2022 "The Track Meet" Preview

After emerging as one of the saving graces of the track and field world during the pandemic, Sound Running is continuing their streak of hosting outstanding distance races with the "Track Meet" taking place tomorrow, May 6th.

Admittedly, these distance fields aren't necessarily super deep when it comes to strictly collegiate entries. However, for the collegiates who are entered, some of them are all-time greats while others can often be seen atop of the NCAA leaderboard.

With a handful of superstar pro runners, including a plethora of Olympians, set to toe the line at Friday's "Track Meet", distance running fans are in store for an absolute thriller...

NOTE: Please note that there are no collegiate women's entries in the 1500 meters and there are no collegiate men's entries in the 800 meters. There are also no collegiate entries in the men's and women's 10,000 meters.

There are only two collegiates in this field, but they are both nationally competitive talents. I am, of course, referring to Washington's Carley Thomas and Oklahoma State's Gabija Galvydyte.

Thomas was once a national title contender during the winter of 2020. She had run 2:02 that season, was consistently getting better and had taken down a few key names that year. However, the rise of the pandemic paired with a broken femur during a tubing accident ultimately set Thomas back quite a bit in her athletic progression.

And yet, over the last two years, Thomas has slowly but surely inched her way back up to her former top-level fitness. The Washington star ran 2:05 this past winter and then improved her post-injury best to 2:04 last weekend.

Thomas is slowly climbing back into a nationally competitive tier and quietly boasts a lot of momentum right now. A big race here could do wonders for her confidence with a little less than a month to go until the regional meets begin.

If we see Thomas run somewhere along the lines of 2:03, which is a very reasonable ask, then she'll have a chance to be a national qualifier and potentially be an All-American depending on how she builds upon her latest results.

As for Gabija Galvydyte, this Oklahoma State Cowgirl is probably one of the more underrated middle distance talents in the country. She was consistently great last winter, putting together excellent consistency and promising progression.

Galvydyte ran 2:03 this past winter, but so far this spring, her best collective performance was a 2:04/4:19 (800/1500) weekend double.

It feels like Galvydyte is just one step away from reaching a really exciting tier where she's an All-American favorite rather than All-American contender. She has all of the intangibles that you'd like to see in a nationally competitive middle distance runner, but a 2:02 personal best would do wonders for her All-American campaign this spring.

Luckily, I think this field will be the perfect opportunity for Galvydyte to reach that point.

The top section of the men's 1500 meters is absolutely stacked. Oregon Track Club is fielding three of their marquee milers, Sam Tanner is attempting to solidify himself as an upper-tier pro, Neil Gourley is one of the more underrated names internationally and guys like Izaic Yorks and Sam Prakel are quietly amongst the most consistent milers on the pro scene.

This field has the opportunity to be absurdly fast, something that Notre Dame's Yared Nuguse will likely want to take advantage of.

The Fighting Irish superstar and 2021 Olympian has run 3:34 for 1500 meters, a time that he posted entirely by himself at the 2021 ACC Outdoor Championships in the prelims. At the time, that was a collegiate record.

Nuguse also ran 7:38 for 3000 meters this past winter, barely breaking the collegiate record in the process.

However, one of those records no longer remains with Nuguse. That's because Alabama's Eliud Kipsang obliterated that record (relatively speaking) by almost a full second, running 3:33.74 back in April.

Nuguse could have gone anywhere this weekend and soloed a regional qualifying mark in the 1500 meters. He could have gotten that out of the way and he would have been able to shift his sights to the postseason.

However, in a field as loaded as this, it's clear that the Notre Dame star, as well as his coach Sean Carlson, have intentions of bringing Nuguse's 1500 meter collegiate record back to South Bend, Indiana.

At this point in Nuguse's career, we have to think that he at least has a shot of doing so. His prior 1500 meter record and his most recent 3k record were all run in essentially solo efforts. In this field, Nuguse will not be alone and will absolutely have someone to chase.

Do I think he can break the record? Yes, I absolutely think he's capable of doing so.

Still, this is his first outdoor track race of this spring season and for as great as Nuguse is, trying to run faster than 3:33.74 is an absurdly big ask.

Everything will need to go boarderline perfectly for Nuguse in order to run that kind of time. And frankly, I'm not even sure how many of the pro runners in this field are going to be running that fast.

Nuguse is the obvious collegiate favorite in this section, but I don't think that Washington's Brian Fay is going to be that far behind him.

Fay has been on absolute fire as of late. Few men in the NCAA boast the scoring potency and the firepower that he has. He can succeed in all-out time-trial affairs, he can sit-and-kick and he can do everything in between.

After a monster 13:16 personal best for 5000 meters over Morgan Beadlescomb in a thrilling kick at Bryan Clay, the momentum that Fay has right now is scary to think about. This Washington star ran 3:55 in the mile this past winter and then split 3:52 on the anchor leg of the Huskies DMR...and unbelievably, he might be even better now than he was back then.

Fay has much more leg speed and turnover than some may think a 5k specialist like him has. I could very easily see Fay running 3:35 for 1500 meters on Friday. On the surface, that seems like an aggressive estimate, but all things considered, I think that's entirely reasonable.

The other collegiate in this field, Washington's Kieran Lumb, is one of the most dynamic and explosiveness runners in the NCAA when he's healthy and at 100%. He was a true star during his time in the NAIA with the UBC Thunderbirds and he validated his talent with a 3:55 mile mark during the indoor track season.

However, an injury ultimately sidelined Lumb for the rest of the winter months, although he eventually rallied to run 28:25 for 10,000 meters back in March. Then, a few weeks later, he ran a one-second personal best of 13:23 for 5000 meters.

If Lumb was able to run personal bests fresh off a season of injury, then imagine what he can do with a few more weeks of stacked mileage and training under his belt.

I'm a huge Lumb fan. There aren't many collegiates who have been able to run with as much control over their fitness as he has. His range is outstanding and his tactics are brilliant. I'm admittedly not quite sure what to expect from him in this 1500 meter race, mainly because he's been contesting the longer distances as of late, but I think a 3:37 seems realistic for him.

Five collegiates are entered in this section and while they may not have quite the same resumes as Nuguse, Fay or Lumb, this small collegiate contingent is loaded with some incredibly impressive talents.

Let's begin with Northern Arizona's George Kusche who is beginning to pick up some serious momentum this spring after an underwhelming indoor track season.

The graduate transfer from Nebraska is an all-around star, posting nationally competitive times in everything from the 800 meters to the 5k and even earning cross country All-American honors over 10,000 meters.

Kusche ran 13:28 for 5000 meters on the indoor oval back in December, but then faltered a bit throughout the rest of the winter months, failing to crack the four minute mile barrier in multiple attempts. His spring opener at Arizona State also left us with something to be desired.

But then Kusche ran 13:39 for 5000 meters to win his section at the Stanford Invite.

At Bryan Clay, he then blasted a 3:37 mark for 1500 meters almost out of nowhere, suddenly reaffirming his status as one of the most lethal metric milers in the country. He later cruised to a 13:42 (5k) mark while running alongside many of his NAU teammates that same weekend.

Kusche is a hard name to figure out when looking at his entire 2022 resume. However, the fact of the matter is that he's a totally different runner now than the runner we saw between January and March. Kusche is clearly firing on all cylinders and this field, on paper, feels like the optimal level of competition for this NAU graduate student.

While men like Waleed Suliman (Brooks) and Tom Elmer (On) are certainly formidable opponents, the rest of this field isn't overwhelmingly stacked at the top of the entries. And yet, at the same time, this field is still deep enough where Kusche will be pushed throughout the entirety of the race.

I admittedly don't know how much faster than 3:37 I see Kusche running, but anything under 3:40 will be considered a win for someone who is trying to build consistency after an indoor season that was lacking exactly that.

Moving down the entries, we come to Pepperdine's Karl Winter who is...running unattached?

Now, you're probably saying to yourself right now, "He's probably just redshirting this season," or "He may not have any eligibility left," but neither of those assumptions are likely accurate. Winter has already competed multiple times this spring, running under Pepperdine's name in each occasion.

Regardless of the reason for his unattached status, I still really like this opportunity for Winter. He's been a consistently great miler for years now. He has quietly improved throughout each season and this spring, his talent has begun to translate to areas outside of the mile/1500 meters.

Yes, he did run 4:02 in the mile and 3:39 for 1500 meters earlier this season, but Winter also ran 13:46 in his third-ever completed collegiate 5k race on the track. That was a 13-second improvement on his 13:57 mark which he also ran earlier this season.

There are a lot of subtle signs suggesting that Winter is in sneaky-good shape. His endurance is the best it has ever been and his 1500/mile performances continue to get better every few weeks.

He may not make the biggest splash this weekend, but a 3:38 mark could put us in a position where we are talking about Winter as a legitimate factor in the postseason.

And then for the Washington men.

The Huskies aren't just fielding Fay and Lumb in the fastest section. They are also fielding Luke Houser, Joe Waskom and Nathan Green in section two.

Along with Ryan Schoppe, I am convinced that Luke Houser is going to be the face of the NCAA in a few years. This guy has been so incredible over the past year and he's still super young.

This past winter, Houser ran 7:52 for 3000 meters and cut his mile time down from 4:00 (entering the season) to 3:57 to 3:56. He won his 5k section at the Raleigh Relays in a time of 13:48 and later went on to run a jaw-dropping mark of 3:37 for 1500 meters at Bryan Clay.

Houser is on a major hot streak right now, something that is evidenced by his ongoing improvements in the 1500 meters and the mile. He seems to fare well in elite fields and is able to take advantage of fast paces.

Much like Kusche, I do wonder how much faster than 3:37 we'll see out of Houser on Friday. He's an incredible talent and I like him to be an All-American this spring, but I think he would have fared better in the faster heat.

But then again, you could say that about anyone.

As for teammate Joe Waskom, he has been another name who has really come on strong since the latter-half of the indoor track season. He entered the winter months with a 4:04 mile personal best, but then he dropped his PR down to 3:59 and then later, 3:56.

With an 8:35 steeplechase PR, Waskom's overall value as a track scorer is incredible. He is clearly a dynamic talent who can produce elite personal bests that make him nationally competitive.

Waskom paced the 1500 meters at Bryan Clay, but now it will be his turn to deliver a huge personal best. His last few races (both in the steeplechase) have admittedly not been amazing, but this Washington runner is (roughly) on the same tier as Houser.

I would expect a 3:38 or 3:37 mark for the Husky standout come Friday.

And then we come to the rookie Nathan Green.

The Idaho native was a star miler in high school and has since built upon his fitness since venturing to Seattle, Washington. Green ran 3:39 for 1500 meters at Bryan Clay and that was a two-second PR from his 3:41 mark that he ran at the Raleigh Relays.

The Husky freshman clearly has promising momentum right now and when you combine that with the potential upside that comes with most youngsters, Green could be primed for a monster breakout race on Friday.

And while I would usually hesitate to project underclassmen to run well in these fields due to their inexperience, we have to remind ourselves that Green currently runs with four men who have mile personal bests of 3:56 or faster.

If any rookie knows how to handle elite competition, it's Nathan Green.

There are a handful of top collegiates in this field who could make some noise. Washington is fielding Sam Affolder and Isaac Green while Northern Arizona is fielding Theo Quax.

California Baptist has entered three different men, including Giedrius Valincius who has run 3:42 for 1500 meters this spring.

Green and Affolder are key names to watch. Green is so much better than people realize as he occasionally gets overshadowed by his teammates. Remember, this is someone who has run 7:49 (3k) and 13:27 (5k), the former mark coming this past winter.

Green is due for a new 1500 meter PR. I could absolutely see him running 3:38 or 3:39 on Friday night. He ran 4:00 in the mile this past winter, but given his overall strength, I feel confident that he's due for a big-time PR, even if the 1500 meters isn't his marquee distance.

And if you question whether or not Green is anywhere near his former peak fitness, then just know that he was the top D1 collegiate in the Raleigh Relays 5k where he ran 13:40. He later went to Bryan Clay where he ran 13:29 for the same distance.

Green's postseason success from last year wasn't a fluke. This guy is the real deal and he might be the most underappreciated distance talent on the west coast right now.

Moving to Affolder, he is a name who we've been waiting to see for a while, but it looks like he's beginning to piece together a full year of consistency. This past winter, he ran 7:55 (3k) and 4:03 (mile), although his steeplechase performances this spring, recently running an 8:43 personal best, suggest that he may have more in him.

Admittedly, there are more signs for a 3:39 mark out of Green than there are for Affolder, at least based on their current resumes. Even so, a 3:40 mark or 3:41 mark isn't out of the question for Affolder who is sneaky versatile.

And for Theo Quax? Well, this could ultimately be a career-defining race that puts him back into the star-caliber tier that he was reaching as a redshirt freshman.

After injuries, the pandemic and setbacks plagued Quax, who ran 3:39 (1500) and 3:58 (mile) as a redshirt freshman, I was admittedly wondering if we would ever see that same version of him again.

However, based on his results this spring, he very well might.

Quax ran 3:59 in the mile this past winter. Then, he ran a new 5k personal best of 13:41 at the Stanford Invite before running a promising mark of 3:41 for 1500 meters at Bryan Clay.

The signs are there for Quax to do something big. He's beginning to redevelop his range, he's becoming increasingly more consistent and his times are reaching all-time career highs. A sub-3:40 performance on Friday would be the final exclamation point where we can definitively say "He's back."

And honestly, even if he doesn't run under 3:40, I think I'm still ready to say that now.

As for California Baptist, I don't have much to say for a few of these guys, but Giedrius Valincius is on a tear this spring. If you include the 8k at the tail-end of the cross country season, Valincius ran five-straight personal bests in five different events up until his latest 5k effort.

I throw around the word "momentum" a lot when talking about athletes who are on a good streak of performances, but I'm not sure how many collegiates have more momentum than Valincius does.

The only question is...how does that momentum translate to a top-tier time?

There is only one collegiate entered in the fastest section of the women's 5000 meters.

I am, of course, talking about BYU's Courtney Wayment.

What can we say about Wayment that hasn't already been said? She's a true superstar. She runs with incredible poise, has displayed high-level racing IQ, is wildly consistent and is just flat-out fast.

On paper, this loaded 5k field favors Wayment quite a bit. The BYU star is plenty familiar with racing in these elite, pro-laden fields. She has plenty of experience in time-trial settings and the 5k is arguably her best non-steeple event.

It feels like this field was put together just for Wayment.

So what does she run?

Is it safe to assume that she'll break 15:20?

Could she take over Katelyn Tuohy's NCAA lead of 15:14?

How close to the NCAA record of 15:07 could she get?

In my mind, I see Wayment running somewhere along the lines of 15:11. Her recent steeplechase performance paired with her success on the indoor oval tells us that she's in the best shape of her life, and she's only had more time to improve since then.

I don't think anyone would be surprised if Wayment that mark and frankly, it seems appropriate for someone who has already run 15:15 on the indoor oval back in December.

Two collegiates are entered in this field, each with different backgrounds.

Adams State's Roisin Flanagan is exhausting her eligibility this spring, meaning that she is trying to establish the most unbreakable record at the Division Two level.

The Grizzly veteran ran 15:28 for 5000 meters earlier this season, stunning the NCAA as a whole and essentially laying early claim to the D2 national title in the 5k a few weeks from now.

Flanagan hasn't contested any other event or meet since that 15:28 mark and with only a few weeks left in the D2 regular season, I couldn't think of many reasons why she would go after another all-out 5k effort after doing just that a few weeks earlier.

The only conclusion that I could come to is that she simply wants to improve her D2 record even further -- and frankly, I'm all for it. If she breaks the 15:20 barrier, which is an admittedly aggressive goal, then she'll not only go down as one of the greatest D2 runners in NCAA history, she'll go down as one of the better 5k runners, regardless of division, in NCAA history.

And if she did that, then Flanagan would potentially have one of the more untouchable records in the Division Two realm.

Moving to our second collegiate entrant, BYU's Aubrey Frentheway is also in this field.

I admittedly don't really have a good gauge for Frentheway in this race. Her personal best is a solid mark of 15:52 (which she ran back in December). She's posted a few decent marks since then, but hasn't really stood out in any major way.

I do think Frentheway, when she's at her best, is probably better than what her current personal bests suggest. I think on the right day, she's running 15:40s, something that we will hopefully see from her on Friday.

Wow. What a field.

This is going to be a crazy fast race. Professional superstars such as Jakob Ingebrigsten, Edward Cheserek, Drew Hunter, Joe Klecker, Conner Mantz and so many others could make this a legendary race to remember.

Amongst the collegiate entries are three Northern Arizona Lumberjacks who are looking to assert their dominance on the NCAA leaderboard. They are Nico Young, Abdi Nur and Drew Bosley.

Much like Courtney Wayment, this race was made for this trio. This is going to be an all-out time-trial affair that tests aerobic capacity and likely eliminates unnecessary tactics.

And in my opinion, Nico Young is going to have the race of his life.

This scenario probably favors him more than anyone else in this field. His best races have come in these high-profile settings and the 5k is arguably his best event.

The NCAA record is 13:08 for 5000 meters.

Nico Young will break that record.

And if Nico Young doesn't break that record, then Abdi Nur likely will.

Yes, I do realize how bold of a prediction that is and no, I'm not just saying that for the sake of a hot take. I truly believe that it can happen.

Teare and Hocker crushed the indoor mile record last winter.

Nuguse originally ran the 1500 meter record last spring.

Wildschutt was one second off of the indoor 5k record this past winter.

Nuguse ran the 3k record back in February.

Kipsang broke Nuguse's 1500 meter record back in April.

Fay and Beadlescomb ran two of the top-10 fastest 5k times in NCAA history last month.

No record is safe these days and while 13:08 is absurdly fast, I actually think it's one of the more realistic records that could be broken this spring.

As for Drew Bosley, he's probably not going to get the record. However, he's a grind-it-out kind of runner who will thrive in this field. I could see him dipping under 13:20 and if he does, then I have no idea how we're going to construct our rankings moving forward.

We should also mention that NC State's Ian Shanklin is in this race. He's a long-time collegiate veteran who has typically been a fairly reliable name in the longer distances. Shanklin owns a 13:23 personal best which he ran ran at the outdoor national meet last spring.

Admittedly Shanklin's recent performances have left me wondering how he'll fare in this race. He ran 13:45 at the Raleigh Relays and posted a personal best of 3:45 for 1500 meters the other week, but I'm not entirely sure I expected to see him in this field.

Even so, we've seen what happens when Shanklin hangs on to fast fields against elite competition. If he gets in a groove, then he can find himself in the 13:20s once more.

The lone collegiate in this field is California Baptists' Florian LePallec. The 2021 WAC cross country champion has been a promising talent for a few seasons now, but he's beginning to build a quietly strong resume to a higher tier.

He ran 3:44 for 1500 meters earlier this season -- a strong mark for a predominately long distance runner -- and he ran 13:46 for 5000 meters as well.

This 5k field will be strong, but it won't be overwhelming. I think this race should be perfect for someone like LePellec who clearly thrives in competitive fields, but is still looking to reach that next tier. I could very easily see him running 13:37 on Friday and if he does, then I think we have to consider him as an outside contender for a national qualifying spot.