Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
Jan 8, 20223 min
The Stride Report has learned from a trusted source that Oklahoma State will be adding two international middle and long distance running standouts to their roster. Fouad Messaoudi (Morocco) and Hafez Mahadi (Qatar) are expected to enter Stillwater, Oklahoma starting this winter, each with freshman eligibility.
Messaoudi is a standout in the longer distances, owning blistering times of 3:38 (1500) and 13:55 (5k). We should, however, note that Messaoudi has supposedly run 13:46 for 5000 meters, although that is unconfirmed.
Those marks are amongst the best in the NCAA and could immediately put Messaoudi not only in the national qualifying conversation, but also the All-American conversation, specifically in the mile and 1500 meters.
The story is similar for Mahadi who thrives in the middle distances. The newest Cowboy standout owns personal bests of 48 (400) and 1:48 (800). In theory, the latter mark also throws Mahadi into the national qualifying conversation as soon as this winter.
When paired with middle and long distance stars like Isai Rodriguez, Juan Diego Castro, Shea Foster, Ryan Shoppe, Rory Leonard, Alex Maier, Victor Shitsama, Alex Stitt, Joshua English, Ryan Smeeton and a few others, the Cowboys now boast one of the most loaded and lethal distance running contingents in the entire NCAA.
With these new additions, could the Oklahoma State men emerge as a major contender in the DMR this year and beyond? How will someone like Messaoudi impact the Cowboys' varsity lineup on the grass?
It may take some time to answer those questions, but the future looks brighter than it already was for the men in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Separately, Penn State has announced that they have added multiple middle distance standouts to their roster. According to their press release, each new name is expected to join the Nittany Lions starting this winter.
The biggest standout name in this three-person distance group is actually a middle distance talent. Olivier Desmeules hails from Quebec City, Canada, holding an outstanding personal best of 1:48.50 for 800 meters.
Adding Desmeules to this Penn State roster is huge. With middle distance star Domenic Perretta at the tail-end of his eligibility, bringing in another 800 meter stud like Desmeules will allow the Nittany Lions to extend their incredible tradition of middle distance success.
We should note that although Desmeules' personal best sits at 1:48 for 800 meters on the outdoor oval, he has also run 1:49 on an indoor track. With the proper tweaks and adjustments, Penn State may have found someone who could instantly qualify for the indoor national meet come March.
Joining Desmeules in State College, Pennsylvania is Yukichi Ishii, a Japanese middle distance runner who has held his own quite well in the 800 meters. According to the press release, Ishii owns a very respectable personal best of 1:50 for 800 meters as well as a personal best of 3:50 for 1500 meters.
While Ishii may require a bit more development compared to Desmeules, it's clear that the Japanese standout can be a long-term weapon if he makes the proper improvements.
With freshman eligibility, Ishii should be able to team up with Desmeules and the other middle distance talents who are already on this roster. Together, they could rebuild Penn State's past reputation where they were known as "800 U."
Jonah Powell is the last name who we need to mention amongst this group of newcomers.
The transfer from Air Force will return to his home state of Pennsylvania, carrying with him personal bests of 1:54 (800) and 4:15 (1600). Powell was a Pennsylvania state champion in both cross country (2018) and in the mile (indoor 2019) during his time at the high school level.