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Three Sentences Or Less: 2024 D3 NCAA Outdoor Championship Men's 1500 Meters Preview
- Conor Daly
- May 22, 2024
- 6 min read
Written by Conor Daly, 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 alphabetically to match the start list
1. Eric Anderson (UC Santa Cruz)
The surprise runner-up finisher in the mile at the 2024 indoor national meet has spent his outdoor track season proving that his championship winter weekend was no fluke. Eric Anderson won three of his past five individual races, a good habit to carry with him to these championships where placement is paramount.
2. Aidan Arthur (George Fox)
We admittedly don’t really know much about this George Fox junior. Aidan Arthur has never scratched the surface of being considered a national-caliber talent until this month. But seeing him run under 3:50 (1500) twice in the last few weeks is a clear sign that he has leveled up his fitness to a new tier.
3. Gordon Doore (Colby)
The story of Aidan Arthur is similar with Gordon Doore whose recent five-second personal best has taken him to a totally new tier. At the indoor national meet, there were multiple late bloomers in the mile who took some of the top spots, so look for Doore to try to replicate that progression.
4. Reza Eshghi (Haverford)
It’s easy to get behind Reza Eshghi’s 2024 outdoor track campaign. In his seven races this spring, he’s run a personal best in five and won conference titles in the other two (on the same day). Add in national meet experience on the indoor oval and it feels like it’s just about time for Eshghi to shine.
5. Ned Farrington (Bates)
Although he doesn’t get all that much credit for it, Ned Farrington has been really good throughout this academic year. His past two races have shown his tactical prowess, as he finished first and second in strong 1500-meter fields for a conference title and a 3:45 PR. This could very well be the weekend that Farrington puts Bates on the map as an up-and-coming distance program.
6. Vincent Giumenti (Mount Union)
It’s highly admirable that Vincent Giumenti has won each of his three most recent 1500-meter races in 3:48. But with a loaded field seeded ahead of him, he’s going to need to run another personal best to find success this weekend.
7. Henry Hardart (MIT)
This Engineer is no stranger to racing this distance on the national stage, given he qualified for the last three national meets on the track in either the 1500 meters or the mile. It’s frustrating to see that Henry Hardart has never made it out of the prelims, but he’s gotten increasingly close to doing so, missing out by just one spot this past winter. With a new 800-meter personal best to his name, Hardart could have the finishing speed to reverse his national meet curse.
8. Ryan Harvey (Loras)
This Loras veteran has a thing for making mile and metric mile finals at the national meets. Considering how fast Ryan Harvey has run this season, that looks unlikely to change. It’s going to be more intriguing to see how he handles a tactical affair after seeing him fade to third in the 1500 meters at the American Rivers Conference Championships in a race that began as a jog-fest.
9. Noah Jorgenson (Central College)
Noah Jorgenson would probably be considered an All-American lock if it wasn’t for the ambitious 800/1500-meter double he's chosen. And for the most part, he's been a pretty solid doubler other than his most recent weekend at the American Rivers Conference Championships. However, we don’t mean to be too harsh as Jorgenson has otherwise risen to the occasion in all other postseason circumstances.
10. Colin Kirkpatrick (Pomona-Pitzer)
It’s certainly odd to see the 4th place steeplechaser from last year’s outdoor national meet opt to focus solely on the metric mile. Considering the absence of a few of the top seeds in this event, Colin Kirkpatrick looks to be in a good position to earn All-American honors. Yes, he will have to top the performances he’s laid down this season, but that is certainly well within his capabilities.
11. Justin Krause (UW-Whitewater)
Justin Krause has seen his fair share of 1500-meter/mile finals at the national level. While his indoor track campaign was a step back compared to past years, he’s caught up and surpassed his past progressions. He will need to continue that trajectory if he wants to improve upon his 9th place metric mile finish at this meet a year ago.
12. Nate Lentz (Williams)
Ideally a 3k runner, Nate Lentz is entered in his next-best event at this outdoor national meet. The Williams star thrives when the pace is hot like when he earned All-American honors in the mile at the 2023 indoor national meet. While Lentz doesn’t have a singular defining win or jaw-dropping time to his name, he’s an all-around solid top-eight candidate.
13. Sam Llaneza (Lynchburg)
At last year’s outdoor national meet, Sam Llaneza threw down a ridiculous 800/1500-meter double. This year, the Lynchburg star has chosen to focus his efforts solely on the metric mile, in which he holds a nation's leading 3:43 mark. Add in plentiful championship experience and Llaneza must be considered the favorite to break the tape.
14. Michael Madoch (UW-La Crosse)
Since Michael Madoch is someone who didn’t need a breakout performance to earn his spot on this starting line, he undoubtedly has a higher floor than some of his competitors. His most impressive performance this spring was his bronze-worthy run at the WIAC Outdoor Championships in which he fared quite well against a field that simulates what he will see this weekend. Ever since then, he’s just been fine-tuning as he steps to the line in the 1500 meters at this meet for the fourth consecutive year.
15. Gabe Nichols (Carleton)
It’s always an encouraging sign when athletes enter the national meet on a winning streak. Gabe Nichols has broken the tape first in four of his five 1500-meter races this season with his most recent win being over the best field he faced this season and requiring a 3:46 (1500) PR. Nichols is going to need to replicate that performance in order to make some noise in a crowded race this weekend.
16. Simon Opsahl (MIT)
It’s safe to say that Simon Opsahl has been battle-tested in the middle distances throughout his outdoor track season. He’s run well in strong fields week in and week out. If he just continues doing what he’s done all season, he’ll be in a great spot to punch a ticket to the 1500-meter final.
17. Derek Penzkover (UW-Stevens Point)
Derek Penzkover has become a very steady pulse over the last few months. He’s been in the mix with some of the best the Midwest has to offer in the metric mile. The only thing that we don’t love is that, while competitive, he hasn't been able to beat many of the names he will face in this race.
18. Steven Potter (UW-Oshkosh)
Steven Potter has been on a strong upward trajectory this spring after not having eligibility to compete during the fall or winter months. He ran his 1500-meter personal best at the WIAC Outdoor Championships, a race in which he finished ahead of three fellow national qualifiers amidst a busy weekend. A sub-1:50 (800) performance last week was a nice way for Potter to remind his competitors that he’s ready to go.
19. Mason Ratkovich (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps)
New to the Division Three scene this year, Mason Ratkovich appears to be finding his footing as of late. He’s thrown down a slew of sub-3:50 (1500) performances at just the right time. When you consider that he holds a 3:44 personal best in this event from his time at UCLA, Ratkovich could have some sneaky upside that he’s yet to show this season.
20. Will Salony (Trinity (Tex.))
It’s great that Will Salony has been running fairly quickly over the 1500 meters all season. What’s not so great is that he has often found himself swallowed up by big fields. After failing to make the mile finals at the indoor national meet, Salony will have to refine his tactics to find himself on the right side of the numbers and earn a spot in this final.
21. Connor Vachon (Hope)
This Hope upperclassman will look to make the most of his first national meet showing on the track. Connor Vachon maintained a steady rate of improvement over the past few seasons and has been rock solid all spring, but he'll likely need to have the race of his life to make the metric mile finals.
22. Jonathan Zavala (Brockport State)
This New York native struggled to replicate his winter form this season until the pressure was really on at the Farley Inter Regional Extravaganza in mid-May. There, he took a season-defining win over several All-American contenders who sit in this field. As big as his 3:45 effort in that setting was, we need to be careful when evaluating Zavala considering his otherwise shaky outdoor track season.
