Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
Feb 13, 202117 min
When it comes to weekend action on the indoor oval, most of the top results typically come on Saturday. That, however, couldn't be further from the truth given the performances that we saw on Friday night. With some of the fastest and most impressive marks run this season (and in NCAA history) we felt like we had to give Friday it's own recap.
In fact, there were so many high-end performances that we couldn't possibly talk about all of them in this article (well, we could, but for time's sake, let's not do that). Keep an eye out for additional analysis on Sunday.
So with that, let's dive in...
What can I say that would do this race justice? Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker just ran 3:50.39 and 3:50.55, respectively, to shatter the former collegiate mile record of 3:52.01 held by Edward Cheserek. Teammate Charlie Hunter finished 3rd place in a time of 3:53 which would have kept him at NCAA #4 All-Time had Teare and Hocker not run (he now sits at NCAA #6 All-Time).
Does anyone understand what it takes to not just break, but crush, a former collegiate record held by someone who is often considered to be the greatest collegiate distance runner of all time? No, seriously, does anyone understand what that takes? Because I truthfully can't seem to fathom that Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker actually ran that fast on a 200 meter indoor track.
Sure, if they had broken the record by only a little bit, I would be less surprised, but what they just accomplished is something that may not be touched for a very, very long time.
Also, Cole Hocker is 19 years old. He's a sophomore. The insanity behind that fact just makes this performance even more mind-boggling.
At this point, we have to wonder...could these Oregon men consider going pro after this year assuming the opportunities are available? And yes, I'm including Hocker in that conversation. It's an Olympic year and after running that fast, Teare (USA), Hocker (USA) and Hunter (AUS) all have to be in the conversation to qualify for the Olympic Games for their respective countries this summer...right?
Yes, Oregon is great, but how about the Ole Miss men? They've typically been a powerhouse in the 800 meters, but that entire distance contingent just joined the Virginia Tech men as a team that had four (attached) runners go under the four-minute mile barrier in a single race.
The difference, however, is that the Rebels were just flat-out faster.
The Hokies had four attached men run 3:59 in one race -- an incredible achievement that few distance programs have ever accomplished. However, Ole Miss just had Waleed Suliman, Mario Garcia Romo, Everett Smulders and Baylor Franklin run 3:55, 3:56, 3:58 and 3:59, respectively, at the Music City Challenge.
If they had run those marks during pretty much any other indoor track season, I have a good feeling that the rest of the NCAA would be losing their minds right now.
Unfortunately (and maybe unfairly) for them, the legendary performances from the Oregon Ducks could potentially overshadow this incredible accomplished. Seeing Virginia Tech have four attached runners dip post marks of 3:59 is super impressive, but Ole Miss just showed off depth and firepower that would be unmatched in (almost) any other year.
Now, truthfully, a lot of these times aren't exactly shocking. Suliman was a proven mile star with a prior personal best of 3:56. Garcia Romo was having a breakout season and his recent 7:48 (3k) performance made it reasonable to think that he could run 3:56. As for Smulders, we already saw him run 3:58 earlier in the season, so that is hardly surprising.
However, Baylor Franklin was the guy who caught my eye. He's been having a huge breakout season in the 800 meters, but other than that, we didn't see anything from him previously which suggested that he would run under the four minute barrier.
His 3:59 is an 11-second improvement based on his TFRRS profile. That's a massive jump for a guy who had never run longer than a mile on the indoor oval. He moved up to his highest distance and still came away with a top mark.
But enough about Ole Miss, let's talk about Davis Bove (LSU) and Cameron Ponder (Furman).
After a few seasons of some encouraging performances, Bove finally cashed-in on his true potential, securing a monster personal best of 3:57. That is a huge time and likely a massive confidence boost for a guy who is far better than some people realize. He has been steadily improving over the past few seasons (including cross country) and finally came out with a result that is indicative of his actual talent.
Sure, this is his first time breaking four minutes in the mile, but that doesn't mean that he hasn't been consistent. There are a ton of guys in the NCAA with a ton of momentum right now, but few are on a better hot streak than Bove.
Oh, and if you're looking for who his equal might be, I would have to guess that it would be Brendan Hebert of Texas. He emulates Bove's overall resume in a lot of the different ways.
Finally, let's chat about Cameron Ponder. The Furman ace can do no wrong after running 3:59 earlier in the season and more recently posting a time of 7:55 for 3000 meters. Yes, he "only" ran 3:59 this past Friday, but we will happily take that consistency.
The Arkansas women have just been at a completely different level this winter. So much so that it just gets exhausting talking about their performances because they just keep dominating.
And truthfully, I'm not sure how else we can describe their level of excellence. They just haven't taken their foot off the gas this season. That remained true in the women's 3k at the Tyson Invitational as the Razorbacks extended their hot streak and showed the peak of their powers in yet another longer distance race.
Katie Izzo and Lauren Gregory have appeared to fully climbed back to their elite levels of fitness, running 8:57 and 8:58, respectively, on Friday night. Those aren't personal bests, but they're awfully close, and when you think back to their 5k/mile performances from last weekend, it's hard to find any other distance runner in the NCAA with the same kind of resume (although we'll talk about the BYU women in a moment).
With top-tier marks in the mile, 3k and 5k, the ultimate question for these two women now becomes, what will they run at the NCAA Championships? The Razorbacks just ran an incredible DMR time of 10:53 without either of these women (which is hard to process in its own right), so the idea that Izzo and Gregory would be stuck with relay duty seems unlikely.
As for the rest of this 3k field, Logan Morris continued to showoff her newfound fitness and consistency with a time of 9:09, essentially matching her personal best from earlier in the year. Abby Gray (9:17) hasn't stopped being great, Gracie Hyde (9:18) continues to make underappreciated improvements and Taylor Ewert (9:26) has earned yet another personal beset during her freshman campaign.
Overall, Arkansas can do no wrong.
I also suppose that we should talk about that aforementioned DMR.
Ya know, the one that just ran 10:53?
Kennedy Thomson continues to be one of the most valuable women's middle distance runners in the nation, Shafiqua Maloney has yet to falter in the 800 meters despite her relative inexperience and Krissy Gear doesn't get enough credit for the dynamic talent that she brings to this roster.
You already knew this, but Arkansas' roster is stacked beyond belief.
It is so hard not to be impressed with Coach Diljeet Taylor. The accomplished leader of these BYU women has continued to build an elite group of distance runners which defines "firepower" and "scoring potency".
With recent reports that Whittni Orton is currently working to remedy some foot pain, the Cougars may need to begin thinking about what their winter cross country lineup will look like if Orton were to sit out for the rest of the season.
Luckily, they may have their answer in Anna Camp.
No, she doesn't have any indoor track eligibility left (and therefore had to run unattached), but Camp just had a monumental breakthrough performance, running 8:52 for 3000 meters and taking home the win at the University of Washington.
A 7th place finish at the Oklahoma State Invitational last fall was solid and a runner-up performance at the Silver State XC Challenge the other week was also encouraging. However, I don't think we expected the middle distance ace, who owns a personal best of 2:03 for 800 meters, throw down an 8:52 for the 15-lap affair. That's an absolutely insane time that would typically put her in the national title conversation during most years (but again, she doesn't have indoor eligibility).
Truthfully, it's hard not to think about what this result means for BYU on the cross country course. Camp has been very good on the grass, but does her running 8:52 (seemingly out of nowhere0 change the dynamic of how we view her in the Cougars' lineup? Is she now one of the 20 best cross country runners in the NCAA?
BYU has more than enough depth on the grass, but the need for additional firepower would likely be welcomed, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Orton. With that in mind, Camp will be a name who we keep an eye on over the next month.
But let's move on to the BYU women who actually ran in their school uniform. I am, of course, talking about Courtney Wayment and Olivia Hoj.
Wayment has been a stud throughout her college career, but it looks like she has entered an entirely new tier this winter. After running a surprise 4:35 mile time earlier in the season, she came back on Friday and threw down an 8:54 personal best. As for teammate Olivia Hoj, she ran a time of 8:56 following her 4:37 mile performance from earlier in the season.
Funny enough, Wayment and Hoj got the best of Washington's Allie Schadler once more in this race. The UW Husky standout ran 8:58, a time that we would typically require immense praise had it not been for the grand success of the BYU women ahead of her.
Overall, Wayment and Hoj have been beyond good.
Wayment feels like a legitimate national title threat in either the mile or 3k this season and Hoj is probably an All-American lock. We'll be eager to see them toe the line for a 5k later this winter as I think that race could actually be the best distance for both of these women, specifically Wayment.
Let's just be honest with each other.
Seeing Conner Mantz run 13:28 for 5000 meters isn't really all that surprising. He previously owned a personal best of 13:29 (granted, it was from the outdoor oval) and had a few performances this year which led us to believe that this time was in his wheelhouse.
It's super impressive, but when you're Conner Mantz, this stuff becomes routine.
We then come to Casey Clinger. In terms of raw talent and potential, a personal best of 13:28 for 5000 meters seemed reasonable for him. Sure, it was definitely on the faster side, but not out of the question.
Still, I'm not sure we were expecting him to run a time like that this winter, especially after coming off of a solid (but quiet) 4th place finish at the Silver State XC Challenge the other week.
And then we come to Brandon Garnica -- the true surprise of this race.
I won't lie, I was worried about Garnica after seeing him have such a poor performance at the Oklahoma State Invitational last fall. Sure, it was only one race, but it was an uncharacteristically bad result for a guy who we thought could be a Top 50 talent on the grass.
Of course, those concerns were quickly cast aside a few weeks ago when Garnica finished 6th at the Silver State XC Challenge. That was a great result, but it still didn't leave us prepared for him to run 13:29 on Friday night. The BYU junior had a promising 2020 indoor track season, running 13:45, but dropping 16 seconds off that time is difficult for almost anyone.
Garnica is beginning to pick up some serious momentum and that's extremely dangerous for any team that has to toe the line against BYU during cross country. His potential emergence as a low-stick could be the main factor that helps the Cougars upset the Lumberjacks yet again at the NCAA XC Championships.
Time will tell, but Garnica could end up being the biggest x-factor in the NCAA this season on both the grass and the track.
BIG 10 fans were treated to an exciting matchup in the women's 5k on Friday night as we saw yet another long distance battle between Michigan State veteran Jenna Magness and rising Michigan star Ericka VanderLende.
In the end, it was Magness getting the best of the Wolverine sophomore, 15:42 to 15:48.
Those are two super fast times that are currently among some of the fastest in the nation so far this season. Not only that, but Magness now has three consecutive performances under her belt where she has proven to be a top All-American-caliber talent. A pair of wins over top competition on the indoor oval, a probable national qualifying time and a 3rd place finish at the BIG 10 XC Championships are hard to ignore.
Magness was a talented distance runner last year, but she was not anything near this level previously. Her recent consistency is a clear sign that she can be an All-American in whichever national meet she pursues in March.
As for VanderLende, one could argue that she was actually the true winner of this race despite not being the first one cross the line.
The Michigan front-runner had an outstanding freshman year, but she was far better on the grass than she was on the track. Seeing her run 15:48 and positioning herself to qualify for Nationals is encouraging for her future on the indoor (and maybe outdoor) oval.
Cross country success doesn't always translate to track success and track success doesn't always relate to cross country success. That, however, seems to less of a concern given VanderLende's newest personal best.
The Miami (Ohio) middle distance standout had our interest. Now he has our attention.
McLear has had multiple instances throughout his collegiate career where he's run 1:48 for 800 meters. He's a strong talent who doesn't get the same attention as the Tory twins due to his one-dimensional nature on the track.
However, McLear is just as good and hasn't had a problem competing against some of the best talents that the NCAA has to offer. Now, he has a top mark of 1:47.47 after competing at Grand Valley State this past weekend. That's a big result, not only from a time perspective, but also because he beat out top D2 talent Dennis Mbuta (2nd) and teammate Sean Torpy (3rd).
With a growing resume and a new personal best that now ranks McLear at NCAA #3 (at the time of publication), it's time to wonder...is McLear is an All-American favorite? At this point, his resume doesn't have many weak points and he is far more consistent than some people realize.
Admittedly, we still don't know if he'll be eligible to compete at the indoor national meet this winter due to a weird rule NCAA ruling and the current status of Miami (Ohio)'s technically nonexistent indoor track team.
Either way, McLear is a key name to watch and his overall resume, not just his performance this past weekend, deserves some national recognition and plenty of respect.
When it comes to their women's distance program, the Ducks truthfully haven't been great as of late. Their 2019 cross country season was underwhelming and their 2020 indoor track season didn't have the same spark that we were used to seeing (although it wasn't necessarily bad).
Since then, numerous veterans have run out of eligibility and their cross country team looks thin in terms of top scorers. They have a few talented names left on their track roster, but I truthfully didn't expect them to field a DMR that could be nationally competitive.
That, of course, turned out to a bad assumption. The Oregon women threw down a time of 10:56 in the DMR at the Tyson Invitational this past Friday, losing only to Arkansas. The Ducks were able to fend off talented lineups from Florida State (10:57), Oklahoma State (10:57) and Florida (11:09) which, on paper, were better suited for this race than Oregon was.
But as the old saying goes, "They don't run races on paper."
Aneta Konieczek had the fastest 1200 meter split in the field with a 3:21, and although the Ducks sacrificed a little bit of time in the middle distance legs, Hannah Reinhardt's 4:34 split was enough to fend off Maudie Skyring's 4:32 split and Taylor Roe's 4:33 split.
We're not sure what they'll do on the grass or in the open distance events later this season, but that was a much better DMR than I was expecting to see from the Oregon women.
Jason Gomez is having himself a massive breakout season with the Iowa State Cyclones. The former D2 runner has turned into someone who we thought was once a potential future national qualifier, to an All-American lock this winter.
At the Iowa State Classic, Gomez teamed up with unattached teammates Festus Lagat and Roshon Roomes to go after an (unofficial) all-time mark in the 1000 meters. Sure enough, he did just that.
Lagat was the overall winner in a time of 2:18, but Gomez was the attached runner, finishing a narrow 2nd place in a time of 2:19.11. Roomes was 3rd in a time of 2:19.13
So just how good is Gomez's mark? Well, if oversized tracks were counted in the all-time record books (which they aren't), then Gomez would currently be listed as third-fastest collegiate ever in the men's 1000 meters. He would bump Penn State middle distance standout Robby Creese to the fourth spot if his time counted.
We should have bought more Jason Gomez stock when he ran 1:47. He's been competitive with his teammates every time he toes the line, which is fairly impressive given how talented guys like Festus Lagat and Roshon Roomes are.
After that 1k performance, throwing down a 1:47 in his season opener and getting the edge on Cole Hocker -- who just ran 3:50 for the mile -- through the first leg of the DMR, we have to start asking: Can Gomez win the men's 800 meter national title this winter?
Takieddine Hedeilli looks incredibly strong, but Gomez has been checking off all of the requirements of being a title contender. Am I ready to fully make that proclamation? No, not quite, but it's far more realistic than some may realize.
Nothing much to talk about here. Auburn's Joyce Kimeli just ran 16:04 to secure a win over Georgia's Jessica Drop who ran 16:07. The times are respectable, but during this weekend, they weren't anything crazy fast. Nice win by Kimeli who took down someone who is/was on a hot streak after her last few performances.
Washington State may have a new national contending talent in Colton Johnsen. The senior had a solid 2020 indoor track season, posting a handful of respectable times in a variety of distance events, but he looks like he has clearly taken a step up in fitness this year.
Running 13:44 for 5000 meters and taking full advantage of a crazy fast field established by the BYU men deserves some credit. He even took down the entire Washington Husky contingent in the process.
Between Johnsen, Zach Stallings and Paul Ryan, the Cougars of Washington State should be encouraged by some of the distance talent that they currently have on their roster.
Also, how about the Washington men? No, they didn't have a singular star steal the show with a fast time, but that depth was impressive. Andrew Jordan, who is listed under Washington in the live results, but is shown as unattached in the TFRRS results, was the lead talent in a time of 13:44. Meanwhile, teammates Isaac Green (13:47), Luke Houser (13:47), Joe Waskom (13:52) and Alex Slenning (13:54) all scored new personal bests.
That's a fairly encouraging sign for Washington and a huge validating result after posting some strong performances at the Silver State XC Challenge the other week.
Unfortunately, this result will get overlooked, but the Wisconsin ace is proving that he is the true top-talent that his recent performances suggested that he could be. On Friday night, Sharp took down a field of BIG 10 competition with relative ease en route to a new personal best of 3:59.
Sharp has always struck me as someone better suited for the 3000 meters and 5000 meters, so I'll be curious to see what else he does in the longer distances this winter. However, given the Badgers' recent BIG 10 performance on the grass, I imagine that his attention will likely be on the NCAA XC Championships come March.
Oregon State has a fair amount of depth in their women's distance group, they've just needed a few low-stick pieces in order to truly standout. Luckily, they have two names in development between Grace Fetherstonhaugh and Kaylee Mitchell. They are both listed in the Iowa State Classic results as sophomores and just ran 16:00 and 16:12, respectively, for 5000 meters. Keep an eye on the Beavers over the next few seasons of competition...
As for the Furman women, the future looks bright, although I think most people who are familiar with their program probably knew that. They had three freshmen -- Madelynne Cadeau, Jonna Strange and Emily Little -- run 16:29, 16:33 and 16:51, respectively, for 5000 meters at the Music City Challenge.
Do those results blow you out of the water? No, not quite, but in addition to that group, Furman has handful of additional rookie talents who could potentially match those results. It may take a year or two, but the Paladins are plenty capable of climbing back up the national ranks.
There's truthfully not much to talk about here, but the Alabama runner posted a solid time at at the Tyson Invitational en route to a new personal best of 7:58 for 3000 meters. His 3:57 mile suggests he can go faster, but a 5k attempt may be next on his schedule.
After running 7:56 for 3000 meters and challenging a top talent in Cam Ponder, we saw Georgia Tech's Andrew Kent take home a win in the 5000 meters on Friday night. He ran 13:47 to take a talented field which featured Cole Bullock (13:51) and Kenny Vasbinder (13:57).
Another fast time, a big win and still staying competitive with some of the top names in the NCAA. If you need a sleeper pick for the rest of the season, I would suggest keeping Kent on your radar.
Just like we suggested, the Texas men took home the DMR win at the Tyson Invitational with the exact lineup that we said they were going to field (albeit, in a different order). The Longhorns sent out to their top middle distance talents and were able to run 9:33, taking down home-team Arkansas (9:34) in the process.
With a mark of 9:33 now on the national leaderboard, currently ranked at NCAA #4, I can't help but ask, "Will that time be fast enough to get to the Indoor National Championships?" Typically, I would say that it wouldn't be fast enough, but as we all know, this year is far from normal. With teams potentially focusing on cross country, the Texas men may have done enough to sneak into the indoor national meet in March.
I know we talk about the incredible 800 meter depth of numerous other middle distance programs, but Texas Tech deserves some recognition for what they're doing with their own group of half-milers.
In addition to Takieddine Hedeilli running 1:45, the Red Raiders also had Marco Vilca, Sven Cepus and Owen Likins each run 1:49 on Friday night. That's fairly impressive stuff, especially when you consider that sophomore Alfred Chawonza also ran a converted 1:49 last year.
Texas A&M may get all of the (rightfully deserved) attention, but Texas Tech has a group this winter that could rival what the Aggies have.
As for the top spots in this race, Oklahoma State's Juan Diego Castro took home a relatively unsurprising win in a relatively unsurprising time of 1:48 which essentially matches his personal best. After running 3:57 in the mile last weekend, it's going to be hard for him to surprise us any further.
But how about Butare Rugenerwa? He was a name on our D2 radar, but we weren't expecting him to run 1:48 this season. In a year that is relatively wide-open year for the men's 800 meters, the West Texas A&M ace has now positioned himself as a true D2 national title favorite.
The BIG 10 matchup in the 5k gave us a ton of talented names going head-to-head, including Meyrer (Michigan) facing off with Veatch (Indiana) and Beadlescomb (Michigan State). In the end, it was Meyrer getting a new PR of 13:52 while Veatch settled a few seconds behind in 13:57. Beadlescomb finished 3rd in 14:02.
Meyrer looks solid, but Veatch and Beadlescomb both don't appear to be at 100%. Both of those guys are All-Americans (between XC and track) and it feels like they would have been more competitive in this race, specifically Beadlescomb who could do no wrong last winter.
Even so, Meyer had a great race and simply ran away from a handful of top talents. That deserves plenty of recognition (and respect).
Truthfully, I'm not sure why Colorado State's Eric Hamer opted to go after another fast time in the 5000 meters this past Friday. He just ran a (heavily converted) 13:36 for 5000 meters last weekend, so it's not like he needed a qualifying time.
Nonetheless, the CSU veteran ran 13:37 to validate that his converted time was as real as it gets. He seems like an All-American lock at this point in the season given his consistency in the event and his willingness to make things fast.
And how about Sam Gilman? The rising Air Force star finished runner-up behind Hamer, recording a big time of 13:48. After seeing Gilman post a solid 12th place finish at the loaded Silver State XC Challenge, he jumped onto our radar as someone who could potentially be nationally competitive.
Sure enough, he confirmed those suspicions with a 5k performance that might actually get him into the Indoor National Championships depending on how priorities with cross country unfold amongst other teams.
Either way, both Hamer and Gilman ran well and proved that their recent successes were not flukes. Nice performance as well from Kansas State's Cooper Schroeder who ran 13:57 to finish 3rd overall in this race.