Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
Jan 25, 20235 min
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The Stride Report has confirmed that Dayton Brown is now running for Adams State. It is unclear whether Brown is officially a transfer or a graduate transfer.
According to TFRRS, the former Saginaw Valley State runner is expected to hold one season of cross country eligibility, potentially two seasons of indoor track eligibility and potentially two seasons of outdoor track eligibility.
Dayton Brown has been a talented and valuable long distance runner for years now, but made leaps in his fitness throughout 2022. The Cardinal-turned-Grizzly holds personal bests of 8:10 (3k), 13:58 (5k) and 29:31 (10k). He has also found significant success on the grass, finishing 32nd at the 2019 NCAA XC Championships and most recently placing 7th at the 2022 NCAA XC Championships.
On paper, few distance programs in Division Two better suit the strengths of Dayton Brown more than Adams State. The all-time powerhouse has built it's reputation in the endurance-based events, developing superstars in events like the 3000 meters, the 5000 meters and the 10,000 meters. They have also thrived on the cross country course.
Those exact areas perfectly mirror the resume that Brown has built over the years.
The Adams State men are coming off of a shocking end to their 2022 cross country season where they did not advance to the national meet, snapping a 25-year national qualifying streak. Despite finishing runner-up at the RMAC XC Championships, the Grizzlies struggled at their regional meet and ended their fall campaign early.
But let's be clear -- the Adams State men are still among the most established distance running powerhouses in Division Two. And outside of one not-so-great regional meet performance from this past fall, that narrative remains true to this day.
According to TFRRS, the Adams State men are expected to return most of their top cross country scorers this fall, including Cameron Allen and Awet Beraki.
The losses of Davonte Jett-Reynolds, Aaron Orar, Miguel Coca and others will be a challenge. However, the expected firepower that Brown is expected to bring to Alamosa, Colorado could put this team in a legitimate position to win a national title 10 months from now (especially with Colorado Mines losing a handful of key names).
Few inter-D2 transfers have been as impactful as what Brown could offer to his new team. And although it's unclear if he'll be racing this winter, the former SVSU runner may end up being one of the most valuable transfers of the year.
Yet another respected D2 distance talent is on the move. Hayden Judge, formerly of Lee (Tenn.), transferred to Auburn earlier this month. According to TFRRS, he is expected to hold three years of eligibility across all three seasons of competition.
Judge is a respectable and well-rounded athlete who has exhibited solid event diversity. With times of 1:55 (800), 3:52 (1500), 8:27 (3k) and 14:35 (5k), Judge has flashed the potential to offer value in most races that he toes the line for.
We should also note that Judge was part of the Lee Flames' 2022 DMR squad that won the D2 national title and ran a blistering time of 9:34. That time is not an official D2 record due to the race being held on a 300 meter track, but it is the fastest DMR time ever recorded in D2 history. Judge, per the results, was the lead-off leg.
But his resume has arguably grown stronger since last winter and spring.
This past cross country season, Judge finished 31st at the Louisville XC Classic, 9th at the UAH D2 Festival Year Showcase and then placed 13th at the South Regional XC Championships.
Judge is still incredibly young and he has yet to toe the line for his first race as a sophomore (by eligibility). While he still has additional work to do, the Alabama native has legitimate promise that could allow him to be a strong talent in the SEC by his senior year.
However, maybe more importantly, Judge will also be able to grow alongside a rising distance standout in Ryan Kinnane. The still-young Auburn talent has run 3:42 for 1500 meters and finished 11th at the SEC XC Championships this past fall.
California Baptist has announced that Christian Ricketts, formerly of Southern Utah, has joined the Lancers as a graduate transfer. He is expected to have only one season of outdoor track eligibility remaining.
Ricketts was an instrumental piece of Southern Utah's cross country success in recent years. The long-time veteran has made four appearances at the NCAA XC Championships, finishing 31st at the winter cross country national meet and then 71st in the fall of 2021.
It is undeniable that Ricketts is at his best on the grass. However, the former Thunderbird has also posted highly respectable marks on the oval, holding personal bests of 13:54 (5k) and 28:40 (10k), both of which came in the spring of 2021.
The newest Lancer hasn't raced since the fall of 2021, leaving us unsure what to expect from Ricketts come March, April and May. If he is able to build on his impressive 10k PR by enough, then the west coast distance talent may have an outside shot of making it out of the West region and onto the national stage.
That, of course, has yet to be seen.
Ricketts will now team up with Florian LePallec (13:41 for 5000 meters), Giedrius Valincius (3:42 for 1500 meters) and Said Mechaal (13:48 for 5000 meters) this spring to form one of the more underrated distance running contingents on the west coast.
The Stride Report has confirmed that Saint Louis distance runner Matt De Haas has entered the transfer portal as an upcoming graduate transfer.
According to TFRRS, he is expected to have one season of indoor track eligibility and one season of cross country going into the summer. It is unclear whether or not he will race this spring in an effort to preserve his lone remaining season of outdoor track eligibility.
De Haas is a respectable middle distance talent with times of 1:52 (800) and 3:49 (1500), per TFRRS. However, according to World Athletics, De Haas has actually run 1:51 in the 800 meters before. Those first two times date back to the spring of 2021, but improved marks from this past fall and so far this winter point to additional improvement in the near future.
It should also be noted that De Haas once scored in three different events at the 2022 A10 Outdoor Championships last spring, toeing the line for a total of four races.
The Dutch 23-year old will have multiple options to choose from in the surrounding midwest area. The Missouri men have a history of adding strong middle distance athletes to their roster, specifically from overseas. Could the Tigers be a potential landing spot for De Haas if he wants to stay within state borders?