First Thoughts: Nico Young Runs 3:48 Converted Mile, Tinoda Matsatsa Earns NCAA 1k Record, Melissa Riggins Secures Statement Win

I remember when these Friday analysis pieces used to be thin and easy to write.

That, however, is no longer the case in today's NCAA.

Last night was an absolute thrill with a handful of shockingly impressive performances popping up on our many tabs of live results. And don't worry, we'll be sure to cover all of Saturday's action tomorrow...

So there I am, sitting on my couch watching Netflix (The Blacklist, great show by the way) and perusing through the many tabs of live results that I have up on my laptop. And as I'm checking for updates, I thought, "Oh, NAU is having a home meet. I wonder if we'll get any fast converted times out of that?"

And just as I pulled up those results, Nico Young was toeing the line for the mile.

What would happen next is something that, truthfully, I didn't think I would be alive to witness: Nico Young ran 3:57 in the mile...at 7000 feet of altitude.

Yes, you read that right.

3:57.

Mile.

7000 feet of altitude.

And the final conversion? A nearly unfathomable 3:48.71 mark.

I wish I could find the words necessary to properly describe the magnitude of this performance. Just last week, BYU's Aidan Troutner became the first miler to run a sub-four minute mile on an indoor track on Utah soil. And at that time, we were blown away by how impressive that performance was (and we still are).

But a 3:57 mile, at altitude that is roughly 2000 feet higher than Provo, is something that many people probably didn't think was possible 20+ years ago (maybe even less time than that). And when you see that Young has a 3:48 mile conversion on the national leaderboard, it almost looks like it's some kind of crazy typo.

I'll just go ahead and say it: This performance may actually be better than Graham Blanks' collegiate 5k record from December.

Forget about the converted time of 3:48. I'm sure that conversion will spark plenty of arguing. Let's just focus on the fact that Nico Young ran 3:57 in the mile at 7000 feet. It's one thing that he ran under four minutes, but to do by such a massive margin is what really allows this performance to stand out.

If I had told you directly after the cross country season that Young would have that kind of performance and Blanks would set a new collegiate record over 5000 meters in 13:03, which of those two scenarios would you have said was more realistic?

Maybe it's recency bias (it's definitely recency bias), but I think I would have said that Blanks had a better shot of doing that than what Young just did on Friday night. Sure, it's easy to get caught up in the hype of a performance that is still so fresh, but I don't think that this potentially hot take would be considered a stretch...right?

So what does this all mean?

For years now, I have said that Nico Young is one of the most naturally gifted aerobic-centric distance talents in the NCAA (here is just one example of many). His endurance-based strength is so absurd and it has been for quite some time. He has historically thrived in fast time-trial settings and he has always been outstanding at altitude.

Although the mile is classified as a middle distance event, contesting that race at 7000 feet makes it a test of someone's stamina and aerobic capacity. Speed and turnover, while certainly important, don't play as much of role as pure strength does in that setting.

And given Young's skillset, he was bound to run something fast on Friday night...I just didn't think it would be that fast.

Admittedly, when it comes to fast altitude mile conversions from pure long distance guys, I don't usually see an alignment between those results and the nuances of championship racing. Those performances show tremendous fitness, but tactics and in-race execution on the national stage are arguably just as important -- maybe even more so.

Over the last couple of years, I have been a bit critical of Young. I have continued to praise his elite raw fitness, although his need for greater finishing speed and tactical execution has kept him from winning a national title at least once or twice.

All of that remains true, even after Friday's performance.

But Young's latest mile effort was so beyond impressive that I can't help but feel a little more confident about the potential damage that he could inflict on the national stage this year. Because when you pair his 3:48 mile conversion with a statement 7:37 (3k) win from December -- where he showcased a tremendous kick -- I'm left with the realization that I don't think I've ever seen a pair of performances that impressive this early on during an indoor track season.

Lost in all of the madness of Young's stunning mile race were the efforts of Colin Sahlman and Theo Quax. That duo each ran 4:03 mile times. After conversions, they both sit at NCAA #2 and NCAA #3 on the current national leaderboard with a pair of 3:54 conversions.

Seeing Sahlman and Quax find success in the mile at altitude isn't necessarily a shock, although their conversions were better than I was expecting them to be. Regardless, their races require some significant attention as well.

For Sahlman, this is yet another massive step in the right direction. That kind of performance suggests that he has taken the leap from being consistently competitive to a true national-caliber standout. I do, however, need to see one or two more races from him and Quax before I more firmly put them in the "All-American favorites" tier.

But frankly, I would *maybe* argue that Sahlman and Quax are better suited for the 3k. The aerobic strength needed to run 4:03 at 7000 feet of altitude is substantial. And in theory, that should translate to a big-time 3k effort...right?

Also, Kang Nyoak ran 4:06 in this race to receive a 3:57 mile conversion...and he's only just getting mentioned now. How wild is that?

The story of the weekend will almost certainly be Nico Young running 3:57 in the mile at 7000 feet of altitude. But a performance that should not be overlooked is fellow NAU teammate, Maggi Congdon, running 4:40 in the women's mile!

That kind of time is insanely impressive in its own right. And as such, it receives a 4:30 conversion for altitude, just enough to take the top mile spot from Carley Thomas on the national leaderboard.

Congdon has been a rising distance talent for the last year. She ran 4:38 in the mile last winter and became an impact name on the grass this past fall, placing 16th at the Virginia Invite, 47th at the Nuttycombe Invite and 60th at the NCAA XC Championships.

With proven mile chops and newfound endurance-centric capabilities, it only makes sense that this rapidly ascending distance star thrived in this kind of setting. Did I expect her to run a time that earned a 4:30 conversion? No, I didn't, but based on her resume and skillset, I can at least understand how it happened.

Congdon has now reached a point where her fitness and talent shouldn't be questioned. She'll most certainly be in the All-American conversation from here on out. Of course, much like I mentioned with Nico Young, Friday night's efforts more reflect Congdon's strength rather than her speed.

Even so, this NAU standout deserves massive respect. She already proved this past fall that she can be a competitive name. And if the track is her speciality (like we think it is), then she could give her future opponents some major challenges.

We also have to recognize that Florida State graduate transfer, Alyson Churchill, produced a 4:44 mile mark in the same race. That, in turn, gave her a 4:34 conversion. And truthfully, I don't have much analysis for that result. A 4:34 mile time seems roughly on par with how Churchill ran this past fall and how she has performed in the past.

That, of course, doesn't mean that it's not an impressive effort. If anything, it should signal that a very quick 3k time could be in Churchill's future.

Here is what I said about the Georgetown's true freshman, Tinoda Matsatsa, in our Hokie Invitational preview for the men's 1000-meter field...

"Matsatsa has the credentials to be a major name in this field. Of course, the 1000 meters is an event that he has sparse experience in and this will likely be one of the quicker races in the NCAA this year for this specific distance.
 
 It's more likely than not that Matsatsa thrives and runs a fast time, but an overall win would likely constitute as an upset -- and an impressive one at that."

Looking back, I was correct in saying that Matsatsa would thrive and run something fast. I was also correct in saying that this was going to be one of the faster 1000-meter races of the entire year, at least collegiately.

Of course, after seeing him run a new collegiate 1k record of 2:18.05, the prior record coming from Yusuf Bizimana last week, maybe it shouldn't have been considered an "upset" that this Hoya rookie took home the overall win.

Even so, it's fair to say that Matsatsa is WAY ahead of schedule in terms of his fitness. There are plenty of former high school stars who take a few semesters to acclimate to the collegiate realm. But even if those first-year talents do instantly thrive, they aren't breaking collegiate records in their third-ever NCAA meet.

On paper, Matsatsa is likely someone who should be running 1:46 low for 800 meters this season. And while I'm more hesitant to suggest that he could run 1:45 this winter, I'm not sure that a time like that is totally out of play for him, either.

But over the next six-ish weeks, the goal for Matsatsa (other than the obvious task of qualifying for the national meet) will be to refine his fitness for tactical races. That isn't quite as important over 800 meters than it is for distances longer than that, but it's very possible that this Georgetown freshman runs a quick mile time and opts to contest that event at the national meet along with a DMR.

Three separate Hoya men who finished behind Matsatsa also had historically great days. The Georgetown trio of Abel Teffra, Matthew Payamps and Parker Stokes each ran 2:19 for 1000 meters (along with unattached athletes such as Matt Wisner and Virginia Tech sophomore, Nick Plant).

Those three men now sit at NCAA #5, NCAA #6 and NCAA #8 on the all-time list for 1000 meters, respectively. That gives the Hoyas half of the top-eight spots on the official NCAA all-time 1k list! That's insane!

Yes, Iowa State's Darius Kipyego did run 2:18 for 1000 meters last night as well, although his mark came on an oversized track and therefore doesn't count towards the all-time list.

I have been waiting for Teffra to have a performance like this for quite some time. I even said in our meet preview that he, along with Camden Gilmore, was due for a breakout race. And after Friday night, I like to think that this qualifies as exactly that.

Payamps, meanwhile, is a true middle distance veteran who looks like he's back in top form after a somewhat rocky 2023. A 2:19 mark for someone of his caliber and experience isn't necessarily a total shock, although it is still plenty impressive.

As for Stokes, let's not forget that this is one of the fastest steeplechasers in NCAA history...and yet, he's also one of the fastest 1k talents in NCAA history as well.

I'm extremely excited to see what Stokes, a predominant long distance runner, can do over the mile or the 3000 meters. That kind of speed could be incredibly lethal when paired with his aerobic strength which he has flexed before.

Viktor Idhammar (Virginia Tech) and Camden Gilmore (Georgetown) were the next two attached collegiates to cross the line, each running 2:20. Although they were a ways off from the top quartet of Hoyas, I'm still encouraged by these results. It's hard to be upset about running 2:20 for 1000 meters.

For someone like Idhammar, that result may give him enough of a spark to put him in the national qualifying conversation for the mile if enough things go his way this season.

Georgetown's success over 1000 meters was not limited to their men. That's because Melissa Riggins also toed the line for that event and ultimately put on quite the show. Despite having to battle a top-tier veteran in Lindsey Butler on her home track, Riggins held off the Virginia Tech star to secure a huge win and a time of 2:40.67.

That performance now sits at NCAA #3 all-time. But truthfully, I'm not necessarily stunned. Riggins was already a talented and competitive middle distance runner throughout the last year. However, she truly made a leap in her fitness when she ran 4:10 for 1500 meters last spring and then put together a brilliant breakout season on the grass.

With Riggins adding upper-echelon endurance to her speedy skillet, it makes sense that this Georgetown star would thrive over 1000 meters -- that event is basically a strength-based 800-meter race.

It will be interesting to see which event(s) Riggins attacks this year. Her improved strength suggests that the mile could be her sweet spot this season, although a 2:40 (1k) effort should theoretically allow her to run 2:01, at the very least, over 800 meters.

Regardless, Riggins is one of the last people who I would want to race right now...at any distance, for that matter.

As for Lindsey Butler, a time of 2:41 for 1000 meters is still phenomenal. That mark now has her tied at NCAA #7 all-time with Duke's Kate Van Buskirk who, funny enough, also ran her 1k mark at this same exact meet back in 2011.

While she didn't secure the win, this is still an incredibly encouraging performance for Butler. The 2022 indoor national champion over 800 meters was strong throughout 2023, but she also wasn't nearly as sharp as she had been the year before.

However, opening up her 2024 indoor track season with an all-time mark of 2:41 (1k) signals that her elite-tier fitness is likely back. Not only that, but she just pushed Melissa Riggins, one of the NCAA's fastest rising stars, to the finish line.

It's still far too early to project where Butler will or will not be in the 800-meter national title and/or All-American conversations come March. But as far as regaining momentum is concerned, this was a massively positive performance for the Hokie veteran.

Throughout the fall months, it seemed fairly clear that NC State veteran, Sam Bush, wasn't quite at the top of her game, working herself back from an injury. She faltered a bit at the Joe Piane Invitational and then recorded a DNF result at the Nuttycombe Invite.

However, slowly but surely, Bush began to peak for the postseason before producing an incredibly clutch top-30 individual All-American performance.

But for as outstanding as that effort was, it still felt like Bush was only at 90% of her prior peak fitness. That suspicion was largely validated at the Boston U. Season Opener when she ran a mark of 9:01 for 3000 meters. That was a great time, and she was still plenty competitive, but it was also clear that Bush was working on her regaining her top form.

Thankfully, Bush continued to make encouraging progress on Friday night. In the mile, the first race of the meet, the Wolfpack ace ran an excellent mark of 4:35 to take home the win. Fellow teammate Grace Hartman wasn't far behind in 4:36.

For this time of year, and given the somewhat limited field that she was racing in, I didn't expect Bush to run quite that fast. In fact, that's an outright PR for her in the event! And in case that wasn't encouraging enough, Bush would toe the line for the women's 1000 meters less than two hours later. Her final result would be a mark of 2:44 for 3rd place, an incredibly impressive time considering what she done two hours earlier that day.

For the most part, the 3000 meters has been Bush's best event. It's a distance where she has beautifully blended her cross country strength with her sneaky-good middle distance prowess.

However, the women's 3k is loaded this year, and asking Bush to run anywhere from 8:52 to 8:55, while doable, is still a big task. But the mile? Qualifying for the national meet in that event, while challenging, could be within her grasp after her Friday night efforts.

If Bush is able to run 4:35 in the mile this early in the season when she's still trying to build back her fitness, then what could she do in late February? I think a 4:32 mile time is a very reasonable goal. And if she does hit that mark, then that should allow her to qualify for the indoor national meet...I think.

As for Grace Hartman, her 4:36 mile effort is right on par with what I thought she could run. She's only in her second year of competition, meaning that there is still plenty of upside that she has yet to tap into. This sophomore standout will almost definitely improve upon her new PR over the next month and a half, but by how much is the question.

During his time in high school, Darius Kipyego was a middle distance star. The half-mile specialist was running absurd times and was viewed as one of the more coveted recruits from the Class of 2021. And when it came time for his commitment, he fittingly chose a middle distance powerhouse in Iowa State.

Through the first couple of years in Ames, Kipyego looked great. He was making encouraging progress and improving upon his times. However, when it came to 2023, a year where we had hoped Kipyego would reach the national stage, he never got there.

In a "What have you done for me lately?" world, this Cyclone standout had simply left us wanting more. Thankfully, Kipyego delivered big-time on Friday night in what was likely the best performance of his career.

The Iowa State ace ran a blistering fast time of 2:18.53 for 1000 meters on his home track, a clear jump in fitness that he hadn't previously shown. That time won't count on the official collegiate all-time list due to Kipyego racing on an oversized track, but that's not the point. The more important development is that his current fitness should allow him to run somewhere in the 1:46 range for 800 meters this winter.

And if he does that, then the Rhode Island native will likely make his first-ever national meet appearance in March.

Kudos to Kipyego. We had critiques and he answered the call brilliantly. Now, he'll need to build on this performance and prove that he can translate that result to a national qualifying effort. Because historically speaking, a 2:18 mark usually puts you in the All-American conversation.