Going All In: How Two D3 Women Made it to the National Stage

What does it take to make it to the national stage? Is it determination? Grit? Talent? Commitment? Maybe it is a combination of these qualities. 

Ari Marks, a senior at Wellesley College, and Kathleen McCarey, a junior at SUNY Geneseo, made these commitments during the pandemic and made the jump to the national level. 

Prior to the 2021 cross country season, Marks had never competed at a national meet. Over six months, she became a three-time national runner-up. In cross country, she ran a 20:28 6k, and in indoor, a 16:19 5k and a 9:44 3k. 

Photo Credit: Kyle Lauffenberger - Ari Marks after the 3k

In 2020, McCarey’s first year, her indoor best in the 5k was 19:08. At the national indoor meet this year, she placed third in the 5k. She now boasts a personal best of 16:36. 

Marks and McCarey are two athletes whose character and grit led to leaps and bounds in their collegiate careers. D3 Glory Days reached out to them to find out how they improved as runners.

The Origin Stories

Ari Marks began running as a child and endurance sports were a large part of her upbringing. In elementary school, she wrestled and swam. In third grade, her gym teacher had them run laps around a field. She recalled that she “would beat all the boys.” In middle school, she started track and the rest is history. 

Marks said she knew she wasn’t the best out there. She says, “I just loved the team dynamic and I loved the challenge.” When it came time to look at colleges, academics were her focus, but she knew she didn’t want to stop running competitively. 

Marks chose D3, despite what she called its “double-edged sword.” D3 has a holistic view of a student-athlete that comes at the cost of scholarship funding for athletics. Wellesley College had an academic reputation, and she thought a historically women’s college could be interesting. 

Kathleen McCarey similarly started running early on. She ran in middle school as a way to hang out with friends after school. In high school, she realized if she put the work in, results would show. During her sophomore year, she began to get faster and her love of running grew. “I developed a love for running that was more so than just the social aspect of the sport,” she said. 

When choosing a college, McCarey didn’t want to prioritize athletics over academics. She also looked for a community where she felt a sense of belonging. Ultimately, McCarey chose Geneseo because she liked being on a team where everyone is prioritized. She notes that “It doesn’t matter if you’re the last runner or the best runner, you are an important part of the team.” She spoke of how she appreciates her coach’s philosophy that the 17th runner pushes the 16th, and so on, creating a “rippling effect.”

Photo Credit: Kyle Lauffenberger - Kathleen McCarey and Windsor Ardner after the 3k

Setbacks are Lessons 

McCarey and Marks had similar experiences in collegiate running. Neither has run an outdoor track season. Neither competed from indoor 2020 to cross country 2021. Both committed to going all-in during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both have recently seen improvements in their races.

During her sophomore year in 2020, Marks had improved since her freshman year. She dropped over 15 seconds from her mile PR of 5:31 and over a minute from her 3k PR of 11:10. With her new PRs of 5:13 and 10:04, she was on the rise, but then the pandemic hit.

Marks decided to use the time off from competing to focus on consistency. She said, “I was always dedicated to running but I really increased my dedication.” It wasn’t clear when racing opportunities would present themselves again, but she could put in the hours and push herself in the meantime. Marks attributes her recent success to this consistency and dedication during the pandemic. Her coach, Phil Jennings, also worked with her behind the scenes during this time, contributing to her success.

As a first-year, McCarey ran an indoor PR of 19:08 in the 5k, and the next day she was diagnosed with a stress fracture. She spent the spring of 2020 on her aunt’s old stationary bike grinding out bike workouts that her coach, Dan Moore, had done when he trained for triathlons. She figured there was nothing better to do. In the spring of 2021, she got injured again and didn’t race during the outdoor season. McCarey has cross-trained since her first stress fracture and she noticed that it has improved her racing.

When McCarey and Marks came back to racing during the 2021 cross country season, both had taken nearly two years off from racing and were eager to toe the line. 

Marks’s love for competition flew high these past two seasons after the break from competition. She found joy in her races. Marks said racing the 5k at nationals was the most fun she’d had racing in a while. At the nationals 5k, she stuck out her neck and tried to take the lead from Kassie Parker. 

Before the 2021 cross season, McCarey said she often dreaded racing. After a long break from racing, she says she is no longer taking racing for granted. McCarey said when she toes the line now, she thinks of her team. “I know that when I get on the line I’m not representing Kathleen McCarey, I’m representing Geneseo.” She says that “there's a certain expectation of greatness that comes with that.” If she’s nervous before a race, her thoughts turn to her team and the Geneseo community. Believing in herself, her teammates, and her training has helped her race better. She said, “If I don’t have confidence in myself; I have the confidence in my uniform.” 

Photo Credit - Francesca Frasco - Kathleen McCarey during the 5k

Marks has also turned to confidence when preparing for racing. In high school, Marks was a self-described “timid runner.” If she knew she was competing with people who were faster than her, she would doubt herself and her potential moves in a race. This past year she has worked on feeling confident in her ability to race. Usually, she starts out conservative, but lately, as we saw at indoor nationals, she has been working on taking the lead and trusting her abilities. Marks said, “I don’t set limits on myself.” The biggest impact on her training has been this mental shift. 

Similar to Marks’s advice of not setting limits, McCarey recommends that athletes “go all in.” For her, this means taking the time to do the little things like strides, hill sprints, stretching, taking care of her body, and “running happy.” McCarey stressed the importance of doing “the little things” that may not seem as important, but have an impact on your body’s ability to perform at its best. 

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead to the 2022 outdoor season, McCarey and Marks look forward to racing the 10k. Marks is also going to try the steeplechase. 

Marks is unsure of what was in the future for her after graduating. If this is her last year of competing, she wants to “go out on a high note” and enjoy spending time with her team and running personal bests.

This will be McCarey’s first collegiate outdoor track season. The pandemic took her first-year outdoor track season, and she was injured during the 2021 season. She said, “I'm still unsure what I want to do with the eligibility I gained from the pandemic and injuries. I know I've been given a rare opportunity to prolong my collegiate career and that eligibility is a gift.” 

Photo Credit - Francesca Frasco - Early in the 3k

Marks’s and McCarey’s stories show how persistence and belief can project an athlete onto the national stage. They are both running at D1 and D2 caliber. Their stories prove that high school times are not indicative of collegiate performance. 

During our conversation, Marks commented how D3 sports don’t have high viewership or support from the general public, especially D3 running. To let the running careers of athletes like Mark and McCarey go unnoticed would be a shame. Often the commitment of D3 athletes to their sports goes unnoticed by the community; however, it doesn’t have to be that way. We can uplift these athletes by sharing their stories.