Transfer Market (Part 18)

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The Stride Report has confirmed that Bucknell's Karly Forker will be joining the Duke women starting next fall as a graduate transfer. According to TFRRS, Forker is expected to have at least one full year of eligibility remaining across all three seasons of competition.

Forker, a middle distance specialist, joins current teammate and Patriot League standout Ashlyn Ramos as Bucknell talents who will be joining the Blue Devils as graduate students. Forker will actually be pursuing her PhD once she arrives in Durham, North Carolina.

Forker has been a promising talent for a few seasons, but the Bucknell veteran has truly begun to breakout in a notable way this spring. During this outdoor track season, Forker has run 2:10 for 800 meters (a recent three-second PR) and 4:27 for 1500 meters.

However, Forker has also excelled in a few off-distance events. During her sophomore year, Forker ran 2:52 for 1000 meters and recently, at the 2022 Penn Relays, she split 3:29 on the opening leg of her team's DMR which ultimately led to the Bison earning a school record.

Forker is on a hot streak right now. While her current marks won't necessarily allow her to standout in the ultra-deep ACC, her recent progression and upwards trajectory could easily make her one of the more underrated names within the conference by this time next spring.

Not only that, but Forker's recent onslaught of personal bests allows her to be one of the better 800 meter and 1500 meter runners on Duke's roster. At the time of publication, she has the fastest half-mile time amongst all Blue Devils this spring (and this past winter).

The Stride Report has confirmed that Loyola Marymount standout Estanis Ruiz will be transferring to Portland starting next fall. Ruiz is expected to be a standard transfer and according to TFFRS, he is expected to have three seasons of eligibility for cross country, outdoor track and indoor track each.

Coming into this outdoor track season, it was fair to say that Ruiz wasn't a nationally competitive name in the distance events. His personal bests were 3:58 (1500), 8:30 (3k) and 15:00 (5k). Ruiz's best performance on the grass was arguably a 22nd place finish in the Gold section of the Joe Piane Invitational.

However, Ruiz has come out of absolutely nowhere this spring. The Loyola Marymount star has suddenly dropped a tremendous amount of time. His 3:48 mark for 1500 meters is encouraging, but his 8:37 personal best in the 3000 meter steeplechase has put Ruiz in the All-American conversation.

For the most part, Ruiz is still a major unknown, leaving us guessing as to what we should expect from him both this weekend and beyond.

The Portland men, however, will happily secure a high potential talent in Ruiz who fits the steeplechase identity that this roster typically assumes. After all, throughout his 32 years at Portland, Coach Rob Conner has built one of the steeplechase programs in the NCAA.

For perspective, Portland's all-time top-10 marks in the men's steeplechase all sit under 8:50 -- and all of them have come during Conner's reign as the Pilots' coach. At the moment, Ruiz's 8:37 personal best would put him as the third-best steeplechaser in school history, just one second off of the school record which is 8:36.

The upside with Ruiz is monumental. Not only is this someone who can come to Portland and have an instant impact at the national level, but the Pilots will also be able ton capitalize on his numerous years of eligibility as well.

From a value standpoint, Ruiz is one of the best pickups of 2022.

It's still unclear how Ruiz's newfound fitness will translate to the grass or to the indoor oval. However, there seems to be only upside and very little downside when it comes to the Pilots' newest transfer.

The Stride Report has confirmed that Kansas' Teddy Buckley will be transferring to Portland. He is expected to join the Pilots starting next fall. According to TFRRS, Buckley has two seasons of eligibility remaining for outdoor track, three seasons for cross country and potentially up to three seasons of eligibility remaining for indoor track.

Buckley is a name who will likely act as a developmental piece over the next few years after showing scattered promise in a few select races. The Kansas Jayhawk talent has run respectable times of 8:11 (3k), 14:42 (5k) and 9:12 (steeplechase) in his first few years in the NCAA.

On the grass, Buckley's best results are a 35th place finish at the 2020 BIG 12 XC Championships and a 69th place finish at the Midwest XC Regional Championships.

Originally from California, Buckley is heading back west to join a program that has historically done an excellent job with developing overlooked talents. Coach Rob Conner's crew has also had plenty of success with 3000 meter runners, a distance that appears to be Buckley's marquee distance.

There is clearly promise and potential in Buckley who is still fairly young. His numerous years of remaining eligibility should allow him to further develop his talent and potentially find himself as a top-seven runner for Portland at some point down the line.

As for Kansas, they are losing one of their better cross country scorers, leaving the Jayhawks with one less piece to build around a somewhat young squad.

The Stride Report has confirmed that Boise State's Henry Mong will be joining the Portland Pilots next fall as a graduate transfer starting next fall. According to TFRRS, he is expected to have at least one season of eligibility in both outdoor track and cross country, as well as one potential season of eligibility on the indoor oval.

Mong is a very strong and underrated name, but at the same time, he almost acts as the polar opposite to Estanis Ruiz, the other standout Portland transfer.

While Ruiz has a singular home-run PR and tons of upside, Mong has a handful of very strong marks, giving him more experience and a higher floor. In other words, Ruiz has more upside while Mong is more steady and reliable...well, for now that is.

Mong, who previously attended San Francisco before joining the Broncos in 2019, has proven to be an excellent miler who has decent speed, respectable 3k prowess and some cross country success.

In the 1500 meters, Mong is fresh off of a 3:43 personal best at Bryan Clay, leading us to believe that Coach Rob Conner who could develop Mong into a sub-four miler like he has with so many others.

Mong has also run 4:04 in the mile, although a his 4:08 mile that he ran at altitude ultimately converted to a mark of 4:03 -- a time that validates his recent 1500 meter success and affirms the idea that this Boise State veteran is on a hot streak right now.

On the grass, Mong has often acted as a decent support piece at the backend of the Broncos' varsity lineup. He has posted a 26th place finish at the 2019 Mountain West XC Championships and later finished 169th at the NCAA XC Championships to emerge as a scorer.

Mong can do a little bit of everything and has great experience, but he still has a marquee event that he has home-run potential in. He'll fit in perfectly with Portland as he fits their roster identity and meets (some of) their overall team needs.

The Stride Report has confirmed that JUCO talent Daniel Abdala will be joining the Portland Pilots starting next fall. Abdala is expected to have at least two seasons of eligibility across all three seasons with the potential for more.

Abdala is a huge pickup for the Pilots as they have now secured one of the better JUCO talents in the country. Abdala is currently undergoing a massive breakout season, running 14:01 for 5000 meters and 29:19 for 10,000 meters.

Of course, those who are familiar with Abdala likely new that this breakout was coming all along. The Mt. SAC standout earned three-straight wins to cap off his JUCO cross country season, ultimately winning the California Community College Athletic Association XC State Championships.

The addition of Abdala to Portland is huge. The Pilots are set to lose long distance standout Stan Niesten as well as long-time veteran George Duggan. Those two men, especially Niesten, have been integral parts of Coach Rob Conner's recent cross country teams.

However, Abdala perfectly fits the scoring hole that Niesten will leave behind. In fact, Abdala can, in theory, act as an immediate replacement for the Dutch distance runner. Both men specialize in the longer distances and while Niesten has certainly run faster on the track, Abdala isn't that far behind. His recent progression allows us to believe that he can eventually reach that next level.

Between Ruiz, Mong, Buckley and now Abdala, the Pilots have given themselves numerous names who feel like lottery tickets with a high potential for at least one of them to be a winner.

One of the bigger transfer surprises that came up on our timeline was seeing Texas announce the addition of high school superstar and current Virginia rookie, Jackson Braddock, to their 2022-2023 roster.

Braddock is potentially a program-altering pickup. The Longhorns have thrived in the mile and the 800 meters, but the addition of Braddock allows Texas to add to their mile depth while potentially opening up their long distances in the future.

This past fall, Braddock admittedly fell a bit flat on the grass. However, when you fast forward to the indoor track season, you'll see that Braddock began to find a groove as a miler, running 4:06, 4:05 and 4:03 (albeit, in a different order).

Braddock was one of the marquee names in Virginia's recent star-laden recruiting class. In high school, the New Jersey native had run 4:06 for 1600 meters and 8:48 for 3200 meters. During cross country, he placed 29th at the 2019 NXN Championships.

The loss of Braddock is less than ideal for a Cavaliers team that seems to be gaining promising momentum this spring in a variety of events. Still, the overwhelming amount of depth and firepower in their most recent recruiting class does make Braddock's departure a bit easier to handle.

As for Texas, they scored a solid long-term piece who could make meaningful contributions to this team as soon as next fall. The raw talent is clearly there for Braddock to be an impact name for the Longhorns, but it will simply be a matter of when we will see that.

One of the more recognizable names in the NCAA is on the move. Last week, Ocean State Running announced that Stanford's DJ Principe was transitioning to Providence College as a graduate transfer starting next. An interview with DJ is now on their site.

He is expected to have at least one year of eligibility remaining across all three seasons.

Principe's decision to finish off his eligibility at Providence College comes as a bit of surprise, but one that also makes tons of sense.

Principe attended La Salle Academy in Rhode Island during his days as a high school prep star, just down the road from Providence College. According to Ocean State Running's interview with Principe, a past recruiting conversation with head coach Ray Treacy left a good on impression on the former high school star, so much so that Principe is now returning to familiar waters with the familiarity of his hometown being a factor.

According to the article, Principe was also considering Notre Dame and North Carolina for his postgraduate work.

The Friars have had great success over the years with revered coach Ray Treacy at the helm of the program. While not necessarily the same caliber as Stanford, the Friars have often developed a few key standout names, including a handful of excellent milers.

In fact, Providence's current roster features two sub-four milers in AJ Ernst and Liam Back, as well as a 4:00 miler in Angus White. Could Providence's history of developing talented milers finally put Principe under that four-minute mile barrier that he's been chasing since high school?

Maybe, but with a 5k personal best of 13:49, Principe may have just as much potential in the longer distances as he does anywhere else.

But Principe's value extends to the grass, not just the track. The soon-to-be Friar is one of the most experienced cross country runners in the country, toeing the line for four NCAA XC Championships, two of which he placed in the top-80.

Principe could be a very underrated and key scorer for the Providence men this fall. Despite the Friars losing some important pieces, Principe's introduction will keep the Friars' loss of points at a minimum, effectively keeping their hopes alive for an outside chance of earning a cross country national qualifying spot come November.

One of the top names in Division Three is on the move. Last week, the Missouri Tigers announced that Jacob Ridderhoff will be joining their program next year. He is expected to have one year of eligibility across all three seasons of competition according to TFRRS.

Ridderhoff has evolved into one of the more versatile and dangerous distance talents that Division Three has to offer. The Washington U. star has run 3:47 (1500), 4:08 (mile) and 8:17 (3k) during his time in the NCAA -- all of which are nationally competitive times in D3.

Ridderhoff's times are strong and although they won't necessarily be nationally competitive at the Division One level, they can certainly be built upon. After all, we've seen significant progress from Ridderhoff in the past year, leading us to believe that his best performances are still to come.

But what makes this future Mizzou miler so dangerous is his intangibles.

Ridderhoff out-kicked 3:56 miler and D3 superstar Aidan Ryan on the DMR leg at the indoor national meet this past winter to help his team win the national title. Ridderhoff is also great at positioning, earning a 4th place All-American finish in the 3000 meters at the indoor national meet this past winter and earning a runner-up finish in the 1500 meters at the outdoor national meet last spring.

With numerous wins under his belt, specifically within the UAA, Ridderhoff is a tactical nightmare for many of his opponents. If he can elevate his fitness to become a sub-four miler, then he'll be a massive problem for his future SEC opponents.

Our first and only international addition of this Transfer Market update is Alessandro Lotta who is making the trek over from Italy to be a part of Mizzou's growing miler arsenal. It is not clear to The Stride Report how much eligibility Lotta is expected to have.

The 23-year old has shown flashes of promise, mainly in the middle distances. Lotta has run 1:51 for 800 meters, 3:47 for 1500 meters and 8:12 for 3000 meters. For the most part, he's a solid all-around name who can flex a bit of range.

In fact, Lotta's resume resembles Ridderhoff's slate of work quite a bit in terms of times and event specialities.

It's hard to get a good read on someone who doesn't really give us a lot to look at or to analyze. Lotta's personal bests are solid, but his success in the NCAA largely depends on how much he improves. How much he improves then depends on how much time he spends in the NCAA.

Missouri has produced strong milers before (think Martin Prodanov) and that could certainly happen here with Lotta who has shown glimpses of promise in some of his results.

Division Two standout MaCauley Franks has announced via Instagram that he will be attending North Florida next year as a graduate transfer. According to TFRRS, he is expected to have at least one year of eligibility across all three seasons of competition.

Franks is an outstanding pickup for the North Florida men who just landed a wildly dynamic and consistent Division Two star. The Western Washington ace has run times of 1:50 (800), 3:42 (1500), 4:02 (mile), 8:09 (3k) and 8:52 (3k steeple).

In case it wasn't already obvious, Franks can do a little bit of everything and he can do it at a high level. It's not often that you see guys who can run 1:50 for 800 meters and 8:52 in the steeplechase -- both marks that could potentially improve over the course of the next month.

In fact, North Florida may not have signed Franks at the peak of his powers. The D2 star is expected to go after a sub-four minute mile this weekend, a goal that seems realistic for someone of his caliber, especially after seeing him run 3:42 for 1500 meters this spring.
 

Franks was also an 800 meter and mile national qualifier for the indoor national meet this past winter, earning All-American honors in the half-mile event.

North Florida has a very underrated history of developing successful middle distance runners. Tim Doyle, for example, is a 1:47 runner over 800 meters. Robert Pedroza has run 3:45 for 1500 meters. We've previously seen alum like Jared Vazquez run 3:44 for 1500 meters along with Tyler Stahl running 3:43 and Nick Morken running 3:42.

Yet, despite all of those men, Franks still seems like one of the better talents who the Ospreys have ever had. Not just because of what he has accomplished so far, but because of his incredible potential for future standout results.