TSR Mailbag: Part 7

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Thanks to everyone who has submitted questions! Keep them coming...

"Other than Trouard upsetting Knight, what were the three biggest surprises from NCAA's?" - FGR22

I apologize for the delay in answering this question, mainly because I was waiting for more Mailbag questions to come in before I wrote this article...

One of the biggest surprises, to me, had to be seeing Virginia Tech have three All-Americans in the same event after winning the national title in the DMR. No other team has ever done that in (at least) the past 10 years. The ability to comeback from a mile prelim, win the national title, and then put all three men on the podium just goes to show that Coach Thomas and the Hokies are creating a program of consistency, strength, and excellence.

Staying with the DMR, Notre Dame and Stanford definitely caught me off guard. The Fighting Irish haven't always been at the top of the food chain during the past few years when it comes to being national contenders in the distance events. They had some solid performances from a hand-full of guys this season, but to have them all come together and run the race of their life to finish 2nd on the national stage is tremendous. How does Yared Nuguse, a walk-on freshman from Kentucky split 3:57 and hold off Grant Fisher? This guy isn't getting enough love.

At the same time, did anyone else think Stanford looked a little...flat? Sean McGorty was solid, but a 2:56 isn't anything super special. There were still eight or so teams in the front pack when the 1200 legs handed off. At the same time, Grant Fisher just doesn't seem to have the edge we saw last spring. The Cardinal settled for 4th despite having championship talent and that was definitely surprising to me.

The final surprise was something I picked up on in our "Digits" article that we recently published. The 5000 was the slowest national championship race we've seen in the past decade. However, that's not what surprises me. In a race that was filled with tactical moves and surges, it was the aggressive front-runners who walked away with All-American honors. Vincent Kiprop, Mike Tate, Rory Linkletter, and Jacob Thomson all finished within the top eight. The race didn't play out in their favor, but they still maintained great results. I didn't think all four of these guys would secure All-American with a time that was this slow.

"What other NCAA comparisons do you have for high schoolers in the nation? Aidan Troutner? Jett Charvet? Ryan Lockett? Any others?" - SeductiveBreadstick

That article was a lot of fun to write and I like to think that people enjoyed reading it. Also, I've seen a lot of great usernames, but this may be the best one yet.

When I look at comparisons for Aidan Troutner, there is one comparable name that I can't seem to shake from my mind...and that name is Justyn Knight. Now, admittedly, Troutner may not have the same magnitude of fame that Knight has, but their racing style is pretty similar. Both can go out and run fast times, but in championship races you'll find them near the front of the pack, waiting to unleash a kick. The NXN Championships this past fall couldn't be clearer a example of what I am talking about. Troutner worked his way to the front, let the lead pack battle it out, and then closed hard just when they had exhausted themselves. If you've ever watched any of Justyn Knight's races, you'll see the similarities.

Other quick comparisons for Troutner include Andy Trouard and Colby Gilbert.

As for Jett Charvet, I can't help but think of Isaiah Harris when I watch him race. Both have strong, broader builds which may allow them to show off their great finishes in the final moments of an 800 race. If you go back to watch Charvet's New Balance Nationals win this past indoor season, you'll see that he slowly moved up and made his kick at just the right moment. He gave himself enough time to catch the leaders, but not so much time that anyone else in the field could catch him. Harris has shown the same finishing ability and although he may not always win, it still separates himself from the rest of the field.

Other quick comparisons for Charvet include Bryce Hoppel and Robert Heppenstall.

Ryan Lockett is a great name to bring up. He doesn't have the flashy national titles that Troutner and Charvet have, but he is one of the more consistent top-tier high schoolers in the nation. One of the things that really stood out to me about Lockett's 2nd place finish in the mile at New Balance Indoor Nationals this past indoor season was his patience and positioning throughout the race. While the rest of the field tired themselves out trying to navigate through the crowd, Lockett never panicked. He settled in, stayed in contact with the leaders, and made his big move when it counted. It may not be the most exciting racing method, but it doesn't have to be. Lockett reminds me a lot of 2017 graduate Josh Thompson from Oklahoma State. Now with Bowerman TC, Thompson was one of the most consistent milers in the nation. He displayed excellent patience, was able to hang with any pace, and was decisive with his surges. It's hard to truly explain just how distinctly similar these two are with such a generic racing style, but I like to think that it's a strong comparison.

Other comparisons for Lockett include Neil Gourley and Thomas Awad.

We could go on for days talking about comparison after comparison. I'll keep things brief and just give you a quick list of a few more high schoolers...

- Rusty Kujdych = Luis Vargas

- Dan Kilrea = Oliver Hoare

- Khalid Hussein = Matthew Baxter or Gilbert Kigen

- Ian Delgado = Joe White

- Scott Thompson = Zach Perrin

- Cameron Ponder = Sam Parsons

- Clayton Mendenz = Hassan Abdi

"Predictions for outdoor season?" - Funky Parrot

I was actually thinking of doing a post like this separately from the Mailbag...but I'll give a few of my "bold" predictions (although you can determine if they're bold or not).

1. The SEC will have the most All-Americans of any conference in the NCAA for the 5000 and 10,000 meters this spring.

2. An American will win the steeplechase national title...and he won't be from a Power Five conference.

3. More than 10 men will break the 3:40 barrier for 1500 meters.

4. Half of the 800 runners who became All-Americans this past indoor season will fail to make it to the NCAA final this spring.

5. The fastest freshman (true or redshirt) in the nation for 5000 meters will be American, will not be from Oregon, and will not be the best runner on his team.