Messiah’s Seeland runs 2:02.52 to set 800 championship record, barely misses Olympic Trials standard, with Ithaca’s Hannan earning first two career track crowns after 5,000 and 10,000 double; SUNY Geneseo’s Pomainville follows 1,500 division record in prelims with title, as Forsyth and Vaught both sweep sprints

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The team battles were again close Saturday at the NCAA Division 3 Championships, but several of the individual performances – led by women’s distance athletes Esther Seeland, Emily Pomainville and Parley Hannan – showcased historical dominance at Irwin Belk Track in Greensboro, N.C.

Loras, already the 4x100-meter relay winner in 46.18 seconds, rallied from a one-point deficit entering the 4x400 relay by placing second in 3:45.78 to repeat as women’s champion after prevailing by a 58-56 margin over Wisconsin La Crosse, which finished fourth in 3:49.53.

SUNY Geneseo, which followed a 1,500 title by Pomainville to earn its first 4x400 victory in 3:43.19, was third with 49 points and Ithaca – behind the 5,000 and 10,000 double from Hannan – finished fourth with 38.33 points.

Wartburg secured its first men’s championship by protecting a three-point advantage entering the 4x400 relay, completing the title sweep for the Iowa programs.

The Knights took third in 3:12.47 to triumph with 54 points. Wisconsin-Eau Claire had an opportunity to rally for the championship but finished fifth in 3:13.01 and accumulated 49 points, ahead of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with 48 points and Rowan with 41 points.

Rowan prevailed in the 4x400 in 3:11.81, capturing its first title in the event since winning back-to-back relays in 2011-12, and freshman Ahmir Johnson prevailed in the triple jump with a 49-7 (15.11m) performance. Wisconsin-La Crosse triumphed in the men’s 4x100 relay in 40.21.

Hannan, who graduated this spring, clocked 16:22.85 to win the 5,000 and become the first female athlete since Amy Regan of Stevens in 2016 to sweep both titles, following her 10,000 victory Thursday in 34:33.53.

The championships were also the first career track titles for Hannan, already the 2019 national cross country winner. Despite a two-hour delay as a result of lightning, it didn’t slow the momentum of Hannan, who took the lead with a mile left in the 5,000 and never relinquished control.

“Going into the 5K, we knew it was going to be more of a tactical race. It wasn’t going out and hitting a hot time, a couple of women who were fresh in the race, she knew she kind of wanted to sit and wait and so that was the plan,” Ithaca coach Erin Dinan said. “The last two and half laps I was crying, because she’s worked so hard for this. She really came full circle and feeling good and executing what she’s capable of doing. It was amazing to watch.

“She finished today and she’s like, ‘I felt great, I felt so great.’ I think a lot of that is her mentality. She went into that ready to go, really strong.”

The 10,000 was only the second of Hannan’s career, showcasing plenty of future potential, despite her enduring a side stitch early in the race.

“(Parley) was wanting to go out strong and get out and get after it and see what she could do. She had some company for a little bit and she just increased her lead. She got a side stitch after the first three miles, I think that limited her, but when she crossed the finish line it was like pure excitement that she won,” Dinan said. “Certainly she had a little disappointment that she didn’t have the time she wanted to get. (But) when she finished, she didn’t look overly taxed and we knew there was more in the tank.”

Seeland was looking to defend her 800 title from 2019 and possibly secure the Olympic Trials standard of 2:02.50.

The junior standout came tantalizingly close to the latter goal, setting the championship meet record by clocking 2:02.52 to prevail against 1,500 champion Pomainville (2:05.46).

“That was on my mind and I definitely was thinking about it, but honestly I came here to just run the fastest I could for today, really the first goal was to win,” Seeland said. “The fact that I didn’t quite make it, like obviously I would have loved to, but I can’t be upset with a PR and I still have some chances. It’s just another opportunity and I’m doing the best I can.”

Seeland eclipsed the 2017 meet standard of 2:03.51 achieved by Ohio Northern’s Emily Richards, also the Division 3 record holder at 2:00.62. Seeland’s performance was the fourth-fastest in division history.

“The goal was to run her best. A PR is great, and a national title is great. The other time, it’s just an arbitrary number,” Messiah coach Dale Fogelsanger said. “It by no means defines her success.”

After not having an outdoor season in 2020 due to the pandemic, Seeland said she was just excited for another championship opportunity.

“I actually said to some of the girls in the tent afterward, I think we were all nervous for the first time. I was like, ‘We get to run! It’s been two years; this is awesome,’” Seeland said. “Looking back, I won the last championship which was two years ago, and then to come back and finally we get to do it again, it was so fun. I was so grateful to even be here.”

Seeland, who also is a member of the national championship women’s soccer team, became just the third athlete in Messiah history to win multiple individual national titles. Her journey to achieve the Olympic Trials qualifying standard will take her June 5-6 to Nashville, Tenn., for the 19th annual Music City Distance Carnival.

“I think it’s been a buildup over the past two years and I think having opportunities taken away have made me want it even more,” Seeland said. “I think if you put me in the right situation there’s potential and so we are just going to see what we can do next weekend. Obviously I want it, but I’m not going to let it destroy me if I don’t get it. Obviously there’s some fight and drive to get there.”

Pomainville, who ran the division record by clocking 4:13.69 in Thursday’s prelims, triumphed in a much more tactical race Saturday in 4:21.26 to secure the program’s first title in any individual event since 2017.

University of Chicago sophomore Isabel Maletich rallied with a sixth-round performance of 40-7.50 (12.38m) in the triple jump to secure the title and complete the first sweep of the horizontal jumps since 2013.

Maletich surpassed John Carroll junior Courtney Phoennik at 40-4.75 (12.31m) and Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Kady Kochendorfer at 40-4 (12.29m) to capture her second title.

Carleton junior Matthew Wilkinson, already the 3,000 steeplechase champion in 8:47.39, added the 5,000 crown in 13:55.27. Wilkinson, who secured the first 5,000 crown for Carleton since Dale Kramer captured back-to-back titles in 1977-78, just missed the meet record of 13:55.00 established in 1979 by Dan Henderson of Wheaton (Illinois).

Centre freshman JP Vaught swept the sprint titles, clocking a wind-legal 10.51 in the 100 and a wind-aided 20.83 in the 200 to become the first male athlete to achieve the double since 2014. The championships were the first in any event for Centre since 2010.

Pacific Lutheran junior Bailey Forysth secured the women’s 100 and 200 crowns, clocking 11.80 and 23.74, to achieve the first championship for the program since 2018.

Gustavus Adolphus junior Taylor Rooney ran a championship meet record 13.72 in the 110 hurdles, eclipsing the 2012 mark of 13.79 by Justin Johnson of St. Norbert, and earning the school’s first title in any event.

North Central won a pair of men’s crowns, with junior Gabriel Pommier clocking 3:46.63 in the 1,500 to earn the first championship in the event for the Cardinals since 2000.

Michael Stanley, also a junior, prevailed in the 400 in 46.74, the first title for North Central in the event since 2011.

Loras junior Mike Jasa clocked 1:51.66 to earn the men’s 800 championship, achieving the team’s first title in the event since 1989.

Sophomore Jake Gladieux ran 52.57 to triumph in the 400 hurdles, earning the first victory in the event for Trine since 2008.

Favor Ezewuzie of Wheaton (Illinois) clocked a wind-legal 13.67 in the 100 hurdles to capture the program’s first championship in the event since Karen Peterson won the inaugural crown in 1982. Ezewuzie also finished fourth in the 100 final in 11.99.

Gina Dello Russo of Stevens Institute earned the team’s first national title in the event by securing the 400 victory in 54.17.

Simone Wilson, a senior at Concordia University of Chicago, clocked 1:00.01 in the women’s 400 hurdles to also capture the program’s first national championship.

Wisconsin-Oshkosh senior Sydney Thompson secured the women’s shot put title with a third-round mark of 49-11.75 (15.23m), earning the team’s first title since 2014. St. Thomas (Minnesota) junior Megan Gehrke also excelled in the third round with a 49-10 (15.19m) effort.

Carroll (Wisconsin) senior Emily Uitenbrook won the women’s hammer with a fourth-round throw of 190-11 (58.19m).

Wisconsin-Stout junior Kevin Ruechel rallied for victory in the men’s shot put with a sixth-round performance of 59-9 (18.21m) to capture the program’s first championship in the event.

Rutgers-Camden senior Jude Misko triumphed in the men’s hammer with a throw of 198-5 (60.48m) in the opening round, achieving the team’s first title in any event since 2013.

– Mary Albl contributed to this story