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Three Sentences Or Less: 2024 D3 NCAA Outdoor Championship Men's 10k Preview
- Gavin Struve
- May 20, 2024
- 7 min read
Written by Gavin Struve, edits and additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin
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. Matthew Coyle (Carnegie Mellon)
While he hasn't raced at an outdoor national meet or nabbed an All-American finish up to this point, I'm not sure anybody would be surprised by Matthew Coyle achieving the latter feat in his first time doing the former. He has run a slew of PRs this spring and (despite falling a bit short) appeared primed last fall for his first top-40 cross country finish in his third time at the NCAA XC Championships. Coyle isn't lacking for experience or momentum entering what could be his biggest individual test yet.
2. Mitchell Dailey (RPI)
Oft-overshadowed by his star-studded teammates, Mitchell Dailey deserves recognition of his own after winning the Liberty League 5k title and comfortably qualifying for the national meet in this event. Some healthy competition and motivation from his Engineer peers could power Dailey to a breakout result.
3. Corey Fairchild (UW-La Crosse)
Corey Fairchild isn't in too different of a situation from Dailey and, in his first outdoor national meet appearance after multiple NCAA XC Championships races, may feel less of a burden by virtue of having a more accomplished teammate (Isaac Wegner) racing alongside him in this field. After all, he finished just one second behind Wegner en route to a 5k PR in his last race.
4. Derek Fearon (Pomona-Pitzer)
While a bit more established in the 5k on the track, Derek Fearon has enjoyed his most success over 8000 meters at the cross country national meet. That suggests that he's built to find success in the longer leg of the 10k/5k double that he's set for. After all, Fearon chased a handful of D2 10k national qualifiers to his first sub-30:00 clocking earlier this month.
5. Jacob Green (Wartburg)
It's a pleasant surprise to see Jacob Green back racing on the national stage. He actually raced at both the 2023 NCAA XC Championships and the 10k at the 2023 outdoor national meet, but since his breakout cross country All-American result in the fall of 2022, he has been in the shadows of his Wartburg contemporaries. A couple of PRs since the turn of the calendar year suggest that Green could be close to his top form.
6. Connor Havens (Manchester)
It's difficult to gauge Connor Havens who's a relative novice to holding his own at this level despite his senior status. A top-10 D3 mark in the 10k this spring and a narrow conference meet runner-up finish behind Enrique Salazar suggests that he belongs here. The other PR that he ran this spring (in addition to his 29:32 (10k) mark) was a 3:53 (1500) effort which is a nice indication that he's working on some speed, something that he'll need for the often tactical national meet stage.
7. Simon Heys (Wilmington (OH))
Simon Heys is set to contest his fourth 10k race on the national stage and is the second-highest returning finisher in this event from the 2023 outdoor national meet. With that in mind, it hardly seems outside of the realm of possibility that this five-time All-American could nab his first national title. His 4th place finish and 29:12 (10k) PR at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships suggests that he's at his best in the postseason regardless of an underwhelming (but respectable) 33rd place 2023 NCAA XC Championships showing.
8. Conor Kolka (Wittenberg)
After racing at a national meet for the first time this past fall, how will Conor Kolka fare in his first time doing so on the track? He ran his 10k PR and qualifying time in a deep Washington U. Distance Carnival field which figures to bode well for his prospects in a competitive setting such as this one.
9. Gavin McElhennon (Johns Hopkins)
Gavin McElhennon has arguably enjoyed his greatest success on the grass, but he has also raced at national meets on the track multiple times. His skillset seems to imply that he'd be at his best in the 10k, but his track national meet appearances have actually come in the 3k (twice) and the 5k (once). Could moving up in distance lead to a late-career resurgence?
10. Spencer Moon (Simpson (IA))
What a year it's been for Spencer Moon. He didn't have a great finish at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships, but has since earned his first track All-American result. And after emerging as the top D3 finisher in the Washington U. Distance Carnival 10k, there are multiple positive developments which indicates that he's now a contender for his first national title.
11. Charles Namiot (Williams)
You can count Charles Namiot among the most likely first-time All-Americans in the distance events across all divisions. His portfolio includes a near top-half 10k finish at the 2023 outdoor national meet as well as recent 14:09 (5k) and 29:13 (10k) PRs, the latter of which was run at Raleigh Relays and places him at NCAA #2 in D3 this season. Namiot is a battle-tested talent who has high-leverage experience and looks as sharp as he's ever been.
12. Matthew Porter (Carnegie Mellon)
An Army West Point transfer in his first year at the Division Three level, Matthew Porter was one of the top names on the D3 scene throughout the fall before an underwhelming cross country national meet showing. He'll look to rectify that performance as he moves up in distance for this event. Having similarly named teammate Matthew Coyle in the same race should provide a decent barometer for success in this field.
13. David Reynolds (WPI)
As a four-time cross country national meet participant, an individual outdoor national meet appearance in the 10k feels like a bit of a lifetime achievement award/reward for David Reynolds. Following PRs in seven different events in 2024, there's certainly reason to believe that he can hold his own here, too.
14. Anthony Rodriguez (Babson)
A NEWMAC 10k title over MIT harriers such as Vedang Lad and Lowell Hensgen should not be dismissed, especially when Anthony Rodriguez ran a 29:43 PR in a 10k win one week prior to his conference victory. And following a 5k PR one weekend ago, can he continue this hot streak going into his season finale?
15. Enrique Salazar (Manchester)
While he was a national-level talent before then, Enrique Salazar's true self-introduction to the high-level D3 distance scene came in this event at the 2023 outdoor national meet. There, he ran his still-standing PR of 29:12 en route to a 5th place finish. He has improved since then, so who's to say that his national meet finish won't improve as well?
16. Tyler Schermerhorn (Wartburg)
Tyler Schermerhorn is Wartburg's latest emergent talent and perhaps the Knights' next focal distance star. In three consecutive races, he has placed 12th over 5000 meters at the 2024 indoor national meet and has run strong PRs in the 5k and the 10k. The underclassman's first All-American finish feels like not an "if" but a "when," and the answer to that could be "now."
17. Gunner Schlender (UW-Whitewater)
The reigning 10k bronze medalist and top returnee from this event at the 2023 outdoor national meet, Gunner Schlender has had a somewhat understated outdoor track season. But it's important to remember that he's coming off of his best-ever cross country national meet finish and first double All-American showing at the 2024 indoor national meet. Schlender is one of several national title contenders in this field, but should he be the favorite?
18. Vince Simonetti (RPI)
Vince Simonetti has a fascinating weekend double ahead. He made his first individual national meet appearance in the 10k last spring and then redefined his ceiling with a top-10 finish at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships which suggests that his potential is maximized as the distances increase. But after a top-half All-American result in the 5k this winter, Simonetti has a very real chance at earning double All-American status in the coming days.
19. Max Svienty (North Central)
Given that he has never earned an All-American accolade over this distance, it may seem surprising that Max Svienty holds Division Three's fastest 10k mark this season (29:06) by a somewhat comfortable margin. But this is someone who's a multi-time All-American in the 5k and was the individual bronze medalist at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships. In other words, Svienty is very much among the men in the mix for their first national title in this race.
20. Isaac Wegner (UW-La Crosse)
For someone who has run recent PRs in both the 5k and the 10k and was a top-half All-American this past fall, Isaac Wegner has flown surprisingly under the radar (and we're probably partially to blame for that). Perhaps that's in part because he has never competed at an outdoor national meet, but either way, this experienced Eagle seems well-suited for postseason success over this distance.
21. Peter Weiss (George Fox)
From a near top-half All-American finish last fall to experience in this exact setting and a recent 10k PR, Peter Weiss seemingly checks all the boxes for someone who should find high-level success in this race. This field is ripe for the taking and while Weiss doesn't necessarily feel like a title contender, the sixth-year senior has a chance to go out with a bang.
22. Luke Witvliet (Calvin)
A pair of conference titles and a 10k PR between his last two races should give Luke Witvliet all the confidence that he needs for a strong finish in a field in which seemingly any spot beyond the top-10 is ready to be had. He's among a small group of men in this field who have raced on the national stage on the grass, but not the track, and could draw from that experience in his first foray into national meets on the oval.
