Bringing Back Recaps (Part One)

What. A. Weekend.

The last few days produced a handful of excellent results, giving us at The Stride Report a TON to analyze and to talk about. Below, we highlighted some of the best performances from Friday and Saturday and offered some discussion points.

Keep in mind that this is only Part One of our weekend analysis. We'll cover the rest of the nation's notable results in Part Two.

Let's jump right into it...

Heisterman Runs 4:34 Mile in Breakout Race, Gibson Follows With 4:37 PR of Her Own

The Washington duo of Madison Heisterman and Anna Gibson were two women who we mentioned in our meet preview. Based on their past credentials, we felt that they were going to emerge as the top collegiates in this race.

Sure enough, that was the case, but what we didn't anticipate was both of these women running as fast as they did.

Heisterman's 4:34 personal best is huge. The Husky star had run 4:14 for 1500 meters last spring, but running a 4:34 mile in her second race of the season is wildly impressive and a relatively more impressive time than her 1500 meter mark.

For perspective, Heisterman's newest personal best of 4:34.51 would have ranked her at NCAA #9 in the event last winter.

As for Gibson, this is an excellent race for her as well. Running 4:37 puts her in the conversation to qualify for the national meet individually. As we saw last winter, plenty of 4:37 milers are capable of making it out of the prelims and into the finals at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Overall, these two performances are wildly impactful for Washington and the rest of the NCAA. Together, these two women could theoretically put together a DMR that contends for a spot at the national meet.

Of course, on a relay that features Heisterman and Allie Schadler, who has run 4:31 in the mile, one has to think that a theoretical distance medley relay with that lineup would be able to contend for a national title, especially if Carley Thomas is near full health and top fitness.

If Heisterman and Gibson were to team up and qualify for the indoor national meet in the distance medley relay, then Schadler would be given the luxury to seriously pursue the 5k/3k double at the national meet without having to worry about any DMR duties (if that's what she chooses).

At the same time, Heisterman is someone who could emerge as an All-American in the mile if everything goes perfectly this season. In that case, would the Washington coaching staff really take away her chance for individual glory by putting her in a relay?

It's a good problem to have so many scoring options if you're the Huskies, but that doesn't make any of these questions any easier to answer.

Regardless, Heisterman is now a name who we need to keep on our radar. She's run 2:05 for 800 meters before, so don't be surprised if she tries to dig deeper into the middle distances.

Meanwhile, Gibson may want to seriously pursue another fast mile effort. She is *probably* in a good enough position to qualify for the national meet with scratches, but 4:37.95 is also right on the cusp of not making it.

Given how much faster the NCAA distance events are becoming with each and every year, Gibson may want to find another race where she goes after a new mile PR.

Lumb & Johnsen Battle to 3:55 Marks; Ellis, Miller, Houser Each Run 3:57 in Crazy Mile Field

Coming into this meet, I suggested that the men's mile was going to be the race of the weekend. Sure enough, I think it's safe to say that I was right.

Washington's Kieran Lumb just earned a MASSIVE win over a very elite field, further improving upon his already-impressive personal bests. The newest Husky star stuck with a fast pace and was able to out-run Washington State's Colton Johnsen in the latter portions of their battle.

When the dust settled, Lumb had run 3:55.53 while Johnsen settled for a time of 3:55.74.

It's hard to put into words just how crazy fast those times are, especially for this early in the season. After the jaw-dropping marks that we saw in the mile last winter, it's important that we don't overlook these times for how elite they are.

At the same time, I'm not exactly shocked that Lumb ran as fast as he did. He has an outstanding resume with numerous top-tier marks which suggested that he could run this fast. Not only that, but this was the perfect race for Lumb.

The field didn't feature an army of elite professional runners or a heavy contingent of all-time collegiate superstars. However, it did have numerous high-level collegiate talents who have posted times well under the 4:00 barrier before. Lumb was good enough to be at/near the front of this field, but he still had his work cut-out for him in order to run fast and get a win.

Yet, in the end, what truly matters is that Lumb ran 3:55 in the mile, a mark that seems to exemplify his status as an NCAA superstar.

But what does this mean for Lumb's future? Will he run the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships now? For someone who has run 7:46 for 3000 meters and 13:24 for 5000 meters, it's not exactly a given that he will run the mile at the indoor national meet, especially if there is greater potential for him to score in both the 3k and the 5k.

As for Johnsen, this is a monumental performance that really validates the idea of him being a rising collegiate star. We knew he was a stud and his 13:34 (5k) personal best from December was encouraging.

Even so, this race confirmed suspicions his recent 5k PR wasn't just a fluke or just a nice season opener. If anything, that race was a signal that bigger things were to come.

A 3:55 mile personal best is beyond impressive. Johnsen was a strong, nationally competitive name coming into this race, but running 3:55 gives him a personal best that puts him in the "All-American favorite" category.

However, much like Lumb, we'll be curious to see what Johnsen runs at the indoor national meet. Last year, for instance, he ran the 3000 meters and 5000 meters despite owning a 3:57 mile personal best. Of course, running 3:55 could now alter his decision(s) for the postseason.

As incredible as they were, Lumb and Johnsen weren't the only ones who put up strong times in this race. Princeton standout Sam Ellis repeated his 3:57 mile personal best while Aussie teammate Duncan Miller ran 3:57 as well. Meanwhile, Washington standout Luke Houser ran a 3:57 mile personal best of his own.

Ellis is a true stud and someone who had broken out during the 2020 indoor track season when he ran 3:57 at Boston University. However, the national meet was cancelled due to the pandemic that year and the Ivy League has been a bit more stringent about collegiate competition compared to other conferences.

Since then, we hadn't seen Ellis compete until this past fall, but racing on the grass isn't necessarily indicative of someone's actual talent on the track. It had been so long since Ellis had run that 3:57 mile PR and he had never run close to that mark in any other races.

That's why Ellis' recent 3:57 effort from this past weekend was so impressive. He was able to replicate the best performance of his career against a loaded field.

The season is still young, but Ellis should feel very comfortable about where he's at considering it's the middle of January. He's a sneaky-good veteran and someone who clearly knows how to thrive in highly-competitive, aggressively-paced settings.

As for Australian teammate Duncan Miller, his 3:57 mile time was a massive breakout performance and there's no other way to describe it. Of course, when someone doesn't get to race on the track (collegiately) for a span of almost two years, it's hard to figure out exactly what kind of shape they're in.

In fact, you're likely bound to see a few breakout seasons from other Ivy League athletes this winter. Some of those athletes haven't had many opportunities to race against collegiate competition as of late, but they could be primed for big-time performances.

Yes, Miller did run 4:02 back in December, crossing the line alongside teammate Sam Ellis. Still, that time didn't suggest that Miller was going to run 3:57 this season.

However, maybe the most important development for Miller is the fact that he has been able to finish alongside a star veteran in Sam Ellis not once, but twice this winter. If he's able to consistently compete with a standout miler like him, then Miller's future looks very promising.

As for Houser, this was the kind of result that we had been waiting to see from him for such a long time. The Washington star was able to stick with the hot pace and earn a 3:57 mile personal best this past weekend.

After previously running 4:00 in the mile, 7:58 for 3000 meters and 13:43 for 5000 meters, it felt safe to say that Houser was a collegiate distance talent who was on the rise. However, Houser had not yet posted a time or a cross country finish that truly wowed us...at least, not until this past weekend.

With a 3:57 mile time now in his arsenal, and teammate Kieran Lumb recently running 3:55, the Huskies are primed to have one of the more lethal distance medley relays in the NCAA this year. That is, of course, assuming that coach Andy Powell wants to seriously pursue that event.

Quick shoutout to Boise State's Dario De Caro. He's a very strong and very underrated distance talent who can post some sneaky-good times and cross country finishes. Seeing De Caro run 4:00 in the mile this past weekend was a pleasant surprise.

I wasn't expecting to see the longer distance ace show off that kind of speed.

Lauren Ryan Posts 4:38 Mile at Clemson Opener

Florida State's Lauren Ryan went back to work this past weekend, posting a very solid and respectable time of 4:38 in the mile at Clemson. Despite the win and a solid mark, I'm not sure there is a ton to take away from this race.

Ryan took home the victory in what was essentially a solo effort, securing the win by over 16 seconds. For the most part, this was somewhat expected. It was a strong effort for the FSU star, but it was largely a race that was aiming to get speed under her legs.

At the same time, there's still a small part of me that wonders whether or not Ryan should run the 5000 meters or not at the indoor national meet. There are numerous scenarios where she could run some combination of the mile, the 3000 meters and/or the DMR.

Is the 5000 meters a natural option for Ryan? Yes, definitely, but if she's able to run something along the lines of 4:34 or 4:35 in the mile this season, which seems very realistic for someone of her caliber, then the FSU standout may want to weigh her options differently come March.

Texas A&M Star Brandon Miller Holds Off Craig Engels En Route to 1:47 Victory

The fastest distance race of the weekend may have been Lumb and Johnsen running 3:55 in the mile, but Brandon Miller's battle with Nike star Craig Engels in the 800 meters was likely the closest and most exciting race.

Texas A&M superstar Brandon Miller, who currently sits at TSR #2 in our indoor track rankings, toed the line for his first 800 meter race of the season. Also in the race was Nike superstar Craig Engels, one of the nation's top middle distance talents.

However, Miller's youth as a true sophomore didn't rattle him. The Aggie superstar went into the last lap with Engels on his shoulder, but Miller was able to hold him off in what was an incredible display of speed.

In the end, Miller held off Engels, posting a time of 1:47.48 to Engels' 1:47.49.

This performance is big for Miller in so many ways. The College Station standout was incredible on the outdoor oval last spring, but there were questions (from me) as to how he would translate that success to the indoor oval.

So far, Miller has carried his talent with him into the early parts of this indoor track with a seasonal best of 1:47. For perspective, Miller didn't run faster than 1:48.94 last winter as he failed to qualify for the indoor national meet.

Despite earning key wins and making progress throughout last winter, earning a nationally competitive, or at the very least, a national qualifying time in the 800 meters, seemed to elude Miller.

That, of course, is not the case this season.

Mackay Runs Flat-Track Converted 2:04, Maloney Runs 2:04 on Her Home Track

The women's 800 meters didn't have a ton of fireworks or surprises this past weekend, but there were a handful of notable results.

Binghamton's Emily Mackay is an outstanding long distance runner who often doesn't get the proper recognition that she deserves. With a 5000 meter PR of 15:42, it seems fair to say that Mackay thrives in the longer races compared to the middle distances...or so we thought.

That's why we can't help but be impressed with her 2:04 conversion in the 800 meters from this past weekend. Running 2:06 on Lehigh University's flat-track (which, from experience, isn't the fastest track in the world) shows a level of speed and leg turnover that we didn't realize that Mackay had.

The main (and obvious) goal for Mackay this winter will be to qualify for the indoor national meet, likely in the 5000 meters. However, once she's there, a tactical race could play into her strengths given his recent middle distance success. Having 800 meter speed like hers could come in handy on the national stage.

Yet, despite all of that, we also have to remember that earning a conversion of 2:04.78 will *probably* get Mackay into the national meet in the 800 meters.

Is it possible that the long distance veteran abandons her main event(s) this winter? And instead goes all-in for the 800 meters in an effort to get more experience in the event, improve her turnover & earn a better seed time?

Given how deep the women's the 5000 meters is this year, that may be a realistic move for Mackay...

As for the other 2:04 performer from this past weekend, Shafiqua Maloney went to work and got the job done without much of an issue. The Razorback star, who broke out last winter and spring after running 2:01 for 800 meters, has continued her assault on the half-mile distance with ease.

I want to say more about this race, but frankly, I'm not sure there's a ton to say. She beat her competition with ease this past weekend and hasn't given us anything to dislike.

We should note that Maloney wasn't originally listed in our Top-25 rankings for this season. That, however, is because she competed in her season opener as an unattached athlete, leaving us unsure whether or not she would officially be donning an Arkansas singlet this winter.

Luckily, she did exactly that this weekend, leaving us with tons of to be excited about in the women's 800 meters later this season.