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Three Sentences Or Less: 2024 D2 NCAA Outdoor Championship Women's 3000-Meter Steeplechase Preview
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- May 21, 2024
- 6 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 alphabetically to match the start list
Predictions coming later this week!
1. Margaux Basart (Colorado Mines)
During the winter months, Margaux Basart proved that she could be nationally competitive, something that was further evidenced this spring. Even so, Basart's experience is highly limited on this stage and her seed time puts her near the very back of the field. She has been quietly solid in her last two showings, but it will take a big performance for this Colorado Mines talent to put herself in the top-half of this field.
2. Allison Beasley (Western Colorado)
In a world without Gracie Hyde, you could argue that Allison Beasley is capable of earning NCAA gold in this event. With a 10:12 PR in the steeplechase as well as an RMAC title in the event, the Western Colorado star looks as sharp as ever. There's a good chance that this field pulls her to a new PR, but trying to battle Adams State's contingent of stars will not be easy.
3. Sira Bo (Wingate)
The sophomore from Wingate has had a great breakout season, although the bulk of her success has largely come in this event. It is admittedly going to be a major challenge for someone so young and relatively inexperienced to challenge the top women in this field, especially with a seed time that sits at the backend of the entries. Even so, Sira Bo has been steadily improving this spring and her consistency is a promising aspect going into this weekend.
4. Mckenna Cavanaugh (Lee (Tenn.))
Arguably the most underrated distance talent in this field, Mckenna Cavanaugh has looked great this spring, producing PRs in the steeplechase and over 5000 meters. Three personal bests in three different events have all come in the last month, making this Lee star a major problem in the multi-round system of the national meet.
5. Thailyia Christensen (Wayne State (MI))
It's clear that Thailyia Christensen is beginning to peak after producing three personal bests in three different events in her last two meets. On paper, her ongoing improvements could put her in the All-American hunt. However, it's fair to question how much higher her ceiling can go this season after already making somewhat significant leaps in her fitness.
6. Marissa D'Atri (Chico State)
This Chico State veteran has somehow looked even better than last year, ripping off multiple PRs, securing major wins and consistently posting nationally competitive times in her primary event (the steeplechase). On paper, Marissa D'Atri is a heavy All-American favorite, although she missed out on that same honor last year by two spots.
7. Ila Davis (Western Washington)
Seeing Ila Davis post a huge 10:11 PR in the steeplechase back in March was wildly encouraging. However, since then, we have yet to see this Western Washington sophomore match the caliber of that mark in any other race that she has toed the line for. That, in turn, makes this Viking standout a bit of a wild card going into this weekend.
8. Katharina Goetschl (Academy of Art)
There was a stretch throughout the month of April where Katharina Goetschl ran four personal bests in four different events in three separate meets. And after that, she secured two PacWest titles. There is an argument to be made that this Academy of Art ace still has some untapped upside, something that could be further unveiled in a national meet field as stacked as this.
9. Landyn Howell (Grand Valley State)
Despite holding a slower seed time, Landyn Howell has shown encouraging consistency in the steeplechase this season, theoretically giving her a high floor for this weekend. That should give her a somewhat realistic chance of potentially making it out of the prelims. Of course, with the talent in this field, that is certainly not going to be an easy task.
10. Gracie Hyde (Adams State)
I never want to say that anyone is a national title lock in the steeplechase, mainly because the barriers and water pits cause so much variability in the event. Now, with that being said...Gracie Hyde is a lock to win the steeplechase national title and it won't be close if she doesn't want it to be.
11. Morgan Hykes (Adams State)
Despite running an outstanding steeplechase time of 10:06 earlier this month, Morgan Hykes isn't even a top-three runner on her team in this event. Regardless, you're not going to find many women who boast the raw talent, extensive experience and recent momentum that this Grizzly veteran does. She is one of the safer women to place in your predictions for a top-eight honor.
12. Anna Igims (Slippery Rock)
Sure, Anna Igims had already proven that she could be a competitive name earlier in the year, but her recent momentum over the last month has been outstanding. Pair her postseason peak with prior national meet experience from last year and you get a very underrated athlete who could potentially get out of the prelims.
13. Alexa Keiser (Saginaw Valley State)
Alexa Keiser has always been strong, steady and reliable, but we questioned if her upside would allow her to truly contend for All-American honors on the national stage. Well, after running times of 16:41 (5k) and 10:27 (steeple) earlier this year, it seems like Keiser has elevated her fitness to a level where she could, in fact, crack the top-eight this weekend.
14. Shannon King (Colorado Christian)
Shannon King has only raced the steeplechase once this year, producing a time of 10:32. That mark matches her PR from 2022, but trying to get a proper grasp on what she can do in this event is admittedly difficult with so few data points to analyze.
15. Maria Mitchell (Grand Valley State)
While a steeplechase time of 10:31 won't catch anyone's attention in a major way, it should be noted that Maria Mitchell made it to the mile finals at the NCAA Indoor Championships this past winter after running a 4:47 PR in the prelims. And given that she has run her steeplechase PR of 10:31 twice in her career, there's a good chance that Mitchell peaks yet again and finds herself in the finals this weekend.
16. Ava O'Connor (Adams State)
A small handful of encouraging half-mile and 1500-meter performances earlier this spring was nice to see, but those marks didn't necessarily reflect the star-caliber talent that we know that Ava O'Connor has. Of course, O'Connor showcased her raw fitness and then some with a monster 9:54 steeplechase effort at the Portland Twilight earlier this month. While teammate Gracie Hyde will be heavily favored for gold, O'Connor could absolutely get silver (especially with Elena Carey not in this field) and be part of an Adams State sweep in this event.
17. Ashley Reeck (Western Washington)
A 10:34 mark in the steeplechase at the Stanford Invite earlier this year was encouraging to see. However, Ashley Reeck hasn't improved upon that time since then. She has mostly held her own throughout this season, but she'll need to find another jump in her fitness if she's going to find herself in the finals this weekend.
18. Kayce Rypma (Grand Valley State)
An established veteran with tons of national meet experience, Kayce Rypma was an All-American in this event back in 2022. Unfortunately, she hasn't come within striking distance of her 10:23 PR this season, but the fact that we know that Rypma has that kind of talent makes her an impossible name to ignore heading into this weekend.
19. Emily Schoellkopf (Adams State)
Ignore her steeplechase performance at the Bryan Clay Invite -- that was a fluke (and she still ran 10:42). Emily Schoellkopf has quietly been a consistent All-American over the last few years, even if some of her results put her at the backend of those honors. With teammates like Gracie Hyde, Ava O'Connor and Morgan Hykes headlining this field, there's a good chance that Schoellkopf will know exactly what to expect at the front of the prelims and finals.
20. Margot Thomas (CSU-Pueblo)
A bronze medal in the steeplechase at the RMAC Outdoor Championships, which yielded a converted time of 10:26, was the perfect reflection for how far Margot Thomas' fitness has come this year. The CSU-Pueblo talent also boasts national meet experience in this event from last year, but trying to handle a 2024 field where most of the women are highly established at this discipline will not make things any easier for Thomas.
