Transfer Market (Part 39)

Do you have an interest in writing for The Stride Report? We're looking for high school coverage writers and potentially NAIA coverage writers. Want to know more? Read this and send us an email at contact@thestridereport.com to let us know!

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

The Stride Report has confirmed that Eastern Michigan's Toby Gualter has entered the transfer portal as a regular transfer and has already decided on his next destination. The Mid-American Conference standout is aiming to finalize his move this week.

Gualter is expected to have two seasons of cross country eligibility, one season of indoor track eligibility and one season of outdoor track eligibility remaining.

The soon-to-be finalized graduate transfer has been one of the top runners for a quietly-talented Eastern Michigan distance program that has dominated the Mid-American Conference for years now.

On the grass, Gualter was a three-time top-10 finisher at his conference meet, including two finishes inside the top-three. While he has never been to the national stage, the New Zealand native has finished 19th (2021) and 22nd (2022) at the Great Lakes Regional XC Championships, 13th at the 2022 Louisville XC Classic and 5th at the 2022 Penn State National Open.

On the oval, the Eagle veteran has proven to be just as effective. This past winter, Gualter ran new personal bests of 4:04 (mile), 7:58 (3k) and 14:00 (5k). He actually ran under the 8:00 barrier for 3000 meters twice this past winter and he was a three-time scorer at his indoor conference meet.

Gualter may not be a superstar low-stick, but he can be extremely valuable for a team that is trying to a) fill a gap in their cross country lineup, b) score a few points in the distance events at their conference meet, or c) simply counter the departure of key veterans.

It also feels safe to say that Gualter still has plenty of upside, something that we saw this past winter after seeing the Eastern Michigan athlete run a slew of new personal bests. And if the right team makes the right investments in this Kiwi graduate transfer, then they could end up receiving a ton more scoring than they initially expected.

The Stride Report has confirmed that Missouri's Marquette Hanson has entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. He is expected to hold one season of indoor track eligibility and one season of outdoor track eligibility (with the potential for a second outdoor track season as well). Hanson does not have any cross country eligibility remaining.

Hanson has quietly emerged as one of the better distance talents in the increasingly competitive Southeastern Conference. The Mizzou veteran ran a highly promising mile PR of 3:58 during the 2022 indoor track season which led to him scoring for the Tigers at the SEC Indoor Championships. Hanson has also run 13:53 for 5000 meters.

Admittedly, Hanson's 2023 indoor track season, which featured just two races, was underwhelming, but it's abundantly clear that the Missouri standout is far better than what those results suggest. While Hanson doesn't hold any remaining cross country eligibility, one could argue that this soon-to-be graduate transfer was actually at his best on the grass.

This past fall, Hanson finished 11th at the Midwest Regional XC Championships, ultimately qualifying for the NCAA XC Championships (where he finished 174th) as an individual. His top placement at the SEC XC Championships was 9th in 2021.

Trying to find a future spot for Hanson truthfully feels like a challenge. However, distance programs in surrounding states (of Missouri) include the University of Tennessee, the University of Arkansas and Oklahoma State. All three of those schools have coaches who have been very active in the transfer portal in recent years.

And in theory, a 3:58 miler like Hanson would be a great fit for one of those teams.

The Stride Report has been informed that Miami (OH)'s Andrew Schroff has entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. According to TFRRS, he is expected to have multiple seasons of cross country eligibility remaining. He's also expected to have one season of outdoor track eligibility and one season of indoor track eligibility remaining at the conclusion of the spring months.

Schroff is one of numerous men who have finished their undergraduate work with Miami (OH) and have opted to use their final year(s) of eligibility elsewhere as a graduate student.

Finley McLear was an elite half-miler who ventured to Iowa State. Anthony Camerieri committed to Ole Miss last year and has had a significant impact for that program. Obssa Feda, a current distance runner for the RedHawks, recently committed to Tennessee as a graduate transfer.

While Schroff may not have quite the same name recognition as a few of his past (and current) teammates, the Miami (OH) middle distance talent does hold some sneaky-good value. With personal bests of 1:49 (800), 3:44 (1500) and 4:06 (mile), the RedHawk veteran can bring some experience and speed to essentially any program. It should also be noted that his mile PR was run on a flat-track and was actually converted to a faster time.

Schroff also has national meet experience via the DMR and has advanced to the East Regional Championships on the track. He was also a top-20 finisher at the 2020 MAC XC Championships.

Trying to pin-point the next spot for Schroff isn't easy. However, if the Ohio native wants to remain in-state, then he could find himself running for Ohio State. The Buckeyes have a history of producing competitive half-milers and they would likely welcome someone who could (potentially) be able to take on some of the men from Penn State.

But truthfully, almost any BIG 10 school feels like a great landing spot for Schroff. A handful of midwest programs have proven to be excellent developers of middle distance talent. And if that's the conference where Schroff ends up, then it feels very likely that this Miami (OH) veteran could end up being a conference meet scorer in the right scenario.

The Stride Report has confirmed that Wisconsin's Jack Meijer will be venturing to Ole Miss next year as a graduate transfer. He is expected to hold two seasons of outdoor track eligibility as well as one season of cross country and one season of indoor track eligibility once he arrives in Oxford, Mississippi.

This is a massive recruiting win for the Rebels, a team that recently lost their distance coach, Ryan Vanhoy, last summer. However, more importantly, TFRRS suggests that the Ole Miss men are going to lose SIX of their top-seven men from last year's cross country team. And right now, Jack Meijer feels like he could be one of many eventual replacements.

There may be an unknown scenario where one or two men from may actually be able to appeal for more eligibility, but for the most part, this team will be losing a lot of talent. Luckily for the Ole Miss men, Meijer is a true three-season threat who will be someone that they can legitimately lean on from a scoring perspective.

While some of his performances have been better than others, Meijer ran 7:57 for 3000 meters this past winter and ran 13:44 for 5000 meters (unattached) on an outdoor track in December of 2020. During the 2022 cross country season, he finished 5th at the Griak Invitational, 41st at Nuttycombe, 10th at the BIG 10 XC Championships, 11th at the Great Lakes Regional XC Championships and then 79th at the NCAA XC Championships.

Meijer is only now beginning to realize his full potential. The current Wisconsin ace has made rapid improvements in the past five months, posting numerous personal bests after having what was (easily) the best cross country season of his collegiate career.

The question now turns to who else Ole Miss will bring in to fill the remaining lineup gaps that the Rebels' future lineup seemingly holds right now. The good news is that between Anthony Camerieri and now Jack Meijer, new distance coach Adam Smith has proven to be a very effective recruiter of top talents.

And after masterfully getting his team to peak for the postseason last November, Smith may be able to make the most out of whoever he pairs with Meijer later this year.

The Stride Report has confirmed that Carleton's Clara Mayfield will be attending Utah next year as a graduate transfer. According to TFRRS, the Division Three standout is expected to hold one full year of eligibility across all three seasons at the conclusion of the upcoming outdoor track season.

For those not in the Division Three world, this name not be super recognizable.

But for any of our D3 readers, this is a massive development.

Clara Mayfield has been one of the most talented distance runners in Division Three since she entered the NCAA. Across three seasons, the Carleton ace has earned six All-American honors, including a recent 3rd place finish at the NCAA XC Championships back in November.

On the track, Mayfield has posted times that headlined the D3 national leaderboard. This past winter, she ran 4:47 in the mile (converted) and 9:30 over 3000 meters (converted), both conversions coming via flat-tracks. On the outdoor oval, Mayfield has run times of 16:33 (5k) and 34:41 (10k).

The Utah women will now be adding one of the more experienced and dangerous distance talents that Division Three has to offer. And while it's true, Mayfield's current resume wouldn't make her nationally competitive at the Division One level yet, almost all of her best times have come within the past year.

In other words, she has yet to find her ceiling -- and that's a good thing.

But if you take a look at the collective cross country seasons of former D3 runners who moved up to the D1 level this past year, then you'll find that many of them had great success. Women such as Ella Baran, Ari Marks, Ariel Keklak and Esther Seeland all made significant contributions to their teams in 2022, even if (some of) their national meet results suggest otherwise.

Keklak is a great success story for Utah. She was a nationally talented name within D3, but she wasn't quite as strong as Mayfield prior to joining the Utes. However, after two years with the program, the former Johns Hopkins runner evolved into one of the most important scorers who Utah had on their roster.

Mayfield's eventual introduction will be a welcomed development for a team that is expected to lose a handful of top women such as Emily Venters, Keelah Barger and Keklak after this year. And while the soon-to-be former Carleton runner won't be able to make up for all of that lost scoring, her ongoing improvements should at least allow Utah to slow the bleeding.

Earlier this month, Joy Gill announced that she will be leaving the University of Incarnate Word to join the Alabama women as a regular transfer. According to TFRRS, Gill is expected to hold three full years of eligibility across all three seasons of competition assuming that she races (attached) this spring.

Joy Gill may be one of the more underappreciated distance runners in the south. Currently a true freshman, the future Alabama talent was outstanding on the grass this past fall. Gill placed 8th at the Arturo Barrios Invitational, won the Southland XC Championships with ease and then went on to place 8th at the South Central Regional XC Championships. She was two spots out from earning an individual qualification to the national meet.

Gill is still working on developing her turnover on the track. However, should she compete this spring, the 10k could be an ideal event for her despite her youth.

This is a potentially massive transfer win for the Alabama women. The Crimson Tide have recently undergone some turnover, losing top rookie Sam McDonnell, top talent Amaris Tyynismaa and their former distance coach, Will Palmer.

The good news is that the Alabama women are still fairly young. And although two of their low-stick stars from last fall (Mercy Chelangat and Amaris Tyynismaa) won't return next year, they still have All-American standouts such as Hilda Olemomoi and Flomena Asekol.

There are also a handful of respectable Alabama distance talents who are in the developmental stages of their college careers. Eventually, one of them will make a key contribution to the Crimson Tide six to eight months from now. And with the addition of a high-upside transfer like Joy Gill, the women from Tuscaloosa may have a more complete cross country team in 2023 than we initially thought.

Back in January, Illinois State's Rachel Hickey announced that she will be joining the Baylor women as a graduate transfer. According to TFRRS, she is expected to hold at least one season of outdoor track eligibility (and potentially two). Based on her racing history, Hickey is not expected to have any remaining eligibility for cross country or indoor track.

Rachel Hickey may end up as one of the more quietly valuable graduate transfers of the year. The middle distance specialist hold sneaky-good personal bests of 2:05 (800), 2:49 (1k), 4:21 (1500) and 4:45 (mile).

The Baylor women aren't necessarily strangers when it comes to the 800 meters. Aaliyah Miller, for instance, was an indoor national champion over that distance in 2021 and held a personal best of 2:00 in the event.

Hickey's 2:05 mark over 800 meters is plenty encouraging. If she can build on that time, then she could be very competitive within a BIG 12 conference which seemingly has some half-mile conference points open for the taking.

And if the current Illinois State runner can follow any kind of similar trajectory that Aaliyah Miller once had with this program, then there may be an outside shot of her advance to a national meet come next spring.

Earlier this month, Georgetown announced that they have signed Kelsey Swenson, a graduate transfer, from the University of Idaho. According to TFRRS, she is expected to hold one season of indoor track eligibility, one season of cross country eligibility and potentially multiple seasons of outdoor track eligibility.

Swenson has been a mainstay in the BIG Sky Conference for the last few years, emerging as a six-time conference meet scorer between indoor track and outdoor track. However, it wasn't until this past fall that Swenson really broke out.

During the 2022 cross country season, the Idaho runner posted a handful of strong results, placing 11th at the Griak Invitational, 5th at the BIG Sky XC Championships and 11th at the West Regional XC Championships.

The Georgetown women are coming off of one of their better cross country seasons in program history where they placed 10th overall at the NCAA XC Championships. However, according to TFRRS, top-seven varsity runners such as Sami Corman, Grace Jensen and Katy-Ann McDonald are all expected to be out of cross country eligibility in 2023.

This, in turn, leaves Coach Mitchell Baker to go back to the transfer portal like he did in 2022 to plug any scoring gaps that could plague his squad. And so far, he seems to be taking an encouraging step in the right direction by adding Swenson.

The soon-to-be Hoya doesn't necessarily need to be a low-stick star like Grace Jensen was. All Swenson needs to do is to limit any excessive scoring and offer some lineup stability. But after the season that she had in 2022, there may be a reality where Swenson does evolve into a true low-stick, capitalizing on the success that she had throughout last fall.

And if that happens, then it won't take much for the Georgetown women to return to the same level of competitiveness that we saw from them just five months ago.