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Three Sentences Or Less: 2024 D3 NCAA Outdoor Championship Men's 800 Meters Preview
- Conor Daly
- May 23, 2024
- 7 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. Julian Aske (NYU)
After being the lone true freshman to run the 800 meters at the indoor national meet, Julian Aske returns for the outdoor edition, this time with a recent 1:48.98 half-mile mark to his name. While that tells us that his ceiling is really high, we do have some reservations about his ability to navigate rounds as he finished a modest 6th place at the UAA Championships. All things considered, a sub-1:49 (800) performance is way too good to overlook and shows some serious talent from the youngster.
2. Bennett Booth-Genthe (Pomona-Pitzer)
Since becoming the national champion in the mile on the indoor oval, Bennett Booth-Genthe has been flawless throughout his outdoor track campaign. In four 800-meter races this season, the “slowest” the Pomona-Pitzer star has run is 1:50. All signs point to one thing: Booth-Genthe is ready to add a second national title to his name.
3. Parker Boyle (Amherst)
This true freshman out of Amherst is hard to read entering the NCAA Outdoor Championships since he has only raced only twice this season. Parker Boyle's season opener came less than two weeks ago in which he ran a blistering 1:50.19 (800). That time would be an impressive season opener for a national champion, not to mention an underclassman en route to a four-second personal best.
4. T.J. Carleo (Brandeis)
It was really exciting last year to watch then-freshman T.J. Carleo drop six seconds off of his personal best to qualify for the 2023 outdoor national meet. While this year hasn’t been filled with the same level of excitement, that’s because we have come to expect Carleo to be one of the best in the business. He’s held this own in strong Northeast fields, but will ultimately seek to flip the script on many of his recent competitors.
5. Dawit Dean (Emory)
This speed-based half-miler has been on the brink of something big for a while and he's now reaping the benefits of his patience. Dawit Dean punched his postseason ticket earlier than most thanks to a tight finish behind a two-time All-American in this event, Sam Llaneza. More recently, Dean’s 800-meter win at the UAA Championships over three men in this field tells us that he is ready to be competitive in the final.
6. William Dehmler (Washington U.)
William Dehmler has never competed at a national meet on the track, but he has certainly earned his spot this year as he's enjoyed a lot of success since joining Washington U. as a graduate transfer. Recently, he finished 3rd place at the UAA Championships, ahead of two fellow national qualifiers in this event and he's since run a pair of 1:50 half-mile marks.
7. Ellis DelVecchio (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps)
This Stags underclassmen has been on the verge of becoming nationally competitive for a while. That held true until the end of April when his wait was up. After turning in a pair of 1:50 half-mile marks, DelVecchio will need to replicate those performances and then some to make the 800-meter final.
8. Joe Franke (Loras)
After taking a significant step forward during his indoor track campaign, Joe Franke has continued to do so on the outdoor oval. He’s looked like a very well-rounded half-miler as of late with a pair of impressive wins. He first took down three 800-meter national qualifiers at the American Rivers Conference before running 1:49.06 (800) to beat six more at the Augustana Final Qualifier.
9. Braedon Gilles (UW-Stevens Point)
After an impressive indoor track season, Braedon Gilles had a modest start to his 2024 outdoor campaign. However, the UW-Stevens Point veteran has been peaking at just the right time, clocking the first sub-1:50 effort of his career last week. He’s going to need to match that performance in the prelims in order to make the final, but it’s surely possible.
10. Ziyad Hassan (MIT)
It feels like Ziyad Hassan has been on the edge of something big for quite some time and this outdoor track season has brought his potential to fruition. He had been a consistent 1:51 half-miler until the second-seeded man in this field pulled him to a 1:49-low personal best earlier this month. The key to Hassan’s success will be his ability to utilize his competition like he did in that breakthrough race.
11. Sean Hendricks (Rochester)
This 2024 indoor All-American continued his strong momentum to run his half-mile outdoor qualifying time in the middle of April. But since then, the New York native hasn’t been all that close to matching that performance. Sean Hendricks’ fate comes down to whether he will be able to rediscover his mid-April form to match his competitors who have been improving over the last few weeks.
12. Will Houser (Washington U.)
Despite running 1:49 over 800 meters in both 2022 and 2023, Will Houser hasn’t quite had the success you would expect him to at the national level. A pair of recent 1500-meter wins against strong fields have improved our view of the tactical savviness of this Washington U. veteran. He will need to carry over those racing skills to the two-lapper to match the potential that he holds on paper.
13. Andrew Hutchinson (Dubuque)
This Dubuque senior will be looking to earn his first All-American finish after an unfortunate fall in the prelims ended his quest to do so during the past indoor track season. Seeded in the middle of the field, getting placed in the final heat could be the edge that aids Andrew Hutchinson into the finals. With some of the best 400-meter speed in the field, a slow pace out of the gates wouldn’t hurt Hutchinson...in fact, it may actually benefit him.
14. Noah Jorgenson (Central College)
Known more for his abilities over the 1500 meters nowadays, it was only a year ago when Noah Jorgenson earned All-American honors in the half-mile. And in reality, his body of work this year has been much more impressive than what he had done up to this point last year. If Jorgenson is able to manage the hefty 1500/800-meter double, then he certainly has the talent to repeat as a half-mile All-American.
15. Kyle Miller (Buena Vista)
This Buena Vista senior returns looking for vengeance after missing out on last year's outdoor 800-meter final by 0.04 seconds. Other than his races at the USD track, Kyle Miller has shown that he’s heading in the right direction given that he’s been right in the mix with many men in this field lately.
16. Michael Olson (Plymouth State)
As the top-ranked man entering the 2024 indoor national meet, Michael Olson failed to make it out of the half-mile prelims, but now returns to the outdoor edition of the NCAA Championships hoping to prove that was a fluke. And frankly, all signs point to the idea that he will be able to do so. Just take a look at his last two races which resulted in a pair of sub-1:50 victories and the fact that he holds the second-fastest 800-meter mark in the nation this spring.
17. Trevor Richwine (Dickinson)
After tripling the day before, Trevor Richwine ran a personal best to win the 400 meters at his conference meet before also taking home gold in the 800 meters. Add in a sub-1:50 (800) effort last week and you have a compelling argument that the Dickinson ace is bound to improve upon his 5th place finish in this event from the 2024 indoor national meet.
18. Oscar Roering (Pomona-Pitzer)
Sitting out the indoor track season, like the Sagehens tend to do, has seemingly prepared Oscar Roering perfectly for this meet. With all of his recent outings pointing toward the idea that he’s peaking at just the right time, it’s probable that Roering will improve upon his 11th-place prelim finish in this setting last year. Look out for some team tactics in the final if both Roering and teammate Bennett Booth-Genthe advance.
19. Cael Schoemann (UW-La Crosse)
Don’t let his seed fool you, the indoor national champion is as qualified as any to add another gold medal to his collection. No, Cael Schoemann hasn’t run anything blisteringly fast yet this season, but he’s someone who just has an instinct for breaking the tape. He recently won a very competitive WIAC half-mile title and there’s truly no concerning flaw or "off" day to be found in anything that he’s done throughout this academic year.
20. Jake Shumaker (Millikin)
In his fifth 800-meter appearance on the national stage, this soon-to-be member of the Fighting Irish looks to make his second national final. He certainly has the potential to do so, given that he finished 5th at the 2023 indoor national meet. What really excites us is that, excluding prelims, Shumaker has only gotten faster over his past four half-mile efforts, culminating in a PR in his most recent race.
21. Henry Tierney (Pacific (Ore.))
After making quick work of his really early (mid-April) conference meet, this Oregon native turned his attention toward qualifying for this meet. His focused efforts have paid off, as he accomplished that goal and looks to be in top form. Still, with few results against Division Three competition this year, it’s hard to gauge where Henry Tierney will end up when it’s all said and done.
22. Spencer Watry (Emory)
The second Emory athlete in this field is no stranger to the national stage, having previously qualified individually. Spencer Watry is arguably better known for his anchor leg on Emory’s bronze-winning DMR at this year’s indoor national meet. It plays to his advantage that Watry, unlike many of his competitors, has displayed superb consistency.
