BREAKING: NCAA Mile Champion Olivia Howell Enters Transfer Portal As Graduate Transfer

The Stride Report has recently learned that Illinois’ Olivia Howell has entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. She is expected to hold one year of eligibility across all three seasons of competition.

The Fighting Illini’ distance star has grown to be a marquee name in the NCAA over the last year or two, acting as the face of a budding Illinois women’s cross country program.

This past winter, Howell secured the mile national title at the indoor national meet, pulling off an upset win over Arkansas standout, Lauren Gregory. On that stage, the Illinois veteran ran 4:34 in the mile finals at altitude and owns an overall 4:33 PR in the event.

When looking at her entire resume, Howell owns personal bests of 2:02 (800), 2:46 (1k), 4:09 (1500), 4:33 (mile) and 16:12 (5k). Including her national title victory, the long-time distance ace has emerged as a three-time All-American on the track.

Not only that, but Howell has proven to be a valuable talent on the grass as well.

In the fall of 2022, Howell was victorious at both the John McNichols Invite and the Gans Creek Classic before placing 3rd overall at Bradley Pink Classic. After a slight “off” day at the BIG 10 XC Championships (where she placed 23rd), Howell secured the Midwest regional title before faltering on the national stage.

Her best-ever finish at the NCAA XC Championships came in the winter of 2021 when she placed 139th overall.

The Ohio native will likely be viewed as one of the more valuable one-year graduate transfers in the NCAA this summer. Between her raw firepower in the middle distance events, usually-brilliant tactics and partially untapped cross country potential, Howell could be a key piece for a team looking to reach a certain milestone over the next year.

However, it admittedly feels like a challenge trying to figure out which team(s) would be a good fit for Howell as she looks to venture elsewhere.

The Ohio State women could be a decent spot for Howell for a variety of reasons. Coach Sara Mason Vergote has developed nationally competitive milers before. The Buckeyes return most of their top women from a strong 2022 cross country lineup, they're a BIG 10 midwest program and Howell is an Ohio native.

Strictly on paper, that pairing would make sense.

But if Howell is looking to reach a program that is sitting in a higher tier, than a midwest powerhouse like Notre Dame could be a strong spot for this soon-to-be former Illinois runner. The Fighting Irish have had extensive success with women of her caliber before and they could use assistance filling the scoring void left behind by the now-graduated Katie Thronson.

Other friendly suggestions from TSR include Michigan, Tennessee and Arkansas.