NCAA D3 Indoor Championships 2014Mar 17, 2014 by Scott Rodilitz
NCAA DIII Indoor Championships Recap
NCAA DIII Indoor Championships Recap
Men’s Mile
Pre-meet favorite Coby Horowitz of Bowdoin took the race out hard, and his opening 60-second quarter gapped the field and made it appear as though an assault on the four minute barrier was in order. He would slow to 2:02 and 3:04, but his lead over the tightly-bunched chase pack led by Wylie Mangelsdorf of Principia would balloon to around five seconds with two laps to go. Last year’s runner up Ryan Widzgowski of Keene State then took over the chase and started to gain some ground, and with 150 to go Horowitz took a look over his shoulder to see his lead severely diminished. He had enough to cruise to the finish in 4:08.40, missing the mile record set last year by Dan Sullivan of UW-Stevens Point. Widzgowski would hold on for second in 4:10.18 with Mangelsdorf slightly behind in 4:10.33.
Fast closing Matt Scott of UW-Eau Claire and Jacob Peterson of UW-La Crosse would finish fourth and fifth in 4:10.38 and 4:10.40 in a race where second through ninth were all within 0.81 seconds. Second seeded Jaime Norton of Tufts made a big move to put himself in contention midway through the race, but lost out in the mad dash for the line as he finished ninth in 4:10.99.
Women’s Mile
Last year’s fifth place finisher Brianne Mirecki of Williams led the race through most of the race at a seemingly comfortable 76 and 2:32 before ratcheting it down from there. Two-time defending champ Christy Cazzola of UW-Oshkosh took the lead with 500 to go for a drawn out kick to the finish, but top seeded Tricia Serres of Luther followed right behind. Mirecki gave chase for a bit, but the top two quickly broke away from the rest of the field. A 2:19 last 800 didn’t give Cazzola much daylight, but she was able to put Serres away in the home stretch to win, 4:51.47 to 4:51.97, picking up valuable points to keep her Titans in contention for the team title.
A blistering kick from Sarah Burnell of Grinell earned her a surprising third place finish in 4:55.55. Grace Tilton of RPI, who had run 2:52 for 1000 meters on a flat track earlier in the year, stuck right with her until the end to finish fourth in 4:56.01, while Mirecki held on for fifth in 4:56.69.
Men’s 800
Top seeded Mitchell Black of Tufts took the race out in a relatively pedestrian 56 with title contenders McKena Ramos, a freshman from UW-Oshkosh, and Andrew Carey, a senior from Johns Hopkins, on his shoulder. With 100 to go, Ramos showed no signs of fatigue from his strong anchor leg last night as he got around the early leader and celebrated into the finish, winning his first national title in 1:51.30.
Carey would move to second in 1:51.58 with Black hanging on for third in 1:52.17. Jacob Ellis of Bowdoin made a strong move a little over halfway through in an attempt to sweep the middle distance races for the Polar Bears, but he ended up a well beaten fifth in 1:52.53. Widzgowski of Keene State finished sixth in 1:53.36 to pick up his second All-American finish in just two hours.
Women’s 800
As expected, the race got out to a blistering start, but it was Taylor Moore of Wartburg, not top seeded Gabriella Gaudreault of Springfield, who had a big lead after a 28 second opening 200. Gaudreault found herself boxed near the back and made a strong move to get free right before the quarter as the pack caught up with Moore, with second and third seeds Maggie Shelton of Johns Hopkins and Kylee Verhasselt of UW-Oshkosh sitting comfortably in second and third, respectively. With 200 to go, Shelton went to take the lead around the outside, but Verhasselt made an inside pass and got vital positioning as it became a two woman race in the final lap. Shelton made a strong push in the homestretch, but Verhasselt would hang on to win a third middle-distance title for Oshkosh with a division-leading time of 2:08.67.
Shelton would finish second in 2:08.94 while Moore would hang on for third in 2:11.17 after her fast opening quarter. Gaudreault’s big mid-race move would cost her, as she would fade before the bell lap, ultimately finishing seventh in 2:13.96.
Men’s 3000
The fastest 3k of the weekend came not from DI or DII, but from the first ever 3000 meter race at Division III nationals. Eli Horton, who anchored Central College’s DMR to victory the night before, took the race out in 65 seconds for the first quarter. North Central’s John Crain, who showed his speed and strength with a thoroughly dominant victory in the 5k, took to the lead and slowed down.
The pack began to bunch up and cross country champion Michael LeDuc of Conn College made a push into third around the 800 mark. Horton re-took the lead at 1400 meters, but the pack remained bunched, aside from mile champion Coby Horowitz of Bowdoin. Horowitz appeared to be struggling with a cramp and would drop out slightly past the mile mark.
After hitting 2k in 5:33, Grant Wintheiser of St. Olaf, one of two fresh athletes competing, broke the race wide open. Crain, Horton, and Chris Stadler of Haverford, who anchored his squad to second in the DMR, covered the move, with LeDuc a few steps behind. With 600 to go, Wintheiser had pulled away from everyone but Crain, who was glued to his back as they whipped around the track.
At the bell, Crain pulled around and never looked back, earning his second national title in a time of 8:10.40. Winthesier managed to close in 2:38 for his last 1000, but had to settle for second in 8:11.83. Horton would finish third in 8:15.43, while LeDuc would use a big kick to hold off the chase pack and pass Stadler to finish fourth in 8:15.43.
Women’s 3000
After three impressive races from Cazzola already, all eyes were on her as she aimed to complete her third consecutive triple on the national stage. A slow opening 150 turned into a barn burner as Nicole Michmerhuizen of Calvin took to the lead, showing no signs of fatigue despite running a PR in the 5k to finish second the night before. Her two second lead at the 400 would balloon to over five seconds after 800, which she split in 2:34. Tricia Serres of Luther then took over the chase pack, still smarting from her tough loss in the mile to Christy Cazzola of Oshkosh. Cara DeAngelis of Ohio Wesleyan, who surprisingly missed the finals in the mile, followed close behind Serres, while Cazzola looked as though her three prior races had finally taken their toll as she faded toward the middle of the pack.
A 5:10 first mile for Michmerhuizen left her with a four second lead, but that evaporated quickly as Serres and DeAngelis were just a second behind her 6:29 2k split. The rest of the pack came through in 6:35, with Cazzola hanging tough in the middle of that group in an attempt to at least score her Titans some vital points.
With 700 to go, Serres got around Michmerhuizen, while DeAngelis let her get a few meters ahead before closing the gap going into the final quarter. Cazzola emerged from the chase pack and had passed Michmerhuizen for third with around 400 to go, though she was still a way back from the leading duo and looked spent.
However, the twenty-eight year old multi-time national champ had at least one more kick in store, as she made up over three seconds on the final lap and flew by Serres and DeAngelis on the home stretch to pick up 10 all-important points for Oshkosh in a time of 9:38.72.
After her pass, a demoralized Serres would fade to third in 9:39.49, while DeAngelis would take home second in 9:39.17. Michmerhuizen would hold on to fourth over fresh freshman Kimber Meyer of Macalaster, while 5k All-American Amy Cymerman (St. Lawrence), Lucy Cheadle (Wash U), and Amy Regan (Stevens Institute) took home sixth through eighth, respectively—the same order as the night before when they finished in third through fifth.
Men’s Team
The defending champs from UW-La Crosse had all but wrapped up the meet on the first day of competition, and they continued to perform well on Saturday. They picked up a final six points in the 4x400 to finish with 63.5, well clear of UW-Eau Claire, who finished with 48 for second. The third WIAC podium team, UW-Oshkosh, finished with 37.5 points, and the only close battle on the men’s side came at the final podium position, where three teams were separated by just one point.
UW-Whitewater needed just two points to tie Wartburg for fourth, but their fourth-seeded 4x400 managed only eighth. A surprising first place finish from Mount Union out of the middle heat was not quite able to make up the gap, as Wartburg held on for fourth with 26 points. Mount Union finished with 25.5 while UW-Whitewater took sixth with 25 points.
Women’s Team
Despite Cazzola’s triple, UW-Oshkosh still needed their 4x400 relay to not give up too much ground to conference rival UW-La Crosse, as their six point lead could have easily evaporated with one misstep. After winning their heat, the Titans had secured at least a tie for first. Though La Crosse did all they could in a dominant 3:45.25 victory, Oshkosh’s time beat two teams from the fast heat, leaving with a 67-65 victory.
Wartburg had third place locked up for most of the second day and finished with 46 points, while UW-Whitewater sat precariously in fourth, just one point ahead of Williams and three points ahead of Wheaton (Mass) heading into the 4x400. Without an entry in the 4x400, UW-Whitewater was forced to look on as ninth seeded Williams and eighth seeded Wheaton looked to score some all-important bonus points. A seasonal best from Williams of 3:51.97 out of the slow heat put the pressure on, but Wheaton’s Ashante Little and Meredith Scannell, the first and third finishers in the open 400, both split 55 low to lead the relay to a fourth place finish of 3:50.43 and the final podium position with 26 points.
The 4x400 team from Williams would pick up the point they needed to tie UW-Whitewater for fifth with 24 points. The pre-meet fourth-ranked team, UW-Whitewater was left off the podium by just two points on the women’s side after their third ranked men had missed by a single point.
At the end of two long days, three hundred and sixty-eight All-American awards have been given out, eleven meet records have been set, and two team champions have been crowned. Though celebrations are in order for those numerous athletes and teams, those that left Lincoln wanting more will be focusing on the number ten—the number of weeks between now and the Division III Outdoor National Championships.
Pre-meet favorite Coby Horowitz of Bowdoin took the race out hard, and his opening 60-second quarter gapped the field and made it appear as though an assault on the four minute barrier was in order. He would slow to 2:02 and 3:04, but his lead over the tightly-bunched chase pack led by Wylie Mangelsdorf of Principia would balloon to around five seconds with two laps to go. Last year’s runner up Ryan Widzgowski of Keene State then took over the chase and started to gain some ground, and with 150 to go Horowitz took a look over his shoulder to see his lead severely diminished. He had enough to cruise to the finish in 4:08.40, missing the mile record set last year by Dan Sullivan of UW-Stevens Point. Widzgowski would hold on for second in 4:10.18 with Mangelsdorf slightly behind in 4:10.33.Fast closing Matt Scott of UW-Eau Claire and Jacob Peterson of UW-La Crosse would finish fourth and fifth in 4:10.38 and 4:10.40 in a race where second through ninth were all within 0.81 seconds. Second seeded Jaime Norton of Tufts made a big move to put himself in contention midway through the race, but lost out in the mad dash for the line as he finished ninth in 4:10.99.
Women’s Mile
Last year’s fifth place finisher Brianne Mirecki of Williams led the race through most of the race at a seemingly comfortable 76 and 2:32 before ratcheting it down from there. Two-time defending champ Christy Cazzola of UW-Oshkosh took the lead with 500 to go for a drawn out kick to the finish, but top seeded Tricia Serres of Luther followed right behind. Mirecki gave chase for a bit, but the top two quickly broke away from the rest of the field. A 2:19 last 800 didn’t give Cazzola much daylight, but she was able to put Serres away in the home stretch to win, 4:51.47 to 4:51.97, picking up valuable points to keep her Titans in contention for the team title.
A blistering kick from Sarah Burnell of Grinell earned her a surprising third place finish in 4:55.55. Grace Tilton of RPI, who had run 2:52 for 1000 meters on a flat track earlier in the year, stuck right with her until the end to finish fourth in 4:56.01, while Mirecki held on for fifth in 4:56.69.
Men’s 800
Top seeded Mitchell Black of Tufts took the race out in a relatively pedestrian 56 with title contenders McKena Ramos, a freshman from UW-Oshkosh, and Andrew Carey, a senior from Johns Hopkins, on his shoulder. With 100 to go, Ramos showed no signs of fatigue from his strong anchor leg last night as he got around the early leader and celebrated into the finish, winning his first national title in 1:51.30.
Carey would move to second in 1:51.58 with Black hanging on for third in 1:52.17. Jacob Ellis of Bowdoin made a strong move a little over halfway through in an attempt to sweep the middle distance races for the Polar Bears, but he ended up a well beaten fifth in 1:52.53. Widzgowski of Keene State finished sixth in 1:53.36 to pick up his second All-American finish in just two hours.
Women’s 800
As expected, the race got out to a blistering start, but it was Taylor Moore of Wartburg, not top seeded Gabriella Gaudreault of Springfield, who had a big lead after a 28 second opening 200. Gaudreault found herself boxed near the back and made a strong move to get free right before the quarter as the pack caught up with Moore, with second and third seeds Maggie Shelton of Johns Hopkins and Kylee Verhasselt of UW-Oshkosh sitting comfortably in second and third, respectively. With 200 to go, Shelton went to take the lead around the outside, but Verhasselt made an inside pass and got vital positioning as it became a two woman race in the final lap. Shelton made a strong push in the homestretch, but Verhasselt would hang on to win a third middle-distance title for Oshkosh with a division-leading time of 2:08.67.
Shelton would finish second in 2:08.94 while Moore would hang on for third in 2:11.17 after her fast opening quarter. Gaudreault’s big mid-race move would cost her, as she would fade before the bell lap, ultimately finishing seventh in 2:13.96.
Men’s 3000
The fastest 3k of the weekend came not from DI or DII, but from the first ever 3000 meter race at Division III nationals. Eli Horton, who anchored Central College’s DMR to victory the night before, took the race out in 65 seconds for the first quarter. North Central’s John Crain, who showed his speed and strength with a thoroughly dominant victory in the 5k, took to the lead and slowed down.The pack began to bunch up and cross country champion Michael LeDuc of Conn College made a push into third around the 800 mark. Horton re-took the lead at 1400 meters, but the pack remained bunched, aside from mile champion Coby Horowitz of Bowdoin. Horowitz appeared to be struggling with a cramp and would drop out slightly past the mile mark.
After hitting 2k in 5:33, Grant Wintheiser of St. Olaf, one of two fresh athletes competing, broke the race wide open. Crain, Horton, and Chris Stadler of Haverford, who anchored his squad to second in the DMR, covered the move, with LeDuc a few steps behind. With 600 to go, Wintheiser had pulled away from everyone but Crain, who was glued to his back as they whipped around the track.
At the bell, Crain pulled around and never looked back, earning his second national title in a time of 8:10.40. Winthesier managed to close in 2:38 for his last 1000, but had to settle for second in 8:11.83. Horton would finish third in 8:15.43, while LeDuc would use a big kick to hold off the chase pack and pass Stadler to finish fourth in 8:15.43.
Women’s 3000
After three impressive races from Cazzola already, all eyes were on her as she aimed to complete her third consecutive triple on the national stage. A slow opening 150 turned into a barn burner as Nicole Michmerhuizen of Calvin took to the lead, showing no signs of fatigue despite running a PR in the 5k to finish second the night before. Her two second lead at the 400 would balloon to over five seconds after 800, which she split in 2:34. Tricia Serres of Luther then took over the chase pack, still smarting from her tough loss in the mile to Christy Cazzola of Oshkosh. Cara DeAngelis of Ohio Wesleyan, who surprisingly missed the finals in the mile, followed close behind Serres, while Cazzola looked as though her three prior races had finally taken their toll as she faded toward the middle of the pack.
A 5:10 first mile for Michmerhuizen left her with a four second lead, but that evaporated quickly as Serres and DeAngelis were just a second behind her 6:29 2k split. The rest of the pack came through in 6:35, with Cazzola hanging tough in the middle of that group in an attempt to at least score her Titans some vital points.
With 700 to go, Serres got around Michmerhuizen, while DeAngelis let her get a few meters ahead before closing the gap going into the final quarter. Cazzola emerged from the chase pack and had passed Michmerhuizen for third with around 400 to go, though she was still a way back from the leading duo and looked spent.
However, the twenty-eight year old multi-time national champ had at least one more kick in store, as she made up over three seconds on the final lap and flew by Serres and DeAngelis on the home stretch to pick up 10 all-important points for Oshkosh in a time of 9:38.72.
After her pass, a demoralized Serres would fade to third in 9:39.49, while DeAngelis would take home second in 9:39.17. Michmerhuizen would hold on to fourth over fresh freshman Kimber Meyer of Macalaster, while 5k All-American Amy Cymerman (St. Lawrence), Lucy Cheadle (Wash U), and Amy Regan (Stevens Institute) took home sixth through eighth, respectively—the same order as the night before when they finished in third through fifth.
Men’s Team
The defending champs from UW-La Crosse had all but wrapped up the meet on the first day of competition, and they continued to perform well on Saturday. They picked up a final six points in the 4x400 to finish with 63.5, well clear of UW-Eau Claire, who finished with 48 for second. The third WIAC podium team, UW-Oshkosh, finished with 37.5 points, and the only close battle on the men’s side came at the final podium position, where three teams were separated by just one point.
UW-Whitewater needed just two points to tie Wartburg for fourth, but their fourth-seeded 4x400 managed only eighth. A surprising first place finish from Mount Union out of the middle heat was not quite able to make up the gap, as Wartburg held on for fourth with 26 points. Mount Union finished with 25.5 while UW-Whitewater took sixth with 25 points.
Women’s Team
Despite Cazzola’s triple, UW-Oshkosh still needed their 4x400 relay to not give up too much ground to conference rival UW-La Crosse, as their six point lead could have easily evaporated with one misstep. After winning their heat, the Titans had secured at least a tie for first. Though La Crosse did all they could in a dominant 3:45.25 victory, Oshkosh’s time beat two teams from the fast heat, leaving with a 67-65 victory.
Wartburg had third place locked up for most of the second day and finished with 46 points, while UW-Whitewater sat precariously in fourth, just one point ahead of Williams and three points ahead of Wheaton (Mass) heading into the 4x400. Without an entry in the 4x400, UW-Whitewater was forced to look on as ninth seeded Williams and eighth seeded Wheaton looked to score some all-important bonus points. A seasonal best from Williams of 3:51.97 out of the slow heat put the pressure on, but Wheaton’s Ashante Little and Meredith Scannell, the first and third finishers in the open 400, both split 55 low to lead the relay to a fourth place finish of 3:50.43 and the final podium position with 26 points.
The 4x400 team from Williams would pick up the point they needed to tie UW-Whitewater for fifth with 24 points. The pre-meet fourth-ranked team, UW-Whitewater was left off the podium by just two points on the women’s side after their third ranked men had missed by a single point.
At the end of two long days, three hundred and sixty-eight All-American awards have been given out, eleven meet records have been set, and two team champions have been crowned. Though celebrations are in order for those numerous athletes and teams, those that left Lincoln wanting more will be focusing on the number ten—the number of weeks between now and the Division III Outdoor National Championships.
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