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First Thoughts: Houser's Electric 3k, Thomas' Statement Mile Victory & Troutner Goes Sub-Four at Altitude
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Jan 14, 2024
- 11 min read
Updated: Jan 14, 2024
If you thought Friday was exciting, then oh man, are you gonna love our Saturday analysis.
The UW Preview is the meet that was largely responsible for most of the top performances around the country. Of course, there were plenty of non-Seattle efforts that caught our eye as well. Here are all of the key results that you need to know about from this past weekend...
Luke Houser Drops 7:40 (3k) PR En Route to Monster Win, Now Sits at NCAA #8 All-Time
I was very high on Luke Houser going into this weekend. I felt confident that the 2023 indoor mile national champion was primed for a big-time 3k following a cross country campaign that was far better than what his regional meet performance suggested.
And when pairing that aerobic strength with his mile speed, the 3k felt like the perfect middle ground for where his fitness is currently at.
As such, I predicted that Houser would finish as the top collegiate at the UW Preview this past Saturday and run a time of 7:43 (3k). I ended up being right on the former prediction, but even my seemingly-generous prediction time of 7:43 ultimately ended up being too conservative.
In a brilliant display of fitness and tactical nuance, Houser battled with a handful of top pros in the final stages of this 3k race. He never made any unnecessary moves, but he also ensured that he stayed in touch with the leaders. And when he went to front with two laps to go, he do so with conviction, forcing his former Washington teammate and current On pro, Kieran Lumb, to play catch up.
In the end, Houser would cross the line just barely ahead of Lumb, dropping a phenomenal time of 7:40 for 3000 meters. It was one of the most impressive middle-of-January distance efforts that I had personally ever seen.
Houser now sits at NCAA #8 all-time over 3000 meters.
Right now, it's hard to dislike anything about Houser. I was so encouraged by how his fall campaign went and it seems like he has effectively translated that fitness to the indoor oval. Even in an all-out environment, this Washington veteran still displayed a great understanding of positioning and when to surge.
I don't know if there's such a thing as a "perfect" race, but that was pretty close to it.
After an effort like that, it's hard not to ask the question, "Will Houser contest the 3k at the indoor national meet this year?"
Truthfully, I have no idea. On paper, Houser's resume suggests that he would be a brilliant addition to the 3000-meter field on the national stage. If that race turns tactical (and it often has), then Houser would arguably be one of the most dangerous men in that field.
But the mile has been a staple event for the Washington trio of Houser, Waskom and Green over the last two years. And as the defending national champion in that event, you would think that this Husky star would return to that distance on the national stage (assuming he eventually qualifies which he almost certainly will).
Could he do both and double? Absolutely, that probably makes the most sense, although that decision would most likely hinge on which event he has the best chance of earning gold in.
Regardless, Houser just boosted his stock in a massive way this past weekend.
The other collegiate in this field was Habtom Samuel, New Mexico's newest distance star who finished runner-up at the NCAA XC Championships. I predicted that he would settle for a 7:45 for 3000 meters -- and that's exactly what he did.
Samuel is very clearly someone who thrives as the racing distances get longer (he's going to be a great marathoner one day). And funny enough, the 3k was an event that he seemingly had to drop down in distance for.
That's why I was a little more conservative with his prediction that Houser's. I knew Samuel would run something fast, but I didn't necessarily expect him to have the turnover to cover gaps in the latter stages of this race...which is precisely what happened.
Even so, a 7:45 (3k) is a new PR for Samuel and it likely puts him in the national qualifying conversation. The 5k will take precedent for him, but I would imagine that he'll take another crack or two at the 3k in order to more firmly solidify his spot to the national meet in that event.
Carley Thomas Moves Up in Distance & Stuns With Statement 4:30 Mile Victory Over Oregon Women
In the winter of 2020, as just a true freshman, Washington's Carley Thomas emerged as a legitimate threat to win the indoor national title over 800 meters. Nia Akins was the favorite, but Thomas was likely her one and only threat.
Of course, as we all know, the pandemic stopped the NCAA Indoor Championships from ever happening that year. And after breaking her femur later that summer, it understandably took Thomas quite some time to get back into top form.
But over the last few years, Thomas has slowly rallied. She has further refined her tactical understanding, has put together strings of brilliant races and has improved her strength-based fitness as well. The national meet prelims have consistently given her challenges, but the talent that we saw from her in 2020 is still very much there.
In fact, that couldn't have been more evident this past summer and winter when Thomas returned home to Australia and ran some jaw-dropping times of 1:59.95 (800), 2:37 (1k) and 9:05 (3k)!
With her talent simply reaching a new level, I felt confident about what Thomas could do on her home track in the mile this past weekend. The race would undoubtedly be fast given that she was battling the Oregon women and her fitness did suggest that she was due for a big-time mile PR.
As such, I predicted that Thomas, previously a 4:36 miler, would run a big PR of 4:32 and barely fall to Klaudia Kazimierska -- but that's not how the race unfolded.
When the race began, Thomas put herself in the middle-to-latter-half of the pack and let the field unfold in front of her. And during the middle portions of the race, Thomas quietly moved up and improved her position each time.
And when the final lap came around, Thomas looked OUTSTANDING. The Husky veteran looked unbelievably poised and calm over the final 300-ish meters. She defended her position at the front on the inside rail and then powered away in the final stretch to run a monumental time of 4:30!
Oregon's Klaudia Kazimierska would end up running a fantastic time of 4:31 as well while Brooks Beasts pro, Nia Akins, and Oregon's Maddy Elmore ran 4:32 and 4:33, respectively. Mia Barnett, in her debut with the Ducks, held on to run 4:37.
I can't begin to say enough good things about Thomas. That may have been the best that she has ever looked in a race -- or at least the ones that I have seen her in.
The Washington star had such incredible control of her fitness and the way that she easily gained separation was masterful. The Aussie middle distance talent never made any excessive surges and she seemingly knew exactly when and where she wanted to make her moves.
I'm so impressed. I don't even know what else there is to say. And with a result like that, you have to wonder if this traditional 800-meter talent will move up to the mile distance on the national stage. Between Michaela Rose, Roisin Willis and Juliette Whittaker, the women's 800 meters isn't getting any easier, but the mile should be just as wide-open as it was last year, maybe even more so.
And after a few underwhelming attempts on the national stage over that half-mile distance, attacking the mile in March may be a refreshing change that yields greater results. Thomas' ability to be tactical and utilize her finishing speed is much more easily applied to the mile than it is over 800 meters.
Regardless, the performances that we saw from Thomas last year have very much been validated by her latest effort -- and then some.
As for the Oregon women, you gotta be pretty happy if you're Coach Shalane Flanagan.
All-American ace, Klaudia Kazimierska, did a lot of work near the front of this race. And despite that, she still came away with a fantastic 4:31 mile PR! That kind of time isn't totally out of left field for someone like her, but it's undeniably the best mark that she's produced during her time in the NCAA.
Maddy Elmore running 4:33 in the mile isn't much of a surprise, although it's still plenty impressive. She ran 4:08 for 1500 meters last spring and has been an upper-echelon star since then. Elmore's recent string of results, specifically her 3k effort of 8:50 last month, suggested that a time like this was within her wheelhouse, especially if she was going to be chasing Thomas, Kazimierska and Akins on the last lap.
As for Mia Barnett, she did a lot of early work, putting herself near the front and being a little more aggressive in comparison to a few others. By the time the final lap came, she was overtaken and left trying to play catchup.
And yet, despite being in a new training environment and being in an Oregon singlet for the first-time ever, I was still encouraged that she ran 4:37. It wasn't her best effort -- I thought she could have been a bit more conservative at certain points of that race -- but if she's able to run 4:37 this early in the season with way more room to improve, then I'm encouraged with where she's at right now.
Also, fellow Oregon teammate, Dalia Frias, who was also making her debut with the Ducks, took a tumble just past halfway, but still got up and ran 4:46. All things considered, that was actually a pretty strong result. And prior to falling, Frias was right with her teammates.
Don't be surprised if she runs sub-4:40 her next time out.
BYU's Aidan Troutner Flexes Aerobic Strength, Runs 3:59 Mile at Altitude, Earns 3:54 Conversion
If you have heard or read the name, "Aidan Troutner" before, it was likely in reference to his upset of Brodey Hasty at the 2017 NXN Championships, securing gold in the process.
However, over the last few years, Troutner has quietly put together a handful of strong performances. On the track, he's run 7:50 for 3000 meters and 13:45 for 5000 meters. He has even run an altitude-converted time of 3:56.98 for the mile at the 2023 BYU Cougar Invitational last winter.
But despite those marks and a small handful of promising cross country results, Troutner never had a collegiate performance on his resume that put him in the same tier as some of his fellow teammates such as the Thompson brothers or Joey Nokes.
Well, until this past weekend, that is.
On Saturday, Troutner put together a historically great performance, running 3:59 for the mile at altitude...before conversions! And after an altitude conversion, this BYU veteran now sits at the top of the NCAA leaderboard with a tremendous time of 3:54.
Even in this era of ultra-fast times, a sub-four minute mile effort at altitude is a result that doesn't just deserve respect, it demands it.
Altitude critics will naturally be requesting that Troutner validate his mark at sea level later this season. But if I'm BYU, I can take comfort in the fact that Troutner ran a 3:56 converted mile last year, giving a bit more validation to this result than maybe a few others.
Troutner isn't just fit right now -- he's nationally competitive.
Of course, a mile race like that doesn't necessarily mirror what Troutner will see on the national stage in March. Those races tend to be far more tactical and require significantly more leg speed. And given Troutner's resume, he seems to be a bit more strength-oriented, leaning towards the longer distances.
I'd love to see Troutner attack a fast 3k soon. While I do think that the men's 3k could end up being historically loaded this year, the 3k meshes the best aspects of Troutner's long distance prowess and his lethal mile talent.
Amy Bunnage (9:03) Holds Off Chloe Foerster (9:05) to Emerge as Top Collegiate in Women's 3k at UW Preview
Truthfully, there isn't a whole lot to talk about with this race.
Stanford rookie Amy Bunnage was the focal collegiate star of this field. However, with Brooks Beasts pros, Allie Buchalski and Kayley DeLay taking charge, the Australian freshman simply couldn't hang with the pace.
Even so, Bunnage held on to run 9:03 (3k) and salvage a strong result despite being gapped and left in "no man's land" for a bit. For an early-season race, that's a solid result, although she'll need to improve a good bit to put herself in the national qualifying conversation for that event.
Arguably the best result of the race, collegiately, was seeing Washington's Chloe Foerster run a strong mark of 9:05. The Husky sophomore was not in/near the top pack for a good portion of this race, but she slowly chipped away at the gaps in front of her, ultimately coming within two seconds of Bunnage.
The announcers on the live stream commented on how high the Washington women were on Foerster -- and they should've included me in that group. This second-year talent had a very good cross country season and she has shown a lot of signs that this could be a breakout year for her on the track.
Cole Lindhorst Begins Comeback Campaign, Runs 1:47 Over 800 Meters
We've been big fans of Cole Lindhorst for the last few years. The problem, however, is that the former Air Force runner has battled injuries, effectively keeping him out of the last year of competition, essentially since the fall of 2022!
The last time he had run on the track prior to this season was January 2023.
But when he's healthy and at his best, Lindhorst is a dangerous middle distance talent. He is quietly one of the best doublers in the NCAA and his times make him a competitive middle distance talent, nationally.
Sure enough, this Longhorn standout threw down an awesome 1:47 (800) mark this past weekend at Kentucky, easily taking home the win thanks to some pacing duties from fellow teammate, Yusuf Bizimana.
Through just one weekend, Lindhorst doesn't look too far off from where his previous peak was at before he got injured. And by having him at/near 100%, the Texas men should be well positioned to run a fast DMR time later this winter.
Look out for what Lindhorst does next, specifically in the mile. He owns a 3:59 mile PR from his time at Air Force, but I could see that mark coming all the way down to 3:56 or even 3:55 later this season.
Juliette Whittaker Delivers 2:02 (800) Mark in Season Debut
I would love to offer in-depth analysis on Juliette Whittaker's performance, but this was probably the least surprising result of the weekend.
The Stanford sophomore ran 2:02 for 800 meters at the UW Preview to take home the win in her season debut, dominating from wire-to-wire. We didn't learn anything new from this race, but it was good to see Whittaker look just as sharp as ever.
Quick Hits
Nice effort by Ole Miss' Marcus Dropik who ran 1:49 for 800 meters. He has a 1:48 PR and could be due to drop even more time this winter. He may be a key name to watch once we reach the SEC Indoor Championships.
Stanford's Ky Robinson emerged as the top collegiate in men's mile with a 4:00 effort. But truthfully, the slower pace can likely be attributed to the pacing simply not being fast enough through 800 meters.
Tennessee's Canaan Anderson ran 4:00 in the mile this past weekend, taking home the win at the Commodore Challenge. He's due for a big breakthrough race, I'm just not sure when.
How about Wyoming's Salma Elbadra? The rookie from Morocco ran an altitude converted 4:37 mile mark at the Potts Invitational this past weekend. We don't know much about this true freshman, but if we found her correct World Athletics profile, then this was probably the best performance of her career (after the conversion).
Penn State's Hayley Kitching ran 2:42.94 for 1000 meters this past weekend. That's an extremely impressive performance and an encouraging sign for someone who also ran 2:03 for 800 meters last year. If she can carry and build upon that momentum later this season, then she may be one of the last people who I would want to toe the line against in the postseason.
It was subtle, but Penn State's men's middle distance group looked very strong this past weekend at the Nittany Lion Challenge. They didn't even have a few of their top men racing, leaving us excited about what kind of depth they could produce this year.
Really impressive efforts from Laura Pellicoro (Portland) and Ella Nelson (Oregon), each of whom ran 2:42 for 1000 meters at the UW Preview. For two women who will probably be on the fringes of national qualifying if their respective events (mile for Pellicoro, 800 meters for Nelson), this pair of results should be big confidence boosters. A 2:42 mark suggests that those women should very much be in the hunt to extend their seasons by a couple of weeks.
Columbia Justin O'Toole, Oregon's Matthew Erickson and Cal Poly's Davis Bove each ran 2:20 for 1000 meters at the UW Preview. Those are some big-time results which also signal a handful of encouraging developments for each of these names. O' Toole seemingly looks like he's ready to make that next jump that he had teased throughout last year. Erickson validated his tremendous finish to the 2023 outdoor track season. Bove looks like he may be a more complete miler this year and maybe even an All-American threat if he can translate that speed to a tactical race.
