Transfer Market (Part 32)

Written by Grace McLaughlin, Kora Malecek and Garrett Zatlin

Have a transfer tip? Send us an email at contact@thestridereport.com and we'll look into it.

Our D2 and D3 team rankings are on the way! In the meantime, we put together a few transfers that we wanted to note. Some of these names have already been highlighted in our preseason D1 team rankings. Other have not. Let's begin!

If you already read our TSR #6 Alabama women's ranking article, then this is likely old news for you. Still, the additions of Hilda Chebet and Jasmijn Bakker to the Crimson Tide are worth repeating.

Chebet was a JUCO standout at Iowa Western CC while Jasmijn Bakker hails from the Netherlands. Both women are expected to have two full years of eligibility across all three seasons of competition.

On paper, Chebet and Bakker completely alter the trajectory of Alabama's cross country squad. Chebet was a multi-time NJCCA champion across all three seasons of competition and owns a 16:07 (5k) personal best. Bakker, meanwhile, owns an eye-catching steeplechase personal best of 9:55.

The Alabama women have always had elite firepower, and that will continue to be the case in 2022 with the return of Mercy Chelangat, Amaris Tyynismaa and Flomena Asekol. However, depth has been a major challenge for the Crimson Tide over the last few years, a glaring weak point in Alabama's top-seven.

But with Chebet and Bakker theoretically filling the backend scoring spots of Alabama's lineup, the women from Tuscaloosa may have one of the most complete varsity groups in the country, one that is able to capitalize on the full scoring potential of their elite low-sticks.

It's not entirely clear just how good Chebet and Bakker will be at the Division One level. However, seeing this duo flirt with a top-120 or top-130 finish at this year's national meet could be monumental when it comes to Alabama's postseason goals.

And frankly, national meet finishes such as that feel like the bare minimum for those women in terms of what they could bring to the table in 2022.

A former Northern Arizona talent is on the move.

Jack Shea is venturing to Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia this fall as a graduate transfer, bringing with him two seasons of eligibility -- cross country and indoor track. Shea will be pursuing a MS in clinical mental health counseling.

Shea was a fairly underrated distance talent while in Flagstaff, often overshadowed by a roster that has since evolved into a cross country dynasty.

This past spring, Shea posted a huge 5k time of 13:44 at Payton Jordan, the clear highlight of his resume. The multi-time BIG Sky conference meet scorer (on the track) will be joining a Saint Joe's program which resides in the Atlantic-10 conference.

The Hawks' cross country squad finished in the middle-of-the-pack at their A10 XC Championship last fall and put only one man in the top-10 overall spots. But with Shea now joining the Philly-based distance program, he'll have a chance to win conference titles and contribute to team-wide improvements on the grass.

Shea will also be moving into the Mid-Atlantic region during the fall months. And while a 13:44 (5k) personal best doesn't necessarily make him the absolute best distance talent in the region, it certainly makes him one of the better names in the area.

Depending on how many men's cross country teams advance to the national meet, there could be a possibility where this collegiate veteran advances to the national stage in Stillwater, Oklahoma as an individual come November.

After spending time at Tennessee Tech, Purity Sanga eventually transferred to Louisville.

That, however, was just for her undergraduate work.

Now, the underrated distance standout will be finishing her eligibility at Middle Tennessee State. She is expected to have one season of cross country and potentially two seasons of indoor and outdoor track eligibility (each) remaining.

Sanga, when she's at her best, can be one of the more competitive distance runners in the country. However, the former Louisville runner has also been absent from competition in a handful of seasons.

When Sanga is racing, she is thriving in the longer distances. The long-time veteran, who has been in the NCAA since 2017, owns eyebrow-raising personal bests of 16:11 (5k) and 32:49 (10k), the latter mark coming at the 2021 ACC Outdoor Championships where she finished runner-up to Nicole Fegans.

However, on the grass, Sanga is arguably better.

While at Tennessee Tech, Sanga placed 8th at the 2017 South Regional XC Championships and 7th in the 2018 rendition of the meet. She qualified for the cross country national meet on both of those occasions and even won the 2018 Ohio Valley Conference XC Championships.

While at Louisville, Sanga thrived during the altered 2020 cross country season. She was victorious at the Blazer Classic and finished 23rd at the ACC XC Championships. However, the former Cardinal runner would struggle a bit during the fall of 2021.

Sanga now joins a Middle Tennessee State program that has won the last three Conference USA XC Championship titles. It should also be noted that Sanga is from the same Kenyan hometown (Kapsabet) that current MTSU star, Eusila Chepkemei, is from.

In addition to recent breakout runner Chepkemei, Rice superstar Grace Forbes will have yet another legitimate challenger at her conference meet this fall as long as Sanga is racing at her full potential.

It's been a summer of change for the Texas men.

First, Yaseen Abdalla left the Longhorns for Tennessee. Then, sub-four miler Brendan Hebert opted to enter the transfer portal. A couple months later, distance coach Pete Watson left Texas to become the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at Boston College. His replacement was quickly found in Greg Metcalf.

And now, after it's all been said and done, Hebert has found a new home: UCLA.

The former Longhorn has one full year of eligibility remaining across all three seasons.

The Los Angeles-based Bruins stole national headlines earlier this summer when it was announced that Sean Brosnan, the former coach of high school powerhouse Newbury Park, would be taking over as the program's newest distance coach.

However, Brosnan's first recruiting victory has come from the transfer portal rather than the high school scene. And as of right now, Hebert is arguably UCLA's best distance talent on the track, at least as far as the 800 meters and the mile go.

The former Texas runner holds personal bests of 1:49 (800) and 3:59 (mile), marks that are notably better than what the UCLA men produced this past winter and spring.

It will be fascinating to see how an underrated middle distance standout works alongside a brand new college coach who is originally from the high school ranks. If their dynamic works, then Hebert could be the true collegiate standout that we know he is capable of being.

And after years of being buried by the extreme depth of Texas' middle distance roster, the 2022-23 academic calendar could be the year where Hebert becomes a focal point of this UCLA roster which has shown promise with men like Peter Herold and Munir Kabbara.

It's been no secret that Division Three superstar Ari Marks has been on the transfer portal, searching for her next location at the Division One level as a graduate transfer. Now, after long last, it seems like Marks has found her new home: Northwestern University.

It is not yet clear to The Stride Report how much eligibility Marks has remaining, although we are estimating at least one full year of eligibility across all three seasons of competition.

The former Wellesley College standout has been a star name at the Division Three level for the last few seasons, but didn't truly break out until this past year.

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 even secured double gold in the 10k and the 5k this past spring at the D3 outdoor national meet.

Marks also finished runner-up at the D3 NCAA XC Championships last fall.

The graduate student is now joining a sneaky-good Northwestern program that is headlined by our TSR #31 runner, Rachel McCardell.

Under the direction of now-fourth year head coach Jill Miller, the Northwestern women have begun to show signs of promise. The Wildcats went from 13th place at the 2019 BIG 10 XC Championships to 7th place at the 2021 BIG 10 XC Championships last fall.

They also finished 4th at the Midwest Regional XC Championships back in November, the highest regional finish that the Northwestern women have had in 20 years.

With a heavy portion of Northwestern's 2021 cross country lineup returning this fall, and Ari Marks being injected into this program, the Wildcats have a chance to be special in 2022.

And who knows? Maybe our "Honorable Mention" designation for this group will soon turn into a "Just Missed" status with Marks now on the team.

Earlier this summer, The Stride Report noted that Division Two star Fatima Alanis was going to be running at the University of Pennsylvania. However, Alanis threw in quite the plot twist.

Instead of venturing to the Ivy League, the former Queens (NC) standout decommitted from Penn and now will be attending the University of North Carolina.

Alanis only used one full year of eligibility and an additional outdoor track season during her time at Queens, leaving her with three seasons of cross country and indoor track eligibility remaining, as well as two seasons of outdoor track eligibility.

Alanis is an eight-time Division Two All-American, including two national meet runner-up finishes. She holds excellent PRs of 16:04 (5k) and 33:39 (10k) on the track. The newest Tar Heel ace was the 3rd place finisher at the 2021 D2 NCAA XC Championships and consistently flexed that talent throughout the entirety of the fall months.

Joining our TSR #9 North Carolina women's team instead of Penn makes a lot more sense, on paper, for Alanis. With this move, she'll be able to stay in the state of North Carolina and will likely have more opportunities for team-centric success with the women of Chapel Hill, a program that has national-caliber cross country goals over the next few years.

And as far as her talent goes, the former Royals distance ace feels like a perfect fit for this North Carolina roster.

Alanis will likely benefit from having more women to push her than she did at Queens and her experience, despite having plenty of eligibility left, could add some stability to a team that is still trying to establish their identity.

Alanis could theoretically bridge some middle-lineup gaps from the Tar Heel’s 2021 cross country lineups and, at the very least, add valuable depth to a still-young squad.

In fact, she has already displayed her immediate impact with her 4th place finish at the Charlotte Opener this past weekend, finishing behind teammates Brynn Brown (TSR #42), Carlee Hansen and Kelsey Harrington.

Marian Ledesma will be competing at Western Washington later this year as a graduate transfer after having a successful three-year stint at Azusa Pacific. According to TFRRS, she has at least one full year left of eligibility across all three seasons of competition with the potential for more.

While running for the Division Two middle distance powerhouse, Ledesma placed 11th in the 800 meters at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships. She was also a vital part of Azusa Pacific’s success in relay events. She was part of the team's 12th place DMR squad and 3rd place 4x400 meter relay at the NCAA Indoor Championships from last winter.

Ledesma is a speed-based 800 meter specialist and her biggest upside is her current momentum. She improved her 800 meter time from 2:17 to 2:07 relatively quickly and holds a 400 meter PR of 57.56. The newest WWU Viking showed outstanding progress on the grass and in the 1500 meters as well, but her true prowess remains in the 800 meters.

Admittedly, Ledesma likely won’t be a huge contributor to Western Washington’s cross country team this fall. Still, she is a huge addition when it comes time for track. She is a highly experienced competitor who has consistently improved throughout her career, making us wonder just how high her ceiling is for the winter and spring of 2023.

The Ole Miss women lost tons of firepower from their 2021 cross country lineup following the departures of Sintayehu Vissa, Anna Elkin and Clio Ozanne-Jacques. And while the team does return plenty of depth, there is still a clear need for greater firepower to replace the veterans who are no longer in Oxford, Mississippi.

Luckily, before distance coach Ryan Vanhoy left Ole Miss to become the Director at Cal Poly, he brought in an established graduate transfer in Laura Taborda from Eastern Kentucky. She is expected to have two years of eligibility remaining across all three seasons of competition according to TFRRS.

The former Colonel and Ohio Valley Conference star was outstanding in the steeplechase earlier this year and proved to hold decent scoring value on the grass as well.

Last fall, Taborda finished 8th at the ASUN XC Championships and 21st at the Southeast Regional XC Championships. Those results, however, are not the reasons why we think the incoming graduate transfer could be a low-stick for Ole Miss this fall.

This past spring, Taborda had a huge breakout season, running 9:58 in the steeplechase and eventually qualifying for the outdoor national meet.

If Taborda can translate that steeple success to the grass and be a mainstay at the front of Ole Miss' cross country lineup this fall, then the Rebels shouldn't be faltering too far from their 10th place national meet finish from last November.

It should be noted that Taborda was seen sporting a walking boot on her Instagram page two months ago.

Helena Lindsay, formerly of the Virginia Cavaliers, has joined the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets as a graduate transfer. She is expected to have a full year of eligibility remaining across all three seasons of competition according to the team's roster.

At Virginia, Lindsay was a consistent member of the Cavaliers' championship season lineup on the grass, toeing the line for multiple ACC XC Championships and Southeast regional efforts. Her best marks from those races came in 2018 when she placed 55th at ACC XC Championships and 45th at the Southeast regional meet with a 6000 meter personal best of 21:08.

Lindsay’s real aptitude, however, can be seen on the oval, and it couldn’t have been more apparent during last year’s winter and spring track seasons.

In a rousing 2022 campaign where she set a personal best at nearly every distance she contested, Lindsay slashed almost 10 seconds off of her mile time, lowering it to 4:52, and her 3000 meter PR, which she improved to a mark of 9:27.

In the 5000 meters, she cut over 20 seconds off of her time, earning a solid PR of 16:26.

Not to be deterred when the outdoor season began, Lindsay emerged as a top-level talent in the steeplechase as the season wore on, collecting a 5th place finish at the ACC Outdoor Championships. She eventually had the best race of her career when it mattered most, running a mark of 10:02 at the NCAA East Regional Championships to secure the last qualifying position in the event for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

She would end the year with a 19th place finish at the outdoor national meet.

Lindsay has the potential to be an immediate impact scorer for the Georgia Tech women this fall, and not just because of her exceptional track season. On the grass, a relatively young Yellow Jackets squad could benefit from having an experienced veteran like Lindsay when it comes championship racing.

And should she carry her recent momentum to this year’s cross country season, then Helena Lindsay could even become a solid front-runner that is sorely needed in the absence of former low-stick star Nicole Fegans.

Another Cavalier who will be making the move to Atlanta is none other than Abigail Green. She currently holds junior eligibility, but will be a graduate student at Georgia Tech according to the team's roster.

Green is a highly talented runner who hasn’t quite gotten the chance to capitalize on her early success.

During a stunning freshman cross country campaign in 2018 where she garnered All-ACC honors at the ACC XC Championships with a 9th place finish, the former Cavalier went on to lead the Virginia women at the Southeast Regional XC Championships and qualify individually for the NCAA XC Championships by merit of a 7th place run.

Green would take home 95th place at the NCAA XC Championships that fall, a sensational run for any new collegiate runner in their first year of competition.

Since then, however, it has been a series of absences and DNF results for Green on the collegiate circuit. After her 2018 cross country had concluded, her next TFRSS result wasn’t until 2020 in a DMR race at the Virginia Tech Invitational.

Green would race sparingly during the 2020 indoor season, recording personal bests of 9:45 for 3000 meters and 2:19 for 800 meters.

Since then, she only had one more official result to her name -- a 52nd place finish at the 2021 ACC XC Championships. Her two other results since last winter were both DNF marks during the outdoor season.

For Green, the potential is clearly there for her to become a key piece of Georgia Tech's squad this fall. She has the national-caliber experience and she has the talent. But can she complete the season healthy and at the top of her fitness?

A fresh start at Georgia Tech may just be what she needs to channel her past success.

Alyssa Brewer is a talented middle distance runner with plenty of experience. She competed for four years at USC and will be finishing her last year of eligibility as a graduate transfer at Sacramento State.

Brewer excels at the 800 meters and has qualified for the NCAA West Regional Championships in the event three years in a row (excluding the canceled 2020 season). She holds PRs of 56.48 in the 400 meters and 2:04 in the 800 meters.

Throughout her career, this Trojan standout has been incredibly consistent, metronomically running between 2:04 and 2:09 depending on the race tactics.

Brewer boasts four years of high-level experience in the PAC-12 at one of the best track programs in the country, making her an extremely valuable addition to a Sacramento State team that finished 3rd at the BIG Sky Outdoor Championships this past spring.

And with Brewer capable of winning a conference title, the Hornets chances of moving into that runner-up spot may be significantly stronger in 2022 than they were in 2021 depending on returners.

Despite being a speed-based 800 meter runner, Brewer can also hold her own on the cross country course and was part of the Trojan’s lineup during her time in Los Angeles. She could possibly aid the Hornets scoring this cross country season, but she will definitely have an immediate impact on the track.