Three Sentences or Less: D2 & D3 Weekend Analysis

Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
Feb 1, 2024
7 min read

This week has been a crazy one from a work perspective. There was a lot to write about, a lot to edit, a lot to design, etc. And as a result, we have been quite busy trying to get our Division One and NAIA rankings on the site.

However, I wanted to ensure that our audience still had some Division Two and Division Three coverage to look over. There were, after all, a ton of fantastic performances.

Below, I laid out a large handful of middle and long distance headlines from this past weekend, specifically at the Division Two and Division Three levels. Then, I applied a self-imposed limited where I offered no more than three sentences of analysis for each section.

Simple enough, right?

Alright, let's begin...

D2 Men

Harry Ross-Hughes Runs 1:49 (800) at Penn State

Every doubt that I've had about Harry Ross-Hughes over the past year and a half has been quieted by his unwavering ability to produce top times. With a 1:48 (800) PR and now five instances where he's gone sub-1:50, I would say that this sophomore is a dark horse national title contender...if Wes Ferguson didn't exist.

Ethan Lang Runs Converted 1:49 (800) Mark

His actual time was a 1:51 (800) mark, but a 1:49 conversion is pretty on par with what we've previously seen out of Ethan Lang. The Fort Hays State runner is very consistent and has dipped under 1:50 on a small handful of occasions. His national meet accolades are limited, but he may be due for that to change.

Angel Luera Runs 1:50 (800) in Boston

I really like the momentum that Angel Luera is beginning to build, going from 1:52 to 1:51 to 1:50 over these winter months. That same momentum and ability to peak in the postseason is what allowed him to have so much grand success last spring. Watch out for him in March.

Adams State Trio of Miguel Coca, Romain Legendre & James Dunne Post Altitude Converted Mile Times of 3:55, 3:56 and 3:56, Respectively

On paper, none of these results are necessarily super surprising, although James Dunne was certainly better than I thought he would be. However, we didn't realize that Miguel Coca was still racing for Adams State (their roster didn't originally list him for this season) which means that the mile national title conversation just got altered quite a bit. But as far as this past weekend is concerned, all three of these men will be massive challenges for their opponents on the national stage regardless of what event(s) they choose to pursue.

Campa Goes 4:00 (Mile) via Conversion, Chahid, Zlotoff & Drengenberg Post 4:01 Mile Mark

This feels like a significant breakout performance for Alberto Campa. He's been a strong, nationally competitive distance talent in the past, but not quite to this level. As for his teammate Brock Drengenberg, that result admittedly came out of nowhere and I have no idea how to analyze it.

Loic Scomparin (7:56), William Amponsah (7:57) & Duncan Fuehne (7:59) Go Sub-8:00 (3k)

Not a whole lot to say here. All of these performances make a lot of sense. It is nice, however, to see a true long distance guy like William Amponsah continue to find success in events under 5000 meters.

Kevin McDermott (13:50) & Jan Lukas Becker (13:54) Go Sub-14:00 Over 5000 Meters

I don't think anyone is all that surprised by Jan Lukas Becker's result, but Kevin McDermott just had a huge race that he should be very proud of. He clearly made improvements this past fall, but effectively translating that fitness to the 5k racing distance isn't always a given. He was about six or seven seconds faster than I thought he would be this season.

Wingate Men Run 9:44 in DMR at Boston

Honestly, with the men who they fielded in that DMR, they probably should have been a bit faster than 9:44. And given the incredible standard that this Wingate team holds themselves to, I imagine that they probably have similar thoughts. The Bulldogs can definitely scare the 9:40 barrier, but we'll just need to be a bit more patient until then.

D2 Women

Katherine Marsh Goes 2:09 (800) in Boston

No one should be surprised that Adelphi's Katherine Marsh is a nationally competitive name. But so far this winter, she has looked better than she ever has, even if she's not hitting her 2:08 PR (yet). Her fitness is seemingly ahead of schedule and she's looking more and more like an All-American favorite.

Natalie Graber (4:42), Elena Carey (4:42), Kate Hedlund (4:43), Leah Taylor (4:45), Morgan Hykes (4:45), Brianna Robles (4:46), Maggie McCleskey (4:46) & Anna Fauske (4:48) Headline Historic Weekend for D2 Women's Mile

I sincerely can't remember the last time there was a single weekend that was THIS good for the men's mile or women's mile at the D2 level. In reality, many of these results make a lot of sense given their past successes and recent momentum. But that was a season-defining run for Elena Carey and a fairly substantial improvement (time-wise) for Kate Hedlund.

Florance Uwajeneza Runs Converted 9:16 Mark for 3k, Mckenna Cavanaugh (9:26) & Lauren Kiley (9:27) Also Dip Under 9:30

For the most part, this is fairly on par for both Florance Uwajeneza and Lauren Kiley, although those marks were certainly on the faster side of expectations. But seeing Mckenna Cavanaugh having so much success this winter is very exciting. A lot of our D2 writers have liked her quite a bit during her college career, but it's clear that she's at a truly different level this winter.

Stanislaus State Duo of Kaela Dishion (16:28) & Najwa Chouati (16:46) Impress Over 5000 Meters

Don't get me wrong, I knew that both of these women were talented, but WOW are they absolutely killing it this winter, especially the former name. In the second-half of January alone, Kaela Dishion has run new personal best times of 4:58 (mile), 9:36 (3k) and 16:28 (5k). Despite already being a top national-caliber talent, I can't help but impressed.

UC-Colorado Springs Women Run Altitude Converted 10:31 Mark in DMR, Colorado Mines (10:32) & Western Colorado (10:37) Also Post Top Marks

I'm not necessarily surprised by the times that any of these teams produced this past weekend. However, seeing UC-Colorado Springs get a fairly comfortable win over two powerhouse teams that fielded highly competitive lineups was very impressive.

D3 Men

Cael Schoemann Runs Flat-Track Converted 1:50 (800), Takes National D3 Lead

At a glance, it feels like Cael Schoemann's half-mile effort, which put him atop of the D3 national leaderboard, was a big breakout race. But in reality, this is someone who ran 1:49 for 800 meters last spring and earned 5th place All-American honors. In other words, this performance is likely a signal that he's the real deal and more than just a one race wonder.

Michael Olson & Chase Uppman Each Post 1:51 Marks for 800 Meters

Both of these men have been fairly competitive half-milers over the last year or so, emerging as fringe national qualifiers and on other occasions, just missing the national meet outright. Their recent 1:51 (800) marks (Uppman's being flat-track converted) doesn't really change our original thoughts on them, although these are really strong starting points for both of these men as we enter February.

Reza Eshghi & Sam Acquaviva Produce 4:07 Mile Marks

For Reza Eshghi, his 4:07 flat-track mile conversion isn't all too shocking given that he holds a 4:08 mile PR. However, seeing Sam Acquaviva run 4:07 in the mile is fairly impressive considering that he's still trying to get back into top form and is more of a long distance guy. Don't be surprised if this turns out to be a starting point for a major postseason peak.

UW-Whitewater Duo of Gunner Schlender & Christian Patzka Battle to Pair of 8:07 (3k) Marks

Gunner Schlender and Christian Patzka crossed the line together this past weekend over 3000 meters. And while their flat-track converted marks are strong, they don't really tell us anything new about these two men.

Cory Kennedy Takes Over D3 Lead With 14:00 (5k) Effort, Will Kelly (14:11), Lowell Hensgen (14:13) & Emmanuel Leblond (14:14) Also Post Top 5k Marks

It seems fair to say that Cory Kennedy was due for a new 5k PR given all that he has accomplished over the last year, but a 14:00 personal best in the month of January is eye-catching. This is someone who was already a two-time All-American in the 5k. Now, we have to wonder how close his current fitness could get him to guys like Gregg and Patzka.

D3 Women

Libby Ranocha & Tanise Thornton-Fillyaw Each Run Flat-Track Converted 2:11 Marks for 800 Meters

These two women ran conversions that either matched or bettered their actual 800-meter personal bests. Libby Ranocha has shown clear signs of improvements by earning numerous PRs this season in a few middle distance events and it's a somewhat similar story for Tanise Thornton-Fillyaw.

Lexi Brown Produces 4:53 Mile Mark While Aubrie Fisher & Elisabeth Camic Each Go 4:54

For the Wartburg women, it's hard to be too surprised as their times nearly match their personal bests. However, for Elisabeth Camic, this is a substantial improvement! That's more than a 15-second PR which, in retrospect, makes sense given how strong her cross country season was this past fall.

Battleson-Gunkel, McMartin, Colon Maldonado, Hanley, Johnson, Duncan Take Six of the Top-Seven Spots on D3 National Leaderboard for 3k

The women's D3 national leaderboard for 3000 meters was eviscerated this past weekend. Some of the women who puts themselves near the top of the leaderboard aren't necessarily surprise developments. However, Deyanneira Colon Maldonado continues to be better than expected, Megan Johnson is four-for-four in terms of running new PRs this season and Faith Duncan pretty much came out of nowhere.

Grace Hadley Runs 16:39 (5k) in Boston, Sara Stephenson & Genna Girard Also Go Sub-17:00

It feels like WPI's Grace Hadley can do no wrong. She's consistently running incredibly fast times and she's even making improvements upon her already-impressive marks. If D3 superstar Fiona Smith didn't exist, I would potentially argue that Hadley is my 5k national title favorite.