of teams in this field who may have the best pair of half-mile aces. That's because the Panthers employ twins Isabel and Katherine Marsh who are both contesting the 800 meters, individually, on the national stage. But for better or worse, neither is expected to run the 800-meter leg on this relay with the former listed in a lead-off position and the latter as the anchor.

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