First Thoughts: Fast 800 Meter Marks From Iowa State, Kemboi Wins BYU 3k & Everything Else We Missed

Well friends, the annual winter break is right around the corner, meaning that we'll be without some race results for quite some time. But as the student-athletes wrap up their final exams and the world preps for the holidays, we wanted to offer some additional analysis on a few top performances that we didn't already discuss.

There are admittedly not a ton of top-tier results to highlight, but we will happily work with what we've got and offer some analysis. We may also dive into a few key marks from the Division Two and Division Three levels later this week, but we'll see how the content schedule unfolds.

Let's begin...

Iowa State Puts Three Men Under 1:49 Over 800 Meters, Cebastian Gentil Runs 1:47 While Indian Hills CC Duo Runs Under 1:50

Back in the spring, at the prestigious Bryan Clay Invitational, we saw Iowa State runner Cebastian Gentil stun every D1 collegiate in the field, running 1:46 to finish 4th overall and secure a massive personal best.

Leading up to that point, Gentil had always been a solid and fairly competitive name, but he had never flexed a level firepower like that before. While certain breakout talents often enjoy an entire season of gradual progress, Gentil's ascent to the top of the NCAA was essentially made in one race (and then carried throughout the rest of the spring months).

The rising Iowa State star eventually qualified for the outdoor national meet, but ultimately settled for a DNF result. Even so, it was clear that Gentil was the real deal and that he could be a legitimate threat in the future.

Sure enough, that's what we saw this past weekend. Gentil toed the line on his home track (which is 300 meters) alongside numerous teammates who would push him to a winning mark of 1:47.69 over 800 meters.

That is a fantastic result and one of the faster half-mile marks that we have ever seen in the month of December (although maybe not the fastest). For perspective, a time of 1:47.48, which is just the slightest bit faster than what Gentil ran this past weekend, gave you the NCAA co-lead towards the end of January last winter.

We should also note that Gentil's recent time of 1:47.69 would have put him at NCAA #18 on the 2022 indoor national leaderboard and he would have advanced to the indoor national meet after scratches.

Momentum is very clearly on Gentil's side as we head into winter break, at least when looking at his overall resume from the past year. The Cyclone veteran is evolving into a legitimate star in a loaded middle distance group that is still developing sophomore Darius Kipyego.

If Gentil can continue to execute at this level and build from here, then he'll be a massive problem for his competitors over the next few months.

As for the aforementioned Darius Kipyego, his recent runner-up finish en route to a time of 1:48.09 is another step in the right direction for the second-year talent. However, expectations remain higher than just 1:48.

With a personal best of 1:47.22 from last spring, Kipyego is probably not too far off from where he ended his 2022 outdoor track campaign. However, in a year where there seems to be a bit more ambiguity than usual when it comes to contenders in the men's 800 meters, it will be crucial for Kipyego to build on his lessons from last year and take that next step.

But to be clear, these TSR-prescribed goals aren't meant to suggest that Kipyego ran poorly last weekend. This is simply a very big season for him in terms of his national standing.

It was also very nice to see Peter Smith, a transfer from last year, extending his success from Army and running 1:48.31, just a touch behind Kipyego. But believe it or not, that's actually not his personal best.

Smith actually ran 1:48 twice during the championship portion of the last outdoor track season. He owns a personal best of 1:48.05 which was enough for him to place 16th at the West Regional Championships back in May, just four spots out from a national qualifying spot.

Seeing Smith essentially back at the peak of his fitness, but this time on an indoor oval, is extremely promising. That's really encouraging progress and it's yet another excellent display of how incredible Coach Jeremy Sudbury as a developer of middle distance specialists.

These are all fantastic performances that could be viewed as launch pads for the postseason aspirations that all three of these men likely share. And while all of them will probably need to improve in order to ensure that they'll still be racing in March, they also seem to be in a fairly favorable positions (fitness-wise) heading into the holidays.

Also, let's quickly talk about Rivaldo Marshall and Tyrice Taylor, a middle distance duo from Indian Hills CC. The two underclassmen just ran 1:48.46 and 1:49.80 at Iowa State, making them top 800 meter contenders at the JUCO level.

Admittedly, Marshall had already run 1:48 before, but Taylor is new to the scene and will seemingly be yet another top-tier half-miler in this Indian Hills CC program. Be sure to watch out for these guys in the future as they potentially pursue a move to the D1 level (as many top JUCO talents do).

I would also imagine that the Iowa State men, a program known for consistently recruiting top-caliber JUCO talents, have some long-term interest in both of these guys as well, but that's only speculation...

Sebastian Fernandez Runs Altitude-Converted 1:48, Matthew Payamps Goes 1:48 to Win 800 Meters At Boston University Season Opener

One of the more heart-warming stories from the 2022 outdoor track season was the rise of BYU middle distance ace, Sebastian Fernandez.

The Minnesota native ventured to Provo, Utah as a former soccer player who tried out for the Cougars' track team in 2021 (he had run track before in high school), but was ultimately cut. However, after running 1:50 unattached in California, Fernandez was quickly brought onto the BYU roster for the 2022 track season.

And once he was on the team, the rising half-mile star ended up running a jaw-dropping time of 1:47 which was later given an altitude conversion that put Fernandez at 1:46. He would eventually advance to the outdoor national meet where he finished 11th overall.

That stunning breakout season seemingly caught everyone by surprise, maybe even Fernandez himself. But for as incredible as that result was, there were still questions about the newest BYU standout coming into these winter months.

Could he replicate the magic that we saw from him in the spring of 2022?

How would he handle racing at this level on the indoor oval compared to outdoors?

What has changed with Fernandez, if anything, over the last six months?

Well, any precautions about being too high on Fernandez entering this indoor track season have seemingly been quelled, at least for now. The Cougar middle distance runner dropped a time of 1:48.84 on BYU's 352 meter indoor track which sits at 4600 feet of elevation.

And after altitude conversions, that time now reads 1:48.31.

Much like the Iowa State men, this is a very encouraging step in the right direction for Fernandez. Although, truthfully, we still have questions about his experience of racing at this level and how he'll handle an entire season of competition on various indoor tracks.

But if this Minnesota native has shown us anything, it's that he can take advantage of momentum better than almost anyone in the country. And if he's able to get past the learning curve as quickly as he did last spring, then he's going to be a very challenging to shake in the postseason.

Speaking of another 800 meter standout, let's not-so-briefly chat about Georgetown's Matthew Payamps, a guy who ran 1:48 at Boston University to win the event...well, he actually tied with Daniel Herrera (unattached), but you get the gist.

Admittedly, a time like that isn't exactly stunning for Payamps. This is someone who owns a 1:47.17 personal best over the half-mile distance and he has also run 3:55 for the mile before. That latter PR also came last winter on the same Boston University indoor track that he raced on a couple of weekends ago.

When Payamps is firing on all cylinders and is able to control races from the front, he's incredibly hard to defeat. He had teammate Tim McInerney dragging him through about 500 meters the other weekend before attempting to fend off Herrera over the last lap.

And if you go back and watch his mile race at the Boston U. Scarlet & White Invitational from last winter, you'll find that Payamps employed a very similar strategy, even if he was far more dominant and won far more convincingly.

I would argue that Payamps is one of the more naturally talented 800/mile middle distance talents in the NCAA. His times speak for themselves. However, the next goal for this Hoya ace is for him to elevate his game when he's running in upper-echelon fields.

Payamps fell to Sean Dolan at both the BIG East Indoor and BIG East Outdoor Championships last year in the 800 meters (but was very competitive in both efforts). He also finished last in the mile at the 2022 indoor national meet, finished a modest 6th place at Joe Walker in the 800 meters and settled for a rough 41st place finish at the East Regional Championships in the 1500 meters.

Even so, Payamps was only listed as a sophomore by eligibility last winter and spring. He had also never run at that high of a level before. In our eyes, his 2022 campaign on the track seemed to be a soft introduction to the "truly nationally competitive" tier.

As 2023 arrives, this could be Payamps' chance to take that next step. He is now far more experienced, has toed the line against a variety of high-level stars and just got off to an encouraging start for this year's indoor track season.

Those are all very, very good signs.

Alena Ellsworth Runs 2:06 to Win 800 Meters at Boston U.

We'll admit, a 2:06 mark over 800 meters isn't going to capture much attention, nationally, and it probably wouldn't be a performance that we highlighted had there been other results to discuss.

But Alena Ellsworth does deserve some attention for her recent 2:06 result. She recorded that time at the Boston University Season Opener, earning a convincing victory over teammate Meghan Hunter who ran 2:10.

Ellsworth is going to be an interesting name to monitor. Let's not forget, she owns a 2:03 personal for 800 meters -- that's a no-joke time. And while her recent rust-busting effort won't break any records, it's also important to recognize that she can be so much faster, especially in a field where she is actually pushed.

We should also note that Ellsworth has run 52.96 for 400 meters, meaning that the two-lap indoor event may be a potential focus for her later this winter. That could also mean that Ellsworth will be a vital piece for BYU's future DMR squad.

But for now, Ellsworth will take an unsurprising and still-encouraging victory into winter break, likely priming herself for a national qualifying campaign that will likely prove to be a significant, although certainly not impossible, challenge to overcome.

Everlyn Kemboi Wins 3k at BYU, Runs Converted 9:18 Mark

This Utah Valley superstar, who broke out during the spring of 2022 over 10k and then broke out even further on the grass this past fall, toed the line for a 3000 meter race in Provo, Utah the other weekend. There, she easily cruised to the win, running 9:31 which ultimately earned an altitude conversion of 9:18.

Much like Ellsworth's recent 2:06 mark over 800 meters, Kemboi's latest performance isn't going to drop jaws or change the complexion of the women's national 3000 meter landscape.

Even so, this is a much more encouraging result than some people may realize. Kemboi is undeniably an aerobic-based, brute-strength type of runner who is clearly at her best when she's racing the longest distances possible. She's going to be a great marathoner one day.

For Kemboi, the 3000 meters is a step down in distance for her. And in our opinion, that event requires a sneaky-high amount of turnover and speed, something that Kemboi hasn't necessarily shown over the last year (relative to her other results).

That's why a 9:18 mark that was converted from altitude in a field where she took the win by exactly 20 seconds feels promising.

Kemboi could have been pushed so much more last week. She could also potentially benefit from not racing at altitude. Plus, her raw time from the other weekend came within three seconds of her current 3k personal best (which is 9:29).

I'm not necessarily saying that Kemboi is going to be an indoor national qualifier in the 3000 meters this season. However, I do think that there are numerous avenues for this Utah Valley star to be substantially faster in this event.

And if that theory ends up being true, then her prospects for the 5000 meters this winter feel incredibly exciting.

But for now, we'll give Kemboi a commendable nod, acknowledge her upside and move on.

Quick Hits

• Really nice start to the season for Tennessee's Joe Hoots. The Volunteer veteran owns a personal best of 1:48.72 (800) from last spring and just ran 1:49.80 to win the Clemson Opener. Hoots still needs to take a step-and-a-half up in order to really contend as a top half-miler in the SEC, but his level of consistency is unreal and he seems to be ahead of schedule in terms of his fitness.

• Northern Colorado's Regina Mpigachai was able to post a promising mile time of 4:47 in Indiana this past weekend. And since it was run on a flat-track, that time now converts to 4:44. With personal bests of 2:09 (800) and 16:12 (5k) -- the former being a raw time run at altitude and the latter time most recently coming at Boston University -- Mpigachai may be a name to keep on your radar. Her resume is quietly, but rapidly improving. There are always a few mid-major standouts who turn out to be sneaky-good based in December and Mpigachai is seemingly one of those talents for the 2023 indoor track season.

• How about Daniel Burkhalter? The South Dakota State runner dropped a 4:05 mile mark at the very beginning of December and now sits at NCAA #1...even if there hasn't been much competition in the event, nationally. But with personal bests of 1:49 (800) and 3:41 (1500), it may be best to monitor this SDSU Jackrabbit who could be building some quietly dangerous momentum.

• This could be a really big year for Rutgers ace, Alexandra Carlson. She was phenomenal last winter as a rookie, running times of 2:06 (800), 4:36 (mile) and 9:15 (3k). Tactically, she was far more refined than most freshmen are and she was fairly consistent as well. Carlson just ran 9:27 for 3000 meters in what was an easy rust-busting win for the Rutgers standout. And after a strong 2022 cross country season, it feels like Carlson could make a jump up from her freshman year fitness.

• Nice race for Indiana's Jake Gebhardt in his season debut. He ran 8:05 (3k) on his home track earlier this month. That's not necessarily a surprising result, but it's nice to see someone of his caliber posting a result like that this early in the season. I could see him running 7:54 or 7:55 later this winter.

• Keep an eye out for Habtamu Cheney from Utah Valley. He just ran an altitude-converted 3k mark of 8:07. And if he's anything like his teammates on the women's side of Utah Valley's roster, then he may be even better in the 5k moving forward.