Transfer Market (Part 22)

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After sitting on the transfer portal for an extended period of time, Indiana's Bailey Hertenstein has announced that she will be joining the Colorado Buffaloes next fall. While not technically a graduate transfer, Hertenstein has already finished her undergraduate work at Indiana and was not applying to graduate-level programs.

Hertenstein is expected to have two years of eligibility remaining across all three seasons of competition once she comes to Boulder.

Hertenstein is a legitimate distance running star, boasting excellent times of 4:14 (1500), 4:35 (mile) and 15:38 (3k). She has taken down numerous top names and has often been a factor on championship stages.

However, the grass is where Hertenstein is at her best. The Indiana superstar has earned two runner-up finishes at the BIG 10 XC Championships and has also secured two All-American finishes at the NCAA XC Championships, finishing 31st and 28th in her last two attempts.

Hertenstein will now join a Colorado team that is one of the most established distance running powerhouses in the country. The Buffaloes earned a podium spot last fall when they finished 4th as a team, scoring 187 points.

But now Hertenstein is joining a team that will soon be losing numerous top-tier veteran scorers from their lineup. Those names include All-American superstar Abby Nichols, Rachel McArthur, India Johnson and potentially Micaela DeGenero and Madison Boreman as well.

While Hertenstein can't single-handedly cover the massive scoring gap left behind by these Colorado standouts, she can still bring an outstanding 1-2 scoring punch alongside future teammate Emily Covert. The Buffaloes will also be able to lean on up-and-coming runner Hannah Miniutti who has shown plenty of promise in her own right.

With Hertenstein, the Buffaloes have a very solid group of three that the team can build and rally around. And while it will be a challenge to bring the Colorado women back to the podium, Hertenstein stops some of the bleeding (scoring-wise) and allows the Buffaloes to remain fairly competitive on the national stage.

Michigan State has announced that Saginaw Valley State's CarLee Stimpfel will be joining their program. The former SVSU runner is presumably joining the Spartans as a graduate transfer and according to TFRRS, he has one year of eligibility remaining across all three seasons of competition.

Few men are more underrated and more underappreciated than Stimpfel. The D2 superstar has proven to be one of the most reliable All-American talents in the country for this academic year. That's because Stimpfel earned five All-American honors between all three seasons of competition this year, including a 3rd place finish at the NCAA XC Championships.

His total All-American finishes sits at seven.

On the track, Stimpfel has also thrown down plenty of quick marks, running 7:58 (3k), 13:45 (5k) and 29:08 (10k). Those times made him one of the fastest D2 distance talents in the country.

Stimpfel is a huge addition for the Michigan State men as he brings a boarderline low-stick presence to a team that will be losing Morgan Beadlescomb. And when you consider how much better Stimpfel has become this year, the idea that he can be an All-American on the grass later this fall isn't totally out of the question.

Michigan State has a recent history of quietly producing strong, nationally competitive talents such as Morgan Beadlescomb, John Petruno, Clark Ruiz, Sherod Hardt, Caleb Rhynard and a few others.

If Stimpfel can be anything like one of those names and offer All-American value, then he'll provide huge scoring potency and a great veteran presence for a team that was fairly young this past fall (outside of Beadlescomb).

And if that happens, then the Spartans won't be too far off from the level that they were at last fall and they'll likely be able to contend for another national qualifying birth.

Indianapolis' Eline Pinter has announced via Instagram that she will be transitioning to Azusa Pacific University. She is presumably moving as a graduate transfer and is expected to have a full year of eligibility between all three seasons.

Azusa Pacific is a very underrated distance program at the D2 level, acting as the home to recent D2 NCAA 10k champion Jennifer Sandoval as well as 2:07 runner Marian Ledesma, 2:09 runner Mikayla Akers and 2:09 runner Briseida Garcia Meza.

Pinter is joining one of the deepest middle distance programs in the country, potentially making this the best athlete/team pairing in this Transfer Market article. That's because Pinter has run 4:58 in the mile and 2:13 for 800 meters. She has also run 9:59 for 3000 meters.

Pinter is an all-around excellent runner, although she clearly thrives in the speedier races, garnering a mass number of scoring finishes in the GLVC, as well as the G-MAC when she was with Malone.

Her 2:13 mark is solid and her 4:58 mile PR is strong, but it's clear that Pinter still has some untapped potential that she has yet to reach. By joining the APU women, she may have a chance to capitalize on her current marks and become a truly nationally competitive name at the D2 level.

One of the best D3 runners from this spring track season is on the move. Middlebury's Cassie Kearney will be going to Michigan as a graduate transfer starting next year. She has one full year of eligibility remaining with the potential for more on the outdoor oval.

Kearney was absolutely fantastic this year for Middlebury, emerging as one of the most versatile and dominant middle distance runners in the Division Three ranks.

This spring, Kearney ran 2:07 for 800 meters and 4:26 for 1500 meters, the former mark coming at the national meet. At the D3 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Kearney won both her 800 meter prelim and 1500 meter prelim before placing 3rd in the 800 meter finals and 2nd place in the 1500 meter finals.

In a world without Esther Seeland, Kearney likely wins a national title this year.

Michigan is gaining a terrific middle distance standout who keeps getting better and better. Kearney has gone from running 2:17 in her first collegiate indoor track season to a 2:07 mark this spring. And prior to this season, she had never run faster than 4:34 in the 1500 meters.

While the Michigan women may be known more for their longer distance accolades, they have still developed women like Aurora Rynda who is a BIG 10 champion, a recent outdoor national qualifier and someone who has a 2:01 PR.

While Kearney isn't necessarily expected to reach Rynda's level next year, she can still bring a similar level of firepower as the next-best middle distance runner who is already on this team. And if Kearney is able to carry over her momentum to Ann Arbor, then she could be a highly competitive name in the D1 ranks.

Kate Dickman has announced via Instagram that she will be transferring from Illinois to Alabama starting next fall. She is expected to have all of her eligibility remaining across all three seasons of competition.

There is one known race on Dickman's resume, an unattached mile result of 5:12 from this past January. However, that result is not at all indicative of her actual talent.

The soon-to-be Alabama runner was an outstanding runner in high school, posting incredible times and emerging as a top name in an already-loaded Illinois recruiting class last year.

In high school, Dickman ran 2:14 for 800 meters and 4:44 for 1600 meters. Unbelievably, that 1600 meter PR only got her a 3rd place finish at the Illinois State Track & Field Championships. She has also run 17:00 for three miles on the grass.

Dickman's introduction to this Alabama program works out well. The Crimson Tide landed a very good group of recruits from the Class of 2022, many of whom are nationally competitive. And with superstar Mercy Chelangat nearing the end of her eligibility, now was the time to build and prepare for the future.

That means going after women like Dickman whose untapped athletic ceilings could be massive home runs.

 There's no guarantee that Dickman's best high school results will translate to the NCAA, but taking a chance on the former Illinois runner seems like a great move given how the Crimson Tide's roster is currently structured.

Cooper Schroeder has announced via Instagram that he will be attending Florida State next year as a graduate transfer. The soon-to-be Seminole is expected to have two years of eligibility remaining across all three seasons of competition.

Schroeder is a quietly great pickup for the Florida State men. The former Kansas State runner brings with him promising personal bests of 8:07 (3k), 13:55 (5k) and 29:05 (10k), all of which have been posted since May of 2021.

However, Schroeder has also shown plenty of promise on the grass, finishing 15th overall at the 2020 BIG 12 XC Championships. And while he hasn't had too many opportunities to compete in cross country at his peak fitness, Schroeder could still be a valuable varsity lineup addition for Florida State.

According to TFRRS, the middle portion of the 'Noles lineup is going to be hurt quite a bit by the expiring eligibility of Ahmed Muhumed, Silas Griffith and Caleb Pottorff. And while Schroeder can't fill the entirety of that group, he'll at least make up for some of the lost scoring potency.

And when you think about his exciting upside, there is a lot to like about Schroeder's introduction to Tallahassee next year.

Gonzaga has announced that Oregon's Caramia Mestler will be joining the Zags next year. She is expected to be a graduate transfer and according to TFRRS, is expected to have at least one full year of eligibility remaining (although she may have more).

Mestler is a solid talent who thrives in the longer distances. She's run 9:28 (3k), 16:20 (5k) and 34:15 (10k). She has also made two national meet appearances on the grass with her Oregon Duck teammates.

But despite her cross country experience, Mestler is at her best on the track. In fact, she ran five personal bests in five different distances in the past five months. That is phenomenal progression and it has also shows us that she has yet to reach her true ceiling.

Gonzaga is currently home to standout 10k veteran Kristen Garcia as well as Elisabeth Danis and Alicia Anderson. On paper, the structure and caliber of the Bulldogs' roster should be a perfect fit for Mestler who seems to have similar credentials compared to these other women.

And while Danis is expected to leave this team following her expired eligibility, Mestler seems like the perfect fit to fill her scoring role. And in doing so, the Gonzaga women could have a very realistic shot to qualify for the NCAA XC Championships after just missing out last year.

UCLA's Siena Palicke has announced via Instagram that she will be transferring. She is expected to have four seasons indoor track eligibility left, three seasons of outdoor track eligibility and at least three seasons of cross country eligibility remaining (with the possibility for more).

Palicke was a highly respectable high school distance runner who has also garnered a heavy social media following on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Prior to college, she ran marks of 2:14 (800), 4:54 (1600m), 17:01 (three miles XC) and 17:57 (5k XC). Palicke was also the 4th place finisher at the 2019 California State XC Championships.

Since coming to UCLA, Palicke has only run the 1500 meters on the track, earning a personal best of 4:38 in the process.

The next option for Palicke is admittedly unclear, especially if she decides to stay in-state, although a few schools in the northwest or mountainous areas would be great choices for this California-based runner.

Arkansas' London Culbreath has announced via TikTok that she will be transferring. She is expected to have four seasons indoor track eligibility left as well as three seasons of both outdoor track and cross country eligibility remaining.

During her time at Arkansas, Culbreath posted modest times of 9:56 (3k) and 17:27 (5k). She also finished 30th place in the Pre-Nationals Open race this past fall.

For perspective, Culbreath ran 2:12 (800), 4:43 (mile), 9:36 (3k), 10:03 (two miles) and 16:36 (5k) during her time in high school, earning multiple national meet berths in cross country as well.

When she's at her best, Culbreath can be a legitimate, high-level contributor for whatever team she's on. Could a team like Texas potentially be an option for Culbreath should she return to her home state? Would Oklahoma State be a good fit given the southwest region that the Cowgirls reside in?

Wherever she goes, Culbreath has a chance to be a key name if she's able to replicate her magic from the prep level.

On a recent episode of the D3 Glory Days podcast, Wellesley College's Ari Marks noted that she is exploring options to finish out her eligibility as a graduate transfer. She anticipates that she will move to the D1 level.

Marks is a true superstar at the D3 level, even in an era that is loaded with all-time greats. The long distance juggernaut just took home two huge title victories in the 5k and the 10k at the D3 NCAA Outdoor Championships this past weekend.

Marks has run 16:08 for 5000 meters and 34:16 for 10,000 meters. She has also run 9:36 for 3000 meters and has finished runner-up at the D3 NCAA XC Championships before.

The soon-to-be D1 runner is an outstanding long distance talent, clearly improving the longer the distance becomes. She is extremely reliable and can offer tons of immediate value, even if she weren't to make improvements from this point forward.

Marks currently attends Wellesley College which is in Massachusetts. If she were to stay in the northeast area, then teams like Providence or Syracuse would be absolutely perfect from a proximity standpoint. They would also be perfect from a roster structure standpoint as cross country and the longer distances are how Providence and Syracuse have built their reputations.