Transfer Market (Part 12)

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The transfer announcements just don't stop, at least not here at The Stride Report! We've got a plethora of new names on the move and some of them are high-caliber distance talents. Here are a few key names who have the potential to impact their new teams in the near future...

Arguably one of the biggest moves of the past few months has come from Harvard mile star Abbe Goldstein. The veteran Crimson runner is headed to New Mexico starting next fall as a graduate transfer. She is expected to have at least one full year of eligibility remaining between all three seasons of competition, according to TFRRS.

The Harvard runner will bring a ton of scoring value to this roster, both on the grass and on the oval. During the 2020 indoor track season, Goldstein had a breakout year, consistently dropping her personal best in the mile all the way down to 4:35. That PR, as well as her ongoing progression, made Goldstein an All-American favorite in the eyes of many TSR writers.

The soon-to-be New Mexico runner also boasts personal bests of 2:09 (800), 4:22 (1500), 9:33 (3k) and 16:28 (5k). However, the continued stoppage of competition from the Ivy League (due to the pandemic) has left Goldstein unable to compete since March 1st of 2020.

Not only is Goldstein is a top-tier miler, but she is a quietly valuable scorer on the cross country course. Despite not competing on the grass in 2019, Goldstein did earn a 6th place finish at the 2018 Ivy League XC Championships and a 77th place finish in the Pre-Nationals White race.

Goldstein will now be entering a New Mexico program that has since seen a change in their typical scoring structure. While the Lobos certainly boast top All-American talents and underrated low-sticks, their depth has dramatically improved and the scoring services of Weini Kelati and Ednah Kurgat are no longer available. While the recent UNM signee may not be a star low-stick in cross country, she will certainly add to the already impressive depth that we saw out of the New Mexico women this past winter.

Joining Goldstein in Albuquerque next fall will be Stefanie Parsons (Edinboro) and fellow Ivy Leaguer Samantha Valentine (Brown). Both of those women will be graduate transfers.

Typically a longer distance program, New Mexico will have the luxury of adding valuable scoring potency in the middle distances with Goldstein, allowing them to stack events like the steeplechase, 3k, 5k and 10k. Goldstein's addition opens up the possibility of a national qualifying DMR for New Mexico, but also gives the Lobos another potential varsity piece for cross country depending on how she develops and who returns to use their extra eligibility.

All around, Goldstein is a top-notch talent who will be massively valuable in a variety of areas when she ventures to New Mexico. With so many proven long distance runners surrounding her, Goldstein could also see significant improvements on her 3k and 5k personal bests.

One of the top D3 distance talents in the entire NCAA will be joining the Minnesota Golden Gophers starting next fall as a graduate transfer. Wilkinson is expected to have a full year of eligibility between all three seasons once he dons the maroon and gold.

When he's healthy and in his prime, Wilkinson is one of the most dangerous distance runners at the D3 level. The Carleton veteran has amassed four All-American honors between cross country and track, showing off a dynamic skillset which covers most distance events.

On the track, he finished 4th in the steeplechase at the 2019 D3 Outdoor National Championships and finished 6th in the 5000 meters at the 2019 D3 Indoor National Championships.

However, one could argue that Wilkinson is at his best when he's racing on the grass. The future Golden Gopher was an All-American at the 2018 NCAA XC Championships when he finished 38th overall and later made a MASSIVE improvement in 2019, finishing runner-up at the cross country national meet.

Despite battling a few injuries throughout his career, Wilkinson has still been able to post very solid times. His personal best of 8:11 for 3000 meters current sits at NCAA #9 all-time in the D3 record books. He has also earned personal bests of 2:29 (1k), 4:08 (mile), 14:22 (5k) and 9:06 (steeplechase).

Admittedly, Wilkinson's times don't exactly make him a top-tier name at the D1 level. Even so, his value in cross country is special and we have good reason to believe that 2019 D3 cross country runner-up could be a top-finisher in a conference like the BIG 10.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers have a few respectable distance talents and we saw a handful of names post top times this past winter. Minnesota veteran Alec Basten, for instance, just ran 7:52 (3k) and 13:32 (5k) back in March to earn two All-American honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

However, it's unclear which of these current Minnesota runners will return next fall despite having extra eligibility. Recent 4:03 miler Jordan MacIntosh is already heading to Portland State while others may choose to end their athletic careers. The University of Minnesota did, after all, make the decision to cut their men's indoor track program earlier this year. That decision will go into affect at the end of the 2020-2021 academic calendar.

Even so, Wilkinson is a vital distance piece who can be a top finisher for the Golden Gophers. Much like eventual Rutgers graduate transfer Kaitlyn Mooney, another D3 standout, a conference like the BIG 10 could help Wilkinson reach his true ceiling, potentially as a D1 national qualifier.

We're not always sure how these cross divisional moves will go, but Wilkinson heading to the BIG 10 certainly feels like a great move, at least on paper.

Former Boise State Bronco and current Colorado Buffalo is making one more change, this time to the University of Utah as a graduate transfer where she is expected to have numerous seasons of eligibility across all three seasons of competition.

Venters was a top-tier distance talent during her time at Boise State. She earned All-American honors in cross country and ran personal bests of 9:08 (3k) and 15:45 (5k). All of that was accomplished as a sophomore.

However, since transferring to Colorado, Venters has consistency struggled with injuries, something that she detailed in a piece for The Stride Report back in July of 2020. In that article, Venters explained how challenges with her body image and under-fueling contributed to her injuries.

Now, with graduate school on the horizon, Venters will have a chance to join a promising Utah program which also add other transfers like Lauren Peterson (Furman), Hannah Butler (Brown) and Keelah Barger (Arizona).

The Utes look primed to be a quietly deep team next fall and if Venters can return as a potential scorer, then the women in scarlet and white could end up being fairly competitive. Of course, that also depends on how other young women on this team develop and it also depends on whether or not certain top-tier names like Poppy Tank and Bella Williams return to use their extended eligibility.

Regardless, Venters has a chance to finish out her collegiate career with a team that is at an odd point in its roster lifecycle. The future Utah runner could emerge as a valuable scorer, even if she doesn't her reach her All-American peak, and potentially help the Utes return to the national stage.

The Stride Report has confirmed that Dartmouth middle distance standout Tim Zepf will be finishing his eligibility as a graduate transfer starting next fall. Zepf is expected to have a full year of eligibility remaining between indoor track and outdoor track.

Zepf is an accomplished middle distance talent in the 800 meters. He owns a personal best of 1:49.32 for the distance. Not only that, but he was the 2020 Ivy League indoor champion in the 800 meters, taking down future Notre Dame graduate student and Jackson Storey in the process (who finished runner-up in that race).

Like most Ivy League athletes, Zepf hasn't raced since the 2020 indoor track season as the conference has opted halt collegiate competition due to the pandemic. Luckily, this has given the sub-1:50 runner an opportunity to join a Notre Dame group that is rapidly becoming one of the best half-mile programs in the nation.

With the addition of Zepf, the Fighting Irish will have five different men on their roster who have run under 1:50 for 800 meters (Voelz, Storey, Nuguse, Renfree, Zepf). Having guys like Voelz and Storey could end up being incredibly beneficial for the soon-to-be Notre Dame talent. Zepf has been beyond consistent at the 800 meter distance and has also run 1:49 on three separate occasions.

However, training with 1:47 man and All-American ace Sam Voelz, as well as a slew of sub-1:50 guys, could bring Zepf to that next level and give his resume a spark to match his consistency. We've seen how well Voelz has progressed as a half-mile talent and the same could be done for Zepf once he ventures to South Bend, Indiana.

The Stride Report has confirmed that Ball State runner Cayla Eckenroth will be finishing her eligibility at Southern Methodist University next year as a graduate transfer. The current Mid-American Conference runner is expected to have a full year of eligibility across all three seasons of competition.

While Eckenroth may not be a top-tier All-American or national qualifier, the eventual SMU runner will bring promising scoring value to the Mustangs on the cross country course. The current Ball State veteran earned a strong 11th place finish at the Mid-American Conference XC Championships this past fall -- a respectable finish in a conference that is a bit underrated in terms of overall talent.

With a personal best of 17:33 for 5000 meters, Eckenroth will join a Southern Methodist team that could use another scoring piece. Despite a few unexciting results as of late, we've seen the Mustangs put together respectable cross country lineups in past seasons. They were also responsible for developing multi-time national qualifier Hannah Miller (who is now at New Mexico).

A new program in a similarly-competitive conference for a runner like Eckenroth (who has made incremental progress as of late) seems like a good fit for both of the parties involved.

Portland State has announced that Brown University runner Dominic Moragenti will be transitioning into the program as a graduate transfer. The future PSU Viking is expected to have a full year of eligibility once he joins the program.

Despite not having jaw-dropping times or top-end cross country finishes, Moragenti has proven to be a respectable and valuable scorer for the Brown University Bears. He owns personal bests of 14:38 (5k) and 29:41 (10k XC).

The future Portland State runner may be at his best when he toes the line on the grass, finishing 33rd overall at the 2019 Northeast Regional Championships (which were run on the roads). That meet was also responsible for Moragenti's 10k personal best mentioned above.

The Portland State men have been very active when it comes to recruiting distance talents, both from the transfer portal and from the high school realm (specifically in 2019). The Vikings, for instance, recently earned a commitment from Minnesota veteran and 4:03 miler Jordan MacIntosh to join their program as a graduate transfer starting next fall.

The ongoing recruiting efforts that we've seen from Portland State will surely benefit the Vikings as they have since landed two distance veterans who should give PSU a boost on the cross country course. MacIntosh was the 20th place finish at the BIG 10 XC Championships this past winter and could team up with Moragenti to give the Vikings some scoring stability at the front of their varsity lineup.

Doing so could allow the Portland State men to jump past conference rivals like Montana State and Weber State, two teams that they lost to at the BIG Sky XC Championships back in late February.

The Oregon native is returning home as a graduate student after spending four years with the Colorado Buffaloes. The future Portland State runner is expected to have at least one season of eligibility with the Vikings between indoor track and cross country. According to TFRRS, she will no longer have outdoor track eligibility after this spring.

Brooks was a talented high school distance runner while attending Summit High School in Bend, Oregon. The 2017 high school graduate earned personal bests of 2:13 (800), 4:28 (1500), 4:51 (mile), 9:50 (3k) and 17:43 (5k XC) -- times that were amongst some of the best in the nation. She was also a two-time NXN qualifier.

However, since joining the Buffaloes, Brooks has been the unfortunate recipient of numerous injuries, forcing her to be sidelined for multiple seasons. In fact, this past winter cross country season was the first time she competed on the grass in a Colorado singlet.

Despite the challenges, Brooks did post encouraging finishes on the grass. She finished 9th in the non-varsity race at the Battle Born XC Challenge and finished 19th in Gold race (non-varsity) at the FSU Winter XC Classic. For her first collegiate cross country season after dealing with a string of injuries, those are respectable results.

Brooks will now venture to Portland State where she can hopefully stay healthy and continue to build on the promising momentum now in front of her. The Viking women finished 6th at the BIG Sky XC Championships this past winter. Despite having three women scoring under 30 points at that meet, their backend needed some help.

Depending on who returns to this program, Brooks could absolutely step in and become a key scorer for the Vikings at their conference meet. Doing so would potentially allow Portland State to leap-frog a few teams in the standings and earn a finish in the upper-tier of the conference.