Waiver Wire Deadline

The deadline for TSR writers to trade or pick up new athletes for their fantasy track teams has recently passed and there was plenty of movement. With several top runners not running this season due to redshirts or dealing with injuries, the writers had to find other runners to fill their roster spots.

Keep in mind that the deadline for trades and "free agent" additions was February 17th.

Below is a ranking of which teams improved the most following the completion of free agency. Let's get started...

Garrett already had a strong team, but he added two key pieces to help his team. Tanner and Gear give him even more depth in the middle distance races. Tanner, in particular, looks to be a major threat to score points in the 800 meters.

The Georgia Bulldog ran 2:03 the other weekend which puts her at NCAA #2 on the TFRRS performance list. While it seems a bit far-fetched to call her a favorite to finish in the top three at Nationals, it is realistic that she could finish in the top five. Out of all of the free agents picked up throughout the season, Tanner has the highest scoring potential and is a big reason why Garrett is number one on this list.

As for Gear, the Razorback is current listed at NCAA #18 in the mile and NCAA #22 in the 3k. We will likely see her in the mile and DMR for Arkansas. The Razorbacks should have one of the top DMR squads and if Gear is a part of it, then she is guaranteed to score at least some points. In the mile, she has an outside chance at scoring, but any points on top of her DMR performance would be icing on the cake for Garrett.

It is remarkable that Garrett was able to pick up two women who have great chances of scoring points and that earns him the top spot in our improvement rankings.

No one was busier this season than me. Dealing with plenty of injuries to my initial roster, I had to make some big changes. Only one runner (Anna Camp-Bennett) remains on my original team. I picked up McArthur in a trade with Sean by sending him Lauren Ellsworth-Barnes. Additionally, I picked up Simiuc (Toledo), Gillespie (Texas), Jennings (Furman) and Rudden (Michigan State) in free agency. With Sage Hurta and Fiona O’Keefe not racing this indoor season, I went for the top runners available.

The only trade of the season was an interesting one. In Anna Camp-Bennett and Lauren Ellsworth-Barnes, I had two BYU 800 runners who will likely qualify for NCAA’s individually, but don’t have great chances at scoring. They are, however, part of BYU’s very strong DMR team.

Even so, there is some risk with the Cougar DMR team. If Whittni Orton doesn't run on that relay, then the team may struggle to score. Consequently, I wanted to spread out my risk a bit and that is where the trade for McArthur comes into play.

While she is unlikely to qualify individually for NCAA’s, she will be a big part of the Buffaloes' DMR team. Colorado also has the same risk as BYU. If Dani Jones doesn’t run, then the team will not finish nearly as well. I’m banking on either BYU or Colorado running well in the DMR, and if they both do, then it will be a success.

Simiuc, Gillespie and Jennings all have run well in the mile this year and each has a chance at scoring. While none of them are locks to score, I would be surprised if I didn’t get at least five points from this group. With the uncertainty of who will run the mile, one of these three could suddenly become a top three threat.

As for Rudden, she has a chance at squeezing out some points in the 800 meters. The Michigan State star is ranked at NCAA #8 currently and with Dani Jones likely not running in the 800, Rudden will go into the national meet with a top seven ranking (at minimum).

Sean has had a busy season updating his team. In the only trade of the season, Sean picked up Lauren Ellsowrth-Barnes from Ben in exchange for Rachel McArthur. He also picked up Christina Aragon and Andrea Foster to add to his team’s depth.

I talked about the Ellsworth-Barnes for McArthur trade from my team’s perspective, but it is interesting to look at it from Sean’s side. The trade is worth the gamble for Sean because the DMR teams are very similar, but Ellsworth-Barnes has a chance to score individually. That extra scoring possibility makes the trade very worthwhile for Team Sean.

Stanford's Cardinal Aragon is ranked at NCAA #19 in the mile which should qualify her for NCAA’s after scratches, but she is on the edge. She is an interesting name to watch if she does run at Albuquerque in March because she is so experienced at National Championships.

Whether or not she has enough fitness to challenge for an All-American spot is unclear, but she will absolutely put herself in the right position to give herself the chance at scoring some points.

Andrea Foster of Clemson also gives Sean another scoring option in the 800 meters. Sitting at NCAA #11, she isn’t a favorite to earn an All-American finish, but she certainly has a chance.

These three moves aren't game-changing, but they do greatly improve Sean’s odds at scoring a few more points.

Two small adjustments were made for Team Brett as he added Katy Ann-McDonald (LSU) and Kelsey Chmiel (NC State). Brett had two women who redshirted in Elly Henes and Emily Venters, so he needed some big-time replacements.

McDonald is ranked at NCAA #6 in the 800 meters and has a great chance at scoring a solid amount of points. She has experience at the indoor national meet from last year and will look to build upon that experience by earning a place in the finals.

As for Chmiel, the NC State freshman has been outstanding this year and is currently ranked at NCAA #16 in the 3k and NCAA #18 in the 5k. With both of these events so loaded, it is hard to imagine her placing in the top eight, but the idea of her being on the line is still encouraging from a potential scoring perspective.

Unfortunately for Conor, his top two picks have not raced this year outside of Prouse’s DNF at Boston University in December. Picking up Chelangat in particular could prove to be very helpful as he tries to recoup the points he lost.

The Alabama star has been a revelation this year and her 15:37 puts her at NCAA #8 in the 5000 meters. Her performance at the Husky Classic proved that she is a legitimate threat to score this year. Even with this year’s strong field, she certainly has a great chance at finishing as an All-American.

Additionally, the pickup of the Harvard star Goldstein gives Conor at least another option in the mile. As I have mentioned before, the mile field could shake out in a lot of different ways. While it is unlikely that we see Goldstein in the top eight, it is still a possibility.

Michael didn’t need to upgrade his team much, so he decided to make only one change.

He brought in Abbey Wheeler of Providence who is NCAA #14 in the 3k and NCAA #11 in the 5k. While she isn’t a favorite a score in either, she will be in two events which helps her point scoring odds.

That said, Tabor Scholl's continued absence will likely leave Michael with a goose egg come Nationals as she has yet to race this season.

Maura didn’t need to change much of her roster; her only move was adding Virginia Tech's Sara Freix to bolster the back-end of her roster. Adding Freix gives Team Maura depth in both the 3k and 5k.

Freix currently sits at NCAA #12 in the 3k and NCAA #14 in the 5k. Like other pickups, she isn’t a favorite to be an All-American, but like Wheeler, she has a much better chance at scoring a few points than most free agents.

Less was more for Team Brian as he only added Smart to his already potent team. He swapped out one freshman star for another as he traded VanderLende for Smart. Team Ben dropped Smart prematurely as she went on to run 9:06 for 3000 meters to almost assuredly punch her ticket to NCAA’s. While the Husky star is unlikely to score any points, she is clearly an incredible talent.

Would I be surprised to see her find her way into the top eight? No, but I don’t necessarily expect to see it either. Still, she is an excellent pickup for Brian as he gives himself at least another opportunity at scoring in the 3000 meters.

Logan had a busy free agency as he added three women in Schoffield, Ellsworth and Wasserman. With Davis, Rohrer and Birk-Jarvis all not running this indoor season, Logan had to bring in some reinforcements.

Unfortunately, not all of those new free agents will make NCAA’s this March. Schoffield has yet to run a qualifying time and Wasserman sits at NCAA #21 in the mile.

Ellsworth of BYU could be the only one who contributes to Team Logan. She is NCAA #18 in the 800 meters, but she could also be a member of BYU’s strong DMR team. With her unlikely to score individually, the DMR is her best chance at scoring.

Overall, Logan wasn’t able to find any free agents with high scoring potential at NCAA’s.

I picked up Adams and Beadlescomb after their impressive performances from the last few weeks. These two fill in for Andrew Jordan and Jonathan Davis who appear to be coming back from injuries.

Adams, the Furman star, has been on fire this season running a converted 3:57 in the mile and 7:49 in the 3k. In most years, Adams could be considered a favorite in the 3k, but in a year that has seen 12 men run under 7:50, it could be hard for him to score.

If Adams goes with the mile, then he may have a better chance at scoring at least a few points. He has been unbelievable all year, but in a season that has seen so many fast times, there is no guarantee that he scores at all.

On the other hand, Beadlescomb came out of nowhere the other weekend to beat Peter Seufer and run 13:31. While he isn’t a favorite to take home a top three finish at Nationals, the Spartan veteran is certainly a favorite to finish as an All-American and score some points.

It was a busy transfer window for Connor as he picked up Franco, Rowe, O’Donovan and Ellis. With Casey Comber, Robert Brandt, Sam Worley and Aidan Tooker not competing this season, Conor improved his team dramatically.

Franco, O’Donovan and Ellis have all run under 3:59 this year and should compete for an All-American spot in the mile. As for Rowe, he is on the edge of qualifying for the 3000 meters. He will need some scratches to ensure that he qualifies with his time of 7:51.

While none of Conor’s additions are likely to score more than two points, he now has four more runners who have scoring potential which isn’t something he could say before the deadline.

Tuntivate and Zarate were Michael’s two big midseason additions. It was interesting that Michael decided to drop Kasey Knevelbaard who hasn’t run a qualifying time yet, but has extensive experience on the national stage.

Like Adams, Tuntivate has been a breakout star this indoor season. After running 3:57 and 7:49, the Harvard star has put into the national picture. We may not see him in the mile, but he will assuredly be in the 3k. In this year’s loaded field, he has a chance at finishing as an All-American, but it remains to be seen how well he will compete in a championship style race.

Zarate is another solid pickup and gives Michael another chance at scoring in the mile. The Hokie has run a converted 3:58 and has a good chance at qualifying for the finals in the mile.

With a strong group up front, Garrett made a few tweaks at the back end of his team by adding Rivera and Nur to his team. Garrett swapped out Talon Hull (who we have yet to see this season) and Jackson Mestler.

Dropping the Oregon Duck who just ran a 13:36 was an interesting move especially since he has run a faster time and has more experience than Nur. While it may work out for Garrett, it seems like a risky move, although Garrett has been optimistic about altitude-based athletes in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Rivera has been a revelation this year. The Ole Miss Rebel has run 1:48 and has finished right behind Indiana’s Cooper Williams multiple times this season. In a chaotic 800 meter field, Rivera has a great chance at earning some solid points on the national stage.

As for Nur, he has run a converted 13:39 and has also run 7:57 in the 3k. While he will certainly qualify for NCAA's, it is hard to imagine him scoring in his first NCAA track meet against such a strong, experienced field.

Maura added Heslington and Tanner to her already very strong team. While dropping Carney was an easy move as he is out of eligibility, releasing Hamer was a bit of a surprise as he ran well at Boston University in December. However, Heslington has run quicker and seems to be in better shape as he prepares for NCAA's.

Washington's Sam Tanner is an interesting pickup as he is not a lock to qualify for NCAA's in the mile and is an inexperienced true freshman. There is no doubting his talent, but he is coming off of a 4:07 at the Husky Classic which does not inspire confidence that he will be able to lower his qualifying mark. Still, if he does qualify for Nationals, then he could be a dark horse to sneak into All-American status and steal some points.

Hacker and Ferro give Brian’s team some options in the 3k and 5k. In order to pick up these two runners, Brian had to let go of Amon Kemboi and Drew Bosley who have not raced this indoor season.

Ferro has a legitimate shot at scoring in the 5k, especially racing at altitude in Albuquerque, and he gives Brian’s team more scoring potency. The Wisconsin star, on the other hand, is sitting right on the edge of qualifying for NCAA's in the 3k. Again, the field is so strong that even if Hacker does qualify, it would be surprising to see him score.

Sean’s lone addition was Matthew Schadler of Indiana who he picked up in exchange for Brodey Hasty. The Hoosier put together an impressive 3:58 mile performance in Boston the other weekend, but I don’t see the freshman earning a spot in the finals at NCAA's (although his DMR could earn a nice chunk of points).

Welp, this is what happens when you don't read the Group Chat.

Good luck Brett and Logan!