BREAKING: Arkansas Adds Brian Masai, Timothy Chesondin, Camren Fischer & Dawson Welch From Transfer Portal

---

Earlier today, the University of Arkansas announced that they have signed Brian Masai, Timothy Chesondin and Camren Fischer from the transfer portal. The former two men hail from Akron while Fischer is a graduate transfer from Princeton. The Razorbacks have also signed Dawson Welch from the transfer portal, a now-former Tennessee runner.

Masai is expected to hold three years of eligibility in cross country and two years of eligibility in both indoor track and outdoor track. Chesondin is expected to have three full years of eligibility between cross country and outdoor track as well four years of eligibility for indoor track. Fischer will have at least one full year of eligibility remaining across all three seasons of competition while Welch should have three seasons of indoor track and outdoor track eligibility as well as a full slate of cross country eligibility.

The addition of Masai and Chesondin to Arkansas, while not exactly surprising, is a massive development that almost certainly alters the NCAA podium conversation. The former has run times of 13:34 (5k) and 28:45 (10k) while the latter was a 36th place All-American at the NCAA XC Championships last fall.

With three low-stick-caliber men (Patrick Kiprop, Kirami Yego and Ben Shearer) returning from last year's podium squad, Masai and Chesondin give Coach Chris Bucknam a lineup that could legitimately yield five individual All-Americans later this fall in a best-case scenario.

But what may be just as important for Arkansas with their latest series of signings is that other podium contending teams such as Iowa State, New Mexico, North Carolina and/or Wisconsin will not have the same All-American-level weapons who could be used against the Razorbacks.

At last year's national meet, Patrick Kiprop placed 7th, Kirami Yego placed 13th and Ben Shearer placed 42nd. Those finishes correlated to 56 total team points (which is not necessarily the same as adding athlete's overall finishes). If you factor in Chesondin's 36th place effort (and consider displacement), then the Arkansas men would have scored 88 team points through four runners.

Photo via Akron Athletics

That, in turn, would have left the Razorbacks with an approximate 108-point cushion to finish ahead of 3rd place BYU. And for perspective, 133rd place at last year's national meet correlated to 108 team points, a borderline guaranteed result that Arkansas can expect from Masai (who is more proven on the track) and maybe even the best version of Camren Fischer.

But you know what's crazier? That lineup didn't feature Peter Maru, the Ugandan freshman who dropped a monster 5k time of 13:16 during the indoor track season. And if you're a believer that Maru will be a top-15 name in the country this fall, then you're beginning to look at a squad that could legitimately threaten Oklahoma State.

Admittedly, it will still take the Arkansas men replicating their incredible postseason peak from last year to truly contend with Oklahoma State this year. Even if we were to throw Maru into this hypothetical scoring scenario based on last year's national meet results (and we factor-in displacement), Arkansas still remains well behind the 49 points and 71 points scored by both Oklahoma State and Northern Arizona, respectively.

But by adding Camren Fischer, the 2019 Mid-Atlantic regional champion who has raced sparingly, to this roster, the floor for the Razorbacks being a podium threat in 2024 has seemingly risen.

As for Dawson Welch, the 4:08 high school miler will be a solid developmental name for Arkansas over the long-term. While he's not expected to produce any major results immediately, he could emerge as solid miler capable of scoring points at future SEC Championship meets on the track.

How Would You Best Classify Arkansas After Their Latest Transfer Haul?

• NCAA XC Title Threats
• NCAA XC Podium Favorites
• NCAA XC Podium Contenders
• NCAA XC Podium Underdogs