NCAA DIII Men's Indoor Preview

Mar 13, 2014 by Scott Rodilitz

Division III Indoor Nationals kicks off Friday night, and the men’s meet will be full of individual and team intrigue.

With a diverse twenty entries, UW-La Crosse comes in as a heavy favorite to repeat despite lacking any top-seeded competitors. Conference opponents UW-Eau Claire, UW-Whitewater, and UW-Oshkosh will be vying for the remaining podium places, while perennial distance power North Central looks to break up the WIAC sweep.

For those interested in the team title, the shot put and long jump will be particularly meaningful events. More than half of the shot entrants hail from teams with podium dreams, and seven of the long jumpers come from teams ranked in the top four. Should the meet come down to the wire, the 4x400 will not disappoint. Each of the top seven ranked teams will field a relay squad, so a lot could be decided in the final straightaway.

Individual event previews for all of the distance events can be found below, in their scheduled order.

Men’s Mile

Prelims: Friday, 1:30 PM

Finals: Saturday, 1:30 PM

The biggest question of the meet may be answered in the first race: will Coby Horowitz become the first DIII athlete to break 4:00 in the mile indoors? His assault on the storied barrier came up short at BU, though he did emerge as the new DIII record holder with a time of 4:00.41. It is unclear whether the Bowdoin senior will try again, either in his prelim heat or in finals. If he does take the final out hard, he presumably will win by a decent margin.

However, if he does not break free by the final lap, look out for Ryan Widzgowski of Keene State, who outkicked Horowitz in both the mile and metric mile at nationals last year. He has the top 800 time of the mile entrants. Wylie Mangelsdorf of Principia could also be a threat—he hasn’t lost since his fifth place finish at XC nationals.

Despite being 33rd on the performance lists, Brock Taute from host Nebraska Wesleyan made it into the field. The hometown crowd will certainly be rooting for the underdog as he tries to make the final field of ten. All ten finalists last year were underclassmen, but only four made it back in the mile this year: Horowitz, Widzgowski, Matt Scott of UW-Eau Claire, and Zach Haskins of Bethel. Two-time defending champion Dan Sullivan is noticeably absent, and his meet record of 4:07.03 from last year will certainly be under assault.

Full field below:

Predictions: Horowitz, Widzgowski, Mangelsdorf

Men’s 800

Prelims: Friday, 4:05 PM

Finals: Saturday, 3:45 PM

No one from last year’s indoor championship will toe the line, which seems fitting given that the two favorites are a freshman and a sophomore. Mitchell Black, a sophomore from Tufts, comes in as the top seed and has run 63-seconds in the 500. He’ll be facing a tough challenge in freshman McKena Ramos of UW-Oshkosh, who is undefeated in middle distance races this year. Ramos has taken the WIAC by storm, and interestingly opted to run the 800 instead of the mile before doubling back in the DMR. These two are far and away the top seeds, but fifth-seeded Jacob Ellis will be looking to give Bowdoin a sweep of the middle distance races. Another sophomore, Ellis is the top returner from the outdoor 800 and lost to Black by 0.2-seconds in their only meeting this season.

Behind that youthful trio comes a trio of seniors: Andrew Carey of Johns Hopkins, Ryan Widzgowski, and Brett DeNure of UW-Oshkosh. Carey has steadily improved all season and could be a force in the finals, while Widzgowski will likely be fatigued by the time his fourth race of the weekend starts. Brett DeNure should be in the mix for All-American honors, but it would be a surprise if he made a bid for the title. Strange things do tend to happen in the 800, so keep an eye on thirteenth seed Matt Schafer of Bethel as a dark horse candidate. He finished third at outdoor nationals in 2012, and though he has not shown that form recently, he could be one to watch if he makes finals.

The meet record of 1:49.73 could fall, given a good race from either of the top two seeds.

Predictions: Black, Ramos, Ellis

Men’s 5000

Finals: Friday, 5:25 PM

The addition of the 3k has watered down the 5k field this year, and no loss is greater than the scratch of defending champion Chris Stadler. Haverford has elected to focus on the DMR, leaving John Crain of North Central and Michael LeDuc of Conn College as the favorites.

Crain, the outdoor 5k champ and indoor runner up, will be looking to avenge his loss to LeDuc at cross country nationals. Seemingly unbeatable since a memorable come from behind victory in the steeplechase, LeDuc has looked more vulnerable in recent weeks. Though neither is seeded in the top two, they have both run under 4:10 in the mile and should be able to kick off whatever pace is set. This time, though, don’t expect any meet records to fall: Dan Henderson’s 13:53 is simply untouchable.

The actual top seeds, Tim Hartung of York and Patrick Jenkins of UW-Stout, should stay in contention until the very end, but neither one seems to have the strength to run away from the field or the speed to hold off LeDuc and Crain. Josh Dedering, the WIAC champion in the 5k, will be looking to score points for UW-La Crosse, while WIAC runner-up Ian LaMere will be looking to match or improve upon his fifth place finish in this race as a freshman. The race for the final All-American spots should be exciting, as North Central has an incredible five runners in the fifteen-man field.

Full field below:

1  14:13.02c Tim Hartung     York (Pa.)	      Hasn't faced good competition
                                              since getting 24th in XC

2  14:14.19c Patrick Jenkins Wis.-Stout	      Won the 3k at WIAC's and has
                                              run 4:16.

3  14:17.32  Michael LeDuc   Conn College     Has run 4:05, 3rd last year.

4  14:19.54c Josh Dedering   Wis.-La Crosse   Won the 5k at WIACs, 49th
                                              at XC

5  14:21.41c John Crain	     North Central    Hasn't lost an individual
                                              event, 4:09 flat track

6  14:23.57c Ian LaMere	     Wis.-Platteville 2nd in 5k at WIAC. Fifth last
                                              year indoors

7  14:24.20c Troy Kelleher   North Central    Led NC charge at CCIW's, has
                                              run 4:18.

8  14:26.04c Ben Dickshinski North Central    Lightly raced

9  14:27.73c Ryan Steinbock  Dickinson	      Lost to Stadler at
                                              Centennial's, has run 4:13

10 14:28.19c Sean Kutz	     Wis.-Oshkosh     3rd at WIAC's, has run 4:20

11 14:28.69c Avi Bregman     Haverford	      Fourth at Centennial's, has
                                              run 4:20

12 14:30.70c Luke Nally	     North Central    Second in 5k at CCIW

13 14:30.89c Alex Ciesielski Wis.-La Crosse   5th at WIAC's

14 14:31.57c Ryan Root	     North Central    Third at CCIW, 4:23

15 14:32.73c Jake Campbell   St. Olaf	      31st at cross, ran 4:18 early

Predictions: Crain, LeDuc, Jenkins

Men’s Distance Medley Relay

Finals: Friday, 6:10 PM

The perennial East versus Midwest showdown will be without some familiar faces, as Tufts, Bowdoin, and UW-Eau Claire elected to focus on individual events. However, this should still be an incredible showdown between the stellar mid-distance squad of UW-Oshkosh and the entirely fresh team from Haverford. A final sprint between the young, speedy Ramos and a more veteran Chris Stadler should provide plenty of drama to cap of the first day of action.

Other teams looking to vie for the title include Central College, Bates, UW-Whitewater, and UW-La Crosse. Bates and Central appear to have stronger leadoff legs, while Jacob Peterson of La Crosse and Dawson Miller of Whitewater are highly capable anchors. Expect the meet record of to go down by a sizeable margin.

The team from UW-Stevens Point is one of the biggest question marks. Back-to-back mile champion Dan Sullivan has been underwhelming all year, but he could return to his winning ways at a moment’s notice. North Central will almost certainly take Crain off their relay, leaving them out of contention for the title, while a lightly raced Andrew Padgett could surprise as the anchor for Wash U.

Full field below:

1  9:47.47c Wis.-Oshkosh    Two doubling back from 800

2  9:49.34c North Central   No Crain on the anchor, should be battling
                            for 8th

3  9:50.00c Haverford	    Focusing on DMR, but can Stadler kick with
                            the best?

4  9:50.22c Central College Leadoff doubling back from the mile, anchor
                            Horton ran mile last year indoors

5  9:51.24c Wis.-La Crosse  Peterson anchoring after running mile prelims

6  9:51.25c Bates	    Fresh, Noah Graboys (4:10) anchoring

7  9:51.45c Wis.-Whitewater Fresh, Dawson Miller (4:10c) anchoring

8  9:51.66c Wis.-Stevens Pt What's up with Dan Sullivan? Four-time national
                            champ will anchor, but ran 1:58 last chance
                            meet

9  9:52.34c Buff State	    All fresh, Alex Ngabo (1:53) anchoring

10 9:52.99c Amherst	    Fastest 400 leg in Matt Melton

11 9:53.02c Washington U    Drew Padgett only raced twice, but could be
                            a force as anchor

12 9:53.78c Johns Hopkins   Andrew Carey doubling back from 800

Predictions: UW-Oshkosh, Haverford, Bates

Men’s 3000

Finals: Saturday, 4:25 PM

The first ever 3k at DIII nationals will be the last individual event on the track, and it should be a barn-burner. Thirteen of the fifteen competitors are doubling, so how they perform in their first events will give us a more complete picture.

Grant Wintheiser of St. Olaf will be fresh and looking for his first individual title after leading St. Olaf to a surprising team victory at cross country nationals. He’ll have plenty of competition from top-seeded John Crain along with LeDuc, Jenkins, and Hartung all doubling back from the 5k. Meanwhile, Stadler and Charlie Marquardt from Haverford will be doubling back from the DMR. In case that isn’t enough, Coby Horowitz will be looking to steal this race three hours after the mile finals. He’s proven his mettle at the 3k distance once already this year by dispatching LeDuc at the DIII New England meet.

Any of those top eight seeds should be considered contenders for the win, and plenty of others—Eli Horton of Central and a fresh Travis Morrison of North Central to name a few—will be in the mix as well. By the end of this race, there will certainly be a new meet record.

Full field below:

1  8:05.77c John Crain	      North Central    If he wins 5k, he should
                                               get first or second here

2  8:11.42c Grant Wintheiser  St. Olaf	       One of two fresh contenders,
                                               good speed

3  8:11.83c Tim Hartung	      York (Pa.)       5k will be a good predictor

4  8:12.08c Patrick Jenkins   Wis.-Stout       5k will be a good predictor

5  8:12.50c Chris Stadler     Haverford	       Coming back from DMR for
                                               this, good strength

6  8:12.78c Charlie Marquardt Haverford	       Coming back from DMR for
                                               this, good speed

7  8:13.31c Coby Horowitz     Bowdoin	       Could be deadly in a drawn
                                               out kick, but will be
                                               running the mile earlier in
                                               the day

8  8:13.74c Michael LeDuc     Conn College     5k will be a good predictor,
                                               should be a threat

9  8:13.92c Dawson Miller     Wis.-Whitewater  Focused on this and DMR all
                                               season

10 8:14.32c Troy Kelleher     North Central    5k will be a good predictor

11 8:14.78c Matt Scott	      Wis.-Eau Claire  Doubling back from mile,
                                               good speed

12 8:16.12c Travis Morrison   North Central    Fresh, decent speed (4:15)

13 8:16.17c Eli Horton	      Central College  Doubling back from the DMR,
                                               good speed

14 8:16.22c Andrew Padgett    Washington U     Doubling back from the DMR,
                                               only raced twice this season

15 8:17.27c Ian LaMere	      Wis.-Platteville 5k will be a good predictor

Predictions: Wintheiser, Crain, Stadler