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Three Sentences Or Less: 2024 D3 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. Kendall Accetta (Colorado College)
A 10:45 (steeple) mark to place 5th at the Washington U. Distance Carnival was encouraging. However, it's her recent 1500-meter PR and 5000-meter PR which suggest that Kendall Accetta has some of the better momentum of any backend seed in this field.
2. Jenna Allman (Calvin)
The early portions of 2024 were somewhat quiet for Jenna Allman, but the Calvin ace has begun to put together a very nice string of races. A 10:38 (steeple) PR, a 17:14 (5k) PR and two MIAA conference titles in those same events gives Allman a solid enough resume. It wouldn't surprise me if her current reliability translates to an All-American honor.
3. Sophie Bull (Calvin)
Despite her sophomore status, Sophie Bull has been subtly great for the last few months. She has also run very well when teammate Jenna Allman is racing alongside her. That, however, won't be the case for the steeplechase prelims on Thursday, leaving Bull with the task to advance to the finals on her own.
4. Annika Carlson (Chapman)
A 10:45 (steeple) PR at the Franson Last Chance meet was a great way to enter the steeplechase field at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. However, with every other mark on her resume being comparatively slower by a good margin, Carlson is going to have to replicate that late-season magic if she wants to contend for a top-half finish.
5. Katelyn Chadwick (UW-La Crosse)
Sure, Katelyn Chadwick may be near the tail-end of this field in terms of seeding, but she has posted three steeplechase marks under 10:50 throughout her career, including a pair of 10:46 efforts this spring. If she can make a few minor improvements and maintain that reliability in the prelims, then a spot to the finals won't be outside of the realm of possibility for her.
6. Aubrie Fisher (Wartburg)
Aubrie Fisher is the defending national champion in this event and even if she hasn't replicated her steeplechase PR of 10:15 this season, her 16:28 (5k) personal best from April suggests that she's still in top form. However, Fisher took a surprising loss (settling for 4th place) at the American Rivers Conference Championships earlier this season, leaving us far more cautious about her place in our predictions than we usually would be.
7. Molly Fitzgibbons (Williams)
It's clear that Molly Fitzgibbons has not been in top form over the last year or so. And yet, her overall resume is good that we can't help but ask, "What happens if everything clicks this weekend?" There isn't much to suggest that we will see that, but talent rarely just disappears.
8. Ciara Gillen (Occidental)
Ciara Gillen is a backend seed, but there are subtle aspects of her season that have left us encouraged. She recently posted a 4:34 mark over 1500 meters as well as a pair of 10:47 steeplechase efforts this spring. On paper, there may be some untapped potential within Gillen that is unleashed later this weekend.
9. Rachel Hirschkind (SUNY Geneseo)
Following Aubrie Fisher's recent hiccup at the American Rivers Conference Championships, Rachel Hirschkind's chances to win a national title in this event have seemingly risen. Her D3-leading 10:17 (steeple) PR at the Penn Relays stands out way beyond anything else that she has run this season, but Hirschkind having success over the barriers and water pits is hardly anything new.
10. Megan Johnson (Central College)
Megan Johnson joins Rachel Hirschkind as the only other D3 woman to run under 10:20 in the steeplechase this season (10:19). Johnson has been phenomenal this spring, flexing incredible range, earning marquee wins and posting flat-out fast times. There is a good argument that she is the national title favorite going into the national meet.
11. Caitlin Jorgensen (U. of Chicago)
When it comes to the steeplechase, Caitlin Jorgensen has been super consistent this season. She has run under 11 minutes four different times this spring, although she has yet to reach her 10:45 PR. It feels like we're still waiting to see the best version of Jorgensen this season and even if we don't get that at the national meet, then her consistency should give her a fairly high floor despite being a lower seed.
12. Audrey Maclean (Middlebury)
A 10:30 PR in the steeplechase and a 16:52 PR in the 5k headline the last two meets for Audrey Maclean. This Middlebury rookie is still young and inexperienced, but the youth-based upside of freshmen like herself can be incredibly dangerous, especially when on a hot streak like Maclean seemingly is right now.
13. Sophie McManus (Carleton)
Sophie McManus a solid and steady name who is never going to truly crumble on the national stage. But while her floor is seemingly very high, we're still waiting to see if her ceiling translates to an All-American finish. She won't be favored to do so this weekend, but that's not an unrealistic scenario, either.
14. Caroline McMartin (Central College)
With a 10:21 PR in the steeplechase and middle distance turnover that could make her a threat, nationally, over 800 meters, Caroline McMartin is one of the more dangerous women in this entire field. The Central College star has incredible range and simply looks super sharp every time she toes the line. It would not at all be a surprise if she took home NCAA gold this weekend.
15. Ellie Meyer (Wartburg)
While we would have liked to see Ellie Meyer further improve upon her 10:33 steeplechase PR since posting that time in March, we still have to commend her consistency. The Wartburg talent has run under 10:40 two additional times this season while securing a handful of personal bests in other events. She may not be considered a national title threat, but simply going under 10:40 and watching stars naturally fade from the leaders should put Meyer in an All-American position.
16. Emma Odle (Augustana (Ill.))
We'll admit, a 10:39 PR over the barriers and water pits was a fairly big jump in Emma Odle's personal best. Even so, she has proven this spring that she can be competitive with a handful of top names in Division Three, something that she most recently showed at the Augustana Final Qualifier.
17. Addy Parrott (Central College)
Speaking of the Augustana Final Qualifier, Addy Parrott secured a steeplechase win at that meet earlier this month with an excellent time of 10:36. The Central College runner sits in an awkward tier where she'll likely be flirting with an All-American honor, but could also produce a variety of results better or worse than that.
18. Julia Patterson (Washington U.)
On paper, it may look like Julia Patterson's 10:42 mark in the steeplechase was a somewhat large jump considering that she had run no faster than 10:52 this season going into that race. However, this Washington U. talent did run 10:46 last year and she did so at the Augustana Final Qualifier. And although she didn't make it to the finals of the outdoor national meet last year, she was only two spots out from doing so, an outcome that could change this time around.
19. Abigail Patterson (Washington U.)
While she may be a backend seed, Abigail Patterson has given us a lot to like about her going into this weekend. She has run 10:45 and 10:47 in the steeplechase this year, the former mark being part of three-straight PRs in each of her last three meets. In terms of momentum and upwards trajectory, Abigail Patterson has plenty of that.
20. Sara Stephenson (Johns Hopkins)
Sara Stephenson is a stable and reliable veteran who ran her seed time of 10:42 at the Penn Relays against a field of very talented women. That should bode well for the experienced runner who is familiar with the national stage and what it's like to battle against some of the best women in the country.
21. Maddy Vantassel (UW-La Crosse)
Sure, Maddy Vantassel did post a strong time of 10:47 in the steeplechase last weekend, but before that, she recorded a DNF mark in the steeplechase and had not run faster than 11:12 this season. However, you also have to remember that Vatassel peaked beautifully last year, running a 10:44 PR in the prelims of the national stage to make it to the finals. And if history holds true, then this UW-La Crosse talent could do the same thing again.
22. Ella Whinney (Wellesley)
When you include the 2023 outdoor track season, Ella Whinney has posted five different steeplechase marks under 10:50, ultimately producing a PR of 10:37. That mark, of course, gave her an 8th place All-American finish in the steeplechase last spring. And now that she has a year of valuable experience under her belt, we can't help but wonder what kind of damage Whinney could do on the national stage in 2024.
