Meet Recap: 2023 NJCAA DIII Outdoor T&F Championships

Champions were crowned at the 2023 NJCAA DIII Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Utica, New York!

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Both team titles went back to Illinois, as the College of Dupage men and the Harper College women topped the podium. It was the Chaps’ record-tying third consecutive national title, while the Hawks captured their first outdoor crown since 2011.

Men’s Recap

Dramatic doesn’t begin to describe the race for the men’s team title at the 2023 NJCAA DIII Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

After 20 of 22 events, Mineral Area (Mo.) led DuPage (Ill.) by just one point, 124.5 to 123.5. Both the Cardinals and the Chaps went into the penultimate event – the 5000 meters – with strong contingents entered: DuPage had five of the top-15 athletes on the seasonal Descending Order List; Mineral Area (Mo.) featured four, led by second-ranked Bradley Ahrens.

The Chaps, behind Nicholas Keeling’s individual title, scored 15 points in the 5000, compared to the Cardinals’ four-point output. Keeling crossed the finish line in 15:51.91, nearly two seconds ahead of his closest pursuer. The winner was soon joined by teammate Axel Huerta, who took fourth place. Jacob Arnold led Mineral Area (Mo.) in sixth place, followed by Ahrens in eighth. All told, that led to an 11-point swing.

DuPage (Ill.) went into the meet-ending 4×400 relay with a 10-point lead. If the Chaps finished the race, they’d be crowned champions. DuPage ended up fourth, sending them to their third consecutive national title – which tied Harper (Ill.) for the most consecutive titles won by a men’s team in NJCAA DIII history.

RC-Gloucester (N.J.) was third with 81 points, followed by Thaddeus Stevens with 74 and Suffolk (N.Y.) with 67. Notably, the Roadrunners and the Bulldogs scored 82 of their 155 combined points in the field events.

Women’s Recap

Harper College wouldn’t be denied in Utica, New York.

The Hawks dominated the proceedings, sweeping all three relays and scoring ten or more points in four other events: 800 meters, 1500 meters, high jump and pole vault. Harper (Ill.) got its most points from the pole vault, where sisters Lily Wintergerst and Chloe Wintergerst went 1-2. Fiona Metzo (800 meters), Lilly Alberts (1500 meters) and Samira Rosenfeld (high jump) also won individual titles for the Hawks.

DuPage (Ill.) finished a distant second with 96 points, which it stacked with ten or more points in three events: 800 meters (12), 5000 meters (12) and the high jump (11). The Chaps didn’t have an individual champion within those events, instead having multiple athletes shoulder the load.

Joliet (Ill.) took third with 77 points, followed by Suffolk (N.Y.) CC in fourth with 63 points, just one point ahead of fifth-place Mineral Area (Mo.). Notably, the fourth-place Sharks scored 34 of their 63 points in the field events.