NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships 2014

Five D2 guys that that you should know

May 14, 2014 by Isaac Wood

Five Division II Guys That If You Don't Know Then Shame on You

The Division II National Championships are only two weeks away and we here at Flotrack are so excited for them--and so should you.

The Division II level this year is so loaded with quality runners across the board that we wanted to make you feel really bad for yourself for not knowing these five legitimate distance studs:

1. Drew Windle- Ashland

- I'll never be able to live down the fact that I said he was from D3 Ashland at the Raleigh Relays where he crushed a solo 3:47.73 1500m.
You can watch that race here:

Drew Windle is, and runs like, a man and is above and away the best pure middle distance runner in D2. I love his running style of taking it out from the gun. There is nothing more boring to a distance running fan than watching a slow pace in an 800 or 1500m. Windle's 1:46.52 PR is the 8th best in the history of Division II.

2. Kevin Batt- Adams State

- When Adams State was bringing their full squad to Griak during the cross country season, the whole buzz was about if they could contend at the top of the D1 level. I was a bit skeptical myself and unfortunately Adams State had a rough go at Griak. At that point I wasn't sure what to think about the two studs from Adams State, Kevin Batt and Tabor Stevens. It wasn't until the Husky Classic where Kevin Batt (aka the Battman) won the best heat of the 3k that I became a believer.
You can watch that race here:

I mean he was impressive. He took down some serious stars (i.e. Trevor Dunbar and Ben Saarel)and earned some scalps that should give him confidence the rest of his day. Batt is a true competitor and has the best combo of speed and strength which should bode well for him in the 5k.

3. Tabor Stevens- Adams State

- Similarly to Batt, I too was skeptical about what Stevens was capable of doing on the track against the big dogs of D1. This was immediately eradicated at the Stanford Invite where Tabor was a man among boys in the 3k Steeplechase there and ran the fastest time run in the country regardless of division--8:38.46. Stevens might not be the prettiest of runners out there, but the dude is brutally tough and everyone loves the guy out there who looks like he's dying, but still crushing everyone in the field (similar to the awful look on Maksim Korolev's face when he's really hurting). The steeple will not be that competitive because Stevens is so good, but it should be fun to see how fast he can solo it.

4. Micah Chelimo- Alaska-Anchorage

- The man with the fastest 10k in D2 must be highlighted and Chelimo is that man. No one is as fearless as Chelimo, when it comes to mixing it up with anyone up front in any race. Micah doesn't care where you're from, what school you run for, nor how good you were in high school. He just flat out competes. His race at Stanford was inspiring and yet intelligent. Chelimo never goes out too hard (aka isn't that guy who goes out way over his head and dies the painful death). Micah is as savvy a racer as there is and at the D2 National Championships he might be the most experienced athlete there and with his race tactics in his work belt, Chelimo will be ready to win a D2 10k crown.

5. Aaron Dinzeo- Cal (PA.)

- The biggest surprise of the D2 year for me has been the rise of Cal PA's Aaron Dinzeo. The dude came out of nowhere at Stanford and not only ran out of his head, he broke 29:00 for 10k. That is no joke. He followed that up with a 14:04 5k at Penn Relays. Not nearly as special as his 10k at Stanford, but still solid enough to put him at the top echelon of distance runners in D2. I like his gutsy racing and Dinzeo is certainly an athlete to keep an eye out for at D2's hosted by Grand Valley State in two weeks.

If you forgot how unreal that 10K was, here is the invited 10k from Stanford a month and a half ago: