First Thoughts: Weekend Reactions

We'll be updating this article as results flood in! Be sure to check back throughout the day for additional analysis...

Garrett Zatlin

The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks are good. Shocker.

Last Friday night, the ‘Jacks toed the line for an all-out mile effort in “The Dome”. The end results listed Geordie Beamish (4:07.15) taking home the win with Luis Grijalva (4:07.68) and Tyler Day (4:08.22) behind him. Of course, those won’t be the times that we see on the TFRRS leaderboard. After altitude conversions, those times will read 3:58.17 (Beamish), 3:58.69 (Grijalva), and 3:59.21 (Day).

As fast as those times are, these results still shouldn’t be all that surprising. Beamish, Grijalva, and Day have all run converted sub-four minute miles before. After all, Beamish ran a converted 3:57.99 last year before winning the mile national title.

However, these marks are interesting from a national qualifying standpoint. Last year, Sam Ritz’s time of 3:59.36 (which ranked #24 on the TFRRS leaderboard) was the last time to qualify for NCAA’s (after scratches). For Beamish, he is likely going to be a comfortable national qualifier yet again with his 3:58.17. The same can be said for Grijlava who may not even pursue this event at the national meet.

But Tyler Day is right on the line of qualifying. If the mile ends up being as deep as we think it will be this year, then the mile will probably not be an option for him at the National Championships. Of course, Day was almost certainly not going to pursue the mile anyway. Expect him to shift his focus to the 5000 meters in the coming weeks.

Garrett Zatlin

The Hokies of Virginia Tech have developed a reputation of being a very, very strong program when it comes to the middle distance events. Despite the departure of Ben Thomas to Oregon a few years ago, the men and women from Blacksburg have maintained a significant level of success, and that showed this past Friday.

Former Virginia Tech standout, who is now with District Track Club, ventured back south to run on her old track. She took the win in a very respectable 2:46 with new DTC teammate Maddy Knopp taking runner-up.

But close behind Knopp was the Virginia Tech duo of Sarah Edwards and Sarah Freix. The VT seniors finished 3rd and 4th overall, each running a pair of 2:49’s. Those won’t be the fastest 1000 meter times that you see this season (and they aren't even the fastest of the weekend), but the results are extremely encouraging. A DMR with Freix and Edwards leading the charge could be enough to put a VT distance medley relay back into the national meet.

And, more so than anything else, that pair of 2:49’s shows us that these women are fit and could be a serious problem for their ACC rivals in either the 800 meters or mile come championship season.

Garrett Zatlin

Speaking of middle distance excellence, look no further than the Razorback women. Krissy Gear, who transferred from Furman to Arkansas this past winter, won the 800 meters with a time of 2:09. The 1000 meters? That ended with a pair of 2:47’s from Kennedy Thomson and Maddy Reed. The mile was just as good with Viljoen taking home the win a time of 4:37 while superstar teammate Katie Izzo dropped down in distance to the mile where she ran 4:39 for a new PR.

These times are excellent, but they’ll likely get lost in the sea of results from this weekend. That, however, shouldn’t overshadow the fact that Arkansas now has options...a lot of them. With Thomson and Reed showing so much speed, and Gear looking like a reliable 800 meter option, Arkansas could potentially assemble a DMR lineup that includes either just Viljoen or just Gregory. They may not need both in order to stay competitive or be in the hunt for an All-American spot.

Depth was a bit of a question mark for this team during the fall, but they have since built up the rest of their roster in the middle distances and it’s beginning to yield results...very good results.

Garrett Zatlin

Washington senior Mick Stanovsek has been the face of the program ever since he walked through the door. His incredible consistency in the mile and 1500 meter distances, along with clutch DMR performances and outstanding tactical abilities, has made him a marquee name in the NCAA.

That's why it came as no surprise to see Stanvosek finish as the top collegiate at the UW Preview in the mile, en route to a mark of 3:59.57. Close behind him was the Stanford duo of Thomas Ratcliffe and Alex Ostberg who both very nearly knocked down the four minute barrier with pair of 4:00's.

As exciting as it is to see a time of 3:59 in the middle of January, it's also worth noting that Stanovsek's time likely won't be good enough to get him into the national meet. This was certainly not going to be the last time we saw Stanvosek pursue a fast mile time this season, but he'll have to shift his attention to one or two other meets in order to get himself a spot to Nationals.

Maura Beattie

At the Simmons-Harvey Invitational in Ann Arbor, the Michigan and Michigan State women duked it out in the distance events.

In the mile, Michigan’s Meg Darmofal trailed the leaders through 1000 meters, but then she made the pass and did not look back. Darmofal ran two 34 second splits in back-to-back laps and then brought it home in 33 seconds to pick up the win over Michigan State ace Annie Fuller. Darmofal finished in 4:46 compared to Fuller’s 4:48.

Fuller is a potential All-American this season, but Darmofal is showing some exciting promise and versatility after a 2:08 performance from her last weekend.

Since Michigan got the win in the mile, it was only fair that Michigan State got the win in the 3000 meters. Jeralyn Poe of Michigan State got a decisive win over Michigan freshman Ericka VanderLende. The two cross country front-runners rubbed elbows through 2600 meters until Poe picked up the pace. Her 9:19 win was eight seconds faster than her PR.

VanderLende’s 9:28 is still a great time, and could have won a heavy number of meets this weekend, but it just wasn’t enough to keep up with her B1G 10 rival. There are still plenty of weeks left for VanderLende to cut down that time, but we're now starting to get a greater understanding of her prowess on the indoor oval after seeing her run 4:49 in the mile last weekend.

Maura Beattie

Campbell’s Athanas Kioko competed in a smaller meet at a university known more so for their sprint and field success (South Carolina). Kioko toed the line for the mile and ran 4:10, winning by about seven seconds. Almost seven hours later, he placed 2nd in the 3000 meters in 8:06 (finishing as the top collegiate) and was about 22 seconds ahead of the next collegiate athlete.

Now, I know that these aren’t exactly eye-popping times, but they are worth noting from a development standpoint. I highly doubt that Kioko will drop down to the mile or 3000 meters later in the season seeing that he has already run 13:48 in the 5k.

However, it's important to see that he's attempting to develop his speed, racing tactics, and ability to double. That 8:06 off the double is pretty impressive and it tells us that he could post a sub-eight minute mark later in the season.

Garrett Zatlin

An unexciting cross country season forced us to temper our expectations for Washington freshman Sam Tanner, but the young superstar just proved that he's worth the hype. He ran 2:21 in the 1000 meters to hold off a slew of Oregon elites. In a field full of pro's and top-tier collegiates, Tanner was the only one able to break the 2:22 barrier.

We should also note that the 2nd place was Cooper Teare who finished in a time of 2:22. For someone who is typically considered to be a long distance guy, this is a huge result. That kind of speed can turn out to be lethal on the championship stage where finishing kicks can determine your overall success.

More so, how about Oregon’s depth? The Ducks had five men finish inside the top 10, all running 2:23.60 or faster, and they did so without their 1:49 800 meter transfer from William & Mary (Miles Owens). For a program that is known for their accomplishments in the longer distances, this was an excellent display of their middle distance prowess.

Garrett Zatlin

After breakout seasons last spring and this past fall, it was no surprise to see Stanford's Jessica Lawson run 4:37 at the UW Preview. A field that was loaded with top-tier professional runners guided Lawson to the new PR. However, much like Stanvosek, that time may not be enough to get her into the national meet. She'll need to pursue a time closer to the 4:35-4:36 mark in order to secure her spot in Albuquerque.

Maura Beattie

The men’s mile may have stolen the show at Vanderbilt, but the 3000 meters was just as entertaining. It was a battle all the way to the line for Michael Coccia of Ole Miss and Andrew Kent of Georgia Tech. Coccia got the win in 8:06.58, but Kent was right behind him in 8:06.63. Both of these men ran personal bests in the event, which resulted in a five second improvement for Coccia and six second improvement for Kent.

If I were a betting woman, I would put money down on both of these men being capable of going sub-eight in the 3k at some point this winter.

The women’s 3k was exciting like the men’s. Although there wasn’t a nail-biting finish, three women went sub-9:30. Georgia Tech’s Nicole Fegans won the race in 9:24, a 10 second PR to add. Fegans beat some quality athletes, including a slew of Florida State women, Furman’s Savannah Carnahan, and others. Maudie Skyring placing 2nd in 9:26, which is a new PR and a solid opener for the FSU ace.

Carnahan’s 9:29 finish today is well off of her 9:11 PR, but for her first race back since a DNF at the Clemson Opener back in December, she should round into shape when it matters most.

Garrett Zatlin

The newest star of the Oregon program is Susan Ejore who was an All-American in the DMR last winter before becoming an All-American on her the following spring in the 800 meters. After an impressive cross country season, Ejore has transitioned back to the middle distance. She just ran 2:45.35 for 1000 meters at the UW Preview which would typically make her the top collegiate in most races.

But this wasn't like most races.

Julia Heymach, one of the forgotten talents on a loaded Stanford roster, reintroduced herself and showed just how dangerous she could be. She barely lost to Ejore, finishing runner-up in a time of 2:45.36. This breakout performance is huge, not only for Heymach, for a Stanford team that can begin to experiment with different lineup pieces for a potential DMR. Between Lawson, Donaghu, Oakes, and a plethora of others, Heymach (potentially) gives the Cardinal coaching staff even more flexibility for what events they will want to focus on in March.

If Heymach can translate her 2:45 1000 meter result to the mile, then she should be able to comfortably run under the 4:40 barrier.

John Cusick

We knew that Waleed Suliman was fast, so it should come as no surprise that he took home the victory at Vanderbilt with a time of 3:57.03. That is an incredibly impressive performance and it should sit at the top of the leaderboard after this weekend.

It's been a pretty good 48 hours for Suliman who recently received his American citizenship.

The other part of this story is Ryan Adams of Furman who finished a very close 2nd to Suliman with a time of 3:57.66. His PR prior to this race? 4:14. That’s a 17 second improvement.

Of course, it's important to keep in mind that Adams has run 3:42 for 1500 meters during the outdoor season, so this isn’t a huge surprise. Still, when someone runs 17 seconds better than their previous best, it says something about where their current fitness is.

Adams was someone who, for whatever reason, wasn't a serious contender on the indoor oval throughout most of his career. We knew that he was great during outdoor track and his breakout cross country season this past fall was super encouraging. Nonetheless, this is the first example of him being a legitimate national contender. He is has quickly jumped into the upper echelon of distance athletes in the NCAA this year.

The next four collegiate finishers of the day were Kyle Mau of Indiana, Kigen Chemadi of Middle Tennessee State, Matthew Schadler of Indiana, and then Jacob Choge of Middle Tennessee State. All four runners just missed breaking the 4:00 barrier.

It was a bit surprising to see Mau, a distance ace who already owns a 3:57 mile PR, not be in the mix with the top names. It will be interesting to see if he pursues this event any further or if he moves to the DMR and 3000 meters.

Mau’s teammate Matthew Schadler just improved upon his PR by nine seconds from just a week ago. He has now thrown his hat into the mix of potential sub-four minute candidates this season and could even be a crucial aspect of their DMR hopes (ideally on the 1200 leg).

Meanwhile, the Blue Raiders of MTSU (Chemadi and Choge) both improved their mile times and are now both on the cusp of breaking that 4:00 barrier. These are strong performances from these two as they are expected to be competing in the longer races at the NCAA meet. Even so, their newfound speed leads us to believe that they can handle the 3k or 5k at Nationals if the race becomes tactical (which it likely will).

Maura Beattie

Carlos Villarreal of Arizona traveled with his teammates to Iowa’s Larry Wieczorek Invite to compete in a deep mile field and the results speak for themselves. Villarreal pulled off his signature move of kicking late and passing on the homestretch. He won the "Premier" section of the mile in Iowa with a time 4:00.64, oh so close to another sub-four.

This performance is actually extremely similar to the time that he ran at this meet last year (when he finished 2nd to Jonathan Davis) in a time of 4:00.36. Villarreal will clearly need to be faster in the future if he's going to qualify for NCAA's, but getting the win with great tactical execution is a nice sign.

After Villarreal, the next three guys were separated by less than one second. Purdue’s Brody Smith knocked six seconds off of his PR, earning a runner-up result. His time of 4:01.92 isn't too surprising after his converted 1:52 800 meter race last weekend. Smith looks to be priming himself for the mile and maybe even the 3000 meters this season.

Iowa State’s Festus Lagat placed 3rd in 4:02.56 and continues to impress, but less than a tenth of second behind him was Jaret Carpenter of Purdue in 4:02.65. Carpenter is more of a 5k athlete and stepping down to the mile has to be out of his comfort zone. That said, he clearly did not show any nerves after running a four second personal best.

We didn’t get to see Wisconsin’s Oliver Hoare race, but we instead got to see Olin Hacker race to a 4th place finish and a time of 4:04.87. His time was slower than his PR, but it is nice to see Hacker back in action after a sub-par finish at the NCAA XC Championships.

Garrett Zatlin

Trinidad State transfer Derek Holdsworth got the win in 1:50.02, edging out Brooks Beasts professional Drew Windle by six-tenths of a second. It's not his fastest time ever, but it shows his incredible ability to race for the win. With this time, he should have no problem qualifying himself for the national meet.

Meanwhile, true freshman Daniel Maton made his debut. While it wasn't anything too exciting, it was a nice showing as he finished 4th overall in a time of 1:51.77. That ended up being the top D1 collegiate time of the meet. His development will be key for Washington's future as they need to find another 800 meter piece to complement Devan Kirk.

Garrett Zatlin

The 3000 meters at the UW Preview were packed with a handful of strong pro talents. However, the big names to watch collegiately were Stanford's Ella Donaghu and Washington's Katie Rainsberger. Donaghu has been one of the biggest breakout stars of the past three seasons while Rainsberger has been known as one of the NCAA's best distance runners in the country.

But Donaghu was the star of the show this time around, throwing down a monstrous time of 8:58 for 3000 meters, finishing 2nd overall. We knew Donaghu was going to be good, but seeing her drop a sub-nine minute mark in the middle of January is outstanding. For perspective, no woman ran under 9:00 last year until February 8th.

With her growing experience and excellent 1500 meter speed from last outdoor season, Donaghu seems to be well equipped to potentially challenge the NCAA elites in March.

As for Rainsberger, she continues to be the definition of reliability and consistency. She ran 9:01 to finish 7th overall and as the second best collegiate of the race. That's a new PR for her by almost exactly one second. A strong overall cross country season with a great season opener has left Rainsberger with plenty of momentum heading into the meat of the season.