INDIANAPOLIS – She was in the same place on the awards stand Saturday as she was on Thursday. Another trophy. Another All-American honor.
 
But in her own mind, Annika Esvelt left no doubt that she was in a much better place, both in the race that she ran …
 
… and the way that she ran it.
 
The Seattle Pacific standout put herself in the lead pack almost right from the get-go and came across the finish line seventh in the women's 3000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
 
Esvelt stopped the watch inside Fall Creek Pavilion in 9 minutes, 28.94 seconds and was part of a tightly-bunched gaggle from fourth place through seventh that all finished in the 9:28s.
 
Lauren Kiley of Grand Valley State (Michigan), who had never led and was in fifth place at the bell, powered around the final lap to win in 9:26.14, edging teammate Natalie Graber's 9:26.91.
 
This was Esvelt's second race of the week. On Thursday, she took seventh place in the 5000, but said afterward that she'd been hoping more in that one, having come in as the No. 4 seed.
 
For Saturday's 3K, Esvelt was seeded No. 9 among the 18 on the starting line. She finished two spots higher than that and was ahead of three of the runners seeded higher than she was. (One runner seeded lower moved up.)
 
 

"I was just trying to relax a lot more," Esvelt said. "I sort of remembered to focus on that and on just soaking up the moment, trying to race smart and I executed it well. I felt like I was really patient and focused the whole time.
 
"I think I didn't realize that I wasn't super-relaxed on Thursday," she added. "Also, it was hot on Thursday. Today, it was cooler and it was raining and windy and a nice breeze." (The meet was indoors, but the building doors were open.)
 
Falcons assistant coach / distance coach Eric Hansen said that Esvelt just looked more like herself on Saturday.
 
 

"We unpacked the 5K a little bit (on Friday), gave it a day to cool off and took advantage of the rest day to take our minds away from the meet," he said. "She just looked so much better today, way more focused, more dialed in. Obviously, this was a really good field and she beat some good runners today."
 
The race was a tactical one. Alyssa Becker of U-Mary (South Dakota) was up front alone through the first 1800 meters, then settled back into the pack. From there, everyone seemed to keep waiting for someone else to make a move.
 
"There was a lot of buildup for the fast finish that they had," Hansen said.
 
Fast finish, indeed. Except of a couple of early 39-second splits on the 200-meter banked red oval, Esvelt was in the 37s and 38s most of the way. Then she went 35.10 on the 14th of 15 laps, and came around the bell lap in 33.04.
 
That closing burst helped her move up one spot and hang with fourth-place Emily Schoellkopf of Adams State (9:28.30), fifth Anna Fauske of UC Colorado Springs (9:28.74) and sixth Ava O'Connor of Adams State (9:28.87).
 
 

"The entire race, there was just a lot of movement," Esvelt said, "so it was just staying in it and focusing during that. There was a point when a good chunk of us broke away, but it felt like it was a pretty smooth move because I was just doing what the other girls were doing."
 
Added Hansen, "You could run that race 10 times and probably get 10 different results. She beat her seed coming in, and gets to come out of this on a bit of a high note."
 
Although Esvelt is better known for her success in the 5000 (both indoors and outdoors) and the outdoor 10,000, she built up a solid resume' in the 3000. She won her third Great Northwest Athletic Conference 3K title last month (the only one with that many) and now has a podium place at the NCAA level.
 
"It would be fun if I had more chances to run the 3K, but there just isn't a ton of them," Esvelt said. (That distance is not part of the outdoor season.) "I definitely think it's super fun. I'm just excited because I'd never had a chance to race the 3K at nationals. It's super-cool that I got to be here and have a good race."
 
AND THAT'S NOT ALL
-- Between indoor track (four), outdoor track (four) and cross country (one), Esvelt now has nine All-American awards.
-- She is the 11th woman in GNAC history and the first since 2020 to make All-American in the 3000.
-- Her pair of seventh-place finishes gave Seattle Pacific four points in the team standings. That tied for 36th with nine other teams, including Western Washington. Pittsburg State of Kansas with 63. The Gorillas made it a sweep as the men won with 76.
-- Simon Fraser and Central Washington both were among the top 10 teams on the women's side. The Red Leafs were eighth with 22 points, and the Wildcats, boosted by triple champion Emy Ntekpere, tied for ninth with 19.
Central was the highest-placing GNAC men's team, tying for 18th with 10 points.
-- Before Ntekpere's title on Saturday, the last GNAC national indoor champion was SPU's Vanessa Aniteye in the 800 meters in 2023.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons head to the crown jewel of American track and field next weekend when they travel to Eugene for the Oregon Preview at Hayward Field. Friday is primarily a distance day, with races beginning at 5:10 p.m. Saturday is for sprint, hurdles, and relays starting at 2:30 p.m. Field events are split between both days starting at 12:45 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
NCAA Division II Championships
Saturday, March 15, 2025
Fall Creek Pavilion / Indianapolis, Ind.
 
Final team scores – 1, Pittsburg State 53; 2, Minnesota State 58; 3, Grand Valley State 47; 4, Adams State 40; 5, Azusa Pacific 37; T6, Colorado State-Pueblo and West Texas A&M 32; 8, Simon Fraser 22; T9, Central Washington and Lenoir-Rhyne 18; 11, Colorado School of Mines 18; T12, Ashland and Missouri Southern 17; 14, Southwest Baptist 16; 15, Lincoln-Missouri 14; 16, Roberts Wesleyan 13, 17, Lewis 12; 18, Findlay 11; T19, Stanislaus State and Cal State San Marcos 10; T21, Lee (Tenn.) and UC Colorado Springs 9; T23, Wingate, Embry-Riddle and Oklahoma Baptist 8; 26, Indianapolis 7; T27, Cal Poly Pomona, Fort Lewis, New Mexico Highlands, Sioux Falls and William Jewell 6;  32, Texas A&M-Kingsville 5.5; T33, Central Missouri, Colorado Christian and Central State 5; T36, Seattle Pacific, Northwest Missouri, Washburn, Western Washington, Alabama-Huntsville, Cal State Los Angeles, Lubbock Christian, Midwestern State and Concordia Irvine 4; T45, Mount Olive and Missouri Western 3; T47, Minnesota State-Moorhead, U-Mary, Wisconsin-Parkside, Texas-Tyler and Tusculum 2; T52, Academy of Art, Nebraska-Kearney, West Virginia State, Winona State 1; 56, Augustana (S.D.) 0.5.
 
SPU EVENTS ONLY
3000 – 1, Lauren Kiley (Grand Valley St.) 9:26.14.  SPU – 7, Annika Esvelt 9:28.94.


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