Seven distance runners from New York University's track and field program will compete at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships in Alabama this weekend. The athletes earned their spots through strong showings at the UAA Championships and a last-chance qualifier. This marks a career highlight for head coach Tyler Deck Shipley.
New York University's track and field team has achieved a significant milestone by qualifying seven athletes for the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships, set for Friday and Saturday in Alabama. The group includes graduate student Katherine Cochran, senior Janie Cooper, juniors Josephine Dziedzic and Liam Hagerty, sophomores Stella Kuttner and Huckleberry Oakes, and freshman Theodore Udelson-Nee. This selection represents the largest contingent under head coach Tyler Deck Shipley, who described it as one of the most complete teams the Violets have sent to nationals.
The qualifiers built their success on performances at the UAA Championships on March 1. Despite the women's and men's teams finishing last and second-to-last overall, individual results shone in distance events. In the men's mile, Hagerty placed second, Udelson-Nee third, and Oakes fifth. The women's 3,000m saw Kuttner in second, Cochran third, and Cooper fifth. These athletes, along with others, contributed to NYU's program-high fourth-place finish in the NCAA Cross Country Championships last fall, including the team's first cross country title.
Spots were secured at a last-chance meet at Tufts University last Saturday, where all NYU distance runners finished in the top 10. Oakes won the men's mile in 4:11.03, Udelson-Nee took first in the men's 5,000m, and Hagerty placed fourth. "I want to keep carrying the momentum," Hagerty said. "It’s not just one big step, but lots of small steps in between to get there."
Kuttner, who missed qualification by less than a second last year, now enters both the mile and 3,000m. "Thinking about where I was last year and where I am now, I’m super motivated," she said. The team overcame winter training challenges and aims to improve on last year's four qualifiers, who scored no team points. Shipley hopes for top-eight finishes, potential All-American honors, and a top-10 team placement on the women's side.
