First Thoughts: Camerieri & Fetherstonhaugh Impress Over 5k, Seymour Goes 2:01 (800)

What's more wild? That game winning shot by San Diego State? Or the fact that I'm in the 96th percentile of my bracket despite losing three of my Final Four teams before we were halfway through the second round?

None of that has anything to do with the track and field results of this past weekend, I just didn't have another intro in mind.

Here's are all of the other top collegiate results from this past weekend that we didn't already analyze. If you want to read our "First Thoughts" articles from Friday and Saturday, be sure to click the links below...

First Thoughts (Texas Relays)

First Thoughts (Stanford Invite 10k Races)

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Did Anthony Camerieri Just Have the Best Race of His Life? And Who is Chandler Gibbens?

The men's 5000 meter race at the Stanford Invitational was plenty entertaining, mainly because we got a large handful of very fast times -- but not necessarily from the guys who we were expecting.

Don't get me wrong, Anthony Camerieri was a very talented distance runner when he was at Miami (OH). But the graduate transfer has been incredible since joining the Ole Miss men, thriving under the new direction of Coach Adam Smith.

After a breakout cross country season and a well-rounded winter campaign, Camerieri was certainly due for a strong performance. But what we saw from him this past weekend? Well, that was far beyond what my expectations were for him.

As far as how this race played out, there really isn't a lot to talk about. All of the top guys who we expected to be in contention were near the lead group as Jackson Sharp paced the field roughly through halfway. And in a mosh pit of Dillon Powell, the BYU men, the Northern Arizona men, Matt Strangio, Chandler Gibbens and Camerieri, it really felt like anyone could walk away with the win.

But then the rising Rebel ace took the lead from Powell with two and a half laps to go, pulling away from the field while leaving no doubt as to who could secure gold. His final 800 meters were run in 2:00.93.

And in the end, he ran 13:26 for 5000 meters.

I was always confident that this Ole Miss standout was going to be an upper-tier runner. However, I thought his jump to a higher level of competitiveness would come this past winter in the 3k, not the 5k on the outdoor oval.

But the 5k makes perfect sense for Camerieri who had a simply outstanding cross country season, acting as a much-needed and recognizable low-stick for the Rebels. And with a clear improvement in his overall aerobic talent, it's hard not to like the value that this former RedHawk runner brings to the table.

He's experienced, versatile, has reached a new tier and has momentum on his side.

But for as pleasantly surprising as Camerieri was, the biggest stunner of the entire weekend (at least on the distance side of things) was seeing Chander Gibbens of Kansas finish runner-up in this race with a 5k time of 13:28!

Who is Chandler Gibbens? Let's get you caught up to speed.

Gibbens is a Missouri native who has been with the Jayhawks since 2019. As a prep runner, this midwest distance talent held very solid times, but not necessarily anything wildly exciting. His personal bests coming into Kansas were 4:13 (mile), 9:19 (3200) and 15:26 (5k XC).

Again, he was good, but by no means nationally competitive.

Even so, Gibbens has made steady and relatively decent progress over the last few years. The marks on his resume now read 3:48 (1500), 4:06 (mile) and 8:05 (3k). And his 5k PR coming into Friday's race? 13:59.

Yes, you're doing the mental math correctly.

Gibbens ran a 31-second PR over 5000 meters in a single race.

The below graphic pretty much sums up my feelings right...NBA fans will appreciate this one.

The breakout Jayhawk star came out of absolutely nowhere, continuing to hang with many of the top men in this field, all of whom were far more established than their BIG 12 counterpart. And as a few guys began to fade in the final portions of the race, it was Gibbens who continued to chase after Camerieri, eventually throwing down a big kick to snag silver.

Other than being completely stunned by his result, it's impossible to say anything more about Gibbens -- we just don't know enough about him, at least not at this level. Just a little over a month ago, he was running 8:17.67 (3k) and 14:20.99 (5k) at the BIG 12 Indoor Championships, failing to score in the former event.

And now he's running 13:28?

While upsetting numerous All-American-caliber talents?

How we do analyze that?

What should we expect from Gibbens in the future? Does this mean he'll soon move up to the 10k? Or move down to the 1500 meters where he already has some experience? Will he keep improving? Can he replicate this kind of result? How will his fitness translate to a tactical affair?

Asking these questions aren't meant to discredit what Gibbens just accomplished. We just don't have any other results on his resume to give us an idea of what he will do next.

But for now, we'll be patient and see what else he (eventually) has in store for us.

We then come to Theo Quax, the Kiwi distance talent who has evolved into a true veteran on a juggernaught Northern Arizona roster. After a couple of seasons of injuries and setbacks, Quax has continued to rally well past the point of his old fitness.

The Lumberjack runner has put together a very well-rounded resume, posting times of 3:39 (1500), 3:58 (mile) and 7:49 (3k) over the last few seasons. But it seems like the 5k will be his ideal event, especially after running 13:29 to place 3rd during Friday night's race.

Was that on the faster side of what we thought Quax would run? Yes, it was, although it wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility, especially when you consider how much faster the NCAA as a whole has become.

Keep an eye on Quax who can be very dangerous in the postseason if he captures enough momentum.

As for everyone else, it's hard to be surprised. Colorado Mines' Dillon Powell (13:30), Portland's Matt Strangio (13:31) and the BYU trio of Joey Nokes (13:32), Creed Thompson (13:34) and Brandon Garnica (13:36) all ran somewhat close to what we expected.

Yes, I wanted to see a bit more from Nokes and Garnica, but this was still a reasonable time for them to produce. Strangio, meanwhile, continues to develop into a quietly-lethal distance talent.

Grace Fetherstonhaugh Puts Together Big 5k PR to Finish as Top Collegiate at Stanford Invite in 15:30

Here is what I said in our meet preview for the women's 5000 meters at the Stanford Invite...

"Oregon State's Kaylee Mitchell and Grace Fetherstonhaugh are arguably the most dangerous when we don't list them high enough in our predictions." - Garrett Zatlin

And guess who didn't list either of those women in my top-five predictions?

Yep, this guy.

Now, in my defense, this field was originally supposed to feature a battle between Taylor Roe, Emily Venters and Ceili McCabe. But then those first two women opted to contest the 10k and McCabe scratched out of the event.

If I had known that those three women weren't going to actually run in the 5k, then I imagine that I would have put one or two of the Oregon State women in my predictions.

Anyways, much like the men's race, this 5k battle was fairly straightforward. Washington's Kayley DeLay led China's WuGa HE as a pacer before stepping off. In doing so, they opened a significant gap on the rest of the field. That chase pack was headed by Mitchell and Fetherstonhaugh as well as BYU's Aubrey Frentheway.

But with a mile to go, Fetherstonhaugh began to make a move, working hard to close the gap on her international counterpart. And although she couldn't catch her, the Oregon State standout made a statement, finishing runner-up with a massive 5k PR of 15:30.

For perspective, her prior personal best in this event was 15:58.

A lot of what I said about Theo Quax and Anthony Camerieri in the men's 5k can be applied to Fetherstonhaugh as well as Stanford's Lucy Jenks who placed 3rd in 15:33.

Did I think that Fetherstonhaugh and Jenks could run under 15:40 for 5000 meters? Yes, I thought that was plenty realistic even if my predictions didn't reflect that. But seeing them dip comfortably into the low-15:30s range continues to highlight my ongoing underestimation of just how much faster the NCAA has become.

Both of those women were due for big results. Fetherstonhaugh had a fantastic indoor track season this past winter, running 4:34 (mile) and 8:55 (3k). Jenks, meanwhile, ran 15:42 for 5000 meters on the indoor oval, nearly matching her PR from last spring.

And in a field that was talented -- but not necessarily laden with All-American superstars such as McCabe, Roe and Venters -- this race was perfectly balanced enough for these two women to run new personal bests.

However, from a big picture perspective, the most important result from this race may have come from the 3rd place finisher. I am, of course, talking about Jenna Hutchins of BYU.

Hutchins, a former high school distance running phenom from Tennessee, actually finished high school early and enrolled at BYU during the spring of 2022. She didn't actually start competing until this past fall.

There were admittedly massive expectations for this still-young rookie coming into this academic year. She felt like she could be a legitimate All-American in her first collegiate season of competition and based on her high school resume, it seemed like she hadn't found her ceiling yet (which is a good thing).

But the fall months were simply not great for Hutchins. She faded hard to 26th place in an early-season rust-buster and then struggled mightily at the Cowboy Jamboree shortly after. The true freshman was later shut down for the rest of the season.

It would have been completely understandable if Hutchins was redshirted during the winter months. Whatever was ailing her performances, either simple inexperience or something else, could have easily called for a full-season reset.

Of course, as we all know, Coach Diljeet Taylor is brilliant -- and in my opinion, she was robbed from being voted as The Stride Report's "Best Women's Distance Coach" in the latest edition of our "End of Season Awards".

Hutchins slowly came back during January and February, running 9:13 for 3000 meters at Camel City (unconverted). Shortly thereafter, she improved that 3k time to 9:05 at Boston University. The true freshman would cap off her rookie indoor campaign with a 15:57 mark over 5000 meters.

After a brutal and short-lived cross country season, Hutchins had clearly rebuilt some promising momentum heading into the spring months. And while I figured that she would eventually run a fast time, I didn't think that a) it would be this fast, and b) it would come later in the season.

Because on Friday night, the Tennessee native dropped an outstanding time of 15:35 for 5000 meters! That time was actually one-second off of Hutchins' 15:34 PR for this distance which she ran in high school.

With 80% of the outdoor track season still remaining, the sky seems to be the limit for Hutchins. She is a former high school megastar with an unreal amount of raw talent who is on a major hot streak right now. And if she carries this trend of improvement into the next few months, she might find herself on the national stage contending for a top-eight finish.

As for everyone else, I can't say that I'm too shocked, although Cailie Logue (Iowa State) and Greta Karinauskaite (California Baptist) did post a pair of 15:36 (5k) marks. Keep an eye on both of these women who have been running very well as of late.

Claire Seymour Continues to Thrive Off of Recent Momentum, Dominates Field En Route to 2:01 (800) Mark

Don't worry, we won't go through the exhausting exercise of explaining what the last three to four months of competition have been like for Claire Seymour. I feel like I've told that story enough.

All that you need to know about Claire Seymour, BYU's star middle distance veteran, is that she struggled in the first-half of the winter months. She later rallied incredibly well in the latter-half of the indoor track season and peaked perfectly for the NCAA Indoor Championships where she placed 4th over 800 meters.

And in doing so, she continued to validate her reputation as one of the best middle distance runners in the NCAA when it comes to peaking in the postseason.

Now, Seymour has momentum under her legs. She followed pacer Addy Townsend on Saturday through the first 450 meters before simply pulling away from the rest of the field. The race was essentially a time trial for the Cougar ace who ran 2:01.96 (800) for the win.

As far as the race goes, there isn't much to talk about. Seymour ran fast...and that's basically the whole story. However, it's important to note that Seymour actually ran 4:16 for 1500 meters the day before! To run that fast on tired legs should only speak to the level of confidence that she has been able to build back up over the last two months.

Admittedly, Seymour did come into the 2022 outdoor track season with great momentum, but then faltered on the national stage in June. That was likely just a fluke, but it's not necessarily something that we can forget about, either.

Kenneth Rooks Runs 8:33 (Steeple) in Season Debut to Easily Secure Win Over Deep & Accomplished Field

Coming into this race, I think it was relatively clear that either Kenneth Rooks (BYU) or Ed Trippas (Washington) were going to win this race. Both of those men were top-tier All-American threats in this event last spring. They were incredibly consistent and have run comfortably under 8:30 for this race.

Sure enough, over the final two laps, it was Rooks rocketing straight to the front from a steeple pack that had stayed fairly tight throughout the race. And as Rooks made his move, Trippas followed.

But by the final lap, it was clear that Trippas didn't have that extra gear to close the gap. Rooks, meanwhile, had never looked stronger. The BYU star pulled away with ease, powering over the barriers and water pits with incredible form while the rest of the field simply fought to say alive.

In the end, the Rooks secured a comfortable steeplechase win in a very strong time of 8:33, a result that is hardly surprising given his 8:22 PR. It would be another six seconds before Jordan Macintosh (Portland State) and Joel Mendez (Utah Valley) crossed the line with a pair of 8:39 marks.

Ed Trippas would settle for 4th place in 8:40 alongside Victor Shitsama (Oklahoma State) who also ran 8:40. Estanis Ruiz (Portland) and Alex Miley (Santa Clara) finished 6th and 7th, respectively, each running 8:42.

When it comes to Rooks, there's not much discuss. Running 8:33 to win the steeplechase this past weekend was a very realistic possibility for this BYU standout.

But it was how Rooks looked when he was racing that really caught my attention. His form was incredibly smooth. He was practically gliding over the barriers. His moves were made with incredible conviction and he only looked stronger as the race unfolded.

Sure, Rooks has always been an accomplished steeplechaser and has always had the right intangibles to be great in this event. But that may have been the best that he has ever looked in any race that I've watched him in.

As for Macintosh and Mendez, running 8:39 in the steeplechase is really encouraging to see! Based strictly on the Raleigh Relays and the Stanford Invitational, it seems like the depth of this event may end up being far greater than what it has been in the past. So to break 8:40 this early in the season feels like a necessary and important step in the right direction.

Now it's a matter of how much better they get from here.

For Trippas, this was just a rust-buster. He had a few modest performances on the indoor oval this past winter while racing unattached, but I hardly believe that he'll stick around the 8:40 steeplechase mark that he produced this past weekend. The Aussie Olympian holds an 8:19 PR in this event and was the 5th place All-American in the steeplechase last spring.

But right on Trippas' tail was Oklahoma State runner Victor Shitsama who ran a very strong PR of 8:40 this past weekend. That was a solid five-second improvement upon his best-ever time and I imagine that he'll aim to take advantage of this recent momentum, choosing to attack the steeplechase for the postseason rather than the 10k (although he did run both at the West Regional Championships last year).

As for Ruiz and Miley, running 8:42 (steeple) is more than respectable, but they obviously have so much more in them. For a rust-buster, that was a fine time.

Billah Jepkirui Pulls Off Upset to Win 1500 Meter Title at Stanford Invitational via 4:14 Mark

Alright, I'll admit, this result is probably riding the line of what is and isn't an "upset". After all, Billah Jepkirui ran 4:34 in the mile this past winter and was rumored to have previously owned a 4:11 personal best over 1500 meters (which I haven't been able to officially confirm, but I still have every reason to believe it).

This race was fairly simple to explain...until the last lap.

Addy Townsend was the pacer and while she did a nice job, no one really went with her. And when she stepped off, the entire field was still in contention. But at the front of that pack, alongside China's ChunYu Wang, was Jepkirui, Abbe Goldstein and Simone Plourde.

And as the final lap began to ramp up, positional battles and moves led to some minor chaos. Jepkirui went to the front with 300 meters to go while Plourde and Goldstein did everything in their power to catch their Oklahoma State opponent.

But Goldstein was just a bit too far back and Plourde was the only one who could legitimately challenge Jepkirui on the final straightaway. And as the two women battled over the final 100 meters, it wasn't clear until roughly 30 to 40 meters to go that Jepkirui was going to get the overall win.

Both her and Plourde would end up running 4:14 for 1500 meters while Goldstein settled for a still-solid mark of 4:15 en route to a 3rd place result. And while the times were respectable, it was the nuances of this races that I want to talk about.

I absolutely loved how Jepkirui ran this. Despite running 2:04 for 800 meters the very next day, I'm still under the impression that this Oklahoma State freshman is at her best over the longer distances. Her 2022 cross country campaign, outside of her national meet performance, supports that assertion.

So with her high-aerobic strength, Jepkirui opted to make her final move from a bit further out, specifically around 300 meters, rather than 100 meters out. That move turned out to be a great decision as she was able to diminish enough of Goldstein's and Plourde's kicks to hold on for the victory.

I don't know if that move was planned or just instincts, but it worked beautifully.

Plourde, meanwhile, had a great race all things considered. Sure, I thought she would run faster and get the win, but the Utah standout was in a brutal spot with 400 meters to go. The All-American from this past winter was stuck on the inside rail, had to make momentum-stunting jumps and nearly tripped just before going into the final lap.

It wasn't the prettiest race, but I like to think that she salvaged a fairly decent result when you look back at what she had to deal with.

We'll wrap up this section with Abbe Goldstein, the veteran from New Mexico. In terms of fitness, this elder 1500 meter standout looks great. She put herself at the front of the pack and at least gave herself a shot to chase the leaders on the final lap.

There may have been some minor tactical things that she could have done better, but for the most part, I thought she ran very well.

Camden Marshall Runs 3:39 to Take Home 1500 Meter Win at Florida Relays

I'm already pushing my self-imposed word limit that I'm trying to establish for these "First Thoughts" articles, so we'll keep this section relatively brief.

Camden Marshall, a middle distance standout from Indiana, ran 1:47 for 800 meters and 3:57 in the mile this past winter, continued to build on his momentum this past weekend. The Hoosier ace ran 3:39 for 1500 meters at the Florida Relays, taking down a respectable field and taking over the NCAA lead in the event.

A month from now, running 3:39 for 1500 meters, while super impressive, won't be something that we'll have time to mention. The national leaderboard will be littered with names who have run faster than that (just look at last year).

Still, running 3:39 in the metric mile is no joke. In my mind, that kind of mark acts as a very arbitrary indicator of how nationally competitive you can be with top-tier 1500 meter runners around the country.

But more importantly, this result simply adds even more value to Marshall's resume. That's important to know because, if you remember from two months ago, we reported that this Indiana standout is on the transfer portal.

And if a 1500 meter win at the Florida Relays in a nation-leading time doesn't boost Marshall's stock in the eyes of a coach who needs a greater middle distance presence, then I don't know what will.

Quick Hits

• It wasn't a personal best, but Kash Powell took home the 800 meter at the Stanford Invite over a respectable field with a time of 1:48. That feels like nice validation after his breakout 1:47 half-mile result from the other weekend.

• Remember when Penn State had six men run 1:48 (800) or faster this past winter? And three of those men ran 1:47? Well, Callum Dodds just ran 1:47 over 800 meters for the Nittany Lions to finish 3rd at the Florida Relays this past weekend. His teammate, Darius Smallwood, also ran 1:47 for 2nd place. The catch? Dodds didn't race this past winter. He's now the fourth Penn State runner to go 1:47 (800) this year and the seventh man on their roster to run 1:48 or faster for that distance.

• Really nice win for Washington's Sam Ellis. He didn't have any collegiate eligibility this past winter, but it was well-documented how incredible he was on the indoor oval. With recent personal bests of 1:46 (800), 2:18 (1k) and 3:53 (mile), it's not surprising that he won the men's 1500 meter title at the Stanford Invitational in a time of 3:40.

• Duncan Hamilton cruised to an 8:41 steeplechase conversion en route to an easy win. Clearly, this was just a rust-buster for the national title contender.

• Coming into this weekend, Taiya Shelby (Vanderbilt) had only ever run three 800 meter races. The last time she contested the event? April of 2022. That, however, didn't stop her from running 2:03 over the half-mile distance. And the best part? She was the top collegiate in the overall results despite racing in the second-fastest heat.

• Much like the results at the Stanford Invitational, the women's 1500 meter results at the Florida Relays weren't quite as quick as we thought. Former Alabama runner, Esther Gitahi (now racing unattached) took home the win, but South Carolina's Silan Ayyildiz ran 4:14 for a solid runner-up result, taking down the Florida duo of Imogen Barrett and Gabrielle Wilkinson in the process.

• Washington's Kayley DeLay, a graduate transfer from Yale, made her season debut this past weekend. She cruised to an easy and unsurprising steeplechase win in 9:49. However, seeing Wyoming's Katelyn Mitchem run 9:52 was a very pleasant surprise, as was three other collegiates dipping under the 10-minute barrier.