First Thoughts: Katelyn Tuohy's 15:03 (5k) NCAA Record & Kenneth Rooks Goes 8:17 in Steeplechase

Yes, I know, this First Thoughts article is a bit later than I anticipated, but that's what happens when you have to drive back five hours from a weekend wedding. Regardless, this past Friday and Saturday gave us plenty to chat about! Let's dive into these historic NCAA results...

NOTE: Any results from the Sound Running On Track Fest will not be eligible for qualification to the East and West Regional Championships due to the meet not reaching NCAA standards.

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Katelyn Tuohy Runs New NCAA 5k Record of 15:03

Have you ever seen a result as impressive as this and yet, been so unsurprised? If you're a consistent reader of The Stride Report, then you know that I bring out that kind of phrase all the time whenever I talk about Katelyn Tuohy.

The NC State phenom has done it again. In a race where she was the main focal star, Tuohy delivered on the hype, running a new 5000 meter PR of 15:03, dropping 11 seconds off of her personal best in that event. Oh, and she also broke the NCAA outdoor 5k record of 15:07 which was set by Jenny Barringer back in 2007.

My personal prediction for Tuohy was 15:01 for this 5k race, so a 15:03 mark was fairly unsurprising. And truthfully, as impressive as this result was, I don't think we learned anything new about this Wolfpack star.

National titles are so far beyond the conversation that we need to have when it comes to Katelyn Tuohy. Instead, our attention should now shift to two separate conversations...

1. Will she win The Bowerman award?

2. Will she turn pro this summer?

It's no secret that The Bowerman award has eluded the NCAA's most elite distance runners for the last decade or so (although middle distance athletes have been fairly represented). And when Edward Cheserek never won the honor, it was hard to fathom how any other collegiate distance talent would ever be in that same conversation any time soon.

But The Bowerman committee has seemingly developed a track record (no pun intended) of favoring elite levels marks/times rather than wins and national title victories. That's not to say that the latter is being ignored, but records and world-caliber marks appear to hold the most weight.

And what Tuohy boasts that Cheserek never had is an onslaught of NCAA records, not just one. With new NCAA records in the mile (4:24), the 3000 meters (8:35) and the 5000 meters (15:03), the argument for this Raleigh-based superstar to be given the NCAA's greatest honor seems airtight.

Well...depending on how you feel about Julien Alfred (Texas) and Britton Wilson (Arkansas).

The NCAA Outdoor Championships are also a little over a month away. And although Tuohy has detailed that she has not yet decided what her future plans are, the idea of turning pro during this calendar year seems to very much be a possibility.

And truthfully, the incentives for her to return to the NCAA are rapidly dwindling.

Tuohy has made it abundantly clear how much she has enjoyed training and racing with her team. And in that latest LetsRun article (linked above), she even noted how her decision could come either, "...now or after the fall."

And if she does win The Bowerman, then...what else does she have to accomplish?

Tuohy has three individual NCAA records, although it's technically four if you include her en route 1500 meter mark from the indoor track season. She has amassed national titles across all three seasons of competition (with more likely on the way) and has been the focal icon for one of the more dominant cross country dynasties in recent history.

The only reason why someone wouldn't put her in the "G.O.A.T." collegiate distance runner conversation right now is simply because of her lack of longevity. And that, at the moment, isn't her fault.

I try not to overreact or get too excited about someone's historical greatness when it's happening in the moment. I don't always succeed, but I certainly try not to.

Of course, with Katelyn Tuohy, it all feels plenty warranted.

Kenneth Rooks Stuns Pro Field, Runs 8:17 Steeplechase PR En Route to NCAA #2 All-Time Mark & Overall Win

Throughout the spring months, we have been singing the praises of BYU veteran Kenneth Rooks, an experienced steeplechaser who looked insanely dominant in his last two races coming into this weekend.

He was cruising past loaded collegiate fields, comfortably running 8:33 and 8:31 for the steeplechase and showing tremendous late-race form in the process. However, the only knock that we had on Rooks was, "What can you do when you face truly elite competition?"

Well, on Saturday, he made sure to show us.

The Cougar superstar, in one of the better races of the entire evening, threw down an incredible steeplechase time of 8:17! That was not only a five-second PR, but that was also enough to upset Hoka One One pro runner Hillary Bor as well as OAC's Geordie Beamish, all while securing the overall win.

Rooks was already viewed as the greatest threat to Duncan Hamilton for NCAA gold in the steeplechase this year. But after this kind of effort, I can't help but ask...is Rooks now the title favorite in that event?

The level of poise that Rooks has shown as of late is insanely impressive. His form looks so incredibly smooth at the end of these races. In fact, at certain times, he looks better over the last two laps than he does during any other point in his race!

I don't want to be the guy who looks at the fastest time that someone has run in a season and say, "Yep, they're the national title favorites." That would go against everything that this site has been founded upon.

But it's not just the fact that Rooks ran 8:17 over the barriers and water pits that has me giving him the nod as the national title favorite -- it's how he has looked while doing it.

And while Hamilton may be able to match Rooks' raw fitness and overall times in the steeplechase, I would be curious to see how these two men look next to each other in the final lap at the outdoor national meet.

Duncan Hamilton Runs Altitude Converted 3:36 (1500) Mark

Speaking of Duncan Hamilton, let's chat (more) about him, shall we?

If there is anyone who can match Kenneth Rooks' pure steeplechase fitness this year, then it's the guy who was the steeplechase silver medalist last spring (and who has an 8:18 PR in the event). It's also the guy who just ran a monster 3:36 altitude conversion for 1500 meters this past weekend.

Impressive? Undoubtedly.

Shocking? Not even in the slightest.

Remember, Hamilton is a guy who thrives at altitude. In fact, in my six years of writing for The Stride Report, I can't remember someone who operates as effectively at altitude as this Bobcat veteran does. Let's not forget, Hamilton ran a converted 3:52 mile time this past winter which, on paper, aligns fairly well with his latest result.

No, this past weekend probably won't change what event Hamilton will contest on the national stage. But at the very least, it shows us that his fitness is still at a place where he can compete for gold.

And at this point in the season, that's all that you can really ask for.

Izzy Thornton-Bott & Mia Barnett Match 1500 Meter PRs, Run 4:08 & 4:10, Respectively

Coming into this weekend, I had one request for Oregon's Izzy Thornton-Bott: Do it again.

The Aussie standout ran an outstanding time of 4:08 for 1500 meters at the Australian Championships earlier this spring at the beginning of the outdoor track season. But that result came over a month ago and it also came as a bit of a surprise. Sure, Thornton-Bott had run 4:32 in the mile this past winter, but running 4:08 in the metric mile put this Duck star at another level.

All that I wanted from Thornton-Bott this past Saturday was to validate the idea that she can realistically win a 1500 meter national title this spring -- and she did exactly that. Truthfully, she could have run 4:09 and I would have been happy with that result, but a 4:08 mark makes this race that much better.

So...what are the national title chances for Thornton-Bott? 10%? 20%? 30% Is she the national title favorite? How many women are you putting ahead of her in contention for NCAA gold?

I haven't totally figured out the answers to my own questions (yet), but at the very least, I don't think you can talk about the women's overall picture for 1500 meters and not mention Thornton-Bott -- she has simply been that good.

And with Lauren Gregory out for the season, there is one more opening available for this Oregon star to go after gold come mid-June.

Speaking of national title contenders, are we ready to put UCLA sophomore Mia Barnett in that same discussion? I don't know if I'm there yet, but I like the fact that, much like Thornton-Bott, we have seen Barnett run 4:10 for 1500 meters twice this season.

Consistency, as many of our TSR readers know, is a valuable aspect to have, especially in the postseason. That, in turn, gives me a ton of confidence that this Bruin star, despite her relative youth, can be an All-American favorite over 1500 meters.

Brian Fay Runs 3:38 For 1500 Meters

I don't have too much to say about this performance, but it's certainly fast enough where it deserves some attention.

Brian Fay ran 3:52 in the mile this past winter, so a 1500 meter PR of 3:38 is hardly that surprising. And despite him contesting the mile at the indoor national meet this past winter, I'm still a believer that Fay should focus his postseason efforts elsewhere this spring.

We're now a week into the month of May and this Washington standout has not yet toed the line for a race that may actually be his best -- the steeplechase.

With an 8:29 personal best over the barriers and water pits, could that be the best event for Fay to pursue in the postseason? That could certainly be an option, especially when you remember that he ran his first steeplechase race of last spring at the PAC-12 Outdoor Championships...directly after running the 1500 meters at the Sound Running meet.

Does Fay or Coach Andy Powell think that the steeplechase is his best chance at postseason success? Does they think that the Irish distance ace can contend with Rooks and Hamilton?

I don't have the answers to those questions, but in a tactical affair, I'd be curious to see what this Husky veteran could do.

BYU's Claire Seymour Runs 2:00.81 (800) While Lexy Halladay-Lowry Runs 9:42 (Steeple) & Riley Chamberlain Runs 4:13 (1500)

It's fair to say that Claire Seymour is closer to the Rose/Willis/Whittaker tier over 800 meters rather than the next-best tier...right?

After running her second sub-2:01 mark in the half-mile this season, Seymour can seemingly do no wrong right now. And if the women's 800 meter finals is run in a time that isn't absurdly fast (which, with Michaela Rose, you never know), then maybe this BYU veteran has a shot at gold after all.

Would the odds still be against her? Yes, probably, but I feel like the race for NCAA gold has evolved from a three-person contest to a four-person battle royale.

We then come to Lexy Halladay-Lowry who, as I said in my meet preview for the Sound Running On Track Fest, felt like one of the safest women in the NCAA as far as making predictions go.

Simply put, her entire year of performances suggested that she wouldn't have a bad race this past weekend -- and I was right!

With a new steeplechase PR of 9:42, Halladay-Lowry has a ton of positive momentum falling in her favor. And truthfully, the women's steeplechase hasn't necessarily been littered with as many upper-tier times this year as I thought there would be.

That will certainly change once the conference meets are wrapped up -- steeplechase marks usually improve, nationally, in the postseason -- but I can't imagine that there will be a massive wave of women running much faster than Halladay-Lowry's 9:42 PR.

And if that's the case, then...is this BYU talent an All-American favorite in this event?

As for Riley Chamberlain, running 4:13 for 1500 meters (while teammate Carmen Alder ran 4:14 for the same distance), isn't a surprise. That said, her consistency at this level is pretty darn impressive for someone who is still so young.

Quick Hits

• Dartmouth's Julia Fenerty threw down a 2:03 mark for 800 meters this past weekend at the Ivy League Outdoor Championships. That result gave her a win over Bronwyn Patterson, a recent indoor national qualifier, which could be a potential confidence booster as we head into the rest of the postseason.

• Camden Marshall (Indiana) and Dugion Blackman (Hampton) both ran 1:47 for 800 meters this past weekend. Given their resumes, those times aren't super surprising, but they are on the better end of what these two men are capable of. Does that mean that they are peaking as we reach the postseason? I certainly think so.

• Laura Pellicoro (Portland) put together a solid 2:03/4:15 (800/1500) weekend double, although she did that at separate meets. That was a strong double and a nice way to prepare her for the multiple rounds that will come at the West Regional Championships

• Aidan McCarthy (Cal Poly) and Cathal Doyle (Portland) both ran 3:39 for 1500 meters this past weekend. Much like I mentioned with Marshall and Blackman, a time as fast as that isn't surprising given their resumes. But for McCarthy, he has now run 1:47 (800) and 3:39 (1500) this season. Watch out for him over the next month or so.

• Kaylee Mitchell's latest 4:14 mark for 1500 meters isn't insanely fast, but she just took down a field that featured Pellicoro, Klaudia Kazimierska, Rachel McArthur and Maddy Elmore. That has to give her some additional confidence as we head into the postseason.

• Butler's Barry Keane posted a time of 13:27 for 5000 meters this past weekend, six seconds off of his personal best. He'll need to run another 5k in order to actually qualify for the East Regional Championships, but this was a nice effort to complement his 28:04 (10k) result from earlier this season.