BREAKING: Karrie Baloga & Daniel Watcke Enter Transfer Portal

Photo Assistance via West Coast XC & Oregon Athletics

The Stride Report has learned from two separate sources that two of the best distance recruits from the Class of 2023, Karrie Baloga and Daniel Watcke, have both entered the transfer portal. The two rookies currently compete for Colorado and Oregon, respectively.

During her time at the prep level, Baloga produced outstanding personal bests of 4:37 (mile), 9:20 (3k), 10:27 (3k steeple), 10:07 (two miles) and 16:49 (5k XC). She also won the 2022 Champs Sports XC National Championships and earned a fantastic 13th place finish at the 2023 U20 World XC Championships.

In her first season of collegiate competition, Baloga was one of the key names within Colorado's lineup who consistently offered great upfront scoring. The true freshman placed 21st at the Virginia Invite, 39th at the Nuttycombe Invite, 8th at the PAC-12 XC Championships and just recently, 82nd at the NCAA XC Championships.

Despite a promising first season of collegiate competition where she often found herself on the fringes of our top-50 individual rankings, Baloga has seemingly opted to look elsewhere for a new home.

With one of the most valuable distance running transfer prospects now in the portal, teams in need of long-term scoring value will heavily pursue the budding low-stick ace. Will Baloga return back to her home state of New York, or at the very least, return to the east coast? Could teams like Oregon, Florida or NC State continue to find success in their pursuit of landing top transfers? Is there a wild card team that we're not thinking of?

We then come to Dan Watcke, another PAC-12 rookie who is aiming to relocate. The current Oregon freshman was viewed as one of the most dynamic and versatile distance recruits in the country throughout last year.

At the conclusion of his high school career, the Illinois native had posted numerous marks under 1:50 for 800 meters, including two separate times where he ran 1:47 for the half-mile distance. He also ran 4:09 for 1600 meters.

But Watcke wasn't just a middle distance specialist. On the grass, the Hinsdale Central talent ran 14:58 for 5000 meters. He also finished 8th at the 2022 NXR Midwest Championships as well as 28th at the 2022 NXN Championships.

The combination of Watcke's nationally competitive 800 meter marks, promising three-season value and untapped eligibility makes this still-young runner an extremely valuable name in the transfer market. Essentially any team, regardless of their focus, can build around Watcke while taking solace in knowing that his eligibility won't be expiring any time soon.