First Thoughts: Yusuf Bizimana Runs 1:46 (800), Alex Stitt's Breakout Race, Parker Wolfe's 5k Win in Graham Blanks' Return & Oklahoma State Women vs Oregon Women Over 1500 Meters

Yet another weekend of racing has concluded and yes, that means that we have even more analysis to offer you! Admittedly, today's article is going to be far more thin in comparison to yesterday. Even so, we still have plenty to discuss. And if you haven't already, be sure to check out Part One of our "First Thoughts" article by clicking here.

Despite going through most of the indoor track season looking like the indisputable best 800-meter runner in the NCAA, Texas star Yusuf Bizimana shockingly failed to advance out of the prelims at the indoor national meet.

Since then, Bizimana's outdoor track season has been quiet and uneventful. However, the Longhorn veteran did return to his primary distance this past weekend, running 1:46.18 for 800 meters at the Mt. SAC Relays. That time now places him at NCAA #7 this season and further positions him to be a title contender on the national stage.

Did we learn anything new about the British middle distance star? No, truthfully we did not. This is, after all, exactly the kind of performance that we would expect from someone of Bizimana's caliber. Yes, the Texas ace did place 4th overall in that race, but he finished behind three pro runners, each of whom boasting highly impressive accolades.

It would be too reactionary to make any major proclamations about Bizimana after a performance like this. Instead, we'll wait to see how he looks at the BIG 12 Outdoor Championships where he'll be tasked with battling the Iowa State men.

For what feels like years, I have sung Alex Stitt's praises, consistently highlighting his quietly great resume and his potential to one day become a star. And if you don't believe me, I would recommend reading this and reading this.

However, for a while, it looked like Stitt would never truly get over the hump and fully reach his ceiling. He had consistently been great, but there was clearly another tier of talent within him that he had yet to unleash.

That, however, changed this past weekend after the Oklahoma State veteran threw down a fantastic 3:38 PR for 1500 meters at the John McDonnell Invitational. In that race, the Aussie distance standout finished one spot behind superstar teammate Fouad Messaoudi who posted a 3:37 mark just one week removed from running 3:36.

Admittedly, Stitt still needs to prove that he can replicate that kind of performance on a consistent basis. He did, after all, skip the 3:39 range entirely after having never run under 3:40 before. Even so, this is a step in the right direction and if there is any breakout name to bet on in the postseason, it's the guy who has been on that stage before.

As for Messaoudi, this is a great run. Sure, he didn't match his seasonal best of 3:36 or replicate his 3:35 PR, but the Cowboy standout was still able to establish some valuable consistency.

That's important given how discouraging his (very limited) winter campaign was. And when you consider how crowded the men's 1500 meters looks to be nationally, establishing stability when posting super fast times should only benefit the Cowboy standout once he enters the postseason.

I'll admit, I whiffed on what the finishing times would be in the top section of the men's 5k at the Wake Forest Invitational. I thought, after running 3:36 for 1500 meters, that Parker Wolfe would find himself in a fast 5k race and would scare the 13:10 barrier. This field did, after all, feature Harvard's Graham Blanks who was making his return to racing.

Well, Wolfe did win this race, but it was with a far slower time of 13:27. And frankly, it wasn't all that close of a race. Teammate Ethan Strand ran 13:36 as did Furman's Dylan Schubert. And arguably the most fascinating entrant in this race, Harvard's Graham Blanks, settled for a 4th place finish in 13:37.

There isn't a whole lot to say about Wolfe. We know what he's capable of and it seems safe to say that he was just trying to get a decent 5k race under his legs before the second-half of the spring season unfolds. It's a similar story for Ethan Strand who is more of a 1500-meter runner while Dylan Schubert may be at his best in the 10k.

When it comes to Graham Blanks, this performance gives us a good glimpse of what we can expect from this Ivy League superstar in late May and maybe June. The 2023 cross country national champion still has some respectable fitness, but his peak is still a ways out from what he showcased in the fall and the beginning of December.

Could Blanks slowly chip away at his seasonal best and peak for the postseason? Yes, that is absolutely possible. Even so, he isn't going to be favored for an All-American honor this spring (or at least, not right now) and given his limited aerobic base, the 10k is likely not going to be a point of emphasis for him later this season.

At the Oregon Relays, we got to see a very underrated 1500-meter matchup in the top section of the women's race. I am, of course, talking about Oklahoma State's Billah Jepkirui and Gabija Galvydyte battling with Oregon's Silan Ayyilidiz and Maddy Elmore.

However, those results aren't shown on TFRRS at the time of publication, likely due to the use of pacing lights which, if I remember correctly, are impermissible for NCAA Championship qualifying purposes.

Regardless, these were certainly not results that we could simply look past. In a race that was headlined and dominated by Nike pro Karissa Schweizer, it was Oklahoma State's Billah Jepkirui and Gabija Galvydyte each running 4:10 (1500) to emerge as the top collegians. Oregon's Silan Ayyildiz also ran 4:10 while Maddy Elmore ran 4:11.

The Cowgirl duo of Jepkirui and Galvydyte have been excellent this year. Jepkirui can seemingly do no wrong while Galvydyte is showing greater consistency compared to 2023.

The same can be said for Silan Ayyildiz who is making it really challenging to dislike anything that she does. As for Elmore, her 4:11 mark is "fine," but our impression was that she would have run something a bit faster in the 1500 meters this year, especially after kicking off her spring campaign with a 15:15 (5k) PR.